Newspaper Page Text
Returning to Oz
at Beech Mountain
E VER DREAM of skipping
along the yellow brick road
with Dorothy, the Tin Man,
Scarecrow and Lion on the way to the
magical Land
of Oz? What
about stopping
off at Professor
Marvel’s wagon
to peer into his
crystal ball?
For one magi
cal weekend
every year,
visitors to Beech
Mountain,
N.C., can visit
the Land of
Oz. In the 1970s, the Land of Oz
was open year-round and my sister
and I still have fond memories of
visiting with our parents. I was so
excited to learn recently that the
Land of Oz opens to the public the
first weekend in October each year.
High atop Emerald Mountain, visi
tors can walk along the yellow brick
road, experience a “tornado” as it
hits Dorothy’s house and visit with
all of the characters. You can also
stop for a chat with the talking tree
or rest in the field of poppies. And
when you arrive at that huge gate at
Oz, the gatekeeper is there to greet
you. I only wish you could still take
a balloon ride across the mountain.
For even more fun, be sure to go
in costume. During our recent visit,
I wore my Dorothy costume, while
my nephew had on his scarecrow
outfit. My mother followed along
in her Lion suit. It made the experi
ence so much more fun. It was
great to see all of the characters,
children and adults alike, walk
ing along the yellow brick road.
Beech Mountain, N.C., is a great
place to visit any time of the year.
Every season offers something
special, from skiing in the winter to
visiting the Land of Oz and check
ing out the colorful leaves in the
fall. In the summer and spring, it’s
a great place for hiking and fish
ing and other outdoor adventure.
As you climb the mountain, you
leave behind the hustle and bustle.
The air seems fresher. Folks are
friendlier. Everything actually seems
to slow down. Beech Mountain
makes a great mountain escape.
At 5,506 feet, Beech Mountain
is Eastern America’s highest town.
Quaint shops, a wonderful pizza
parlor and a putt putt course can be
found in the center of the mountain
town. And every which way you turn,
you are surrounded by natural beauty.
This time of year, the multi-colored
leaves make for a colorful backdrop.
During our visit, we stayed at the
Pinnacle Inn Resort, which is cen
trally located in Beech Mountain.
It’s within easy walking distance
of the field where you catch a bus
or hayride to the Land of Oz.
The resort is open year-round and
offers fully furnished suites, as well
as one and two bedroom condos.
The units have all the comforts of
home, including games and DVDs.
We were excited to find a “Scooby
Doo” video to watch one evening.
Our two-bedroom condo had a
full kitchen and washer and dryer
as well as a fireplace in the liv
ing room. The balcony offered
a beautiful view of Grandfather
Mountain and Sugar Mountain.
The All Seasons Center at the
resort includes an indoor heated
pool, four indoor hot tubs, steam
room, dry sauna, exercise room,
recreation area with ping pong table,
pool table, electronic games and
more. The spacious grounds feature
two tennis courts, miniature golf,
shuffleboard and a playground.
For a great meal, go to Brickoven
Pizza located in the center of Beech
Mountain. They offer pizza, as well
as great Italian dishes, cheesecake,
meatballs, sandwiches, cappuc
cino and desserts. It’s a very fam
ily friendly restaurant with an ice
cream parlor and game room. It’s
located at 402 Beech Mountain
Parkway and is only a short distance
from the Pinnacle Inn Resort.
For more information on Beech
Mountain, go to www.beechmtn.com.
For more information on Pinnacle Inn
Resort, go to www.pinnacleinn.com.
Angela Gary is an editor with
MainStreet Newspapers Inc. She can
be reached at AngieEditor@aol.com.
angela
gary
Inside: Why are you thankful? — page 5C
November 5,
2008
0 The Jackson Herald
JR nends
Jana Adams Mitcham,
Features Editor 706-367-8760
jana@mainstreetnews. com
Section C
UNIQUE SOUND AND DESIGN
Darrell Allen, Lawrenceville, created these Native American flutes and brought them to a flute circle in Jefferson
recently. Each flute, handmade of wood, represents one key, with smaller flutes producing a higher pitch and larger
ones making a lower sound. Photos by Jana Mitcham
Bythelightofthemoon
Native American flute circle meets monthly in Jefferson
By Jana A. Mitcham
I T’S EARLY evening.
A fire crackles and glows bright
er as the sun goes down and the
air chills.
People wrapped in jackets and blan
kets and seated in camp chairs sit,
semicircle, around the fire, waiting for
the music to begin.
A note.
A haunting, clear sound.
Like a dove, some say.
Like the echoes in a canyon, others
say.
The flute
music fills
the air,
ing, as a
keeps a steady
heartbeat.
One by one,
and then two
together, musi
cians step for
ward to play their flutes.
This is a Native American Flute
Circle.
Once a month, a group of flute play
ers, as well as those
who want to learn or
want to listen, meet
at the Jefferson home
of Keith Davis, who
has been playing
flute for five years.
“I fell in love with
the sound of it,”
Davis said, adding
that he played alone
a couple of years
A steady drumbeat
accompanies the
flute music.
Road home, and his expansive back
yard, five times for a flute circle, which
now meets the fourth Saturday evening
of each month.
“We usually have around 16,” Davis
said of the group, which includes
local people, as well as some from the
Atlanta area and beyond. In addition to
the group, recording artist and Native
American flute player Charlie Wayne
Watson of Blue Ridge attended the
October circle.
“It’s for people who are laid back and
enjoy living,” Davis added. “It’s open
to everybody, as long as they come in
peace and bring friendship.”
Darrell Allen, a flute maker from
Lawrenceville, is a member of the
Georgia Flute Circle, which meets in
a church in North Druid Hills. While
not many people are aware of flute cir
cles, each state has a number scattered
around. Allen has attended all of the
Jefferson circles, and said the outdoor
setting is a big draw.
The evening begins with food and
fellowship, and with some flute les
sons taught on the front porch by
Cecelia Turbyville
of the Atlanta area.
She began playing 10
years ago with Native
American friends,
and explained to her
students on a recent
Saturday night, “What
I like to do more than
anything is teach peo
ple to play flute.”
“You play from
the heart,” she added.
Jefferson, “Music comes from
and started going to
an Atlanta flute cir- Keith Davis,
cle. He’s now opened plays “Amazing Grace” on inside you.”
his Old Pendergrass two flutes at once. continued on page 2C
Darrell Allen
helps Joy Cook
with “smudg
ing,” a traditional
Native American
cleansing cer
emony using
burning sage.
• ..
it
Above, Charlie Wayne Watson
performs on the flute. He is an
artist (artwork at background
of page) and a musician of
Choctaw descent. Above and
below right are flutists Cecelia
Turbyville and Kelly Wells.
A SPECIAL FLUTE
This signature flute, a double-barreled one for a deep echo
ing effect, was created for Charlie Wayne Watson by Waking
Spirit.
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