By: Pruett Norris
While I have not yet received a response from the Appalachian Popular Programming Society regarding what we hope is a temporary closure of the I. G. Greer SuperCinema and its movie screenings, I do have some other news related to Boone and the world of motion pictures! The fourth and final season of Ozark has begun airing on Netflix, and eagle-eyed viewers may spot a locale that should be familiar and yet uncannily unfamiliar to us here Mountaineers: Boone, NC is ostensibly a setting the characters of Ozark must traverse in their travails! However, according to a March 27th, 2021 article published by the Buford, Georgia news outlet the North Gwinnett Voice, Boone, North Carolina is not Boone at all! Rather, Buford was reconstructed to look like our little mountain town. While I’m sure nothing too significant is lost in the Ozark narrative, I do think they’ve gotta be missing a little bit of our mountaineer magic!
Next, with a story actually set in Boone, last week loyal listeners may recall that we are celebrating Boone’s 150th birthday this year! The Watauga Democrat reports that as part of our big celebration a century-and-a-half in the making, the Watauga County Historical Society has established a WCHS Hall of Fame, which is meant to honor individuals either living or dead who have made significant contributions to the history and/or literature of Watauga County. The Society will name 12 individuals in this first class of Hall of Famers, one for each month of 2022, but it begins with Elizabeth “Bettie” Bond, a long-time member of the WCHS and a long-time contributor to the preservation of Boone history. Bond is responsible for, among other things, aiding in the rescue and restoration of two of my favorite buildings on King Street: the
Boone Downtown Post Office, and, can you guess it, the Appalachian Theater of the High Country! Congratulations Ms. Bond, and happy birthday Boone!
In larger news, Spotify has recently come under fire by some of its musical artists for continuing to host the popular podcast The Joe Rogan Experience, NPR reports. Rogan, a comedian and the pod’s eponymous host, has reportedly continued to make false claims about COVID-19 vaccinations and treatments on his show, prompting scientists and health officials to share their concerns with Spotify, as well as artists like Joni Mitchell and Neil Young to pull their music from Spotify’s catalogue. Spotify has responded by updating its podcast terms and conditions, as well as providing a disclaimer about any content involving COVID-19, but stated that they seek not to be a “content censor.” Without Mitchell’s music, however, I, personally, am left feeling pretty “Blue”... get it?
Finally, with thanks as always to booneweather.com, we are looking at the chilliest day of our week before a warmer rise in temperature as the days go on this Tuesday morning. With a high of 41 and a low of 27, you’ll want to stay bundled up when you head outside, but I also hope you’ll stay right here, on your college, your station, your music.