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

People & Places of the Carolina Foothills

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. He's a living legend.
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A visit in the past...

10/4/2020

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​Not to go into any details, but I found myself in a local laundromat the other evening. That might become an eventual episode in “The Country Life with ColumbusMark.” But the thing that caught my eye (other than most of the washers being out of order) were these very old-looking video games. Maybe my friend and expert on such matters, MikeMartin, knows if these are the real deal? But in the meantime…they at least looked like they were in working order. For sure they’ve seen their share of quarters.
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The Charters of Freedom Find a Home in Columbus

9/17/2019

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Today in Columbus (NC) a special celebration was held on this Constitution Day. A new addition of things to see was officially unveiled in an impressive ceremony held at Veteran’s Park. A program to dedicate a set of “The Charters of Freedom” was held with plenty of pageantry. While the photos can only give you a visual idea, the sounds included the Polk County High School Band, a drummer, a bagpiper, canon fire, and speeches. The Polk County Honor Guard presented the colors and plenty of local and state dignitaries were on hand to accept this impressive collection. The program ended with the canon salute and the release of 13 white doves by L.J Meyers of Homeward Angel White Dove Releases.
 
The document replicas set in sturdy enclosures with two-inch glass covers include The Declaration of Independence, The United States Constitution, and The Bill of Rights. The documents are engraved into brass plates. Attendees could sign a book that will be one of the objects placed in the time capsule, which will be sealed at another upcoming event and not opened until Constitution Day on September 17, 2087. (Check back then to see photos of the capsule being opened.)
 
The Charters of Freedom program is part of Foundation Forward, Inc. based in Valdese. One of their goals is to have similar installations across the United States. 
Click each photo to see an expanded view.
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Lyddie Shaneberger - A Foothills Picker

2/2/2019

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The folks on American Pickers could learn some things from Lyddie Shaneberger. Lyddie (a nickname for Lydia) has been picking since she was one year old. Okay, maybe not quite that far back but that’s when she attended her first auction. Who knew this would be the beginning of a career direction and the creation of Lyddie’s business LS Mercantile + Salvage Co.
 
Now 25 years later, Lyddie can thank her parents for starting her out in the world of picking. They took her to that first auction and she hasn’t looked back since. She says picking is in her blood or perhaps it was her parents raising her with an appreciation of history and storytelling. Lyddie especially appreciates the storytelling part. She loves to ask questions and discover answers to the “treasures” she’s collecting. Where’d it come from? What is it? How old is this? Who are the people who once owned this? As Lyddie spent years learning about the business, it wasn’t until she was a teenager when she started to understand the monetary value of the items. And she understood the potential to “recycle” them or repurpose them and hopefully match up a buyer to her discoveries.
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Lyddie Shaneberger - A Foothills Picker
At age 16 Lyddie was already setting up shop; selling online with her own Etsy store. Just the year before her family’s life changed forever. Her father had an accident, a 30-foot fall from a hunting tree stand. He was left unable to walk. Lyddie looked for ways to help with family finances and that’s when she realized that her love of picking might not only help the family situation but could be her life’s calling. It has not always been an easy road.
 
“You won’t make it” is a phrase Lyddie says she and many other would-be small business owners have heard. For some, it’s enough to discourage them from trying. But for Lyddie…it was a challenge she would face head on. With encouragement from her parents, her boyfriend Dave, and her circle of friends - Lyddie has worked to take “pickin’ vintage” to the level of a serious small business endeavor.
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Out Pickin'
​Lyddie still has her Etsy store online and a year or so ago she opened up shop in “Workshop Vintage Market,” a business in downtown Shelby filled with an eclectic assortment of dealers. Right now this works well for Lyddie as she works to build the business into a full-time career. But now in addition to running her shop, helping when she can at home, and other tasks a young entrepreneur is faced with…Lyddie is holding down three jobs while also enrolled at Western Carolina University. She’s a nanny to two families, manages the local Loft Outlet’s Instagram account (and occasionally works there on weekend as well)…all the while finding every chance she can to go pickin.’
Lyddie usually travels the Southern states but she’s planning a foray to the Northeast this coming fall. She’s forever on the lookout for the next big find. She says she doesn’t care to follow “trend” as some people in the business suggest. Instead she prefers to follow her heart. She picks what she loves and knows that someone else will love it too. There have been times when Lyddie has only had a $20 bill in her pocket and got lucky and found items that were worth hundreds. It happens. It takes street smarts. Lyddie Shaneberger has them.
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At "Vintage Market at the Park" in Travelers Rest, SC last fall. She'll be here again this April 19-20.
Lyddie’s goal is to have her own storefront somewhere. It would also involve curating collections for people’s homes, having a space for artisans and makers, and possibly a market for each season for others like her to come together and create an experience that would be so good she could make Country Livingmagazine one day. She also hopes to graduate spring 2020 and even possibly start a MBA program while her boyfriend finishes his Ph.D. at Clemson.
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Lyddie's little slice of picking' paradise at "Dallied" in downtown Shelby.
Lyddie Shaneberger has some advice for would-be small business owners. “Do it. Do it with all of your heart and your patience. Be passionate about what you do and you’ll never wake up not wanting to go to work on a Monday. Work hard, be strong, and don’t let others get under your skin. You control your own life. So create who you want to be.”
 
Lyddie’s story should be an inspiration to us all.

More to know
You can find Lyddie’s unique collection of pickins’ at her space at “Workshop Vintage Market” at 108 North Lafayette Street in downtown Shelby and is open Monday, Tuesday, Saturday from 10 until 2 and Thursday & Friday 10 - 5:30.  Do a search on Etsy using LS Mercantile + Salvage Co. to find her space in the cloud. Lyddie is also on Facebook and Instagram and you can reach her by email at lgshaneberger1@catamount.wcu.edu. Lyddie was born and raised in Forest City and is appreciative of the sense of hard work instilled in her by her parents.

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Lyddie's backyard workshop "she-shed."
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Mark Ray & Dad's Collectibles -

12/12/2018

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Rekindling the Past

Dad’s Collectibles in Saluda is filled top to bottom, corner to corner with history and it’s obvious that owner Mark Ray is not just a shopkeeper. He’s part historian and part storyteller and can tell you the background of each item crammed into his shop. When you leave, you will have been enlightened.
 
On first glance you might think Dad’s Collectibles is a toy store. Not at all, though of course any of the items could be played with. And there are certainly items that children would love to get their hands on. Mark has Hot Wheels and is even a Breyer distributor for their line of equine items.
 
But this is most certainly a treasure store for adults. Mark has always been an enthusiast of die cast models whether it’s planes, trains, or automobiles. If it rolls or flies there’s a good chance Mark has it. These items are incredibly detailed down to the last bolt and they are truly collectibles.
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Mark Ray in front of his shop. He shares space with the Saluda Historic Depot.
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Mark is a huge Ford fan. Part of this is because. his dad was with the company for years.
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He lives and breathes this passion for keeping history alive. In fact, he set up shop in the Historic Saluda Depot so that he could help keep the museum portion of the depot open on a daily basis. And if you wish to dig a bit deeper, Mark was also one of the influential folks who helped convert the old depot building into the museum that more than 10,000 people a year visit. 
 
Mark has had a love affair with models since childhood. What’s nice, he says, is that “what one can’t afford in full scale they can afford as a model.” His parents were involved in various forms of transportation. His mom was a flight attendant (called stewardess back then) for a few years back in the mid to late fifties until she married his dad and was forced to give up her job. His dad worked with Ford Motor Company for many years and was also a regional sales rep for Winnebago. His granddad worked as paymaster and treasurer with Queen City Coach out of Charlotte. It would seem natural that his parents’ and granddad’s work experiences led Mark to this hobby, which led to this being his work. 

To most people, they just dream about turning a hobby into their profession! To Mark, it just seemed natural.

Dad’s Collectibles has been around 20 years with most of those years being owned by Dean McWilliams in Hendersonville. When Dean was ready to slow down he handpicked Mark to be his successor. Mark moved the business to Saluda in October 2017. Nancy Pew is his partner who has helped make the store possible with financial support, business experience, and marketing skills.
 
Mark doesn’t just deal with models. He’s also into the big boy toys. He drives a ‘67 Ford LTD. You can’t miss it since he drives it to work when he doesn’t walk. You’ll see Holman-Moody decals proudly embellishing this perfectly restored car. Mark has worked with Holman-Moody for 20 years and now even sells their apparel in Dad’s Collectibles. Mark still has a body shop in Hendersonville where he orchestrates the work on restoring other unique vehicles. He’s excited about a 1966 North Carolina Highway Patrol Custom 500 that will be shared with the North Carolina Transportation Museum and will be featured at trade shows. And if you enjoy a brew or two in the gardens area at Sierra Nevada in Mills River and notice that little beer truck out back…that’s his restoration as well!
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His restored 1967 Ford LTD sporting a Holman-Moody decal.
Mark would love to see kids put down their smartphones, iPads, and Bluetooth headphones and see them instead get dirt under their nails and sunshine on their faces. Collecting something like a classic car, plane, or train could start that new interest in something other than electronics. 
 
Mark reflects, “At the end of the day, Dad’s Collectibles is my way of remembering some of the past and some of those treasured times in my youth and this is one of the few stores that puts you back in that era. You can’t move forward into the future if you don’t know your past.”
 
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Winnebagos also hold a place in his heart.
Mark has lots of projects ahead of him including seeing an excursion train run from Saluda to Zirconia. He has more cars to restore and more stories to tell. Throw your kids in your car, drive back in time, and visit Mark Ray and Dad’s Collectibles before they glue their eyes back to the screen on their phone. It’s worth your time.

More to Know
Dad’s Collectibles is located at 32 W. Main Street in Saluda and is inside the Historic Saluda Depot. Store hours are 10:30 – 5, Tuesday through Saturday and by appointment. Mark’s website is www.DadsCats.com and you can email him at mraycobra@gmail.com.
​Shop phone is 828/ 769-9016.

Click each photo to see an enlarged version in the gallery.
Mark Ray
Mark has loved performance cars for as long as he can remember. Here's a model of the "Bullitt" car.
This poster is autographed.
Mark's dad used to be a sales rep with Winnebago, so camper models are also part of his wares.
This is the actual engine from Mark's own train he had as a child. This one dates to 1970.
Yes, even Breyer items for the horse lovers.
Hot Wheels and so much more.
Too much in this store to even start to show it all.
Mark loves history. He helped bet the mural restoration done in this print from a Hendersonville street scene. And that truck...it's a drawing of the one he helped restore which proudly stands at Sierra Nevada in Mills River.
Models of some of the locomotives that once traveled the Saluda Grade.
Mark's a big fan of Eastern Airlines. His mom was a "stewardess" with them before she got married. Back then, when a stewardess married...they had to leave the company.
Mark has some rather large scale vintage planes as well. This is a WW II era B-24.
Mark with his big model. This was is drivable.
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Saluda Historic Depot - Keeping History Alive

4/18/2018

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​The Saluda Historic Depot is a must stop for rail fans and anyone who loves history. In three short years the Saluda Historic Depot & Museum has made a name for itself with train and history buffs and others who enjoy learning about the past. They are keeping Saluda railroad history on the map.
 
Any train enthusiast worth his or her weight in coal dust can tell you that the “Saluda Grade” is historic as the steepest mainline railway grade in the United States. The grade gains 606 feet in less than three miles. That might not be impressive when driving up nearby I-26 in your car, but for a train pulling passengers and/or freight weighing hundred of tons – it’s treacherous going up ordownhill. So treacherous that in 2001 Norfolk-Southern decided enough’s enough.

​The silencing of the whistle, which was first blown in 1878, didn’t mean the silencing of the history of this famous stretch of railway. 

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Naturally, the museum is located inside the original Saluda Depot built in 1903. It sat adjacent to the tracks until 1984 when it was moved to its current location on Main Street. The building served off and on as retail space for years and in 2015 the building came up for sale. A group of citizens decided they needed to seize the opportunity to forever protect the history of the depot and the train life that made up such an important part of Saluda’s history.
Judy Ward is the chair of the eight member volunteer board that has been crucial in protecting and developing the Historic Depot. Judy was on hand the day I visited and provided me with volumes of information that I can only touch on here. (Check the “More to Know” section at the end of this story for web links.) The day I visited the museum was experiencing a non-stop flow of visitors which kept volunteers Mike Reeves and Evan Lazer busy answering questions and offering friendly help. Word is getting out about this foothills’ gem. The museum had over 5,000 visitors last year from around the U.S. and from several foreign countries including a woman from Sydney, Australia who was signing the guest register while I was visiting. 
 
The Saluda Historic Depot & Museum depends on donations, grants, and hard work to keep it open.  Volunteers staff the museum including next-door neighbor Mark Ray who runs a shop. He steps in on Tuesday and Wednesday helping to extend the open days. It is amazing how quickly this piece of history has transformed itself into a must-see stop for visitors and locals alike. It’s located right in the heart of downtown Saluda, a town that has itself transformed into a destination.
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Since the train stopped running there has been talk of transforming the track into a “Rails-to-Trails” conversion or possibly getting an excursion train to operate. Norfolk-Southern isn’t about to abandon this track though it is now officially “out of service” from Saluda to just beyond Landrum, SC. There is a shortline railroad that is currently hauling freight from the Hendersonville area to Asheville and some talk has been circulating that the company might start an excursion train experience. A lot of rail fans would love to see that line extend to Saluda. I would definitely be among the first standing in line to buy a ticket for that. I’m guessing it would be a very long line.

Mike Reeves and Evan Lazer are two of the volunteer docents and were busy helping visitors the day I visited. Nancy Pew (third from left) is a friend of the museum and helps out at the shop next door so that owner Mark Ray can step in and open the depot on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Judy Ward on the right is the chair of the museum board. It takes a village to keep something like this running without any paid staff.
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More to Know:
The Saluda Historic Depot and Museum is open every day except Monday. Times vary. Check the website at: www.saludahistoricdepot.com and their Facebook page for more info. The museum has a well-stocked gift shop along with their excellent professionally built exhibits including a “Z scale” model of the entire run down the famous Saluda Grade to Melrose Junction. To take your own trip down the grade from the safety of your laptop, check out an excellent YouTube video by Bob Keeton at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hsS3fbhuJPg. The video combines original music by “The Carburetors” and Google Earth images into a fascinating “trip” that will give you a sense of the run. The Saluda Historic Depot offers tours, monthly “Train Tales” presentations, and has a couple of upcoming fundraising events including a 60s-themed party at the Party & Event Center in Saluda in July and a golf tournament in October at Kenmure. It’s a happening place!
Click on each photo in the gallery below to enlarge.
Model of the town of Saluda and the entire Saluda Grade run in "Z" scale.
The gift shop at the Historic Depot & Museum is well stocked with gifts for all ages.
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    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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