December - Collard Sandwiches and Maxton

When I was in grade school, once a week we got greens, corn bread, pinto beans and cole slaw for lunch. I traded out my plate for everyone else's slaw. Greens - yuk.

Fast forward more than a few decades and I love collards and most other greens. I'm learning how to cook them - and what better place to do so than in Maxton, North Carolina. Oh, and by the way, that's where the largest Campbell's Soup plant is located. Employees used to have their company picnic at the NC Zoo when I worked there.

Maxton is located just east of Laurinburg off US Hwy. 74 in North Carolina. It's a charming little community that is undergoing economic change. But one thing stays constant: collards.

The Collards Festival is held each fall and is one of the most authentic festivals I've ever attended. You don't find typical street vendors. Instead, you meet the people who daily go into their own gardens and pick the large leafy green, cook it and eat it. They're the ones who serve up scrumptuous, mouth-watering collards - and they even put them in sandwiches.

In your cast iron skillet, drop into hot oil two large dollops of corn bread batter to make some fry bread. Drain it. Load one with a big scoop of cooked collards, topped with some chow chow and even a hot pepper. Cover with the second piece of bread. Oh, now that's some mighty fine eating!!

I learned that to clean collards, you must first wash them very well. You don't want specs of sand in your greens. Pull out the stems, using only the leaves. Cook them in water until they're tender. Soul food cooks add a little side meat, or fat back. You can add some ham or even olive oil. You may want to put in a little garlic, salt and pepper - and a tiny bit of sugar. When the leaves are nice and tender, dig in.

The Collards Festival and Maxton. This is a story that has gotten no press until now. For more information, contact the Lumberton CVB at 910-739-9999 or log onto www.lumberton-nc.com.

November 2007 - New Places, New People to See

Okay, the cardinal rule for having a blog is to keep it updated. I got really busy the second quarter of this year and wasn't able to keep this particular blog up and running. Sorry.

But now, I'm back at the computer and have a wealth of places to tell you about.

One of the places I found was Danbury, North Carolina. With a population of around 450, this tiny town is located just south of the Virginia border, yet north of Winston-Salem. Danbury holds the state's oldest art festival, the Stomp on the Dan - Dan River- that is.

Local artists have formed a co-op and I purchased an interesting amythest necklace and matching earrings set. You'd be amazed at the level of craftsmenship and imagination in this store - glass, wood, beads, pottery, cloth, paper - and the list goes on.

Floridians have found Danbury because of its proximity to Hanging Rock State Park. That's a gorgeous place to take the family year 'round. Pack a lunch and take a hike.

For more information, contact Mayor Jane Priddy Charleville @ 336-593-8786. There is not a regular tourism office in Danbury, so you may have to leave a message. Jane also runs the Priddy General Store.

February 2007 Story Find - Plank Roads Offer Peak of Slave History

Before pavement and concrete, roads were constructed of wooden planks. The longest plank road in North Carolina extended from Fayetteville to Winston-Salem.

Roads were typically built with slave labor. After workers cleared the land, they laid down long timbers - and then topped them planks, filling in the gaps with sand. Edges varied in length for a reason, making it easier to push a carriage wheel that had run off the road back up onto the planks.

A portion of a plank road can be seen at the Sandhills Heritage Center on Chapel Hill Road in Spring Lake, North Carolina. Each year, the facility offers the public re-enactments of some elements of the slave period - such as worship. Beginning in May, a farmers market will feature locally grown fruits and vegetables, handmade craftwork and local entertainers.

For more information, contact the Fayetteville Convention and Visitors Bureau at http://www.visitfayettevillenc.com.

January 2007 Story Finds - Paddles and Waddles

Many a soldier knows the name of Spring Lake, North Carolina. That's the home of Pope Air Force Base. It's adjacent to Fort Bragg. This month nearly half of the soldiers on these bases have been deployed overseas.

The Lower Little River runs through the town and eventually dumps into the Cape Fear River. It's not a large river, but is sufficient for kayaks and canoes. You can put your boat in the water upstream in Harnett County and paddle down to Spring Lake. Along the way, you'll pass a brand new outfitter store that will be renting and selling boats and offering guided tours.

The forest is a blend of coastal plain and piedmont plant material. You'll see pines and hardwoods, along with a huge selection of flowering plants each spring.

As you paddle downstream, you may see birds flying overhead. Some are C-130s and big engines. Some are red cock-headed woodpeckers and have feathers.

They're on the endangered species list and it's the job of the military to preserve and protect them. Guided tours will take you to see where the birds live.

And then there are other types of birds - clay pigeons. One of the best and largest skeet shooting ranges along the Eastern Seaboard is in Spring Lake. It's open to the public. You don't have to have a gun or know how to shoot. The staff will take care of everything! Why, this facility is even open to youth and women!

For more information, contact the Fayetteville Convention and Visitors Bureau at http://www.visitfayettevillenc.com