Crystal Smith - interview recorded on September 20, 2025, at the Blowing Rock Art and History Museum.
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This story was submitted on December 4, 2025 by Admin
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- Crystal Smith - interview recorded on September 20, 2025, at the Blowing Rock Art and History Museum.
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Interview Description:
This oral history interview features Crystal Smith, co-owner of The Summit indoor pickleball facility in Boone, recorded on September 20, 2025, at the Blowing Rock Art and History Museum. Smith has lived in Boone for 26 years after attending Appalachian State University. On the morning Hurricane Helene hit, around 8 a.m., she picked up her business partner Grant to check on their 15,000-square-foot facility, which had opened just a year earlier and was approaching its one-year anniversary. Finding the warehouse intact with only minimal water damage, Smith immediately told Grant she wanted to transform the facility into a donation drop-off center rather than continue pickleball operations. What they initially thought would occupy just their small "Dinkin kitchen" warm-up area quickly expanded to fill all six pickleball courts with supplies as 63-foot trailers arrived from Ohio, Kentucky, Alabama, Florida, Tennessee, and the coast.
The Summit became one of the main relief hubs for Watauga County and surrounding areas, partnering with the Boone Chamber of Commerce (particularly Carrie Henderson), Cornerstone Church, and the local high school. Smith describes "coordinated chaos" where hundreds of volunteers worked 8 a.m. to sometimes 9:30 p.m., with people instinctively gravitating toward roles they were good at without needing direction. Remarkably, the facility maintained electricity, water, internet, and Wi-Fi when surrounding areas did not—what Smith describes as "almost a miracle" that positioned them exactly where they needed to be. She emphasizes the beauty of witnessing political divisions dissolve as the election approached, with volunteers and recipients helping each other without questions or judgment based on party affiliation. Smith and Grant were honored with a Boone Spirit Award, though she insists the real recognition belongs to the volunteers, viewing The Summit as simply providing "a roof for donation drop-off." The experience was humbling and expanded her sense of community, creating lasting connections with strangers she now recognizes around town. Smith's landlord was supportive during the month-long closure, and sponsors remained committed throughout. She reflects on how "it takes something so traumatic and just darkness to bring light," expressing hope that if disaster strikes again, people will know they can rely on The Summit as a community resource. - Spatial Coverage
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