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WAYNESVILLE |
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he Waynesville house that Martin Klein built about five years ago as a vacation home is the same one he now shares with Leigh, his bride of less than a year.
“It’s not that big, 1,100 square feet maybe, but it’s perfect for us. I built it for us,” he says. “I just hadn’t met her yet.”
Both are native Floridians, born in 1964 and neither previously married. Mr. Klein, who is from Tampa, spent many memorable childhood summers in the North Carolina mountains. Leigh Klein, from West Palm Beach, knows the area from her summers as a camper and counselor near Hendersonville, where her parents now live.
The Kleins married in Hendersonville in October, 2005, eight months after being introduced by friends. Just before Christmas, they moved to Waynesville.
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ettling in the North Carolina mountains and starting a business were always in the back of Mr. Klein’s mind. It wasn’t a tough decision for him.
“I love the mountains, the people, the traditions….and you have to consider the weather.
The summers aren’t too hot. The winters aren’t too cold.” He starts most days with a short hike but much of his time is devoted to Tupelo’s, their furniture and accessories store.
With a new retail enterprise to run, the Kleins are staying busy. But not so busy that they don’t take time to enjoy the bounty that their new home and its surroundings offer. In fact, Leigh Klein says there’s no place she would rather be than sitting on her back porch.
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A friendly town of less than 10,000, Waynesville has been welcoming visitors seeking its cool, clean air and dramatic scenery for more than a century.
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Located on the eastern edge of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the town has a charming main street dotted with shops and art galleries and everything in between, from old-fashioned to new-fangled.
Visitors who would rather eat than shop aren’t disappointed. Restaurant choices range from simple country cooking to high-end gourmet, with mountain trout a specialty.
No town is in the middle of more ways to enjoy the great outdoors than Waynesville. Golfers can choose from seven courses in rolling countryside reminiscent of the Scottish Highlands, where golf was born. Mountain hikers can always find a trail they haven’t tried. Water babies can raft, kayak, fish for trout or get completely soaked at nearby Sliding Rock.
As cultural events go, Waynesville rivals much larger cities. Its very active arts council makes sure there is always something going on, with award-winning Haywood Arts Regional Theater at the top of the list. On summer Fridays, street dances bring everyone together. Twice a week during the warm months, visitors and residents restock their pantries at the tailgate farmers market. Festivals are plentiful, one after another throughout the year, from the
Ramp Festival* in May to the Apple Harvest Festival in October.
Folkmoot USA, an international celebration of cultural heritage through folk music and dance, is held each year in July. And here’s a note from history: In 1809, when Haywood County was brand new, Col. Robert Love donated land at Mt. Prospect for a courthouse, jail and public square. He changed the name to Waynesville in honor of Gen. “Mad” Anthony Wayne, his commanding officer during the Revolutionary War.
What would he think of Waynesville almost 200 years later?
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*According to Wikipedia, ramps are also called wild
leeks. In central Appalachia, ramps are most commonly fried with potatoes in
bacon grease or scrambled with eggs and served with bacon, pinto beans and
cornbread. Ramps, however, are quite adaptable to almost any food style and can
also be used in soups, puddings, ketchup, guacamole and other foods, in place
of onions and garlic.
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Mickey Henkel is a travel consultant and free-lance writer living in Winston-Salem.
A graduate in journalism from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, her professional credits include feature editor and writer for the
Winston-Salem Journal and reporter-photographer for
The Tribune in Elkin.
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