On this episode of the Life in the Carolinas podcast, Carl sits down with automotive service business owner John Nobles. Born and raised in Marietta, Georgia, John spent much of his adult life in Tampa, Florida where he raised his daughter and two sons. He tells us that he and his wife Kim were eventually compelled to make the move to Wilkesboro, NC in their search for a community of folks who were more in line with their faith and values. Now seven years settled in Wilkesboro, John and his family are not only enjoying living in a town awash with Southern hospitality but are quick to show that same hospitality themselves to every newcomer to their church. Our host met John a few years back when Carl walked into his shop to have his car fixed. The two quickly hit it off and have remained friends since. Today, John’s business is bigger than it’s ever been thanks to being built on, in Carl’s words, “a big trust factor with [his] customers”. “Trust in the automotive business is something that’s very hard to get,” John contends. A lot of that has to do with too many shops garnering a reputation for trying to squeeze every dollar out of their customers. John, on the other hand, prides himself on speaking to every single one of his customers as if they were members of his own family. Understanding that a car is often a person’s second-most valuable asset (after their home), John says that he wants every customer to leave believing that he took care of their vehicle, and that money was never his top priority. Instead, John says, “their emergency is my priority.” Finally, John discusses the future of his business and outlines his vision of having a one-stop shop in in the North Wilkesboro area for all your automotive needs.

Life In the Carolina's Podcast

Reliable Service With John Nobles

On this episode of the Life in the Carolinas podcast, Carl sits down with Mike Unruh and Ron Lewis of Foundation Forward, a nonprofit educational project that builds Your Charters of Freedom Settings in local communities across the country. Mike is the Resources and Communications Director of Foundation Forward and handles fundraising, press releases, and raises community awareness after Ron, the organization’s facilitator, has completed the initial meeting with the county commissioners. Mike and Ron reflect on their journey together with Charters of Freedom founders Vance and Mary Jo. Mike refers to the couple as true patriots who were inspired to bring the Charters of Freedom all over the country after witnessing them for the first time in 2013. Mike, a business partner of Vance in a separate venture, was invited to be on the board at the organization’s inception. He became a full-time employee for Foundation Forward in 2019. As of this conversation, the nonprofit has dedicated a total of 39 settings, with 26 in the Carolinas, and 57 more settings in the pipeline for the next couple of years. Ron recalls the initial intent of Foundation Forward as focusing on the Carolinas for the first few years before expanding the venture in other states. However, word quickly spread and the team found themselves called to dedicate settings around the country. They have since settled back into their original plan of completing the 74 counties in North Carolina, who yet to have their own Charters of Freedom, within the next three years. “Once the setting is built,” says Mike, “we don’t just dedicate it and leave. We will continue to reach out to the community in the future and encourage these patriotic events and field trips.” Their mission is thoroughly solidified via time capsules containing the names of everyone involved in the establishment of the site. Along with these names are letters written by leaders of the community, describing what the Charters of Freedom mean to them. These time capsules are to be buried at each site six months following their dedication, and every single time capsule is to be opened during a planned national ceremony on September 17, 2087—the 300th anniversary of the signing of the Constitution. “A big part of our focus is toward the children,” continues Mike. “The children that we educate and give this sense of community and purpose to—they’re the ones who are going to be the mayor and the sheriff and the council members in 2087 when these are opened. Just like these founding documents—they’re everlasting.”   MORE FROM LIFE IN THE CAROLINAS: Award Winning Segments — Carl White's Life in the Carolinas Brown Mountain Lights — Carl White's Life in the Carolinas Car Culture in the Carolinas — Carl White's Life in the Carolinas Carolina Theater Trail — Carl White's Life in the Carolinas Christmas in the Carolinas — Carl White's Life in the Carolinas Taste of the Carolinas — Carl White's Life in the Carolinas Honoring Veterans — Carl White's Life in the Carolinas On Route 74 — Carl White's Life in the Carolinas The Outdoors — Carl White's Life in the Carolinas The Outer Banks — Carl White's Life in the Carolinas Video Podcasts — Carl White's Life in the Carolinas Carl's Syndicated Columns — Carl White's Life in the Carolinas  

Foundation Forward

On this episode of the Life in the Carolinas podcast, Carl sits down with librarian Suzanne Moore. The two met at a local farmer's market when Suzanne was playing the banjo (she refers to herself as an "amateur plucker") to promote the new Seed Library over at Wilkes County Public Library. Carl quickly realized that Suzanne was no "ordinary" librarian. Since childhood, Suzanne has had a deep passion for books, recalling having loaned her favorite reads to her friends regularly. She has always, by extension, had a love for people and community service, as well as an insatiable curiosity and openness to new ideas. So, it was no wonder that she chose the path that she did as an adult. Suzanne refers to the library as "the people's university." Not only is there no tuition, but there is also a level of freedom in navigating a library that is not found in adhering to a strict curriculum and paying for assigned textbooks. At the pandemic outbreak in early 2020, Suzanne touches on the pain she felt at temporarily shutting the library's doors. She remembers telling borrowers to "forget about the due dates" and the gradual steps they took to make their services available to the public once again, starting with curbside pickup to extending the library's Wi-Fi outdoors to offering virtual programs via Zoom. In many ways, the crisis paved the way for many opportunities and ideas that would not have emerged otherwise. For example, the local students, digital natives, have now been given access to the library through the gadgets they are intimately familiar with. What's more, the library has found more visitors since its doors were first closed. As Suzanne says, "We've seen an increase in library usage during the pandemic because folks that didn't have the opportunity to visit, maybe due to transportation barriers, were able to connect virtually." Carl and Suzanne go on to give their thoughts on the power of the written word—of the ability of an excellent book to develop a person's mental and emotional maturity, deepen one's appreciation of the humanities, and allow the past to come alive as a book serves as a window into the minds of great men and women. MORE FROM LIFE IN THE CAROLINAS: Award Winning Segments — Carl White's Life in the Carolinas Brown Mountain Lights — Carl White's Life in the Carolinas Car Culture in the Carolinas — Carl White's Life in the Carolinas Carolina Theater Trail — Carl White's Life in the Carolinas Christmas in the Carolinas — Carl White's Life in the Carolinas Taste of the Carolinas — Carl White's Life in the Carolinas Honoring Veterans — Carl White's Life in the Carolinas On Route 74 — Carl White's Life in the Carolinas The Outdoors — Carl White's Life in the Carolinas The Outer Banks — Carl White's Life in the Carolinas Video Podcasts — Carl White's Life in the Carolinas Carl's Syndicated Columns — Carl White's Life in the Carolinas  

The Banjo Librarian

On this episode of the Life in the Carolinas podcast, Carl sits down with Jeffrey Elmore who has, since 2013, served in the North Carolina House of Representatives from the 94th district which is made up of the population centers of Wilkes County and Alexander County. Outside of serving in Raleigh, Jeffrey is a public school teacher who has had the opportunity to teach visual arts, with a focus on painting and sculpture, to every grade level since 2001. “I like interactions with people,” says Jeffrey, speaking on why he chose education as a career path and, eventually, public service. His journey as a teacher began when he underwent the South Carolina Teaching Fellows Program which granted him a scholarship at Appalachian State University, where he graduated with a BS in Art Teacher Education. In this first year as a teacher, Jeffrey taught at Atkins, a low-performing, high-minority middle school, where he says he may just as well have gotten five years of teaching experience in one year. In his own words: “What that experience made me realize was how different other people’s circumstances are to your own. For many of those kids, it wasn’t an issue of academic performance. It was almost an issue of life survival. It was quite sad to see a 12-year-old who was concerned for their own safety—some of them concerned about their next meal, some concerned about making it to school that day.” Carl and Jeffrey touch on the vital importance of developing critical thinking skills in today’s globalized digital economy. It is a topic that never leaves Jeffrey’s mind, with his passion of education, service, and the arts. He believes that if the arts, including both fine and performing arts, were elevated in importance more than they currently are, critical thinking would skyrocket across the board. “Exposure to the arts,” he contends, “helps us not only understand ourselves; it helps us understand other people.” To further illustrate the point, Carl and Jeffrey point to a variety of successful figures, including U.S. presidents, who have some exposure to the arts. Continuing along this thread, they remark on the idea that, without the humanities, it would be impossible to thoroughly understand the meanings behind the founding documents. Jeffrey hopes that, in an age awash with technology, art, especially at the tactile level, continues to be embraced. “We are connected more than ever; but we’re also more disconnected more than ever.” On the other hand, “The arts are a reflection of the human experience.” MORE FROM LIFE IN THE CAROLINAS: Award Winning Segments — Carl White's Life in the Carolinas Brown Mountain Lights — Carl White's Life in the Carolinas Car Culture in the Carolinas — Carl White's Life in the Carolinas Carolina Theater Trail — Carl White's Life in the Carolinas Christmas in the Carolinas — Carl White's Life in the Carolinas Taste of the Carolinas — Carl White's Life in the Carolinas Honoring Veterans — Carl White's Life in the Carolinas On Route 74 — Carl White's Life in the Carolinas The Outdoors — Carl White's Life in the Carolinas The Outer Banks — Carl White's Life in the Carolinas Video Podcasts — Carl White's Life in the Carolinas Carl's Syndicated Columns — Carl White's Life in the Carolinas  

The Humanities

On this episode of the Life in the Carolinas podcast, Carl sits down with Jennifer Furr, Director of the Wilkes Heritage Museum, which features exhibits about local history in Wilkesboro, North Carolina. The museum tells a story of how the community has evolved through the wonderful artifacts that it displays within its historic buildings. Among the reasons people typically visit the museum include experiencing the community’s history of moonshine, how the company known today as NASCAR came to be, and hearing the story of Tom Dooley. “Those are the things that Wilkes County is more known for,” says Jennifer, “but once we actually get them in through the door, they realize that there is this whole other world here as well.” Out-of-county, out-of-state, and even international visitors, who may only be expecting their time at the “small-town museum” to be short, often end up staying all day. The Wilkes Heritage Museum was established in 1968, its original intention being to restore the Old Wilkes County Jail to its 1860 appearance. Also restored following the jail were the 1779 home of Captain Robert Cleveland and the late 19th century Finley Law Office. The building housing the museum itself used to be the 1902 Wilkes County Courthouse. It is a historically significant building reflecting North Carolina’s architectural hallmarks of the time. The museum has exhibits on two floors. The lower-level features artifacts from the county’s early settlers and different aspects of society and culture, from religion to moonshine to racing to agriculture to transportation. The upper level contains additional exhibits on Native Americans, African American history, the Revolutionary War, military history, and the Blue Ridge Music Hall of Fame. This space doubles as a venue for special events such as concerts, weddings, and fundraiser dinners. Asked how Jennifer feels about having a career that allows her to, literally, participate with history, she says that there is never a boring day. As the museum’s curator, she wears a lot of hats, but for her, “talking to people who bring their treasures in and learning those stories is probably the best part of my job.” MORE FROM LIFE IN THE CAROLINAS: Award Winning Segments — Carl White's Life in the Carolinas Brown Mountain Lights — Carl White's Life in the Carolinas Car Culture in the Carolinas — Carl White's Life in the Carolinas Carolina Theater Trail — Carl White's Life in the Carolinas Christmas in the Carolinas — Carl White's Life in the Carolinas Taste of the Carolinas — Carl White's Life in the Carolinas Honoring Veterans — Carl White's Life in the Carolinas On Route 74 — Carl White's Life in the Carolinas The Outdoors — Carl White's Life in the Carolinas The Outer Banks — Carl White's Life in the Carolinas Video Podcasts — Carl White's Life in the Carolinas Carl's Syndicated Columns — Carl White's Life in the Carolinas  

Wilkes Heritage Museum

On this episode of the Life in the Carolinas podcast, Carl sits down with Charlotte-based pianist and composer Chad Lawson. Ironically, Chad did not grow up in a family that listened to music, much less played instruments. What actually sparked his interest in taking piano lessons was a TV show he grew up on, Sha Na Na, and the rest is history. Chad recalls having his music used a few years back, without his permission, as a background track for the podcast Lore. He reached out to host Aaron Mahnke for a potential collaboration, and the two quickly became friends. Eventually, Lore got picked up by Amazon for a television series written by Glen Morgan of The X-Files fame. As fate would have it, Chad was their one and only choice to be the composer for the series. “All of that stemmed,” Chad reflects, “from my being okay with someone using my music.” He goes on to suggest that other artists be more open to giving other parties an opportunity to use their music. “Within limitations, I want to encourage others to do a little bit of homework, check it out, and be okay with it. [...] You never know what doors open.” Chad’s music, much like his personality, can be characterized as quiet, calm, and soothing. Ever since lockdowns were implemented in the first quarter of 2020, Chad fondly notes the explosion of emails he received from others who told him that his music had been helping them cope with the challenges. “I get those emails almost daily now,” says Chad. “I can’t travel, but I want to be able to engage. I want to get deeper into the grit of life with my listeners. I want to find a way that if I can’t speak to them from stage, how do I speak to them? [...] Why don’t I create something where I’m helping them, emotionally, walk through this?” Chad’s solution? His very own podcast, Calm It Down, a passion piece he created to help ease anxieties, COVID-induced or otherwise. He wanted the podcast to be a space for honesty and transparency, and to dissolve shame around vulnerability. As Chad openly shares from the heart on such topics as depression and suicide, he gives his audience permission to be real in a society whose knee-jerk reaction to tragedy and hardship has 3been, overwhelmingly, repression. “The very first thing we have to do is make people comfortable with awareness. We just have to make the conversation comfortable.” Chad implores us to catch ourselves whenever our self-preservation instincts kick in, when confronted with uncomfortable topics. After all, the hardest step to healing is always the first. “You have to bring the conversation to your audience. That’s how it starts.” Connect with Chad: Chad Lawson - Official Store Calm It Down | Calming & Meditation Podcast (calmitdownpodcast.com) MORE FROM LIFE IN THE CAROLINAS: Award Winning Segments — Carl White's Life in the Carolinas Brown Mountain Lights — Carl White's Life in the Carolinas Car Culture in the Carolinas — Carl White's Life in the Carolinas Carolina Theater Trail — Carl White's Life in the Carolinas Christmas in the Carolinas — Carl White's Life in the Carolinas Taste of the Carolinas — Carl White's Life in the Carolinas Honoring Veterans — Carl White's Life in the Carolinas On Route 74 — Carl White's Life in the Carolinas The Outdoors — Carl White's Life in the Carolinas The Outer Banks — Carl White's Life in the Carolinas Video Podcasts — Carl White's Life in the Carolinas Carl's Syndicated Columns — Carl White's Life in the Carolinas  

Calm it Down with Chad Lawson

On this episode of the Life in the Carolinas podcast, Carl sits down with Don Miller, who served as the former President of Penske Racing South, alongside founding the N.C. Auto Racing Hall of Fame in Mooresville. Originally hailing from Chicago, the American automobile enthusiast was attracted by the rich history of motorsports in the Carolinas, which led him to join Penske Racing in 1972 to work on the team’s stock car and IndyCar programs. Don takes a trip down memory lane, reflecting on the series of events that culminated in the legacy he left for the industry before retiring from Penske. Tough love, humbling lessons, and the resulting changes from within dominate today’s conversation with Don. Asked of his decision-making framework throughout his storied career, he replies: “People, as they go through life, tend to wonder whether what they are doing is really the right thing for their family or simply out of ego. They would ask, ‘Should I rethink it?’ or ‘Should I have thought more about it?’ As time goes on, you have those thoughts if you are human.” Don recalls that, years ago, he desired nothing more than to win races, each and every time. His business partner Rusty Wallace, on the other hand, who had just come off of a racing career in his own right, had more of an ambition to entertain through the company rather than to win at all costs. Don and Rusty’s vision came to a head when a certain individual told them that they “were in the entertainment business. If somebody comes along and wins all the races, nobody is going to come to the show. I really do not care how many races you win, but if you win too many, it is not going to make me happy.” It was at that moment when Don realized that he needed to temper his ego with “the science of it all”—that is, the business of running an auto racing organization—if he wanted the business to thrive for the long haul. Don also speaks on the inspiration behind the creation of the Stocks for Tots program in Mooresville in 1989. Initially conceived as a one-day event to collect gifts and donations as well as to bring race industry celebrities together with fans, Stocks for Tots very quickly grew into an established charitable foundation that is still going strong to this day. Don remembers thinking, upon establishing Stocks for Tots, that “this is an opportunity for us, as part of the racing community, to give back to those who allow us to do what we do. It is what we should have been doing all along.” MORE FROM LIFE IN THE CAROLINAS: Award Winning Segments — Carl White's Life in the Carolinas Brown Mountain Lights — Carl White's Life in the Carolinas Car Culture in the Carolinas — Carl White's Life in the Carolinas Carolina Theater Trail — Carl White's Life in the Carolinas Christmas in the Carolinas — Carl White's Life in the Carolinas Taste of the Carolinas — Carl White's Life in the Carolinas Honoring Veterans — Carl White's Life in the Carolinas On Route 74 — Carl White's Life in the Carolinas The Outdoors — Carl White's Life in the Carolinas The Outer Banks — Carl White's Life in the Carolinas Video Podcasts — Carl White's Life in the Carolinas Carl's Syndicated Columns — Carl White's Life in the Carolinas  

It's Don Miller Time

On this episode of the Life in the Carolinas podcast, Carl sits down with singer-songwriter Mason Via. Mason grew up in a musical household. Both his mom and dad supported his affinity for music growing up: His mother regularly took him to festivals and his father, a well-known bluegrass musician in his own right, introduced him to the genre via fiddler conventions which Mason likes to call his “stomping ground” for learning how to play bluegrass music in his youth. He wrote his first song when he was 12 years old called “Jack O’Boy, a ripoff made up of other children’s rhymes”. Mason loves the stage. Using words such as captivating and contagious, he relishes in the reality of having an audience in the palm of your hand, and that it is completely up to you (and your band members) to mold their experience with your music. Music clearly came naturally to Mason from the start, and this calling allowed him to develop his own style that helped him to establish a brand apart from that of his famous father. Music, of course, is also a collaborative art. Mason enjoys co-writing when putting together a new song. It is an experience that he believes gives the piece a new dimension, and a guarantee that someone other than him can resonate with the piece. Co-writing, to Mason, gives him more confidence that if at least two people like the song, then it is probably worthy of performance to a crowd of people. For new or aspiring musicians, Mason suggests investing in a home studio if you have the budget for it. If COVID-19 taught him anything, it is that livestreams and other digital solutions are pivotal to staying top-of-mind with your listeners (and potential listeners). Having a home studio that you can comfortably record or at least perform for the camera is the best way to adapt to the new normal brought about by the crisis. What is equally important is to stay in touch with other musicians, bandmates, and co-writers and do things that get your creative juices flowing, whether that is creating new music, sharing inspiring videos, or just jamming virtually.   Keep up with Mason’s latest gigs and albums on masonvia.com MORE FROM LIFE IN THE CAROLINAS: Award Winning Segments — Carl White's Life in the Carolinas Brown Mountain Lights — Carl White's Life in the Carolinas Car Culture in the Carolinas — Carl White's Life in the Carolinas Carolina Theater Trail — Carl White's Life in the Carolinas Christmas in the Carolinas — Carl White's Life in the Carolinas Taste of the Carolinas — Carl White's Life in the Carolinas Honoring Veterans — Carl White's Life in the Carolinas On Route 74 — Carl White's Life in the Carolinas The Outdoors — Carl White's Life in the Carolinas The Outer Banks — Carl White's Life in the Carolinas Video Podcasts — Carl White's Life in the Carolinas Carl's Syndicated Columns — Carl White's Life in the Carolinas  

Mason Via: A Music Man

On this episode of the Life in the Carolinas podcast, Carl sits down with illusionist, comedian, director, and producer Caleb Sigmon to discuss his journey as a performer. “There’s strength in creative people coming together around a campfire,” says Caleb. He combines his passion for storytelling with his love for the Carolinas by bringing local stories to life. Caleb and his wife Katie partnered up to create Sigmon Theatrical. For much of the year, they collaborate with various talents to put historic pieces together. Aside from history-themed stories, they perform family-friendly productions such as The Cat in the Hat. They travel their shows “into schools, libraries, performing arts centers—anywhere folks gather, to suspend their disbelief and let them remember that the world that we live in is full of wonder, and when we use our imagination, anything is possible.” One can create powerful moments and raise spirits as a visual storyteller without the need for large auditoriums or theaters. Having performed in children’s hospitals since high school, Caleb started a program dubbed “Giggle Box Circus”. Here, Caleb would come into a hospital as a clown doctor, diagnose the children with “ridiculously goofy problems” to “bring distractive play into the hospital.” He shares that laughter doesn’t only physically affect people on the outside, but on the inside as well. The more someone laughs, the greater their physical improvement within. “We believe in the transformative power of a live theatre experience,” says Caleb, where everyone—the audience and the performers themselves—feels like they are part of the show. MORE FROM LIFE IN THE CAROLINAS: Award Winning Segments — Carl White's Life in the Carolinas Brown Mountain Lights — Carl White's Life in the Carolinas Car Culture in the Carolinas — Carl White's Life in the Carolinas Carolina Theater Trail — Carl White's Life in the Carolinas Christmas in the Carolinas — Carl White's Life in the Carolinas Taste of the Carolinas — Carl White's Life in the Carolinas Honoring Veterans — Carl White's Life in the Carolinas On Route 74 — Carl White's Life in the Carolinas The Outdoors — Carl White's Life in the Carolinas The Outer Banks — Carl White's Life in the Carolinas Video Podcasts — Carl White's Life in the Carolinas Carl's Syndicated Columns — Carl White's Life in the Carolinas  

A Little Magic with Caleb Sigmon

On this episode of the Life in the Carolinas podcast, Carl sits down with historical performer Kyle Jenks, who portrays Founding Father and fourth U.S. president James Madison. The Constitution was drafted amid a weak confederacy under the Articles of Confederation. In the early 1780s after the victory of Yorktown and the official surrender with the Treaty of Paris, nothing was actually certain until the papers were signed in early 1784, marking the official existence of the United States of America. This is a fascinating period that Kyle enjoys reflecting on as he explores the maturation of the character of James Madison. He continues the conversation by taking us through what defined the original colonies and how they came together, their vision immortalized through the Declaration of Independence. According to Kyle, because the U.S. is a Representative Republic, the preamble, “We the People” requires “that the citizens be informed and interested; otherwise, the countrywill disintegrate, sometime.” This was precisely James Madison’s conclusion after looking through the histories of past confederacies. “In the end, even though we have the Electoral College, the citizens must be aware enough to ensure that people in positions of responsibility do their job properly, and they remember that they are servants of the people. People are not servants of their representatives.” Kyle goes on to recount the life of James Madison, from being known in his childhood days as “Little Jimmy Madison” to his becoming a Founding Father and, shortly after, the fourth president of the United States. Kyle also goes into detail regarding Madison’s relationship with fellow Founding Father and presidential predecessor Thomas Jefferson, with whom he placed a great deal of respect for in spite of a good number of political disagreements. He then explores the all-important yet complicated circumstances around the drafting and signing of the Declaration of Independence, as well as how the Founding Fathers convinced the citizens of all the different states to embrace the Constitution of the United States following the Revolutionary War. Finally, Kyle takes us through the love story between James Madison and his wife, North Carolina native Dolley Payne. Kyle concludes: “My studied opinion is that James Madison is our most virtuous Founding Father. If you want to look to a guy as a role model who upheld the principles of the United States Constitution and its added Bill of Rights, remember that he always only had a single thing on the top of his list: ‘What’s best for the country?’ He knew there were compromises to be made. You could not universally satisfy everyone. But he would make a decision and noodle it, noodle it, noodle it until he could say he did the best he could.” MORE FROM LIFE IN THE CAROLINAS: Award Winning Segments — Carl White's Life in the Carolinas Brown Mountain Lights — Carl White's Life in the Carolinas Car Culture in the Carolinas — Carl White's Life in the Carolinas Carolina Theater Trail — Carl White's Life in the Carolinas Christmas in the Carolinas — Carl White's Life in the Carolinas Taste of the Carolinas — Carl White's Life in the Carolinas Honoring Veterans — Carl White's Life in the Carolinas On Route 74 — Carl White's Life in the Carolinas The Outdoors — Carl White's Life in the Carolinas The Outer Banks — Carl White's Life in the Carolinas Video Podcasts — Carl White's Life in the Carolinas Carl's Syndicated Columns — Carl White's Life in the Carolinas  

Kyle Jenks and James Madison

On this episode of the Life in the Carolinas podcast, Carl sits down with former Navy musician Wayne Taylor. After a 21-year military career, Wayne went back to school at Berklee College of Music in Boston with ambitions to become a recording engineer. As a musician in the military, Wayne had his share of memorable experiences, all of which were made more exciting since he never did know what his next gig would be. One day, he would be playing at an elementary school; the next day, he would be called to perform at the White House. More recently, Wayne started the bluegrass band Wayne Taylor & Appaloosa. His long career in music saw him traveling around the world, bringing him to countries such as Canada, China, Sweden, Scotland, and Ireland. “There is a wide spectrum of bluegrass,” says Wayne. There is an attitude among many of these new musicians that is both progressive and respectful of tradition. “When you get progressive with it, you get a whole new audience.” Wayne released his first CD in 1991 and has since gone on to record another 15. Only recently, however, did he build his own studio beside his home. A lifelong learner, he built up his capacity as a bluegrass artist through a mix of his natural talent and a thorough study of technique, both with mentorship and by his own ear. Carl and Wayne reflect on the calming, even healing power of music. “Music,” says Wayne, “is used as a tool in music therapy to help people bring about positive change. It creates emotion. Playing my songs just puts me in a different frame of mind. I get lost in it. It is like going to see a good movie.” MORE FROM LIFE IN THE CAROLINAS: Award Winning Segments — Carl White's Life in the Carolinas Brown Mountain Lights — Carl White's Life in the Carolinas Car Culture in the Carolinas — Carl White's Life in the Carolinas Carolina Theater Trail — Carl White's Life in the Carolinas Christmas in the Carolinas — Carl White's Life in the Carolinas Taste of the Carolinas — Carl White's Life in the Carolinas Honoring Veterans — Carl White's Life in the Carolinas On Route 74 — Carl White's Life in the Carolinas The Outdoors — Carl White's Life in the Carolinas The Outer Banks — Carl White's Life in the Carolinas Video Podcasts — Carl White's Life in the Carolinas Carl's Syndicated Columns — Carl White's Life in the Carolinas  

A Visit with Wayne Taylor

On this episode of the Life in the Carolinas podcast, Carl sits down with painter and retired art educator Margaret Ferguson Carter-Martine. She is the Director of Whippoorwill Academy and Village, which she inherited from her mother, Edith Carter. Margaret considers her art to be a diary of her life. “My art takes many different directions,” she says. Some of her works are political, while others are “things of beauty that bring me joy”. She believes that it is an artist’s job to use the emotionality of the medium to express, often in a big way, what the artist believes is worth expressing—and to be prepared to defend the content of their work as a lawyer defends their client. Before retiring as a teacher, Margaret had always believed that her future role at Whippoorwill Academy would be to assist her mother in running the village. Unfortunately, as fate would have it, Edith would learn that she had cancer and pass away a mere month following the diagnosis. Whippoorwill’s purpose is to celebrate local and regional history, art, and period culture. To this end, the village conducts tours for out-of-towners and schoolchildren alike. Whippoorwill’s team includes specialists such as an Appalachian toy expert, a blacksmith, hearth cookers, spinners, weavers, and more. As a treat to the students, Margaret painted, on one hundred rocks, animals that Daniel Boone would have hunted. She created a scavenger hunt for the kids by hiding the rocks all around the village. The life of Daniel Boone is celebrated at the historic Daniel Boone Hunting Lodge where the man himself slept during one of his many hunts. Other attractions include the Tom Dooley Museum, in which visitors can watch a video that Edith created about the life of Dooley. There is also the Whippoorwill School House, where many great contributors to American society received their education. Margaret has an especially soft spot for the students who visit Whippoorwill on field trips. She makes it a point to totally immerse the kids into each of the village’s museums in order to build in them an appreciation of another time period on a tactile level. “Nothing else can take the place of hands-on learning,” says Margaret. To those who consider the study of history as useless and irrelevant, Margaret has this to say: “If we look at this pandemic that we are having right now—and I read a huge book on the pandemic of 1918—we would learn so much looking back through history as to how it was handled, and how we can handle this now. There is an importance to history. We can learn from long ago on what to do now.” Links: Whippoorwill Academy -     www.whippoorwillacademy.com Life in the Carolinas Tom Dooley Segment with author Charlotte Barnes filmed at Whippoorwill Academy   -    https://youtu.be/-5-KbySh03k

Whippoorwill Academy

On this episode of the Life in the Carolinas podcast, Carl sits down with four-time Grammy Award winner David Holt. David has been collecting and performing mountain music for over 50 years and had the privilege of learning from old-time greats like Bill Monroe, Doc Watson, Ralph Stanley, and others in his early days as a musician. David is the host of the current TV series David Holt’s State of Music. David has had many TV adventures over the years and in this conversation, he shares memories from his exciting journey. It is a role he does not take for granted: Since the early 70s, he understood that TV is a powerful tool to promote different forms of music, not just to existing fans, but to those who are yet to be exposed to them, particularly younger generations. David shares his experience playing a musician near the end of the film O Brother, Where Art Thou?. He relates the evening he spent before taping his scene, shooting the breeze and singing old songs around a campfire with some of the cast and crew, including George Clooney himself. The following morning, David did his scene and ended the day wondering whether it would make it into the final cut at all. It did, and according to a call from a friend in Europe (which is where the movie was first released) David was billed “the village idiot”. It was an unforgettable day. David also shared a few stories about his guest appearances on the show Hee Haw from 1988-1991. What started out as a simple love for mountain music gradually evolved into a sense of responsibility for preserving a piece of American history. David was able to study and play with the renowned musicians of yesterday and emerged from those experiences driven by a calling to spread his passion through as many avenues as he could for the rest of his professional life. David has had the opportunity to play a variety of instruments in his time, some more exotic than others. He considers the mouth bow as one of the more unusual ones he has tried out. He also demonstrates his mastery of bones, an instrument which he fondly recalls his father, grandfather, and great-grandfather playing when he was just a little boy. This episode is filled with stories about a TV personality and entertainer who has reached millions with this unique style of brining stories to life.   Links:   www.davidholt.com/   www.DavidHoltTV.org   www.lifeinthecarolinas.com  

A Conversation with David Holt

On this episode of the Life in the Carolinas podcast, Carl sits down with John Cooley, an Assistant Professor in Residence at the University of Connecticut. They discuss the emergence of Brood IX in North Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia this May as well as John’s cicada mapping project and its corresponding app, Cicada Safari, which he is currently promoting. After a brief introduction to periodical cicadas, John answers some pressing questions regarding the emergence of the 17-year variety. He tells us to think of this type of cicada as a “big boisterous aphid”, as they spend a lot of time sucking on plant juices both as juveniles underground and adults above ground. He says that once you can see mating pairs amid the chorus, “you will know you are really in the thick of the emergence”, and that their time above ground should only last around a month, depending on the weather, before they all die. Immediately upon emerging, Adult cicadas climb the nearest available tree and shed their nymph exoskeleton. Starting out stark white, they achieve their full, brown coloration within a couple of days. Males feed on surrounding vegetation until they become mature adults, then proceed to sing in order to attract females. John goes into the complicated, three-part courtship that takes place throughout the entire chorus. For the remainder of their respective lifespans, males will continue to look for females and females will continue to lay eggs. Asked whether cicadas “damage” trees, John replies that “it depends what you mean by ‘damage’”. After all, these species of cicada have been around for millions of years, carrying out their regular activities within the same environment—which include trees—in that time. He hastens to add that “delicate ornamental trees, fruit trees, and saplings” are more prone to defilement simply because they are not a natural part of the Eastern Deciduous Forest. John says that spraying pesticides will not be enough to take care of the enormous numbers of cicadas in the area; not to mention the damage that will be done to the surrounding environment due to all those chemicals. Instead, John encourages those concerned to invest in anything that physically excludes the cicadas from the branches, such as avian netting, window screening, or cheese cloth. These will probably not exclude every single cicada, but it should exclude enough to prevent the tree from getting damaged. Apart from periodical cicadas, there are also annual cicadas. While these encompass a number of species, the “loud ones that are often singing at dusk” are known as Dog-day cicadas. John refers to Dog-day cicadas as “the sounds of summer”, as they emerge in July. Speaking of their singing, John mentions that the sound of the swamp cicada can be heard in the original Star Wars film when C3PO and R2D2 land in Tatooine. This is, in fact, a recurring choice in many Hollywood soundtracks because swamp cicadas produce a “scary, rattly sound”. John grew up in Kansas City and was exposed every year to summer cicadas. He loved hearing them, referring to the yearly experience as “the sound of childhood and summer”. He also had a professor in college who was an expert in periodical cicadas. He piqued John’s interest to the point where he went on to study the Magicicada in his postgraduate education. Why study something so “esoteric” as periodical cicadas? “In biology,” replies John, “it is the exceptions that are interesting. The exceptions tell us something about how the world works.” On a more practical level, periodical cicadas are a “bioindicator of our forests’ health”. That is, if a good crop of cicadas emerge, “all is as it should be”. The forest is doing exactly what it needs to be doing.

The Cicada Rhythm

On this episode of the Life in the Carolinas podcast, Carl sits down with Ted Alexander. Apart from working at the North Carolina Senate, Ted also serves as the Western Regional Director for Preservation, North Carolina. Preservation, North Carolina is a statewide nonprofit organization that has been around in some form or another for about 81 years, having first started out as the North Carolina Society for the Preservation of Antiquities in 1939. The group looks to protect, preserve, and even repurpose built environments regarded as significant to the state’s heritage. These included properties that tell rich stories about North Carolina’s history, from Gastonia's Loray Mill Village to the Bellamy Mansion in Wilmington. When asked why it is important to preserve these historic buildings, Ted first makes it a point to give due credit to President J. Myrick Howard with the overall vision-mission of Preservation, North Carolina. He says that there are several reasons why these assets need to be preserved. For one, “there are some properties that are inherently important”, whether it was the home of a famous individual, the location of a significant event, or a very important piece of architecture of a certain style. Another reason for preservation is to “create a sense of place”, as historic buildings help to establish the identity of the community in terms of its values and self-image. A building might also “offer a very functional use in today’s world”, such as serving as a tourist attraction. Then there is the economic benefit to preserving historic assets, since not only do the buildings themselves go up in value, but they may also pave the way to further investments or the creation of more jobs. Finally, there is patriotic value to preservation, being an activity that brings the entire community together. According to studies, historic sites are almost always near the top of a tourist’s agenda. Ted says that modern travelers want to collect experiences—speaking particularly of millennials. He says that even smaller towns who understand this and do whatever they can to promote these historical buildings by telling their stories will have an edge as tourist destinations.   CONNECT: https://www.presnc.org/ www.lifeinthecarolinas.com Carl@lifeinthecarolinas.com   SEE MORE: https://youtu.be/pK78QQ4tLMM https://youtu.be/E_xCzuKeJ_c    

Destination Preservation

Welcome to the Life in the Carolinas Podcast. Our show features a blending of stories that are primarily based on the syndicated TV show, Carl White's Life in the Carolinas and newspaper columns written by Carl White. Like Carl often says, "It's never a bad time for a good story!" The podcast is hosted by Carl and features specials guests as they share the stories behind the stories. All too often we simply do not have enough time to share everything we would like during broadcast. This podcast will allow us the opportunity to share more information and allow our viewers and readers a chance to get to know our guests more intimately. The Carolinas offer some of the finest people, landscapes, and opportunities to explore. We have traveled to the high elevations for the Grandfather Mountain Highland Games which are considered to be among the best in the nation. We discovered the beauty of the brackish Waccamaw River and learned about the massive live oaks that predate the founding of America. In Gold Hill, NC we made a connection with the past and learned about the early days of gold mining in America. We were more than intrigued with a visit to the historic Wilcox Hotel in Aiken, SC and the stories of the Roosevelt Suite. Are the stories true? It's fun to think about the possibilities. Did you know Edgefield, SC was the home of ten South Carolina Governors and that the world-renowned Jazz musician Dizzy Gillespie was from Cheraw, SC? What about those mysterious Brown Mountain Lights in the North Carolina Mountains? They have kept people guessing for hundreds of years. Do you know what they are? The stories are abundant and only limited by how many tomorrows we have for their telling. Join us as we share our stories, traditions, charm, and southern hospitality.

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Life In the Carolina's Podcast

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