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.

Spend just a couple of minutes chatting with John Wilkerson, Park Ranger for The Park at Flat Rock, and it’s impossible not to come away with one primary impression. He is a good guy. And, to the great benefit of the Village for the past three years, John has been the smiling face and affable presence welcoming thousands of visitors to one of the crown jewels of Flat Rock, NC.

Since the early 1900s, thousands of children have packed their trunks for an annual pilgrimage to summer camps in North Carolina. Camps play a large role in Henderson County and the arrival of camp season draws many families to Flat Rock. Tucked away in the mountains of Western North Carolina are more than 70 summer camps. Flat Rock is home to some of the oldest ones.

Meredith Ward started in the wine business long before she was old enough to purchase a bottle of her family’s signature Saint Paul Mountain Vineyards wine. A little over a decade later, she could not only legally purchase the product but also found herself managing the Saint Paul wine tasting room in Flat Rock, NC.

Flat Rock artist Miriam Hughes is colorful in many ways. She is an artist known for whimsical and vibrant multicolored paintings. She wears bright clothes that complement her shock of wild and curly red hair. And Miriam has a commanding and colorful personality seldom constrained by norms.

Put all those elements together and you have an artist who adds a lot to the kaleidoscope of life in the Village.

“For as long as I can remember just the lights going dark and the overture starting would make all the hairs on my arm stand up. It was like, ‘I don't know where I’m going, and I don't care. But I'm ready!’”

That magical feeling still keeps Lisa Bryant going, even during challenging times.

While the adults provided the organization and the planning, the Cub Scouts clearly provided the energy and enthusiasm. Small but willing muscles excavated the holes for the new trees and then shoveled dirt and nutrients around the Park’s newest leafy residents.

One would never expect to find an extensive collection of stained glass from early 20th century Detroit, Michigan in Flat Rock, NC. Until that is, you meet the very unconventional John Fundukian and experience his passion and enthusiasm for his amazing collection. Then it all makes perfect sense.

David Lawrence Dethero came to Flat Rock in 1971 by way of a family friend, I’on Lowndes. He was born and raised in Cleveland, Tennessee, where I’on also resided and worked with the Park Service. The two were members of St. Luke Episcopal Church and began chatting one day about places to live and opportunities to buy land. I’on’s family had a long history with Flat Rock, NC, and he recommended David give Flat Rock a try – so he did.

When Fred Thompson asked Andrea to marry him, he made an unusual vow. “He didn’t promise me a castle, but he did promise me bluebirds,” she recalls with a shy smile. “And he has certainly delivered on that.”

Tucked inside the beautiful community of Highland Lake in Flat Rock, NC lies The Garden Hamlet, a charming neighborhood made up of permanent residents and vacationers, all surrounding a large pasture.

Inside the pasture lives The Hamlet Herd.

Sandy Hunter Jones was born with a needle and thread in her hand. When Sandy was only three, her mother spotted her mending Elfie, her stuffed elephant. This young creative prodigy had remarkable dexterity, and she in time developed a lifelong passion for smocking and heirloom sewing. Her story here …

Tim Jones reflects on the difficulties of the past year and the promise of a new beginning as discovered in his search for the earliest wildflowers on the forest floor.

The Highland Lake Inn & Resort is known today as one of the Southeast’s premier resort destinations. But its history extends back over 230 years to the earliest European settlers in western North Carolina.

Actors often tell stories of the “big break” that altered the course of their lives and careers. Stories typically involve one last casting call before giving up on their dream, or a chance meeting while struggling to make ends meet as a waiter at a local bistro. For Flat Rock Playhouse Vagabond legend, Scott Treadway, his big moment transpired in a place familiar to anyone that’s ever been to the Playhouse - during the organized chaos of Playhouse parking.

When I was in the first grade, I volunteered my mother to be in charge of our class Valentine Party. She was clever and creative – holidays and parties were her forte. They brought to the surface a breed of woman not to be believed …

A Valentine’s Day story from Missy Izard Schenck

As the original group of about 50 former slaves traveled northward through Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina, news of their crusade spread, and their numbers grew to about 200 people. Upon reaching S.C., the entourage met with freed slaves who spoke of families from the “Lowcountry” who made annual pilgrimages to the high country where miles of uninhabited mountain wilderness existed. Led by a dream, the caravan of former slaves set out on the Buncombe Turnpike for North Carolina — the possible end to their questing pilgrimage.

Their quest was to take them to an intersection in history with the family of John Davis, one of Henderson County’s earliest settlers.