High Country Press

Watauga, Avery Obituaries – October 27th, 2026

Ken — Tue, 27 Oct 2026 12:13:00 +0000

October 27, 2026 The following are recent obituary notices from Austin and Barnes and Hampton funeral homes in Boone and Reins-Sturdivant in Newland

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MOVIE REVIEW: OTHER MOMMY

Ken — Sat, 24 Oct 2026 20:33:16 +0000

By Bob Garver The title “Other Mommy” is misleading. The villainous demon haunting 8-year-old Bela (Arabella Olivia Clark) can take any form, including her father (Jay Duplass), her babysitter (Sean Kaufman), or even a complete stranger. But yes, much of the time it impersonates her mother (Jessica Chastain). The reason, I suspect, has less to do with the fraught mother-daughter relationship and more to do with luring Oscar-winner Chastain to the project with the promise that she would get to have fun playing a demon. Sadly, neither the performance nor the film is that much fun. Within the first few minutes, we get the scene from the film’s trailer that largely sold people on this movie. Bela interacts with Other Mommy in the family’s kitchen. Unlike her actual mommy, Other Mommy is warm and affectionate. Bela likes some aspects of her company, but at the same time knows that she’s fake, as evidenced by her face occasionally becoming distorted. Eventually Daddo comes into the kitchen. Most horror movies would have Other Mommy disappear around this time, indicating that either Bela’s sanity will be called into question or maybe that the demon is invisible to everyone but Bela. But ...

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Boone United Methodist Hosts 69th Annual Farm City Banquet on Nov 5

Ken — Sat, 24 Oct 2026 20:30:32 +0000

The 69th Annual Farm City Banquet will be held on Thursday, November 5th, at 6:00PM at the Boone United Methodist Church. According to the late RG Shipley, who helped organize the first Farm City Banquet, this long-standing community event was first held in Cove Creek just over 70 years ago. The banquet and awards ceremony is organized annually by the Watauga County Cooperative Extension to celebrate the heritage of agriculture and recognize its continued importance in our local economy. The event is also hosted by many communities nationally. The very first “Farm City Week” took place in 1955 after a conversation between a Vermont businessman and the Chairman of the Kiwanis International Agriculture and Conservation Committee. Seated on a train together, they discussed how farm income was declining across the country while farm costs were on the rise, and that farm folks and city people were drifting farther and farther apart. The National Farm-City Committee was created shortly thereafter and was coordinated by Kiwanis International until 1988 when the American Farm Bureau Federation assumed the responsibility. The event has been held in Watauga County and across the state ever since, and Watauga Farm Bureau continues to provide platinum sponsorship for ...

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Watauga County Farmers’ Market Voted No. 1 in North Carolina

Ken — Sat, 24 Oct 2026 20:25:33 +0000

BOONE, N.C. — Watauga County Farmers’ Market has been voted No. 1 in North Carolina in American Farmland Trust’s 2026 America’s Favorite Farmers Market competition. With 2,222 votes, the market also placed among the top five farmers’ markets in the Southeast. The recognition comes during the market’s 53rd season, celebrating a community institution that has endured a pandemic, temporary relocation during park renovations and Hurricane Helene while continuing to connect local producers with the people who depend on them. “This recognition represents decades of people showing up for one another. It honors the generations of farmers, makers and organizers who built this market, and the community that continues to sustain it,” said Market Director Michelle Dineen Smith. “We’ve adapted through uncertainty, moved our market and worked through circumstances none of us could have anticipated. Through it all, our producers have kept doing the work, and our community has kept coming back. That commitment is what makes this market worthy of celebrating.” Despite these disruptions, community participation is stronger than ever. Shoppers come out rain or shine, wait for parking during peak hours and sometimes walk blocks to reach the market—a testament to their commitment to keep showing up for local ...

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Watauga, Avery Obituaries – October 20th, 2026

Ken — Tue, 20 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000

October 20, 2026 The following are recent obituary notices from Austin and Barnes and Hampton funeral homes in Boone and Reins-Sturdivant in Newland

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MOVIE REVIEW: Evil Dead Burn

Ken — Wed, 14 Oct 2026 23:57:26 +0000

By Bob Garver “Evil Dead” is a horror franchise that started out low-budget and shlocky in the 80’s, and has grown to be trusted with more resources as its films take themselves more seriously. It sounds like a welcome form of maturity, but it isn’t. The films aren’t fun anymore, and “Evil Dead Burn,” which insists on wedging a domestic violence storyline into its gross-out horror narrative, is the least fun yet. Alice (Souheila Yacoub) was married to the abusive William Price (George Pullar) until he was killed by a Deadite, an evil entity that sometimes kills people, and sometimes turns them into zombies. Now she has to survive William’s funeral and a dinner with the dysfunctional Price family at their dilapidated lake house. The definition of “survive” goes from figurative to literal when the Deadite starts infecting various family members, forcing Alice to turn violent against the people that arguably made William violent long before the Deadite. “Evil Dead Burn” is just ugly, with washed-out browns and grays everywhere. The special effects are shoddy, but not in an endearing practical way like the “Evil Dead” of the 80’s. The violence is occasionally inventive, but more often ...

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Watauga, Avery Obituaries – October 13th, 2026

Ken — Tue, 13 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000

The following are recent obituary notices from Austin and Barnes and Hampton funeral homes in Boone and Reins-Sturdivant in Newland

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MOVIE REVIEW: The Invite

Ken — Mon, 12 Oct 2026 23:55:22 +0000

By: Bob Garver “The Invite” is one of those movies that is basically just a filmed stage play. An unnecessary prologue aside, the whole thing takes place in a single apartment with four actors doing things that don’t require movie magic. For a movie like this to work, it needs to be really funny or powerful. It… comes close. Joe (Seth Rogen) and Angela (Olivia Wilde, also the film’s director) are an unhappily-married couple. Their interactions with one another range from “snippy” to “hostile.” They don’t get a divorce ostensibly for the sake of their daughter, but it’s really more about complacency and laziness. And their sex life has been nonexistant for years. They invite their upstairs neighbors, Piña (Penelope Cruz) and Hawk (Edward Norton) over for dinner to thank them for putting up with some recent renovations, and to maybe have a word with them about the noise from their very active sex life. The new friends are willing to keep the noise down, but also willing to let Joe and Angela get in on the fun. The titular invite is to swing. Shenanigans, arguments, and all manner of awkwardness ensue. Almost all of the ...

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Tomato Trail Connects High Country Shoppers with Local Food

Ken — Fri, 09 Oct 2026 12:03:00 +0000

Boone, NC – Tomatoes took center stage across Boone this September as the Watauga County Farmers’ Market, King Street Market and High Country Food Hub teamed up for the inaugural Tomato Trail, a weeklong celebration connecting the community with local farmers, local food and the many ways to shop locally in the High Country. While tomatoes may evoke the height of summer elsewhere, the High Country’s cooler mountain growing season means locally grown tomatoes continue well into late summer. September is one of the most abundant times of year for local agriculture, when summer favorites like tomatoes and peppers overlap with the first crops of fall. The Tomato Trail was created in part to celebrate that abundance and remind shoppers that the arrival of September doesn’t mean farmers’ market season is winding down – in many ways, the harvest is at its peak. From September 5 – 11, shoppers were invited to follow the Tomato Trail between the Watauga County Farmers’ Market, King Street Market and High Country Food Hub, collecting passport stamps, sampling locally grown tomatoes,participating in tomato-themed activities and entering a raffle along the way. By the end of the week, 173 raffle entries had been submitted. Organizers ...

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WATA 1450 & 96.5 Named NCAB’s 2026 Non-Metro Station of the Year

Ken — Fri, 09 Oct 2026 00:24:33 +0000

October 8, 2026 Boone, NC – "Our team worked tirelessly to support the High Country during a year of unprecedented challenges that could have easily shut us down," said Erica Lackey, General Manager of High Country Radio. "This small but mighty group works miracles every day to serve an audience of over 70,000 people. Winning Station of the Year for the first time is a testament to the dedication, passion, and love for this community that our staff brings to the table every single day. We are incredibly grateful to the NCAB for this honor."

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Vaya Health, Partners Health Management Merge to Form Vaya Partners

Ken — Fri, 09 Oct 2026 00:03:03 +0000

GASTONIA, N.C. – Vaya Health and Partners Health Management officially merged today to form Vaya Partners, uniting their expansive provider networks, specialized staff, and community resources to ensure seamless, integrated care for over 225,000 members in 47 North Carolina counties. With the merger, Vaya Partners is now North Carolina’s largest local management entity/managed care organization (LME/MCO). The merger of these two organizations reflects a shared commitment to strengthening North Carolina’s public system of integrated healthcare for individuals with mental health needs, substance use disorders, intellectual or developmental disabilities, and traumatic brain injuries (MH/SUD/IDD/TBI) services in its covered areas. Through the operation of the Vaya Partners Tailored Plan, the organization integrates behavioral health, I/DD, TBI, physical health, and pharmacy services to ensure whole-person care for members. We also oversee behavioral health, I/DD, and TBI services for NC Medicaid Direct beneficiaries and individuals who use State-funded Services. The newly formed entity is designed to ensure long-term stability, enhance care coordination, and expand access to critical behavioral health services across North Carolina. “This merger is about building a stronger future for members, providers, and communities together,” said Vaya Partners Area Director and Chief Executive Officer Tracy Hayes, who led Vaya Health as Area ...

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MOVIE REVIEW: “Insidious: Out of the Further”

Ken — Thu, 08 Oct 2026 23:55:14 +0000

By Bob Garver If there’s one horror franchise that loves its jump scares, it’s “Insidious.” The 2010 original is best known for a red-faced demon appearing out of nowhere. But that film also boasted an originality to its worldbuilding. “Insidious: Out of the Further” is the sixth installment in the franchise, and fans very much know to expect jump scares at this point. The film follows Gemma (Amelia Eve), single mother to daughter Maya (Island Austin). She’s determined to be a better parent than her own, presumedly-mentally-ill mother. This being an “Insidious” film, it’s not long before old toys reappear after being missing for decades, suspicious people are seen around the neighborhood, and Gemma has scary dreams that may or may not be dreams. Things ramp up. Dentist Gemma has a freaky appointment with one of the new neighbors. She gets unreasonably lost in a coffee-table-sized blanket fort and barely escapes with her life. The only one who believes her about the imminent danger is franchise mainstay Dr. Elise Rainier (Lin Shaye), and she’s been dead for over ten years. Eventually Gemma learns that all the scares are because her bloodline has ties to the purgatory-like realm ...

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Downtown Boone Development Association Receives $25,000 from Appalachian Regional Commission

Ken — Thu, 08 Oct 2026 23:53:37 +0000

October 8, 2026 Boone, NC – “Downtown Boone has experienced exciting changes and growth over the last several years, and this funding gives us an opportunity to make sure our organization is growing right alongside the community we serve,” said Executive Director Lane Moody.

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Watauga, Avery Obituaries – October 6th, 2026

Ken — Tue, 06 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000

October 6, 2026 The following are recent obituary notices from Austin and Barnes and Hampton funeral homes in Boone and Reins-Sturdivant in Newland

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Come Enjoy an Early Evening of Live Music This Sunday at the P.B. Scott’s Party, Boone Saloon

Ken — Tue, 06 Oct 2026 01:50:14 +0000

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A Fun Night Out at the Boone Saloon on Oct. 11

Ken — Tue, 29 Sep 2026 12:00:00 +0000

I hope you will consider coming to the 50th anniversary of PB Scotts. How many X-bars do you know that still celebrate themselves and their beer buying guests?! There will be memorabilia, and T-shirts for sale and live music with Big Bump and the Stun Gunz starting at 7:30 right after our Big Toast at 7:00. So it’s an early night for all us old folks! It is Sunday night at the Boone Saloon starting at 6:00. Almost 400 PBers attended PBs Round-Up, on a beautiful Sunday April 19, 2019. We won’t have these pop-ups very often. It’s a ‘last chance sort of gig’…. Jean Travers

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Watauga, Avery Obituaries – September 29th, 2026

Ken — Tue, 29 Sep 2026 12:00:00 +0000

Sepiember 29, 2026 The following are recent obituary notices from Austin and Barnes and Hampton funeral homes in Boone and Reins-Sturdivant in Newland

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Watauga, Avery Obituaries – September 22nd, 2026

Ken — Tue, 22 Sep 2026 12:00:00 +0000

Sepiember 22, 2026 The following are recent obituary notices from Austin and Barnes and Hampton funeral homes in Boone and Reins-Sturdivant in Newland

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Watauga, Avery Obituaries – September 15th, 2026

Ken — Tue, 15 Sep 2026 12:00:00 +0000

Sepiember 15, 2026 The following are recent obituary notices from Austin and Barnes and Hampton funeral homes in Boone and Reins-Sturdivant in Newland

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Watauga, Avery Obituaries – September 8th, 2026

Ken — Tue, 08 Sep 2026 18:36:44 +0000

Sepiember 8, 2026 The following are recent obituary notices from Austin and Barnes and Hampton funeral homes in Boone and Reins-Sturdivant in Newland

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