Demolition of App State’s Legends is scheduled to begin Monday, following more than a year of closure due to structural damage. The area surrounding the former campus venue has been fenced off and will remain closed to the public during the demolition process. Legends was condemned earlier this year after a sinkhole opened beneath the building during Hurricane Helene in September of last year,...

Brooklyn Smith curated this story by Kathy Gregory, which The Appalachian published June 25, 1970. If you see a real hot air balloon flying overhead, don’t rush to the phone to call your doctor. It’s just Dorothy as she leaves Emerald City on her journey home to Kansas and “her own backyard.” The place is Beech Mountain; the fairyland is The Land of Oz; the scene is fantastic. Jack...

Mayor Pro Tempore Dalton George announced on Instagram Saturday he will be running for Mayor of Boone this upcoming election.  George served as a town councilman for the Town of Boone from 2021 to 2023, where he was appointed Mayor Pro Tempore, who is the temporarily appointed mayor when the mayor is absent, in December 2023. “I’m proud to have led on a number of historic programs in my...

App State was founded in 1899 as Watauga Academy by brothers Dauphin Disco “D.D.” Dougherty and Blanford Barnard “B.B.” Dougherty. But App State had a third founding member that some might describe as overlooked. Lillie Shull Dougherty, born Ida Lillie Belle Shull, was born on Jan. 6, 1874, to father David Shull and mother Martha Lewis Shull in Butler, Tennessee, and was one of seven children. At...

In the early morning of Sept. 27, Western North Carolina was hit by Hurricane Helene. The storm brought significant flooding to the Town of Boone. King Street became a waterway, Rankin Hallways flooded, Walmart was wrecked and residential communities including Cottages of Boone, Bradford Park and Bavarian Village saw damage. The Weather Network reported 13 inches of rain in the Town of Boone. A...

The 2024-25 academic year has been marked by construction projects throughout campus and the Town of Boone. App State’s goals with construction are outlined on their website in a master plan. The five objectives in the plan are to “create a sense of place and a central gateway,” “enhance Rivers Street,” “unite the two halves of campus,” “foster community and mixed-use partnerships...