News

BROADLY SPEAKING: Mining the river valley for good stories

Henderson County natives Lutrelle and Carey O’Cain have plenty of family memories to draw on when it comes to the history, people and culture of the French Broad River Valley. [CONTRIBUTED]

By CAREY O’CAIN, Published: May 17, 2026

EDITOR’S NOTE: Carey O’Cain, Hendersonville native, HHS and Clemson graduate and Laurel Park mayor, has an insatiable hunger for southern Appalachian history. Lucky for us, he has put that curiosity to good use. WTZQ began airing Carey’s “Broadly Speaking” feature — about the people, places and history of the French Broad River Valley — in March 2025. This week the Lightning begins offering the written version of the recordings. We start with Carey’s introduction of the series, which grew out of a conversation he and his wife, Lutrelle, had with WTZQ morning show hosts Mark Warwick and Paige Posey. We think you’ll agree Broadly Speaking is good stuff.