Blue Ridge Country January/February 2022 - 25

COUNTRY ROADS
Below You, Always Beside You " is a remarkable
collection of hand-carved,
life-sized wooden creations, combat art
and objects dedicated to military working
dogs. Since the American Revolution,
these four-legged warriors have served in
all branches of the U.S. Armed Forces. This
exhibition highlights the history, service
and heroism of these specially trained service
members and captures the emotional
dynamics of the extraordinary tandem of
human and canine warriors. " War Dogs "
is on display through February 27.
* For a lingering nod to the holidays,
" Norman Rockwell's Home for the Holidays "
continues through Feb. 13. With a
combination of four original oil paintings
and " Saturday Evening Post " covers, this
notable display shows Norman Rockwell's
ability to capture the emotion, humor and
memorable faces that convey Americana.
For more information: upcountryhistory.org;
864-467-3100; 540 Buncombe
St., Greenville.
-MEG HUNT (UHM)
BOOK NOTE
John Ehle. The Winter People. (Harper & Row, 1981;
Carolina Classics Press, 2017). 272 pp..
T
his is a novel for a winter's night-or two or three. I'd not
read North Carolina writer John Ehle before-better late
than never to discover a writer as character- and placebrilliant
as Ehle.
It opens like this: On a cold evening in the remote, Depression-era
mountains of western North Carolina, Wayland Jackson appears on Collie
Wright's doorstep. A Pennsylvania clockmaker traveling to Tennessee, with his
daughter and pet pig in tow. He's lost his way, and needs a place to sleep, and Collie
makes room for him.
It's not just Wayland who's a mystery-Collie herself has her community wondering
who the father of her baby might be. Ehle is masterful at stacking up clues, so
that you're really not surprised when you find out who he is. You will, however, be
surprised at what happens to him.
I've not read an Appalachian novel in which the stock plotline of feuding mountain
families ends not in family bloodshed but in human understanding and possibility.
Ehle finds ways over and over to make a reader think she knows what's coming...
but his characters know differently. And you trust them enough to follow them.
" The Winter People " was made into a movie in 1989, with Kurt Russell playing
Wayland Jackson and Kelly McGillis as Collie Wright. Watch it if you need to-but
you'll do better discovering the story in book form. It's as honest as they come.
-JOAN VANNORSDALL
Get ready to gear up for the adventure of a
lifetime as you and your crew explore both
West Virginia's vast mountain landscapes and
lively, small towns. This spring, venture out
on the Hatfield-McCoy Trails by day and rest
easy in a cozy cabin or comfy lodge by night.
You'll soon discover your own slice of Almost
Heaven here in the Hatfield-McCoy Mountains.
WVTourism.com/HatfieldMcCoyCVB
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022 25
http://www.tory.org http://www.WVTourism.com/HatfieldMcCoyCVB
Blue Ridge Country January/February 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Blue Ridge Country January/February 2022
