Every Daily Update and daily callout we've run, newest first. Older days are plain text, so old links don't point at events that are long gone. 91 so far.
Thu, Oct. 15. Polls are open. Early voting starts today and runs through Oct. 31 at six Watauga sites, from the student union to the Western Watauga Community Center in Sugar Grove. Any site in your county works, no precinct required, 8am to 7:30pm on weekdays. Every site and its hours.
Who's on your ballot. Candidates in a dozen races each got the same questions, and our rundown points you to their answers. Every name for Watauga, Ashe and Avery sits on one page, county by county.
Tonight at 5:30pm, a Voterfest march leaves Howard Hall and walks about a mile around campus to the early voting site in the Plemmons Student Union. Everyone's welcome, and you can join along the way. App State students, bring a physical AppCard printed on or after Aug. 10, 2023. The mobile one doesn't count as voter ID.
Tomorrow at 5:30pm, another Voterfest march leaves the Watauga County parking deck. Saturday, No Kings: Vote Early runs 4–6pm at the Ag Center with speakers and bands, then a Honk N Wave on King Street from 6 to 6:45pm.
Missed the registration deadline? This is your second chance. Register and vote in the same trip, with a photo ID and something showing your current address. One warning worth taping to the fridge. Watauga's sites are closed both of the next two weekends, Oct. 17–18 and 24–25, then open the last Saturday, Oct. 31, until 3pm. Ashe votes at one site, the Agricultural Services Building in Jefferson, and it's open all three Saturdays, 8am to 3pm. Avery's lone site is in Newland, weekdays until 4:30.
What a week. Over at Ray's Weather, the Golf-O-Meter is reading four golf balls through the end of the work week.
1:30pm Postcard Protesters at the Watauga County Public Library. Write postcards to registered voters, back tables, everyone welcome.
5:30pm Touchpoints: Exploring Texture in Art, an opening reception at the Watauga Arts Council. Meet the artists, light refreshments, free.
7pm Reggae Night in the Solarium with three local bands, hosted by the Appalachian Popular Programming Society. Hippie-themed dress encouraged.
7pm Meet & Mingle: Girls Who Fly Fish at Speckled Trout Outfitters. A casual meet-up for women into fly fishing and the outdoors.
7pm Boots on the Rock line dance at Betsy's Barn in Todd.
9:30pm Silent Disco with DJ Muz and Raheim at Boone Saloon. $5, 21+.
10pm R&B / Hip Hop Night with DJ Craig at Lily's, free.
Ellen spent a Friday at the Todd CommUnity Dance, where Todd's general store turns into a square dance floor once a month. Potluck at 6, dancing at 7, $5, with a caller who has been at it for 25 years. The next one is Fri, Nov. 13.
The Watauga County Farmers Market was voted the best farmers market in North Carolina. It holds AppleFEST on Saturday, 8am to noon, with a pie contest and fresh-pressed cider.
Bears are eating like it's their job. The state wildlife agency says they're in peak feeding mode before winter, so lock up anything with a smell: food, trash, anything a bear would call dinner.
6pm Medieval Poetry Open Mic at Huzzah Books, free. Read a poem or just listen.
6pm Dr. Brittany Roberts on the horror music videos of IC3PEAK at Broyhill Music Center.
7pm Leslie Jamison at the Appalachian Theatre, part of the Charlie Baker lecture series.
Boone Town Council meets at 9am in Council Chambers. On the agenda: an informal presentation on Ridgehouse, a 332-unit apartment complex on the 105 Bypass that wants annexation and zoning, a public hearing on the closeout of the grant for the Deck Hill water tank replacement, a Boone resident's proposal to change the direction of traffic on part of Howard Street, and a mosaic butterfly bench for the Greenway. Staff also proposes canceling or moving the November and December meetings around the holidays. Public comment is on the agenda.
Early voting opens tomorrow. Read what's actually on your ballot, the races by district and the three amendments, then check sites and hours. Voterfest marches leave at 5:30pm Thursday and Friday, and No Kings: Vote Early runs 4–6pm Saturday at the Ag Center. Every march and rally.
Say Hello to Ellen, the Culture beat's newest writer. App State senior, concert-goer, and maker of too many things. Ellen is also performing Saturday at Acapellageddon, five a cappella groups on one stage at the Schaefer Center.
Campus is on the dial now. We added 44 events from 12 App State student groups and offices, running through Dec. 11, including the Appalachian Popular Programming Society. Reggae Night is Thursday, 7–10pm in the Solarium, with three local bands. Then Appalfest Oct. 23, Ghost Tours Oct. 28 and Party at the Polls Oct. 29. See all of them.
1pm Pumpkin Carving with a ranger at Grandfather Mountain, Profile Parking Area. Free, pumpkins provided, register ahead, capped at 20.
6pm Hitchcocktober at the Appalachian Theatre, until 8pm, with Notorious (1946) on the bill.
7pm Noise at Huzzah Books with Collapsing, Dead, Channel, and OHS/Blisster, $10.
7pm The Falling Spikes at the Todd Mercantile with The Yipps and Grayson McGuire, $10 at the door.
Boone Town Council meets Wednesday at 9am in Council Chambers, and the first thing up is Ridgehouse. The Town's agenda packet lists 332 units and 716 bedrooms on about 63 acres along the 105 Bypass, with a request for annexation and zoning. It's an informal discussion, not a vote. Our breakdown of the packet has the numbers. Council also holds a public hearing on closing out the Deck Hill water tank grant and hears a resident's plan to reverse traffic on a block of Howard Street. What's on the agenda.
Early voting opens Thursday. Our guide, Marching to Early Voting in the High Country, has where each march and rally meets and where it ends, starting with Thursday's 5:30pm Voterfest march from Howard Hall. Saturday, No Kings: Vote Early runs 4–6pm at the Ag Center with speakers, bands, dancing, and a community art project, then a Honk N Wave on King Street until 6:45pm. Sites and hours.
The Littlest Gay Bookshop picked five queer reads for spooky season, from a swampcore novella to a sapphic Halloweentown romance. The list.
Mon 5pm WASU $ Wizards live on WASU 90.5 until 7pm.
Tue 6pm Hitchcocktober at the Appalachian Theatre, with Notorious (1946) on the bill.
Tue 7pm Noise at Huzzah Books with Collapsing, Dead, Channel, and OHS/Blisster, $10.
Wed 9am Boone Town Council regular meeting in Council Chambers. Public comment is on the agenda.
Wed 6pm Medieval Poetry Open Mic at Huzzah. Read a poem or just listen. Free.
Thu 5:30pm Touchpoints reception at the Watauga Arts Council. Free.
Thu 7pm Boots on the Rock line dance at Betsy's Barn.
Thu 10pm DJ Craig's R&B / Hip Hop night at Lily's. Free.
Fri 7pm Chicago's Moontype at Huzzah with Audrey Steiner, $5.
Fri 9pm Austin Royale, Colo, Asleepbeneaththesoil, and Syndicate99 at Lily's, $7 advance, $10 at the door.
Fri 9:30pm C. Shreve the Professor, DJ Jet, and Beekeepers at Boone Saloon, $5, 21+.
Sat 9am The 48th Valle Country Fair in Valle Crucis, until 4pm.
Sat 12pm Cider on the Mountain, until 10pm.
Sat 1pm Death Cafe at Huzzah. Free.
Sat 6pm Chapbook release at Huzzah.
Sat 7pm Local lore and funeral customs at the Museum of Ashe County History.
Sat 8pm Rocky Horror with a live shadowcast at the Appalachian Theatre, and again at 11pm.
Sun 7pm Synth Workshop at Huzzah. No experience needed, bring a laptop for VCV Rack, a free virtual synth.
Sun 8pm Rocky Horror's last show at the Appalachian Theatre.
Sun 9pm Afroman at Boone Saloon, doors 7:30pm, $100 VIP meet and greet, limited tickets.
Saturday, No Kings: Vote Early is 4–6pm with speakers and bands at the Ag Center, then a Honk N Wave on King Street from 6 to 6:45pm. Organizers call it nonpartisan and ask for lawful conduct, no weapons. Our guide, Marching to Early Voting in the High Country, has where each march and rally meets and where it ends.
Early voting opens Thursday, Oct. 15 and runs through Oct. 31. Any Watauga site works, no precinct required. Two Voterfest marches walk people to the polls at 5:30pm. Thursday's starts at Howard Hall and ends at the student union. Friday's starts at the county parking deck and ends at the Administration Building. The Watauga sites are closed the next two weekends, Oct. 17–18 and 24–25. Ashe stays open Saturdays, 8am to 3pm. Every march and rally, day by day. Sites and hours.
On Wednesday's Town Council agenda: an informal presentation on Ridgehouse, a 332-unit apartment complex on the 105 Bypass (a discussion, not a vote), and a public hearing on the closeout of the Deck Hill water tank grant.
Emergency road work on Big Laurel Rd in Ashe County has all lanes closed between SR-88 and Little Laurel Rd.
The Flood Watch runs until 8pm tonight for Watauga and Ashe. Heavier rain keeps coming in short bursts, and the National Weather Service puts another 1 to 3 inches on top of what already fell overnight. Creeks can leave their banks, low-water crossings can flood, and storm drains can clog. A Flood Advisory runs until 11am. Turn around, don't drive through water. Keep an eye on the Watauga River reading in the weather strip up top, which tracks flow and stage near Sugar Grove.
Freedom Fest at Ashe Park, 12–4pm, is outdoors, so check before you go. The Spruce Pine Potters Market wraps up at 5pm. Reggae Lift Up Lunch at Fizz Ed runs 11am to 2pm. Sassafras plays bluegrass at Old Barn Winery, 2–5pm.
The Hispanic Heritage Month Concert is 4–5:30pm at Broyhill Music Center, and the App State Jazz Ensemble plays the Appalachian Theatre, 5–8pm. At 7pm, D&D night at Huzzah Books runs one-off campaigns.
Expect some cancellations with this much rain, so check with the host before you head out. Freedom Fest at Ashe Park, 12–4pm, is the outdoor one.
Homecoming went to Old Dominion, 10-3, in the rain at Kidd Brewer. App State's only points were a 34-yard field goal in the third quarter, and ODU pulled ahead on a safety and a fourth-quarter touchdown run.
Our team keeps growing, and slowly but surely left917 is becoming the High Country's trusted home for news, events, and the stories of these mountains. Not Instagram. Not Facebook. Not TikTok. Journalism the way it's supposed to be.
A Flood Watch covers Watauga and Ashe from 11am today through Sunday 8pm. The National Weather Service expects 2 to 4 inches of rain, locally 5 to 6, with Boone and Blowing Rock among the wettest spots and the heaviest coming Saturday night. Creeks can leave their banks, low-water crossings can flood, and isolated landslides are possible on cut slopes and embankments. Turn around, don't drive through water. A Wind Advisory runs 5pm Saturday to 11am Sunday with gusts up to 55 mph, and downed trees and power outages are possible. Bring a poncho to the stadium, and secure anything loose outside.
Homecoming kickoff is 1pm against Old Dominion at Kidd Brewer, streaming on ESPN+, and the rain comes with it. The Spruce Pine Potters Market opens at 10am and runs through Sunday. The Woolly Worm Races start at noon at the Ashe County Farmers Market in West Jefferson, with worms to rent for $1. SouthEnd Brewing runs its pre and post game party all day.
Tonight, Pillow Fight at Brikhouse and Ellie K comes home at Betsy's Barn are postponed, so check the details before you head anywhere. The NPHC Homecoming Step Show is at 8pm in I.G. Greer Hall. Line Dance Night at Fizz Ed starts at 8pm with free instruction, then social dancing until midnight. DJ Raheim runs the Homecoming dance party at Lily's, 10pm to 2am, free. Sunday at 7pm, D&D night at Huzzah Books runs one-off campaigns, and you RSVP for one of 8 to 10 seats.
US 321 is closed in both directions in Watauga County from Howard St to Old Bristol Rd for a festival, all lanes.
The site is in its 2006 look through tonight. The off switch is up top.
Homecoming weekend starts tonight. App State hosts Old Dominion Saturday at 1pm at Kidd Brewer Stadium, and the full Homecoming schedule runs all weekend.
Tonight, the App Theatre screens Beetlejuice at 6pm, and Resonant Mirage, Inquest, Rylee Bapst, and Admiral play the Leif Erikson Day jam at Betsy's Barn at 7pm. Four bands take over Lily's Snack Bar, American Death Cult, Blankstate, Good Knights Rest, and Bongfoot, music at 9pm, $5.
Saturday night, Pillow Fight turns Brikhouse into a slumber party with Allaprima, Saturdaze, and Admiral. Pajamas encouraged, doors 7pm, music 8pm, $10, 18+. Ellie K comes home to Betsy's Barn the same night, and DJ Raheim runs the Homecoming dance party at Lily's, 10pm to 2am, free.
Rain moves in Saturday around 7am (80%) with a half to three quarters of an inch and gusts to 31 mph, then 1 to 2 inches Saturday night and again Sunday (100%). A Wind Advisory kicks in at 5pm Saturday and runs to 11am Sunday, with gusts of 45 to 50 mph, up to 60 on the ridges, and a few power outages possible. Get the outdoor stuff in tonight, and tie down what you can't bring in. High Country forecasting can get tricky. Check Rays. IYKYK
A new local podcast, The Queer Report, lands Mondays, with a segment on LGBTQ+ events in Boone.
The site is in its 2006 look through Saturday night. The off switch is up top.
At 1:30pm, Postcard Protesters meet at the Watauga County Public Library to write postcards to Watauga voters before the midterms. At 4pm, Slime Time at the Ashe County Public Library in West Jefferson has kids making creepy slimes and a pumpkin that throws up.
Tonight, at 6pm, the App Theatre's Hitchcocktober run continues with North by Northwest, and the horn quartet CORolina plays Broyhill Music Center. At 6:30pm, the documentary Theory of Change screens in the App Theatre's Mast Store Community Room, following three working-class North Carolina mothers building trust the hard way. At 7pm, Figure Drawing Night at Huzzah Books is $10, 18+, with supplies from the Turchin Center. At 8pm, APPS throws a Silent Disco in the Grandview Ballroom for Homecoming week. At 9pm, Vermillion Green, Admiral, Blissful Thoughts, and What a Waste play four bands for $5 on Blowing Rock Rd.
Registration for Nov. 3 closes tomorrow, Friday, Oct. 9, at 5pm. Moved, turned 18, or never got around to it? One minute, one lookup. Miss it and you can still register and vote in the same trip once early voting opens Oct. 15.
Old US-421 is closed in both directions between Marion Thomas Rd and N Fork Rd in Watauga County for construction, all lanes.
New from us. C. W. Stoneking. Hokum blues and a zombie song from the wrong side of the world.
Beech Mountain's Fred Pfohl, founder of Fred's General Mercantile and the town's first elected mayor, died Oct. 3 at 81.
Tomorrow the site travels back to 2006, App State's three-straight-titles era, for Homecoming. It lasts through Saturday night.
Sunny and 72 once the morning fog lifts. The Watauga Arts Council keeps the day going with Open Studio from 9am to noon, then Yarn Circle from noon to 3pm, both at its Shadowline Dr studio. App State's Visiting Writers Series runs 2 to 5pm.
Tonight, at 5pm, the Wilkes Agricultural Fair opens its gates in North Wilkesboro for four nights of carnival rides, a midway, and ag exhibits. At 5:30pm, the Arts Council launches its Artist Talk Series at Betty's Biscuits with Nysie Hurst, and Draw Club meets at Sumting Tattoo until 7pm. At 6pm, the App Theatre screens the 1986 cult classic Maximum Overdrive, free.
New Liner Notes on C. W. Stoneking, with the skull paint, the hokum blues, and the zombie song from the wrong side of the world. Read it.
Police are investigating after a human skull was found near Winkler Creek in Boone. The remains have been sent to the medical examiner. We'll carry updates as they come. The story.
Homecoming 2026 is on all week at App State, through Saturday's 1pm kickoff against Old Dominion. From Friday the site goes full 2006.
Registration for Nov. 3 closes Friday, Oct. 9, at 5pm. Miss it and you can still register and vote in the same trip once early voting opens Oct. 15 and runs through Oct. 31. Absentee ballot requests close Tue, Oct. 20, at 5pm. Election Day is Tue, Nov. 3. Sites, hours, and everything else.
Don't like Meta? Make the move. Run a bar, a venue, a market? Your events go out in your words, to the whole High Country. Tune in. Start today.
No Kings 4 is Sat, Oct. 17, 4–6pm. It starts with a rally at the Ag Center's Vote Early stage, then a Honk N Wave down King Street and a march to downtown Boone, with speakers and music along the way. Organizers call it nonpartisan and ask for lawful conduct, no weapons. Wear walking shoes, charge your horn, and plan on finding parking early.
Tonight at 6pm, the Foothills Conservancy film A Dream for the Future screens at BRAHM in Blowing Rock. The App Theatre's Hitchcocktober run continues with Shadow of a Doubt at 6pm. Over in Todd, the Down Home North Carolina teach-in at the Todd Mercantile walks through the amendments on the November ballot at 6pm, and at 6:30pm Boone Unitarian Universalist hosts the Ready to Vote community education night.
New from us. How to vote in the High Country this fall. Registration closes Friday, Oct. 9, at 5pm, early voting opens Oct. 15, and Watauga and Avery sites close the next two weekends.
Today is the last day of App State's fall break. Classes resume tomorrow, and Homecoming week starts with them.
From 9pm tonight, maintenance on US-221 hits both directions between Deerfield Rd and Possum Hollow Rd, all lanes affected.
The Parkway's 75-mile, $100 million rehabilitation is finished, milepost 229.6 near Doughton Park to 305.1 near Grandfather Mountain, with fresh pavement, drainage, guardrails and overlooks in time for leaf season.
Watauga County commissioners meet tonight at 5:30pm at the county administration building in Boone. On the agenda, the proposed schedule for the 2027 countywide property reappraisal and an update on the county library. Town of Boone's Sustainability Committee meets tomorrow at 5:30pm at the Jones House, and the agenda is posted.
Town of Boone's Sustainability Committee meets tomorrow at 5:30pm at the Jones House, and the agenda is posted.
Tonight, Huzzah Books' book club takes on César Aira's Ema, the Captive at 7pm, free. The App Theatre keeps its Halloween-month screenings going all week, Shadow of a Doubt Tuesday, free Maximum Overdrive Wednesday, North by Northwest Thursday, Beetlejuice Friday, all at 6pm. Thursday also brings the documentary Theory of Change at 6:30pm and APPS' Silent Disco in the Grandview Ballroom at 8pm.
Friday, Huzzah throws Plov Part Two, free, cooking from 11am and ready around 3 to 4. That night Resonant Mirage, Inquest, Rylee Bapst, and Admiral play the Leif Erikson Day jam at Betsy's Barn in Todd at 7pm. Sunday, the App State Jazz Ensemble plays the App Theatre at 5pm.
New from us. Howard Street’s social district could go downtown-wide. The downtown board has been weighing a bigger map than the Howard and Depot blocks, and the town says it is still too early to pin down a timeline.
Blowing Rock's Town Cleanup Week runs through Thursday. Crews pick up old appliances, yard debris, mattresses, furniture and grills, and leaves go out separate from branches.
Maintenance on US-221 hits both directions between Deerfield Rd and Possum Hollow Rd Tuesday night, all lanes affected. A debris removal project will clear 769 acres of hurricane-damaged material near Boone along the Parkway to cut wildfire risk.
The N.C. Council of the American Postal Workers Union is organizing an effort to save the Fleetwood Post Office, closed since Helene.
Got an opinion or a gripe? Send us a letter to the editor at studio@left917.net. Keep it under about 250 words, sign it with your name and town, and we may trim it for length. If you send one, we'll run it, as long as it isn't hate speech.
Sun, Oct. 4. Grandfather Mountain's Fall Color Ramble sets out at 1pm with short guided nature walks through peak color. At 6pm, Saxsquatch brings a cryptid-sized sax and electronic party to AMB, all ages. The same hour, Lost Province Arts holds a dinner party fundraiser at Craft Bistro for the renovation of the historic Lansing School. At 7pm, the Appalachian Road Show and Sam Bush Band play the App Theatre for the National Fiddler Hall of Fame induction, and the Watauga County Computer Music Center teaches a synth workshop at Huzzah. No experience needed, just a laptop and headphones.
Heads up. Maintenance on US-221 hits both directions between Deerfield Rd and Possum Hollow Rd Tuesday night, all lanes affected.
New from us. An almanac-style look at the winter ahead, with woolly worms, persimmon seeds, a jar of beans, and where to find the real forecast.
Close this tab. Go somewhere and hang out with real humans.
Dry so far, but this is the mountains and the sky never signs a contract. Showers are still 80% likely, a quarter to half an inch by tonight, so pack a jacket and keep an eye west. The High Country Honey Festival in Ashe runs 9am to 5pm rain or shine, with vendors inside the new Agriculture Expo Center and a free honey tasting bar. At 11am, the WKSK old-time and bluegrass show goes live and free at the Ashe Civic Center with the Crooked Road Ramblers. In Lansing, the Ola Belle Reed Festival runs noon to 5pm with the Nick & Brew and Sheets Family bands, two sets each. At 2pm, the Appalachian Autumn Market and Fall Festival at Hickory Ridge History Museum has apple butter, blacksmithing, pumpkin painting, a costume contest and hatchet throwing, free to get in.
Want a roof over you? The Met's Così Fan Tutte plays in HD at the App Theatre at 1pm. Tonight at 10pm, No Visa with Alec Lomami brings its dance party to Lily's Snack Bar for $5.
The Haint List keeps growing, every Halloween thing we could find in the High Country, through Oct. 31. Tell us what we missed.
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The Boone Planning Commission voted unanimously Sept. 28 to recommend the Town Council approve a rezoning that would turn a long-vacant commercial building on Clement Street into apartments.
It's First Friday, and the Art Crawl runs from 5pm through the downtown galleries. At 6pm, Yonder Mountain String Band bring their Grammy-nominated bluegrass to AMB, and Dolly Film Fest: 9 to 5 plays the App Theatre for $6, with Birdie's Dolly portrait to read first. At 7pm, THREE RIVERS, a free program of experimental river films, screens in the App Theatre's Mast Community Room on the second anniversary of Helene. Out in Todd at 8pm, Berghain barn/Stay Feral is a rave at Betsy's Barn that raises money for the Watauga humane society. Ashe Democrats hold a candidate forum at the Ashe Arts Council in West Jefferson at 6:30pm.
Rain is coming. Saturday has an 80% chance of showers and thunderstorms, a quarter to half inch, and Sunday is at 90%. The High Country Honey Festival in Ashe runs 9am to 5pm rain or shine, the Ola Belle Reed Festival in Lansing is noon to 5pm, and the WKSK old-time and bluegrass show goes live at the Ashe Civic Center a little after 11am.
Boone, Blowing Rock, Beech Mountain and Seven Devils have no council or mayor races this year. Town elections are in odd years, so the next ones are in 2027, but there's plenty else on the Nov. 3 ballot. Two years after Helene, local organizations fear the aid is in jeopardy. The Blue Ridge Parkway also finished its 75-mile road rehabilitation.
The Watauga County Meet the Candidates Forum took place Thursday night at the Appalachian Theatre. The full recording is on YouTube.
Thu, Oct. 1. The Haint List is up, with art by Birdie. It's every Halloween thing we could find in the High Country, from Tweetsie's Ghost Train to a Rockabilly Old-Time Halloween Concert in Lansing, and it keeps growing through Oct. 31. Tell us what we missed. October has five Saturdays, Halloween lands on one of them, and the clocks fall back that night, so you get an extra hour. Doesn't line up like this again for eleven years.
Boone's own Cigarettes @ Sunset bring their Appalachian possum rock to AMB at 6, with Yesterday's Clothes. At 7, Cate Mayhew hosts the first reading at Huzzah Books with Zion Main, Vanessa Barlow and Sarah Laux, and the Old-Time Jam at the Jones House runs till 10. Bring a banjo, fiddle, guitar or mandolin, every skill level plays, and with Thursday sunny and 77 the circle should be out on the lawn and porch. Late, Ovven, Will Slater and a solo Real Companion play Lily's Snack Bar, doors at 8, show at 9, 21+, $15 advance. Sunday at 7, the Watauga County Computer Music Center teaches synths at Huzzah. No experience needed, just a laptop and headphones.
The Watauga County Meet the Candidates Forum runs 5:30 to 8:30 at the Appalachian Theatre. Free and open to the public, doors at 5:15. Every candidate answers the same questions, and campaign signs and literature stay outside. It also streams live on YouTube and local radio.
Wed, Sept. 30. Tonight, Spell of Leaves and Barton Carroll each play a set at Evans Auditorium at Lees-McRae, 7pm, free. An hour earlier at Broyhill, App State faculty build a recital around Amanda Harberg's 2025 trio for horn, bassoon and piano.
The Clement Street apartments cleared their first vote. The Boone Planning Commission unanimously recommended the rezoning Monday night with four conditions, including leasing by the unit instead of by the bedroom. It goes to Town Council for a final vote Oct. 28.
Grandfather Mountain's Fall Color Rambles start Saturday, daily at 1 and included with admission. Saturday's looking stormy, and rain can move the walk indoors.
In Avery, commissioners and the school board meet jointly Thursday at 5:30 on school funding, in the high school media center.
Meet Birdie, who tattoos at Rat King Studio and draws (did you see Dolly?) and writes for left917. Birdie was at Lily's Snack Bar Sunday for Destructo Disk, Ellie K and Admiral, and wrote up the all-ages punk night.
Tuesday is trivia night. Town Tavern in Banner Elk starts at 6, then Boone splits three ways at 7 between Rivers Street Ale House, New River Brewing and the Goofy Foot Taproom on King Street. Not a quiz person? Charleston rockers Congress The Band play AMB at 6, and Jay Brown plays live under the films for Silent Movie Day at the Appalachian Theatre.
Watauga's Board of Elections reviews the first returned mail-in ballots tonight at 5. Each one gets a vote to accept, reject, or ask the voter for more, and the meeting is open to anyone. Ground floor of the courthouse, right of the metal detector. The meeting.
A Deep Gap bean counter says to expect 15 snows this winter. Tuesday disagrees, with sun and 72. The dry spell is real, though, and the state is holding fall trout stocking until November because the streams are too warm. Leaf-peepers do get a smoother drive. The Park Service just finished a $100 million-plus rehab of 75 miles of the Blue Ridge Parkway in western NC.
In case you missed it Monday, we went inside WASU, App State's student station at 90.5, where a human still picks what plays next.
Before the algorithm, you found music because somebody on the radio played it for you. At WASU, 90.5, that's still how it works. We went inside App State's 220-watt station with director Dave Blanks and the 40 to 50 students who go on air every week, each one picking what plays next. Records already fill a shelf at the station, turntables are headed for the on-air studio, and CDs still show up in the mail. Read it with WASU running in the player at the bottom of the page. That's the mood.
Tonight at 6, Town Council and the Planning Commission hold a joint public hearing on two rezonings, including up to 30 bedrooms of apartments on Clement Street. The public gets the mic, so show up at 1500 Blowing Rock Road and use it.
Up in Todd, Beacon, Becks and Abbie McAllister play the Mercantile at 7. Ten bucks.
RVA punk trio Destructo Disk plays Lily's Sunday night with Ellie K and Admiral, all ages. Earlier, The Embers bring the beach music to Old Barn Winery at 2, and the Appalachian Symphony Orchestra plays free at the Schaefer Center at 4.
Monday at 6, Town Council hears two rezonings, including apartments on Clement Street. Sunday night is clear with a near-full moon, worth a look.
We're not here to be first. We're here to be local. The best stories live in dive bars, hollers and barns, not just the civic meetings, and we go looking in all of them.
In case you missed it. Boone Town Council voted 4-0 Wednesday night to deny the Walk at Boone, Landmark's 618 beds on the old driving range off Beverly Heights Avenue. Here's what council did and why. And if Dolly Day flew by, Birdie's Dolly flash is still up.
The Harvest Moon goes full around lunchtime today, and tonight Rastacoustic, Eco Spaceship, and Altitude Sickness play the High Country Cosmic Camp Out at Betsy's Barn under it. Our haint forecast for out there is wild. Before that, Uncle Dave's Fest turns four with music from 2pm, Indivisible Neers hold a food drive outside the Watauga GOP dinner, Lansing Day ends in a free square dance at the Lost Province Center, and Grandfather Mountain lights its after-dark bonfire. DJ Chayo's Latin Night at Lily's closes it out, with part of the take going to IJC Boone.
Friday is Dolly Parton Day in Boone. Council proclaimed it Wednesday night, 9/25 for "9 to 5," exactly a month after she died, and asked everyone in town to do one good deed for Dolly. Here's an easy one. Sign up a kid under 5 for her Imagination Library, a free book in the mail every month, run here by the Children's Council of Watauga County. Birdie's was Dolly flash for left917.
Then go see a band. John Moreland plays the Appalachian Theatre at 7 with Laurel Lewis opening. Eco Spaceship and Hellbender split the bill at AMB, Rastacoustic sets up at Liquid Roots, and Yesterday's Clothes, Current Blue, and Inquest close out the night at Lily's.
New on the calendar this month. Watauga Arts Council, SouthEnd Brewing, Tweetsie Railroad's Ghost Train nights, Indivisible High Country, F.A.R.M. Cafe, High Country COG, and Blue Ridge Conservancy all feed straight into the broadcast now. Thanks to every one of them for keeping their calendars public. That's what makes a site like this work.
The rain clears by late morning for most of us. For the folks in Beverly Heights, the clouds opened last night, when Town Council voted down the Walk at Boone. Here's our story.
Howard Street closes intermittently today for paving, the last of this week's downtown work. Full schedule.
Tomorrow night Dancing Anyways takes over Parallel Brewing, a women-only dance party running 6 to 10 with indie, hip-hop, and EDM. $10 at the door, $15 gets you in the raffle, and they say there are surprises coming.
The entire weekend is going to be wild. Friday, Yesterday's Clothes, Current Blue, and Inquest play Lily's. Saturday, DJ Chayo's Latin Night at Lily's raises money for Immigrant Justice Coalition Boone, and Spin Diezel and Dezzie Jr throw the White Lies Party at Lil Rudy's. Then Sunday, RVA punk trio Destructo Disk closes it out at Lily's, all ages.
And if you're still standing on after Friday night, show up with a can of food and a sign. Saturday evening, App State's Indivisible Neers and College Democrats walk the route into Watauga County's GOP dinner at Kidd Brewer Stadium, collecting non-perishables for Hospitality House the whole way in. Full details.
Boone's town council meets tonight, work session at 5 and regular business at 6. The agenda covers the last open seat on the Historic Preservation Commission, the "Walk at Boone" rezoning case, an update on the town manager search, and a discussion on rental payments and the minimum housing code.
The application council votes on is not the one the Planning Commission recommended denying, 6-0. Landmark filed a revision in August. Six fewer apartments, and a traffic cut that mostly rests on a bus contract nobody has signed. What changed before the vote
The golf club story has a new update. Council approves the minutes of that Aug. 26 meeting tonight, and they put seven residents on the record against it, with nothing filed since.
South Depot Street is closed for milling today, all day. This week's downtown closures.
Trivia's going tonight at Booneshine, Lost Province, Elevation 3333, and The Local. Thursday it's Carolina collective line dance at Betsy's Barn in Todd, and Friday splits between Eco Spaceship and Hellbender at AMB and Dancing Anyways at Parallel Brewing.
And if voting goes sideways this fall, there's a number for that. 888-OUR-VOTE connects you to a real person, not a recording, before early voting opens Oct 15.
Bands have been papering telephone poles and coffee-shop corkboards since long before anyone had a phone to post to. We put every flyer we're holding up on one wall, no ranking, no captions, no algorithm. See the board.
The King Street Farmers Market is out today, 3:30 to 6:30pm at 126 Poplar Grove Connector. It runs weekly through October. What's there.
Council votes tomorrow night on the Walk at Boone, the 185-unit student housing project a planning commission already voted 6-0 to recommend killing back in July. They're also filling the Historic Preservation Commission's last open seat. 6pm, Council Chambers, 1500 Blowing Rock Rd. The meeting, or read how the town's own rulebook set this up in the UDO story.
Appalachian and Howard Streets close intermittently today for paving downtown. This week's closures.
We're tired of news getting reduced to bite-sized Instagram posts and ad-riddled stories, so we're doing this the slow way instead. Meet Storm, the newest byline on our small team giving High Country stories the time, the length, and the care they deserve.
You don't know us yet, but we're out here working anyway, and as the team grows, so will our original stories. We're a community culture broadcast for the High Country, no likes, no comments, no algorithm deciding what you see. Every button here points you toward sharing with a real human you know. Sharing beats posting. And if you want it in your inbox, you got it. Set the filters to cover the news and events you actually want. Because the High Country deserves it, and so do you.
Council votes on the Walk at Boone Wednesday, the 185-unit student housing project a planning commission already voted 6-0 to recommend killing back in July. They're also set to fill the Historic Preservation Commission's last open seat, first full roster there in months. Read how the town's own rulebook set up this one in the UDO story, or get the whole series on who actually runs this town. Wednesday, 6pm, Council Chambers, 1500 Blowing Rock Rd. Council, one room, real decisions about what your street looks like next. Show up if you can.
If you want to show up like you know what you're doing. Swing by the How Local Government Works first. Today 1-4pm.
Saturday opens with the BRC 5K at 8 and an adult field course on Grandfather Mountain's fall migration right after, then rolls into Betsy's Bad Decisions at night.
Meanwhile, we're growing the team. Know anyone passionate about local events?
We're looking for someone to help pick our This Week/Weekend in the High Country events and write the reason each one made the cut. We believe in human curation, and picks deserve an actual reason to go, not just a repost of whatever crossed our feed.
Put the phone down and go be loud somewhere tonight, whether that's Resonant Mirage at Shred Boone, DJ Spiff's 90s/2000s night at River Street, DirtyBit's throwback set at Lily's, or two hours down 321 South for Rainbow Kitten Surprise.
Dance, sing, stay safe, and take a few pictures, not four hundred.
Take it easy today with the free professional-clothing pop-up at Peacock Hall for career-fair and interview gear, draw club at Sumting Tattoo with snacks and no skill required, or trivia somewhere.
Thursday through Saturday are stacked, so get your rest in while you can.
Indivisible High Country's Donna Lisenby shares her take on the State Board of Elections cutting Sunday early voting for this fall's primary, our first outside op-ed. Read it.
Tuesday on the dial: the On the Same Page Literary Festival opens at the Ashe County library with a full day of readings, Tommy Hays, James Dodson, Scott Gould and Terry Roberts.The Blowing Rock Plein Air Festival kicks off five days of painters working outdoors around town, National Night Out: Night of Heroes brings Watauga's first responders out to the rec center. The King Street Farmers Market sets up downtown like it does every Tuesday evening.
left917 is a new indie news outlet for Watauga, Ashe and Avery counties, and we're building the team behind it. Two new contributing writers start publishing here soon, and a few local partners are lining up to run their own stories on the site.
Our original work runs long-form. We ask the hard questions and dig deeper than the quick hit, because this town deserves it.
The Circled box is doing overtime this week. Cut Food splits Tuesday with Shred Boone, Betsy's Barn pulls double duty with Betsy's Gone Country and BBD Night, and Boone Saloon turns into a silent disco, two DJs trading channels through LED headphones so the whole room dances to a whatever they want. Blink between Sunday and Saturday and you'll miss something.
Most importantly, The Roadless Rule keeps chainsaws and logging roads out of millions of acres of national forest. Plenty of it right here in the High Country. The current administration wants it gone along with the public comment period closing soon. Rally for the Roadless Rule tonight at App State's I.G. Greer Auditorium, 6:30 to 8pm, breaks down what's at stake and how to actually get your comment counted before the window shuts.
left917 is Boone's hyper-local indie news and events outlet, no algorithm, no likes, just what's actually happening around here and who's actually running it. The team's been growing behind the scenes, with new bylines coming in the weeks ahead.
We dig the flyers you create to promote your events. Got a show or event we're missing? Send us the flyer and we'll get it on the dial.
Blue Bear Music Fest camps out from Friday noon through Saturday night, Boonetoberfest and Buskers Fest split downtown Saturday afternoon, and Betsy's Barn runs New Moon Jam Friday into Emo Night Saturday. Filter the feed now or you'll blink and miss half of it.
Nobody in Boone votes for the person who actually runs the town. Interim Manager Hank Perkins is the second interim in under a year, paid $83 an hour while the council hunts for someone permanent. Part 3 of Who Runs Boone breaks down the job with no ballot attached to it.
A drunk driver hit ZRC Skate's camp van in July, and the High Country rallied anyway. Owner Ashley Galleher didn't want to ask for help, but enough people chipped in that she covered a structural engineer and a contractor out of pocket. Ramps at the Zionville park reopen by Halloween. Here’s the recap.
Recess has outlasted three mayors and four town managers chasing a real skate park for Boone, with Phase II wrapping in about six weeks.
Today brings four trivia nights, wine tasting at Parallel Brewing, and Stravinsky's Soldier's Tale at Broyhill.
Hope you enjoyed the holiday. Now it's time to get back to work, same as the Boone Town Council. Meeting Wednesday at 9am to hand the hellbender mural $10,500 and a bigger wall before the taggers get there first. Go watch it happen. Better yet, go with something to say. Check the agenda out yourself.
We also dropped our piece on Recess's decade-long push to keep skating culture alive in Boone, JP Pardy leading the charge. $100,000 raised by the shop and its riders with steady support from the Town of Boone the whole way.
Monday's Labor Day, and Huzzah Books is marking it with a free Uzbek plov cookout around 2:30pm, because a bookstore doing burgers would be too easy. Go eat, then buy a book while you're there, since they clearly put in the work.
App State opened the season by dropping 55 on Maine and taking just 3 in return, a sold-out Kidd Brewer crowd of 33,664 on hand for Dowell Loggains' second year at the helm. Read the recap.
Boone Town Council meets Wednesday at 9am to hand the hellbender mural $10,500 and a bigger wall before the taggers get there first, and to keep drafting the rules that would let you walk Howard Street with a drink in hand. Go watch it happen and maybe say a few words instead of finding out after.
Labor Day weekend starts loud. Gold Out tailgates stack up outside Kidd Brewer before App State's season opener kicks at 3:30, so pace yourself, because the Rage Banger Rave takes Betsy's Barn at 8pm and runs to midnight. Want something gentler first? Rocky's Groovy Poets Party at the Todd Mercantile is free, noon to 1:30, kazoos and watercolor sets included.
Ballots start moving Friday. NC's county boards start mailing absentee ballots for the 2026 General Election, but only to voters who've already requested one. Haven't asked yet? Request your ballot and check your registration before the two-week cutoff. This one is big.
Until then, get out to Hot dayz cool nights at Betsy's Barn in Todd, the tables at Huzzah Bazaar Used Goods at Huzzah Books, or Funkelstiltskin with Hellbender opening at Boone Saloon, all happening the same day.
Betsy's Barn's line dance night hits the dial tonight, and the whole High Country stays booked clear through Labor Day. Friday's a triple, Huzzah Books' bazaar in the morning, Sam Bush at AMB in the evening, then Hot Dayz Cool Nights back at the barn. Saturday's the Gold Out against Maine, then Rage Banger Rave takes the barn into Sunday morning. Sunday is packed with local shows including the New River Blues Festival and Monday closes it out with a cookout at Huzzah Books in a way that only they can serving free Uzbek plov.
Four days, one page. Circle whatever's yours.
Sitting in the student section Saturday? Take some pics and remember the details, the tailgating scene, what the stands smelled like, whether you ever sat down, how much beer ended up on the person next to you.
Email us at studio@left917.net after the game and we'll run the best of it.
Season opener, home opener, both at once this week. App State Football vs Maine - Gold Out kicks off at 3:30 Saturday, and half of Boone is going to be wearing those black and gold striped overalls.
Take advantage of the downtime through Wednesday. The 2nd half of the week doesn't stop moving.
Betsy's Barn does Hot Dayz Cool Nights Friday, Sep 4, 7-11pm, four hours of local bands in an actual barn in Todd, deer skulls and all, and left917 still doesn't have a body in that room.
We've seen the pictures from last weekend.
Be the body. Pitch us.
Pumpkin spice season is about a week old and half the county already has a PSL in hand, groundbreaking bravery.
Also somebody needs to explain the Betsy's Barn photos from Friday night because they look unhinged.
The High Country Beer Festival turns 19 Saturday at Boone Fairgrounds, 3pm. Nineteen years and it still hasn't needed a mascot or a hashtag to pull a crowd.
Bands, want your shows on the dial automatically? We just wired up Rastacoustic's full tour calendar so every show they've got booked shows up here on its own. Tap Bands to see it live, then send us a link to yours (ReverbNation or even a shared Google Calendar) and we'll do the same for you. Drop us a line
Friday's stacked. Chapter 3 hits Betsy's Barn, Dancing Anyways packs Parallel Brewing and Wine Bar, and Shred Boone Presents Five Door Sedan blows out The Summit Sports. Go somewhere. Anywhere.
Not a planner? The "Happening Now" filter is your shortcut to tonight.
Tap it in the filters and everything narrows to what's actually going on around the High Country in the next few hours. Live music, tastings, markets, readings, and any active alerts, sorted like a live timeline. It's the fastest way to answer "what is there to do right now?".
Mountaineers, close the laptop. FizzEd runs jazz at 6 and karaoke at 9. Pick one, or stay for both, and meet the town you're actually living in for once. Trivia at both AMB and The Summit if you'd rather win something besides a GPA point.
Boone Golf Club's owners want to sell. Their own zoning booklet says the 153 acres inside town limits are worth more as houses than as a golf course, all while keeping all 18 holes intact. We pulled the booklet and the fine print. Read the story.
The Jones House porch railing comes off so the bands can play. Somebody took a saw to it on purpose. We spent a week on who keeps that porch standing, and many of them are not paid for it. The last concert of the summer is tomorrow, 5:30 on the lawn, free.
Boone Golf Club's owners want to sell. Their own zoning booklet says the 153 acres inside town limits are worth more as houses than as a golf course, all while keeping all 18 holes intact. We pulled the booklet and the fine print. Read the story.
Mayor Dalton posted tomorrow’s whole council agenda and actually breaks it down. FEMA money for the water intake, invasive species rules, the golf club proposal everyone's asking about, he doesn't bury it. Not every town does that. Read his rundown and show up Wednesday. This works better with more of us in the room.
Heavy week. Thursday through Saturday, take your pick. Y2K Kids is free in Banner Elk Thursday at 6:30. Friday you're choosing between Dancing Anyways at Parallel and Chapter 3 at Betsy's Barn in Todd, ten bucks either way. Saturday the High Country Beer Festival turns 19 at the fairgrounds, 40-plus breweries, 3 to 7.
Boone gets a new alternative styling studio Sunday. Rat King Studio celebrates at Lilly's at 2pm with a tattoo artist on hand for anyone who wants to leave with more than a haircut.
Peach Fest hits Betsy's Barn in Todd on Friday, Aug. 21, and despite the name, this is a music bill, not a fruit stand. The Peach Candy Nut Boys headline. No peaches required.
Who's actually running this town? Part 2 is up. One book in Boone decides what gets built next door, and council meets Aug. 26. Read the series
New in town? Two local bands play Lily's tonight at 8:30. Ribs and Deep Watauga are both from around here, and the room is small enough that you hear every note. 21+, so bring an ID. Say hi to somebody.
We're not a weather station. We're definitely not Ray's. But we do pull the National Weather Service feed, so if a watch or warning drops Wednesday, it jumps to the top of the page, ahead of the 9am Bird Walk at Valle Crucis Park and 6pm Yoga in the Gardens.
New here? Post an event. Get it in your inbox. Or just scroll. Any Tuesday, four trivia rooms are going, Rivers Street, New River, and Goofy Foot in Boone, Town Tavern up in Banner Elk. Pick one, bring somebody.
School's back in.
Watauga and Ashe public schools start today. Avery goes Wednesday.
Leave work early, the buses are back out. Other start dates in the region.
Saturday's stacked, the Blue Ridge Brutal ride rolls out of Jefferson at 6am, Marigolden Music Festival runs all day at Skyc Farm, and Doc Watson Day closes out with its own lineup.
App State move-in runs Aug. 11-16.
Just got to Boone? This is the whole High Country on one page. Every show, every meeting, every festival, every local headline. No app, no algorithm, no account, nothing ranked by likes.
For the full time residents, brace for traffic, the town's about to get loud again.
Filter it down to your corner and we'll mail you that slice instead. Get it in your inbox.
App State move-in runs Aug. 11-16.
Just got to Boone? This is the whole High Country on one page. Every show, every meeting, every festival, every local headline. No app, no algorithm, no account, nothing ranked by likes.
Filter it down to your corner and we'll mail you that slice instead. Get it in your inbox.
For the full time residents, brace for traffic, the town's about to get loud again.
The Perseids peak Aug 12. Look northeast after midnight.
App State move-in runs Aug. 11-16.
Just got to Boone? This is the whole High Country on one page. Every show, every meeting, every festival, every local headline. No app, no algorithm, no account, nothing ranked by likes.
Filter it down to your corner and we'll mail you that slice instead. Get it in your inbox.
For the full time residents, brace for traffic, the town's about to get loud again.
The Perseids peak Aug 12. Look northeast after midnight.
App State move-in runs Aug. 11-16.
Just got to Boone? This is the whole High Country on one page. Every show, every meeting, every festival, every local headline. No app, no algorithm, no account, nothing ranked by likes.
Filter it down to your corner and we'll mail you that slice instead. Get it in your inbox.
For the full time residents, brace for traffic, the town's about to get loud again.
Something happening that isn't on the dial? Snap the flyer. The posters around here are half the art. Hand-lettered, photocopied crooked, stapled up at midnight.
You walked past one this week for a show we don't have. Take a picture and send it over. It goes up, flyer and all. No account, no form. Just the photo.
The dial comes to you now. left917 will send you what's on. Set the feed the way you want it, hit Get this in my inbox down in the filters, and that's the slice that shows up. All of it, or just Ashe County. Everything, or just music. One venue, if that's your thing. Your filter is your subscription.
Daily or weekly, your call.
Forward it to the friend who'd want it.
Get the dial in your inbox →
That rain didn't mess around. Probably a good morning to hit the NEWS button on the site unless you're one of the Boone Gran Fondo riders rolling out this morning regardless of what the sky is doing.
If the rain backs off by 1pm Mill Camp's got Big Brose BBQ smoking and Tyler Dellaperute on guitar at 2pm.
Fly Around Fest lands in Lansing through Saturday, born straight out of the Helene flood recovery as a way to bring music back to the New River valley.
See the full festival lineup.
Getting attention on events like this is EXACTLY why we do this.
Thursday's stacked with live music Roots in the Garden, Concerts in the Park, trivia nights, and an old-time jam at the Jones House before the Summertime Smokehouse fires up Saturday at Center 45.
Grab a plate this weekend and let the smoke ring in the last stretch before App students start trickling back to town.
You've got about 2 weeks to enjoy the quiet.
Heads up, sports fans: we quietly added every App Home game to the feed, they're just hiding behind the Home Game chip so they don't drown out everything else going on, like today's five different trivia nights and Music in the Vineyard.
Fourteen weeks to the midterms. This is the quiet stretch before the fall noise, and the easy time to make sure you're actually registered and your address is current, so nothing trips you up in November. A couple of minutes settles it. Check your registration →
Rain's back for Sunday. Good day to eat well. Dinner in the Gap is the one to circle for next year because this one is sold out. A farm-to-table gala at Corbett's Farm on 421 from 5pm on, with multi-course Southern cooking, oyster shucking, chef stations, cocktails, and live music up in the Blue Ridge. Some team running Corbett's out near the county line headed to West Jeff from Boone.
If you haven't been to Corbett's Farm Market, you need to work on that.
If you missed it this year, don't worry. Mill Camp has Market Day, BBQ, and music from 1 on.
A wet start to the weekend, but it is a big one. Jon Pardi plays the High Country tonight. A real country headliner in our own backyard. Hopefully, Saturday's your window between the rain. Take it.
BTW. What the tags mean
A few cards wear a tag so you can read the feed at a glance.
- ★ Pick. Might be unique, exciting, or just plain weird. We don't need a particular reason.
- ♥ Community. A story that hits the High Country directly, for better or for worse.
- ▲ Heads up. The practical stuff you'll want before it bites you, like a water restriction or a road closure.
- ⚠ Alert. The real deal, severe weather or an emergency. Always red, always first.
Everything else is just the feed, newest and nearest to you.
Rain's rolling into the High Country. So don't fight it, dance in it.
Dancing Anyways is tonight at 6 @ Parallel Brewing Co.
A monthly dance party built for women, and especially for the moms who need one night to get out from under it all and move with people who get it. Leave the weather at the door.
New partners on the dial. Thanks to Lost Province, Betsy's Barn, Center 45, Boondocks Brewing, and Ashe County Arts Council for putting their events on left917 this week. Tap a name to see just their shows.
Somebody has to be the responsible one, so yes, Family Story Time and Super Tots made the dial. Just use the keywords. The rest of you animals can go find Y2K Kids Night or the live band at AMB right in the main feed.
Oh, and wash your produce, folks: Health departments across WNC are flagging a rise in cyclosporiasis cases this summer, a good reminder to rinse fruits and veggies before you eat them.
The "Happening Now" filter is your shortcut to tonight.
Tap "Now" at the top of the feed and everything narrows to what's actually going on around the High Country in the next few hours. Live music, tastings, markets, readings, and any active alerts, sorted like a live timeline. It's the fastest way to answer "what is there to do right now."
Is it just us, or have you defaulted to leaving left917 in dark mode?
Same here. We're a month past the solstice, so up here we're already shedding about a minute of daylight a day. Sunset's slid from 8:46 back to 8:41, and the dark comes a little sooner every night from here. Dark mode suits the season.
The ☾/☀ toggle up top flips it back to daylight any time you miss it. No pressure, and thanks for tuning in.
We like Night mode better anyway.
BREAKING
A drunk driver wrecked ZRC Skate's camp van early Monday. Nobody hurt, summer camp still rolls, and a GoFundMe is covering repairs. Let's back one of our own.
Local alerts on your phone. No account, no app store, no algorithm.
Skip the sign-up. Point a free reader like NetNewsWire at our alerts feed and water restrictions, boil notices, and severe-weather advisories buzz your phone the second they post. Nobody harvests your email, nothing decides what you see but you.
Weather up here does what it wants. It's not for everyone. That's the point.
P.S. it's not only for emergencies. Point that same reader at our Worth the Drive feed and it'll buzz you the second a band you follow books a room within driving range. Fair warning, your phone is about to get very good at talking you into concert tickets.
Wire in → Here's how →
One month in. Over thirty venues on the board from breweries to book shops to the Jones House, a few hundred of you on our busiest days, no ads and no algorithm deciding what you get to see. This runs on word of mouth. Thank you. Truly.
We're growing the team and in coming weeks and months you'll start to see more and more original journalism content in addition to all of the existing news & events you come for in the first place.
We may show the news slightly slower. But we choose it intentionally. Real humans who care.
It's the weekend. Here's what's actually going on.
Tap "This Weekend" below and the feed narrows to every show, market, and gathering from now through Sunday night. Your filter should stay until you choose a different one. You can do the same thing with the NEWS filter to see only non-events.
Turnpike Troubadours play Beech Mountain today if you still need a plan. Check the whole weekend.
Our first Local Artist Spotlight drops today. Meet Dancing Anyways, a monthly dance party for women, first one next Friday, and a standing permission slip to let go for a while.
And the yard's a lost cause anyway, we're still in a drought and Boone is still on Stage 2, so kill the sprinkler and go be somewhere.
Tune back in at 5pm for an On Rotation drop.
Did you know Boone has a baseball team?
The Boone Bigfoots take on the Forest City Owls tonight for Family Fun Day. Bring the kids, a folding chair, and a few bucks for concessions, and settle in for nine innings under the lights. Outside, affordable, and about as Boone summer as it gets.
Who says The High Country doesn't offer variety? A single Thursday hands you contemporary ballet, a ballgame, an old-time jam, two trivia nights, and karaoke, all before last call. Pick one, or see how many your legs can handle.
Heads up: South Depot St (Howard to Rivers) is closed all day today from 8 a.m. for a sewer tap, so route around it when navigating downtown. Details.
Fresh On Rotation drops land Friday nights, so tune in before you head out. And this week, the first local Artist Spotlight drops right alongside it.
This site is about giving you choice. Human intention. We're choosing what we think is important. But we still make sure you can see the shows, the stories, the events that you care about. Escape the algorithm.
Heads up! If you're planning on moving through downtown tomorrow, South Depot Street is closed from Howard to Rivers Street, all day starting at 8 a.m., while crews put in a sewer tap. No services should be affected, so it's just a block to route around. The full advisory.
Congrats to Dee McGillivray and Kyle Lillie, your 2026 Grandfather Mountain Highland Games heavy-athletics champions. Read the roundup. And it's a new-moon week, the darkest skies of the month. Get out past the lights after 10:31 PM, give your eyes 20 minutes, and the Milky Way arcs right overhead.
Near-new moon and the darkest skies of the month for the Milky Way and meteors are coming up. Sky's truly dark after 10:31 PM. From a dark spot the Milky Way arcs overhead, and the Summer Triangle (Vega, Deneb, Altair) climbs the east. Give your eyes about 20 minutes away from the fire to adjust, then look up.
(Yesterday our APOD page tried to show you a night-sky video and served up a beautiful rectangle of nothing instead. Fixed. Anyway, real skies don't have those issues)
Your phone is for calling people. Find something here worth doing, text it to a friend, and go make a plan. Real things, real people, no algorithm.
Ever heard of NASA's APOD? A sick Picture Of the Day from NASA. Stop looking down. Look up.
It's wet out there. Have you guys seen the Watauga River widget below in the weather widget?
"running high" today.
Every self-respecting alt-weekly runs horoscopes, so now we do too. Read yours as gospel or as a nicely-written fortune, no judgment either way.
Do you read the stars?
Left917 needs a weekly horoscopes writer. Aquarius preferred. But open to others.
Contact Us
Anything you like or don't like about the page? Other events you want added? We'd love to hear it, drop us a line.
There's a lot going on this weekend. We can't feature all of it, so we pulled the ones we're into. The rest is all in the feed. Search a keyword and you'll find it. We suggest "wine".
Some PICKs now come with a note. When we flag an event or story as a PICK, you will sometimes find a short line from us on why it caught our eye. It is the one spot where we let ourselves editorialize a little.
Hyper-local news and events
But events are the whole reason this thing exists. So the event pages do more than list a time: each one shows what else is happening at the same hour (nobody wants to realize later they were at the wrong party), and pulls in the forecast as the day gets close. Plan accordingly.
And, if you’re planning on heading to the Highland Games this week, try our interactive schedule.
The fireworks are done, but the weekend isn't. Sunday still has vineyard music, yacht rock at the App Theatre, and easy afternoon shows around the High Country.
And though the Independence Day holiday is coming to an end, there’s no need to stress. Thursday The Highland Games begins.
Happy Fourth, High Country. Fireworks over Boone, Sugar, Beech, and Tweetsie, the Blowing Rock 4th of July Festival, Red, White & Bluegrass at App Mountain Brewery, and a whole lot more. It's all in one place: see everything happening this weekend in the 4th of July Weekend band below.
We started this because we were tired of opening Instagram to find out what was happening in town.
This is a website, not a platform. A publication, not a feed.
No ads. No accounts. No algorithm. No likes. No newsletters.
If we highlight a business or an artist, it's because we thought they deserved it, not because they paid us.
There's a deep, particular culture up here, and we wanted one place to show it off.
Come back when you want. The work is here when you need it.
Tune in.
P.S. If you're looking for something new for the 4th, you truly cannot beat the Todd Liberty Parade. It's funky. It's quirky. And it's very Todd. Come for the parade, stay for the music and cultural experience!
We started this because we were tired of opening Instagram to find out what was happening in town.
This is a website, not a platform. A publication, not a feed.
No ads. No accounts. No algorithm. No likes. No newsletters.
If we highlight a business or an artist, it's because we thought they deserved it, not because they paid us.
There's a deep, particular culture up here, and we wanted one place to show it off.
Come back when you want. The work is here when you need it.
Tune in.
I don't know about you guys, but different times of the year inspire us to break out different music to get the vibes right. For us, Summer just seems like the time to bust out all of our classic rock favorites. We'll be jamming this one on the New River this weekend while rocking the vintage Def Leppard shirts we got from anna banana's.
@dancinganyways dropped her 4th of July inspired classic rock mixtape! Put it on, and go ahead and light the grill!
