When I recently discovered that Highlands now has its own independent, community-based TV programming, I was not surprised to learn that “Heart of the High Country” originated in the fertile imaginations of two remarkable people: Arthur Hancock and Kathleen Brugger. Indeed, there seems to be a bit of “serendipity” here — that mysterious force that places remarkable people in unique setting and at a specific time — a kind of “harmonious convergence” in which season, place and genius blend with magical effects.

Arthur and Katie first appeared on “the music scene” in Highlands in the late 1980s. The duo developed an enthusiastic following at nightspots such as The Patio, Buck’s and The Soco Moon in Waynesville. In addition to playing rousing renditions of traditional fare, they became known for a remarkable series of original musical compositions with provocative lyrics. (I still remember hearing Arthur sing and play “Swimming with the Sharks,” a wickedly perceptive song about social taboos vs. personal desires.)

Last week, when I asked Arthur about his background, he told me that he had lived in San Francisco, New Zealand, Australia, Mexico and Katmandu. He has also written songs for John Denver (“Relatively Speaking”) and Bernie Leadon of the Eagles (“Close Encounters” and “Sweet Gravity”). However, the turning point in his life came in the guise of a disaster.

In 1975 while living in Katmandu, Arthur contracted Guillian Barre Syndrome, a state of temporary but near-complete paralysis. Flown back to the United States, he spent a year in hospital and rehabilitation where he began writing music. He met and married Katie, a musician, weaver and fiber artist, in San Francisco in 1980 and moved to Highlands in 1988.

Since that time, Arthur and Katie have established a recording studio and developed a series of popular scenic videos — “North Carolina Mountain Video/DVD” series. In addition, they have co-authored two books: The Game of God (which Arthur calls “a metaphysical comic book) and We Are ALL Innocent by Reason of Insanity (yet to be published).

Arthur and Katie’s latest venture, the weekly TV show, Heart of the High Country, is the consequence of two factors: their mutual love of video as a creative medium, and their discovery that Highlands, like many towns in this region, has “a local power point loop” — which was identified as Channel 14 on Northland Cable Television (which serves Highlands and Cashiers.)

Essentially, Channel 14 was originally a six-minute public information broadcast that was programmed to repeat a bit of basic information about the region and show a few uninspired photographs of waterfalls and local scenery.

Arthur and Katie immediately saw Channel 14’s potential. Why not develop this standard feature into a full-blown visitors’ information channel?

A year later, Arthur and Katie had produced 28 one-hour episodes. Each week, a new segment airs six times each day. Instead of the usual “community calendar” format, Heart of High Country has developed a remarkable series of entertaining interviews with the town’s most colorful, notable and impressive residents. For example, a typical morning may range from the noted poet Jonathan Williams discussing his “outsider/folk art” collection (which is on display at a local gallery), to Frank McCall, WWII veteran (10th Army Division) who vividly recalls the final days of the war in Germany and France. Then, viewers may be treated to a musical interlude such as musician Will Ransom’s rendition of “Ballad in G Minor by Chopin” — all in conjunction with a discussion of current presentations at the Highlands Performing Arts Center. In addition, two popular Highlands “regulars” that are broadcast daily are “Littlejohn’s Things to Do” (the colorful narrator drives the local garbage truck) and Ran Shaffner’s “Brief History of Highlands.” The other 18 hours a day, mountain scenery from Arthur and Katie’s North Carolina Mountains DVD Series is aired with accompanying classical music.

Heart of High Country is deeply rooted in the local community with in-depth coverage of the local sports scene (Highlands’ winning soccer team) and vital health information, including a tour of the local hospital. Local residents take a serious interest in environmental issues, so Heart of the High Country shows roadside cleanups (with a prize for the most unusual item found) and “live” coverage of the annual Mountain Lakes 5 K Race.

Especially noteworthy is the current effort to stop the destruction of the area’s hemlocks by a parasite called the “wooly adelgid.” When local environmentalists learned that this parasite had a predator, they decided to import it. Undeterred by learning that the tiny insect would cost $1.50 to $2 each, the group sponsored a “Beetle Ball” and raised $20,000. With the assistance of environmental specialists, the group is manually distributing the predator in the immediate area.

The richness and variety of the programming on Heart of the High Country is due in part to the unique character of Highlands. Where else in the world are you likely to find such diversity? Each year, when Highlands’ “native” population (2,826) is supplemented by an additional 15,000 to 20,000 summer residents, this little town acquires a varied and vigorous vitality. The local nightspots, auctions, galleries and boutiques attract a remarkably diverse audience: artists, writers and vacationing Atlanta gentry mingle with university students, hikers and newlyweds.

Heart of the High Country successfully taps this diversity. Programs dealing with mountain culture, environmental issues and scenic attractions alternate with presentations on gardening, diabetes clinics and local history. Even the advertising has exceptional visual appeal. Gourmet foods, wine and blocks of Camembert cheese; art objects including Japanese jade and netsuke, furniture and fashionable clothing — all filmed in rich and luscious color.

“We have received more positive feedback on this than anything we have ever done,” says Arthur.

I’m not surprised. In fact, Heart of the High Country’s success prompts me to wonder if it might serve as a template for other similar ventures in this region .... say in Waynesville, Sylva or Franklin. Hmmmm.

(Gary Carden is a writer who lives in Sylva. He can be reached at gcarden498@aol.com.)