Drink Cheerwine.

Drink Cheerwine.


Cheerwine. Ever heard of it? I never had until one of my first visits to North Carolina. Maybe you've never heard of it either since it's bottled here in N. Carolina. Of course, I'd be naive to assume it's a local beverage only, but I haven't done the research so I have to assume it's a local thing. It's red. It's cherry. And I love it. Since I have moved up here I haven't been able to get enough of it. The longer I live here, the more I start to realize what a small town life is really all about.

There is something unique about supporting and purchasing from the local vendor. Whether it's buying a can of your favorite bottler's beverage, local farmer's peppers from the farmer's market, or some film and camera gear at the small photography shop in the City of High Point, being local and supporting local means interweaving yourself into more than just adopting the accent. Maybe it's because they don't sell Cheerwine in any other state (that I know of), and maybe this place is small enough to where to start know people, but I think the day everything changed for me was the day I stood in front of a soap vendor's booth while he carefully explained how each bar of soap was crafted. His spiel was genuine and heartfelt. Next to him was a lady who ran a small honey bee farming business. In the jars in front of their booth were golden concoctions complete with a slice of honeycomb fresh from the tree where the bees made their magic. We weren't even finished walking through one of the shelters at the market and before you knew it we had enough to make a hearty salad; blueberry, melon, and honey dessert; and a few soaps to wash our hands off with.

I can't remember the last time I was excited about a soda. I think I was 8 years old when I first discovered Big Red - another not-so-common beverage I found when we visited some family in Texas. I remember how awesome it was to have a soda that I recall tasing like red bubble gum. Now, here I am many years later having that same experience all over again. It's a red cherry flavored soda. Is it really that exciting? Ok, maybe not. But I will say that I love where I live and I love the people here. I like the stuff they make and the traditions they keep through their products. And if it takes one small concoction of cherry flavored candy soda to see it, then so be it. The life of local and small town living rocks.