NC Weekend is a very popular show in North Carolina and this will promote our many jewels here in Mount Airy so that visitors are aware of the wonderful places we have to eat, dine and attractions to visit.

Snappy Lunch is one of the most popular attractions and eating establishments here in Mount Airy and this show will bring in more visitors to the area and this will benefit our entire town and county.”

To read more: Mount Airy News – Snappy Lunch to be featured on NC Weekend

Mount Airy is just south of the Virginia state line, 60 km northwest of Winston-Salem, N.C. and the home of The Cabins at White Sulphur Springs.

The splashing of thousands of trout being released into the Ararat River in Mount Airy earlier this year is expected to be music to the ears of local businesses. Thanks to a recent restoration project, the river has been re-classified as a delayed-harvest stream. The key part of the Ararat River project involved restoring eroded riverbanks along about a three-mile area, which also made the waterway better-suited for activities including tubing and kayaking. Meanwhile, a greenway and environmental park constructed along its path has provided additional exercise and nature-education opportunities. A delayed-harvest program should ensure relatively high numbers of trout for extended periods, which will produce a wonderful fishery along the Ararat.  The Ararat River begins with two feeder streams that come together in a pool. On a map dated 1755, the mountain called Ararat gives its name to the stream flowing by. The biblical reference comes from Genesis 8:4 when Noah’s “ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat.” The river falls off the Blue Ridge Mountains and flows down through the Raven Rock area at the foot of Groundhog Mountain. The river flows by Ararat in The Hollow area of Virginia. Once in the North Carolina, it passes by the site of White Sulphur Springs and passes through Mount Airy, North Carolina. The Ararat River ends near Siloam, North Carolina, flowing into the Yadkin River.

Before there was a state of North Carolina, as early as the 1750s settlers began to gather in the area now known as Mount Airy. Widely accepted local tradition holds that the name was taken from the “Mount Airy” plantation which was established along the stage road in the early 1800s. The town originally was a frontier-trading center for the local area and remained very small during the early part of the 1800s. By the late 1870s and early 1880s tobacco was the area’s major industry. The construction of the Cape Fear and Yadkin Valley Railroad to Mount Airy in the late 1880s provided easy access to Mount Airy’s two greatest natural resources – granite and lumber. During the 1890s a large granite quarry was opened. The area, known locally as “Flat Rock,” became the largest open-faced granite quarry in the world and provided Mount Airy with its nickname, “Granite City.” Mount Airy’s other nickname comes from it being the model for the small town of “Mayberry” on the popular Andy Griffith TV show. Mount Airy is the boyhood home of Andy Griffith. Each year the community celebrates “Mayberry Days” with a four-day festival that includes a major golf tournament, concerts, a parade, and much more.

To learn more please visit the Blue Ridge National Heritage website.  Mount Airy is just south of the Virginia state line, 60 km northwest of Winston-Salem, N.C. and the home of The Cabins at White Sulphur Springs.

Last week, Mount Airy got a return visit from a British Broadcasting Corporation radio producer. Peter Meanwell first visited the city two years ago to record the sounds of the Mount Airy Fiddler’s Convention. During his most recent visit, he explored the history of the area.

While here last week, he explored the four things on the Mount Airy city seal, a spool of thread that represents textiles, furniture, granite and tobacco. While here he also talked to many people, from the mayor of Mount Airy to a 93-year-old woman at Ridgecrest. He also went to Mount Airy High School and spoke with nine high school seniors who, he said, for the most part want to go off to college and then return home to raise a family. He said their only fear was being able to find a job in this area.

He said he will put together a 20-minute radio program that will be “a woven tapestry of the sounds of Mount Airy,” that will be broadcast on BBC Radio 3 the first week in January. The recordings he made two years ago can still be found by Googling “Appalachian Road Trip.” He said those who would like to listen to the program in January can go to www.bbc.co.uk/radio3 to hear the broadcast.

To learn more please visit Recording the sounds of Mount Airy.  Mount Airy is just south of the Virginia state line, 60 km northwest of Winston-Salem, N.C. and the home of The Cabins at White Sulphur Springs.

This years open house is scheduled for November 19th from 11am-4pm. Come visit local merchants and enjoy free refreshments and start off the holiday season by shopping local. Activities scheduled throughout downtown each Saturday until Christmas such as Christmas carolers and musicians. Come out and support shopping local.

Just minutes from all conveniences and historic Downtown Mount Airy, NC, the White Sulphur Springs Cabins, part of White Sulphur Springs Community, are a great place to gather with family or friends during the holidays.

There will be a Parade on Friday, November 4th and Saturday, November 5th. On Sunday, November 6^th, there will be an exhibition of old farm tractors, vehicles, equipment.  There will be canning & baking contests, games, a Corn Hole Tournament and agricultural demonstrations.  There will be music & storytelling, specialty foods, raffles and prizes.  Main Street will be closed from Oak to Pine. Come have some great fun!

Mount Airy is just south of the Virginia state line, 60 km northwest of Winston-Salem, N.C. and the home of The Cabins at White Sulphur Springs.