Hosting Club: The High Country Torch Club, Boone, North Carolina
Costs: Per person, $350 before May 14. May 15 and later, $450 per person.
Hotel: The Meadowbrook Inn, 711 Main St, P.O. Box 2005, Blowing Rock, NC 28605-8278.
Where We Will be Meeting
The hotel where we will meet is The Meadowbrook Inn, 711 Main St, P.O. Box 2005, Blowing Rock, NC 28605-8278. Our Saturday night Paxton gala will be presented at the meeting room of the renovated downtown theatre in Boone. Both Boone and Blowing Rock feature walkable downtowns. The theatre renovation is a project dear to the hearts of many members of the High Country Torch Club.
Meadowbrook Inn is a tranquil mountain retreat located in the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains in scenic Blowing Rock, North Carolina. Situated one block from the upscale shops, restaurants, and galleries on Blowing Rock's Main Street, Meadowbrook Inn offers a relaxing mountain escape in the midst of some of the High Country's most popular attractions. Our boutique hotel features 62 cozy yet spacious rooms, boasting traditional furnishings and updated amenities. Guestrooms feature flat panel televisions with 100+ High Definition satellite TV channels, coffeemakers, hairdryers, fine bath amenities and much more. During your stay, we invite you to enjoy our indoor swimming pool, fitness center, complimentary hot breakfast and wireless internet, as well as lovely landscaped grounds all just one block from the center of downtown.
How to Get to North Carolina's High Country
There is also a Lot to Do in the High Country: Come Early, Stay Late
For many years, even back to the 1970s, it has been proposed to have conventions not where clubs are located, but at a well-known tourist location. This year (and next at Saratoga) we will be meeting at a location which is a tourist destination due to the scenic wonders and cooler temperatures. You can get to Boone/Blowing Rock on the Blue Ridge Parkway. a national treasure. The picture at the top of this page is typical of the views you get near our meeting place. Not far from Boone is Mt. Mitchell. Mount Mitchell’s dramatic summit is the highest point east of the Mississippi at 6,684 feet and was inspiration for one of the nation’s first state parks.
The Paxton Gala Dinner
A Five Course Craft Beverage Pairing Dinner Featuring All Local Food and Beverage from the High Country of North Carolina
Join us at the newly rehabilitated 82 year old Art Deco Appalachian Theatre for an evening of food and drink pairings featuring all locally sourced food crafted by Chefs JP Mason and Eli Bradford of Lost Province Brewing Co. in Boone, NC. At 6pm, before dinner, enjoy a cash bar featuring moonshine cocktails from Copper Barrel Distillery, Wilkes Co. The five course dinner begins at 7pm with each course expertly paired with wines from Yadkin Valley winery Jones von Drehle, craft beers from Lost Province Brewing Co. in Boone, and small batch ciders from Molley Chomper Cidery, Ashe County. Brewers and vintners will be present to speak about their respective pairings and products.
More Meeting Activities and Papers
We are excited to announce that, as in some past years, we are able this year to schedule a cultural event in place of a tour. On Friday night there is a significant event at the Appalachian Theater, for which we have reserved tickets for our convention. Boone is celebrating Doc Watson day with well-known musicians coming to Boone to play his music and to introduce us to his famous guitar playing at the Appalachian Theater. If you click on the Wikipedia link above, you can find numerous reference to this world-famous musician. On Thursday night, a professor from Appalachian State will introduce Doc Watson and his music to us.
Our other Torch papers feature a talk by Roland Moy, well-known to us from his papers in The Torch Magazine and twice a Paxton winner. We also have a talk featuring the role of Mark Twain in American culture. What is different about this talk is that the presenter actually impersonates Mark Twain as he might have talked to us during his lifetime. You will really enjoy this presentation and paper!
Friday afternoon there will be an afternoon where you have several options:
The hotel where we will meet is The Meadowbrook Inn, 711 Main St, P.O. Box 2005, Blowing Rock, NC 28605-8278. Our Saturday night Paxton gala will be presented at the meeting room of the renovated downtown theatre in Boone. Both Boone and Blowing Rock feature walkable downtowns. The theatre renovation is a project dear to the hearts of many members of the High Country Torch Club.
Meadowbrook Inn is a tranquil mountain retreat located in the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains in scenic Blowing Rock, North Carolina. Situated one block from the upscale shops, restaurants, and galleries on Blowing Rock's Main Street, Meadowbrook Inn offers a relaxing mountain escape in the midst of some of the High Country's most popular attractions. Our boutique hotel features 62 cozy yet spacious rooms, boasting traditional furnishings and updated amenities. Guestrooms feature flat panel televisions with 100+ High Definition satellite TV channels, coffeemakers, hairdryers, fine bath amenities and much more. During your stay, we invite you to enjoy our indoor swimming pool, fitness center, complimentary hot breakfast and wireless internet, as well as lovely landscaped grounds all just one block from the center of downtown.
How to Get to North Carolina's High Country
- Boone is reached from the east by Highway 421 which is a 4-lane highway. You would drive I-40 to Winston-Salem, NC, and then join 421 to Boone/Blowing Rock
- From the West, leave highway 40 at the 321 junction and head towards Boone.
- The nearest airport is Winston-Salem. We will arrange to pick you up there, although a car rental would enable you see the signs before and after the convention. You could also fly into Charlotte.
There is also a Lot to Do in the High Country: Come Early, Stay Late
For many years, even back to the 1970s, it has been proposed to have conventions not where clubs are located, but at a well-known tourist location. This year (and next at Saratoga) we will be meeting at a location which is a tourist destination due to the scenic wonders and cooler temperatures. You can get to Boone/Blowing Rock on the Blue Ridge Parkway. a national treasure. The picture at the top of this page is typical of the views you get near our meeting place. Not far from Boone is Mt. Mitchell. Mount Mitchell’s dramatic summit is the highest point east of the Mississippi at 6,684 feet and was inspiration for one of the nation’s first state parks.
The Paxton Gala Dinner
A Five Course Craft Beverage Pairing Dinner Featuring All Local Food and Beverage from the High Country of North Carolina
Join us at the newly rehabilitated 82 year old Art Deco Appalachian Theatre for an evening of food and drink pairings featuring all locally sourced food crafted by Chefs JP Mason and Eli Bradford of Lost Province Brewing Co. in Boone, NC. At 6pm, before dinner, enjoy a cash bar featuring moonshine cocktails from Copper Barrel Distillery, Wilkes Co. The five course dinner begins at 7pm with each course expertly paired with wines from Yadkin Valley winery Jones von Drehle, craft beers from Lost Province Brewing Co. in Boone, and small batch ciders from Molley Chomper Cidery, Ashe County. Brewers and vintners will be present to speak about their respective pairings and products.
More Meeting Activities and Papers
We are excited to announce that, as in some past years, we are able this year to schedule a cultural event in place of a tour. On Friday night there is a significant event at the Appalachian Theater, for which we have reserved tickets for our convention. Boone is celebrating Doc Watson day with well-known musicians coming to Boone to play his music and to introduce us to his famous guitar playing at the Appalachian Theater. If you click on the Wikipedia link above, you can find numerous reference to this world-famous musician. On Thursday night, a professor from Appalachian State will introduce Doc Watson and his music to us.
Our other Torch papers feature a talk by Roland Moy, well-known to us from his papers in The Torch Magazine and twice a Paxton winner. We also have a talk featuring the role of Mark Twain in American culture. What is different about this talk is that the presenter actually impersonates Mark Twain as he might have talked to us during his lifetime. You will really enjoy this presentation and paper!
Friday afternoon there will be an afternoon where you have several options:
- One choice is a walking tour of Blowing Rock, where you can explore that many specialized small shops on a walkable main street. Many tourists make this a yearly event! You can walk from the hotel to main street.
- If you choose, you can drive to Grandfather Mountain.
- You can also walk on the main street in Boone where musicians will be be playing on the street in front of selected stores. This is a once-a-year treat.
One New Feature of the Convention
One new feature of the convention this year will be a session where those attending will participate in selecting topics to be discussed. Here is how John Ricca, session leader, describes the session:
How to Register For The Convention
We hope for on-line registration this year. This site will be updated or replaced by new information.
How to Register for the Hotel
See the magazine as this information is updated.
The Goal of a Torch Convention
At our conventions, we do conduct the business of running Torch. But a very important goal of all our conventions, besides having a good time, is to meet and talk with Torch members from different parts of the country and to share fellowship. Lifetime friendships develop from the conventions. So please come and enjoy the high country and the region, and enjoy meeting fellow Torch members from around the country.
See you in Boone and Blowing Rock in 2021.
One new feature of the convention this year will be a session where those attending will participate in selecting topics to be discussed. Here is how John Ricca, session leader, describes the session:
- Attendees will vote to select one or two topics from a list of four or five current-events issues. Torch member John Ricca will provide a short introduction to the first selected issue, followed by an open discussion where participants can ask questions, share their perspectives and opinions, and help each other to expand their knowledge of the issue. If the first topic is concluded in less than 25 minutes, we will discuss the second most popular topic.
- John Ricca will hand out vote sheets sometime during or shortly after lunch; Mr. Ricca will add the votes for each topic prior to the scheduled time for the discussion, and announce the voting results at the beginning of the discussion session.
How to Register For The Convention
We hope for on-line registration this year. This site will be updated or replaced by new information.
How to Register for the Hotel
See the magazine as this information is updated.
The Goal of a Torch Convention
At our conventions, we do conduct the business of running Torch. But a very important goal of all our conventions, besides having a good time, is to meet and talk with Torch members from different parts of the country and to share fellowship. Lifetime friendships develop from the conventions. So please come and enjoy the high country and the region, and enjoy meeting fellow Torch members from around the country.
See you in Boone and Blowing Rock in 2021.