You really need to visit the Len Foote Hike Inn when Jackie Elsner provides after-dinner entertainment. Jackie is a librarian by day, but when she visits the Hike Inn she is a mesmerizing story teller and a cappella balladeer. I love hearing her stories passed down through generations of Appalachian clans, but even more wonderful are her songs. Her latest project is an album of ballads she performed for the Byron Herbert Reece Center. Reece, a North Georgia farmer and poet, was an icon of the mountain lore in our region. Jackie has set his verse to haunting melodies of old ballads that date back centuries. After her clear, sweet voice echoes through the Hike Inn dining hall, she often stands quietly with glistening eyes while her audience sits transfixed for a few moments before bursting into a salvo of enthusiastic applause. She brings a sad, pure remembrance of things that matter to those of us who adore the pinnacles of our state’s wilderness. Learn about the Hike Inn at http://www.hike-inn.com. You can buy Jackie’s album from us next time you visit the Hike Inn or order from Amazon or I-tunes. Jackie, we love you!