COUNTY. YES, WE ARE. AND THIS MONTH IN SURREY COUNTY, THEY ARE HIGHLIGHTING ONE OF THEIR FOOD STAPLES, THE GROUND STEAK SANDWICH. AND THEY’RE DOING THIS IN TWO WAYS, WHICH OUR FIRST GUEST IS HERE TO EXPLAIN. WE ALWAYS LIKE TO MAKE YOU HUNGRY THIS MORNING ON THE LOCAL VIBE. ISN’T THAT RIGHT? JOINING US NOW IS TRAVIS FRY. HE’S THE TOURISM COORDINATOR FOR DOBSON AND SURRY COUNTY. GREAT TO SEE YOU, TRAVIS. GOOD MORNING, Y’ALL. HEY, GOOD MORNING. SO FIRST, LET’S JUST START OUT OUT OF THE GATE. WHAT IS GROUND STEAK AND THEN SHARE THE TIES IT HAS TO SERVE THE COUNTY. ALL RIGHT. WELL, GROUND STEAK IS A LOOSE MEAT SANDWICH THAT COOKS WITH LIMITED RESOURCES BACK IN THE GREAT DEPRESSION USED TO STRETCH THEIR MEAT, THEY WOULD BOIL OR BROWN GROUND BEEF OR GROUND CHUCK GROUND. CHUCK HAD A LITTLE BIT MORE OF A HIGHER FAT CONTENT. THEY WOULD ADD FLOUR, WATER, SALT AND PEPPER, SOMETIMES MILK AND OTHER SPECIAL INGREDIENTS THAT, YOU KNOW, EACH PLACE WOULD BE DIFFERENT. SO YOU MIGHT TASTE A LITTLE BIT OF A VARIATION, BUT SOME PEOPLE PUT SECRET RECIPE IN IT OR WHATEVER, BUT THE BASICS WERE SALT, PEPPER, WATER AND FLOUR AND LIKE I SAID, THIS WAS A WAY TO STRETCH THE MEAT DURING THIS GREAT DEPRESSION. SO IT CAME AROUND ABOUT THE 1930 IS WHEN IT STARTED. OKAY. IT IS GOOD. IT’S GOOD. LET ME TELL YOU THAT FOR SURE. TO TRAVIS, IT IS GOOD TO SEE YOU AGAIN. IT HAS BEEN A LONG TIME. TALK ABOUT THE GROUND STEAK TRAIL AND HOW DID THIS COME TO BE? WHAT DOES THIS TRAIL INCLUDE? YEAH. SO THE GROUND STATE TRAIL CONSISTS OF ABOUT 11 RESTAURANTS IN AND AROUND SURREY COUNTY. WE HAVE SOME THAT ARE SCATTERED, ABOUT 4 OR 5 IN MOUNT AIRY, THREE IN PILOT, TWO IN DOBSON AND ONE IN ELKIN. AND EACH OF THESE RESTAURANTS ARE COOKING THIS UNIQUE DISH. THEY’VE BEEN DOING IT FOR A LONG, LONG TIME. AND IT’S JUST PART OF SURREY COUNTY. AND WE THOUGHT, WELL, SINCE THIS IS THE YEAR OF THE TRAIL, WHY CAN’T WE CREATE SOMETHNG THAT IS UNIQUE TO SURREY COUNTY? WE ALREADY HAVE THE SOCCER TRAIL. YOU GUYS COVERED THAT AND IT JUST OCCURRED TO ME IN MY MIND, I THOUGHT, WELL, WHY CAN’T WE DO ANOTHER TRAIL WHERE PEOPLE COULD LEARN THE HISTORY OF SURREY COUNTY, BUT ALSO ENJOY THE THE FOOD AND THE SAVORY SIDE OF SURREY COUNTY. SO THIS JUST KIND OF POPPED INTO MY MIND WHEN WE STARTED DOING MORE WORK AND PROMOTIONS FOR THE SOCCER TRAIL AND I THOUGHT, WELL, GOSH, WE NEED TO PUT THIS IN THE SPOTLIGHT AS WELL SO FOLKS CAN ENJOY IT WHEN THEY COME TO TOWN, ESPECIALLY SINCE, LIKE I SAID, THIS IS THE YEAR OF THE TRAIL AND IT REALLY HONORS FOLKS THAT, YOU KNOW, WERE HARD BLUE COLLAR WORKERS. THEY WOULD COME UP FROM THE MEALS IN THE 30S WHEN THE WHISTLE WOULD BLOW. AND OLD ARCHIE BARKER IS WHO WE THINK STARTED THIS GROUND STEAK SANDWICH AND CANTEEN IN THE CANTEEN RESTAURANT IN DOWNTOWN MOUNT AIRY. NOW IT IS NO LONGER THERE. IT IS NOW CALLED CANTEEN ALLEY WITH A NEW MURAL COMING UP. BUT THAT IS WHERE WE THINK THE ORIGINATION OF THIS STARTED. AND IT JUST KIND OF SPREAD INTO THE HOMES AND INTO OTHER RESTAURANTS THAT WERE TRYING TO JUST GET BY AND STRETCH THEIR FOOD PRODUCTS. SO HOW COOL WE GET TO TALK TO TRAVIS, THE MASTERMIND BEHIND THIS. I KNOW THE ENTIRE TRAIL AND WE KNOW YOU’RE HOLDING A FESTIVAL RIGHT? THE FIRST EVER GROUND STEAK FESTIVAL NEXT SATURDAY. TELL US ABOUT THAT. ABSOLUTELY. IT’S OUR INAUGURAL FESTIVAL, JUNE THE 10TH. IT WILL RUN FROM 10 A.M. UNTIL 8 P.M. WE’RE GOING TO HAVE OVER 100 CRAFT VENDORS, 80% OF THE CRAFTS ARE HANDMADE MADE. SO THERE WILL BE HIGH END. AND THEN WE’LL ALSO HAVE FOOD FOR THE SOUL. WE’LL HAVE OUR GROUND STEAK SANDWICH. WE WILL ALSO INCORPORATE OUR OUR SOCCER. SO THE SURRY HISTORICAL SOCIETY WILL BE THERE SERVING SOCCER SO YOU CAN GET A TASTE OF BOTH TRAILS. WE ALSO HAVE A KIDS AREA THAT WILL HAVE BOUNCE HOUSES. PONY RIDES, PETTING ZOOS AND THEN IN OUR SQUARE PARK WE’RE GOING TO HAVE FREE MUSIC ALL DAY LONG. EVERY HOUR WE’RE GOING TO ROTATE A BLUEGRASS OR OLD TIME BAND OUT. AND IT’S ABSOLUTELY FREE OF CHARGE SO PEOPLE CAN BRING THEIR CHAIRS, BRING THEIR BLANKETS. WE HAVE GREAT PARKING, SO THERE SHOULDN’T BE AN ISSUE WITH THAT. AND WE JUST HOPE THAT PEOPLE WILL COME OUT AND EXPLORE SURREY COUNTY AND GET HUNGRY FOR THE HISTORY. AND THEN IT BRINGS YOU’VE BEEN BRINGING UP A REALLY GOOD POINT THROUGHOUT THIS INTERVIEW. TRAVIS. JUST THE FACT THAT YOU GUYS ARE CELEBRATING THIS UNUSUAL BUT NOTABLE PART OF SURREY COUNTY HISTORY, APART FROM THE HISTORY FOR NON SURREY COUNTY RESIDENTS WHO MAY BE VISITING, WHAT DO YOU HOPE THEY TAKE AWAY FROM THIS? I HOPE THEY’LL TAKE AWAY A LITTLE BIT OF, YOU KNOW, SURREY COUNTY IN TERMS OF WHAT THEY DID TO GET BY AND WHAT THEY USED AS MEANS TO MAKE PEOPLE HAPPY. I MEAN, YOU KNOW, YOU GO INTO THESE RESTAURANTS, THERE ARE A LOT OF ALL THIS IS LOCAL RESTAURANTS. YOU BECOME FAMILY WHEN YOU STEP INTO THESE RESTAURANTS. THEY MAKE YOU FEEL AT HOME. THEY MAKE YOU FEEL WELCOME. AND SO WE HOPE THAT PEOPLE LEAVE NOT ONLY LEARNING ABOUT THE HISTORY OF GROUND STATE, BUT BECOMING A PART OF OUR COMMUNITY AND WANTING TO RETURN TO LEARN MORE, VISIT THE TRAILS AND ALL THE OTHER OFFERINGS THAT SURREY COUNTY HAS. YEAH, AND SUPPORTING ALL THE BUSINESSES THERE. TRAVIS, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR TIME. SOUNDS LIKE A GREAT EVENT. NEXT SATURDAY. THAT’S JUNE 10TH. ONCE AGAIN FOR EVERYONE AT HOME IN DOWNTOWN DOBSON IS WHERE YOU NEED TO GO TO ATTEND THE NORTH CAROLINA GROUND STEAK FESTIVAL. IT’S FROM