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People fall in love with Banner Elk

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A Lee Enterprises, Incorporated newspaper. Majority shareholder: David Hoffmann, Hoffmann Media Group.

People fall in love with Banner Elk

1 of 11

banner elk Apple Hill Farm 945a.jpg

At Apple Hill Farm, you’ll find alpacas, angora goats, llamas, donkeys, livestock, guardian dogs and even honey bees.

banner elk5506' Skybar 007.JPG

BOTTOM: At the top of Beech Mountain, visitors can take in the view and a craft beer brewed on site at 5506 Skybar. Beech Mountain Brewing offers eight taps with four flagship beers and four seasonal brews.

MIDDLE: Nina Fischesser, the director of the May Wildlife Rehabilitation Center at Lees-McRae College, interacts with students at the center, which cares for more than 1,500 injured animals annually from throughout western North Carolina.

The 40th annual Woolly Worm Festival of Banner Elk takes place Oct. 21-22 at the Historic Banner Elk School.

Welcome sign and city limit sign for the town of Banner Elk in the fall with a colorful arrangement of flowers and pumpkins.

“You can’t get any better water in the world,” says Flat Top Mountain Brewery owner Mark Ralston.

Banner Elk Winery The winery offers red and white varietals, in addition to rose and the award-winning Banner Elk Blueberry “Ice,” a port-style dessert wine.

Banner Elk Winery is a stop on the High Country Wine Trail, which also includes Grandfather Vineyards & Winery, Linville Falls Winery and Watauga Lake Winery.

The 40th Annual Woolly Worm Festival of Banner Elk takes place Oct. 21-22 at the Historic Banner Elk School.

A festive fall arrangement lines a brick sidewalk on Main Street in Banner Elk. The town’s population swells from about 1,000 year-round residents to about 7,000 to 10,000 in the summer.

ABOVE: At Apple Hill Farm, you’ll find alpacas, angora goats, llamas, donkeys, livestock, guardian dogs and even honeybees. “When people come to visit, there’s a moment when they disconnect. ... Usually it happens around the alpacas,” owner Lee Rankin says.

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By Tina Firesheets Special to the News & Record

The little mountain town of Banner Elk is perhaps most known for its proximity to Beech Mountain Resort, the highest ski area in the eastern United States.

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Want to go?

What: 40th Annual Woolly Worm Festival of Banner Elk

When: Oct. 21-22

Where: Historic Banner Elk School, Banner Elk

Cost: For adults, $7 for one day, $12 for two; kids, $5 Saturday, $6 Sunday; $9 for both.

Information: www.woollyworm.com or call 828-898-5604 (day) or  828-898-5604 (evening).

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banner elk Apple Hill Farm 945a.jpg

At Apple Hill Farm, you’ll find alpacas, angora goats, llamas, donkeys, livestock, guardian dogs and even honey bees.

BOTTOM: At the top of Beech Mountain, visitors can take in the view and a craft beer brewed on site at 5506 Skybar. Beech Mountain Brewing offers eight taps with four flagship beers and four seasonal brews.

MIDDLE: Nina Fischesser, the director of the May Wildlife Rehabilitation Center at Lees-McRae College, interacts with students at the center, which cares for more than 1,500 injured animals annually from throughout western North Carolina.

The 40th annual Woolly Worm Festival of Banner Elk takes place Oct. 21-22 at the Historic Banner Elk School.

Welcome sign and city limit sign for the town of Banner Elk in the fall with a colorful arrangement of flowers and pumpkins.

“You can’t get any better water in the world,” says Flat Top Mountain Brewery owner Mark Ralston.

Banner Elk Winery The winery offers red and white varietals, in addition to rose and the award-winning Banner Elk Blueberry “Ice,” a port-style dessert wine.

Banner Elk Winery is a stop on the High Country Wine Trail, which also includes Grandfather Vineyards & Winery, Linville Falls Winery and Watauga Lake Winery.

The 40th Annual Woolly Worm Festival of Banner Elk takes place Oct. 21-22 at the Historic Banner Elk School.

A festive fall arrangement lines a brick sidewalk on Main Street in Banner Elk. The town’s population swells from about 1,000 year-round residents to about 7,000 to 10,000 in the summer.

ABOVE: At Apple Hill Farm, you’ll find alpacas, angora goats, llamas, donkeys, livestock, guardian dogs and even honeybees. “When people come to visit, there’s a moment when they disconnect. ... Usually it happens around the alpacas,” owner Lee Rankin says.

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