22 42 ADOBE STOCK ROGER GUPTA NOT FEATURES 22 STATE PARKS WORTHY OF NATIONAL PARK STATUS? The recent " promotion " of West Virginia's New River Gorge State Park got us thinking about seven other great state parks. BY ANGELA MINOR 30 FAIRIES MAGIC IN THE MOUNTAINS Mary Martin has created a little wonderland at Hendersonville, North Carolina's Bullington Gardens. BY GINNY NEIL 32 BLUE RIDGE PARKWAY: A PHOTO APPRECIATION Our contributing photographers capture the best of the roadway. 37 CARL LOVES PAULA: A CONNEMARA ROMANCE The love between Carl and Paula Sandburg included pet names, pet goats and poetry beyond compare. BY LAUREN STEPP 42 ANNUAL MOUNTAIN FESTIVALS & EVENTS GUIDE Your guide to fun and travels for the rest of the year. BY JOE TENNIS 60 FUNGI GUY KNOWS HIS 'SHROOMS It's essential to have an expert for your early forays into mushrooms. BY BRUCE INGRAM 62 ON THE TRAIL OF SCENIC GRIST MILLS We visit a collection of the wheels and stones that have made human history in the mountains. BY ANGELA MINOR DEPARTMENTS 6 From the Associate Publisher/Letter/ Contributors 10 12 8 From the Editor Mill Creek Stories Creature Feature 14 The Good Walk 16 Our Blue Ridge Towns 18 Country Roads 70 Flavors 72 Singing in the Garden 74 The Mountain Q & A NOTE Our Festivals & Events department does not appear in this issue; those events are in the Annual Festivals & Events Guide beginning on page 42. ON THE COVER We're at the Balloons Over Rockbridge Hot Air Balloon and Music Festival in Lexington, Virginia. The event takes place July 2-3. For more information on this festival and scores more 2022 festivals and events, please see page 42. PHOTO BY MICHELE FLETCHER & FESTIVALS EVENTS 2022 ANNUAL GUIDE CARL LOVES PAULA The Sandburgs' Connemara Romance THE MAGIC OF MOUNTAIN MILLS Where Water Flows to Beauty and Function SHE MADE A FOREST FULL OF FAIRIES June 2022 BlueRidgeCountry.com BLUE RIDGE PARKWAY: A PHOTO CELEBRATION | STATE PARKS WORTHY OF NATIONAL STATUS?http://www.BlueRidgeCountry.com