[piano intro] - [Deborah] Next on "North Carolina Weekend," join us from Elkin as we pay tribute to one of "NC Weekend's" favorite storytellers, John Litschke.

We'll visit Linney's Mill, the little town of Traphill, and explore Cherokee Arts.

Coming up next.

- [Announcer] Funding for North Carolina weekend is provided in part by Visit NC, dedicated to highlighting our state's natural scenic beauty, unique history, and diverse cultural attractions.

From the Blue Ridge and the Great Smokey Mountains across the Piedmont to 300 miles of barrier island beaches, you're invited to experience all the adventure and charm our state has to offer.

[bright bluegrass music] ♪ - Welcome to "North Carolina Weekend," everyone.

I'm Deborah Holt Noel, and this week we are honoring the life and legacy of one of "NC Weekend's" great storytellers and contributors, John Litschke.

[gentle music] Right now I'm here with John's wife and creative partner, Teresa Litschke.

It's so delightful to meet you and to be here in Yadkin Valley with you.

- Thank you, Deborah.

And welcome to Elkin.

- Thank you, thank you.

[Teresa laughing] Over the years, you and John together have produced over 100 stories for "North Carolina Weekend," and we're so grateful, but sorry that we weren't able to say goodbye when he passed away this spring.

However, we're here right now to pay honor and tribute to the work that both of you have done.

So can we start by just telling us, how did the two of you meet?

- We lived in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and he was interning down the hall from me.

And I saw this nice-lookin' 22-year-old guy, and for some reason I went up and approached him to say hi.

Come to find out we had mutual friends in my hometown, and a day or two later was July 4th, and we were both gonna be there.

He said, "Hey, you wanna go to the lake?"

I said, "Sure."

So he picked me up.

That was July 4th.

He asked me to marry him on August the 14th, and we got married on September 30th.

- [Deborah] Oh my goodness.

- [Teresa] And we were married almost 40 years.

- That's crazy.

- I know.

- The magic began.

- It did, it did.

It did.

- Teresa, I know that you and John moved around a bit, but what brought you to this beautiful part of North Carolina?

- John was raised on a lot of land in Oklahoma, and he always just wanted to own a little piece of land for himself.

And we traveled about an hour and a half north of Charlotte and found this and bought it on sight.

- Well, the property is just beautiful, so expansive and lots of natural landscape.

Tell me, how did you two collaborate on stories?

- We always said he liked to take pretty pictures and I love to tell stories, and so we kind of kept with that in everything that we did.

He was the videographer and I was the writer and usually the editor, and that was our little combo.

- Now tell me why you chose Linney's Mill as one of John's favorite stories.

- John loved old timers.

He loved old ways of doing things.

John grew up around grain elevators in Oklahoma, and you had characters that would be in the grain elevators drinkin' coffee, tellin' stories, and he kind of found that same vibe at Linney's Mill.

[gentle, relaxed guitar music] - When you come back in here, you go back to the old days.

You get in the computerized age, we don't have none of that around here.

[laughing] Well, I guess you say we was in the Stone Age.

[laughing] - Well, it's not real...

There are not a whole lot of traffic out here.

And it's easy to find, easy to get to.

I mean, it's laid back country setting.

- [Narrator] Linney's Mill is located in the New Hope Township, a few miles west of Union Grove.

This site had been a grist mill for over 200 years.

In 1937, W.L.

Linney purchased the mill, and it's been in the Linney family ever since.

- He found this place for sale here, this mill place.

So he started up as a hobby.

He liked tinkerin' with stuff.

He went to tinkerin' with it, and he run it on weekends like Fridays and Saturdays just for a hobby.

Now it's turned into full-time work.

- [Narrator] Thanks to three generations of the Linney family, the mill has been open to the public for the past 65 years.

It makes corn meal and other items by a water-wheel powered grinding stone.

- Places like this are rare.

I mean, they're really rare.

Without this place, I mean, people would kinda just lose part of their history.

- For me personally, I like seein' old buildings.

I especially love to see old buildings and old places being used, and it's neat to see an operation that's been going on for years and years.

It's great to see it still going.

- [Narrator] When you visit Linney's Mill, you have to check out the double-breasted overshot water wheel.

- They think that's so fantastic to see that water wheel roll, for some reason or another.

- [Bill] Well, first the water goes down trough to the raceway, to the wheel, and it dumps onto the wheel, and it's got buckets in that turns the wheel, and it's got drive shaft through the mill.

We got cleaner in there that cleans our corn.

So before we grind into corn meal, makes it look a lot better.

Gets all the shaft out of it and everything.

- [Juanita] Corn goes in, into the grinder, shoots back up through a holdin' bin, goes into the mixer, and then we mix all our sodas, salts, and all that into it to make corn meal, and then we bag it out.

- [Narrator] Visitors can also enjoy everything the old general store has to offer.

- Well, from the day one up here to now, it's been like 50 years, it's still the same product.

You don't have to worry about it changin' or nobody messin' with it or additives or whatever.

It's still the same.

- The products we got now is the corn meal, grits, and pancake mixes, and all that don't have no preservative in it, so therefore you have to put in your refrigerator or your freezer to make it last longer, but it's a lot healthier for you.

- [Narrator] Bill, also known as Smiley, enjoys entertaining visitors with storytelling and his southern hospitality.

- Two old gentlemen they was sittin' on the edge of the seat like this, they was listenin'.

I said, "Boys, you better watch out."

I said, "When this dentist says open wide, "he ain't mean your mouth, he means your pocketbook."

And I left outta there.

[laughing] - And it's a great place for people to come visit.

It's a good day trip.

It's a good place to learn.

It's just, it's neat to get off the main road and travel a little bit and go back in time.

[gentle guitar music] - [Narrator] Linney's Mill is at 4635 Linney's Mill Road in Union Grove.

That's in Alexander County, and it's open Tuesday through Saturday.

For more information, give them a call at 704-592-2075, or check them out online at linneysmill.com.

- Now our next story is a viewer favorite.

Back in 2015, the two of you produced a story about Kelly McCoy, otherwise known as the River Girl.

Tell us the origins of that story.

- Well, John loved nature, and he fell in love with the town of Todd, and he just had to tell her story, and it's an amazing one.

♪ Oh ♪ - I truly feel that it's one of the most perfect ways to melt away any stresses that you have in life.

When I'm out on the river, I don't think about bills, I don't think about anything that bothers me.

I just watch the water flow, and I feel it all melting away.

♪ Oh ♪ - [Narrator] Her nickname in college was River Girl.

That's the first clue Kelly McCoy loved the outdoors, especially anything to do with water.

When she settled in Todd, she opened RiverGirl Fishing Company, and chose the historic train depot as her base of operations.

- RiverGirl Fishing Company is RiverGirl Fishing Company, not RiverGirl kayaking and tubing, but it has turned into sort of a menagerie of kayak rentals, tube rentals, bicycle rentals.

But first and foremost, we teach fly fishing here.

See how your fly's back on the surface again?

We do guided fishing trips.

We're doing eco tours where we talk about the river, talk about how to protect it.

- Basically, I am going over a lot of the plant and animal species that are around, including some of the stream crustaceans, some of the little nymphs that are around.

We got this little clam right here, and right here we got a little water penny.

They're really cool dudes.

- You need all those beginning things to feed the fish, which feed the birds, which feed the mammals and...

But you can tell the health of a stream by looking at those first little bugs that occur under the rocks.

- [Narrator] Outside, RiverGirl Fishing Company focuses on the source of their business, keeping the waters of the New River crystal clear.

- We clean up the river the first Tuesday of every month.

- And we call it Trashy Tuesdays.

We started doin' this about four years ago, and what we do is every boat goes out for free, but people pick up garbage on the way down.

Whoever brings back the most garbage, I give a free fly fishin' lesson to, which is a $75 value.

Whoever brings back the coolest garbage gets a Free RiverGirl t-shirt.

And we've got this huge fish tank filled up with items that have been brought back that have won free t-shirts.

But that's a great way to come meet other river-loving people, get a free kayak rental, and clean the river at the same time.

- [Narrator] It's good for business, good for the environment, and it introduces a whole new generation to the wonders this river holds.

- For my kids, I just think it makes them happier.

They don't squabble as much if they're not fighting over some sort of computer device.

They get out here and looking for animals, looking for fish.

It makes them happy.

Get out in the sun.

- And you get to get wet and just relax by doing nothing but floatin'.

- [Narrator] It's a great accomplishment when an individual can combine their passion with an occupation and also introduce people to something they love, the way Kelly does for the river.

- The one thing is I wanna continue to make it more educational, and just make sure everyone leaves outta here lovin' the river, lovin' getting the kids off the video games and getting 'em outdoors, and just being good stewards of our river.

♪ Eh ♪ - [Narrator] Book your tubing, paddling, or fishing adventure with RiverGirl Fishing Company at 4041 Todd Railroad Grade Road in Todd.

RiverGirl is open every day from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, give them a call at 336-877-3099, or go to rivergirlfishing.com.

- This next story features another interesting character, Eustace Conway of the Turtle Island Preserve.

John really liked characters, didn't he?

[both laughing] - He did, and he could find 'em.

[laughing] Wherever they were in North Carolina, he would find 'em, and Eustace was a great one.

- Well, let's meet Eustace at the Turtle Island Preserve.

[bright string music] - I went out in the woods when I was 17, suited me real well.

Still there.

[laughing] - Eustace Conway is a visionary founder of this camp, and he, with the help of his lifelong friend, Preston Roberts put, this camp together, and built a philosophy that generations to come will definitely benefit from.

- He's devoted his life to teaching people about being in a more balanced connection with the natural world.

- And one of our basic tenets is to teach people to take care of, preserve the earth.

- [Narrator] Since his parents and grandparents were educators, Eustace decided to continue the tradition.

In 1987, he founded his lifelong dream, Turtle Island Preserve, an environmental education center, tucked deep in the Blue Ridge Mountains.

[bright bluegrass music] - It's crisscross with beautiful mountain streams, a lot of diversity of all kinds of plants and animals.

- Beautiful trees.

A deep holler with a whole lot of activity goin' on.

- The Turtle Island Preserve, that name for our education center, is based on honoring the tradition and the insight of the Native American story about the turtle supporting the earth.

Basically, for the Native Americans, Turtle Island translates as the earth.

So Turtle Island Preserve means earth preserve.

- [Narrator] Every year, visitors from all over the world are able to participate in classes, camps, and workshops that teach the skills that promote self-sufficiency and respect for the natural environment.

- And we really like to get people back in touch with their roots and get 'em in touch with the primitive ways of living.

It's important to stay in touch with their roots and understand community and understanding what's goin' on with the natural world, 'cause that's where we all come from.

That's where our food comes from, and that's where our roots are.

- [Desere] Turtle Island offers a myriad of programs throughout the year for adults, late in life learners.

We have elders that come.

We have young people.

We have workshops throughout the year where you can learn basic skills like blacksmithing, wood carving, preserving, canning, fire by friction, a myriad of primitive skills.

- This is what the pioneers did, take the rough wood and make a very usable object from it.

The wood kinda speaks to ya.

When you start with it, you make something from it that's pretty valuable to the everyday guy.

- [Narrator] And what does the future hold for Turtle Island Preserve?

- But what I'd really like to see for the future of Turtle Island is for it to be able to keep going without me.

I'm so much a part of it, I've spent my whole life workin' on it, but I'd like for it to be able to keep goin' when I get too old or cranky to work with everybody or just, I'm gonna die someday.

I would like my entire life's work to keep goin'.

That'd be a real honor to see it keep goin'.

[gentle string music] - [Narrator] Turtle Island Preserve is at 2683 Little Laurel Road in Boone.

To plan your visit call them at 828-265-2267, or go online to turtleislandpreserve.org.

- Teresa, when you all delivered the story about Traphill, I remember thinking, I've never heard of that small community, but John really loved that area, didn't he?

- He did.

It's beautiful, and it is just filled with musicians and artists, and it's just up the road.

- Sounds so charming.

Let's go to Traphill.

♪ Well, out here where the chickens and the birds all chirp ♪ ♪ A farmer's up before the sun gettin' to work ♪ ♪ 30 minutes from a Walmart off a dirt road ♪ ♪ Where I lay my head is where I call home ♪ - Yeah, Traphill has, it's always just been cool.

You know everybody in Traphill, just about, but it's just cool because it's unique.

It's small town, not even a stoplight, but it's just still cool to me.

- Traphill is the most wonderful place in the world.

I was born and raised here.

- Just a real small good country place for people to go to.

- [Narrator] Located in Wilkes County, Traphill has a rich and colorful past.

From Civil War history to making moonshine during the prohibition era, this area is ideal for history lovers, but more and more visitors are discovering the natural resources this foothills community has to offer.

- Activities for just about anybody that likes outdoor, nature.

- We got the Blue Ridge Mountains all around us, and we got the famous Stone Mountain State Park right in our backyard.

- We have over 14,000 acres.

It's the largest pluton mountain in the state of North Carolina.

We have about 14 miles of trout stream at Stone Mountain.

A lot of people like to fish.

- It's an awesome place to go campin' and escape the city and for a little while and stuff like that.

- You couldn't ask for a better park to go to on a Sunday evenin' or a Saturday evenin'.

Just spend the day.

[gentle guitar music] [golf club thwacking] - [Narrator] If you enjoy golf you know there's nothing more challenging than a mountain golf course.

The well-manicured 18-hole course at Stone Mountain Golf is a great way to spend the day.

- I'd say it's probably one of the most hidden secrets as far as golf in this area.

Beautiful scenery, very relaxed atmosphere, great place to come to relax.

- [Narrator] After a round of golf or a hike in the park, it's time to head on over to the old country store for some hand dipped ice cream.

- Well, we sell Mayfield ice cream, which is a premium quality ice cream, and it's very, very popular, and lots of people want to get their ice cream.

And we have a really large porch here, so it's enjoyable for people to get their ice cream and sit on the porch and relax or visit.

- [Narrator] There's an abundance of lodging in the area that can accommodate an overnight stay.

There are log cabins, villas, and several restored historic structures that give a true sense to what the area is like.

A perfect example is the old general store located in the center of town.

- I restored this old store, and there was an apartment in the back, but not originally.

Originally the counters ran all the way to the back, and the post office was back there, but at some point they chopped it off and made an apartment.

And now I rent that out.

It's just a really neat place.

- [Narrator] In addition to everything else Traphill has to offer, it's conveniently located to several Yadkin Valley wineries.

There's plenty to explore in this beautiful spot in northwest North Carolina.

- Traphill is a great place to find peace from somethin'.

And there's not the loudness of the city, not no cars honkin' all the time.

It's just really quiet, but it's a really nice place to stay.

♪ I'm in the middle of somewhere ♪ ♪ I'm in the middle of somewhere ♪ - [Narrator] To find out more about all the things to do in Traphill, visit the Wilkes County Chamber of Commerce site at wilkeschamber.com.

- Teresa, the final story that you picked was the Qualla Arts and Crafts Mutual located in Cherokee.

And as I understand it, John is from Oklahoma, and a lot of Cherokee were resettled to Oklahoma.

Did that have anything to do with the story?

- It did, it did.

We're both from Oklahoma, and we've just always been just so interested in Native American culture, and to live out here and have that so near us, and to see all the talent that they have was just amazing.

- Wow, it absolutely is amazing.

And you're gonna see all of it at the Qualla Arts and Crafts Mutual.

[gentle Native American music] - Cherokee has become a destination for a lot of people because we're up here in the mountains right next door to the Great Smokey Mountains National Park, which is the most visited park in the country.

- When I woke up this morning, I was near a brook in the colorful woods with the trees of all different colors, and the sun was shining, and it just felt like a slice of heaven here.

- [Narrator] People have come to enjoy these things about Cherokee since the area first began attracting tourists in the 1940s.

For generations before that, and all those since, however, it has been home to the Proud Nation of Cherokee people and there many traditions.

- Most every house seems to have an artist or someone that does some type of traditional art or singing or dancing or somethin' that goes along with that line.

- [Narrator] It's no surprise, then, that the town of Cherokee is home to a one-of-a-kind collection of Native American arts and crafts.

- It almost feels like a museum with everything for sale.

The quality of the work is top notch.

The feel you get when you walk in there is that you're in the middle of the Cherokee.

The people that made these, you can almost feel them standing there and almost see them sitting there working on their projects.

- This is as authentic as it's gonna get, as far as Cherokee art.

- It's called the Qualla Arts and Crafts Mutual.

- Qualla is how you would say the name Polly in the Cherokee language, and it was a woman that was well-liked within the community.

I think she had a store or post office.

- [Narrator] The cooperative named after her represents the work of more than 250 artisans.

- Qualla Arts and Crafts is the oldest Native American cooperative in the United States and has been a source of income for the local artists since it was established, and really has helped us as people to supplement our income.

And at the same time, it has helped us preserve our traditions in the arts by affording us a place to market our work.

- [Narrator] The work represents techniques handed down for generations.

- Everything here at Qualla Arts and Craft is authentically handmade.

- Everything from basketry to pottery, bead work, finger weaving, painting, drawings.

- [Narrator] Highlighted are the baskets.

- Every basket is different.

I could make this right here, and come back maybe two, three days later and try to get it to be the same size, the same shape.

It don't do that.

Every basket you make and shape out is a little bit different than every other basket that you make.

- [Narrator] Aside from the many original items for sale, Qualla Arts and Crafts also houses a permanent collection of artwork.

It's a historical perspective from generations of artisans that came before and handed down their talents.

It's a gift that is vitally important to all the future generations who call this place home.

- If we lost all the arts and crafts, and the Cherokee people, we'd lose our identity.

- I would just remember my father always telling me stories of my grandma and my grandpa and how they would make baskets for like two weeks, and they would put all they could fit into a sheet and put it on their shoulders and bring 'em to town to sell.

- It just gives me good feelin', because it's somethin' that my mother handed down to me.

So, history is in the baskets.

[gentle Native American music] - [Narrator] The Qualla Arts and Craft Mutual is at 645 Tsali Boulevard in Cherokee, and they're open daily.

For more information, give the gallery a call at 828-497-3103 or go online to quallaartsandcrafts.org.

- Well, that's it for tonight's show.

Teresa, I wanna thank you for opening up your home and your heart to let us pay tribute to your husband and creative partner, John.

You all have really contributed to the success of "North Carolina Weekend," and we will be forever grateful, but we also know that you're gonna continue to contribute stories, so thank you for that.

- Aw, thank you.

This is an honor, what you're doin' for John, and I really appreciate it, and I know he would, too.

- And we appreciate the both of you.

And if you've missed anything in tonight's show, just remember you can always watch us again online at pbsnc.org.

Have a great North Carolina weekend, everyone.

[bright music] ♪ - [Announcer] Funding for "North Carolina Weekend" is provided in part by Visit NC, dedicated to highlighting our state's natural scenic beauty, unique history, and diverse cultural attractions.

From the Blue Ridge and the Great Smokey Mountains, across the Piedmont to 300 miles of barrier island beaches, you're invited to experience all the adventure and charm our state has to offer.

[piano outro]