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Celebrating North Carolina’s Moonshine History

// August 7th, 2010 // No Comments » // On the Road

Crowds of people make their way down the streets of Madison at the 2010 Carolina Shinefest.

Carolina ‘Shinefest Celebrates the legacy of moonshine in the Carolinas

On the Road | By Melany Dawn Crouse

Stock car racing legend Junior Johnson signs bottles of "Midnight Moon" at the 2010 Carolina Shinefest. Photo: Melany Dawn Crouse.

MADISON, NC – You might of thought that moonshine, distilled corn whiskey, was a product of North Carolina’s not too distant

past and it might be something that was going the way of the buffalo, but if you were in Madison last weekend for their annual ‘Shinefest, you might have a different perspective.

Every year in Madison, people from all over North Carolina and surrounding states come to enjoy tours of a working distillery, foot-tapping music, delicious food, arts & crafts from the finest artisans, locally-made beer, wine and spirits, celebrity appearances & more.

This year was no different.

My husband Jeff and I heard about ‘Shinefest and decided that it would be worth the drive just north of Winston-Salem to see what it was all about.

We are glad we did.

Organizers of the “Carolina ‘Shinefest” bill it as the one and only celebration of the legacy of moonshine in the Carolinas and its impact on the cultural fabric of the state.

Moonshine, also called white lightning, hooch, mountain dew and a number of other terms, is the common name for illicitly-distilled corn liquor.

Thousands of people visited the small town of Madison to tour the only legal distillery in North Carolina, Piedmont Distillers, and like Jeff and I, got to see how an authentic moonshine still works.

Piedmont Distillers, Inc is a small distillery that produces it’s hand-crafted spirits in an authentic, small-batch copper pot still. Adding to the history and mystique of what they do, they operate out of a former train station built in 1915. They distribute in 28 different states.

Piedmont Distiller’s mission is to create a family of completely new products that stir your imagination and deliver the most unique and satisfying experience ever according to their website.

At present, they have three different types of “shine”. Continue Reading

Welcome to Image One

// May 19th, 2010 // No Comments » // Uncategorized

Image One NC Photography is located in Lincolnton, NC.

We are here for all your photography needs. Located perfectly to serve areas from the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains to the coastal beaches of North or South Carolina.

Weddings, events, Portraits, Private parties, Multimedia, Campaign photography, etc…

Also available: a photographic history of your family heirlooms for insurance purposes.

M.Dawn Crouse

meldawn@charter.net
828-461-0537

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