Hardy Pens New Release

By Scott Nicholson

Michael C. Hardy, author of 2005’s A Short History of Watauga County, is back with his latest entry into his own canon of local history.

Hardy’s new release is Remembering Avery County: Old Tales From North Carolina’s Youngest County. A long-time historian and Civil War buff, Hardy wanted to expand on his work for the pictorial history of the county done as part of Arcadia’s Images of America series.

“The last history of Avery County was in 1964,” Hardy said. “There are all kinds of little stories that no one ever talks about. When I did the (Arcadia) pictorial book, I was limited in text and I really wanted to expound on some of the images I’ve found.”

Among the topics are the familiar, such as Lulu Belle and Skyland Scotty Wiseman, who took their act to commercial radio in Chicago during the 1930s. “They helped preserve a lot of the local mountain music and give it a wider audience,’ Hardy said.

Howard Marmon is of particular interest because of how his engineering work touched other people. Marmon’s company produced cars that were among the elite in t he early 1900s and a Marmon car won the first Indianapolis 500 in 1902. The company also developed a World War I plane engine and light-armor tanks.

Other chapters include Avery County place names, the Blue Ridge Parkway, the exploration of Grandfather Mountain, and “newer” events such as Singing on the Mountain, the Highland Games, the Land of Oz and the development of Linville Land harbor.

“It’s handy for folks who come up and visit and want a history to help them get a feel for the area,” Hardy said. “It’s an introduction to the state’s youngest county.”

He’s currently working on a book about the 58th North Carolina Troops, which had Ashe and Watauga county soldiers during the Civil War.

Hardy’s other books are: The Thirty-seventh North Carolina Troops: Tar Heels in the Army of Northern Virginia; The c.1840 McElroy House; A Glimpse of Yancey County, North Carolina, History; The Battles of Hanover Court House: Turning Point of the Peninsula Campaign, May 27, 1862; Remembering North Carolina’s Confederates; and Caldwell County: Images of America.

More New Releases From The High Country

McFarland Publishers of West Jefferson have released two recent books: All Around the Track is a collection of oral histories from drivers, mechanics, race officials, car owners and journalists associated with motorsports. The book is co-written by former NASCAR champion Rex White. Track legends like David Pearson, Junior Johnson, Bobby Allison, Bob Glidden Joe Gibbs and Atlanta Motor Speedway president Ed Clark are represented in the book, which collects a number of rare photographs and exclusive material.

Older fans of Saturday-morning television may enjoy McFarland’s Sid and Marty Krofft, a pop culture book billed as “A Critical Study of Saturday Morning Children’s Television, 1969-1993” for those who remember such oddball touchstones as “H.R. Pufnstuf,” “Sigmund and the Sea Monsters,” and “Land of the Lost.” The Krofft brothers reinvigorated kiddie television with their puppeteering. The book covers the arc of the Kroffts’s careers and their 11 shows, and contains a complete cast and credit information, augmented with cast and crew interviews. Unfortunately for fuzzy character enthusiasts, the book contains no photographs.

Joni Nebel Rhodes of Roaring Gap has released Don’t Give Up Before the Miracle, which she calls a woman’s message of hope and inspiration. She recounts her life of alcoholism and manic depression, including growing up as the child of alcoholics and entering t he swinging lifestyle of flight attendants. She said she found recovery in her forties and wants to share her story so others suffering from the same problems can live a better life. The book is available through www.iuniverse.com.