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| Tuesday May 13, 2008 |
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By Sharon Cavileer This mystical, mysterious place is older than the Cherokee Nation and dappled with the magic of music, mountains and moonshine. Distinctively different, the moon shines over some of the United States best white water rivers, crystalline lakes, deeply wooded forests and some of the warmest, most colorful Americans still breathing. Taproot Program Just a block from the steel bridge that crosses from Georgia into Tennessee over the swift, sweet water of the Ocoee River is The Lodge at Copperhill. You just might hear a little pickin' at the lodge, or hear talk about herbs that are good for what ails you, or share a recipe for a good sour mash. The Taproot program offers seminars on it all. City folk are welcome. The owners of The Lodge at Copperhill are Joe Jacobi, a 1992 Olympic Gold Medalist and his bride Lisa Riblet, manager of the l996 Olympic Whitewater Kayak Team. The couple established the European-style inn to house the visitors drawn to some of America's premier white water. Nearby are the rivers that converge at the corner of Tennessee, North Carolina and Georgia. Among them are the: Ococee, Nantahala, Chattooga, Pigeon, Cartecay, Hiwassee, Toccoa, and Tellico. A bed at the lodge is a paltry $20.00 per person per night; breakfast included. Joe is an escapee from the suburbs of D.C., Lisa's an Atlanta expatriot. "When people relocate here from urban areas, they come here for the beauty and the simplicity of the lifestyle, " said Jacobi, "then they tend to drag the city with them....the McDonalds, The Walmarts and the other chains... so we established the Taproot Program to help people appreciate the richness of the culture that's already here. Then, everyone might be a little more protective."
Moonshine The Taproot Program regularly offers seminars in Old Time Fiddle, Fly Fishing, Mountain Herbs, Clawhammer Banjo and The Art of Making Moonshine. The moonshine class is taught by Master Distiller and folklorist Dick Tarrier. Class includes the history and background of home-made " likker" including the legend, the lore, the methodology, the recipes and the law. The instructor is just passing along the knowledge he learned from an elder. "The guy who taught me how to make moonshine said he would never buy liquor from a State Store," because you just don't know who might have made it....or what creek the water came from..." Moonshine is defined as a distilled alcoholic beverage, upon which the tax has not been paid. Making it and possessing it are strictly illegal; violators could see substantial time in jail. "You're not a cop are you?", asked Tarrier when asked about the class, "because if you are, you're going to be mighty disappointed." Studying the process, however, is perfectly legal, although a revenuer or two has been suspected of enrolling incognito. The rogue element of making moonshine led the locals to hide their stills deep in the hills. And the moonshine class follows that trail into the mountains to research the process, see a still site or two and revel in the striking topography that gave this cottage industry its longevity. "This area has always been hard to get to and a hard place to make a living, " said Tarrier whose storytelling expertise is a real boon to the seminar. "There was a real economic element to moonshine. Farmers could pack about 4 bushels of grain on a horse or mule, or 24 bushels in the form of liquor. They'd get $1.00 for a bushel of corn or $10.00 for a gallon. What would you do?" In the North Carolina mountains where Tarrier lives and makes his living as a musician and story-teller, there's local legislation that prevents any one person from buying more than 80 pounds of sugar without a permit. "I don't get it," said Tarrier, "You buy stuff that's all legal, put it together, mix it up and come out a felon. It just doesn't make sense to me. The guys at the store where I bought my barrel understood perfectly. They said if you bring it back full, you get another one for free." The connection between moonshine and music is as intrinsic as bones and muscle are to man. "It's said that good whiskey makes better fiddlers" explained Tarrier " Some of the early musicians used to laugh and joke about which came first, the whiskey or the music. To this day, I don't think anyone is certain." One of America's most popular sporting events, NASCAR racing, has its roots in the moonshine industry in the mountains of North Carolina. Those who manufactured it needed to have more speed than the "revenuers" who were after them... so they just made whatever they had parked in the yard, go faster, by whatever means they could devise. Said Tarrier: "Of course, the guys would be standing around on Friday night and get to talking and drinking about whoever was faster... You know how men are..and they'd get to racing..." They'd run until the gas ran out, and then it was time to quit." A native West Virginian substantiated the claim: "I had an uncle who was famous for saying after a night out with the boys and his old car... "Just put enough shine in my tank to get me home." The cost for the moonshine seminar at Copperhill is $200. That pays for three days of meals, accommodations and instruction. It draws students from as far away as British Columbia, upstate New York and the south. A few area residents are drawn by the hobby and the hospitality. The first night includes a welcome reception and the basics including the "recipes" and the technique. Day two includes a field trip into Joyce Kilmer National Forest, still construction and distilling techniques. Day three explores more of the lore, the legend and the law. Recipes are standard. The enhancements are as varied as the makers. For a brandy, the recipe includes mashed ripened fruit, water, sugar and yeast left to set and bubble until it's set. Then it's time to "run" or put the mixture into the still. The principle is simple physics. Alcohol boils at a lower temperature than water, so what steams off first is the "shine". Piping the steam out, cooling and capturing it in a jug are all that's required. For whiskey, the recipe is a mix of grain, usually wheat, rye or corn mixed with water, sugar and yeast. That's basically beer and still legal to brew. The proportions and the distilling processes that turn the beer into moonshine are closely guarded secrets. "We didn't make any moonshine," said Tarrier... "it's illegal to distill it.. What we did make, was a batch of mash... and had a darned good time. I'm ready to do it again." The course syllabus is as clear as spring water. It read: "The Department of Alcohol tobacco and Firearms does not permit the private distilling of hard liquors. Participants in the workshop will learn the step-by-step method of making corn liquor and fruit brandies, however we will not create a final product. The prototype still on site will remain inoperable in order to conform with Federal regulations." At issue with the Federal government, as it is usually, are the tax dollars that result from liquor sales. It's been an issue from the days of the Scotch-Irish who settled in the most inhospitable parts of Appalachia. These hardy, independent souls persistently insisted on distilling without the permission or taxation of any overlord. Neither the British government, nor the fledgling colonial democracy stopped the stills. Selling home-made brandy or whisky to Native Americans was prohibited. The inventive settlers hid the bottles in their boots tucked snugly against their legs. That's the origin of the term "bootlegger", referring to anyone who moves moonshine from one place to another. In 1791 Alexander Hamilton insisted that Congress impose a tax on liquor which led to an uprising among the mountaineers. Tax agents were tarred and feathered, were burnt out or worse. Finally more than 5000 gathered in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania in the northern Appalachians and the Whiskey Rebellion was born. Although that battle was lost, the war hasn't been won. Americans are still distilling.
The Overhill Country is a powerful tonic in more ways than moonshine. The same sparkling creeks that make great whiskey also prove perfect for white water rafting. Dozens of outfitters arrange trips on kayaks, canoes, rafts and tubes. The Ocoee, site of the l996 Olympic Kayak Championships draws expert and amateur white water enthusiasts from around the world. A rafting excursion on the Ocoee, under a brilliant sun, through the exposed rock faces of eroded mountains is of the film "Deliverance" without the catastrophes. The locals are quite hospitable and certainly civilized. The raft guide from Wildwater, Ltd., was highly professional, safety-oriented and good-natured companion. He also held a master's degree. A good night's sleep can be found at the Lodge at Copper Mountain where you can swap river stories with your hosts the Jacobis. And, where else can you have your breakfast served by a gold medal Olympians?
Nature Lovers & Fishermen Take Note If your tastes run more to the esoteric and spiritual systems afoot in the Overhill country, tuck into the two exceptional Bed & Breakfast properties located at The Monteagle Assembly. This gated community is near The University of the South and offers a southern version of the Chautauqua movement that has survived a century. The Adams-Edgeworth Inn is a Victorian gem with a wide porch perfect for sipping a bourbon and smoking a cigar. Indoors, antiques, luxurious suites and an award-winning welcome guests for an overnight or over time. Nearby, the North Gate Inn offers seven cozy guest rooms, a warm welcome and a spectacular breakfast served in the sunroom. For nature-lovers, state parks beckon for hiking, birdwatching, camping and fishing. Although the Tennessee Valley Authority owns all the water, the fishing in the Tennessee River Gorge belongs to everyone. Fishing draws sportsmen from around the south to stay in the "resorts" that line the lake. Clean, comfortable accommodations and good country cooking make these little camps, called "resorts" by the locals, perfect for quiet family getaways. Watts Barr Resort has guest cottages, tennis, swimming a boat dock and a restaurant right at the Watts Bar Dam which is busily producing electricity for Mr. Roosevelt's TVA. If you've ever sung along to the rollicking country song, "Nickajack Lake", you're in the right place to make your own luck above Nickajack Dam. For drivers, the scenic vistas along the Cherohala Skyway (Route 165) are as spectacular as any found along the Blue ridge Parkway or Skyline drive further north. The Skyway runs through Cherokee National Forest halfway between Knoxville and Chattanooga and terminates at the Tellico River and the town of Tellico Plains. Historical Interest
The excitement of the new Chattanooga is about an hour away with its arts district, aquarium, tow truck museum, Bessie Smith museum and the legendary Choo-Choo... a state historic site. You can sleep over in a converted Pullman car and sip a beverage in the train station which now serves as the hotel lobby. It's like no Holiday Inn you've ever seen before. From Atlanta, Overhill Country is less than a two hour drive to take you back a century or two...to a time before television when a free people made creative use of their free time. And the magic they made, can still be heard, felt and tasted in Southeast Tennessee. Getting ThereFor more information on Taproot Appalachian Workshops for l998 call 423-496-9020 or email taproot1@blrg.tds.net For a visitor's guide to Southeast Tennessee call: 1-800-322-3344. For rafting information: Where to stay. Adams Edgeworth Inn North Gate Inn Watts Bar Resort In the Nearby Area:
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SOUTHEASTERN,
TENNESSEE - About two hours outside of Atlanta is the Tennessee Overhill
Country. It was named by native Americans describing the dozens of mountains
you needed to cross to get there from the sea. It's wildly remote, ruggedly
beautiful and sparsely populated. Its people have scratched a subsistence
living from the land for generations and due to the isolation have developed
a rich culture waiting to be explored and experienced. 
