“My music and reflections are my soul's way of making sense of the beauty, vulnerability and endless richness of this human life,” explains the soft-spoken Scotsman, Simon de Voil. And, despite a calm and placid demeanor, Simon has traveled a long and winding road during the course of his 48 years. Indeed, his life has been a journey that leaves him uniquely positioned to connect with people wherever they are physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

Spend just a few moments with Jody and Jeff Rutter and you will know why they are so well suited to their chosen career in the hospitality industry. The owners of At Your Service, an Event Planning and Management company in Henderson County, are engaging, affable, and clearly the kind of people you would want to trust with details of your special day.

In short, Jeff and Jody are two of the most hospitable people you are likely to ever meet.

Throughout any reading of Flat Rock history, one name comes up repeatedly as having had a literal hand in the creation of the nascent mountain community which served as a summer refuge for many of Charleston’s most prominent citizens. Although, historians have tended to reserve the lion’s share of their accounts of Flat Rock’s earliest history for families with the familiar names of King, Baring, Memminger and Lowndes, a young Charleston boy orphaned at age 11 also found his way to Flat Rock and over time and with great energy and skill built a legacy that can still be seen throughout Flat Rock today.

His name was Henry Tudor “Squire” Farmer.

The Sandburgs moved to Connemara, their mountain farm in Flat Rock, North Carolina, in the fall of 1945: Carl and his wife Paula, their three adult children (Margaret, Janet, and Helga), and Helga’s young children John Carl and Karlen Paula. Helga and her children lived at the farm for seven years.

In January, Sandburg’s granddaughter Paula died at age 80. John Quinley, remembers Paula and her influence on his writings about Carl Sandburg. Remembering Karlen Paula.

The story of Lake Summit and its early origins may be traced back more than a century ago in Spartanburg County’s textile industry. Power was one of the early problems for the Spartanburg mills, and John Adger Law came up with a plan to bring sufficient electricity from the mountains of North Carolina some 30 miles away.

In March 2010, Anna Wesley Huneycutt died from a drug overdose. It was the culmination of a tumultuous struggle with addiction that upended her young life and the life of the family that loved her fiercely.

Anna’s death at age 20, however, was not the end of her story. In many ways, the tragic ending of her life was arguably the beginning of Anna’s legacy manifested during her short stay in this world.

Robert Cuthbert’s anthology of early private correspondence from Flat Rock provides a fascinating glimpse into the lives of early 19th-century men and women who sought to escape the oppressive heat and disease that marked Lowcountry summers in and around Charleston, South Carolina.  Many of them, in their quest for reprieve, found their way to a growing settlement known as Flat Rock in the mountains of western North Carolina.

With his trombone in the attic and his music career a distant memory, it seemed very unlikely that Jerry Zink would one day find himself as the leader of a swing band in the mountains of North Carolina. But three decades after he last played and nearly a thousand miles from his Oklahoma home, Jerry Zink retrieved his trombone from his attic in Flat Rock and resolved to re-learn the instrument that had given him – and his audiences – so much pleasure in his youth.  (Caricature by Pete Adams)

My visit to the grave of noted Flat Rock historian and author, Louise Howe Bailey, was prompted by my interest in the history of the St. John in the Wilderness cemetery that sweeps around the venerable church like a solemn verdant cloak.  I was there to research the significance of the history captured on the chiseled granite monuments and inscribed marble slabs that are scattered throughout the grounds and even inside the sanctuary.

For Sonja Bruton, her work as Postmaster at the Flat Rock Post Office is more than a job. It is a calling. And for the residents of Flat Rock, that is a very fortunate thing.

“During the first half of the twentieth century, Carl Sandburg seemed to be everywhere and do everything: poet and political activist; investigative reporter, columnist, and film critic; lecturer, folk singer, and musicologist; Lincoln biographer and historian; children’s author; novelists; and media celebrity. He was one the most successful American writers of the twentieth century. Everyone knew his name. But as time went on, his fame began to fade, and by the twenty-first century, the public knew little, if anything about his legacy.”

Discovering Carl Sandburg by John Quinley

Ten facts about Carl Sandburg that you probably don’t know as compiled by John Quinley for Flat Rock Together.

Each year, as the last post of the year, I undertake the impossible task of selecting five favorite Flat Rock Together stories from the preceding 12 months. It is, of course, a task that is both arbitrary and unfair. Every story is valuable and should be celebrated in its own right. Stories are how we mark time, celebrate relationships, bestow accolades on the protagonists, and give meaning to our existence.

That said, here are a handful of stories worthy of a second look...

‘Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the Village,
Not a person was stirring in our small town on the Blue Ridge.
The stockings were hung at the State Theatre with care,
In hopes that the red-clad Vagabond soon would be there. 

In July of 2023, two long-time friends decided to push back their retirement a few more years to do something they both love together. Today, visitors to Dogwood in the bright blue building on Little Rainbow Row in Flat Rock will find new co-owners, Carol Mann Slowik and Tracy O'Connor-McGraw, happily stocking the shelves of their store, chatting with customers who wander in, and sharing in the adventures of business ownership.

Our recent call for authors of books who currently live in Flat Rock or have written about Flat Rock is one more indication regarding the profusion of interesting and talented people living here. Although, there are many ways for us to make our mark in the world - artist, civic or business leader, athlete, musician, academic, or even a simple graciousness of the heart - having a book published is certainly an accomplishment worth celebrating.

This past week, 11 young ladies from Hendersonville Middle School traveled with their faculty sponsors to visit some of Flat Rock’s most successful and inspirational businesswomen. During the course of their two-hour field trip, the girls met with the owners of a photography studio, a retail store, a restaurant, and an interior design firm.

By the time they re-boarded the school activity bus and headed back to school, they had learned about the challenges, rewards, travails, and successes of business owners who had once faced the same questions as their young visitors:  What will I become? How do I find my career? Can I follow my dream?  

Those of us fortunate enough to regularly attend performances at Flat Rock Playhouse know in our hearts that the holiday season officially begins with the opening night of A Flat Rock Playhouse Christmas. As the curtain draws back on Leiman Mainstage we know it is time – time to immerse ourselves in the joy of celebrating family, friends, and the meaning of the season. It is a gift from the Playhouse to our community.

Since arriving in Henderson County in 2012, Bryan Byrd has had quite a varied career. His endeavors include national sales rep, radio sales consultant for WTZQ, local real estate agent, music promoter and familiar voice during the annual Bearfootin' Art Walk auction in downtown Hendersonville. This year, however, Bryan is projecting a blockbuster new image – as the owner and operator of Flat Rock Cinema.

As a young boy, Frank Maybank began his relationship with Flat Rock with his family’s annual summer visit to his grandparents at The Dam House. “My grandfather, Dr. Joseph Maybank, bought seven acres of land off of Rutledge Drive from Mrs. Mayberry as a wedding gift for my parents,” recalls Frank. “I was around six years old when my parents found a house plan in a magazine they liked and took the magazine plan to a local contractor, KG Justice, to build it for them.

That house would become known as Stonybrook ...

Last month, board members of Kenmure Fights Cancer met with representatives of Pardee Hospital and AdventHealth Hendersonville to present them with checks totaling over $150,000. The presentations were the culmination of months of fundraising efforts by the residents of Kenmure in Flat Rock. It was also the perfect time to celebrate all the reasons for the impressive 15-year philanthropic history of KFC. A million reasons to be specific.