If you remember Art Linkletter then I will pause while you make sure you’ve remembered to take your meds for heart, mood and balance, and, importantly, so you can start over and reread this because …

This is an American history educational moment of those who made a difference during the Revolutionary War era and how they served our country. John Stark was born in Londonderry, New Hampshire, on …

Fido showed up at the Poteat house in Drexel in the summer of 1961, just a few weeks before I was to start first grade at Drexel Primary School. He wore no collar, he was obviously quite the duke’s …

My daughter and her family have a place in Montana, near the northwest corner of Yellowstone National Park. Recently, all of our family descended on them like a swarm of locusts. But this trip, to …

As they enter into the dangerous ground of middle age, some men choose to have an affair or two, others purchase flashy sports cars, and more than a few opt for ridiculous-looking toupees that more …

BALD HEAD ISLAND –  It’s the annual Big Family summer beach trip when we (me and The Beloved) and the extended families travel from Morganton and California to this island off the coast of …

Oshkosh is the world’s largest aviation show held every summer at Whitman Airfield in Oshkosh, Wis . It is going on now. Any self-respecting pilot who’s anything will fly into Oshkosh. Officially named EAA AirVenture, it is a rite of passage for self-respecting private pilots.

Gonna be a hot one today. 95 or so. Gonna be a hot one Sunday. 95 or so again. Probably gonna be hot all next week. Probably gonna be hot all next month. After all, it will be August in North …

It is the simplest of objects; an ancient cigar box, covered in nondescript blue cloth, peeling at the seams as the glue inexorably decays. A pair of paper roses, clipped out by careful fingers a …

Samantha Reid is a Morganton native, but grew up in Glen Alpine. Her parents had a farm and raised chickens mostly, but at times also had horses, cattle and pigs. Samantha says, “If you were …

Funny how the mind works. Recently I read about the death of Peter Nero, a musician who recorded the “Theme from Summer of ’42” on a vinyl album released in 1972. While I do not recall …

Little did I know all those years ago that my orthopedic surgeon at Duke Medical Center was a legend. Of course, in 1968, I was just a wee tot and not particularly enamored with doctors in general; …

2004 will bring a couple of anniversaries in the life of Morganton native Diatra Fullwood. The year will mark the 40th anniversary of her graduation from Freedom High School back in 1984. But, more …

Ivy Oates’ Egyptian family came to America as Muslim missionaries. They relocated several times before settling in Gastonia. There, her father opened his own medical practice and her mother worked …

My mother, bless her, may she rest in the peace she deserves having raised four boys and moved the family 10, 11 times to accommodate her husband’s career, and for having given me a few years ago …

If you travel into town, across town, out of town, around town, or are just passing through town on Hwy. 181, aka Green St., you can’t help but to notice it.  The Sinkhole. That’s all you …

Eighteen years ago, in the summer of 2005, I received some very unexpected medical news that I had a hard time accepting – a diagnosis as a Type Two diabetic. I had not experienced any of the …

It is no secret that the state of public discourse, particularly surrounding political and social issues, is in crisis these days. What should be open and respectful discussion of …

The poet Dylan Thomas, in his beloved memory of childhood, reflects on how the past can be, for the most part, completely forgotten, “now out of all sound, but the distant speaking of voices I sometimes hear a moment before sleep.”

“Humdinger” Whisenant and “July” Chambers had superb nicknames and interesting lifestyles. July was fascinated by snakes, raised big ones in fact, but was a total wuss when it came to tiny …

A lot can change in 34 years. Take CBS Sports, for instance. The iconic Morganton retailer, which has kept local runners, skiers, and outdoor adventurers well equipped since 1985, is, in some ways, a …

The Morganton Food Store, known by locals as just the “Food Store”, was one of the many independent small grocery stores that began to appear in Burke County in the 1930s and 1940s.  Instead …

The Reverend Dana McKim is beginning his seventh year as Pastor of First United Methodist Church in Morganton. The following is a discussion about the current conflict (he prefers the term “time of …

As we uncomfortably settle into the hot and sticky “Dog Days' of Summer,” what better time to cool off by recalling the Great Blizzard of ’93? Also called the 1993 Storm of the Century, the …

The little book was purchased at the downtown Morganton Woolworth sometime in the summer of 1967. My friend Donnie Webb and I had ridden the Suburban Coach bus, as we did once a week in the …