Christmas is in the Air in the Mountains

It is hard to believe this year is almost over. I for one would like to finish this year off with as much fun, happiness and good cheer as I can find.

Today we went to an open house at Doyle's Cedar Hill in Murphy, great food, great people, way to do it Jeremiah.

We would like to recommend three very special holiday events coming up this weekend.  All will put a smile on your face, and a glow in your heart.

Not to mention the Fireside sale can put really great presents under your Christmas tree.

Come Enjoy...Mrs. Highlander

 Santa on the Chimney  • December 5th & 12th • 11 am to 2 pm

Where does Santa go to practice for his journey on Christmas Eve...Santa practices on a 315-ft. Chimney Rock before climbing down millions of much shorter chimneys all around the world. We experienced it for ourselves, read the Highlander's take on this event, it is guaranteed to make you laugh.

Fort Loudoun 18th Century Christmas at the Fort  • December 5th 9:45 am to 6:00 pm

Travel back in time for an Authentic 18th Century Christmas. The daily schedule includes a Christmas church service, wassail tasting and a special candlelight tour of the fort. On this special occasion, the soldiers will perform a rare night time firing of the fort’s cannon. Another Highlander Tale...a must read.

John C. Campbell Folk School Fireside Sale • December 6th • 10 am - 5 pm

Enjoy the ambiance of live music and a crackling fire as you shop for artful treasures. Craftspeople will offer handmade items such as jewelry, weaving, forged iron, photography, quilts and turned wood. You're sure to find special, one-of-a-kind holiday gifts here!

We are in production of our 2009 Christmas Tale, in the meanwhile take a little time to wander through the Highlander's Collection of Christmas Tales, from A Merry...Humble Mountain Christmas to Christmas at the Biltmore, Gingerbread Houses at the Grove Park Inn and others...

Looking for other Events....Check out our Event Calendar for other Holiday Events throughout the mountains.

Spend the Holidays in the Mountains....you know you want to!

Chimney Rock, Lake Lure and Golden Valley

One of the benefits of publishing the Highlander is that we travel throughout the Blue Ridge and Smoky Mountains and have the privilege to share what we find with you.

In traveling to Rutherford County, we found 6 distinctly unique towns and villages all extremely friendly, the beautiful Lake Lure and Chimney Rock at Chimney Rock State Park a National Treasure that recently became a North Carolina State Park, a definite "Must See."

Rutherford County is known for several major films, "Fire starter," "Dirty Dancing," and our favorite "Last of the Mohicans."

When we first arrived, we stopped to get lunch and upon opening the door of the restaurant, "The Time of My Life," the theme song for Dirty Dancing began to play. I honestly started to chuckle, it was like they knew to cue the song upon our arrival to set a tone to our trip. We brought the sound track from "Last of the Mohican's" which we played on our road trip to set our own personal tone.

We also found 3 great scenic drives in Rutherford County that we know you will enjoy. There is s wealth of history, recreation, small town shopping and plenty of relaxation waiting for you in Rutherford County, much more than I can put in this blog, so be sure to go on line to read the complete story, then plan your visit.

Featured Mountain Easter Events

John C. Campbell Folk School Annual Easter Egg Hunt

April 11, 2009 • 1:00 p.m Sharp! • Arrive Early
This event is free and held at the Open House.

An annual favorite for kids the Saturday before Easter, bring your children at 1:00 p.m. to hunt for filled Easter eggs. There will be three areas for egg hunting, divided by age: 0-4, 5-7, and 8 & older. 

We ask that you please park in the gravel lot across from the Keith House to allow plenty of space for egg hunting and for the safety of the participants. 

Please arrive early - the hunt begins promptly at 1:00 pm and doesn't last very long!  There will be live music during the event.

54th Sunrise Service atop Chimney Rock

Chimney Rock at Chimney Rock State Park

April 12th, 2009

Gates open at 5am and close at 6am for the 6:30am service.

No fees charged. 

Guests are welcome to enjoy the Park for the day. Celebrate the glory of Easter as our guest at this non-denominational community worship. This special service will be filled with song, scripture, special music and spectacular sunrise views over beautiful Lake Lure and Hickory Nut Gorge. 

John Mason, the Park's featured hammered dulcimer player, will perform. Arrive early, dress warmly and bring a flashlight.

For more information call 1-800-277-9611 or email visit@chimneyrockpark.com

Down the Chimney...Ho! Ho! Ho!

The Blue Ridge Highlander would like to wish everyone a very special Merry Christmas and spread the love, hope and joy that we feel.  It has been a difficult year for all of us, I don't know anyone that hasn't been effected in some way from what is happening in our country.  

This year we were inspired to write two Christmas Stories, one to touch your heart and one to tickle your funny bone. Our goal for this second feature was to introduce you to a very special event at a very special state park and give you a story to chuckle about.

From the first day we began writing our first Christmas story, Hope, Faith and the Light, we have felt inspired and been excited about the potential next year has to offer.  After launching the story we got more emails than ever before from people in all walks of life sharing their feelings about how the story made them feel, and how it gave them hope for a brighter tomorrow.  Read Hope, Faith and the Light and get inspired.

Then we were invited to Chimney Rock at Chimney Rock State Park for their Annual Christmas Event which inspired our second Christmas story of the year.  What a great event, we had a blast.  Read our story, a link is below and it will truly make you laugh and laughter is contagious and heals what ails ya.

Where does Santa go to train for his Christmas Eve journey down chimneys all over the world?

Chimney Rock at Chimney Rock State Park in Western North Carolina... of Course!

Mrs. Highlander and I would like to thank the staff at Chimney Rock at Chimney Rock State Park for inviting us to this special holiday event.

Its great to get to see Santa once again, we haven't seen him for many years nor have our daughter and son-in-law. Our granddaughter Maddie has been informing us that Santa's doing just fine and looks great, she says, "He thinks he's so quiet but he's really not."....for a fun story and a good hearted, jolly laugh, read on...

In our quest for this year's first Christmas Tale, we were quite perplexed because of the current times.

Mrs. Highlander recommended an abstract thought for me to ponder on..."There is light at the end of the tunnel" a cliche, but but one with meaning, and something we do believe....read on....and gain your own sense of Hope, Faith and the Light at the end of the Tunnel.

Be sure to share our stories with all those you feel could use the inspiration.  And remember, we are a resilient people, we will pull out of this towards a brighter tomorrow.  Changes happen when we think creatively and look in ourselves to the answers to the issues we are faced with.

Merry Christmas and God Bless Us All.....Mrs. Highlander

Hope, Faith and the Light

The Blue Ridge and Smoky Mountains are a very special place.  A place where you can visit or live away from the hustle, bustle and stresses of today's confused world.  I am not saying that the mountains aren't feeling some of the same issues as the rest of the world.  But I don't think we are feeling the issues as severely as the rest of the world.

We feel truly Blessed to have the privilege to publish the Blue Ridge Highlander.  It has always been our goal to inform, entertain and inspire our readers and hope you take the time to explore the Blue Ridge Highlander and find the peace the mountains have to offer.

In our quest for this year's Christmas Tale, we were quite perplexed because of the current times. 

Mrs. Highlander recommended an abstract thought for me to ponder on..."There is light at the end of the tunnel" a cliche, but one with meaning, and something we do believe....please read on....and gain your own sense of Hope, Faith and the Light at the end of the Tunnel.

For those of you that haven't read last years Christmas Tale, I know that you will enjoy it after reading this year's tale. This Christmas tale is several stories in one, our purpose is to take you back to the true essence of Christmas.

Please take the time to forward links to our story to all those you know that would benefit from the inspiration of the writings.  I also invite you to post comments about the story.  We have gotten a lot of great emails regarding the story and love to hear from all of you about how the stories made you feel.

Checks out our list of Christmas Events in the Mountains.

Below are a couple of our featured events, the first one coming up Saturday, December 13th.

December 13th, 2008
Santa is rappelling down Chimney Rock to get ready for his Christmas Eve trip.

December 20th, 2008
Christmas for the Kids at John C. Campbell Folks School

We will be reporting on this event in our next newsletter, coming out next week.

Enjoy the Holidays and Count your Many Blessings

God Bless Us All....Mr. & Mrs. Highlander

Christmas Festivals in the Mountains

Christmas is right around the corner, and the reports all say that retail spending is higher than last year what a great report, it is nice to have some good news for a change.   We are really looking forward to the new President's plans and know this country can get back on the right track with some hard work and a lot of faith.

Mr. Highlander is working on this year's Holiday Tale, and it sounds like a perfect message for the end of this year and a fresh new beginning.  If you haven't read our past Holiday Tales, we have a nice collection and you can find links on the front page of the Highlander.

It is a great time escape to the mountains to enjoy a few festivals. Christmas events are now on line for Georgia, Western North Carolina and Tennessee, click to find a few to attend.

Here are a couple of our favorites and one unusual one we are visiting for the first time this coming Saturday, click the links for more information.

Christmas at the Fort December 6, 2008

Christmas for the Kids at John C. Campbell Folks School December 20, 2008

Now, for the unusual...

the Highlander is looking forward to attending this events for the first time.

Santa is rappelling down Chimney Rock to get ready for his Christmas Eve trip December 6th & 13th 2008

We will be reporting on this event in our next newsletter, along with our 2008 Holiday Tale.

Enjoy the Holidays and Count your Many Blessings, Mrs. Highlander