Mayberry revisited…read more I like Maiden. It reminds me of the fictional Mayberry of the 1960's. It's quite with a nice downtown lined with the main street lined with Churches, businesses although most are in re-purposed buidling that have been restored and beautiful houses, many of which are approaching 100 years old. Maiden is a walking town and people take advantage of it. People feel safe and like to go out for a nice walk at sundown when the air begins to cool off. If they don't do that, they like to sit on their big front porches and watch things go by. One thing of interest if Halloween. Every year at Halloween, they close off about a 10 block area for the trick-or-treaters and kids come for miles and are welcome even if they are not from the area. Kids and residents both enjoy themselves. Another facet about Maiden is their love for HS Football. Only in Texas and in Western PA and NE Ohio have I seen such a dedication to the local HS Team, the Maiden Blue Devils. My hometown which was Brevard, NC was like this back in the 50's and 60"s and it was a great place to grow up in. Unfortunately they have moved on but Maiden has been able to maintain that calm peaceful atmosphere that was so great back then.

Love it here. Love the school district have great neighbors! Very supportive town !!!read more

This is a lovely little jewel of a garden located on the north side of Downtown Statesville on the…read morecorner of Center & Water Streets. Plenty of street parking is available. Yes, it is tiny, but they have been able to put a lot of effort into making it a bit of a magical wonderland. You step through the entry and are immersed in lovely plants and fantastical sculptures. Take your time as you wander around, look up, down, and all around. Some sculptures are huge and others are tiny. The plants, flowers and foliage around the sculptures are just as whimsical. Kudos to the City of Statesville for creating and maintaining this lovely space for all of us to enjoy.

This unexpected find takes up the lot next to the Statesville Historical Collection at the corner…read moreof Center Street and Water Street a couple of blocks from the center of Statesville. The garden has a wrought iron gate around it and a smooth concrete path with entrances at two sides. There is street parking on both corners. Inside the garden, a half-dozen or so interesting sculptures in a variety of styles and materials. "On Top of the Whirled" is a polished steel structure. "Blue Cadence" looks like a large iron vase. "Blue Tower" is a cut steel structure and the "Wish You Were Hare" is a large woven wire sculpture of a large seated rabbit. Many, if not all, of the sculptures are for sale if that's something that interests you. But even if not, they are free to view and appreciate here. [Review 14550 overall, 48 of 2021, number 2786 in North Carolina.]

We were running a bit early for our motel check-in in Morganton, so we decided to dive off…read moreInterstate 40, and see what the little town Valdese was all about. It is located in Burke County, less than 10 miles East of Morganton, and has a total population of less than 5,000. One of the largest Waldensian congregations in the United States founded the town in 1893. The town was settled by immigrants from the Cottian Alps in the Piedmont region of Italy. The small, historic downtown section could be a poster child for quaint - it is clean, loaded with charm (almost all the "store fronts" were decorated for Halloween, flowers, etc), a beautiful church with a side garden and fountain, the wonderful smell of freshly baked bread emanating from a family owned bakery on the hill, and a feeling of 1950's serenity was all around. We walked around the three or four blocks (both sides), sat on a bench in the sun, wandered into a retro '50s diner called Myra's, had a great soft serve ice cream cone, and one bite of a bad hot dog - good times x2!

Went to the Children's Park today October 25. Had a large group and was so disappointed that the…read morerestrooms were locked. Why would they be locked during nice weather? No one could enjoy the park under those circumstances. Why would a park be open if the bathrooms were locked. Unbelievable and no excuse for that. As a tax payer and resident of Valdese I am very disappointed. Valdese do a better job!!

While many county courthouses in the South do have a Confederate memorial, few of them have done as…read morewell as Alexander County with including a positive contextual marker addition. This one depicts the usual Confederate soldier standing atop with the usual dates and such. The figure, carved from white Italian marble, rests at parade stance on a granite base, rising above the courthouse lawn in Taylorsville. It's a familiar silhouette - rifle in hand, gaze forward, a stylized embodiment of the Confederate infantryman. But what distinguishes this monument is not the statue itself, but the story it tries to tell around it. Installed in 1959, it was the first Confederate soldier statue raised in North Carolina in over 30 years, and none have been added since. The monument's inscriptions are where things get complicated. One granite plaque asserts that the war was fought for 'states' rights' rather than slavery, echoing a Lost Cause narrative common to mid-20th-century memorials Yet the bronze tablet below it adds a poignant human layer: it tells of a young man killed at Gettysburg on July 3, 1863, whose name is known only to the monument's creator. The marker reads, "From 1861-65 the heroic sons and daughters of The Old South, under the greatest generals of all times, Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson, fought with gallantry unequaled in all the annals of history. Not for the preservation of slavery, but for our greatest heritage - States Rights. Though they failed, the memories of their heroic deeds will linger in the hearts and minds of men long after these stones have crumbled into dust. 1958 - V.G. Beckham" It includes a context plaque at the base. It reads, "Lee was opposed to slavery and secession, having freed his slaves 17 years prior to the war. Jackson, born in poverty, had no slaves, opposed slavery." [Review 1199 of 2025 - 4384 in North Carolina - 24751 overall]

A few days of exploring Hickory and enjoying it. Hickory is located in Catawba County though…read moreneighboring Newton is the county seat. The origins of Hickory's name stems from a tavern made of logs beneath a hickory tree during the 1850s. The spot was known as "Hickory Tavern." In 1870, Hickory Tavern was established as a town. Three years later in 1873, the name was changed to the Town of Hickory, and in 1889 to the City of Hickory. Hickory is the home of Lenoir-Rhyne University, founded in 1891 by four Lutheran pastors. It remains a private Lutheran university with the motto "The truth shall set you free." The school has over 50 undergraduate majors and nearly 30 graduate programs. Hickory is home to one of the oldest furniture manufacturers in the United States that is still located and operated on the original site. Hickory White, formerly known as Hickory Manufacturing Company, was built in 1902 and has been in continuous operation ever since. During World War II, the factory made ammunition boxes for the U.S. military instead of furniture. Hickory was known in the years after World War II for the "Miracle of Hickory". In 1944 the area around Hickory (the Catawba Valley) became the center of one of the worst outbreaks of polio ever recorded. Residents who were then children recall summers of not being allowed to play outside or visit friends for fear of contracting the disease. Since local facilities were inadequate to treat the victims, the citizens of Hickory and the March of Dimes decided to build a hospital to care for the children of the region. From the time the decision was made until equipment, doctors, and patients were in a new facility, took less than 54 hours. Those events are memorialized at Miracle of Hickory park. And on that topic, many parks in Hickory. Lots of food. A dense downtown area with restaurants, shopping and coffee. Nice place! If you're looking for the mural I posted with my review of Hickory, it's on the side of 117 Government Avenue SW. [Review 15863 overall - 3081 in North Carolina - 1367 of 2021.]

Installed in 2019, this whimsical art piece stands on a traffic circle at the entrance to Hickory…read moreCity Park. The nearly 9-foot-tall metal sculpture depicts a catlike figure riding a vintage bicycle. According to the city's website, "Several members of the Public Art Commission first experienced the sculpture, described as a "children's book come to life," while on display at the 2018 Caldwell Arts Council Sculpture Celebration and later presented it to the commission for consideration in September 2018. The sculpture was selected for its whimsical nature and connection to Hickory's growing bicycle community." New York-based metal sculptor Corky Corrado created the work of art. Corrado's sculptures have been featured in Plattsburgh, New York's prestigious Museum Garden Tour and at the North Country Cultural Center for the Arts. [Review 15418 overall, 921 of 2021, number 2968 in North Carolina.]

I'm not sure why this ground level sculpture is titled "Otter Out of Water" but I nearly tripped…read moreover it as I returned to my car after visiting Sally Fox Park. It looks more like a long eel but hey, that's just my opinion. Installed in 2017 and surrounded by low shrubbery, it would be a little hard to find if you didn't know it's here. As well, it's not in the park itself but on a triangle shaped piece of land across the street. If you've seen pictures of the Loch Ness Monster, or at least the tails of it, that's what we have here. But definitely not an Otter. Odd. The caption gives us the title and the name of the artist, "Harry McDaniel" and that it was installed by the City of Hickory Public Art Commission. And as tempting as it might be, please don't climb on it! [Review 15870 overall - 3088 in North Carolina - 1374 of 2021.]

Downtown Morganton was a surprise. The biggest of all surprises and the highlight was the Catawba…read moreBrewing Company in an old warehouse downtown. Walking distance from restaurants, a neat old square complete with the typical memorial to the war of "northern aggression". Lots of shops around the square. Not a "destination" per se, but also "not not" a destination. There is a really great restaurant just around the corner from the Brewery. Churchill's. Upstairs is fine dining...downstairs a sports bar environment with live music.