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After a two-year Covid-19 hiatus, Virginia’s beloved Chincoteague Pony Swim will make its triumphant return in July. The Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company announced that the month-long carnival, including the famous Pony Swim and auction, will take place on the Eastern Shore island for the first time since 2019. “We cannot hardly wait to see everyone, welcome everyone back, see the laughter and smiles on the kid’s faces and see everyone meet up with their old friends for the Chincoteague Homecoming Week, smell the fritters frying, tasting those good pony fries, seeing the whirl of the Ferris wheel and just enjoying some good old fashioned, down-home Chincoteague fun,” the fire company wrote....

Joanna Gaines is one of our favorite Southern personalities. Not only does this mom of 5 (five!) have time to post about sweet date nights with her husband Chip, renovate old houses into our dream abodes, and contribute to her very own magazine – she’s also written multiple books, including a cookbook. Magnolia Table: A Collection Of Recipes For Gathering is Joanna’s combination of classic Gaines family favorites and dishes from the powerhouse couple’s restaurant in Waco, Texas....

Dogs have a lot of behaviors that are hard to explain. They pee on branches during a walk, rub themselves in foul odors, and shake their heads. Head shaking is usually a perfectly normal thing. It helps your dog with his lack of opposable thumbs, after all. “Dogs usually shake their head in order to scratch an itch or get something out of their ear,” says Dr. Georgina Ushi Phillips, a Florida-based veterinarian who blogs at Not a Bully, a resource dispelling myths about bully breeds....

Attention, thrill seekers: Last month, North Carolina got its first alpine coaster, located on the outskirts of Banner Elk. Geared towards adrenaline junkies of all ages, the Wilderness Run Alpine Coaster consists of three circular loops along with plenty of waves and twists. The mountain coaster has two hand brakes per car (similar to bike handles) for riders to control the speed of their adventure, and you can cruise through lush Tar Heel State’s mountainside at speeds of up to 27 miles per hour....

We caught up with the Red Headed Stranger recently on his bus, and found out that Nelson, who will turn 84 this year, has no plans to slow down. Q: You will be 84 in April, but you never slow down. What’s the source of all this energy? A: I think I’ve always been energetic. A lot of people take drugs to get speeded up, but I don’t do that. So I don’t know where it comes from....

The grilled cheese is the supreme sandwich for all ages and hours. Whether it’s an easy weeknight dinner for the little ones or a late-night snack for mom and dad, you just can’t beat a grilled cheese. It’s the trusty meal when you’ve got almost nothing in the fridge and a cast iron skillet on the stove. While you can’t go wrong with the time-honored combo of melty cheese with two slices of crispy bread, there is a way to take your basic grilled cheese to the next level....

Tim Tebow has already had more careers and made more headlines than people two or even three times his age. He was the star quarterback for the University of Florida Gators, where he became the first sophomore to win the Heisman Trophy. He was drafted by the Denver Broncos helping them to a series of victories, before heading to the New York Jets. In addition to his accomplishments in the sporting world, Tebow also made headlines for his devout Christian faith which lead to “Tebowing” sweeping the country....

Tim McGraw said it best, “Ain’t nothing in the whole wide world like a Southern girl”, and we could not agree more. Sweet as can be until someone talks bad about Mama or refuses a second helping of dinner. Southern women are in a class of their own, captivating everyone they meet. Between Reese Witherspoon and even Winston Churchill, some wonderful things have been said about ladies who live south of the Mason-Dixon....

If Benjamin Moore has its way, come 2022, October will last all year. The paint company has named October Mist 1495 as its official color of the year for 2022. The subtle green hue is described as “a gently shaded sage that quietly anchors as it creates a canvas for self-expression through color.” Like 2021’s Color of the Year, Aegean Teal, this year’s hue brings a touch of nature indoors and pairs well with colors across the spectrum or with neutrals....

We all know slow cookers (and multi-cookers) are great for big-batch cooking, but what if you end up with more food than you know what to do with? Save it, of course. Many slow-cooked dishes, like soups and stews, taste even better a day or two later, and also freeze beautifully. If you store them properly, of course. Read on for why you shouldn’t rewarm food with your slow cooker....

Good things really can come in small packages–especially in the garden. If you love crepe myrtles but are tight on space, the Razzle Dazzle Series is perfect for you. This crepe gives you all the brilliant color of its taller cousins, but because it’s smaller, you can get a little more creative and have some fun with it. Landscape Design Tips Mature Razzle Dazzle crepe myrtles are about 3 feet tall and 4 feet wide....

It’s an exciting day for country music fans: The Country Music Association has announced that Darius Rucker and Reba McEntire will host the 54th annual CMA Awards from Nashville on Wednesday, November 11, at 8 p.m. on ABC. The South Carolina native (Rucker) and Okie (McEntire) take the helm from Carrie Underwood who served as the host for the past 12 years. The show will take place from Music City Center in downtown Nashville....

Dolly Parton is one of countless celebrities who has paid tribute to Betty White, who died on Friday morning at the age of 99. “While watching the news last night I learned of Betty White’s passing,” Parton wrote on Twitter Saturday morning. “Betty will live forever not only in this world but the world here after. I will always love her as we all will!” The feeling between the legendary entertainers was apparently mutual....

If you thought that paddling a clear kayak through a flooded limestone mine illuminated by the glow of underwater LED lights was wild, wait until you hear about the latest adventure from SUP Kentucky. Located about an hour from Lexington in Red River Gorge, SUP Kentucky offers a variety of outdoor excursions, but their most popular is easily the “Red River Gorge Underground Mine Glow,” which takes customers on a one-hour journey through an abandoned, 100-year-old mine complete with an underground waterfall....

Don’t let April showers, seasonal allergies, distance, or the coronavirus pandemic stop you from seeing the incredible tulip show taking place at the Dallas Arboretum. This year, the arboretum is putting Mother Nature’s spring show on display for everyone staying safely home with a virtual tour. In the virtual tour, Dave Forehand, the vice president of gardens at the Dallas Arboretum, guides viewers on an informative personal tour or the tulip blooms....

One of our faithful readers, Mandi Villa, writes, “I love my ‘Knock Out’ rose, but it’s getting too big. Can I prune it without killing it?” Yes, Mandi, you can prune without killing your rose. In fact, you can do almost anything to a ‘Knock Out’ rose without killing it short of rocketing it into the sun. Roses, long a gardener’s favorite and our country’s National Flower, still suffer from the reputation of being hard to grow....

As rustic farmhouse and cozy cottage style have swept Instagram, the popularity of butcher block countertops has been on the rise. It’s an affordable, durable, and sustainable countertop option with a wide range of colors and styles to choose from—what’s not to love about it? Butcher block is made by gluing several pieces of wood together. Though classic, stone countertops can sometimes make a space feel cold and standoffish. Thick slabs of walnut and mahogany will instantly warm up a kitchen, making it the most inviting room in a home....

As much as Southern cooks value cast iron cookware, you would think we would keep it under lock and key. Instead, we keep it at a handy arm’s length, either on the stovetop or in a convenient cabinet, so we can grab the appropriately sized skillet whenever we need it. And that is usually – almost – every day. We don’t fry chicken as often as our mothers did and we may not bake a skillet of cornbread to go with supper every night but cooks still appreciate the savory Sunday pot roasts, roasted vegetables, and apple cobblers baked in a cast iron skillet....

Easy and versatile, collards have graced Southern gardens and tables for generations. A cousin to kale and cabbage, these nutritious, leafy greens thrive in the cooler weather of fall and early spring. How To Plant Collard GreensDepending on where you live in the South, you can plant collards in late summer or early fall. (You can also plant them in early spring.) Space multiple rows 2 to 3 feet apart. Within each row, set out transplants 18 to 24 inches apart....

I’ve always used stainless steel cookware, and although it heats evenly and is long-lasting, it’s not nonstick, which had me using cooking spray on a daily basis. Cooking spray isn’t an unhealthy option, but it’s not always the best, either, especially the ones with a long list of ingredients. Luckily, my mom found exactly what I needed in this incredibly useful kitchen gadget, which is on sale for just $11 right now....