Tweetsie Railroad - 50 Years Of Fun

Nestled in the mountains of North Carolina, a place for old-fashioned fun still thrives in our high-tech world. Tweetsie Railroad, opened in 1957, remains one of North Carolina’s favorite family destinations.

The theme park features historic Tweetsie No. 12, the last surviving engine from the 50-mile Eastern Tennessee & Western North Carolina Railroad that ran through the mountains from Boone, NC to Johnson City, TN, beginning in the late 19th century. Area residents named the train "Tweetsie," after the sound that the shrill steam whistle made as it echoed throughout the hills. Visitors can hop aboard the locomotive for a 3-mile Wild West journey through the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains. In addition to the train ride, Tweetsie offers amusement rides and live entertainment. Guests can also visit the animals in the Deer Park and pan for gold.

Park officials expect around 250,000 visitors this year. Three carnival rides and one pirate-theme ride have been recently added, and several special events are planned for this 50th aniversary season.

Tweetsie Railroad is located in western North Carolina between Boone and Blowing Rock along U.S. 321.

Carolina Panthers - Rift Needs To Be Resolved

The Carolina Panthers are unhappy with the failure of DT Kris Jenkins to participate in the team's offseason program. There appears to be hard feelings on both sides, since the team had Jenkins on the trading block before the draft. If the team is not able to go ahead and complete a trade, Jenkins needs to commit himself to the necessary preparation for the upcoming season. His status does not need to become a distraction for a team with Super Bowl aspirations.

NASCAR - The King Turns 70

NASCAR King Richard Petty is trying something new as he celebrates his 70th birthday today. He's going to be at home in Randleman, N.C.

"I can't remember the last time I've been home to celebrate my birthday," Petty said. "I've always been in Daytona. That's fine, too. We won a lot of races there, but it will be nice to be around the family. It's just the way the date landed this year."