Spring has arrived in all it’s glory bringing with it beautiful sunshine filled days, cool evenings, flowers and trees a bloom with bright colors, fields freshly turned and ready to bring forth summer crops, the perfect backdrop for fun and festivities in our area.

The May issue of our Life in Our Foothills Magazine, which hit the streets yesterday, has a full line up of fun things to do and see this spring. Be sure to check out our community calendar, which begins on page 8.

Rich with community and history, this month we feature several businesses that have been around for more years than most of us have birthdays. On our cover are Clark Thompson and Judy Ward of Thompson’s historic grocery store and Ward’s Grill in downtown Saluda. The business has been in Saluda since 1890 and is one of the oldest operating grocery stores in North Carolina.

If you haven’t met him already, we are pleased to introduce you to James Cowan, the proprietor of Cowan’s (page 34). His father started the store a year after James was born and liked to joke that he started the grocery so he could afford to feed his son.

This family store has been in Tryon since 1933, and although it has been through some changes over the years, Cowan’s continues to serve their customers with the same great service, pleasant conversation and laughs that has always made it an enjoyable place to shop.  Next month’s issue will highlight similar family-owned businesses in Columbus and Landrum.

Thinking forward to summer and how to keep the kids active? Then you’ll want to check out our summer camp listings on page 54. There are camps for all ages and activity levels, ranging from day camps to overnight, and prices to fit most budgets.

For these stories and more, be sure to pick up a copy of the May issue of Life in Our Foothills.

Have a story you would like to see us cover, send us an email at betty.ramsey@tryondailybulletin. com