Summer is here and with it, at long last, the return of our very own Lake Lure! The lake is back at full pond and readying itself for a grand reopening of sorts on Memorial Day weekend. And not a moment too soon, in my opinion. I wasn’t sure how much longer we could hold out without the centerpiece – and namesake – to our beautiful mountain home.
But returning the lake to stand operating procedures was no easy task. Hundreds of volunteers and countless emergency workers helped. I don’t have the space to thank them all here, but if you’re reading this issue you likely had something to do with the recovery and you can continue to do so by coming to Lake Lure and Chimney Rock Village to spend some time (and money) during our first normal tourist season since the catastrophe of Hurricane Helene.
I hope we never experience a storm like that again, but I have to remind myself that surviving a flood and returning to normal is something that happens in these parts. Our very own Lacie Larsen has a great piece about the resiliency of the area in this issue in the Chimney Rock State Park update. She recalls the 1916 flood and writes:
“A headline from 1916 “Village of Chimney Rock Reported Gone” may sound oddly familiar to us, as you may remember a similar headline published just days after Hurricane Helene in 2024; “Chimney Rock As We Know It is Gone. Long Live Chimney Rock.” published by The Assembly. The thing is, it was never gone. Simply, changed.
The floodwaters receded, and the Morse family got back to work, just as Chimney Rock Management, LLC., NC State Parks Rangers, National Guard, Spokes of Hope, hundreds of dedicated volunteers, and even miners from West Virginia would over 100 years later.”
And she’s correct! Because here in the Hickory Nut Gorge we do many things well, and a big one is persevere.
So, let’s celebrate and I hope to see you out there on the lake!
