Okay, yeah... I cried a little bit. Today, Explore Asheville debuted a new commercial inspired by Eric Church's "Carolina," which of course was included on his 2009 album of the same name. Written by Eric, it's a beautiful ode to his home state, and more specifically, the mountains in which he was raised and still calls home. While it's certainly no longer a hot topic on the national news, many people in western North Carolina are continuing to struggle to rebuild their lives in the wake of the devastation from Hurricane Helene. Temperatures have been below freezing most nights, and it's been snowing quite a bit as well... and many mountain residents are sleeping in tents. Western North Carolina says they’re sleeping in the 16 degree freezing cold “Good morning from snowy western North Carolina. — I woke up ill” “This is 4 MONTHS post Hurricane Helene. People are still living in tents and cars. Please tell me how that's okay” ? FEMA kicking… pic.twitter.com/mTcFfcjKbQ — Wall Street Apes (@WallStreetApes) January 13, 2025 Help at the federal level has been hard to come by to say the least, and even at the state level, it feels like they're getting the bare minimum in the wake of this incredibly tragic storm that claimed, the lives, homes, and precious belongings of so many people. While that has been incredibly disappointing for me as someone who lives nearby and knows and loves many people in WNC, there have also been many examples of people stepping up to help. Eric and his fellow WNC native Luke Combs hosted their Concert for Carolina in October, which was an all-star benefit show at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte to raise money for those in North Carolina who were devastated by Hurricane Helene. They wound up raising an impressive $24 million that was to be distributed to multiple different charities of their choosing. The benefit had many special moments, but Eric filing the stadium with "Carolina" was a special moment to say the least, and was the perfect choice for this new commercial, which aims to encourage travelers to return to the Appalachian area for vacations and events to support the many small, creative businesses and the people of the region. As part of a broader “Be Part of the Comeback” campaign, the sixty, thirty and fifteen-second spots feature Church’s song “Carolina” alongside images of open doors and welcoming faces as local creators, makers and businesses call visitors to come back to Asheville with heart. Vic Isley, president and CEO of Explore Asheville and the Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority, says that they are "humbled" that Eric Church offered to let them use "Carolina" to invite visitors back to beautiful Asheville: "In the early days following Hurricane Helene’s devastating impacts to the area, Explore Asheville was honored to step up as presenting sponsor to support Eric Church and Luke Combs’ Concert for Carolina to benefit our region. We are humbled that Eric Church offered ‘Carolina’ -- a siren song for Church’s home state -- to invite people to come back to Asheville and Western North Carolina." The spots are launching nationally across video streaming, traditional TV, digital and social platforms, and includes fresh, post-Helene footage of Asheville restaurants, downtown galleries, streetscapes, skylines and returning visitors. Dodie Stephens, vice president of marketing for Explore Asheville, added that the song and Eric's performance at Concert for Carolina specifically perfectly captured "Appalachian resilience and heart": "Rising up from Bank of America Stadium during the Concert for Carolina benefit show, Eric Church’s song ‘Carolina’ was a glowing, unforgettable moment of solidarity, Appalachian resilience and heart. Eric Church’s lyrics call out to people with a connection to the Blue Ridge Mountains, a connection that feels like home. We invite our neighbors across the state and visitors across the country to be a part of our comeback. Asheville is open and ready. We’re calling you home." The city is ready to welcome back visitors, and while recovery is far, far from over and there's still plenty of devastation and heartache to sort through, this does provide a little bit of hope. You can watch the one-minute ad here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XtVtZ1fs0A Here's the Concert for Carolina performance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c3-dzWcygK0 I get chills every time... @jay_man2424 Concert for carolina - Eric Church #ericchurch #concertforcarolina #lukecombs #carolina #northcarolina #hurricanehelene #baileyzimmerman #carolinapanthers #bankofamericastadium ♬ original sound - Jason