Always been a bit of a troublemaker, eh? Eric Church has certainly gained a reputation for being a bit of a rebel in country music. From infamously getting kicked off the Rascal Flatts tour way back in 2006 to telling his label that he would walk away from his record deal if they didn’t release “Smoke A Little Smoke” as a single, and even dropping a surprise album that he mailed to all of his fans for free without telling his label, Church has made a name for himself by doing things his own way – even if it got him in some trouble along the way. And as it turns out, that rebellious streak started long before he moved to Nashville. Church grew up in Granite Falls, North Carolina, and as a teenage had the chance to work with the then-governor of his home state for a week as a page. As Church described it in a 2009 interview, the page program was basically just serving as a personal assistant to the governor: “When I was in high school, I was part of a program where I was a page for then Gov. James Hunt for a week – I ran errands, delivered mail, basically just did whatever they needed you to do.” Well as you can probably imagine, even back then, Church was the mischievous type – and managed to cause a security incident at the North Carolina state capitol: “On the last day, all the student pages get their photo taken with the governor in his office, so they rounded us up, stuck us in the room and left us there – unsupervised. Which was not a good idea. I decided it would be funny to sit in the governor’s chair and put my feet up on his desk – which I did. What I didn’t know was that had I tripped a silent alarm – suddenly, the office was swarming with security.” Honestly, none of this surprises me at all. And luckily, once they realized what happened, it turned out to not be a big deal – until the governor came in for the picture: “When they finally realized it was just some dumb 16-year old acting stupid, things quieted down. But when Governor Hunt finally entered the room for our photo, the first thing he asked was, ‘Okay – which kid was sitting in my chair?'” Classic Church. Of course since then Church has gotten to know many governors of his home state. He performed his song “Carolina” at the inauguration of Governor Beverly Perdue back in 2009, and more recently spent plenty of time with now-former North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper as Church stepped up to help his community in the wake of Hurricane Helene last year. Music brings us together, especially during difficult times. Thanks to @lukecombs and @ericchurch for giving their time and talents to make tonight’s Concert for Carolina happen. pic.twitter.com/jJyl3Fe4um — Governor Josh Stein (@NC_Governor) October 26, 2024 Earlier this year, new governor Josh Stein joined Church to break ground on a new housing development being built by Church’s Chief Cares foundation to provide homes to those in North Carolina: It was an honor to break ground on a new housing development in western NC with @ericchurch and Chief Cares. These new houses are going to keep folks from Avery County right where they belong – at home. pic.twitter.com/WjAJJGmFbo — Governor Josh Stein (@NC_Governor) April 12, 2025 And Church has even partnered with the state for a tourism campaign to promote the area and invite visitors to return to North Carolina. #BREAKING: Country Music Star, Eric Church, who is building 200 homes for Hurricane Helene victims, has donated his song "Carolina" to boost tourism in Western North Carolina. The ad, which was created ENTIRELY by Appalachians, is titled: "Calling You Home" Gives me chills. pic.twitter.com/hbg3yhO00F — Matt Van Swol (@mattvanswol) July 2, 2025 But now he knows to keep his feet off the desk when he visits the governor’s office.The post Eric Church Once Set Off A Security Alarm When He Put His Feet On The North Carolina Governor’s Desk first appeared on Whiskey Riff.