Local songwriter Eric Chesson

Badger and Rock Sprite spent New Year’s Eve at the Catawba River Lodge which was at one of the epicenters of Hurricane Helene flooding on September 27, 2024.

Afterwards, Melanie Harris and her husband, Jeff, and daughter Riley English spearheaded an effort to make the lodge a hub for dislocated persons and families by providing supplies, meals and most recently Christmas for the community.

Melanie Harris, Badger and Kitty Myers (photo by Riley English)

Jennie Smith has also volunteered at the lodge. She gifted Melanie with a framed Badger photo from the North Fork Catawba River on the grounds of the Lodge. The photo is one of Badger’s Beauty and the Beast series showing that there remains a new but gorgeous landscape in Western North Carolina in the midst of the rubble.

Shown in Riley’s photo are Badger and Rock Sprite Kitty Myers with Melanie and the artwork together with the original image. Local songwriter Eric Chesson performed all the way through to a countdown of the new year.

An interesting note is the Fountain City connection to the North Cove community. Bob and Martha Robinson through Central Baptist Church have contributed supplies, trailers and a tremendous amount of financial support to our Heart of North Cove initiative. It’s the best of neighbors helping neighbors, from my hometown to my adopted community.

We said goodbye and good riddance to 2024 trusting that 2025 would not be so tumultuous but recognizing lifelong friendships made in the process of rebuilding.

Thomas Mabry – Honey Badger Images

Many of the HoneyBadgerImages are on display at instagram.com/honeybadgerimages.