Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

As we were planning the winter edition of Carter County Living, I started thinking. This time four years ago we were planning our first Carter County Living Magazine.
My mind went quickly recalling all my thoughts from that time: you don’t know anything about putting out a magazine; how do you plan if you have never done one before?; what stories do you choose?; will the photography be good enough? I have been known to overthink things.

We finally launched the first Carter County Living in December 2017. One thing that I have learned from launching the magazine is that you don’t have to wait until everything is perfect; you can keep improving with every issue. I believe we have done that and feel this issue is the best magazine that we have done. Excitement filled the air after our staff meeting to discuss story ideas for this edition of Carter County Living. We believe you will understand our excitement when you read this edition.

On the cover of our winter issue of Carter County Living, we have Carson Peters, a normal high school kid who paints himself in 30-degree weather to watch an EHS football game. But Peters isn’t just a normal teenager. The Elizabethton High senior performs around the region with his band, Iron Mountain. He has appeared on the Grand Ole Opry stage with Ricky Skaggs — where he explained the difference between a fiddle and a violin by saying that a fiddle has “strangs” and a violin, “strings.” Peters has shared the stage with Betty White on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno. And, most recently the up-and-coming country and bluegrass musician competed in NBC’s “The Voice” competition, showcasing his talents on a national stage.

Thanks to his love of the outdoors and an affinity for making videos, a 10-year-old in Stoney Creek is making a name for himself around the country.

Hunter Elementary student Oden Parlier has developed a robust following for his YouTube channel, “Oden on the Trail,” in which he highlights his daily adventures in the beautiful area he calls home.
Parlier created his YouTube channel late last year and has amassed hundreds of subscribers, an impressive statistic for such a short time.

Another feature in this issue is Alex Campbell crafting the unwanted into family heirlooms.

When you visit Campbell’s shop you will see a spray of hot metal chips fly behind the grinder as Campbell works to create the perfect edge on a new knife he has been creating for a couple of days.

So how did an educator in the Elizabethton School System learn to turn raw steel and deer antler into knives that can be passed down for generations to come? It was a deep love of history and wanting to participate in the frontier day activities at Sycamore Shoals State Park. To date, Campbell has completed 300 in his five years of knife-making.

As football season gets underway in Roan Mountain, one tradition is as familiar as the sight of players in helmets and pads: the voice of Scott Morgan streaming across the PA system on Friday nights.
Morgan, a graduate of Cloudland High’s Class of 1989, has been the Voice of the Highlanders for 33 years.

Carter County and the surrounding areas of the Appalachian Region are home to many different rhythms: country, bluegrass and folk music among the most popular. But local dance instructor Kimberly Mullinex wants to bring a bit of Ireland to the rhythm of the county.

Mullinex, who is originally from Hampton, moved to Boston earlier in life but eventually made her way back home where she teaches Irish dancing classes for Appalachian Irish Dance Company at Watts Dance Studio where she teaches approximately 40 students, split between children and adults.

These are just a few amazing stories in this issue that remind us what makes Carter County what it is today, the greatest place on earth to live.

We hope you enjoy this issue, and if you know of anyone that would make a great story, please let me know at delaney.scalf@elizabethton.com.