“You Never Forget”
Dating back centuries, the ancient Chinese board game Mah Jongg has been a longstanding exercise in social interaction and cooperation. Rather than pointed…
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The Manor Reborn
It’s been four years since Flat Rock’s historic homes were last opened to visitors, but “50” has a definite ring, so the wait was…
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Shedding Light on the Dark Corner
Dean Campbell is the world’s leading authority on the history of a region that, for more than 175 years, no visitor was actually able…
Read MoreRare Oconee Bells are the true harbingers of mountain spring
Americana bigwigs Gillian Welch and David Rawlings wrote “Acony Bell,” one of their earliest songs, and titled their recording company — Acony Records —…
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Retired diplomat explains the complexities of the American/Chinese relationship
At this winter’s global economic summit in Davos, Switzerland, attention fell on the increasingly frayed economic relationship between the United States and China, as…
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Weft of Center
“With the modern and much smaller looms and the more modern designs, much interest has been awakened in the new, while the old will…
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Re-embracing the Vine that Ate the South
Edith Edwards, aka the Kudzu Queen, deep-fried her first kudzu leaf on August 22, 1981. Decades later, she still remembers dipping the fronds in cold tempura batter and then…
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Clearing the Air
It was the summer of 1967, and Polly Woodham’s family — including her five young children — were at their annual vacation on Lake…
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It’s Less Than Four Months to Halloween
If bright sunshine and humid hoopla leave you dispirited, consider a delightfully off-season and otherworldly hike — led by local writer/historian Mary Jo Padgett…
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Gold Thimble in a Haystack
The long-running PBS series Antiques Roadshow has an undeniable appeal. Even those who aren’t immersed in the world of vintage collectibles are often fascinated…
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