Kudzu Project

05/13/2026

In my other life — when I'm not interviewing fascinating folks for the Kudzu Project podcast — I'm helping businesses, organizations and government entities tell THEIR stories as the LuceyAgency. And we couldn't be prouder to be collaborating with the Hendersonville, NC City Government to film the "Faces of Housing in Hendersonville" video, which will premiere at the 2026 Hendersonville Housing Summit on Wednesday, May 27.

To learn more about the City of Hendersonville’s Strategic Housing Plan and the ongoing conversation surrounding housing in our community, visit the Strategic Housing Plan page: https://www.hendersonvillenc.gov/projects/strategic-housing-plan

Through the Kudzu Project and at the LuceyAgency, we believe some of the most important things we can do are listen, ask thoughtful questions, and help people tell their stories. Every community challenge is ultimately a human story — and we’re grateful to play a small role in helping share those voices here in Hendersonville.

We’re just two weeks away from the 2026 Hendersonville Housing Summit!

Not only will the City's community‑driven Strategic Housing Plan be unveiled at the summit, but we'll also be premiering the Faces of Housing in Hendersonville video.

This collaboration, between the City of Hendersonville, community members, and the LuceyAgency (produced through an Our State, Our Homes program grant) sheds light on the importance of housing in our community.

🏠 Hendersonville Housing Summit
📆 Wednesday, May 27, 2026
⌚ 5:30 PM – 7:00 PM
🏫 Hendersonville High School Auditorium

The Hendersonville Housing Summit is a free event that is open to nonprofit partners, business leaders, developers, lenders, housing advocates, community members, and anyone committed to strengthening housing in Henderson County and Western North Carolina.

05/13/2026

Terrye Jacobs: Downtown Hendersonville in Full Bloom

Each spring, Hendersonville, NC's Main Street blossoms into a flowery wonderland during Garden Jubilee — one of the largest gardening shows in Western North Carolina and one of the biggest annual events in the city. Nick sits down with local celebrity and tomato extraordinaire Terrye Jacobs to talk about the grandeur of Garden Jubilee, what it takes to organize the event that draws such massive crowds, and what motivates her to help promote the downtown she loves. Garden Jubilee returns to Hendersonville on May 23 and 24 during Memorial Day weekend. Admission is free. For more information, visit hendersonvillenc.gov/events/garden-jubilee. Downtown Hendersonville, NC's Garden Jubilee is presented by Stuller Power Solutions.

Listen now on Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/episode/3Y6H6LeZzk4sZhauheBooI?si=110c77f1852d4380

Listen now on Apple Podcasts:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/terrye-jacobs-downtown-hendersonville-in-full-bloom/id1845893502?i=1000767159661

05/04/2026

Phill Hanson: Confessions of a Special Forces Sergeant Major

Phill Hanson has lived a life most people only read about. A retired U.S. Army Special Forces sergeant major, he spent decades operating at the highest levels of military and national security — from Southeast Asia to Central America, to some of the most clandestine missions in American history. In short, Phill has seen some s---. In this episode of the Kudzu Project, we sit down with SGM Hanson to hear firsthand stories from a career that included early involvement with Delta Force, participation in Operation Eagle Claw during the Iran hostage crisis, and years of experience in counterterrorism and special ops. While you won't need a top secret clearance to listen to this episode, you will need an open mind and a healthy sense of awe.

Listen now on Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/episode/3xXnY14PVohsP3l7AKiiiA?si=d1659f38b58a4810

Listen now on Apple Podcasts:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/phill-hanson-confessions-of-a-special-forces/id1845893502?i=1000766054608

For more information about the Kudzu Project and to submit a story suggestion, please visit https://kudzuproject.com/. The Kudzu Project is powered by the LuceyAgency, and sponsored by Downtown Hendersonville, NC's Garden Jubilee, May 23-24, 2026.



Hedrick-Rhodes VFW Post 5206 | U.S. Army | Veterans of Foreign Wars VFW | Henderson County, NC | Hendersonville, NC City Government | Downtown Hendersonville, NC

04/27/2026

Live, Laugh, Lucey: Lessons from My 94-Year-Old Dad

It's not every day you get to interview your own father on your podcast. So when my dad, William Lucey, came to visit us in Hendersonville recently, I didn't want to squander the opportunity to capture his story — and his voice — on tape. At 94 years old, he's lived a life marked by loss, hard work, and success. After losing both of his parents by age 11, he was, for all intents and purposes, on his own until he joined the Army, met his wife (my mother), and started a family. This episode is a very special one for me, though it's just a simple conversation between a father and son ... which I'd like to dedicate to my late mother. I'm grateful for both of them, and to you for taking the time to listen along.

Listen now on Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/episode/3VeEUgL01z3mFb4T3aMgtc?si=4ed7f14790bc4f44

Listen now on Apple Podcasts:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/live-laugh-lucey-lessons-from-my-94-year-old-dad/id1845893502?i=1000763898205

For more information about the Kudzu Project and to submit a story idea, please visit https://kudzuproject.com/. The Kudzu Project is powered by the LuceyAgency, and sponsored by Downtown Hendersonville, NC's Garden Jubilee.

04/14/2026

The Apple of Their Stepdad's Eye: The Story of Holt Orchards

There's no such thing as sibling rivalry at Holt Orchards in The Village of Flat Rock, North Carolina ... just a whole lot of teamwork and family pride. Brother-and-sister duo Tracy Cavagnaro and Todd Kirmss are carrying on their stepfather’s legacy, working to maintain the 45-acre apple farm he built from the ground up. In this episode, they share how fate brought them from Long Island to Western North Carolina, and how they stepped in to keep Markie Holt’s dream alive after his passing. We talk about learning farming from scratch, the realities of running a small orchard in a changing industry, and why local food, and the stories behind it, matter now more than ever.

Listen now on Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/episode/4OXCVKpft20HClr54cXaya?si=9d311db08a5f475e

Listen now on Apple Podcasts:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-apple-of-their-stepdads-eye-the-story-of-holt-orchards/id1845893502?i=1000761380520

For more information about the Kudzu Project and to submit a story idea, please visit https://kudzuproject.com/. The Kudzu Project is powered by the LuceyAgency, and sponsored by Downtown Hendersonville, NC's Garden Jubilee: https://www.facebook.com/events/1084911343802616/



Holt Orchards | Henderson County, NC | Visit Hendersonville, NC | Visit North Carolina | LuceyAgency

04/06/2026

From WNC to DC: Jeff Miller and the Blue Ridge Honor Flight

The Blue Ridge Honor Flight didn't start as a national movement. It began as a local effort to do something simple, and honestly, long overdue. The mission: Give Veterans the opportunity to visit the memorials that were built in their honor.

Jeff Miller, a former Hendersonville dry cleaner, was at the center of that effort 20 years ago, and he helped launch what started in Western North Carolina and quickly grew into something much, much bigger. Today, Honor Flight Network chapters across the country continue the mission, but the roots can be traced back to an idea that took hold right here in Henderson County, NC.

This interview explores how it all started, what it took to build it, and why these flights mean so much to the veterans who take them ... and to the communities that send them off.

Listen now on Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/episode/1JKz8aKKcytB4x5FhA61g4?si=869ba3ccfd724eca

Listen now on Apple Podcasts:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/from-wnc-to-dc-jeff-miller-and-the-blue-ridge-honor-flight/id1845893502?i=1000759663709

For more information about the Kudzu Project and to submit a story idea, please visit https://kudzuproject.com/ . The Kudzu Project is powered by the LuceyAgency, and sponsored by Downtown Hendersonville, NC's Garden Jubilee: https://www.facebook.com/events/1084911343802616



Blue Ridge Honor Flight | Honor Flight Network | Henderson County, NC | Visit Hendersonville, NC | Visit North Carolina | Asheville Regional Airport | Veterans Healing Farm

03/31/2026

More than eight decades after he departed Edneyville, NC to join the Marine Corps to fight in World War II, Private First Class Luther Leru Rhodes finally made it home. Born on March 22, 1924, Luther joined the Marines at age 17, and was killed in action on the island of Guadalcanal on October 7, 1942.

Like so many of his generation, he answered the call without hesitation. But for more than 80 years, he was listed among the missing in action. His remains, never recovered, were buried in Hawaii among the unknown.

Until recently. In 2025, through years of effort — and with the help of Bob Johnson, Commander Hedrick-Rhodes VFW Post 5206 in Hendersonville and DNA samples — Luther was finally found and identified.

On March 24, he arrived at Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport, and was escorted to Henderson County, NC. And on March 28, beneath a blue Carolina sky just a stone's throw from where his story began, Luther was laid to rest at Edneyville Methodist Cemetery with full military honors.

Welcome home, Luther. And thank you for your sacrifice. 🇺🇸

If you'd like to learn more, listen to Kudzu Project Episodes 3 and 15, which feature interviews with Bob about the search for Luther and others in Henderson County. Photo credit: Nick Lucey, LuceyAgency.

03/23/2026

Sewing a Movement: Georgia Bonesteel and the American Quilt Revival

Long before YouTube tutorials and Instagram reels, Georgia Bonesteel was teaching America how to make quilts — one stitch at a time. Georgia helped spark a nationwide quilting revival through her PBS series Lap Quilting with Georgia Bonesteel, introducing a technique that made quilting more accessible to everyday people.

In this episode of the Kudzu Project, I sit down with a true pioneer of American craft — an artist, teacher, and storyteller whose work has inspired generations, and who has called The Village of Flat Rock home for more than half a century. We talk about creativity, discipline, the evolution of quilting, and how a life rooted in tradition can still shape modern culture. This is more than just quilting — it's about legacy, creativity, and the enduring power of making something that lasts.

Listen now on Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/episode/556fiVJ270hmxedKg32JWE?si=8bf23ff3e0d14757

Listen now on Apple Podcasts:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sewing-a-movement-georgia-bonesteel-and-the/id1845893502?i=1000756802797

For more information about the Kudzu Project and to submit a story idea, please visit https://kudzuproject.com/ . The Kudzu Project podcast is powered by the LuceyAgency.



Historic Flat Rock, Inc. | Henderson County, NC | Visit Hendersonville, NC | Visit North Carolina | John C. Campbell Folk School | PBS North Carolina

03/16/2026

Chuck Edwards: From the Golden Arches to the Halls of Congress

In this episode of the Kudzu Project, Nick sits down with Congressman Chuck Edwards, a Western North Carolina native whose story begins right here in Henderson County, NC. Born in the Town of Waynesville, North Carolina and raised in Hendersonville, Edwards got his start in the labor force as a teen behind the counter at McDonald’s. Years later, he would go on to purchase the very same restaurant where he began working, eventually owning several McDonald’s across Western North Carolina.

Today, Edwards represents North Carolina’s 11th Congressional District in Washington, D.C., after previously serving three terms in the North Carolina Senate. He lives in The Village of Flat Rock with his wife, Teresa, and his home base and congressional office remain in Hendersonville, where his ties to the community run deep.

In this conversation, Edwards reflects on his upbringing in the mountains, the lessons learned from business and public service, and the region that shaped his life and career. With the Republican primary victory now behind him, Edwards is headed toward the November election, where he will face Democrat Jamie Ager for Congress.

Listen now on Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/episode/0PbAUaIUgnoL8UafUWISVE?si=vSo1k35QSN6Y-NkcvxVHwQ

Listen now on Apple Podcasts:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/chuck-edwards-from-the-golden-arches-to-the/id1845893502?i=1000755532051

For more information about the Kudzu Project and to submit a story idea, please visit https://kudzuproject.com/ .



Kenmure Country Club | Hannah Flanagan's Hendersonville | McDonald's | The Village of Flat Rock | Town of Waynesville, North Carolina | Downtown Hendersonville, NC | Henderson County, NC | Hendersonville, NC City Government | Visit Hendersonville, NC

03/11/2026

This morning, WNCW 88.7 FM aired an excerpt from a recent episode of the Kudzu Project on their "More to the Story" program — my interview with Bob Johnson, Commander of Hedrick-Rhodes VFW Post 5206 in Hendersonville, N.C., about the story of U.S. Marine Corps Private Luther Rhodes. Rhodes was killed in action during the Battle of Guadalcanal in 1942, and for more than 80 years, his remains were listed among the unknown.

Through the persistence and research of Bob Johnson and the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, Rhodes' remains were finally identified last year — allowing plans to begin for bringing the fallen Marine home later this month, and honoring his sacrifice properly at his family's farm in his hometown of Edneyville.

Kudos, Bob! Stories like this — local history, perseverance, and honoring those who served — are exactly why the Kudzu Project exists.

For this week's More to the Story, we're partnering with the Kudzu Project for an excerpt from their interview with Maj. Bob Johnson, Commander of the Hedrick-Rhodes VFW Post 5206 in Hendersonville. They talk about the post's efforts in locating missing WW2-era service members from the area and thei...