Happy Time for Us

By Dani Halliday, 2016

Dani holds Happy at the Franklin Pumpkin Fest.
Dani holds Happy at the Franklin Pumpkin Fest.

Who doesn’t love puppies? In Franklin, we attended the annual Pumpkin Festival on Main Street. Our favorite sections of the festival were hosted by the Humane Society of Franklin and they had puppies. These puppies were tiny with little pink noses. They were named after the seven dwarves from Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. Our group fell absolutely head over heels in love with Happy, the tiny black and white spotted puppy. Sam even cried when she held him.

Happy and his siblings were only a few weeks old and snuggled in blankets as they were passed around between the squealing children (and group of 20- to-21-year-old college students researching Highway 64). We debated stealing Happy, who apparently had been adopted earlier that day. The tiny little ball of fur was perfect (as all puppies are), and we wanted to take him back to Elon with us.

Alas, we could not steal the puppy, or any of his siblings. We walked away, teary-eyed and looking longingly over our shoulders back to the children petting the small animals. We wanted to rejoin them, surrounded by snuggly puppies, but we had research to do. We returned to the crowd of the festival to see what we would find next.

Trekking along the Murphy River Walk

By Dani Halliday, 2016

 

Single track trail on the Murphy River Walk.
Single track trail on the Murphy River Walk.

I pulled my car into an empty dirt parking lot. A nearby sign advertised seasonal farmer’s markets held in the lot, but today, on a brisk Friday afternoon, it was empty. A small wooden post showed the trail outlined in red through the forest. Due to our crunched time schedule, we chose to do a small section of the trail that made a wraparound back to where we had parked.

This section of the trail twisted down to the water line. The sun reflected off the river and illuminated the trail, enhancing the brightly colored leaves along the ground and those still clinging to the trees. Sam was on the search for the perfect fall leaf. The one she chose was about the size of her face.

 

It was an easy walk with very few roots popping through the dirt, a relatively flat surface, and solid ground. One section was a little muddy, but the people of Murphy had put down wood planks to protect our shoes from the gooey mud. There were no obstructions in the path, no obtrusive trees and bushes leaning in, so people of all ages and athletic ability could enjoy the beautiful nature and fresh mountain air of Murphy. If we had the time, we would have liked to complete the three-mile trail, but we needed to hit the road to get to Brasstown.

 

Nancy from Murphy

By Dani Halliday, 2016

Town of Murphy historic center.
Town of Murphy historic center.

Nancy, an elderly twenty-seven-year resident of Murphy, NC, works in the visitor’s center in downtown Murphy. As we had just arrived, maybe an hour prior to entering the center, she was the perfect person to talk to.

“I used to be a real estate agent, so I know all about the town and it is my job to make it seem as great as possible,” she said when we asked her about the town itself. Nancy went on to say that she loved the small-town, family feel of Murphy. “We don’t wave with our middle fingers here, and we only let nice people in.” Her blue eyes sparkled as she told us of a time when a family she was showing a house to asked if there was somebody who came around and swept all the leaves off of the streets. She did not like this family too much and apparently, they chose not to move there.

She handed us some maps of the River Walk we were about to embark on and gave us directions to the Murphy to Manteo sign. “It’s just down Highway 64. You turn right at the McDonalds and keep going.”

As we shook hands to leave, Nancy had to know how Christian ended up traveling with such lovely young ladies. We explained our research task of interviewing and exploring the towns of Highway 64, and that Christian was the only boy in the class. We waved goodbye and as we opened the door to leave for the Murphy to Manteo sign, Nancy turned to her colleague and exclaimed, “How cute!” I have to agree with Nancy; we are adorable.

Searching for the Elusive White Squirrel

By Dani Halliday, 2016

 

White squirrel in mural descends upon Dani.
White squirrel in mural descends upon Dani.

There was a heavy chill in the air that clung to our bones. A thin fog hovered above the ground of the Brevard College campus, making the empty campus feel abandoned and creepy. We were here for a reason and would not leave without seeing the elusive white squirrel of Brevard.

Images of white squirrels were everywhere in the tiny mountain town of Brevard, NC. There was a white squirrel store, white squirrel statues in the hotels, white squirrel forms on the traffic lights, and even a giant mural of a white squirrel diving into a pile of nuts painted on the side of a restaurant.

The white squirrels weren’t residents of the town initially, but according to the Transylvania Times (the local newspaper of Brevard and other towns in Transylvania county), a carnival truck overturned in 1949, releasing two white squirrels with gray streaks down their backs into the wild of the Great Smoky Mountains. The squirrels were found by Mr. Black, who found them eating in his pecan grove. Black passed these squirrels to H. H. Mull, who subsequently passed them along to his niece, Barbara, to attempt to breed them, which failed. Eventually, one of the squirrels escaped and then Barbara released the other. Breeding apparently was easier in the wild of the mountains because now there are significantly more white squirrels than the original two. In 1986, the white squirrels became a protected species in Brevard with a vote by the Brevard City Council stating that is “shall be unlawful for any person to hunt, kill, trap, or otherwise take any protected squirrels within the city.” This law does not extend to the non-white squirrels of the area, though. While there are other white squirrel sightings in other states, such as Kentucky and Illinois, only Brevard holds a White Squirrel Festival every May.

 

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Main Campus of Brevard College.

The receptionist at the Holiday Inn we had stayed in the night before recommended the college campus as the place where we would most likely find these rare creatures. We set out into the brisk 35-degree air at 9:00 am to begin our search.

We scoured the campus, which housed only 729 students, seeing beautiful brick buildings, massive trees, and copious amounts of brown squirrels, yet no people or white squirrels. Brevard College is a private, four-year institution, home to the Tornadoes. It stands on the outskirts of downtown Brevard, a prime location, and is about 120-acres. These are 120 acres that white squirrels can roam free on without any fear for their safety.

 

White squirrel poses for his picture.
White squirrel poses for his picture.

We passed underneath a clock tower which was built with bricks engraved with names from back in the 1900s. The brick buildings, white pillars, and trees scattered around campus reminded me of Elon on a much more rural scale. We wandered aimlessly around campus scanning the ground and the trees for a flash of white. We knew they were out there. We would find one.

Finally we saw it. It hopped around the ground, standing out a stark white streaked with gray against the fallen yellow and brown leaves and the dark green grass. It looked just like any other squirrel: same tail, same twitching nose, same large dark eyes—except for the white fur of course. We had to wonder as we followed the creature, much too close for its liking, whether the white squirrels were treated differently by their brown squirrel brethren. Were they allowed near the other squirrels? Did the white squirrels act as an exclusive group and not let the brown squirrels into their white squirrel club? These were questions only the white squirrels could answer for us, yet our friend had darted up a tree, out of sight.

Exploring Franklin Pumpkin Festival

By Dani Halliday, 2016

Funnel cake, pumpkin bread, fresh local honey, and frog legs were all available for purchasing and eating at the 20th Annual Franklin Pumpkin Festival. This festival is famous for the pumpkin roll, where residents and visitors buy a pumpkin to enter in a race to see what pumpkin can get down the hill in one piece the fastest.

There is so much to do during this festival. Various local organizations and businesses set up under tents lining the streets. People walk around with their children and dogs, both often dressed in costumes. Hot beverages are sold at the general store, which is where we stopped before venturing into the crowd. There were food trucks, local baked goods, and artisan dips and butters sold in various booths. One man was selling honey from his personal bees. Sam and Molly bought honey sticks and I decided to try a quick taste of the sourwood honey, which wasn’t actually sour. Local craftsmen displayed their wares in their tents. There were hand knit scarves, hand-made jewelry, pottery, paintings, and more.

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Tents of local vendors line street during Franklin Pumpkin Festival.

Food and pumpkins were not the only attraction on the streets of Franklin on this day. There was plenty of entertainment available. Music blasted from speakers at the gazebo on the green. There were bouncy houses at one end and pony rides at the other. Molly and I debated asking for a ride (each pony could hold about 180 pounds) but two children were waiting, and we needed to look like adults. There was also a dog costume contest, where local pups dressed in their Halloween best to win a trophy. My favorite was the Golden Retriever dressed as a lion. There was also a dachshund in a hotdog costume, a tiny Chihuahua dressed as Woody from Toy Story, and a Pitbull mix dressed as a dinosaur.

The pumpkin eating contest was our last stop during the Franklin Pumpkin Festival. There were two heats: a kid’s heat and an adult heat. The announcer handed ponchos out to each contestant (for cleanliness) and they piled mounds of whipped cream on top of each pie. The contestants had only a minute to eat as much pie as possible and then the pies were weighed to see who ate the most. The winner of each heat won $20. During the kid’s heat, there was a tie! The announcer pulled another $20 out his own wallet so they both could get the prize.

The Pumpkin Festival was everything that we hoped for and more. We wished we could have stayed longer, but Highway 64 was calling and we had to head on to Highlands for lunch.

 

Dani Halliday

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Dani Halliday is a senior at Elon University. She is a Sport and Event Management student with minors in Business Administration and Professional Writing. Dani works in the Elon University Office of the President as a student receptionist and in the Writing Center as a consultant. She enjoys playing with dogs and drinking copious amounts of coffee. Soon, she will be entering the workforce a full semester early and is currently scared and excited for entering “the real world.”

Car Ride to Murphy

By Dani Halliday, 2016

Dani, Molly, Christian, and Sam pose at the Highway 64 sign on the border of NC and TN.
Dani, Molly, Christian, and Sam pose at the Highway 64 sign on the border of NC and TN.

Our day began at 8:00 am with a quick stop in Dunkin Donuts. With our stomachs full of coffee and breakfast sandwiches (two in Molly’s case), we pulled onto I-40 to start the 300 mile journey to Murphy, North Carolina in the Great Smoky Mountains.

It took about an hour for Molly and Sam to fall asleep in the back seat, leaving Christian and me to watch the road. As miles passed by, the temperature began to drop from a cool 55 degrees to a brisk 37 degrees. It was the coolest it had been all month, with the average heat hovering in the mid to high 70’s all month long. Drops fell from the sky for minutes at a time, but nothing of any concern as my trusty Hyundai Elantra cruised down the road.

The mountains rose out of the ground, welcoming us as we approached Highway 64. The Smokies are much more inviting that other mountains, specifically the Rockies. The Rockies look exactly how they sound: rocky. They are full of harsh edges and steep slopes. Grays and browns make up the landscape of the western mountains range, but this is not the case of the Smokies. The trees erased all the sharp edges, making them look cushioned and soft. You could not even see the ground through the thick covering of fall foliage that hadn’t yet let go of their branches. It was such an amazing sight, watching the trees burst into color as we drove closer and closer to the mountains. The leaves in Elon hadn’t changed yet, even though it was late October. The unnatural heat of the season prevented autumn from emerging at school. It was a welcome change.

As we drove closer and closer to the mountains, the trees became leaner, taller, and more closely packed together. Their branches reached up towards the sky, like sunflowers, trying to break through the thick coverings provided by their fellow trees. Fir trees appeared more and more along the side of the road. Sam and Molly woke up as we reached our exit and the excitement was palpable. We were all ready to get to Murphy for food and to finally be on the highway that we had heard so much about these past few months.

Our exit onto Highway 64 appeared towards Hendersonville appeared to the left after about three hours of driving. The road was similar to I-40 for a long while, until about another hour had passed. We were finally in the mountains. The road wound around the mountains, up and down, making some of my passengers feel relatively car sick, but the views were worth the stomach pain. While I have never lived in the mountains, I couldn’t help but feel like I was back in Connecticut. The fir trees were fewer, and the roads narrower, but the bright oranges, reds, and yellows brought the same sense of autumn. Handmade signs advertising boiled peanuts, homemade jams and jellies, as well as local honey were scattered along the side of the road. Ramshackle stands for selling these wares seemed closed, even though it was only early afternoon on a Friday. It only took about an hour and a half to pull into Murphy, right across from the town hall. It was finally time to start our research.