January 2026

7a054124-e813-11f0-baa2-1248ae80e59d-IMG_0224

From the Editor: Works One Day, Works the Next

There are many other repetitions, but as cherished as any is the one that has brought me to this desk every day for every day this magazine has existed, beginning in the fall of 1988.
The pawpaw version of Ale-8-One debuted in the summer of 2025, in a limited edition.

Ale-8-One: Welcome to ‘Tropical’ Kentucky

This 124-year-old soft drink company continues to innovate and thrive.
Sam, Eli and Elaine prepare wild persimmon waffles as a reward for the boys’ and Granddad’s labors in preparing for winter weather.

Gifts of the Land: Ice Storm Coming

One family’s rituals for readying home and hearth.
The first Tazewell trolley was horse-drawn.

Curios: The Amazing Run of the Tazewell Trolley

America’s smallest-town streetcar ferried just about everything — and everyone — between Tazewell and North Tazewell throughout the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
This body of water is what remains today from Lake Totten of centuries past.

Curios: Saltville, Virginia’s Wondrous Past

The presence of salt gave the tiny mountain town its name. The geology and hydrology since have resulted in a surprising present-day existence.

Departments

Behind Blue Ridge Country

Even More Sweet Virginia Breezes

Casually cruising to Claytor Lake in southwest Virginia, I felt like I had come home – back to where it

CALENDAR OF EVENTS