Our State: Celebrating North Carolina

I miss the fig trees. Growing up in the ’70s in Asheboro, it seemd like every house had a fig tree in the yard, like the sprawling one that towered over the shed where my grandfather kept the lawn mower. In August, when those Brown Turkey figs were at their syrupy sweetest, I picked as many as I could, dodging the wasps that loved them as much as I did. I rarely see fig trees growing next to houses now. If I can get to the farmers market early enough, I can usually buy a carton or two before somebody beats me to them, but they’re no more than six or eight figs stuffed into one of those pulp-fiber berry baskets. It’s never enough. I miss the smell of sweet Betsy, the trillium…

1 Each summer, Sliding Rock Recreation Area draws thousands of people eager to glide down the slope of a 60-foot waterfall and into a natural pool below. This attraction can be found in which national forest near Brevard? ○ A. Pisgah○ B. Uwharrie○ C. Cherokee 2 At a facility in Charlotte, visitors can enjoy whitewater rafting and kayaking, as well as hiking and mountain biking. What is the name of this place that features the world’s largest man-made whitewater river? ○ A. Great Wolf Lodge Water Park○ B. Carowinds○ C. U.S. National Whitewater Center 3 During the summer, those traveling along NC Highway 9 near Chimney Rock will pass a beach that’s usually full of people enjoying the small water park there. This attraction sits on the shore of which lake? ○ A. James○ B.…

MAN’S PEST FRIEND Having just picked up my prescription-strength chigger-bite relief cream when my June issue arrived, I was already itching to read the story on these tiny pests (“The Redbug Blues,” June, page 74). It’s a battle I wage every summer, and I assumed I was unique in my degree of suffering from these mighty mites. But Mr. Nickens made it clear — these critters are flesh-eating zombies bringing misery to all they encounter. I did get a good laugh and stopped scratching for a while. Jerry AyersCATAWBA I hadn’t encountered chiggers much until the past few years. One doesn’t have to go hiking to enjoy their company. I get more than I care for just in my own backyard. My wife gave me the remedy a couple of years ago: Apply…

Light Up the Sky MAXTON The open skies over this small Sandhills town set the stage for dramatic scenes: bright bolts of lightning and, at one time, airmen in training. In the early 1940s, this area was home to the Laurinburg-Maxton Army Air Base, the largest training facility in the world for pilots flying CG-4A aircraft — the most common cargo glider used during World War II. Today, the skies above Maxton’s farmland still see powerful forces, like this late-summer thunderstorm. LOOKING GLASS ROCK Sometimes, after a storm, the view from Milepost 417 on the Blue Ridge Parkway shows how Looking Glass Rock got its name. Made of compressed volcanic rock, the Pisgah National Forest landmark is known to shimmer like glass when rain or ice coats its surface. Occasionally, a rainbow will appear,…

PICK YOUR OWN ASIAN PEARS Five thousand Asian pear trees stretch across 18 acres at Pilot Mountain Pears, an orchard and working farm in Edneyville. Fruit hangs from the branches, waiting to be picked by farm visitors, many of whom are here to investigate what, exactly, an Asian pear is. Beth Laughter, the wife of farm owner David, describes the fruit as having the texture of an apple, but with a sweeter and juicier bite. Originally native to Japan and China, Asian pears hold their crisp texture long after they’ve been picked. “It’s better than anything you’d get in the grocery store,” says David, a fifth-generation fruit farmer. The pears are ready to be picked in August and can be enjoyed into the fall. —Katie Kane PILOT MOUNTAIN PEARS Circle L Farm Drive Edneyville,…

Darrell Hinnant strolls along West Avenue in downtown Kannapolis, stopping to greet a group of moms with young children lounging in the shade. He waves to dog walkers and runners who call out, “Hey, mayor!” as they cross the street to the North Carolina Research Campus. The 350-acre facility is dedicated to investigating the effects of nutrition, lifestyle, and the environment on human health. “We never dreamed [downtown] would be this perfect,” Hinnant says, motioning to the large swings, sculptures, and fountains lining the sidewalks. The idyllic streetscape is the result of Kannapolis’s multiyear revitalization plan to bring people downtown to “discover a healthy life” — the city’s slogan, which was inspired by the research center. Kannapolis was a different place when Hinnant, a chemist originally from Goldsboro, moved to town…