What is 'that place' in your hometown?

I found out the other day that my neighbor's wife has family from Dunn, my hometown. After we chuckled over the fact that it truly is a small freaking world, he said to me, "her family one time brought us some stuff from this one bakery ..."

I knew exactly what bakery to which he was referring. "Oh, Sherry's Bakery, I bet," I said.

"Yeah, that's the one!" His eyes were wide and his grin was big as he reminisced on the baked goodies he got from the so-called "Sweetest Smelling Corner in Town."

This got me thinking: With all due respect to other long-time, established places, Sherry's Bakery is "that place" in Dunn that most people first think about if they have lived in Dunn, visited Dunn or even heard of Dunn. Heck, the Governor visited Sherry's a couple of weeks ago.

So whether you are from Dunn, Raleigh, Hickory, Waynesville, Duck or wherever, what is "that place" in your hometown? What's the one signature place that people think of when they think of your hometown?

Wildflowers? Good! Roadside trash? Not so much

North Carolina used to be known as the "Good Roads State." I can't say I've been on all of the highways and byways of late to speak to construction or potholes. But one thing that seems to have gotten worse over the years is the amount of litter alongside our state's major roads. In fact, my wife's aunt (visiting from Nebraska) once commented, "I love your state. It's beautiful. But why is there so much trash along the highways?"

We took a day trip to Florence, S.C., last weekend, and this problem was evident. On many stretches of Interstates 95 and 40 were used fast food bags, aluminum cans, cardboard boxes -- you name it. It was unbelievably distressing -- and unnecessary. 

We have discussed before the N.C. DOT's Swat-a-Litterbug problem. Do your part; if you see someone disrespecting our state, make the call.

In better N.C. road news, if there is one thing that our state seems to do really well, it is the N.C. DOT's Wildflower Program. On our journey to South Cackylacky, we remarked time and time again about the beauty of the wildflowers that populated the medians and grassy portions of exits all up and down our roads. Seriously, kudos to the state transportation department for that! It's really a program of which we should all be proud. But I just wish people had enough pride in their state not to throw cigarette butts and pizza boxes and more out their car windows.

Our State mag updates TRAVEL NORTH CAROLINA app

We were pumped last year when Our State magazine unveiled its new mobile phone app for people interested in seeing what this great state has to offer. Well, we recently got an email from the good folks at Our State to let us know that they have not rested on their proverbial laurels; TRAVEL NORTH CAROLINA has been redesigned and updated.

From a press release:

“This redesign makes the app much more user-friendly for those exploring North Carolina," says Laurie Weaver, integrated marketing director. “You can search by category, city, or region to plan a vacation in advance, or use the ‘Near Me’ function to discover restaurants, shops, and things to do in your vicinity while you travel. It's a must-have for folks traveling around North Carolina.”

The app is brimming with more than 1,500 points of interest across the state, organized by location and category. In addition to lodging, attractions, dining, and shopping destinations as well as clickable phone numbers and websites for easy planning, the updated app offers the following new features:
·       "Local Favorites" that offer tours of featured areas
·       36-hour guides to Our State's Tar Heel Town magazine features
·       "Near Me" function that shows nearby attractions as you travel
·       "Editor's Picks" that include points of interest from the magazine
·       A build-your-own itinerary function
·       Digital postcards to share your adventures from your smart phone via email and social media channels

TRAVEL NORTH CAROLINA is available for free download in the Apple Store and Google Play. For users that downloaded the earlier version, update the app using your smart phone's regular update process. More details are available at ourstate.com/app.

Enjoy!

The Republic of Ocracoke?

For such a small place, the island of Ocracoke is probably one of the most talked-about locales on this blog. This is due to a variety of reasons: it's beauty; it's "remote-yet-still-accessible" nature; it's language. Ocracoke is one of those quintessential North Carolina places; it's a treasure -- a special place to many Carolinians and "foreigners" alike.

I can't recall where I first heard the term, but recently I heard the island referred to as the "Republic of Ocracoke," and I wanted to follow up to see if this is a commonly-accepted term.

Some quick research (ie, "Google Search") does show some mentions of the term "Republic of Ocracoke," though not a ton.

This travelogue from 2008 makes a mention of the term. Along with some glowing reviews of the flora and fauna of the island is this paragraph [bolded for emphasis]:

The other local news is that Ocracoke’s oldest resident, Mrs. Belle Bryant, has just passed away.  An African American woman, born in the year the Wright brothers launched their plane at Kitty Hawk, she lived her entire life on Ocracoke and died at the age of one hundred and four.  She remembered her grandmother as a slave in the Antebellum South.  There are no African Americans living on the island now.  A number of mexicans have recently moved in as a new minority to work in the modest island construction industry.  Such is the odd human balance that currently exists in the Republic of Ocracoke!  

 Another piece is this from the Ocracoke Current that is more of a civic-minded writing:

Everyone on Ocracoke has a voice that is heard. We resist change until a clear consensus is apparent.  The microphone gets turned up a notch for people who have lived here the longest, and even further for those with deep roots on the island. Yet native Ocracokers often are overlooked and misunderstood.
This page is intended to be a resource to enhance civic involvement.  We want to increase understanding of the mission and scope of the many organizations, committees, boards, non-profits and government entities that make things happen on Ocracoke.
If you’ve read this far, congratulations!  OcracokeCurrent encourages you to check out the links, see what raises your blood pressure or makes your heart beat faster, and contact the people involved.
Democracy is not available to everyone, and we are lucky enough to have it, here on the republic of Ocracoke.

Has this phrase been around for a while, or is it fairly new? Does anyone know the genesis?

Not surprisingly, most anytime an area is segmented and presented as a separate "republic" or "state" (see the State of Franklin, for instance), it is typically because of a disconnect or downright mistrust of the preceived heavy-handed government. I wonder if this is the case with the Republic of Ocracoke -- or is it just more of a state of mind, or even a marketing campaign? If it's the latter, perhaps it's time for a flag or a snarky motto?



(Image from Wikipedia)

Francis, Bryant, Morton among latest N.C. Sports HOF nominees

The latest batch of North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame entry names have been released, and there are certainly some notables on the list. Headlining the list is Carolina Hurricanes great Ron Francis -- the first hockey player ever to be named to the N.C. list.

Francis already has been inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame after a career in which he won two Stanley Cups with the Pittsburgh Penguins before signing a free-agent contract with the Hurricanes in July 1998. He spent 16 of his 23 seasons with the franchise – the Hartford Whalers until the relocation to Raleigh in 1997 – before retiring as a player in September 2005.
Francis scored 549 goals and had 1,249 assists in 23 NHL seasons and his 1,798 points are the fourth-best in NHL history. The Canes retired his jersey, No. 10, in January 2006 and he went into the Hockey Hall of Fame in November 2007.

Read more here: http://www.newsobserver.com/2013/01/08/2589071/ron-francis-among-11-new-members.html#storylink=cpy

Among the other names on the list are the great UNC running Kelvin Bryant, the school's third all-time rusher and scorer, and longtime UNC basketball assistant Bill Guthridge, who did quite fine as the main coach himself for several years, leading the Tar Heels to a 90-28 record in three years with a Final Four trip after Dean Smith retired.

Read more here: http://www.newsobserver.com/2013/01/08/2589071/ron-francis-among-11-new-members.html#storylink=cpy

A name that struck me as odd at first glance but certainly makes sense the more I thought about it was Hugh Morton, arguably North Carolina's most important photographer. Morton -- as readers of this blog will note - made a name for himself as a nature photographer and conservationist. However, he was a spectacular sports photographer in his own right; his contributions in this area cannot be understated.

Here are the others on the list, from the News & Observer. (Warning: Subscription needed.)

• Rich McGeorge, a 1971 graduate of Elon College (now Elon University), who was a first-round draft choice of the Green Bay Packers. He played tight end in Green Bay for nine seasons.

• Wade Garrett, a premier fast-pitch softball pitcher and a member of the N.C. Softball Hall of Fame.

• Bob Quincy, a five-time Sports Writer of the Year in North Carolina who graduated from North Carolina. He also was a Charlotte Observer columnist and sports writer and died in 1984

• Tommy Helms, a Charlotte native who was a member of the Cincinnati Reds’ “Big Red Machine” and Rookie of the Year in 1966.

• Marion Kirby, who compiled a 278-65-8 record at Edenton and Page High School, including four state titles at Page.

• Marty Sheets, who holds 250 Special Olympics medals in a variety of sports.

• Mildred F. Southern, a long time proponent of tennis in North Carolina.

Read more here: http://www.newsobserver.com/2013/01/08/2589071/ron-francis-among-11-new-members.html#storylink=cpy

It's the most North Carolina time of the year

(Since I'm lazy and just copying my own past posts, the numbers may be old and in need of updating. Paging geeks and stat wonks!)

This is quite honestly one of our "go-to" blog posts each year, but it's for a good reason. As we've said before, the time from around Thanksgiving to the end of the year could quite possibly be called North Carolina's Time to Shine.

[A]s you're digging into turkey and sweet potatoes, and decorating that Christmas tree, you are probably doing some of the best economic support for the Old North State that is possible. And the good news is that families all across the rest of the nation are doing it too.
We published this a few years ago. While the numbers may be off some, they're probably not off by that much.

At that time, the state was the second-largest turkey-producing state after Minnesota. (And probably is still.)
And then there are the sweet potatoes.

North Carolina has been the number one producer of sweet potatoes in the United States, according to the Department of Agriculture. "Today more than 40% of the natinal [sic] supply of sweet potatoes comes from North Carolina."

And, finally, the holiday season closes out with Christmas trees.

"The North Carolina Christmas Tree Industry is ranked second in the nation in number of trees harvested and first in the nation in terms of dollars made per tree," according to the N.C. Christmas Tree Association.

"The North Carolina Fraser fir has been judged the Nation's best through a contest sponsored by the National Christmas Tree Association and chosen for the official White House Christmas tree nine times (more than any other species) 1971, 1973, 1982, 1984, 1990, 1993, 1995, 1997, 2005, and 2007 [and 2008]."

AN UPDATE! The News & Observer just today has an article about how this has been a "bumper crop" year for North Carolina's Christmas tree industry.

Let's go to reporter (and fantastic neighbor) Josh Shaffer:

North Carolina counts 1,600 growers turning out roughly 5 million trees a year, a statistic that ranks the state’s harvest second nationwide behind Oregon. This year’s 19-foot White House tree came from Peak Farms in Ashe County. ... 

Farm income from Christmas trees totaled $85 million last year, though analysts say prices have been trending down for several years due to competition from fakes.

Real-tree dealers face heavy competition from artificial trees, which coupled with the down economy has put pressure on lower prices, said John Frampton, forestry professor at N.C. State University. But the industry expects the same slow uptick that much of the economy is seeing.

Read more here: http://www.newsobserver.com/2012/11/28/2512301/theres-a-bumper-crop-of-christmas.html#storylink=cpy

Read more here: http://www.newsobserver.com/2012/11/28/2512301/theres-a-bumper-crop-of-christmas.html#storylink=cpy

So there ya go. Happy ThanksgiviNg and Christmas, everyone!

This is what you've been missing

As noted, a lot of the focus here has shifted to our Facebook page. (Like us today, please!) The fact of the matter, it's just faster to post items there than it has been here of late That's not to say we'll never update the blog again, it's just that it won't be as often.

If you have not liked us on Facebook yet, this is a sample of what you've missed over the past couple of weeks:

Fox News fails geography, uses really bad map of North Carolina

N.C. leaders, friends remember Bill Friday

Some "spooky" N.C. articles

North Carolina has a literary map

Hooray! N.C. has nation's top business climate

Happy birthday to past president Jimmy Polk

... and to Billy Graham!

And nothing quite closes out 2012 like discussion about a New Year's Eve party ... involving a possum ... and a lawsuit.