mon9AM - 6PM
tue9AM - 6PM
wed9AM - 6PM
thu9AM - 6PM
fri9AM - 6PM
sat9AM - 6PM
sun11AM - 6PM
mon10AM - 6PM
tue10AM - 6PM
wed10AM - 6PM
thu10AM - 6PM
fri10AM - 6PM
sat10AM - 6PM
sun11AM - 6PM
mon10AM - 8PM
tue10AM - 8PM
wed10AM - 8PM
thu10AM - 8PM
fri10AM - 9PM
sat10AM - 9PM
sun11AM - 6PM
mon10AM - 6PM
tue10AM - 6PM
wed10AM - 6PM
thu10AM - 6PM
fri10AM - 7PM
sat10AM - 7PM
sun11AM - 6PM
mon10AM - 6PM
tue10AM - 6PM
wed10AM - 6PM
thu10AM - 6PM
fri10AM - 8PM
sat9AM - 8PM
sun11AM - 6PM
mon10AM - 8PM
tue10AM - 8PM
wed10AM - 8PM
thu10AM - 8PM
fri10AM - 9PM
sat10AM - 9PM
sun11AM - 6PM
mon10AM - 6PM
tue10AM - 6PM
wed10AM - 6PM
thu10AM - 6PM
fri10AM - 7PM
sat10AM - 7PM
sun11AM - 6PM
mon10AM - 7PM
tue10AM - 7PM
wed10AM - 7PM
thu10AM - 7PM
fri10AM - 9PM
sat10AM - 9PM
sun11AM - 6PM
mon10AM - 6PM
tue10AM - 6PM
wed10AM - 6PM
thu10AM - 6PM
fri10AM - 8PM
sat10AM - 8PM
sun11AM - 6PM
mon10AM - 6PM
tue10AM - 6PM
wed10AM - 6PM
thu10AM - 6PM
fri10AM - 7PM
sat10AM - 7PM
sun11AM - 6PM
mon10AM - 6PM
tue10AM - 6PM
wed10AM - 6PM
thu10AM - 6PM
fri10AM - 8PM
sat10AM - 8PM
sun11AM - 6PM
mon9AM - 6PM
tue9AM - 6PM
wed9AM - 6PM
thu9AM - 6PM
fri9AM - 6PM
sat9AM - 6PM
sun11AM - 6PM
mon10AM - 6PM
tue10AM - 6PM
wed10AM - 6PM
thu10AM - 6PM
fri10AM - 6PM
sat10AM - 6PM
sun11AM - 6PM
mon10AM - 8PM
tue10AM - 8PM
wed10AM - 8PM
thu10AM - 8PM
fri10AM - 9PM
sat10AM - 9PM
sun11AM - 6PM
mon10AM - 6PM
tue10AM - 6PM
wed10AM - 6PM
thu10AM - 6PM
fri10AM - 7PM
sat10AM - 7PM
sun11AM - 6PM
mon10AM - 6PM
tue10AM - 6PM
wed10AM - 6PM
thu10AM - 6PM
fri10AM - 8PM
sat9AM - 8PM
sun11AM - 6PM
mon10AM - 8PM
tue10AM - 8PM
wed10AM - 8PM
thu10AM - 8PM
fri10AM - 9PM
sat10AM - 9PM
sun11AM - 6PM
mon10AM - 6PM
tue10AM - 6PM
wed10AM - 6PM
thu10AM - 6PM
fri10AM - 7PM
sat10AM - 7PM
sun11AM - 6PM
mon10AM - 7PM
tue10AM - 7PM
wed10AM - 7PM
thu10AM - 7PM
fri10AM - 9PM
sat10AM - 9PM
sun11AM - 6PM
mon10AM - 6PM
tue10AM - 6PM
wed10AM - 6PM
thu10AM - 6PM
fri10AM - 8PM
sat10AM - 8PM
sun11AM - 6PM
mon10AM - 6PM
tue10AM - 6PM
wed10AM - 6PM
thu10AM - 6PM
fri10AM - 7PM
sat10AM - 7PM
sun11AM - 6PM
mon10AM - 6PM
tue10AM - 6PM
wed10AM - 6PM
thu10AM - 6PM
fri10AM - 8PM
sat10AM - 8PM
sun11AM - 6PM
What a difference a few decades make! The images of New York City were taken in 1970 (Bernard Gotfryd, Library of Congress) and in 2018 by Afif Ramdhasuma (from pexels.com). Earth Day has been celebrated on April 22 since it was established through grassroots efforts in 1970. It was a response to increasing concerns caused by smog (intense air pollution caused mainly by exhaust fumes), Great Lakes at risk of dying from pesticide runoff and waste dumping, and rivers that caught on fire (the Cuyahoga River in Ohio famously caught fire in June of 1969). It was also the year when monumental legislation was enacted to address all kinds of environmental concerns. ...read more
At Home | Inspiration
All
If it’s true, as they say, that seeing is believing, then we at Mast Store would like to propose another entry to your quip collection: Doing is moving. “Doing” not only requires movement - “doing” moves you both physically and emotionally. ...read more
Local Flavor | Mast Family Favorites | Travel
All
What is a library? It’s a big building with lots of books in it. But wait, it’s so much more. The library is a gateway to your wildest dreams, a place to learn, a place to imagine, a place to make friends. Today’s libraries are repositories of books, but they also are places to get help to learn to read or improve your reading, to improve your math skills, to listen to a performance by a string quartet, to watch a movie, to refine your crafting skills, and to gather with fellow writers. Yes, libraries are SO much more. ...read more
Adventure | Inspiration | Mast Family Favorites
All
... Our favorite foods! Food is universal because everybody’s got ta eat! And the last two months of the year are filled with more than their fair share of family meals, work gatherings, special outings to favorite restaurants, tins filled with homemade cookies and fudge, and the anticipation of food traditions handed down from generation to generation ...read more
At Home | Recipes
All
Even before we bought the Mast General Store, we were taken by the beauty of Valle Crucis. We’ve heard people describe the drive out Broadstone Road as traveling through a time portal. In the 1970s, fields in the river bottoms would be filled with tobacco, cabbage, or high with hay to feed cattle that were grazing in the summer pasture. ...read more
All
The lucky few who have seen the Earth from a different perspective – astronauts - all echo the same viewpoint upon their return. Yuri Gagarin, a Russian cosmonaut and the first human to go to space, commented, “Orbiting Earth in the spaceship, I saw how beautiful our planet is. People, let us preserve and increase this beauty, not destroy it.”
Behind the Scenes | Inspiration
All
We all want to invest our lives in the things we love. For Frank and Peggy, their great love in life, in addition to each other, is exploring the outdoors together.
Native Pennsylvanians, Frank and Peggy moved to Western Tennessee early in their marriage where they raised four sons. The couple instilled in their children a deep love for the outdoors by taking them on frequent hiking and camping trips to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. [Their sons have become avid outdoorsmen, and everyone gathers each fall for the annual family trip at Mount LeConte.] Upon retirement, the couple moved to Eastern Tennessee, so they could have easier access to the mountains they’ve always held so dear.
“After decades in Huntingdon, Tennessee, our friends were surprised that we chose to move east, but there’s nowhere else we’d rather live than minutes away from the Great Smoky Mountains,” shared Frank. In addition to excursions in the mountains, the couple began volunteering at the Sugarland Visitors Center, helping at the information desk and leading interpretive walks for the past 11 years.
The impressive list of national parks Frank and Peggy have explored reads like lines from Johnny Cash’s song “I’ve Been Everywhere.” To name a few, they’ve clocked countless miles in Yosemite, Death Valley, Sequoyah, Grand Canyon, Mt. Rainier, Olympic, and even made a six-week journey in their motor home through the Canadian Rockies. In 2010, the pair crossed the North American/Canadian border in Glacier National Park through the Canadian Rockies, and over to Banff, Jasper, Yoho, and Revelstoke.
"The Smokies are my home – they’re friendly, embracing, and comforting... I feel like I’ve arrived home when I’m hiking a trail in the Great Smoky Mountains."
While many folks lounge at the lake or head to the beach for their summer vacation, 2007 and 2008 found the couple in Wyoming, having secured summer jobs at Yellowstone National Park. Alongside mostly college-age international co-workers, Frank worked as a campground attendee, while Nancy worked in camper services from May through October.
“The work was labor intensive, but satisfying. All of our time off was spent exploring the park. It was a treat to have to drive through the Grand Tetons to get to the grocery store!” raved Frank about their summers out west. In addition to working full time at Yellowstone, the couple received their 150 mile pin in 2007 (recognizing the number of miles they completed in the park.)
The couple first visited the Knoxville Mast Store in 2008, looking to purchase hiking boots before their summer in Yellowstone. Jim (Knoxville’s general manager) struck up a friendship with the couple and asked them to consider working as outdoor associates in the store upon their return from Wyoming. And they did just that. If you’re ever in the Knoxville Store on a Wednesday, don’t miss the opportunity to ask Frank and Peggy about their adventures.
Reflecting on their expeditions, Peggy shares, “Of all the parks we’ve explored, I prefer the Tetons and Yellowstone. But the Smokies are my home – they’re friendly, embracing, and comforting. And it may sound corny, but I feel like I’ve arrived home when I’m hiking a trail in the Great Smoky Mountains.”
With their love for these southern ranges, it’s fitting that this adventurous couple will celebrate their 51st year of marriage by hiking their 900th mile in the Smoky Mountain National Park in 2013. Completing this lengthy task is quite an accomplishment. There isn’t a direct route to all of the trails in the Park, and Frank estimates that he and Peggy will have hiked well over 2,000 miles to join the Great Smoky Mountains 900 Miler Club.
Peggy adds, “We hike because we like to enjoy the trails. Each one has its own personality to be enjoyed. You can’t enjoy it if you’re only out there to clock miles. It’s not about the destination – it’s about what’s in between.”
That’s not only sage advice for the trail, but for life.