The holiday season is upon us and the elves at Lonerider Spirits have been working these last couple of months to stock the shelves at your local ABC stores. We are trying to bring as much Lonerider cheer to North Carolina as much as possible – so we wanted to highlight some of the locations that our holiday displays are featured this year!

We have two holiday offerings this year –

• Our Single Barrel Sherry Cask Finish Bourbon that is packaged with a sherry cask bourbon (hint – it’s Lonerider Spirits!) infused cigar from Original Outlaws and it’s wrapped up and comes with a cigar cutter – so your holiday shopping is done for the bourbon and cigar lover in your life! Retail price is $69.95 which is a steal for a bottle that is 110 proof and straight from the barrel.
• North Carolina’s only Southern style eggnog is now available in ABC stores – our holiday offering is wrapped up in a festive holiday bag with a bow and is ready for those long nights by the fire. Our nog is made with the goodness of bourbon and rum for a sweet and smooth drinking experience that will make you want to grab a second bottle. Retail price is $19.95 and it is 34 proof.

Since we are very proud of our ABC partners and gracious for the help they have supplied us over the past year Lonerider Spirits wanted to profile these ABC stores and the counties they reside in with a little trivia. Below are some facts about each of the ABC stores and pictures of our displays so all of our outlaws know where to look for Lonerider Spirits when they visit!

Davidson County ABC

If you think of furniture from North Carolina – Davidson County was the place to go since it was the hotspot until the early 2000s. If you want to take a road trip to see the world’s largest chair then you need to head to Thomasville which coincidentally is the home to Thomasville Furniture Industries. After visiting the world’s largest chair you may want to stop by the town of Lexington which the lovers of NC style barbecue (a vinegar/tomato laced sauce) say is the capital of those hickory-smoked pork shoulders. 100,000 of these barbecue faithful flock to Lexington every year since it ‘s the home of the Lexington Barbeque Festival. Davidson County has many diverse recreational, cultural and park attractions that residents of the county enjoy including: Boone’s Cave Park, Childress Vineyards, Richard Childress Racing Museum the Davidson County Historical Museum and High Rock Lake Park.

Rowan County ABC

Salisbury (in Rowan County) is particularly noted in NC for their historical preservation – the city has fifteen Historical Districts – ten National Register Districts and five Local Districts. Industry also plays a factor in Salisbury – it is the home of the soft drink producer Cheerwine, Food Lion (a regional supermarket chain which carries Lonerider beer) and Rack Room Shoes. Rowan county hosts vistors from all over the world with their wonderful annual events and festivals. Some are examples are the National Sportscaster and Sportswriters Hall of Fame Awards, the Rockwell Craft Festival, the Old Miners Jubilee, the Rowan County Agricultural Fair, Take Pride in Granite Day and the Santa Claus Special.

Pitt County ABC

Pitt County is the home of ECU (East Carolina University) – did you know if was founded in 1907 as the East Carolina Teachers Training School? ECU has a tremendous cultural and economic influence on the county and is located in Greenville, NC. Historically significant structures in Pitt County include Pitt County Courthouse (which was built in 1910-11) and several buildings on the East Carolina campus. Attractions that aren’t on the University campus include the Nature Science Center, Ayden’s Art and Recreation Center, Greenville Museum of Art, the Adventures in Health Children’s Museum, and the Dance Arts Theatre. Annual festivals and events are big in Pitt county and include the Farmville Dogwood Festival, the Ayden Collard Festival and the Winterville Watermelon Festival.

Chatham County ABC (Pittsboro)

Chatham County has some of the oldest historic landmarks in North Carolina – they include the Green Womack House (ca. 1819), the Masonic Lodge of Pittsboro (ca. 1840) and the London Cottage (1861). , An unusual attraction is a 40-foot circular path in which no vegetation will grow called The Devil’s Tramping Ground, it is located near Siler City in Chatham County. For a more primal experience, a a wonderful place to visit by appointment is The Carnivore Preservation Trust. This is a sanctuary for endangered and unique species that is located in Pittsboro.  Annual festivals and events include the Siler City Chicken Festival, Deep River Crescent Celebration, and the Silk Hope Old Fashion Farm Days. The Chatham Theatre Guild and the Siler City Arts Council are mainstays in the county’s cultural institutions.

Lenoir County ABC

Lenoir County is home to the smallest city in the nation with a professional baseball team – Kinston. They host the Kinston Indians Class-A baseball team. Another attraction is the CSS Neuse State Historic Site and Governor Richard Caswell Memorial. Visitors can get up close and personal with the CSS Neuse – a Confederate ironclad gunboat! The story behind the gunboat is that the ship was sunk by it’s captain in 1865 to prevent it from being taken by the Union. Remarkably, the ship was discovered nearly a 100 years later in good condition. It proved to be a treasure trove of artifacts – nearly 15,000 were recovered with the ship. Two major Civil War engagements, the 1862 Battle of Kinston and the 1865 Battle of Wyse Fork were fought in Lenoir County. The Battle of Bentonville was the only battle that was larger than these two engagements in North Carolina based on the number of troops present.

 

Cleveland County ABC (Boiling Springs)

Cleveland County has many famous historical and cultural institutions including the King’s Mountain Fire Museum and the Cleveland County Arts Council – Kings Mountain National Military Park is just across the South Carolina border. The county is also home to Shelby City Hall ( ca. 1939) and the Rogers’ Theatre Block (ca. 1930s). Cleveland County also is the sponsor of several annual festivals. hosts popular annual festivals such as King’s Mountain July Fourth, the Belwood Antique Tractor and Engine Show, and the Ham Fest! Also, Boiling Springs is the home to Gardner-Webb University that was established in 1905.

Wake County ABC (Cary Parkway, Cary NC)

Wake County is where Cary, NC is located – and the town has had some unusual designations, including being known as the nations “Gourd Capital” (which dates back to the 1930s). It has also been featured as one of the best places to live and was ranked fifth on Money Magazine’s 2006 “One of the Best Small Cities in America.”

Since we are a distillery we like the story that takes place in June of 1838 of a discussion between the the Governor of South Carolina Pierce Mason Butler and the Governor of North Carolina Edward Dudley. The two governors were on their way from Chapel Hill to Raleigh and stopped for lunch at the home of Mrs. Nancy Jones in Cary on a very warm day for June. After the two gentlemen were seated in the living room they quickly drank their spiritous beverages and Mrs. Jones’ maid was eavesdropping and heard Governor Dudley remark, “It’s been a damned long time between drinks.”  The maid was distressed upon hearing this and quickly relayed this to Mrs. Nancy Jones. Upon investigation the two discovered that the servants were taking too long to pick the mint from the garden and prepare the mint juleps.

Wake County ABC (Cameron Village, Raleigh NC)

Wake County also boasts Cameron Village which was the first shopping center built in the Southeast region in 1949 and opened in Raleigh. Cameron Village had grown by 1954 to 36 acres and the shopping center had as tenants 40 stores, 38 offices, a movie theater and parking for over 1,500 cars. This booming shopping center was the beacon of success and was a place to be thanks to the westward expansion after World War II of Raleigh’s suburbs. Cameron Village was a downtown that was “horizontal”, with it’s stores side by side with attractive facades and sidewalks and convenient parking. This was the opposite of shopping centers that brought the “downtown” indoors.

Cameron Village featured numerous large fashion and clothing retailers during the 1960s, including department stores, a supermarket, and dozens of offices and specialty shops. North Hills and Crabtree Valley, which featured newer, larger, and often national chain stores and indoor, multilevel parking decks were competitors in the early 1970s and the Cameron Village needed to adapt to draw consumers. Cameron Village underwent a $17 million overhaul in the early 1990s – this has helped the mall remain successful with a mixture of local and national tenants.

Wake County ABC (Sandy Forks)

The ABC on Sandy Forks Road is in the heart of Raleigh, NC. Raleigh of course is the capital of North Carolina and has many cultural attractions. Public funding has established the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, North Carolina Museum of Art, and the North Carolina Museum of History. The city’s cultural significance is enhanced with  the Progress Energy Center for the Performing Arts features the Kennedy Theatre, the Fletcher Opera Theater, Raleigh Memorial Auditorium, and the Meymandi Concert Hall (the latter serving as home to the North Carolina Symphony). Raleigh’s RBC Center is home to the Carolina Hurricanes of the National Hockey League and the  State Fair is held in Raleigh each October.

Wilson County ABC

Wilson County has several buildings within the Historic Wilson district. One of the standouts that was constructed in 1924 is the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad Passenger and Freight Station. Other landmarks and historic sites include the James Scarborough House, built ca. 1821 and the Lucas-Barnes House, built in 1853. An interesting historic fact is that BB&T (Branch Banking and Trust Company) was established in Wilson in 1872. Atlantic Christian College was established in in 1902 and renamed Barton College. Wilson County is also home to the Children’s Theatre, the Play House, the British Brass Band, the Arts Council of Wilson, and Imagination Station.

Happy holidays to all from the Lonerider Spirits family and may you and your loved ones have a safe holiday season!