Born to two musically talented parents, Nat Zagree’s earliest memories invariably involve music. In the Zegree home, music infused and informed almost everything the family did and was a priority for Nat, his older sister, and his parents. “Before I could even count my fingers,” recalls Nat, “My father had my fingers on the piano.”

Whether it was by foot, stagecoach, train, or car, traveling to the mountains was always an exciting adventure and still is. It is hard to imagine a two-week journey by stagecoach with our 70 mph speed limit now that I-26 makes the trip from Charleston to the mountains a four-hour drive.

A further history of the evolution of transportation into Flat Rock, Henderson County, and western North Carolina.

By Missy Izard Schneck

Lisa Bryant, Artistic Director of Flat Rock Playhouse, walked into the spotlight at the center of Leiman Mainstage. Stepping up to the microphone, Lisa prepared to welcome the audience to the Playhouse and to introduce a new performance - as she’s done dozens of times before.

This time, however, was very different.

On Sunday, October 3rd at 4 p.m., Father Josh Stephens will preside over a Blessing of the Animals and he readily admits it will be a departure from the usual service at St. John in the Wilderness. “The service is always beautiful, but typically filled with a holy chaos,” he says with a grin.

I have forgotten many things in my life, but there is one moment I will never forget. In my mind, I can still see pretty much every detail. It was the first time that I went to get groceries and something different happened at the checkout counter.

Tim Jones
Homily for 4th Sunday in Lent 2021

On October 17th, 2018, Roger Bass had a massive stroke. The neurosurgeon caring for the 66-year-old resident of Flat Rock told Roger’s family that if he didn’t die, he could very well be in a wheelchair for the rest of his life.

As it turns out, Roger Bass had a different plan for his future…

In the early 19th century, there were few roads in the North Carolina Mountains. More often than not, what qualified for a road was a single-track Native American footpath, a “trace,” or paths left by wildlife. Passible by nothing more than a horse and rider, these primitive roads were treacherous trails cutting through gorges and across mountain peaks. As time passed, many of these early pathways evolved into wagon roads, paved roads and even highways, some of which survive today, at least in part, along their original courses.

Labor Day beckons those feelings that wash over me when another summer nears its end. I’ve tasted the saudade of life; the yearning for my childhood when the days would merge into one another and the passing of time was of no consequence. Labor Day reminds me that it’s time for school to begin and camp to be over. The Peter Pan in me is tormented by the exit from my favorite season that allows me to never grow up.

Suzanne was in the middle of nowhere, with no cell service, and no idea on how to extricate her vehicle from the ditch. As she stood by the side of the road contemplating her dilemma, an emaciated brown puppy suddenly appeared out of the nearby woods. The young dog clearly needed help, and it seemed the puppy had decided that Suzanne was just the person for the job.

For over 30 years, FOCS has worked towards its mission by supplementing the Park’s funding and programming in a number of different ways - all of which serve to promote, protect, and help preserve the Park and its many historic and natural resources.

The tapestry of Albert S. Gooch, Jr.’s life is as colorful and multifaceted as the shirt the amiable southern gentleman was wearing during a recent interview with Flat Rock Together.

Alexander Campbell King III related wonderful stories of growing up at Argyle, a family home with the distinction of having the longest continuous possession in the same family of any place in Flat Rock, perhaps in all of Western North Carolina. His people have owned it since 1830. The house felt alive with history. I could almost hear it humming as Mr. King told tales of family picnics, fishing at the dam, and swinging on the porch with his grandmother…

This past Friday, Sandburg Park Superintendent Polly Angelakis said a few words of welcome before a small group of visitors, staff, and Sandburg volunteers and then swung open the gate to the goat barn … and to one more small step in the direction of normal park operations.

Nestled in an out-of-the-way corner of a very busy park, a handsome post and beam shelter stands as an oasis of quiet solitude in the midst of our often busy modern lives. That’s exactly what Christine and Terry Hicks envisioned …

Local artist, Marsha Hammel, has spent a lifetime capturing the essence of life that swirls and dances around each of us, in moments both exceptional and ordinary. And now there is a new book about her life as a creative detailing the arc of her exceptional career entitled, Thriving on a Riff. A life of art and music.

On any given Monday morning, you are likely to find Wendy Beville and Gina Moffitt happily digging in the dirt, pulling out uninvited weeds, and gently pruning a riot of colorful plants which populate the garden. Wendy and Gina are the Master Gardener Group Co-Chairs for the Pollinator Garden at The Park at Flat Rock. To put it another way - and much more succinctly - they and their compatriots work hard and the results are spectacular.

When Cam Boyd’s family purchased Flat Rock’s historic Saluda Cottages in 1955, Cam was just 11 years old and not particularly pleased with the move. His life of riding bikes and playing sports with a crowd of neighborhood kids was no longer in the cards. But as is so often the case, change can be both good and bad. “Growing up in Flat Rock was a mixed blessing,” Cam recalls now. “I did not realize how lucky I was until later in life.”

When Priscilla Casanova first met her husband Al in Denver, CO, he enjoyed going to the dog tracks to bet on Greyhound races. But while Al was enjoying the races, Priscilla could only think about what became of the dogs when their racing careers were finished.

That question, her passion for animals, and a long winding road to Flat Rock ultimately resulted in a new local business for Flat Rock …

“St. John in the Wilderness and Flat Rock have stories that are intertwined from their earliest days. Over the decades, both parish and village have grown up and changed, but the connection between St. John and Flat Rock is undeniable. As a parish community, we are overwhelmed with gratitude at the beauty and wonder of this place when we look at Flat Rock and the people who call it home.“

Family was everything to my father and he lived for us to be together. He promised us that one day we would thank him for his words of wisdom and family rules. He did it for love …. And I loved him for it.