Exploring the Valley

PC PRODUCTIONS
  • 5.0 (1)
  • PLACES & TRAVEL

Discover the hidden gems, local legends, and can’t-miss experiences in Black Mountain and the Swannanoa Valley as we dive into the perks of Chamber membership and uncover what makes this mountain town a must-visit destination. Whether you're a local business or just passing through, there's something cool waiting for you!

  1. 5D AGO

    Rooted In Bloom: How Volunteers Shape A Mountain Town

    A beautiful town rarely happens by accident. We sit down with Anne Drummond of the Black Mountain Beautification Committee to pull back the curtain on how 135 volunteers design seasonal displays, care for street trees, and make public spaces feel warm, walkable, and wonderfully inviting. Anne’s story weaves childhood summers in Montreat, a return to the North Carolina mountains, and a love of gardening that found new purpose in community service. We dig into the engine behind curb appeal: smart plant choices, thoughtful placement, and partnerships with public works that keep costs lean and standards high. Anne shares how the committee paused its town funding after storm Helene to ease the budget crunch, then kept momentum with grants and hands‑on work. From community improvement awards that spotlight local effort to seed‑money microgrants that help businesses refresh storefronts and banks, you’ll hear how small investments multiply into a stronger Main Street and better visitor experience. Beyond the beds and borders, we celebrate what makes Black Mountain easy to love: dog‑friendly patios, strollable blocks, and a vibrant mix of independent restaurants and pottery studios. Anne gives trail picks in Montreat for all ages, favorite spots for an outdoor meal, and the joy of buying gifts from local makers. The throughline is purpose—how volunteering turns neighbors into friends and transforms retirement into a season of impact. Subscribe for more stories of people who shape the places we call home, share this with a friend who loves small towns, and leave a review to help others discover the magic of the mountains. Send a text Best Buy Metals is the industry leader in long-life metal roofing and siding materials. With seven manufacturing locations, they deliver high-quality products at everyday low prices and at speeds others can’t match. But what truly sets Best Buy Metals apart is their people—a dedicated team committed to providing exceptional service for projects of any size, every single day. Support the show

    23 min

  2. MAR 10

    Neighbors Helping Neighbors

    A room lights up when the right neighbor walks back in. That’s the energy Tammy Potter brings as she traces her path from New Mexico to the Smoky Mountains and shows how a “service first” mindset turns a company into a community engine. We dive into the real work behind those words—helping rebuild an agriculture program after storm damage, donating materials for a school pole barn with the Rotary, and showing up at community gardens and local events where support means more than a logo. Tammy opens the doors on Best Buy Metals’ craft: in-house manufacturing of metal roofing, siding, commercial gutters, and American pole barns—custom-bent for each project. She explains why the rise of barndominiums matters, how local codes shape design choices, and why they don’t chase installs. Instead, they offer free contractor certification that teaches crews the full process, from first fastener to final inspection. It’s training as empowerment, creating a ripple effect of skilled local work and long-term trust. Along the way, we celebrate the small-town rituals that make Black Mountain feel like home—favorite restaurants, trivia nights, music bingo—and the family roots that feed a life of service, from an operations lead training pro ballplayers to a young soldier preparing to ship out. We also meet Metaltron, the 13-foot transformer mascot who draws crowds and smiles, proving that attention can be both fun and generous when it lifts up community causes. If you care about how businesses can be better neighbors, this story offers a practical playbook: partner early, give locally, train freely, and keep showing up. Hit play to learn how relationships beat transactions, how sponsorships can actually serve people, and how a company can help a valley stand taller. If this resonates, follow the show, share it with a friend, and leave a quick review to help more neighbors find us. Send a text Best Buy Metals is the industry leader in long-life metal roofing and siding materials. With seven manufacturing locations, they deliver high-quality products at everyday low prices and at speeds others can’t match. But what truly sets Best Buy Metals apart is their people—a dedicated team committed to providing exceptional service for projects of any size, every single day. Support the show

    26 min

  3. MAR 3

    Love, Music, And A Town That Shows Up

    Two lives intersect over paint cans, songs, and a mountain skyline—and suddenly a vacation town becomes the place you can’t imagine leaving. We sit down with Jeanie Grindstaff to follow a winding road from Tuscaloosa to Belmont, through Nashville studios and the TV set of Nashville, into the bright, real world of Black Mountain where love, worship, and neighbors turn ordinary days into a lifeline. Jeanie opens up about the highs of singing on CMA stages, the craft she learned behind the curtain, and the humility of building a makeshift studio during Covid to keep creating. Then the story turns intimate: a long journey with endometriosis leads to a miracle pregnancy, and her son arrives with salt-wasting congenital adrenal hyperplasia, a rare adrenal insufficiency that reshapes the family’s routines and priorities. What sounds clinical becomes tangible—meds on ice, careful timing, and a new alertness to risk. That’s when community steps forward. During Helene, neighbors share generators and freezer space, haul water, and run groceries without being asked, revealing a town that treats care like a verb. There’s laughter here, too: thirty Dollies and thirty Kennys marching in the Black Mountain Christmas parade, a previous year’s hula skirts defiantly off-theme, and the daily ritual of stopping on a downtown corner to spin in place and say, we get to live here. Between church volunteers coordinating beds for families and quiet creatives editing films next door, the mountains become more than scenery—they’re an invitation to show up for each other. Jeanie’s full-circle homecoming reminds us that place matters, that art is a practice, and that neighbors can carry you farther than you think. If this story moved you, tap follow, share it with a friend who loves small-town magic, and leave a review to help more listeners find our mountain community. Send a text Support the show

    28 min

  4. FEB 24

    A Through Hike Led To Coffee, Community, And A Life In Black Mountain

    A six-month hike from Maine to Georgia can change everything. That’s how Andy Gibbon stumbled into Black Mountain, fell for a local arts festival, and started a life anchored by family, music, and a small-batch coffee roastery that smells like pure happiness. We sit down with Andy, co-owner of Dynamite Roasting Company, to trace how a detour on the Appalachian Trail became a 25-year commitment to place, people, and purpose. We explore the craft and the business of coffee: how the roaster grew from a cozy cafe to a custom-built facility in Swannanoa, why organic beans and careful roast profiles matter, and what happens when sourcing isn’t just transactional. Andy takes us to origin—Honduras, Rwanda, Kenya, Peru, Indonesia, Colombia, Mexico—where long-term relationships with farmers shape quality, price stability, and community impact. If you’ve ever wondered how a great cup starts on a distant hillside and ends up on a sunny porch in Western North Carolina, this is your map. Life in Black Mountain comes alive in the details: kids biking to the church gym, porch conversations outside the cafe, and a Halloween on Church Street that brings 2,000 trick-or-treaters past a family-made art installation. We trade stories about minor league baseball at the Asheville Tourists, a middle-aged rock scene that keeps amps warm on Friday nights, and the choice to stay local because almost everything you need is within walking distance. It’s a love letter to small-town living, the creative pulse of a mountain community, and the patient craft behind a cup that converts even the skeptics. If this story made you smile, learn something, or crave a fresh pour-over, follow the show, share it with a friend, and leave a quick review so more neighbors can find us. Send a text Support the show

    18 min

  5. FEB 17

    How A Mountain Town Shapes A Life And A Career

    The most meaningful decisions aren’t made on spreadsheets—they’re made in the quiet moments when you ask, can I sleep at night with this? We sit down with Lee Ann Lewis, a lifelong Black Mountain local and mortgage banker who blends hard-won finance chops with a heart for community, to explore how a place shapes a person and how numbers should serve a life, not the other way around. Lee Ann’s journey starts with a dream to fly for Delta and pivots after Lockerbie to banking, where she rose through mortgage operations at BB&T before planting deep roots with Atlantic Bay Mortgage. She shares why she treats lending as stewardship, how she guides buyers to choices that fit their real lives, and what families relocating to the Swannanoa Valley need to know about schools, neighborhoods, and the local rhythm. Along the way, we tour the town’s daily joys—strong coffee, friendly counters, and food spots like Taylos—plus the restorative loop at Lake Tomahawk, where mountain sunsets do their quiet work. Beyond work, Lee Ann opens the door to her family’s music nights, her commitment to handwritten letters, and the story behind her beach home, Ava Moon, tied to a surprise family link with Ava Gardner. We talk nostalgia without sugarcoating, from creek walking and cousins-as-siblings to the modern question of whether kids need more “entertainment” or just better access to trails and teams. There’s even a hint of a thoughtful resort concept on the horizon—growth that adds without shouting. If you’re weighing a move, mapping a mortgage, or just craving the feel of a town that still looks you in the eye, this conversation offers grounded advice and local insight. Press play, then share your take: what tells you that you’re finally home? Subscribe, rate, and leave a review to help more people discover the stories of Black Mountain and the Swannanoa Valley. Send a text Support the show

    26 min

  6. FEB 10

    What Makes A Community Worth Never Leaving

    A hurricane knocked down trees, but it lifted up something bigger: the kind of community you only understand when neighbors show up with laundry baskets, hot showers, and time. We sit down with Hope Burk—longtime local, real estate pro, and steadfast friend—to explore how Black Mountain turns shared hardship into lasting bonds and why that spirit keeps people rooted. Hope traces her path from App State to a decade in Charlotte and back to the valley, where her kids found continuity and she found a calling. She opens up about building a trusted partnership with fellow agent Chloe Lunsford, the real differences between residential and commercial real estate, and the practical ways a small team can deliver big care—like clearing a distant parent’s home, arranging donations, and guiding a family through a tough sale with dignity and calm. We dive into how service weaves daily life together here: Rotary grants that strengthen local schools, small group rhythms that nourish friendships, and Swannanoa Valley Christian Ministry’s Fuel Fund, Deck The Trees, and mobile medical care that quietly keep people warm, moving, and healthy. Along the way, we tackle housing affordability with real talk—rising prices, interest rates, and first-time buyer hurdles—while sharing the tools and strategies that still open doors. If you think small towns mean small minds, prepare to be surprised. Black Mountain brims with talent, from retired executives to creative makers, united by a habit of showing up. Press play to hear why home is more than a house and why some places make staying feel inevitable. If this story resonates, follow the show, leave a rating, and share it with a friend who loves community as much as you do. Send a text Support the show

    27 min

  7. FEB 3

    From High School Sweethearts To High Country Guides

    What makes someone trade the easy path for a winding mountain road and a van full of strangers who become friends by sunset? Phil Holderman joins us to share how a high school romance, a deep love for Western North Carolina, and an obsession with good views turned into TP Day Trip Adventures, a small-group tour company built for people who want the magic without the guesswork. We dig into the real stories behind crowd-favorite stops like Mount Mitchell, the tallest peak east of the Mississippi, and Klingmans Dome, where a century-old rivalry still colors the way we point at the horizon. Phil walks through how he plans a perfect day: timing the drive for clear skies, choosing short trails that feel enchanted, and adding local flavor with a lunch stop that could be pizza, barbecue, or a serendipitous dessert downtown. He shares the human side of guiding too, from welcoming bachelorette groups during an ice storm to giving visiting families enough mountain facts to fill a scrapbook. Along the way, we talk about why people stay in Black Mountain and Swannanoa—how neighbors show up after storms, how independent restaurants keep the streets lively, and how a holiday tradition of dressing as the Grinch became a community highlight that delights kids and keeps the mystery alive. If you’re plotting a quick getaway or scouting a base for a longer Blue Ridge escape, this conversation is a ready-made itinerary. You’ll hear practical tips for choosing trails in Montreat, why Mount Craig deserves a mention next to Mount Mitchell, and how to find TP Day Trip Adventures through local chambers or a simple Google search. More than anything, you’ll feel the pull of a place where mountain air and small-town warmth meet in the middle. Enjoy the ride, and when you’re done, subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with a friend who needs a day trip on the calendar. Send a text Support the show

    27 min

  8. JAN 27

    Love On The Corner

    What happens when a single word becomes a weekly promise to your town? We sit down with Ruth Pittard to follow a winding path from childhood trips through Black Mountain’s craft scene to a tiny, solar-powered home and a public ritual that turned protest into presence. After three decades at Davidson College, Ruth uprooted her life, found an unlikely lot by a retention pond, and—against a ticking clock—built a compact, efficient house that fits her environmental ethic. The build beat expiring solar subsidies by days, and her yard now reads like a living essay on low-impact living: rain barrels, soil building, and more than ninety newly planted trees. The heart of the story lives on the sidewalk. Sparked by a local editorial asking “What is your line in the sand?”, Ruth chose to stand for what she wanted more of: love. With a hand-painted sign and her grandchildren’s help, she took a place in the town center and waved. Soon, neighbors joined. Honks and smiles followed. A five-year-old later stood for the full hour, holding the sign like it was made for her. The Love Bugs, as locals now call them, show up each Wednesday with a simple method—arrive calm, make eye contact, and send kindness down the lane of moving cars. No performances, no slogans, just a steady practice that has quietly rewired how a community greets itself. We also explore the science behind that feeling. Ruth is training in HeartMath, a research-backed approach to heart-brain coherence that links compassion to better health, clearer thinking, and stronger teams. It’s not heart versus mind; it’s the power of both, aligned. If you care about community building, sustainable living, or how small acts create outsized impact, this conversation offers an intimate, practical playbook for showing up with intention. Subscribe, share this episode with a neighbor who waves back, and leave a review with one word you’d put on your own sign. Send a text Support the show

    25 min
See All (19)

Trailer

About

Discover the hidden gems, local legends, and can’t-miss experiences in Black Mountain and the Swannanoa Valley as we dive into the perks of Chamber membership and uncover what makes this mountain town a must-visit destination. Whether you're a local business or just passing through, there's something cool waiting for you!

Information

  • Creator
    PC PRODUCTIONS
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    19
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Exploring the Valley
  • Show Website
    Exploring the Valley

You Might Also Like