Photos by Aiden McCoy Williams/Staff Correspondent Kids were all smiles when volunteer firefighters gave them the chance to sit in the front of one of their trucks.

Anngee Quinones-Belian/Staff Correspondent From left, Danna Pash of Cherokee County Veterans Services Office, County Commissioners Ben Adams and Jan Griggs, state Sen. Kevin Corbin, Army veteran Oscar Valdes, U.S. Rep. Chuck Edwards, Commissioner Cal Stiles and Rick Millett of Veterans Services pose during the renaming celebration of Konehete Veterans Park on Jan. 17, 2023.

Randy Foster/editor@cherokeescout.com Debris fire: A small N.C. Department of Transportation debris burn spread to a larger debris pile nearby, drawing volunteer firefighters from around the area to keep the fire from spreading to adjacent woods. The fire occurred Thursday afternoon beside the DOT facility near Mountain Folk Center off U.S. 64 in Ranger. Volunteers from surrounding fire departments used tanker trucks to ferry water to the blaze, keeping the flames at bay and preventing the fire from spreadi

Anngee Quinones-Belian/Staff Correspondent Hidden gem in Ranger: All kinds of goodies can be found at Appalachian Mountain Wholesale Country Store, including candy, clothing, milk, eggs and a whole lot more.