Boone, NC

 

Valle Crucis Rootsfest on Saturday, June 15th

You won’t want to miss this inaugural event at the Valle Crucis Park on June 15th from 10:00 a.m. until 4 p.m. The unique history and culture of Valle Crucis, North Carolina, will be on display at Rootsfest. The event features live music, arts and crafts vendors, historic and educational displays and demonstrations, and activities for children of all ages.

Activities for children will include a dunking booth, bounce houses, races, and traditional carnival games. Adults can join in the fun by trying their hand (or mouth) at the pie-eating or watermelon seed-spitting contests. Local artists and craftspeople will be on hand to sell their work, and food will be available for purchase. Admission is free. Parking will be available at the Park or at Valle Crucis School for $5 per car. Visit this link for a full list of activities, vendors and exhibitors.
 


Get the Buzz on Savannah Bee

After Valle Crucis Rootsfest on Saturday, June 15th, be sure to swing by the Original Store to learn about one of our newest additions to the Mast’s Apothecary section. Savannah Bee, based in Savannah, Georgia, uses the healing power of honey in many personal care products. You’ll also have the opportunity to try their pure and naturally organic honey products and beauty supplies. Sweet!
 


 

Join Us for the Great American Backyard Campout

On June 22, 2013, thousands of people across the nation will gather in their backyards, neighborhoods, communities and parks to take part in a one-night FREE event that will provide an experience for all generations to connect with nature.

Be a part of the movement! The positive effects of daily, unstructured time outdoors on kids’ health are well-documented and wide-ranging. National Wildlife Federation encourages families and friends to Be Out There™ in order to give back to American children what they don’t even know they’ve lost—their connection to the natural world.

In Western North Carolina, Elk Knob State Park Rangers invite novice campers to take your Great American Backyard Campout to the woods from 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, June 22nd until 8:00 a.m. on Sunday, June 23rd.

This is the fifth year that Elk Knob has participated in the campout which introduces families to the joy of camping without the expense of buying equipment. It is a great event for two main reasons: it allows participants a night of supervised camping at Elk Knob State Park, and we provide the tents, dinner, s'mores and interesting programs to fill the night with entertainment. Learn more about the national Great American Backyard Campout®. To register, please call 828-297-7261. Can’t make it to the Park? Shake out your sleeping bags in the back yard and enjoy a summer evening under the stars!
 


Boston Love Shirts Arrive at Mast Store

From Mast General Store's Graphics Buyer: “Our community and employees have spoken! We have just finalized our Boston Love Tee in honor of those impacted by the tragedy on April 15th. Life is Good is donating 100% of their profits from the Boston Love Tee to The One Fund Boston. We hope the t-shirt will help people all over the country begin to heal with Boston while conveying a message of unification to our community that "Nothing is Stronger than LOVE.”

From The Boston Globe on April 25th:
Life is Good, whose Boylston Street office was less than 40 feet from the second bomb blast, sold 15,000 T-shirts in just two days on its website and at two stores; the company is delivering the shirt to hundreds of franchise stores and wholesale customers this week.

On Thursday, Judy Scott, visiting from Maylene, Ala., bought two T-shirts at Life is Good on Newbury Street as she waited, cellphone in hand, to hear whether her three kids wanted them as well. She also bought two Boston Strong T-shirts¬ at Cheers.

“This is one way we can let people in Boston know we’re supporting them from around the country,” Scott said.

Boston Love men’s and women’s t-shirts are being sold in all Mast Stores. These shirts are sold at the unique price of $26.20 to represent the distance of the marathon. To find out more about The One Fund, click HERE. In short, the goal is to dispense all proceeds to the bombing victims and their families by June 30th.


 

 

The Little Red Schoolhouse Opens for the Season

On March 29th and 30th as well as April 1st through 7th, stop by the Little Red Schoolhouse behind the Original Store to find some great bargains on shoes, seasonal décor and other items from Mercantile, and a collection of clothing.

The Schoolhouse will be open over the Easter break, then open weekends only through the Memorial Day weekend. After that, you can stop by most any day you'd like until the end of October!
 


 

An All-American Partnership

Mt. Airy sock manufacturer, Nester, and Mast General Store have led parallel lives since our companies began collaborating in the early nineties. As family-owned, environmentally-responsible companies that go the extra mile to provide quality products for their communities and beyond, both Mast and Nester are proud of their American roots.

Nearly twenty years ago, as the textile industry was collapsing in the southeast, the Nesters brought their family together, purchased a closed knitting facility, and hired workers left behind when other plants closed.

Nester maintained operations in Mt. Airy, North Carolina, during a period when similar local industries moved their operations to foreign countries or shuttered their doors completely. Beginning with 25 employees, Nester now maintains a force of over 225 experienced, dedicated and well-trained American workers. In a national address last year, President Obama praised Nester Hosiery for “insourcing” American jobs.

Mast Store Outfitters socks began as a collaborative effort between Mast General Store and Nester in its infancy. Mast President, Fred Martin, shares, “We got together and designed a sock that’s soft to the touch, durable, and affordable too. Collaborating on the design, fit and packaging, this sock has become a favorite among our guests and associates alike. We strongly believe in the craftsmanship of this product, which is why every pair comes with a lifetime warranty.

“As Nester has grown over the years, we’ve grown with them. They now build socks for American companies like REI, Cabela’s, KEEN, and LL Bean among many others,” Martin continues. “We [at Mast] are always eager to support economic drivers in our region, as well as helping to support a company that values keeping manufacturing on our shores. Our partnership is one that we are both very proud of.”