Foothills Faces - People and Places of the Carolina Foothills
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Foothills Faces

People & Places of the Carolina Foothills

Summer Tracks Concert Series has helped put Tryon on the map...

4/30/2025

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Peter Eisenbrown had no clue when he started Summer Tracks in the year 2000 that it would still be here. Season 25 opens on June 6.
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Randy Whitener - Eight Seconds to Glory

2/16/2025

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There's nothing easy or safe about Randy Whitener's job. It's scary enough just watching from the safe side of the fence.
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Creating art from trash...Meet David Edgar from Tryon

2/11/2025

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David is a Tryon artist who creates amazing whimsical creatures out of what most of us toss away.
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These teens are keeping a musical tradition alive...

12/9/2024

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The PacJAM (Junior Appalachian Musicians) have been regular performers at the Earl Scruggs Music Festival. This interview was immediately after their show during Labor Day weekend 2024.
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Columbus celebrates our veterans...

11/12/2024

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Columbus always celebrates Veterans Day with a meaningful ceremony. Check out these scenes from November 11, 2024.
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Washburn's General Store - serving the community since 1831

11/10/2024

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The Washburn Family has run their store for over 190 years. Meet Ann Washburn Hutchins and learn how Washburn's General Store has been a fixture in the Bostic community since 1831.
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When he didn't have room in his house for another arcade game, Mike Martin decided it was time to start a museum!

10/20/2024

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When you have over 50 plus full-sized arcade games, it's time to share with others.
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Local equestrian center jumps into action as one of the states Emergency Staging Centers after Helene

10/14/2024

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There wasn't even a doubt about the Tryon International Equestrian Center stepping up to this challenge.
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Casey Scanlon is our own artisan chocolatier.

8/4/2024

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It's too bad you can't taste these chocolates via this post. But after checking out the video, you might find yourself heading over to the Tryon International Equestrian Center so sample them yourselves.
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Meet Bob Bessell, at 102 Years Old he has some amazing stories to share.

12/28/2023

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Bob had no clue that two months after he joined the United States Merchant Marines that he would find himself caught up in World War II. Bob was in the United States Merchant Marines and with just a few months of enlisting, he found himself on a ship that had been hit by a torpedo from a German U-Boat.
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Never had a driver's license but she flew a plane across the US in a race!

12/8/2023

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Fran Goodwin never had a driver's license, but that didn't keep her from staying home. In 1959 she co-piloted a small plane across the US in an all woman transcontinental race.
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A Night at the Museum

10/29/2023

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Local folks came together in Saluda to present "A Night at the Museum." They brought history to life in various scenes relating the growth and development of Saluda with its connection to the railroad.
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The Biscuit Eaters - a family band from Low Gap, NC

9/8/2023

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The Biscuit Eaters are from Low Gap, NC in Surry County. They are an incredible family band who performed Labor Day weekend 2023 at the Earl Scruggs Music Festival here in the foothills. Every kid plays multiple instruments. Listen to some of their music and watch their interview in this video.
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The Saluda Historic Depot & Museum

8/25/2023

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Mike Reeves, board chair of the Saluda Historic Depot & Museum, fills us in on some of the early history of the train in Saluda and how it has shaped the small town into a viable destination. 
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90-Year-old B. J. Precourt is our version of "Grandma" Moses.

7/19/2023

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B. J. Precourt retired to Polk County, NC nearly 40 years ago. And it was about then when he decided to try a new hobby. He's still at it today. His story inspired me to know that all things are still possible. He's a local treasure.
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The Peanut Man of Landrum is still at it...

7/11/2023

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Where else can you pick up a quart (or more or less) of those Southern treats, boiled peanuts...and get a dose of good humor at the same time? That's easy. Right on the Exit 1 (I-26) at Landrum most weekends. 
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Starting a movement was not what they had planned...

5/2/2023

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Church members at the Green Creek First Baptist Church in the Green Creek Community of Polk County just knew they had to help an elderly member with food assistance when his wife ended up in the hospital. Little did they know they were getting ready for something even bigger.
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At age 93, Garland Goodwin is still at it.

3/26/2023

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Garland Goodwin has led a life filled with accomplishments. One of my favorite stories was how as a young child he hand-lettered programs for a music performance by Eunice Waymon. Only a few years later, Eunice changed her name to Nina Simone. Garland has helped designed fighter jets and commercial aircraft. He's still writing a local column for The Tryon Daily Bulletin.  (Note: Garland died on August 4, 2024.)
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The daughter is the boss in this daughter-daddy duo!

3/6/2023

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Check out Big Guns Coffee. This business in downtown Tryon, NC was the brainchild of...well, a child. Her dad, Marine veteran TShane Johnson is a bonafide hero. But to TShane, it's his daughter that is the hero.
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Ben Seymour - Luthier

1/25/2023

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It takes a lot of patience and skill to do what Ben does. Check out a little about his life as an instrument maker and a musician.
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Ben was recently featured in the magazine, "Tar Heel Junior History," published by the North Carolina Museum of History. (Fall 2022)
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Robert Mangum, Sheriff's Deputy turned Soapmaker

1/15/2023

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Check out this short video and hear a bit out Robert and his bold move to leave Asheville and move to Tryon to start his own business.
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The Christmas House

12/8/2022

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This time of year, Bill & Sandra Montgomery flip the switch (well, lots of switches) each evening at 5:30 and welcome hundreds of strangers to drive around their home. For 49 years The Christmas House has been a staple of the holiday season. Check out this video and then head on over. The lights will be on each evening until 10:00 from now until New Year's Eve.
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Getting back to business...

4/19/2022

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If you live around the Polk County, NC or Landrum, SC areas, you might know that I have been writing a monthly feature for Life in Our Foothills. I've been doing that for over four years. That's the magazine published by the Tryon Daily Bulletin. Because of that commitment, I've not been able to do much with this blog. I am weaning myself of the magazine job to enjoy more of retirement. That will include continuing to do small stories for this blog and post videos about local people, events, and places on my Youtube channel - The Country Life with ColumbusMark.
 
This link will take you to my top five videos, four of which are directly related to the foothills. Take a look and then please subscribe to my Youtube channel.
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​Joanne Thurow –Good News to Report for Once

12/4/2021

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Joanne Thurow had an incident that happened to her last week that she wanted to make sure we all heard about. With so much bad in the news, Joanne wanted to share a story with good news!
 
Joanne, and husband John, were heading home to Green Creek pulling a horse trailer with a horse inside when they noticed a wheel bearing was going out. Sparks were shooting out from below the trailer. They knew they had to stop immediately. The trailer was about to be hobbled with 200 miles still ahead of them. With darkness approaching, they felt they would be stranded on the Interstate for hours if not all night.
 
Joanne and John saw a farm up ahead (they were in Tennessee) and decided to limp in just to see if they could find help. And in the true holiday spirit, the husband and wife at the farm volunteered to do whatever it took to get Joanne and John and their horse back on the road. The Tennessee couple drove them to the local hardware to look for parts, and the two husbands managed to work together to get the trailer up and running to make the return home to Polk County.
 
And that’s the kind of story that gives you faith in people when what we hear so often isn’t good.
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Your weekly food for thought...

10/6/2020

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I post these so you don't have to go driving around looking for your weekly dose of inspiration...

Here's last week's latest wisdom from the folks at the Green Creek Fire & Rescue HQ.
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<<Previous

    Mark Levin

    ...retired in 2017 from a life of work, mostly in education. I decided it was time to stop commuting and stay at home a while. Foothills Faces is meant to bring you short snippets of life through photography, videography, and audio recordings of some of the wonderful people and places of the Carolina Foothills..

    And for something new:
    Check out Mark's new YouTube Channel, The Country Life with ColumbusMark. It's a lighthearted look at life in the country.

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