Polk Lore

More than 50 years ago, on Christmas Eve of 1968, as Apollo 8 rounded the far side of the moon, astronaut William Anders grabbed a camera and snapped a picture of the Earth as it slipped into view. That photograph, “Earth Rise,” is one of the most influential images ever created. It changed the way we thought about our place in the universe and helped launch the modern environmental movement.

But a hundred years before that, a select group of artists hauled their painting gear across America to capture somewhat-more-close-up scenes of the natural world. Their illustrations were published as wood and steel engravings in a series of coffee-table journals called Picturesque America. Those images were also hugely influential. In fact, the idea of the national park system can, at least in part, be traced to that project. 

Of course, the mission of preserving nature is a never-ending one. Because the threats never go away. 

In this episode, we meet one of the modern champions of the power of art to inspire environmental protection. Scott Varn recently moved his national non-profit organization, Preserving a Picturesque America, to Polk County – Saluda, to be precise.  

What exactly his non-profit does will takes some explaining, but the short story is he’s working with today’s artists to raise money to protect the places first captured by their nineteenth-century predecessors. We talked in early July at his new digs in Saluda, where you can find much of that art,  on display earlier this month.

https://preservationthroughart.org/

https://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/apollo-8-earthrise

Talia Petoia, who had just turned 27, was shot and killed, reportedly by her boyfriend, 21-year-old Tyler Laughter, on March 10, in Mill Spring. Within a few days, the Polk County Sheriff’s Office announced that the killing was accidental — an unintentional discharge while handling a gun. Three months later, following a grand jury hearing, the district attorney indicted Talia’s boyfriend with involuntary manslaughter. His trial, assuming he doesn’t plead guilty, is scheduled for Aug. 15.

Dozens of people in Polk County and neighboring communities have collectively put up about $20,000 to help Talia’s family hire a lawyer and a private investigator to second-guess the findings of the Sheriff’s office, the grand jury, and the DA.

I reached out to someone who is familiar with some of the people behind the “Justice for Talia” campaign, and she put in me in touch with a woman who had been a friend of Talia’s for most of their lives. Emily Shanahan and I talked at Harmon Field on July 3.

More information

Mass shooting as a share of gun deaths:

https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/04/26/what-the-data-says-about-gun-deaths-in-the-u-s/

Philadelphia shooting:

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/philadelphia-shooting-kingsessing/

June 22, 2023 Polk County Sheriff’s Office Statement:
https://classm.earth/polklore/PCSO-statement-TaliaPetoia.pdf

 Tryon Daily Bulletin coverage:

https://www.tryondailybulletin.com/2023/03/30/mill-spring-man-charged-with-involuntary-manslaughter-after-shooting-death/

WLOS coverage:

https://wlos.com/news/local/man-charged-involuntary-manslaughter-tyler-grayson-laughter-fatal-shooting-death-girlfriend-mill-spring-talia-petoia-tryon-officials-say-cleaning-loaded-gun

Justice For Talia Go Fund Me page:

https://www.gofundme.com/f/justice-for-talia-petoia

There’s new non-profit community-minded organization in your part of the world dedicated to improving your life and those of the people around you. The new organization is called “On Track Saluda.” Its mission is to raise the quality of life in Saluda — and hopefully set an example for the rest of the county — by supplying guidance on how and what we eat, how much we get outside and play, and how much time we spend connecting with each other. The details are drawn from something called the Blue Zones Project, which has its academic origins in a 2004 paper in the peer-reviewed journal Experimental Gerontology about why so many people on the Italian island of Sardinia were reaching the age of 100. 

It's turns out that almost 17% of Sardinians were at least 100 years old. Which is kind of crazy if you consider that the comparable percentage in the US is less than 1%. But more important, many of those ultra-old Sardinians were still in great shape. 

 An endurance cyclist named Dan Buettner wrote a story for the National Geographic magazine the next year about what the scientists were calling “blue zones” — places around the world where people are living longer, healthier lives. Those zones included communities in Greece, Japan, and Costa Rica. Then he set up pilot projects in three California communities to see if he could replicate the lifestyle factors that were responsible for the long, healthy lives. A viral TED talk and 13 years later, and the Blue Zones concept seems to be catching on. And why not? As our population ages, staying healthy into our 80s, 90s and even 100s, is not just a nice idea, it’s going to essential to our economy. 

Brevard is now officially a “Certified Blue Zone Community” and a group of folks in Saluda recently decided to follow suit. On Track Saluda is being led by Saluda Living in Place (SLIP), which is devoted to making life easier for our elderly folk. I spoke with one the chief organizers, former Saluda City Commissioner Lynn Cass at her home in Saluda.  

Further reading

Blue Zones Project: https://info.bluezonesproject.com/home

Saluda Living in Place: ⁠https://www.slipnc.org⁠

Centenarian stats:
https://www.bumc.bu.edu/centenarian/statistics/#:~:text=USA%20number%20of%20centenarians.,or%20a%20prevalence%20of%200.27%25.

"Identification of a geographic area characterized by extreme longevity in the Sardinia island: the AKEA study"
https://shs.hal.science/halshs-00175541/file/2004%20POULAIN%20BZ%20EXP%20GERONT.pdf

One of my favorite pieces of wisdom comes from Garrett Hardin, an American ecologist who wrote “you cannot do only one thing." What he meant is that everything is connected with everything else, and that anything we do will have unintended consequences. He was writing first and foremost about the environment, but I like the line because it really a rule for understanding how we organize society in general.

I was reminded of Hardin’s rule while editing my conversation with Nena Butterfield,  an experimental psychiatrist at Pavilion, a substance abuse rehabilitation center up in the northern corner of the county. She agreed to help me explore the state of mental health in Polk County. But it wasn’t easy to stay on topic, to focus on mental health problems without talking about addiction, loneliness, suicide, politics, kids and schools, seniors, covid-19, social media, screen-time… to just name a few of the issues we just couldn’t avoid.

Ordinarily this would be frustrating, but in retrospect it made a lot of sense. Our state of mental health has far-reaching implications that make it difficult for one government department, or one group, to manage. And we’ve all been affected by mental health problems. Dr. Butterfield and I talked in her office at the Pavilion complex in Cooper’s Gap.

Further reading

The new science of hope, by Carol Graham, The Atlantic, April 25, 2023

Teen girls report record levels of sadness, C.D.C, Finds, New York Times, Feb. 13, 2023

Youth Risk Behavior Survey, 2011-2021, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Pavilion Substance Abuse Disorder Treatment Center

For as long as I can remember, Polk County has wanted its own YMCA. There’s one in Hendersonville, and Asheville, Greenville, and Spartanburg all have at least one branch. There’s even Ys in Black Mountain and Marion. The Spartanburg Y runs some programs here, and Camp Skyuka dates back to the 1950s. But what people really want is an indoor pool. Of the 3,000-odd people who filled out a survey last year, 84 per cent wanted a place to swim year-round.

But indoor pools are expensive. And until recently, the cost seemed to be out of reach for a county as small as ours. Then, two years ago, something that looked suspiciously like an plea from a Nigerian prince landed in the inbox of Spartanburg Y CEO Rick Callebs. That email turned out be an offer to make a $2 million donation. And now, assuming everything comes together as planned, it’s going to be built at the intersection of Highway 74 and Highway 108.

Rick has been part of the Y movement for more than 40 years, and he’s run Ys both large and small. We met at the Womack building in Columbus at the end of March to talk about what it’s going to take to make sure Polk County doesn’t miss out on the best chance to see the project come to fruition.

Further reading

Details of the proposed Polk County YMCA

Mackenzie Scott’s donations to YMCAs⁠

The Polk County Y survey results 

A little history

It’s only just the beginning of spring, but if you consider yourself an engaged member of the Saluda community, it’s never too early to start thinking about Coon Dog Day, which is held each year on the first Saturday after July 4.

There was a time when Coon Dog Day was kind of like the third rail of politics in Saluda. No one was going to touch it — let alone challenge its very existence. Over the years, though, what was once the biggest celebration in the county started to lose its lustre. After the city ended the prohibition on the sale of alcohol back in 2005, some folks started complaining about drunken partiers ruining the wholesome nature of the festival, particularly the square-dancing at the tail end of the day’s events. For some reason, the elaborate floats that made the Coon Dog Day parade such a draw for thousands of visitors — and residents —stopped being quite so elaborate. And where were all the racoon hounds? Then covid hit in 2020, and the whole thing had to be cancelled for two years.

That gave citizens the chance to mull over whether Coon Dog Day was really worth the effort and the money. Someone has to pay for the police presence — unless all the officers agree to volunteer their time. There’s golf carts and shuttle buses to rent, and hassle of shutting down Highway 176 for a day. It turns out that not everyone in Saluda loves Coon Dog Day, particularly those shops and businesses on Main Street who find it more of a expense than an opportunity.

 Saluda’s Board of Commissioners recently held a public hearing to consider the future of Coon Dog Day. The consensus was that this summer’s version would be a scaled-back event, a lot like last year’s, which was much quieter than pre-covid days. Everyone seems to still like the 5 K run, which has been a part of the day’s schedule for years, but gone are the carnival amusement-park rides and over-sized food trucks. And, as you’ll hear in my talk with Saluda Mayor Tangie Morgan, who headed the Coon Dog Day committee long before she was elected in 2021, there are the inevitable problems that come with trying to celebrate a history that isn’t always squeaky clean.

Future reading:

Coon Dog Day history

One of the best parts of producing a podcast is learning that someone is actually listening. And more importantly listening closely enough that they have a good grasp of what you’re actually trying to accomplish. This episode is the product of some feedback from one listener who really does get it.

I was asked: Why don’t I do something about foster kids in Polk County? Apparently, there’s a new project based in Saluda and it really deserves some attention. 

Kim Wilson, who is the Senior Social Work Service Manager for the county has a long list of items in her job description. Among them is overseeing the care of foster children — those kids for whom family life hasn’t worked out very well. 

Like most parents, I mostly focus on my own family and generally ssume that anyone’s else’s child is the responsibility of other parents. But there’s a good reason the old African proverb of “it takes a village” to raise to a child is so popular. There are more than a few reasons why a parent, or parents, might not be up to the task of providing the care that every boy or girl needs. Drug addiction, a history of prior violence, mental health problems, financial pressures — they all can mean that children don’t receive the love and attention that we all want them to have.

Of course, removing a child, against a parent’s wishes, from the home, should always be a last resort. But sometimes it’s necessary, and as Kim told me, the entire community needs to be involved if that kind of intervention is going to have a chance of doing any good.

Further reading

takes

Polk County Social Services

When my wife I and were thinking about moving to Saluda, about 19 years ago, my  first thought was: Sound great. But does it have high-speed internet?

Fortunately, a few seconds on my current internet connection was all it took to find out that yes, Saluda did have high-speed service. Not everyone in Polk County is so lucky. My Facebook feed includes almost daily complaints from someone somewhere whose service is either too slow or too unreliable. And as our experience during the first year and a half of the COVID pandemic proves, there are a lot of families from who the commercial internet providers have not come through because they don’t like to run lines to lightly populated areas where the return on investment is marginal.

According to the Foothills Regional Commission, a third of the households in Polk County don’t have a broadband connection. Most of them are in Green Creek, Sunny View, Mill Spring — basically anywhere outside of the three towns. A lot of them would love to sign up for decent internet at a bargain price by taking advantage of the $30/month subsidy that the Biden administration managed to convince Congress to pass last year. But you can’t use a subsidy if there’s nothing to buy.

Still, things are getting better. The fiber-optic line through Saluda that let my wife and I hold simultaneous Zoom videoconferences while my son did something similar during that wonderful experience known as “remote learning” not too long ago, was made possible by an Obama administration grant to RiverStreet, our internet provider. There were plans to expand that service but program funding dried up when the Trump administration took over in 2017.

Now, the state of North Carolina is finally recognizing that the free market isn’t going to make that last-mile connection. Among the biggest boosters of using taxpayer dollars to expand broadband service is Polk County’s representative in the state House, Jake Johnson. He was more than happy to talk about his work on that subject. Our conversation is full of acronyms and references to obscure government programs, but I think you’ll still learn a few things about what’s coming down the proverbial pipeline. You might also learn a few things about Jake Johnson, and his approach to politics.

We spoke about the coming broadband bonzana — and the possibility that North Carolina might finally expand Medicaid — a few days ago in a conference room above the House of Flags museum in Columbus.

Further reading and watching:

Federal grant to RiverStreet to build 2000 miles of fiber in NC, Journal Patriot:

Jake Johnson's NC House page

Elections are funny things. They can suck up all the oxygen for weeks at a time, only to evaporate the moment the votes are counted. If you’re a political junky, you can probably find a few podcasts and cable news programs that will agonize over the outcomes of all the big races for a few days, but most of us waste no time getting back to worrying about the price of eggs or whatever it is the Department of Transportation wants to do to our highways.

Here in Polk County, the 2022 mid-term elections were a relatively sedate affair. No one was challenging our state house representative. The race for NC 11 in the US House was a foregone conclusion, and incumbents pretty much ran the show up and down the ballot — even in the most interesting races for the Board of Education — just as they’ve done pretty much since 2010. But that doesn’t mean that there won’t be fallout from the choices we just made. Every election has consequences, even if nothing much seems to have changed at first glance.

Now that we’ve all had a month to think about the results, I thought it would be a good idea to go over what did and didn’t happen back in November. I asked Doug Clark, a retired North Carolina journalist and an astute observer of all things political now living in Tryon. We talked about which races produced the most interesting results, what the lack of local political news coverage means when it comes to democracy, and why it is that Democrats can’t seem to get a break around these parts.

Further reading

NC State Board of Elections results dashboard

Facebook. 

Can’t live with it. Can’t live without it. Rarely does a day go by that it’s not tempting to conclude the world would be better off without the soul-sucking, time-wasting, black hole that is social media.

From a recent edition of Wired magazine:

But if you’re living in a news desert — as we in Polk County do — where else are you going to turn for some sense of what’s going on in local affairs? Here’s an observation from a recent edition of The Atlantic:

Olivia Whiteside isn’t one of the Facebook administrators that The Atlantic reporter consulted, but she might as well have been. She’s one of the main moderators of the Polk County Concerned Citizens Facebook group, which has approximately 1,400 members, making it one of the main internet forums for discussions of local politics and community concerns.

The page was started a few years ago when it became clear the new Tryon International Equestrian Center was going to have a big impact on Polk County, but today the allowed topics of discussion are much broader. Basically, anything that might have once made into the local newspaper is fair game. There are other Facebook pages out there devoted to county affairs, but Polk County Concerned Citizens is easily the most relevant.

Only members can post, and even then, posts have to approved by a moderator, which means that Olivia and her fellow admins sometimes have their work cut out for them. She sat down with me at the Polk Library in Columbus just before Thanksgiving to talk about just what that entails, and what it’s meant for place in both the online and real worlds.

Further reading

Polk County Concerned Citizens, Facebook page

"The High Cost of Living Your Life Online," by Thor Benson, Wired, October 3, 2022.

"The Only Good Thing Left About Facebook," by Mansee Khurana, The Atlantic, April 28, 2022.