In this Issue…
“One touch of nature makes the whole world kin,” Shakespeare wrote more 500 years ago. That was the thought when the idea of a North Carolina Mountains to the Sea Trail was first proposed forty years ago. With the highest mountain east of Pikes Peak and the second largest coastline on the east coast, we have much to be proud of in our Variety Vacationland.
Almost immediately groups of local volunteers were formed to piece together land from national, state, city, and county sources as well as private landowners. With the route established, they continued with the physical labor of clearing the trail, sometimes virgin land, seldom traversed. Progress was slow as problems were often encountered. As of December 2015, about half (620 miles) of the 1150–mile trail has been completed, much of it in the Triad and the Triangle.
Wake Forest Reynolda and Medical campuses are planning an Aging Re-Imagined Symposium March 17-18, bringing together leading scholars and medical professionals to address the topic of aging in society. You may want to pencil in the dates since the public is invited.
On the Wine Trail again, Mary Ann and Brian Guinn visit two Surry County Wineries, the Elkin Creek Vineyard and the Grassy Creek Vineyard. If you are interested in an extended vineyard experience, they recommend buying a Passport for special winery tastings on specific weekends through April 3. (Check Winter Wine Passport for dates.)
Another event of interest is Biltmore Estate’s costume exhibition of wedding gowns (from 1645 to 1935), opening February 12, plus articles, short and long, on health and wellness. Fashionable Romance: Wedding Gowns in Film