Best Tattoo Artist: Sloan Blinsink

Anna Kate Mock

Florals, retro cat clocks, nostalgic cartoons, the scary and the eclectic — Sloan Blinsink can do it all. Now a fourth-time winner of Best Tattoo Artist, Blinsink’s art is a staple in Boone, and for good reason.

Blinsink said she believes what sets her apart from other tattoo artists in the area is that her art is undoubtedly a reflection of others. She emphasizes the importance of continually learning and exchanging tips or artistic styles with those surrounding her.

As an artist at Elevated Body Art, Blinsink said she is proud to be as integrated within Boone’s tattoo scene as she is, and her love for Boone and the community is palpable in her words. 

Blinsink states that her intentions as a tattoo artist lie in making her community ties stronger and approaching her clients on a personal level. She acknowledges the way in which she feels fully “integrated in the community, especially with younger people.” But more broadly, Blinsink sees her ability to find similarities instead of differences with every individual she interacts with as a main strength of hers.

What Blinsink most aspires to be known as is someone people can be comfortable with. She said that she is never going to judge anyone for being nervous or for changing their mind, because in the end, she wants people to get exactly what they came in for. 

Blinsink loves pursuing art as a collective. In response to the ways in which she pursues art outside of tattooing, she spoke lovingly about painting skateboards in collaboration with Friendship Tattoo in Mooresville. When on the topic of her favorite recent tattoo moments, she laughed while detailing a recent Valentine’s Day event where she got the name of a stranger in the community tattooed on her leg. 

Blinsink said she was proud of her evolution over the past few years, tracking her transition in art from being more detailed and pastel into more exaggerated cartoons. In totality, she said she loves “making something complicated look simple.” 

If you want to follow Blinsink’s tattoos, you can find her on Instagram @naols. 

Best Local Visual Artist: Splat Daddy

Allison Lehan

On any given weekend in the High Country, a live music venue like FizzEd, Boone Saloon or Betsy’s Barn is bound to be alive with the evidence of creativity and community: booming instruments, buzzing conversation and often, the wonderfully wild visuals of a liquid light show. 

The psychedelic spectrum of splotches and flowing patterns that routinely illuminate stages across town belongs to Splat Daddy, this year’s Best of Boone winner for Best Visual Artist. 

First popularized in the 1960s, liquid light shows emerged as a counterculture art form. It evolved from concentrated projections on the walls of art galleries and jazz clubs to immersive accompaniments for the sets of exploratory electronic bands of the time. In an effort to help bring the cooperative practice back to the contemporary live music scene, Splat Daddy is lighting up the High Country through his own interpretative lens. 

“I started doing it regularly because I love seeing live music, and I wanted to be involved,” he said. “Just getting this kind of exposure to all different genres, that’s probably the best part. Bringing the vibes.”

Describing his work as “experimental” and “collaborative,” Splat Daddy’s practice combines traditional light show techniques using glass plates and dyed liquid with video editing software to develop fresh experiences for modern audiences. 

Since starting in 2017, his attitude toward art as a professional path is largely optimistic. 

“The world could use more visual artists. Musicians are so appreciative of someone wanting to help elevate their craft,” he said. “More people should consider going full-in on the arts.”

In addition to light shows, Splat Daddy explores screenprinting as a way to collaborate with other creatives in the Boone community. He is a vendor at the Crop & Trade Co-op, where his designs for local band merchandise can be bought alongside his paintings. 

Splat Daddy looks forward to growing his practice in the future, working with new artists and music genres. People are likely to find him at Betsy’s Barn in Todd in spring 2026 joined by Boone bands like Peach Candy Nut Boys to create unique audiovisual experiences for his fellow live-music lovers.

Anyone looking to learn more about his work or upcoming shows can visit his Instagram pages @splat.daddy and @splatdaddyprints. 

Best Alumni Chapter: Charlotte

Best Student Athlete: Alexxis Gallagher

Tierney Drake

Emma Claire Broome

When you watch the App State cheer team perform, your eyes might understandably be drawn to the people flying through the air and landing flawlessly, but if you look lower to the few people supporting the flyers, you’ll see the smiling face of Alexxis Gallagher. 

Gallagher, a junior accounting major, has been cheerleading since she was three years old. Though her mother initially introduced her to cheerleading, Gallagher grew to love the sport over the years. 

“It’s been like a constant in my life. I’ve been doing it for so long,” she said. “I feel like it’s a part of who I am, but I feel like it’s built me as a character, as a person, and has helped me grow along the way.”

Gallagher and her teammates have contributed to some of the best memories for many students, encouraging them to root for their athletics teams and represent App State’s community. However, some of the team’s most impressive achievements have come from its standalone moments.

“We huddled up, and I looked around at each of my teammates’ faces, and I could see the fear, I could see the excitement, I could see the anticipation of going out onto the stage for the first time,” Gallagher said. “I knew in that moment that this team was going to make program history, because I knew that we were all so confident in each other, that we were gonna go out there and put out the best routine that we possibly could — and we did.”

Gallagher said making the cheer team freshman year felt like an incredible achievement in her athletic career. Her favorite part about being on App State’s cheer team is performing on the field at football games with her squad. 

“There’s nothing that can compare to a football game in Kidd Brewer,” she said.

When asked how she felt about winning Best Student Athlete, Gallagher described it as “crazy.” 

“I didn’t believe it at first, because as a cheerleader, I feel like people don’t really think of us as athletes right away,” she said. “To be chosen as an athlete of the year, as a cheerleader, just means a lot to me that I can represent my sport in that way.” 

Best AppalCart Route: Red Route

Ava Silva

AppalCart isn’t just a way to get around town — it’s the heartbeat of a community on the move.

This year, the Red Route was voted as the Best AppalCart Route for Best of Boone. Traveling from the east side of campus to the Watauga Medical Center, the Red Route treats its passengers to a wide array of stops and walkable locations.

As one of AppalCart’s longer routes, buses on the Red Route arrive every 15 minutes, with multiple buses running at a time during the day.

“The Red Route serves a variety of different population groups; it’s not just a student route,” said Craig Hughes, AppalCart’s director.

The path the bus follows is unique and hits many different services, making it one of the most useful and versatile routes. The Red Route helps students and locals get to areas otherwise inaccessible without means of personal transportation.

Many people, not just students, are without access to a car, and AppalCart provides transportation to all, including those with mobility limitations. In the future, AppalCart is looking at altering the Express and Pink routes to be more efficient, as well as addressing peak travel times due to overcapacity.

Best Local Performer: Ellie K

Owen Marcellino

Originally from Greensboro, junior music performance major Ellie Kontogiorgos, known as Ellie K, is here to remind audiences punk is alive.

After posting her song “Am I Killing You?” on Instagram in 2025, Ellie K connected with her classmate Jacob Gillis, a senior music industry studies major, who quickly became her producer and bandmate.

Ellie K wasn’t originally sure how to break into the Boone music scene, but after working with Gillis, she took to social media again, this time in search of band members. While the performing band behind her has changed over time, its leading lady remains front and center.

As a classically trained vocalist, Ellie K often has a hard time fitting into the Boone music scene — one she claims is dense with folk-rock jam bands. 

“There are a few alternative bands that are popular here or are from here,” she said. “And it’s really nice; I feel like I’m not the only one.”

Aside from her genre, Ellie K stands out from her contemporaries as she fronts one of the few women-led bands in Boone. 

“It’s really important to me, as a female-fronted band, to play with other female-fronted bands or bands with girls in it,” she said. “Boone has a wonderful music scene, but there are not a lot of women.”

Ellie K not only takes this into consideration when booking shows but when writing her music as well, attributing much of her inspiration to her identity and lived experiences.

“I especially like to sing about and focus on females being legit in the punk scene ‘cause the punk scene, in North Carolina at least, is male-dominated,” Ellie K said. “You’re kinda a poser if you’re a girl, just because you’re a girl.”

However scarce and male-dominated punk may be in Boone, Ellie K is carving a clear space for it. Whether this space inspires someone to scream their heart out or join the mosh pit, her main concern is making music that means something to someone beyond herself.

“Now that I’ve been doing this for a while, everything is about just waiting and making sure everything’s perfect,” Ellie K said.

This perfection and patience go hand in hand, something Ellie K occasionally finds difficult when growth can appear static in a career reliant on audience engagement.

“I know it’ll become something, and no matter how big it becomes, it’s just, it’s really fun to do,” she said.

Even in a small scene, Ellie K’s message is evident, something she makes clear with every creative decision: “Punk is where my heart lies.”