Changes in Boone

Jen and I travelled to Boone for our traditional Fourth of July weekend with my family at Chetola in Blowing Rock, NC. Chetola is an anachronism - it's just like Kellerman's from Dirty Dancing.

While we're there, it's always fun to take the short drive to Boone, where I went to college (Appalachian State University, aka UNC Tweetsie). I have to revisit the favorites - the ones that are still there, anyway (This year, the casualities included Carribean Cafe and Cottonwood).

Boone has always enjoyed a dual personality - half country/half hippie. Though they don't have too much in common, both halves unite to fight companies like Wal-Mart from moving in. But Boone is turning into a biggish town, and Wal-Mart has moved in.

When we drove in on highway 321, we saw a huge Lowe's and more chain restaurants coming in - Appleby's and stuff. We couldn't believe the retaining wall right behind the Wal-Mart and the mountain that was now missing. It made the area seem, well, bigger and more open than it had been before.

I have no idea what's going into that area - houses, more retail? Driving through campus is just as startling. There's now a huge Student Activity Center (the SAC!) where a baseball field once was, and all of River Street is covered with new campus facilities. There's even a much-needed but resisted parking garage, though the campus buildings blend very well with each other and the environment.