High Country Press

The following are recent obituary notices from Austin and Barnes and Hampton funeral homes in Boone and Reins-Sturdivant in Newland June 3, 1961 ~ July 3, 2026 Samuel Fay Beasley II, known as i-Fry to most, 65, of Boone, North Carolina passed away peacefully at the beach on July 3rd, 2026, after a courageous battle with cancer. Born in Fairbanks, Alaska, Sam spent his childhood growing up in Fayetteville, North Carolina before making Boone his home as an adult.

The following are recent obituary notices from Austin and Barnes and Hampton funeral homes in Boone and Reins-Sturdivant in Newland March 8, 1930 ~ June 27, 2026 June Wardell Mason, RN, 96, passed away on June 27, 2026, in Boone, North Carolina. She was born on March 8 th , 1930, in Hackensack, New Jersey to Charles Judson Wardell and Florence Ethel Myers Wardell. She was raised by her mother and her stepfather, Egbert Freund.

The following are recent obituary notices from Austin and Barnes and Hampton funeral homes in Boone and Reins-Sturdivant in Newland June 21, 2026 Sara Joan Trathen, 86, of Mountain City, Tennessee, passed away peacefully at home on June 21, 2026, surrounded by loved ones. She was born near Hillsburgh, Ontario, to Wallace and Etta Nodwell, and grew up there with her two older brothers, Gordon and Edwin, whom she adored.

BANNER ELK, N.C.— 2026 marks the 250th anniversary of the United States of America, and Director of Summer Theatre Janet Speer has thrown her hat into the celebratory ring with her latest original musical, “America 250.” The show will be performed as part of this season’s Lees-McRae Summer Theatre lineup Tuesday, June 30 through Sunday, July 5. Speer wrote and will direct the musical, which tells the story of a group of performers assembling a show in celebration of the nation’s big anniversary.

By Bob Garver Simply put, “Toy Story” is my favorite movie franchise of all time. The 1995 original about cowboy doll Woody (Tom Hanks) fighting for relevance against hi-tech spaceman action figure Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen) was about the most fun a kid could possibly have at a theater… until three worthy sequels came along. And yet here I am, saying that “Toy Story 5” is a big step down for the franchise.

BOONE, NORTH CAROLINA — The Boone Area Chamber of Commerce has been named a finalist for the 2026 Chamber of the Year award, presented by the Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives (ACCE). ACCE is an association based in Alexandria, Va., with over 1,600 chambers of commerce and related business and economic development organizations as members, representing more than 9,000 professionals in the industry.

The following are recent obituary notices from Austin and Barnes and Hampton funeral homes in Boone and Reins-Sturdivant in Newland September 13, 1953 ~ June 17, 2026 Cynthia Ann England, age 72, of Vilas, passed away peacefully on Wednesday, June 17, 2026, at Glenbridge Health & Rehab. Cynthia was born in Coral Gables, FL, on September 13, 1953, to Lester Roger Shellhouse and Eva Oleta Stebelton.

By Bob Garver Last week, I reviewed “The Mandalorian and Grogu,” which was based on a series that I hadn’t seen, but I was well-aware of its larger world and its place in popular culture. This week is “Backrooms,” which is also based on a series that I haven’t seen, and was in no way known to me until a few weeks ago. Even once I did hear about it, it struck me as an obscure, niche product for horror nerds.

On June 2, 2026, Watauga County Habitat for Humanity and friends gathered to hold The 2026 Big Cheese Fundraising Finale at Appalachian Mountain Brewery in Boone, N.C. This event was the conclusion of two months of fundraising that 8 teams and 29 individuals participated in, through “The Big Cheese Fundraiser.” The fundraiser brought in a total of $63,138 for the Watauga Habitat. This year was the 12th year of the peer-to-peer fundraiser, and it has raised a total of $521,120 since its inception.

The Blowing Rock Community Foundation is proud to announce the scholarship recipients for 2030. The nine students pictured below will join the current twenty scholarship recipients for a total of twenty-nine scholarships awarded for the 2026-2027 academic year. These students will be awarded a total of $150,000 during this academic year.