Smoky Mountain News | January 15, 2020

Beloved Sylva restaurant closes doors Page 20

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On the Cover:

Waynesville native Zeb Powell will compete in the

Games Aspen this month, showing his stuff in the Wendy’s Snowboard Knuckle Huck and standing as an alternate competitor for the Jeep Snowboard Rail Jam. (Page 28) Zeb Powell navigates terrain at Killington Resort in Vermont during the Red Bull Slide In Tour March 2019. Brian Nevins photo News

State superintendent candidates sound off

Cherokee angles for Virginia casino project ..............................................................6 Waynesville homelessness task force takes shape

Sylva planning board gets two new members

Duke Energy asks for rate increase

Term limits will be set for casino board

named Regional Teacher of the Year

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State superintendent candidates sound off Superintendent Candidates

BY C ORY VAILLANCOURT STAFF W RITER

As Primary Election season sets in, a number of statewide races will have voters making some serious decisions at the polls. Few contests hold more consequence for the prosperity of the state as a whole than the one for Superintendent of Public Instruction.

Part cheerleader, part bully, part administrator, part educator, the superintendent heads up the Department of Public Instruction, one of the state’s largest departments. A teacher of teachers, a student of students and a superintendent of superintendents, the winner of this contest will set the tone and tenor of K-12 public instruction in the state for the next four years.

Incumbent Republican Mark Johnson isn’t seeking re-election to his post, opting instead for a shot at the lieutenant governor’s seat, but there’s no shortage of candidates hoping to succeed him — five Democrats, and two Republicans.

The winners of those respective primaries will face off in November and in the meantime are hoping to score enough points with voters to come out on top, but as at least one candidate says, it’s hard to describe the race in the usual tired metaphors of sporting analogy because no matter what happens the only winners — or losers — are North Carolina’s children.

Importance notwithstanding, many voters don’t understand how the superintendent’s management of the Department of Public Instruction affects their daily lives.

ent doesn’t vote in the General Assembly there should be better coordination between the two.

“I think there needs to be a greater relationship between the council of state and the legislature,” Johnson said. “I believe teacher pay is a critically important issue right now to make sure our teachers can survive on a daily basis so that they can focus more on their jobs.”

Keith Sutton and Jennifer Mangrum, also Democrats, say that’s a funding issue.

“The biggest issue I believe that the public is aware of and in tune with is a lack of funding for education, but the biggest issue I believe facing it is this agenda for privatization,” said Mangrum.

The DPI and superintendent also oversee the state’s regulation of public charter schools.

DEMOCRATS

JAMES BARRETT

• Residence: Chapel Hill

• Age: 49

• Occupation: IT management for Lenovo

• Political experience: Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools board member, 8 years

CONSTANCE JOHNSON

• Residence: Charlotte

• Age: 57

• Occupation: Publisher, education/government consultant

• Political experience: Unsuccessful campaigns for state Senate, Rowan County School board

JEN MANGRUM

• Residence: Raleigh

• Age: 55

• Occupation: UNC-Greensboro associate professor, teacher education

• Political experience: Unsuccessful campaign for state Senate

KEITH SUTTON

• Residence: Raleigh

turned into something very political and something that most people view as a Republican issue. They were supposed to be this great way to bring innovation to public schools and I don’t know that we’ve done that yet, so that would be something that I would want to work on if I’m elected.”

The contest between Horn and Truitt offers perhaps the clearest distinction between candidates, the former a longtime legislator with scads of policy experience and the latter a university chancellor.

“I’ve spent my entire adult life in education,” Truitt said. “Even before I graduated from college, I was volunteering in classrooms and have 10 years’ classroom experience and then another three years serving nationally as a turnaround coach in high poverty schools, so I know the challenges that all kinds of kids face at school. I know the challenges that teachers, principals and superintendents face firsthand.”

There’s a subtle amount of variation in the credentials of the five Democrats as well — each of whom thinks they’re the best candidate to face Truitt or Horn come November.

• Age: 49

• Occupation: Entrepreneur and educational consultant

• Political experience: 10-year Wake County School Board member, current chair

MICHAEL MAHER

• Residence: Wake Forest

• Age: 45

• Occupation: Left position as assistant dean of N.C. State’s College of Education in December to campaign full time

• Political experience: First campaign

“If you look at the North Carolina constitution, it calls for a system of public education, free public schools for every citizen, and that we support those public schools through the levying of taxes,” said Michael Maher, one of five Democrats competing in the March 3 Primary Election. “It’s tax dollars that citizens throughout North Carolina pay to support our public schools.”

Maher’s platform revolves around three main issues — equity, excellence and innovation.

“One of our biggest challenges I think throughout the state is both racial and socioeconomic inequity,” he said. “When you look, from one school to another, resourcing is different. Staffing is different. The opportunities that children have are different, and oftentimes that happens based on where they live.”

Constance Johnson, another Democrat in the race, said that although the superintend-

“I don’t think the experiment has gone the way that those who initiated charter schools had expected,” Sutton said. “I would like to see us get back to what the original intent was of charter schools and that was for charters to serve as incubators of innovation, and then we take that innovation and scale it up into the traditional public schools. We’ve sort of gotten away from that. Over the last few years charter schools have re-segregated our schools and re-segregated our communities.”

James Barrett, the final Democrat in the race, holds a similar view.

“I think we have mixed results. We have some, some schools that are doing incredibly innovative work and are really serving students, and then I think we have other schools that are using cookie cutter models that allow profits to be taken out by the companies that are running those schools,” he said. “We need to make sure that we have high quality in all of our schools, whether they be traditional or charters.”

Surprisingly, there does seem to be some consensus on public charter schools between the five Democrats and two Republicans running.

“How’s it working out in North Carolina? Not well,” said Rep. Craig Horn, one of the Republicans. “But not because it’s a bad idea. It’s not working out well because we’ve lost our focus on the student and we’re so worried about who gets what from whom. I’m sorry to say in my view it’s become more about the adults than it is about kids. We, we have no real communication between our

REPUBLICANS

CRAIG HORN

• Residence: Weddington

• Age: 75

• Occupation: Retired food broker

• Political experience: Current five-term representative in N.C. House

CATHERINE TRUITT

• Residence: Cary

• Age: 49

• Occupation: Chancellor, Western Governor’s University

• Political experience: First campaign

traditional public schools and all other charter schools in my opinion.”

Catherine Truitt, Horn’s fellow Republican and primary opponent, likewise summed up the disconnect between public schools and public charter schools.

“I think that we’ve come a long way with charter schools and that we have more accountability now than we did,” said Truitt. “What started off as an initiative from president Obama’s administration has now

“I have the leadership experience necessary to run the large Department of Public Instruction,” said Barrett, who works in information technology management. “I’ve got the policy background as well, to make sure that we serve all of our students well. I have more experience in advocacy, and making sure that we get what we need from a variety of sources — not just funding, but that we get the right policy decisions across the board.”

Johnson paints a decidedly bleak portrait of what teachers in North Carolina face each day, and why she should be Democrats’ first choice.

“I’ve walked that walk through the valley of being a teacher, trying to decide between gas and school supplies and school materials,” she said. “I’ve been a counselor who watched assessments, who had to ensure that the children were tested and made sure that students were exhibiting the proper behaviors they need to succeed in school. I’ve always focused on parents because I know from being a teacher and a counselor that the parents being accessible and being available for the teachers and the principal make a tremendous, tremendous difference. That’s the missing link.”

Mangrum says she has the experience voters want in the next superintendent.

“I have 12 years as a classroom teacher. I taught reading to elementary kids and then for two years after that I stayed in the school and was the literacy coach helping my teachers in my building teach reading. So I have

14 years of classroom experience,” she said. “I’m super qualified in terms of understanding what happens in a classroom and being a champion for teachers. I then worked at the district office, then I got my Ph.D. and my first job was at N.C. State. I created the elementary education program there, which like any other university program when it’s brand new was full of political influence and jockeying, but it was a multi-million dollar project, and I completed it successfully.”

While defeating members of one’s own party in the Primary remains the immediate goal for all seven candidates, they’re all aware that if they’re successful in March, they’ll have an opponent from the other party in November.

That doesn’t mean that this is one of those hyper-partisan races, though. In fact, most candidates wish it wasn’t political at all, and at least one wishes it wasn’t a race at all given that the overwhelming majority of U.S. states appoint, rather than elect, the state’s top educational official.

Maher said he doesn’t think partisanship will define the General Election, but rather credentials. Sutton said he’s got a proven ability to work across the aisle. Mangrum said she wouldn’t hesitate to speak out against her party if they weren’t supporting teachers.

Barrett and Johnson, though, disagree.

“I think the Republican Party is willing to accept winners and losers in our educational system and only serve some students,” Barrett said. “I think there’s a significant philosophical difference there.”

“We’ve been engaged in building an educational system or improving an educational system under the leadership of Republicans for the past four years, and we’ve had incremental increases in some areas and decreases in others,” said Johnson. “But children are still not fairing as well.”

Republican Craig Horn also stands firm against the partisanship that can become counterproductive in deciding what’s best for children.

“I’m not going to convince voters that a

Republican belongs in the office,” Horn said. “I’m going to convince voters that I belong in the office. If anyone has followed my career in the legislature, you know that I am issue-focused, not party-focused. That’s probably the rub on me. There are things I’ve supported that my colleagues do not support. There are things I’ve opposed that my colleagues do support because at the end of the day, I’m interested in one thing only and that is have you moved the rock and if so, how far?”

Truitt, Horn’s opponent, takes a more pragmatic view of the partisanship question.

“If it were up to me, we wouldn’t politicize this role. However, it is what it is, and I would be naive to say that politics don’t play into this. I think that I bring the most broad set of experiences that are still educationrelated to this role,” said Truitt. “I think that the Republican-controlled legislature would prefer to have a Republican in this role, and I do worry that there could be not as great of a spirit of collaboration if there is not a Republican in this role.”

Two of the seven candidates will end up facing each other in November, but they won’t be alone on that ballot. To a certain extent, every Republican, every Democrat, and every third-party candidate in the General Election will have to account for the presence of President Donald Trump — the hero/villain who will help/hurt every single one of them.

“I believe, because of the issues surrounding his presidency and the mistakes that he’s made, that he doesn’t have the same following,” Johnson said of Trump. “And I believe that the selections that we have in our party will drive Democrats who haven’t voted in two or three terms to come out and put us over. The Democrats do outnumber Republicans in the state of North Carolina by a long shot. It’s just a matter of voting.”

Barrett also acknowledges Trump’s role in the election, but hopes that his track record on education will be more important to voters than his party affiliation.

“All these down-ballot races, we have to worry about who’s at the top of the ticket and then obviously we don’t know who is

Learn more

A Democratic candidate forum for the Superintendent of Public Instruction contest will be held from 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 25, at the Harrell Canter Auditorium at Lake Junaluska, 701 North Lake Shore Drive. Candidates James Barrett, Constance (Lav) Johnson, Michael Maher and Jennifer Mangrum have confirmed their attendance. The event is hosted by the Haywood County Democratic Party and The Smoky Mountain News, and moderated by Staff Writer Cory Vaillancourt. Free and open to the public. Come prepared to ask your own questions. For more information, contact Doreen Carroll, 910.545.5556.

going to be on the Democratic side yet, but I don’t think President Trump has a coherent education policy that serves all students,” said Barrett. “I think we have to just get our message out and make sure people know that even if they like some of the other things that he’s doing, then when it comes to public education, I’ll be the best person to serve all North Carolina’s students.”

Surprisingly, there does seem to be some consensus on public charter schools between the five Democrats and two Republicans running.

Maher’s view is that the national political climate affords North Carolina a better shot at being included in education policy on an even greater level.

“Our voice has been absent on the national scene,” he said. “We’ve had a superintendent for the past three years who is not engaged in any meaningful way on national issues. That same superintendent has the opportunity to engage the U.S. Department of Education on various issues, including accountability reform. We just have not had that voice and I’m quite comfortable in that role. I’ve actually done some national advocacy work. I’ve been on Capitol Hill. I’ve met

with federal policymakers, both Republican and Democrat. I would actually look forward to an opportunity to put North Carolina back in the national picture.”

Similarly, the two Republicans competing for their party’s nomination are more concerned with getting their message out to voters than with what the president will do to them, or for them, at the polls.

“It’s a fact of life. It’s not a matter of whether I like it or I don’t like it. It’s a fact of life. I don’t have a magic wand and certainly, and I don’t have a Trump strategy or an antiTrump strategy,” Horn said. “Going back to what I said in the beginning, there’s only one thing I’m interested in, and that’s outcomes for kids. If you want to talk about something else, that’s fine, find someone else. We’ll still talk about it, but if you want to talk about education, that’s what I want to talk about. How do we get better outcomes for our kids?”

Truitt, for her part, points at the historical implications of Trump’s last election, almost four years ago now.

“I think if we look back to the 2016 election, Mark Johnson, who is the current state superintendent, he won barely — I believe one or two percentage points,” said Truitt. “It was a squeaker and a lot of pundits will say that he was swept in by the Trump wave. Historically, people like to elect women to this role, whether or not they realize that’s what they’re doing. There are not a lot of Republicans who work in public education, let alone run for office. So I think that it’s either going to hurt me in that regard or it’s going to help because President Trump is likely to win North Carolina. It’s my hope that people look at my unique set of experiences and vote for me, not because I’m a Democrat or Republican, but because I’m the best person for the job and I wouldn’t be running if I didn’t think that I was the best person for the job.”

Horn, a five-term member of the N.C. House, put the whole election into a nonpartisan, child-focused perspective.

“I abhor the fact that we have let sports analogies overtake our society because in sports, for anyone to win, someone has to lose,” he said. “But life’s not that way. I don’t have to lose for you to win and you don’t have to lose for me to win. We’ve got to get that message across to the people in North Carolina, the people in the United States of America. It’s not a zero sum game. It’s not.”

Pisgah teacher under investigation resigns

BY C ORY VAILLANCOURT

STAFF W RITER

APisgah High School teacher who had been under investigation by Haywood County Schools since late last year is no longer with HCS, according to Superintendent Dr. Bill Nolte.

“He resigned,” Nolte said of Stephen Parris, former band director at Pisgah.

Privacy laws governing personnel records prevent school officials in North Carolina from going into detail about investigations, resignations or dismissals.

Nolte did, however, confirm that Parris was the subject of an HCS investigation into allegations of inappropriate communication with students that began back on Nov. 22, 2019.

Parris had been suspended with pay during the investigation until he resigned on Jan. 7, 2020.

As of Jan. 13, no criminal charges had been filed in Haywood County against Parris, who was named HCS teacher of the year in 2011. Parris did not respond to a request for comment.

Jackson NAACP celebrates MLK

The Jackson County Branch of the NAACP, which covers Jackson, Macon and Swain counties, is going all in this year with an exciting series of events to kick off the observance of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day on Jan. 20 and the week-long celebration of his civil rights legacy.

First up is the inaugural screening of the award-winning film “Selma” starring David Oyelowo as Martin Luther King, Jr., which portrays the march from Selma to Montgomery that led to the enactment of the Voting Rights Act in 1965. The film, which will be shown at 3 and 6 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 19, is the first in a monthly series of movies featuring the lives of people of color sponsored by the NAACP Branch. All films will be shown for free at the Lazy Hiker Brewing — Sylva Taproom at 617 West Main Street in Sylva. Next up for the MLK Week observances is the Unity March at 11 a.m. Monday, Jan. 20, at the fountain on the WCU campus.

NAACP will co-sponsor a keynote address from 7 to 9 p.m. Jan. 22 at WCU’s Bardo Arts Center featuring Dr. Oralene Anderson Graves Simmons, an internationally recognized civil rights leader, and the founder of Asheville’s Martin Luther King, Jr., Prayer Breakfast.

On Friday, Jan. 24, WCU will host a day of training by the National Coalition Building Institute presenting a premiere curriculum to deliver inclusion, social justice, and conflict resolution work on campuses of higher education. Registration is required.

Candidate forums planned in Macon

The Democratic Women of Macon County and the Macon County Democratic Men’s Club will host two Town Hall events for Congressional candidates from District 11.

Both events will be at the Robert C. Carpenter Community Building located at 1288 Georgia Road in Franklin beginning at 6 pm. Moe Davis will speak at the Jan. 16 event and Gina Collias will speak on Jan. 28. These events are open to the public.

Cherokee angles for Virginia casino project

Action from state legislature will determine outcome

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER

Casino gaming is under serious discussion in the Virginia legislature this year, and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians is hoping to get in on the ground floor with a recently announced proposal to build a casino near Bristol, Virginia.

On Tuesday, Jan. 7, Principal Chief Richard Sneed and Steve Johnson, developer of The Pinnacle retail complex, issued a press release announcing their plan to build a “major casino resort” on a 350-acre tract adjacent to The Pinnacle, which is located along I81 on the Virginia-Tennessee line. In addition to gaming, the development would offer an outdoor concert venue, recreational facilities and a hotel with an indoor water park.

“It’s imperative that we try to get into the commercial market, especially in the Virginia market, because it is only about two-and-a-half hours from us, so we see it as a great opportunity,” Sneed told Tribal Council Jan. 9. “But there’s a lot of work that needs to be done.”

The tribe and Johnson have agreed to partner on a potential casino project, but the exact parameters of the relationship are yet to be determined, as is the question of whether state law will ever allow a casino to be built on the property identified.

THE LEGAL BACKGROUND

In 2019, the Virginia General Assembly passed a law with language allowing casino gaming in the state, but the bill was purposely ineffective as enacted. It included a clause stating that the amendments to state code contained within in it would not go into effect unless re-enacted during the 2020 session.

The real purpose of the bill, said Johnson’s attorney Greg Habeeb, was to direct the Joint Legislative Review and Audit Commission to review other states’ gaming laws and generate a report on the potential for casino gaming in Virginia.

Completed in late November 2019, the report was “generally positive toward gaming,” and it talked about the value of making gaming licenses competitive rather than awarding them on a first-come-first-served basis, said Habeeb.

The 2019 bill limited casino construction to cities meeting criteria based on unemployment, population and poverty rates, as well as percentage of real estate exempt from local taxes. Through those parameters, it aimed to restrict casino construction to struggling areas in need of an economic shot in the arm. The five cities that meet the criteria outlined are Bristol, Danville, Norfolk, Portsmouth and Richmond.

The JLARC study concluded that with an initial investment of $200-$300 million in each city and an annual gaming revenue state

tax rate of 27 percent, casinos in those five locations would generate a net $970 million annually and $260 million in tax revenue, with about one-third of that revenue produced by out-of-state visitors.

“Each casino is projected to employ at least 1,000 people, which would have a more meaningful impact in Bristol and Danville because of the relatively small size of their local labor forces,” reads a summary of the report.

OBSTACLES TO OVERCOME

However, casino construction is far from assured. The legislature must first pass another bill, and there are conflicting visions for what its final language should look like. Multiple casino bills have been filed already, and it’s hard to know what will ultimately end up getting passed, if anything at all.

“Last year’s bill no longer exists from a legal standpoint, so the real question is what is the General Assembly going to do this year,” said Habeeb. “There will certainly be a lot of people who think what the General Assembly does this year should be exactly the same was what it did last year. A lot of those are people who don’t like competition.”

The 2019 bill outlines a process in which any qualifying city can conduct a referendum election to authorize casino gaming in its jurisdiction. Once a referendum passes, the Virginia Lottery Board can issue a single casino operator’s license in that city as long as the project involves at least $200 million in capital investment.

Indeed, the JLARC findings include a promising nod to the state’s willingness to work with tribal nations on future casino projects.

“The General Assembly could also stipulate that special consideration be given to awarding a license to a recognized tribal nation to own or operate a casino,” the summary reads. “Specifying such preferences in an RFP would be similar to the preferences that are commonly used in the state procurement process for goods and services, such as the preference for veteran-owned businesses.”

While it’s far outside the confines of the Qualla Boundary, the proposed location in Southwestern Virginia is squarely within the boundaries of the tribe’s original territory, which included parts of modern-day Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky,

Unlike the tribe’s existing casinos, which are regulated under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act of 1988 and must be conducted on tribal lands held in federal trust, commercial gaming like that proposed in Virginia would move forward independent of IGRA and be subject to state oversight, not federal.

In a separate piece of legislation passed earlier the same day, Tribal Council authorized a request for proposals to complete a comprehensive strategy for the tribe’s entrance into the commercial gaming market.

The resolution passed with three no votes, from Birdtown Representative Albert Rose, Big Cove Representative Richard French and Wolfetown Representative Bo Crowe.

The Virginia project isn’t the only out-ofstate development endeavor on the tribe’s plate. In two separate votes last year Tribal Council approved the purchase of a total 320

That process, should it stand in the 2020 session, would present two problems for the Cherokee project. First of all, Hard Rock International has already announced plans to build a casino in Bristol, and the legislation does not provide for a competitive process should multiple entities be interested in launching a project. And secondly, the 2019 legislation uses the term “cities” to refer to the places where casinos would be allowed. The proposed location for the Hard Rock International project is within Bristol city limits, but the Cherokee project is not.

Those obstacles don’t faze Habeeb.

“I think it’s a long process,” he said of the upcoming legislative session, “and I would be surprised if the final bill looks like that bill you’re looking at.”

“The EBCI is most interested in legislation that opens the door to competition,” Sneed said in an emailed statement. “The EBCI has decades of experience with gaming and have not only seen success economically but have been able to ensure the negative aspects most people associate with gaming do not affect the EBCI. The State of Virginia needs trusted partners with experience in the gaming industry, and the EBCI hopes to be one of those partners.”

Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Alabama and Georgia, as well as a tiny piece of Mississippi.

MOVING THE BALL FORWARD

The EBCI does not intend to take a waitand-see approach to the upcoming legislative session, with Tribal Council unanimously passing a resolution Jan. 9 authorizing Sneed to contract with a lobbying firm in Virginia that can “work on behalf of the EBCI to amend Virginia’s commercial gaming legislation to pursue commercial gaming opportunities for the EBCI.”

Bringing the Bristol project to fruition would help the tribe, and failing to do so would harm it, Sneed told Tribal Council, as a casino in Bristol could siphon away customers who currently drive to Cherokee.

“If we’re unable to get into that market, there is potential for a downturn in our revenue, certainly at the Cherokee resort property, so we ask Tribal Council to support this so that we can make our foray into the commercial gaming market,” he said Jan. 9.

acres of developable property along I-40 in Sevier County. The tribe has closed on 122 acres north of I-40 and expects to close on the 198 acres south of the highway soon.

The property is believed to be extremely valuable for whatever ends up being built there, but there is no firm plan for its future. In December Tribal Council shot down a proposal to build a story-themed resort there. The tribe has not ruled out future construction of a casino on the property, should Tennessee state laws someday change to allow one.

In an email to SMN, Sneed said he plans to engage a lobbying firm “as quickly as possible” and to “quickly move forward” with developing a comprehensive strategy. All timelines for the casino project itself will depend on what the Virginia legislature ultimately decides, he said, and while his office will coordinate the next few steps Tribal Council will have to authorize any future funding commitments.

“I can commit that the EBCI has the financial backing to move forward on this venture quickly and are poised to bring this project to fruition if the opportunity becomes available to us,” he said.

Waynesville homelessness task force takes shape

BY C ORY VAILLANCOURT STAFF W RITER

Despite the urgency of the area’s homelessness problem and the cacophony of citizens clamoring for a task force to begin work on the issue, Waynesville’s Board of Aldermen remains focused on getting it right, as opposed to getting it right now.

“I’m really, really excited,” said Waynesville Mayor Gary Caldwell. “I’m very surprised at all the applicants we got.”

In the first moments after being sworn in as Waynesville’s new mayor on Dec. 10, 2019, Caldwell called for the formation of a task force to deal with what had become probably the main issue of the campaign. Aldermen weighed in, calling the process “rushed” and questioned the composition of the task force.

At the time it wasn’t clear if members of the task force were to be Waynesville residents only, and it also wasn’t clear if the members would be appointed or if they’d be selected from applications.

Still, aldermen moved to create the task force that night, in part so they could meet a deadline for a grant application from the Dogwood Health Trust. If successful in that application, they’ll use the grant funds — and, possibly match them — to hire a professional facilitator charged with wrangling the group into some sort of productive outcome.

In the meantime, the town put out notices announcing that applications would be available, and the community response was overwhelming.

“Because there were 31 applicants, everyone is going to step back and reassess the process,” said Mayor Pro Tem Julia Boyd Freeman. “We needed to get it right from the start and since we’ve had so much interest from the community, the more time we need to take to involve the right people and players in the process.”

So overwhelming was the response that the town’s now had to push off populating the task force until February to allow plenty of time for the consideration of candidates.

“The quality of the applicants, out of the

31 probably 28 of them are really great,” Caldwell said. “Really impressive.”

A release issued by Assistant Town Manager Amie Owens Jan. 8 said that due to the influx of applications, “ … the Board is reconsidering the best composition of the group prior to appointees being chosen.”

On Jan. 13, Owens told The Smoky Mountain News that Caldwell was likely to schedule a special meeting strictly for the purpose of making decisions on the applicants.

Aldermen seem satisfied with the pace of the process, and definitely seem to be more on the same page than they were in early December.

“We had some growing pains at the beginning and with the number of people who have submitted applications, I’m happy with where the process is,” said Alderman Anthony Sutton, who added that he’s already reached out to everyone who submitted an application.

“I’m thrilled with the response,” said Alderman Jon Feichter. “When I asked the board to open up this process to allow people to apply this is exactly what I hoped would happen. We’ve got applications from people with expertise in every field under the sun. I’m heartened by the depth and breadth of the applications we received. People were passionate about this and want to be part of finding the solutions.”

“I think it’s good that we’re taking this a little more slowly,” said Alderman Chuck Dickson. “We need to be very thoughtful in our selection process.”

Dickson foresees a task force of around 18 to 20 people that also includes a person without housing. Caldwell has asked each alderman to pick two people from the pool of applicants. Sutton said the task force could even include a number of subcommittees, making it an even larger group.

“I think everyone who submitted an application will be involved in some manner since they have some interest,” he said. “There’s ample opportunity.”

Search for new Waynesville police chief nears end

BY C ORY VAILLANCOURT STAFF W RITER

Almost seven months after the retirement of its longtime police chief, the Town of Waynesville is getting closer to naming his replacement.

“We have finished the assessment center and we have seven candidates,” said Waynesville Town Manager Rob Hites on Jan. 13. “I’m going to submit a couple more names for background checks today and hopefully could make an offer as soon as those background checks come back in.”

Waynesville Police Chief Bill Hollingsed retired last June after heading up the department for more than 20 years. The town engaged a professional search firm to help identify suitable candidates at a cost of around $18,000.

“What they did was, they had all the applications come to them and they put the applications in electronic form, then according to the criteria that the town and the consultants jointly agreed upon they vetted the 30 or so candidates that we had and edited them down to 11,” Hites said.

Of those 11, seven were chosen for interviews. Two are from outside North Carolina, but all are currently serving either as chiefs or assistant chiefs. The Waynesville position pays in the neighbor-

hood of $80,000, per Hites, and Hollingsed’s last reported salary was $93,016 for fiscal year 2018-19.

“One thing that Bill did — quite unselfishly — is on several occasions when the managers before me offered him raises, he asked that that money be spread among the officers to raise their salaries,” Hites said. “He could have been making far more money than he was here, except for his generosity and his commitment to his own folks.”

In the council-manager form of government, the only positions the governing board actually hires directly are the town attorney and the town manager. The rest of the town’s administrators and staff members come through the department heads and/or the town manager. Thus, Hites will end up making that hire based on the assessment and the interviews that are based on the criteria agreed to by the town and the search firm.

“This past Friday, Rob interviewed the last two people, so I feel like he’ll be naming somebody by the end of January, maybe early February,” said Waynesville Mayor Gary Caldwell. “Us board members, we kind of stay away from that. That’s what he gets paid for. We’ve got our trust in Rob and Amie [Owens, assistant town manager]. They’re both really good managers.”

Alderman Chuck Dickson echoed Caldwell’s sentiments about Hites. “I trust completely in his ability,” Dickson said.

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Franklin celebrates Robert Burns

The annual Burns Night will be held at 6 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 25, in the Tartan Hall at the First Presbyterian Church in Franklin.

Scots all over the world celebrate the birth of Robert Burns, national poet of Scotland, largely noted for saving the old melodies by adding new words to well-known tunes.

The celebration will have visitors and townspeople who will come together to share the life, poetry, and songs of the Ploughman Poet. Tartan Hall will come alive with haggis, bag piping, calling of the clans, Celtic music and Scottish food catered by Martha’s Restaurant.

Arthur Hayes, bard of Clan Hays, will present the “Ode to the Haggis.” Jim Gordon will the the Master of Ceremonies. Music will be provided by the Jacobites By Name, one of the local favorites. There will be an opportunity to get some treasures in the silent auction and a chance to win a 50/50 cash prize.

The doors will open at 5 p.m. with dinner set to begin at 6 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at the Franklin Chamber of Commerce, First Presbyterian Church and The Scottish Tartans Museum and Heritage Center, Inc.

Sylva planning board gets two new members

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER

The Town of Sylva has two new members on its planning board following a pair of unanimous votes from town commissioners Thursday, Jan. 9.

Commissioners had to fill seats previously held by Joe Bill Matthews and Benjamin Guiney. Matthews’ term was expiring, and he did not wish to be reappointed to an additional three-year term. Guiney resigned his seat mid-term following his election to the town board in November.

Four people applied for the two seats, and commissioners said they were pleased with the variety of options.

“I was very impressed with some of these resumes,” said Commissioner Greg McPherson.

The applicant pool included construction project manager Alan Brown, former New Hampshire House of Representatives member Geoffrey Hirsch, former planning board chairman and 2019 town board candidate Luther Jones and pharmacist Melissa Madrona.

McPherson recommended that the board appoint Madrona to fill Guiney’s term, which ends on Feb. 28, 2022. Madrona is also

vote.

“I think she brings a unique perspective with her work in the Cherokee Indian Hospital and understands some of the complexities of the issues that we’re faced with these days,” said McPherson.

In her application, Madrona explained how the skills she has acquired as a pharmacist would apply to her role on the planning board.

“As a pharmacist, I regularly weigh risks and benefits in a detail-oriented manner to determine the best course of action in patients’ health care; I deal with people from different social stations and levels of power to try to reach consensus; and I have to be a good listener to determine a patient’s perspective

and try to shape their medication use to positively affect their health while also factoring in their priorities and lifestyle,” she wrote. “These skills and abilities could be applicable to balancing the good of the town with the desires of individuals in town planning.”

Commissioner David Nestler recommended Brown for a three-year term to fill Matthews’ seat.

“I thought his application was impressive, and since he has some experience with construction, especially the management side, I would welcome his opinion on what we could do in our ordinances to encourage some solutions to what I see as a housing shortage,” said Nestler.

In his application, Brown said that he has undergraduate degrees in construction technology as well as design and drafting, and that he has worked in the construction industry for 15 years, currently as a construction project manager with Civil Design Concepts in Waynesville.

“I wish to serve on the town planning board to help shape the town’s vision for the future through proper planning and managing our community’s growth,” he wrote. “I also like to be involved in the town and working with others to see the town prosper.”

The seven-member planning board meets monthly to develop ordinance recommendations for commissioners to consider.

Following last week’s vote, two of those seven seats will be occupied by the spouse of a sitting town board member. Boyd Sossamon, husband of Mayor Lynda Sossamon, chairs the planning board.

Duke Energy asks for rate increase

Public hearing to be held in Franklin

BY J ESSI STONE

N EWS E DITOR

Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC, filed an application with the North Carolina Utilities Commission Sept. 30, 2019, requesting authority to increase its rates for electric service in order to produce an additional $445.3 million in retail base revenues.

According to a utilities commission press release, that would mean the current monthly bill of $102.71 would increase to $108.43 under DEC’s proposal for a residential electric customer using 1,000 kilowatthours per month.

CONG G RATUL A ATES

In its application, Duke stated that its request is driven by investments it has made since its 2017 rate case, including retiring, replacing and upgrading generation plants; investments to modernize and maintain the company’s transmission and distribution systems; costs incurred to restore service to customers after Hurricanes Florence and Michael and Winter Storm Diego; the deployment of advanced metering infrastructure, which includes smart meters; investments needed to comply with environmental regulations related to coal combustion residuals, including ash basin closure activities to satisfy regulatory requirements; depreciation rate changes, including efforts to reduce the company’s reliance on coal by accelerating the remaining lives of some of the company’s coal-fired generation facilities, and other costs incurred by Duke to provide power.

Duke Carolinas’ last rate hike request came in 2017 and a public hearing was held in Franklin in January 2018. At the time, Duke was asking for a 15 percent rate increase to increase it’s annual revenue by $611 million, but customers made it clear they were opposed to any increase for Duke. In June, the commission announced that Duke’s request had been denied and the corporation was ordered to refund $60 million in deferred taxes to customers and to pay $70 million in fines for the coal ash disaster.

One major point of contention for residents during the public hearings was that Duke wanted to increase customer rates to help recoup costs associated with cleaning up its 14 coal ash basins across North Carolina. Duke stated in its application that about $135 million of the requested additional revenue was intended to recover ash basin closure compliance costs incurred since Jan. 1, 2015. Duke also sought to recover $201 million toward ongoing ash basin closure compliance costs.

The utilities commission has scheduled four hearings to receive testimony from Duke’s customers, as well as an evidentiary hearing beginning March 23 for testimony and cross-examination of expert witnesses. A public hearing will be held at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 15, at the Macon County Courthouse, 5 West Main Street, Franklin.

Customers can also submit a written statement to the commission via email. Be sure to include the docket number (E-7 Sub 1214CS) in the subject line. Another option is to mail a statement to the commission at the address below. In either case, after two or three business days, statements are made part of the official record for the proceeding, and can be viewed on this website via docket number.

North Carolina Utilities Commission is a separate, independent agency that represents the using and consuming public in matters before the commission, including rate increase requests like this one.

To submit a public comment or to find out more about the rate increase request, visit https://www.ncuc.net/ hearings/e7sub1214hearing.html.

Regional hospitals look back on 2019 growth

BY J ESSI STONE

N EWS E DITOR

Western North Carolina hospitals under the Duke LifePoint umbrella are celebrating several milestones in making communities healthier as a new year begins.

In 2019, Harris Regional Hospital and Swain Community Hospital added more than a dozen new physicians, physician assistants and nurse practitioners to its practices in Jackson, Swain, and Macon counties. Specialties include pulmonology and sleep medicine, cardiology, orthopaedics, pediatrics, primary care, and wound care. Eight additional physicians and providers are scheduled to start in 2020. Specialties include cardiology, orthopaedics, primary care, general surgery, vascular surgery, and women’s care.

“It’s been an incredible year in terms of recruiting physicians to practice in our communities,” said Steve Heatherly, CEO of Harris and Swain. “When additional physicians and providers choose to practice at our hospitals, we expand access to care. In 2019 we significantly expanded our cardiology, orthopaedics, and primary care services and will bring a new service line to Harris in 2020 with the addition of a vascular surgeon.”

Harris and Swain accomplished strategic initiatives in 2019 such as partnering with Appalachian Mountain Community Health Centers at the Robbinsville location to open a

physical therapy clinic. The clinic has grown to offer patient appointments five days a week. At Harris, the cardiology team performed its first cardiac intervention, following the continued growth of diagnostic catheterization procedures in 2017 and 2018. The addition of interventional cardiology at Harris means that those who call Western North Carolina home have access to high quality cardiac care nearby without the burden of travel, Heatherly said.

Both hospitals have experienced substantial growth in terms of utilization by the region. Harris and Swain served more patients in 2019 than in 2018 in the areas of emergency department visits, surgical procedures, births, and inpatient rehabilitation care.

In 2019, Harris and Swain honored employees for a collective 1,275 years of service, something Heatherly is quite proud of.

“None of our growth would be possible without our outstanding employees at all of our locations, including the hospitals, urgent care center, outpatient clinics, and physician practices,” he said. “We were excited to honor many with awards for years of dedication to our patients and organization, and to recognize others for compassionately delivering an excellent patient experience.”

At Swain Community, the following employees were selected by their peers for making outstanding contributions to the patient experience: Becky Cochran, Connie

Specials for New Clients!

New providers

New physicians and providers at Harris Regional Hospital and Swain Community Hospital

• Christine Kryger, NP and Leslie Morris, NP

– Harris Pulmonary and Sleep Center

• Scott Westermeyer, MD and Anne Fullbright, PA – Harris Cardiology

• John Songer, MD and Joshua Wu, DO –Harris Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine

• Arielle Lankford, PNP and Norma Burdette, FNP – Swain Family Care

• Caroline Rooney, FNP and Hannah Caplinger, FNP – Harris Family Care –Franklin

• Ryan Marshall, DO and Song Washington, PA – Harris Wound Healing and Hyperbaric Center

Millsaps, Jessica Cochran, Tammie Mashburn, Tammy Stephenson, Mary Smith, Amber Wasson, Courtney Orr, Ted Moore, Levi Weigand, Daniel Mackey, MD, Kevin Ray, and Rick Gass.

The Mercy Award winner for Harris and Swain was security officer Don Clawson. The Mercy Award recognizes one employee from each of LifePoint Health’s hospitals who profoundly touches the lives of others and best represents the spirit and values on which the company was founded.

In 2019, Harris and Swain’s community partnerships with Western Carolina University and Southwestern Community College continued to thrive. Harris Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine cared for student-athletes on the field and on the sidelines at WCU events as the exclusive health care partner for Catamount athletics.

Caroline Rooney and Hannah Caplinger completed the family nurse practitioner program as part of The Ascent Partnership in which the hospitals fund tuition in exchange for three years of practice with the hospitals. The Student Nurse Apprentice Program with SCC has resulted in Kendra Wittman and Brandi Nations obtaining nurse aide certifications and licensure, practicing at Harris as certified nurse aides.

Looking ahead, Harris and Swain plan to expand access to care by completing a renovation to the Harris Regional Cancer Center, increasing availability for Harris Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine, and opening a vein center on the Harris campus. In the first part of 2020, Harris will install new mammography technology, operating room equipment, and upgraded cardiology systems.

“It is our privilege to play a role in making communities healthier,” Heatherly said. “We

are honored each time an individual or family chooses one of our facilities to seek care. We will continue to strive to deliver an excellent experience one patient at a time.”

Haywood Regional Medical Center in Clyde also had many successes in 2019 and more to look forward to in 2020, according to CEO Rod Hackleroad.

HRMC recruited 11 new physician providers in OB/GYN, primary care, cardiology, orthopedics, gastrointestinal, family practice, psychiatrists and ophthalmology. Duketrained Dr. Miller joined the peripheral vascular program, and Dr. Marshall came on board for plastic surgery. In addition, HRMC opened the new Cosmetic and Wellness Center.

The hospital has also seen significant growth in its cardiology service line. Services like heart caths, pacemakers, interventional cardiology and diagnostic testing grew by 200 percent. Strong growth was also reported in urology, the vein center, infusion center, sleep studies, intensive care and primary care offices.

In 2019, HRMC developed a residency program with MACHE, psychiatry and general surgery (physician); began a clinical rotation program for nurse practitioners and physician assistants for Duke University students; received state certification to train certified nursing assistants; partnered with N.C. Serves to assist veterans with health care needs and invested over $200,000 to start a paramedic program in collaboration with Haywood County.

Haywood was nationally recognized for an “A” grade from LeapFrog Group, a nonprofit organization that is “the nation’s premier advocate of hospital transparency — collecting, analyzing and disseminating hospital data to inform value-based purchasing.”

The hospital’s Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) rating is four stars and was awarded a platinum designation by The National Organ Donation Society. HRMC also achieved Cardiac Cath Lab accreditation, Chest Pain Center accreditation, national accreditation in American College of Surgeon Commission on Cancer.

“We are the third hospital in the country to treat lung cancer using parenchymal lung cancer microwave ablation using a cone beam laser,” Harkleroad said. “The only other hospitals performing this treatment are Duke, Vanderbilt, and the University of California.”

Harris, Swain and Haywood were all purchased by for-profit health care system Duke LifePoint in 2014. Before the acquisition, the nonprofit hospitals were struggling financially, but the sale came with LifePoint’s commitment to invest $43 million in capital improvements at Harris and Swain and $36 million at HRMC over the next eight years.

Tribal Council passes term limits for casino board members

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER

After nearly an hour of debate, Tribal Council voted unanimously last week to place term limits on members of the two boards that oversee tribal gaming operations.

“I think we need to spread it out for other people to serve on these boards,” said Birdtown Representative Boyd Owle, who submitted the legislation. “They’re great boards. There are a lot of bright minds here in Cherokee, so let’s give them an opportunity. To be honest, I’d like to see it for all boards.”

Owle’s legislation proposed changes to the ordinances governing the Tribal Gaming Commission and Tribal Casino Gaming Enterprise. The three-member TGC makes rules governing games and gaming equipment at the tribe’s casinos in Cherokee and Murphy. The five-member TCGE handles policies and financial decisions as outlined in the tribe’s management contract with Harrah’s Cherokee Casino. Board members are appointed by the principal chief with approval from Tribal Council — TGC members serve three-year terms and TCGE members serve five-year terms.

Other councilmembers were quick to voice support for Owle’s ordinance.

“Boyd, thank you for bringing this in,” said Big Cove Representative Richard French. “I agree with you 100 percent.”

“It’s long overdue,” added Birdtown Representative Albert Rose.

Women’s march comes to Sylva

A Women’s March, sponsored by Indivisible Common Ground - WNC, will be held from 11:30 a.m. until 1:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 18, in downtown Sylva.

Gather at Bridge Park (Railroad Ave.) in downtown Sylva for a rally, music, speakers and a march to celebrate the importance of voting, progressive values and women’s equality. This year, 2020, marks the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment which extended to women the right to vote.

Catholic church identifies potential abusers

On Monday, Dec. 30, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte published a list of several clergy the diocese found to have been “credibly accused” of child sexual abuse since the diocese’s creation in 1972. Of these clergy members, two worked in the 43rd Prosecutorial District in the 1970s and 1980s.

According to the diocese, Adelbert “Del” Holmes was “credibly accused” of committing

Some of the people sitting on these boards carry a “sense of entitlement” to their position, he said.

Tribal member Peggy Hill came forward to ask that council also consider addressing the process for soliciting applications for board appointments.

“I think we need to spread it out for other people to serve on these boards. There are a lot of bright minds here in Cherokee, so let’s give them an opportunity.”

— Boyd Owle, Birdtown Representative

“The only time we ever know or hear are when the appointments come up and those have already been decided,” she said. “I like what Boyd (Owle) said. We have many tribal members who have gone, gotten their education, some experience, and we are not utilizing it. We’re not.”

Chairman Adam Wachacha said that he agreed with the overall intent of Owle’s ordinance but suggested that council consider changing the limitation from two terms total to two consecutive terms. That would allow

child molestation against three minors in Murphy in 1976 while he was a clergy member. The Catholic church became aware of the allegations against Holmes in 1988 and he was removed from the ministry in 1991. Holmes was a clergy member at the St. William Catholic Church in Murphy and the Immaculate Conception Catholic Mission in Hayesville. There is no recorded documentation that the Catholic church notified local law enforcement nor the District Attorney’s Office of these allegations when the church was notified in 1988. Holmes died in 2013, and his death prevents the District Attorney’s Office from being able to prosecute him for crimes he is alleged to have committed in 1976.

Clergy member Al Behm was “credibly accused” of child sexual offenses in Kentucky during the 1970s. Behm went on to serve as the first campus minister at Western Carolina University in the 1980s. According to the diocese, Behm has not been accused of committing crimes while at Western Carolina. Behm left the ministry in 1993.

“Last year, the District Attorney’s Office successfully prosecuted a former Episcopal priest for crimes he committed on children in Waynesville over 20 years ago,” District Attorney Ashley Hornsby Welch said in a press release. “If you have been a victim of child sexual abuse, we are committed to seeking justice for you. North Carolina does not

experienced board members to be considered for reappointment after rolling off for a time.

“It’s really hard to replace experienced people on some of these commissions and boards, but I too stand with the majority of council in making sure we’re looking outside of a specific pool and considering everybody,” he said.

Vice Chairman David Wolfe moved to amend the ordinance to limit members to two consecutive terms rather than two lifetime terms. That proposal garnered some support but was ultimately shot down following a divided vote on the amendment.

Principal Chief Richard Sneed came to the podium to respond to some of the criticisms expressed over the course of the discussion. He told Tribal Council that during his time in office he has appointed a total of 12 first-time appointees, and that several more first-time board members would be appointed that very day provided Council approved them. He questioned whether term limits were all that necessary, considering that Tribal Council has the power to reject proposed appointments.

“I can understand wanting to codify term limits in it, but to your same point, the term limit is this body says no,” said Sneed. “At the end of the day, this body has the authority to say yes or no, and I’m interested to see the process that will be coming. That’s something we’ve talked about in here for about two-anda-half years now, because every time appointments come up we have a debate like this.”

While the vote as to whether members should be limited to two consecutive or two total terms was divided, the final vote on the ordinance was unanimous, with all 12 councilmembers voting to pass it. Sneed has 30 days from the date of passage to ratify or veto the ordinance.

have a statute of limitations on these atrocious crimes, which means we are able to prosecute individuals when there is probable cause even decades after the crime.”

Diversity

Retreat at Lake Logan

Lake Logan Conference Center will host Living the Way of Love: Courageous Conversations About Diversity Feb. 7-9.

This retreat is open to college students and adults who have an interest in expanding their own understanding of diversity, inclusion, equity, and belonging. At this two-day retreat, participants will examine their own attitudes about diversity and the role faith plays, generate open and honest dialogue and leave with a clear individual action plan for “what next?” in their own lives, churches, and communities.

The retreat’s facilitator is Mr. Oman Frame, coordinator of Equity and Inclusion at the Paideia School in Atlanta and author of Let’s Get Real: Exploring Race, Class, and Gender Identities in the Classroom.

In an effort to make this event accessible to as many people as possible, rates are being offered on a sliding scale. Special college student rates are also available. Register online by Jan. 25 at lakelogan.org/events.

Simply, it is the Church founded by Jesus Christ, established by the Apostles, and handed down through the centuries to today.

Holy Resurrection Orthodox Church is a canonical mission Church meeting in Waynesville. Our services are in English, all are welcomed to worship with us, and we have a special outreach to the poor and the lost, and to those who seek to love God by loving others

Interested? Contact us at 828-775-9122 or Orthodoxwaynesville.org

Gilchrist, who has been teaching English and language arts in Western

North Carolina for 30 years,

was

named Regional Teacher of the Year.

Following the gleam

Gilchrist named Regional Teacher of the Year

BY J ESSI STONE N EWS E DITOR

Something Dawn Gilchrist’s father-inlaw, a retired Methodist minister, once said has stuck with her throughout her career as an educator — follow the gleam, mind the bend and enter the open door.

“The gleam for me continues to be the neediest kids. It’s something I’m compelled to do — it’s a compulsion,” she said. “... I’m a firm believer in John Donne’s 17th Meditation — ’No man is an island’ — and if you have something to give that allows other people to learn what their gifts and their niche is, you can be so fulfilled in helping them find that. Even on hard days these students will say something that takes my breath away, and I’m surprised by the humanity they’ve retained in the life they live, which has given them few opportunities.”

After teaching English at Swain High School for 20 years, Gilchrist was thinking seriously about retirement, but then that gleam returned once more when a colleague encouraged her to apply for a language arts teaching position at Jackson Community School. Formerly known as the School of Alternatives, the school serves about 90 students who are at risk of not graduating.

raised in Western North Carolina.

“I’m local as dirt,” she said when asked about her background. She grew up in Swain County and graduated from Swain High School before earning her undergrad degree in English from Western Carolina University. She ended up teaching ESL (English as a second language) in Randolph County.

“It was wonderful. I worked with an immigrant population and those working toward their citizenship,” she said.

Then Gilchrist attended Columbia University in New York for a master’s degree in literature before moving back south to teach at Rabun Gap-Nacoochee School in Rabun County, Georgia. The private boarding school offered her all the resources she could imagine, but it wasn’t enough to keep her there.

“I was there for four years but I really wanted to work with a population of students that didn’t have as many resources,” she said.

She also earned her MFA in poetry from Warren Wilson College.

“I did it because I love poetry, but I know I can’t make a living at it,” she said.

For someone who has been teaching for nearly 30 years, Gilchrist has witnessed many changes in public education — some good and some disheartening — but she’s always understood the importance of mentoring other teachers and learning from them as well.

“I still love teaching and these kids have a lot to offer — sometimes that hasn’t been noticed,” she said. “I wanted to work with a new population of students — more marginalized students — and the department I was leaving in Swain was a strong department. They didn’t need me anymore.”

Even though teaching is something Gilchrist said she fell into, it’s a profession she’s enjoyed and excelled in, which is evident by the many accolades she’s received, including this year’s Regional Teacher of the Year. School administrators surprised her in the classroom Dec. 13 with the announcement that she was named the best teacher out of 14 western school systems. It’s a major accomplishment, but Gilchrist has never seen her strongest qualities as a virtue.

“I was born with innate curiosity and an innate love for the young. I can’t help but to look at a kid and think ‘Woah, what are they going to do? What possibilities lie dormant that can be teased out if I can figure out what engages her mind?’” she said. “For peo-

ple to give you an award for something you can’t help seems absurd. The award shouldn’t be for me personally but as a representative for these remarkable people that do this every day and do it well and with heart.”

She said she feels like the teachers and students she’s worked with throughout the years have made a much greater impact on her than she has on them.

Studies on happiness have shown that helping others moves you toward happiness, and since helping others through teaching makes her happy, Gilchrist said her motivation for staying in the profession for so long was “ultimately selfish” — though her colleagues would disagree.

Gilchrist said her colleague who brought her to Jackson Community School had a great metaphor for why it’s important for good teachers to teach at schools for marginalized students.

“Everything that happens here affects others — that’s why we need good teachers here. Every kid here will graduate and go out into the world. We want them to know that you can come from a hard background and be a great human being,” she said.

Gilchrist has some idea of what these students are up against. She was born and

“Even on hard days these students will say something that takes my breath away, and I’m surprised by the humanity they’ve retained in the life they live, which has given them few opportunities.”

— Dawn Gilchrist

“I don’t mentor here (Jackson Community School) but part of the reason I love it here is seeing the energy of young teachers. They come in with enthusiasm and that is one of the things that keeps me going. I learn so much from them and that keeps me enthused.”

As head of the English department in Swain, Gilchrist said she always tried to give her teachers at least one class that they really enjoyed teaching. She did that because she knows how challenging teaching has become — stricter curriculum, more testing and fewer benefits and perks. She also knows that keeping teachers happy equals happy and successful students, but has seen morale plummet as wages, benefits and incentives fall by the wayside.

“Young teachers don’t just have to work a summer job now — many of them have to work two other jobs year around to afford car payments and rent,” she said.

Just as teachers struggle to keep up with the changing world of public education, students struggle to meet societal expectations like never before.

“Kids are exposed to the same pop culture the rest of the country is and it’s not a good thing. They don’t have both parents or they don’t have either of them. They don’t have stability. They may not have a hot meal around the dinner table and you can’t learn if you haven’t eaten or if you’re sleeping in the car,” Gilchrist said.

Over the years, Gilchrist said she’s learned to adapt to what the state requires to meet the needs of the students coming through her classroom. She determines what they’re capable of, what curriculum she has to fit in and what else she can squeeze into it. Her seniors are F

reading Rule of the Bone by Russell Banks. It’s about a teenager living with his mother and abusive stepfather in an upstate New York trailer park who slips into drugs and petty crime. While it’s set in another part of the country, it’s a story unfortunately many of them can identify with whether it’s their own family or someone else they know.

Her sophomores are reading Night by Elie Wiesel, a story about the author’s experience with his father in the Nazi German concentration camps at Auschwitz and Buchenwald. Her high schoolers have also read works by local authors Ron Rash and David Joy. Knowing only about 3 to 5 percent of her students read literature for pleasure, Gilchrist’s colleagues say she’s good at finding a way to connect to and engage with her students.

“They may not read a lot of literature at home, but they all read — texts, social media, they read in little bites,” she said. “To get them to love reading you don’t introduce them to the classics first — you do that when they already have that love. You have to give them a page turner that absolutely knocks their socks off. If they can see themselves in the writing, it’s not hard to get them engaged.”

Gilchrist is excited about the opportunities that come with the Regional Teacher of the Year title and potentially the State Teacher of the Year, which will be announced in April.

“As Regional Teacher you can be as involved as you want to be and go speak at events or not,” she said. “As State Teacher, you take a year off from teaching and work with State Board of Education and attend their meetings to work in a consulting role. You also do a lot of speaking and working

with new teachers.”

The last State Teacher of the Year, Lisa Godwin, focused on STEM and was often seen at the rallies for public education as educators from all over the state fought for more funding for school systems and better benefits for teachers. Participating in politics can put educators in a precarious situation. Teachers were asked to take off for one or three days to support the public education rallies in Raleigh — thousands of teachers from around the state chose to while others felt they couldn’t. Gilchrist decided to stay in the classroom with her students, but she’s been vocal about her positions on public education through her writing, including submitting opinion pieces to the local newspapers.

“Teachers have to walk a very fine line,” she said. “My school system is strapped for resources and we would have had to pay for a substitute and my kids would know I went because I want more money. What would they think of me? But another way to advocate is through writing and speaking your truth.”

If she’s selected as the State Teacher of the Year, Gilchrist said she has a simple plan for improving public education — require all teachers to have a master’s degree and pay them $50,000 a year.

“We’re not going in the right direction. The state has not paid for teachers to get their master’s degrees for several years and that has hurt us,” she said. “The legislature voted to raise pay for new teachers but that’s only a start. Yes, we need standards but that’s not going to save public education. It takes good teachers to make a difference and we have to provide the resources they need in the classroom.”

Business Plan Competition starts Feb. 3

The Small Business Center at Southwestern Community College will be holding a “Regional Business Plan Competition” to help individuals transform their ideas into fully realized businesses. The kick-off for the event will be from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Monday, Jan. 20, in the Burrell Building on SCC’s Jackson Campus. This event will feature a panel of business owners, including Steve Baxley from Baxley’s Chocolate in Sylva, Debra Hedden from Luxury Therapeutics in Franklin, and Robyn and Ted Duncan from Shift Wellness and Performance in Bryson City. The kick-off event will serve as an introduction to the competition itself, which runs from Feb. 3 through March 23. The eight-week series will be held from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Mondays in the Burrell Building.

Throughout the series, participants will work through each element needed to develop a successful business plan. During the final session, competitors will put together an organized business plan and present it. The winner of the competition will receive $5,000 that will be used to assist with startup expenses or expansion of an existing business.

Participation is free. Pre-registration is required: http://bit.ly/bizplankickoff.

Tiffany Henry, director of SCC’s Small Business Center, (left) stands with Lauren Baxley of Baxley’s Chocolate in Sylva.

Harrah’s 2019 community impact

In 2019, Harrah’s Cherokee Casinos continued to showcase its commitment to supporting the surrounding communities, the environment and its employees.

Employees and their families accumulated over 100,000 volunteer hours in 2019 through the community outreach program H.E.R.O. (Harrah’s Employees Reaching Out). Aligning with the core values of Caesars Entertainment, H.E.R.O. focuses on making the local communities healthier and more vibrant places to live and work by providing employees the opportunity to volunteer with nonprofit organizations. This year, the company assisted over 100 local organizations including Manna Food Bank, No Barriers, The Blue Ridge Honor Flight and REACH of Haywood, Macon, Clay and Cherokee counties.

“Our employees’ giving hearts are truly admirable,” said Jo Ray, regional vice president of community relations & employee wellness at Harrah’s. “They see first-hand how they are making a difference in other people’s lives and that just fuels their desire to help more. Our employees are making a name for themselves in our communities for their willingness to help whenever and wherever it’s needed.”

Harrah’s also supported local organizations through sponsorship donations totaling over $500,000 in cash and services and contributed over $481,000 in concert ticket sales, raffle ticket sales as well as cash and in-kind donations during its fourth annual 3 Doors Down concert to benefit The Better Life Foundation.

Bridal shop opens in Franklin

The Franklin Chamber of Commerce recently welcomed Anna Maria Bridal with a ribbon cutting celebration.

Anna Maria Bridal is located at 20 West

Palmer Street, Franklin, and is owned by Connie Millsaps and Lacy Spence. The shop features designer gowns, bridesmaid dresses and offer tuxedo rentals.

For appointments, call the shop at 828.369.8009 or follow them on facebook and Instagram at @annamariabridal.

UCB offers mortgage services

United Community Mortgage Services is now able to offer qualifying home buyers up to $2,500 to help cover down payment or closing costs through the Freddie Mac BorrowSmart Program. Assistance eligibility amount is determined by the borrower’s area median income and may fund up to 100 percent of the required cash to close. United is one of a few lenders in the state to offer this service.

“Supporting and improving our communities is a top priority for our company,” said Mike Davies, president of United Community Mortgage Services. “With this offering, we can help home buyers who are in need of down payment assistance feel confident in their ability to achieve and maintain the dream of homeownership.”

All borrowers must complete pre-purchase counseling for a cost of $99, to be paid by the borrower. Potential borrowers are encouraged to visit a UCB office to learn more.

Free seminar for farmers

The Small Business Center at Haywood Community College and the Center for Environmental Farming Systems will offer a free seminar “How to Make Money on the Farm” from 1 to 4 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 30, in the College’s Regional High Technology Center Auditorium. This workshop focuses on increasing farm income through developing better business skills and by utilizing the resources of the EmPOWERing

Mountain Food Systems Program and the Small Business Center.

Speakers include representatives of the Center for Environmental Farming Systems, tenBiz, NC Cooperative Extension, NC State Extension and NC FarmLink.

To register, visit sbc.haywood.edu or call 828.627.4512.

Jack the Dipper expands to Franklin

The Franklin Chamber of Commerce recently held a ribbon cutting celebration to welcome Jack

ALSO:

• BCNC Investments/Bryson City announced the sale of the 1101 Main Restaurant in Bryson City. The new owners recently purchased Shoebooties in Murphy with BCNC’s assistance. There is expected to be a change in operations to be rebranded as a second shoebooties location.

• The Franklin Area Chamber of Commerce will hold its annual Awards an Installation Banquet Jan. 16 at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts. Doors open at 6 p.m. and dinner will be served at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $30.

• This year’s award winners for the Cashiers Christmas Parade were: Cashiers Christmas Star Trophy – Mountaintop Golf & Lake Club; Cashiers Caroling Award – Cashiers Village Inn; Elfin Magic Award – Cub Scout Den #222; Fruitcake Award – Highlands Aerial Park; Holiday Spirit Award – Sapphire Valley Resort; Rudolph’s Friends Award – Big Brothers Big Sisters of WNC; Santa’s Sleigh Award – Valley Garden Club; Tin Soldier Award – Blue Ridge Free Dental Clinic and Vintage Vehicle Award – Roman’s Roofing.

the Dipper Ice Cream Parlor to the Franklin business community.

Founded in 1976, Jack the Dipper is an icecream parlor that began in Cullowhee by the river and after some time moved to the present location in Sylva near the Quinn Theatres. The original family-owned business changed hands a few times and in March of 2019 Dana Smith and Mike Martone purchased the company.

The company specializes in providing more than 32 flavors of Hershey’s ice-cream in its unique made to order warm waffle cones. Since March when Smith and Martone purchased the business with locations in Sylva and Waynesville, they have added a location in Fletcher right of Exit 44 on I-26 and most recently in Franklin in the Factory on Georgia Road.

Bryan named HomeTrust branch manager

Kristina Bryan recently joined HomeTrust Bank as an Assistant Vice President and Branch Manager in Waynesville.

She holds responsibility for managing day-today operations of the branch office, expanding business services to help serve customer needs, cultivating community outreach, and promoting the HomeTrust brand in the community.

“I’m so excited to be joining the HomeTrust family,” Bryan said. “I look forward to using my skills and abilities to help coach and develop the Waynesville team while growing business development for the branch.”

Bryan has more than a decade of banking experience. Previously, she was a PNC Bank branch manager and business center manager in Asheville and before that worked at Wells Fargo as branch manager in Greenville, N.C.

Beverly-Hanks recognized for community giving

The Association of Fundraising Professionals Western North Carolina Chapter recently held a lunch in Asheville in celebration of National Philanthropy Day, and Beverly-Hanks, Realtors was among the Outstanding Honorees recognized. Beverly-Hanks was nominated for the honor by Kevin Montgomery, resource development director of United Way of Asheville and Buncombe County. Montgomery nominated the firm because of its longtime culture of voluntary service and financial contributions. Roughly 80 percent of BeverlyHanks agents and staff engage in community volunteering services annually. In addition to employee engagement, Beverly-Hanks has contributed over $900,000 through the United Way to nonprofits in Western North Carolina over the last 11 years.

“Our agents and staff are experts in our local communities,” said Neal Hanks, Jr., president of Beverly-Hanks. “Every day, I am proud to see that they are putting that expertise to use to improve the neighborhoods we call home.”

Becoming mindful in a chaotic world

Last October, I turned 40. It made me evaluate where I was physically, emotionally and personally. About a month after this pivotal birthday, I had my wellness visit at the doctor. I be-bopped in, assuming labs and vitals would be just fine like they always are, but a couple days after the visit, I received a call saying my iron, B12 and hemoglobin levels were all significantly below normal. My mom passed away from a blood cancer so issues with blood and hemoglobin terrify me.

The doctor said it could be from my mostly-vegetarian diet or I could be losing blood somewhere. After further testing, they decided to give me weekly B12 shots and take supplemental iron as well as a sublingual B12. I also introduced more animal proteins into my diet, since these foods have naturally occurring B12.

This past week, they re-checked my labs and everything was back up to normal. A huge sigh of relief ensued. The doctor suggested I continue taking a B12 supplement, considering my age and tendency toward a vegetarian diet.

While I was dealing with the B12/iron stress, I was introduced to a mindfulness practice. As a birthday gift, a good friend gave me a box of mindfulness cards. On each card is a prompt, reminder or inspiration. Every morning in the quiet, I pull a few cards and let the words sink in. Below, I share a few of them with you. These are meant to be helpful as we navigate this complicatedly beautiful existence.

Look for the lovely: Instead of focusing on the negative or dark aspects of the world, intentionally look for the lovely. The way we look affects what we see which affects how we feel. Seeking out moments or objects of loveliness, generosity and kindness will nudge our perspective into a positive space.

The what over the why: We are bad to obsess over the

Trump is doing a great job

To the Editor:

The impeachment of President Donald Trump, the most partisan political witch hunt in our American history, is fraudulent, a hoax, charade and scam. Democrats, the media and various other left-wing swamp Trump haters have been calling for his impeachment from the day he was elected ... before the man assumed any presidential duties … before he set foot into the Oval Office. At that time there was nothing to impeach him on. Oh! Sorry! There was one thing according to the Trump-hating Democrats. He beat the Democrat chosen one, Hilary Clinton, in the 2016 presidential election. With that perceived “crime” Democrat officeholders cried out for impeachment without any constitutional reason to impeach. Early on, a congressman from Texas stood at the U.S. House of Representatives podium and said we need to impeach before he is reelected ... upon her election in 2018 a potty mouth congresswoman vowed to impeach the #&%*, using the nastiest profanity. Maxine Waters bellowed out “impeach 45” just about every day from the 2016 Election Day ... still nothing valid or constitutional to impeach. This process is like telling your child I will be

“why” before the “what,” which contributes to spiraling thoughts. Instead of worrying about why things are happening, focus on understanding what is happening. This is more action focused and helps us determine patterns of behavior in others and ourselves.

Name the demons: Put a name to the negative thought patterns that often invade our minds. Maybe it’s anxiety, jealously, self-criticism or doubt. Whatever it is, calling it out by name puts some distance between you and the emotion.

Walk the walk: Physical movement brings us into the moment. When we’re focused on bodily sensations and using our muscles, there’s less room and attention for mental agitation. Even the simple act of walking helps us escape the confines of our minds.

Notice strangers: Making an attempt to notice people we don’t know or recognize helps us disengage from our own personal dramas. Instead of viewing strangers as extras in our life’s movie, see them for what they are — real human beings with stories of their own.

Enjoy the ordinary: People are easily distracted, so we’re not very good at dealing with the ordinary. It’s boring, but boredom is often a sign of calm mixed with restlessness. If we let go of the restlessness and embrace the calm, we can experience more joy in the mundane.

Make space for silence: It’s rare that our minds are offered the gift of silence. Today’s world is full of noise, both real and virtual. With our minds constantly full, it’s impossible to sit

grounding you but I don’t know for what yet. After trying to find a Trump crime worthy of impeachment — including a two and a half year special counsel investigation — the desperate Democrat scammers have settled on articles of impeachment that we are to believe are high crimes and misdemeanors … abuse of power and obstruction of justice. These accusations are not criminal nor are they true. Instead they are conjured up by a kangaroo court in an attempt to get rid of a president by coup rather than an election. Democrats have tried to foist this nonsense on us and while at it the Speaker of the House has abused her power by holding the impeachment articles from the Senate.

In the meantime we have a booming Trump economy where more than 7 million jobs have been added; in 2019 the unemployment rate reached its lowest level in half a century; the unemployment rates for minorities, veterans, individuals with disabilities, and those without a high school diploma are at record lows; wages are growing at their fastest rate in a decades; two existing regulations for every new regulation are slashed saving $50 billion in regulatory costs; support is strengthened for our community, border control and ICE law enforcement officers; ISIS is devastated; trade agreements are renegotiated

with silence. Try to schedule stints of silence throughout your day. It’s been shown that silence isn’t only good for recharging but also for decision-making and creativity.

Take the bigger view: Despite the situations and challenges we are facing in our own little worlds, there is always a bigger view. Look at obstacles from an aerial view to help see how things are interrelated. Putting space between oneself and an issue helps a person better deal with life’s challenges. There is no control: Much of the daily conflict we deal with comes from our need to control everything around us. The fact is, the world will continue doing what it does whether we involve ourselves or not. Making good choices is different than controlling everything. Once you figure out how to surrender instead of control, life will feel much easier.

May I be well: Basic human desires are to be safe, healthy and happy. Try reminding yourself of this throughout the day by whispering aloud, “May I be well” or “May I be happy.” These words will cultivate a sense of self-care. These reminders help us stay in touch with our essential needs. Here I am at 40-plus and things are trucking right along. As they say, age is just a number. The older I get, the more relevant this adage seems. Recent experiences, including my B12 deficiency and using the mindfulness cards, have demonstrated the synergistic nature of our world. They have also reminded me of one very important lesson. Nothing functions in isolation, especially joy and vitality.

The mindfulness cards referenced in this column were created by Rohan Gunatillake, author and founder of Mindfulness Everywhere, based out of Glasgow, Scotland. (Susanna Shetley is a writer, editor and marketing specialist with Smoky Mountain News, Smoky Mountain Living and Mountain South Media. susanna.b@smokymountainnews.com)

to benefit the U.S and red lines in the sand are honored like the promise to eliminate of those responsible for attacks on our embassies and killing Americans.

It is no wonder that the left, Democrats and the Trump-hating swamp want to be rid of President Donald Trump who is making America and our citizens great again. That idea is alien to them.

Shirley Slaughter Cashiers

Budget impasse harms retirees, taxpayers

To the Editor:

It is my understanding that the state legislature and the governor are at an impasse over the state budget because of a refusal by the General Assembly to expand Medicaid, which Gov. Roy Cooper has strongly supported.

Here’s the thing: For the past five years North Carolina taxpayers have paid $8.3 billion in federal taxes to support the cost of expanding Medicaid in 36 other states and the District of Columbia. But our legislators refuse to take action to provide coverage to over 464,000 North Carolinians, which federal funding will fund up to 90 percent. Expanding Medicaid would make health care available to many working North

Carolina adults whose employers offer neither health insurance nor wages sufficient to purchase coverage on the private market. Many of these working adults are parents whose lack of health care directly affects their children, often resulting in poor school performance and a less promising future.

The injection of billions of dollars of federal funding into the economy will spur North Carolina’s business activity and create an estimated 34,000 jobs in this year, 2020. With Medicaid expansion, at least 665 additional people in Macon County would be covered, more jobs and more tax revenue would be created.

And also in this unpassed state budget is a plan for retired school personnel to receive a one-time .5 percent bonus. You read that right: 5 tenths of a percent ... bonus. The Macon County North Carolina Retired School Personnel have asked for a cost-of-living increase to try to keep up with inflation. For our efforts, we have received a 1 percent increase three times in 10 years, yet the cumulative inflation over that time period has been 18.10 percent.

We didn’t serve the children of North Carolina in order to become rich, but it would be a real bonus if we retirees could keep up with inflation.

WCU band trip is once in a lifetime opportunity

In the early hours of the morning on Saturday, Nov. 30, slightly more than 500 students at Western Carolina University met in the football stadium parking lot and packed into 12 buses. What did they have in common? They all were members of WCU’s Pride of the Mountains Marching Band. Their destination? New York City.

The trip, which ended with the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, was the result of countless hours of work, nearly $1 million, and the blood, sweat and tears of one of the largest bands in the entire nation. It’s hard to overstate how much planning went into the (nearly) seamless execution of such a large-scale trip.

But did it pay off?

The answer is a resounding yes — at least in my eyes and the eyes of so many others who returned from the Big Apple with many memories that would never have been possible without the support of thousands of individuals and the support of the university.

My experience is ultimately only one of hundreds, but I can say without a doubt that the trip was something I’ll never forget — from the bus trip back that lasted from 8 a.m. until 1 a.m. the next day to a vibrant group picture in Times Square and to the first steps of the parade on Thanksgiving

Franklin to honor Robert Burns, his work

Robert Burns is credited with saving the folk music of Scotland. He was born just a few years after England conquered Scotland in 1746. England was intent upon destroying the clan system. Edicts of proscription were issued forbidding the remaining Scottish people from wearing tartan and speaking Gaelic upon removal or death. Scottish leaders and their families were hunted down. The lucky ones escaped, some to America. Not many decades passed before the old language, except in the darkest dales of Scotland, was lost.

Robert Burns was a poet farmer in Ayreshire, Scotland, but an accomplished poet. He began to compose a collection of poems about familiar country characters and legends. To make the subjects more human, he wrote in the Old Scots dialect that was used in storytelling. He set many of these poems to old pub ballads. The tunes would be familiar to people but with new words.

He performed this repertoire in meet-

morning.

However, it’s the experiences of my peers that tell a much more complete story. It was impossible to open Instagram or Facebook without being overwhelmed by pictures from New York, band members beaming in photos taken all throughout the numerous avenues and streets of one of the biggest cities in the world.

The talk on the buses after rehearsal in New York and after our performance was something else. On my bus, the most oftenheard phrase was something like, “We did it!” It was unbelievable to be accomplishing something so big and to be hearing the encouragement of my fellow band members.

Perhaps my biggest takeaway — the reason I felt compelled to share my thoughts here — is how cohesive the sense of company stayed throughout the event. Not one member failed to complete the entire 2.6mile parade route, thanks to encouraging words given from one struggling band member to the next. “You can do it” and “hang in there” are just two of the phrases of encouragement I heard spoken by the people around me to one another.

It was spectacular to see the absolute best that a marching band program can offer during what will undoubtedly be one of the most memorable moments of my life.

So, yes, it was definitely worth it.

(William Singleton is an English education major from Rockingham who plays flute in Western Carolina University’s Pride of the Mountains Marching Band, which appeared in the 2019 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.)

ing halls and salons around Scotland, attracted mentors, and became famous. These songs and poems might not have become famous if England had not been the world power in the 19th century. As their armies moved all over the globe, Burns’ songs and poems went with them. Although many artist and writers have been honored, Robert Burns is the only one who has an annual celebration named for him. Still over 250 years later, Robert Burns Night highlighting his poems and songs are still bringing people together around the world. And he did not live long to do it. He died at 37.

The Taste of Scotland society will hold its annual Burns Night on Jan. 25 at Tartan Hall, First Presbyterian Church, Franklin. The evening will start with a roll call of the Clans, move to a five course dinner menu. Jacobites By Name will perform after dinner. We hope to have some Scottish country dancing, and we will end the night by gathering in a circle and singing, “Auld Lang Syne,” perhaps his most famous work.

tasteTHE mountains

Taste the Mountains is an ever-evolving paid section of places to dine in Western North Carolina. If you would like to be included in the listing please contact our advertising department at 828.452.4251

BLUE ROOSTER SOUTHERN GRILL

207 Paragon Parkway, Clyde, Lakeside Plaza at the old Wal-Mart. 828.456.1997. Open Monday through Friday. Friendly and fun family atmosphere. Local, handmade Southern cuisine. Fresh-cut salads; slow-simmered soups; flame grilled burgers and steaks, and homemade signature desserts. Blue-plates and local fresh vegetables daily. Brown bagging is permitted. Private parties, catering, and take-out available. Call-ahead seating available.

CHEF’S TABLE

30 Church St., Waynesville. 828.452.6210

From 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday dinner starting at 5 p.m. “Best of” Award of Excellence from Wine Spectator Magazine. Set in a distinguished atmosphere with an exceptional menu. Extensive selection of wine and beer. Reservations honored.

CITY LIGHTS CAFE

Spring Street in downtown Sylva. 828.587.2233. Open Monday-Saturday 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., Sunday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tasty, healthy and quick. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, espresso, beer and wine. Come taste the savory and sweet crepes, grilled paninis, fresh, organic salads, soups and more. Outside patio seating. Free Wi-Fi, pet-friendly. Live music and lots of events. Check the web calendar at citylightscafe.com.

COUNTRY VITTLES: FAMILY STYLE RESTAURANT

3589 Soco Rd, Maggie Valley.

828.926.1820 Winter hours: Wednesday through Sunday 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Family Style at Country Vittles is not a buffet. Instead our waitresses will bring your food piping hot from the kitchen right to your table and as many refills as you want. So if you have a big appetite, but sure to ask your waitress about our family style service.

FERRARA PIZZA & PASTA

243 Paragon Parkway, Clyde.

828.476.5058. Open Monday-Saturday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Sunday 12 to 8 p.m. Real New Yorkers. Real Italians. Real Pizza. A full service authentic Italian pizzeria and restaurant from New York to the Blue Ridge. Dine in, take out, and delivery. Check out our daily lunch specials plus customer appreciation nights on Monday and Tuesday 5 to 9 p.m. with large cheese pizzas for $9.95.

FIREFLY TAPS & GRILL

128 N. Main St., Waynesville

828.454.5400. Simple, delicious food. A must experience in WNC. Located in downtown Waynesville with an atmosphere that will warm your heart and your belly! Local and regional beers on tap. Full bar, vegetarian options, kids menu, and more. Reservations accepted. Daily specials. Live music every Saturday from 7 to 10 p.m. Open Mon.-Sat. 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Sunday 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday brunch from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

FROGS LEAP PUBLIC HOUSE

44 Church St., Downtown Waynesville

828.456.1930 Serving dinner 5 to 9 p.m.

Tuesday through Thursday. 5 to 9:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Closed Sunday and Monday. Frogs Leap is a farm to table restaurant focused on local, sustainable, natural and organic products prepared in modern regional dishes. Seasonal menu focuses on Southern comfort foods with upscale flavors. Reservations accepted. www.frogsleappublichouse.com.

HARMON’S DEN BISTRO

250 Pigeon St., Waynesville

828.456.6322. Harmon’s Den is located in the Fangmeyer Theater at HART. Open 5:309 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday (Bistro closes at 7:30 p.m. on nights when there is a show in the Fangmeyer Theater) with Sunday brunch at 11 a.m. that includes breakfast and lunch items. Harmon’s Den offers a complete menu with cocktails, wine list, and area beers on tap. Enjoy casual dining with the guarantee of making it to the performance in time, then rub shoulders with the cast afterward with post-show food and beverage service. Reservations recommended. www.harmonsden.harttheatre.org

JOEY'S PANCAKE HOUSE

4309 Soco Rd Maggie Valley.

828.926.0212. Open seven days a week! 7 a.m. to 12 p.m. Joey’s is a family-friendly restaurant that has been serving breakfast to locals and visitors of Western North Carolina for decades. Featuring a large variety of tempting pancakes, golden waffles, country style cured ham and seasonal specials spiked with flavor, Joey's is sure to please all appetites. Join us for what has become a tradition in these parts, breakfast at Joey’s.

KANINI’S

1196 N. Main St., Waynesville.

828.452.5187. Lunch Monday-Saturday from 10:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m., eat in or carry out. Closed Sunday. A made-from-scratch kitchen using fresh ingredients. Offering a variety of meals to go from frozen meals to be stored and cooked later to “Dinners to Go” that are made fresh and ready to enjoyed that day. We also specialize in catering any event from from corporate lunches to weddings. kaninis.com

MAD BATTER FOOD & FILM

617 W. Main Street Downtown Sylva. 828.586.3555. Open Monday through Saturday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. with Sunday Brunch from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Handtossed pizza, house-ground burgers, steak sandwiches & fresh salmon all from scratch. Casual family friendly atmosphere. Craft beer and interesting wine. Free movies Thursday through Saturday. Visit madbatterfoodfilm.com for this week’s shows & events.

MAGGIE VALLEY CLUB

1819 Country Club Dr., Maggie Valley.

828.926.1616. maggievalleyclub.com/dine. Open seasonally for lunch and dinner. Fine and casual fireside dining in welcoming atmosphere. Full bar. Reservations accepted.

MAGGIE VALLEY RESTAURANT

2804 Soco Road, Maggie Valley.

828.926.0425. 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily. Daily specials including soups, sandwiches and southern dishes along with featured dishes such as fresh fried chicken, rainbow trout,

country ham, pork chops and more. Breakfast all day including omelets, pancakes, biscuits & gravy. facebook.com/carversmvr; instagram @carvers_mvr.

RENDEZVOUS RESTAURANT AND BAR

Maggie Valley Inn and Conference Center

70 Soco Road, Maggie Valley 828.926.0201

Home of the Maggie Valley Pizzeria. We deliver after 4 p.m. daily to all of Maggie Valley, J-Creek area, and Lake Junaluska. Monday through Wednesday: 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Thursday: 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. country buffet and salad bar from 5 to 9 p.m. $11.95 with Steve Whiddon on piano. Friday and Saturday: 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m.; Sunday 11:30 to 8 p.m. 11:30 to 3 p.m. family style, fried chicken, ham, fried fish, salad bar, along with all the fixings, $11.95. Check out our events and menu at rendezvousmaggievalley.com

SAGEBRUSH STEAKHOUSE

1941 Champion Drive, Canton 828.646.3750 895 Russ Ave., Waynesville 828.452.5822. Sunday through Thursday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Carry out available. Sagebrush features hand carved steaks, chicken and award winning BBQ ribs. We have fresh salads, seasonal vegetables and scrumptious deserts.

SPEEDY’S PIZZA

285 Main Street, Sylva. 828.586.3800

Open seven days a week. Monday-Friday 11 a.m.-10 p.m., Saturday 3 p.m.-11 p.m., Sunday 4 p.m.-10 p.m. Family-owned for 30 years. Serving hand-tossed pizza made to order, pasta, subs, gourmet salads, calzones and seafood. Also serving excellent prime rib on Thursdays.

TAP ROOM BAR & GRILL

176 Country Club Drive, Waynesville. 828.456.3551. Open seven days a week serving lunch and dinner. 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tucked away inside Waynesville Inn, the Tap Room Bar & Grill has an approachable menu designed around locally sourced, sustainable, farm-to-table ingredients. Full bar and wine cellar. www.thewaynesvilleinn.com.

VITO’S PIZZA

607 Highlands Rd., Franklin. 828.369.9890. Established here in in 1998. Come to Franklin and enjoy our laid back place, a place you can sit back, relax and enjoy our 62” HDTV. Our Pizza dough, sauce, meatballs, and sausage are all made from scratch by Vito. The recipes have been in the family for 50 years (don't ask for the recipes cuz’ you won't get it!) Each Pizza is hand tossed and made with TLC.

WAYNESVILLE PIZZA COMPANY

32 Felmet Street, Waynesville. 828.246.0927. Open Monday through Friday; 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Saturday, noon to 10 p.m.; Sunday noon to 9 p.m.; closed Tuesdays. Opened in May 2016, The Waynesville Pizza Company has earned a reputation for having the best hand-tossed pizza in the area. Featuring a custom bar with more than 20 beers and a rustic, family friendly dining room. Menu includes salads, burgers, wraps, hot and cold sandwiches, gourmet pizza, homemade desserts, and a loaded salad bar. The Cuban sandwich is considered by most to be the best in town.

Gathering of the souls

Beloved Sylva restaurant closes doors

BY GARRET K. WOODWARD STAFF W RITER

Last Thursday evening, three days of celebration commenced within the walls of Soul Infusion Tea House & Bistro on the outskirts of downtown Sylva.

The gathering wasn’t to look ahead as the business turned 19 years old. Rather, it was to tie a poignant bow on almost two decades of culinary and artisan bliss in this small mountain town.

“There’s not another establishment in this community where you can walk in and feel like you’re in your living room when you sit down — you can’t recreate this place,” said Tori Walters, co-owner of Soul Infusion.

Alongside her partner, Haley Milner, the couple had run the gourmet restaurant since January 2011. Before that, it was initially opened in 2001 by Jason and Karin Kimenker.

With recent financial hardships and an urge to pursue other passions in life, both Walters and Milner felt it was time to close the doors on a beloved institution in Jackson County and greater Western North Carolina.

“I have mixed emotions. I’m sad we couldn’t continue on with the business, but I’m really glad to be moving on into another job and other opportunities,” Milner said. “The place has always been about love and community. It’s about family, and it’s about friends getting together and feeling comfortable in a space.”

Soul Infusion will forever be known as a beehive of creative and curious minds. Filled with locals and visitors alike, it was also a bea-

con for those new to Sylva or to Western Carolina University just down the road.

It was a property where any and all musicians and artists were welcomed to perform, either inside in the corner near the defunct fireplace or outside on the modest stage that held more than its share of good times — all of which purely in the name of togetherness.

“This is definitely the end of an era — we’re losing a bit of the soul of Sylva,” said Adam Bigelow, bassist for Americana/string act Ol’ Dirty Bathtub and manager of the Cullowhee and Sylva community gardens. “This building has always been a hotbed of art, music and creative energy. I met a lot of friends here, and I’m going to miss coming in.”

with,” said Brad Waldrop, mandolinist for Ol’ Dirty Bathtub and co-owner of nearby Ward Plumbing & Heating. “Whether it was the menu or the vibe of the place, Soul Infusion has always been a progressive spot, years ahead of its time in what it was doing and the values it was promoting.”

Sitting at a nearby table watching Ol’ Dirty Bathtub, Tom Cooper can’t help but shake his

ships coming to fruition within these walls.

A few seats down from Cooper was Jason and Karin Kimenker. Taking in the bittersweet sights and sounds of the evening, they can’t help but reminisce about their many years owning and operating Soul Infusion — a labor of love that impacted countless lives.

When the closing was announced, Ol’ Dirty Bathtub asked if the band could play a goodbye set on Thursday night. Soon, other local groups followed suit as several ensembles filled the space with joyous melodies throughout the weekend. It seemed nobody wanted the music to stop or the craft beer to run out. Nobody wanted to be the last to turn off the lights and lock the doors, either.

“So many times I’d come here for lunch and not know anybody else in the room. But then, by the time I left, I’d made a bunch of new friends, and also people who I now do business

Ol’ Dirty Bathtub.

“We wanted people to feel like they weren’t rushed to leave their table, to feel they could turn their seat around and have a conversation with another person,” Jason said. “We always wanted Soul Infusion to be a crossroads for infusing ideas and experiences, with people going off on their own adventures from this starting point — and it was.”

head in awe of the life-changing moments he was part of at Soul Infusion. A long-time patron of the business, Cooper met his girlfriend here several years ago. They now have a 6-year-old daughter, aptly named Téa.

“Soul Infusion was a touchstone for our community — it’s been an emotional week, to say the least,” Cooper said. “We’re also losing the best place for kids and families to hangout in the area. This was a safe place to come with your family, to see great live music and get a quality meal.”

Stories like Cooper’s aren’t uncommon, with numerous attendees swapping tales of first loves, engagements and lifelong friend-

With Ol’ Dirty Bathtub plucking its last song of the night, the sound of car engines rumbling could be heard outside in the cool night. Those left standing in the living room gave each other bear hugs and well wishes. Laughter and friendly banter echoed off the walls, just as several teardrops rolled down the cheeks of those who will never forget what Soul Infusion meant to their lives and well-being.

Finally having a moment to sit down, Milner emerged from the kitchen and finds a seat in the back of the restaurant, one where she can observe not only the entire room, but also to see and remember everyone who came to say goodbye.

“I love seeing all of our friends here tonight, this incredible support system we have in this community. We’ll carry these memories in our hearts wherever we go,” Milner said. “And we’re all going to see each other in our daily lives. I’m thankful for how much the community has supported us over the years.”

This must be the place

BY GARRET K. WOODWARD

Sunlight wakes me just to say let’s go to sleep now

The moment the song came onto my stereo, I was immediately transported to a time and a place somewhat foggy in memory, but never to be forgotten. It was “Saving Days in a Frozen Head” by songbird and guitar wizard Kaki King. So, this past Monday, when the melody filled my headphones, I found myself rapidly traveling to the past.

HOT PICKS

1

“Let Freedom Sing,” a mostly-musical program honoring the memory of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., will be held at 3 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 19, at the sanctuary of First United Methodist Church in Franklin.

2

The Haywood County Arts Council will present “January Jazz” with Jazz Revolution Band at 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 23, at Laurel Ridge Country Club in Waynesville.

3

Americana/rock act Arnold Hill will be hitting the stage at 7 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 18, at Elevated Mountain Distilling in Maggie Valley.

4

Eleven years ago this week, I had my first real deal articles published in the Teton Valley News. A tiny community newspaper in rural Eastern Idaho (backside of the Grand Tetons), I was 22 years old and had no clue what the hell I was doing with my life, let alone knowing how to live and work as an aspiring journalist.

An exclusive wine tasting with The Swag’s Sous Chef DeeAnn Rose, “A Taste of Italy” will be held at 7 p.m. Friday, Jan. 17, at The Classic Wineseller in Waynesville.

5

Americana/folk duo Gypsy & Me will hit the stage at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 18, in The Loft listening room at The Strand at 38 Main in Waynesville.

down King’s fretboard, there’s also these vast openings, more like breaths within the songs themselves. It’s wide open air to stand and immerse yourself in, just like the neverending landscape of the West itself.

When I dove back into the record earlier this week, I suddenly had an urge to track down my old 2008 journals and newspaper articles from the “western experiment,” my attempt at making something of myself on the other side of the Mississippi River, only to circle back to the northeast less than a year later.

But, within my nine months in Idaho and at the Teton Valley News, I came across endless avenues of beauty — raucous characters (ranchers, cowboys, ski bums, etc.), jagged mountain peaks, sprawling high desert valleys, late nights and early mornings, deadlines met and stories published.

Browsing the dusty files, I came across one feature that really stuck out. Titled “Karaoke ... The Cowboy Way,” it was a piece I wrote for the paper on Jan. 31, 2008. Here’s an excerpt:

Pulling into the dimly light parking lot at Dave’s Pubb this past Saturday, those curious found themselves amidst a forest of eight-cylinder trucks and diesel rigs.

A societal centerpiece of Tetonia, the building may seem intimidating to those passing through or unfamiliar with the business. But what it comes down to is the mere fact all friends were strangers at one time.

With this being karaoke night, inside seemed the perfect opportunity to immerse oneself in the tradition that is Dave’s Pubb.

“We’re just about good people and having fun,” said owner Dave Whitmore with a smile and a handshake, sitting on a barstool, sipping a beer amongst his patrons.

There are several anonymous brassieres draped over a pair of antlers on the wall, steeltoed boots strolling the floor, 10-gallon hats being tipped to a passing femme fatale, ceiling tiles covered with dozens of $1 bills from faces of the past who have crossed this threshold and domestic beer with a side of whiskey being the drink of choice.

The atmosphere is filled with jovial conversation, hearty laughs and “YEE-HAW!” from every corner of the bar, which float above one and all.

According to Rose, the bartender and den mother of Dave’s Pubb, there used to be instances of dancing on the countertop, but, as she said with a laugh, “We don’t dance up there anymore ‘cause we all kept falling off.”

And when I took off from my native Upstate New York for the West, I packed my truck with whatever would fit. Boxes of books, vinyl records and old issues of Rolling Stone. Few garbage bags of clothes.

Right behind the driver’s seat of my pickup truck were endless cases of CDs, many of which new albums that I’d received to possibly review for music publications back east. One of those recordings was Kaki King’s seminal album “Dreaming of Revenge.”  It’s just one of those things, you know?

Where some piece of music just falls into your lap at the exact juncture of your existence it was intended to do so. Almost serendipitously. For me, back in January 2008, “Dreaming of Revenge” became the soundtrack to my tenure in the Rocky Mountains.

The record is filled with whimsical instrumentals full of sorrow and compassion, tunes spilling over with lyrics about love lost, love found, and trying to find footing in one’s quest for meaning and purpose — perhaps even redemption, maybe even simply a reason to get up each day and try again. There’s such haunting space within the album, too. For each fluttering note up and

Coming into my eighth year living and working in Western North Carolina, my time out West seems like a lifetime ago, more so a dream now hazy in hindsight. But, what that time and place changed within my heart and soul has never been lost on myself or my intent.

So, when life gets a little too hectic or confusing, throw on the headphones and hit shuffle. You just might surprise yourself as to what comes on, let alone what visions and memories will be conjured that provide the ideal perspective to keep your head up, ready and roaring for what tomorrow will bring.

Life is beautiful, grasp for it, y’all.

Take advantage of our 28 Days of Unlimited Yoga for $28 plan to jumpstart your 2020 goals! Join us this January for our “Rock Your Resolution” classes that will get your heart pumping – or utilize our relaxing, stretch-focused classes to support your overall fitness routine!

On the beat

Ready for ‘January Jazz’?

The Haywood County Arts Council will present “January Jazz” with Jazz Revolution Band at 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 23, at Laurel Ridge Country Club in Waynesville.

January Jazz is an evening of sensational music, dancing, and socializing. Enjoy light hors d’oeuvres, dessert, a glass of wine, or hot coffee while Jazz Revolution Band performs. There will also be a cash bar.

Jazz Revolution Band is a five-piece ensemble playing the sounds of standard jazz, swing and Motown. The members of this group come from various musical backgrounds and have more than 30 years of performing experience. Hailing from Charlotte, Jazz Revolution is not only a group of musicians but also a group of entertainers who provide medicine for the human soul.

Tickets are $50 per person (includes one glass of wine/beverage). To purchase tickets for this fun and festive evening performance, stop by the Haywood County Arts Council’s

Gallery at 86 North Main St., in Waynesville, purchase online through Facebook (@HaywoodArts) or online through Eventbrite ($50 plus additional fees).

Seating is limited and tickets will not be available at the door on the day of the performance. Tickets are non-refundable. A snow date will be determined if needed.

www.haywoodarts.org.

Arnold Hill album release show

Americana/rock act Arnold Hill will be hitting the stage at 7 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 18, at Elevated Mountain Distilling in Maggie Valley.

With its brand new debut album, “Back to Life,” Arnold Hill sets to change the tone and tempo of what folks might expect on a given night onstage at their nearby bars and breweries in our mountain communities.

Formed in 2011, the Jackson County band is named after a road in Sylva where the musicians lived and practiced. In method, Arnold Hill adheres to the playful nature and creative possibilities that reside in a trio.

The unique formation can be a tricky line to balance, where you have enough space to explore musically, but also the same amount of space to expose vulnerabilities.

For more information on the group, visit www.arnoldhillband.com. You can purchase/stream “Back to Life” on all online streaming services.

www.smokymountainnews.com

• Andrews Brewing Company (Andrews) will host the “Lounge Series” at its Calaboose location with Bob Keel Jan. 17, Robert Ferguson Jan. 24, Heidi Holton Jan. 25 and Andrew Chastain 4 p.m. Jan. 26. All shows are free and begin at 6 p.m. unless otherwise noted. www.andrewsbrewing.com.

• Blue Ridge Beer Hub (Waynesville) will host an acoustic jam with Main St. NoTones from 6 to 9 p.m. Jan. 16 and 23. Free and open to the public. www.blueridgebeerhub.com.

• Boojum Brewing Company (Waynesville) will host a bluegrass open mic every Wednesday, an all-genres open mic every Thursday, DJ Point Five 9 p.m. Jan. 18 and The Get Right Band (rock/soul) 9:30 p.m. Jan. 25. All shows begin at 9 p.m. unless otherwise noted. www.boojumbrewing.com.

• Frog Level Brewing (Waynesville) will host Stone Crazy Band Saturday, Jan. 25. All shows begin at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. www.froglevelbrewing.com.

• Innovation Brewing (Sylva) will have an Open Mic night Jan. 15 and 22, and a jazz

The Strand welcomes Gypsy & Me

Celebrated Americana/folk duo Gypsy & Me will hit the stage at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 18, in The Loft listening room at The Strand at 38 Main in Waynesville.

Gypsy & Me is comprised of Mike Moore and Kyzandrha Zarate. Together, they bring forth original Americana music. In 2018, they released their debut album, “Road Sweet Home,” with was quickly followed by the EP “Delivered.”

The duo have recently released their third album, “Get Busy Livin’.” With thoughtful lyrics and melodic harmonies, they continue to touch the hearts of audiences everywhere. Tickets are $5 per person. Purchase tickets at the door or online at www.38main.com.

night with the Kittle/Collings Duo Jan. 16 and 23. All events are free and begin at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. www.innovation-brewing.com.

• Innovation Station (Dillsboro) will host Shane Davis Jan. 18. All events are free and begin at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted. www.innovation-brewing.com.

• Isis Music Hall (West Asheville) will host Andrew Hibbard & Paul Decoster (Americana/folk) 7 p.m. Jan. 15, Cashavelly Morrison & Tina Collins (Americana/folk) 8:30 p.m. Jan. 15, The Southern Word w/Kevin Dabiel & Seth Power (Americana/soul) 7 p.m. Jan. 16, Lovers Leap w/Bill & The Belles (Americana/old-time) 8:30 p.m. Jan. 16, Dave

Curley w/Ashley Davis & Colin Farrell (world) 7 p.m. Jan. 17, The Blue Eyed Bettys & South for Winter: Folk Renaissance (Americana/folk) 8:30 p.m. Jan. 17, Bad Girls & The Aliens of Soul (rock/soul) 8:30 p.m. Jan. 18, “A Newberry New Year” w/Joe Newberry (Americana) 6 p.m. Jan. 19, “Writers in the Round” w/Natasha Myers, Nicole Miller & Paige Rose (Americana/country) 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 19, Tuesday Bluegrass Sessions w/The Theo & Brenna Band 7:30 p.m. Jan. 21 and The End of America & Highbeams (folk/rock) 8:30 p.m. Jan. 22. www.isisasheville.com.

• Lazy Hiker Brewing (Franklin) will host an open mic night at 6:30 p.m. every Thursday and Alex Culbreth 7 p.m. Jan. 24. All shows begin at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. www.lazyhikerbrewing.com.

• Mountain Layers Brewing (Bryson City) will host the “Stone Soup” open mic night every Tuesday, Alma Russ (Americana/folk) Jan. 17, Bird in Hand (Americana/indie) Jan. 18, Alec Parsons (singer-songwriter) Jan. 24 and Frank & Allie Lee (Americana/folk) Jan. 25. All shows are free and begin at 7 p.m. www.mountainlayersbrewingcompany.com.

• Nantahala Brewing (Sylva) will host Throwback Mac Jan. 17, Arson Daily Jan. 18 and Matt Welsh Jan. 24. All shows begin at 7:30 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. www.nantahalabrewing.com.

• Rathskeller Coffee Haus & Pub (Franklin) will host singer-songwriters Fridays and

Saturdays. Shows begin at 8 p.m. Free. www.rathskellerfranklin.com.

• Salty Dog’s (Maggie Valley) will have Karaoke with Jason Wyatt at 8:30 p.m. on Tuesdays and Fridays, Mile High (classic rock) 8 p.m. Wednesdays and Saturdays, and a Trivia w/Kelsey Jo 8 p.m. Thursdays.

• Satulah Mountain Brewing (Highlands) will host an open mic at 6 p.m. on Thursdays and live music on Friday evenings. 828.482.9794 or www.satulahmountainbrewing.com.

• The Strand at 38 Main (Waynesville) will host an “Open Mic” night from 7 to 9 p.m. on Saturdays and Gypsy & Me (Americana/folk) 7:30 p.m. Jan. 18 (tickets are $5). 828.283.0079 or www.38main.com.

• The Ugly Dog Pub (Cashiers) will host Bluegrass Thursdays w/Benny Queen at 6:30 p.m. and Clint Roberts Trio 8 p.m. Jan. 17. 828.743.3000.

• Western Carolina University (Cullowhee) will host a Flute Festival all day Jan. 17-19 in the Recital Hall of the Coulter Building. www.wcu.edu.

HPAC ‘Live via Satellite’

The Highlands Performing Arts Center will screen “Live via Satellite” the National Theatre of London’s production of “All My Sons” at 1 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 18.

Academy Award-winner Sally Field and Bill Pullman star in Arthur Miller’s blistering drama “All My Sons,” filmed live from The Old Vic in London.

America, 1947. Despite hard choices and even harder knocks, Joe and Kate Keller are a success story. They have built a home, raised two sons and established a thriving business.

But nothing lasts forever and their contented lives, already shadowed by the loss of their eldest boy to war, are about to shatter. With the return of a figure from the past, long buried truths are forced to the surface and the price of their American dream is laid bare.

Tickets are available online at www.highlandspac.org, www.highlandsperformingarts.com or at the door.

Awwarded CCIM Designat

Certified Commercial Investment Member

The CCIM designation is awarded to commercial real estate profe successful completion of a graduate-level education curriculum a a portfolio of qualifying experience.CCIMs are recognized experts estate brokerage, leasing, asset management, valuation, and inve

• The Haywood Arts Regional Theatre will hold its annual meeting at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 21, at the HART Theatre on 250 Pigeon St., in Waynesville. The meeting is open to the public and refreshments will be available as the board and executive director recap the 2019 season. The occasion will include a video retrospective of all of HART’s 2019 productions and will celebrate the work of countless volunteers who helped make it one of the theatre’s most successful seasons.

com Billy Case, CCIM (828) 508-4527 | billycase@naibeverly-hanks.

•

•

January 18th part of Winter Arts Smokies Style

$5 wristband for all day tasting! • Karaoke • Roving chili-man mascot • Live music • “Chili recovery stations”

Corn hole • Sales and specials • Commemorative T-Shirt

Free shuttle roving between all three shopping districts 10:00 AM - Close Galleries, Shops and Restaurants Specials & Sales 12:00 PM - 4:00 PM

On the street

Complete Bindery

Addressing

641 North Main Street, WAYNESVILLE, NC

641 North Main Street, WAYNESVILLE, NC

(3/10 Mile North of the Courthouse)

(3/10 Mile North of the Courthouse)

828-456-HAUS (4287)

828-456-HAUS (4287)

Authorized ShipCenter

509 Asheville Hwy., Suite B, SYLVA, NC

509 Asheville Hwy., Suite B, SYLVA, NC

(Located in the NAPA Auto Parts Center)

(Located in the NAPA Auto Parts Center)

828-586-HAUS (4287)

828-586-HAUS (4287)

Caffeine

As an ingredient, caffeine is found naturally in coffee, tea, mate and chocolate and is added to caffeinated sodas, some “energy” waters, coffeeflavored foods like ice cream and meal replacement bars, as well as candy, gum and non-prescription medications that have added caffeine.

Caffeine makes some of us more alert and focused. For others that may be more sensitive; caffeine can mean restlessness, a jittery feeling, racing heart rate, an increase in blood pressure and sleeplessness. For healthy adults it’s recommended that you keep caffeine intake to 400mg per day. This is about the amount of caffeine in 4 - 8 ounce cups of coffee. (Since many of us drink from larger cups or containers make sure you keep that in mind when thinking about your caffeine intake.)

NOTE: The American Academy of Pediatrics does not recommend that children under the age of 12 years consume caffeinated products.

Sources:

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/271707.php#benefits

https://cspinet.org/eating-healthy/ingredients-of-concern/caffeine-chart

https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthyeating/in-depth/caffeine/art-20045678 Offset Printing

Franklin celebrates

Dr. Martin Luther King

“Let Freedom Sing,” a mostly-musical program honoring the memory of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., will be held at 3 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 19, at the sanctuary of First United Methodist Church in Franklin.

A reception will follow the program in the church’s Memorial Hall.

Music selections will be drawn primarily from beloved spirituals, freedom songs, and gospel tunes, with attendees encouraged to join in. Participating musicians include World Music a cappella choir One Heart directed by Sandy Erickson, the Don Colbert and Farrah Eller Duo, Ashley Owens, Ericka Washington, and the Arts Council’s C-Square with keyboardist Lionel Caynon.

A very special feature of the celebration is the debut of the Women’s History Trail tribute to local African-American Community matriarch Mrs. Matt Ray, widely and lovingly known as “Aunt Nan,” to be presented by Molly Haithcock.

The program will also include mime by

Lake J to honor MLK

The Haywood County Martin Luther King Jr. Committee invites all to celebrate the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. by participating in a weekend of events to be held Jan. 1820 at Lake Junaluska Conference and Retreat Center.

• The Haywood County Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. weekend celebration will begin on Saturday, Jan. 18, with the MLK March beginning at the Haywood County Justice Center in Waynesville at 11 a.m. The march will end at the Pigeon Community Multicultural Development Center with refreshments and a time of reflection and sharing.

• The Commemorative Service will be held on Sunday, Jan. 19, at 3 p.m. at Jones Temple A.M.E. Zion Church in Waynesville. The Rev. William Eric Staley, will be the

Richard Lugo and Elisha Moliere, dance by Hope Moliere, and visual arts and Women’s History Trail displays. Mrs. Synethia Owens will serve as announcer.

King, a Baptist minister from Atlanta, became the most visible spokesperson and leader in the Civil Rights Movement from 1954 until his assassination in 1968. He is best known for advancing civil rights through nonviolence and civil disobedience.

In 1957, he became the first president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, and he helped organize the 1963 March on Washington, where he delivered his famous “I Have a Dream” speech.

In 1964, King was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for combating racial inequality through nonviolent resistance. He was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Everyone is welcome to this event, which is produced by the Human Relations Council of Macon County and the Arts Council. An offering will be taken to help defray program costs.

speaker. The Western Carolina University Gospel Choir will provide music.

• The weekend will conclude with a Prayer Breakfast on Monday, Jan. 20, at 8 a.m. at the Lambuth Inn at Lake Junaluska. The speaker will be J. Calvin Hill, Chief District Court Judge. Music will be performed by Odell Suber, Jr.

Breakfast tickets are $18 adults, $10 college students and $9 youth, with children ages 8 and under admitted free. A portion of the proceeds will go to the Eggleston-Osborne Scholarship fund in memory of two AfricanAmerican educators of Haywood County: Wilbur Eggleston and Elsie J. Osborne. For tickets or more information, contact Tammy McDowell at 828.215.0296, Rocky Tucker at 828.246.2588, Ann McAdams at 828.648.3363, Lunia Williams at 828.648.5471, Christiana Gibson at 828.648.1233 or Lin Forney at 828.734.5251. www.lakejunaluska.com.

Exhibit looks at Latino life in North Carolina

Western Carolina University’s Mountain Heritage Center will host an exhibit by Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist José Galvez on Latino life in North Carolina in the museum’s second-floor gallery at Hunter Library.

The center’s first bilingual exhibit, “Al Norte al Norte” will be on display through Friday, April 10. Admission is free.

The 51 black-and-white photos are from a 10-year project to capture images of daily life of Latinos living in North Carolina, from business owners to farmers at work, multi-generations of families at home and at church, and other candid moments.

Galvez will visit campus, with details pending, in early April in conjunction with WCU’s second annual Southeastern Latinx Student Leadership Conference. In addition to participating in the conference, he will visit WCU classes, lead tours of the exhibit and present public programs.

According to the 2010 U.S. Census, 8.4 percent of the state’s population is Latino.

“I’ve been surprised by the sheer determination of people wanting to fit in, just to work, wanting to provide for family,” said Galvez, a Durham resident.

Galvez was part of a team at the Los Angeles Times newspaper that was awarded the 1984 Pulitzer Prize for a series on Latino life in southern California. He’s collaborated with writers such as Luis Alberto Urrea and Patricia Martin, and published a book about his childhood, titled “Shine Boy.”

His current work focuses on Latino communities of the South, naturalization ceremonies and documenting the many communities he visits each year.

‘Brush & Brew’ in Dillsboro

Innovation Brewing and Get Creative Atlanta/Carolina will present “Brush & Brew: A Painting and Craft Beer Night” from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 21, at the Innovation Station in Dillsboro.

Angie of Get Creative Atlanta/Carolina will take you step by step through the creation of a beautiful, hand-made painting. Tickets are $30 per person, which includes one beverage per person (beer or wine), the class, all painting materials and taking your canvas (16”x20”) painting home.

Innovation

‘Pottery & Pints’

There will be a special “Pottery & Pints” class held by Viva Arts Studios from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 23, at the Innovation Station in Dillsboro.

Cost is $25.50 per person. For more information and/or to register for the workshop, go to Facebook, search “Viva Arts Studio” and click on the “Events” tab for the ticket link.

The Viva Arts Studio in Sylva currently offers several weekly and monthly pottery and painting classes alongside other artisan mediums.

For more information, visit www.vivaartsschool.com or call 828.506.6067.

• Acrylic painting workshop from 4 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 16, at the Swain Arts Center in Bryson City. Join local artist Melissa Owen for this great workshop. All materials included. $35. To register, call Rachel Lackey at 828.488.7843 or email at rlackey@swainmail.org.

• Stonehouse Pottery (Waynesville) will be doing an Open Studio Tour and Sale the first Sunday of each month to help support our local nonprofits. Each month highlights a different artist and that artists

chooses his or her nonprofit. Stonehouse Pottery and the artist then give a portion of the proceeds to that nonprofit.

• The Weekly Open Studio art classes will be held from 2 to 4 p.m. on Wednesdays at the Haywood County Arts Council in Waynesville, Instructor will be Betina Morgan. Open to all artists. Cost is $25 per class. There will also be a Youth Art Class from 4:15 to 5:15 p.m. on Wednesdays. Cost is $15 per class. Contact Morgan at 828.550.6190 or email bmk.morgan@yahoo.com.

• The Museum of the Cherokee Indian’s exhibit, “People of the Clay: Contemporary Cherokee Potters,” features more than 60 potters from the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and Cherokee Nation, and more than one hundred works from 1900 to the present. The exhibit will run through April.

• A “Beginner Step-By-Step” adult painting class will be held at 6:30 p.m. on Thursdays at Frog Level Brewing in Waynesville. There is also a class at 6:30 p.m. on the last Wednesday of the month at Balsam Fall Brewing in Sylva. Cost is $25 with all supplies provided. For more information, contact Robin Arramae at 828.400.9560 or wncpaintevents@gmail.com.

“Al Norte al Norte” received support from the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation, with additional funding from the N.C. Humanities Council and the North Carolina Museum of History Associates. The traveling exhibit at WCU is made possible by the North Carolina Arts Council and the university.

Diana Bell-Kite, a curator at the N.C. Museum of History, worked with Galvez on developing the exhibit. “The photos capture a diverse community with a huge range of skills and lifestyles,” Bell-Kite said. “They are entrepreneurs and professionals, people working a variety of different jobs.”

The Mountain Heritage Center gallery is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Monday through Friday. For more information, call the museum at 828.227.7129.

Due to high demand, you must purchase advance tickets to this event to secure your spot. Seating is limited to 20 for the class. Prepayment is required.

You will go to the bar upon arrival to receive your included drink and bring cash to tip your bartenders. You’ll want to arrive a few minutes early to grab your drink, choose your paint colors and take a seat. If you are coming with a group, arrive early enough to grab seats together. Seating is first come, first serve.

To purchase tickets, go to the “Innovation Station at Dillsboro” Facebook page, click on the “Events” tab and scroll for “Brush & Brew.”

DONATE SHOP VOLUNTEER

On the table

Waynesville chili cook-off

The third annual “Chili Cook-Off Winter Arts Smokies Style” will be held from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 18, at participating merchants and restaurants in the Main Street, Frog Level and Hazelwood districts of Waynesville

There are over 40 participants this year. New this year, the event will be selling $5 wristbands for all-day tasting. Half the proceeds go to the Manna Backpack program supporting hungry kids.

The Rotary Clubs in Haywood County are sponsoring the shuttle stops/”Chili Recovery Stations” providing fun items like hand warmers and antacids. Pigeon River Outfitters is providing the complimentary shuttle that will bridge all three shopping/dining districts together.

restaurant categories, with commemorate Tshirts for sale. Also, there will be “dance your beans off” line dancing in front of the courthouse in Waynesville and the roving chili dude mascot.

Wrist bands can be purchased the day of the event at The Jeweler’s Workbench, Blue Ridge Beer Hub, Cedar Hill Studio or any of the three shuttle stops: Main Street/Miller Street, parking lot in front of Frog Level Brewing and Hazelwood Avenue parking lot in front of Pink Regalia.

For more information and to stay up to date with the latest participants and sponsors, go to the Waynesville Chili Cook Off Stroll Facebook page or look for them on Instagram: @HayChili.

Twelve judges have been selected to pick the winners for best merchant and best

Winners will be announced on Tuesday, Jan. 21, on the Waynesville Chili Cook Off Stroll Facebook page.

‘Taste of Italy’ at The Wineseller

An exclusive wine tasting with The Swag’s Sous Chef DeeAnn Rose, “A Taste of Italy” will be held at 7 p.m. Friday, Jan. 17, at The Classic Wineseller in Waynesville.

• Wednesday-Saturday: The Secret Wine Bar will be open for lunch from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

• Fridays: The Secret Wine Bar will be open for drinks and small plates from 5 to 9 p.m.

The tasting menu includes a Nero D’avola from Sicily, a Valpolicella Classico from Verona, a Sangiovese from Southern Italy, a Primitive from Puglia and a Montepulciano from Abruzzo.

The food menu will include a mushroom straccietella, eggplant parmesan, lean game meatball and chocolate mousse.

Cost is $58 all-inclusive. To reserve your spot, call 828.452.6000.

• Saturdays: Champagne cocktails from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The Secret Wine Bar will be open for lunch from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. There will also be a free wine tasting from 1 to 5 p.m. For more information and/or to RSVP for ticketed events, call 828.452.0120 or email info@waynesvillewine.com.

ALSO:

Bosu’s tastings, small plates

Bosu’s Wine Shop in Waynesville will host an array of wine tastings and small plates throughout the week.

• Mondays: Free tastings and discounts on select styles of wine that changes weekly.

• Thursdays: Five for $5 wine tasting, with small plates available for purchase from Chef Bryan’s gourmet cuisine.

• Lazy Hiker Brewing (Franklin) will host the 3rd annual “Battle of the Beans” chili cookoff from 6 to 10 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 25. www.lazyhikerbrewing.com.

• A free wine tasting will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. Jan. 16 and 23, and 2 to 5 p.m. Jan. 18 and 25 at The Wine Bar & Cellar in Sylva. 828.631.3075.

• Free cooking demonstrations will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. on Saturdays at Country Traditions in Dillsboro. Watch the demonstrations, eat samples and taste house wines for $3 a glass. All recipes posted online. www.countrytraditionsnc.com.

Rich rewards: a review of The Enchanted Hour

Though I read aloud with my children and do so now with my grandchildren, I have rarely done so with adults. Two recent experiences made me realize what I was missing.

both here and throughout the book, but adds a paragraph that deserves quoting at length:

“It would be a mistake, though, to relegate reading aloud solely to the realm of childhood.

For the past few months, I have helped my friend Anna edit The Train From Greenville, her account of a trip cross-country and back again by rail. It’s a good book, optimistic about Americans and our country, packed with acute observations and quiet wisdom, and written so that we hear Anna’s voice in the pages.

When we finished editing her book both on the screen and in print, I suggested we read it aloud. By reading aloud, we would not only catch any additional errors of spelling and grammar, but we would also hear and recognize passages that might deserve tweaking. Because we live six hours apart, we read the book aloud by phone, setting aside an hour two evenings a week for the project.

Anna’s voice is gentle and slow, and listening to her read her read from her book was a treat. My daughter, who learned about this project and who knows Anna well, told me to encourage her to make a recording of the book because of her unusual voice.

At Christmas, when I was visiting my daughter’s family in Pennsylvania, my son-inlaw Mike read nightly to all of us in the den, mostly stories by Patrick McManus. Mike has a rich voice, and his reading once again gave me great pleasure.

And then, just before New Year’s Eve, on a visit to my public library I stumbled across Meghan Cox Gurdon’s The Enchanted Hour: The Miraculous Power of Reading Aloud in the Age of Distraction (HarperCollins Publishers, 2019, 278 pages).

In her “Introduction,” Gurdon makes it clear that sharing books by reading aloud offers benefits to people of all ages. She stresses the importance of reading aloud to children

The deeply human exchange of one person reading to another is, in fact, human, which means that its pleasures and benefits are open to everyone. Teenagers and adults who are read to, or who do the reading … benefit, too, in ways intellectual, emotional, literary, and even spiritual. For

Book chronicles Smokies characters, history

Journalist and author Holly Kays has released a new work, Trailblazers & Traditionalists: Modern-day Smoky Mountain People

The book is a compilation of 33 feature stories previously published in the weekly newsmagazine The Smoky Mountain News, where Kays works as a journalist. The book offers an intimate look into the lives of some of the diverse and fascinating people who call this mountainous region home.

frazzled adults in midlife, whose attention is yanked in a thousand directions, taking the time to read aloud can be like applying a soothing balm to the soul. For older adults in later life, its effects are so consoling and invigorating as to make it seem like a health tonic, or even a kind of medicine.”

Which was true for me.

In addition to being a balm to the soul, reading aloud with family or friends brings other gifts. It increases vocabulary, and for those young people who are less than enamored with the classroom, sharing a book can provoke discussion, raise important questions, and hone critical thinking skills. As Gurdon reminds us, we live in an age of technological distraction, and reading aloud for half an hour takes us away, however temporarily, from our glowing screens.

“Reading

Aloud Furnishes the Mind” is the name of one chapter in The Enchanted Hour, and here Gurdon gives dozens of examples of how by reading aloud we can furnish the minds of our listeners with “eccentric oddments, beautiful images, and useful bits of general knowledge.”

Kays makes her home in the mountains of Western North Carolina. In 2017, she published her debut title, a novel called Shadows of Flowers

Having earned 30 state and national awards during her journalism career thus far, Kays covers a range of topics for The Smoky Mountain News and is a regular contributor to Smoky Mountain Living Magazine. Originally from Williamsport, Maryland, she is a graduate of Virginia Tech’s creative writing and natural resources programs.

Trailblazers & Traditionalists retails for $15.95, with $19.95 covering shipping, fees and taxes. It is published by The Smoky

She stresses the importance of fairy tales for children — I would say for adults as well — citing a remark attributed to Albert Einstein: “If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairy tales. If you want them to be more intelligent, read them more fairy tales.” For the young, these tales spark the imagination and feed the mind.

In “From The Nursery To The Nursing Home,” Gurdon presents several studies and personal accounts of the positive effects of reading to the elderly. “In a 2010 survey in the UK, elderly adults who joined once-a-week reading groups reported having better concentration, less agitation, and an improved ability to socialize.” When Linda Khan’s 88year-old father was awaiting heart surgery, and the once vibrant, strong man had become querulous and depressed, she began reading him a Churchill biography, Young Titan. The mood in the hospital room changed dramatically. The reading “got him out of the rut of thinking about illness. It wasn’t mindless TV, and it wasn’t tiring for his brain or eyes because I was doing the reading.”

At the end of The Enchanted Hour, Gurdon offers start-up tips for read-aloud programs in the home, recommends reading from a book instead of a tablet because of possible electronic distractions, advises parents how to deal with restless children (reminding them that “there is no ‘correct’ way to read aloud), and points out how reading aloud can bring family members closer together.

She also includes a 10-page list of books, both the ones mentioned in The Enchanted Hour and an additional list of her other favorites. Among all these titles are classics like 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and The Little Prince, and other titles that were new to me, books like Vera Brosgol’s Leave Me Alone! Kenneth Kraegel’s The Song of Delphine, and Bill Richardson’s The Alphabet Thief

If you decide to try some family readalouds, Gurdon reminds us that there’s no time like the present, and “there is no present like the time.”

Good reading!

(Jeff Minick is a writer and teacher. minick0301@gmail.com)

Mountain News. Order the book from Kays’ Facebook page, www.facebook.com/hollykaysauthor, send $19.95 to paypal.me/hollykays or mail a check made out to “Holly Kays Writing” to 144 Montgomery Street, Waynesville, NC.

• Monthly Poetry Reading at Panacea Coffeehouse in Waynesville. Last Saturday of every month at 2 p.m. Bring your poetry, essays and writings to share. Be sure to order drinks and snacks and tip the staff of Panacea. For more information, contact Morella Poe at poevampyre@gmail.com.

Committed to the slopes

Waynesville snowboarder to appear in international competition

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER

Zeb Powell was 7 years old the first time he tried a snowboard.

That initial ride wasn’t great — Powell, a lefty, found himself being sent down the mountain right foot forward — but after that something clicked. Powell hit a box the first night and from there on out spent as much time as possible on the slopes at Cataloochee Ski Area.

“I remember in the beginning I would go up with friends and just ride with them, older kids,” said Powell, now 19. “They would just carpool up there and I would just ride and snowboard and do crazy stuff that I didn’t know was crazy. They would look at me all wide-eyed, but I had no idea. It was so funny.”

At that point, Powell was just having fun, enjoying the feeling of jumping through the air. A year or two later, he saw a flyer for a summer snowboard camp in Colorado and asked his parents if he could go. They said yes, and it didn’t take long for Powell to catch the attention of camp staff.

Throughout the decade since, Powell’s riding has continued to draw ever-increasing levels of attention, and now he’s been recognized as one of the world’s foremost athletes with an invitation to compete in the X Games in Aspen Jan. 26.

“They’re some of the best riders in the world,” said Powell’s coach Ross Powers —

himself an Olympic gold medalist — of the X Games roster. “He’ll definitely be able to hang with them, put on a good show and have a good time, and hopefully put himself on the podium.”

TAKING THE LEAP

The X Games will be the biggest competition of Powell’s career to date, but the Waynesville native is no stranger to big leaps, both on and off the slopes.

Powell was just an elementary school kid when he went off to that summer camp at Copper Mountain in Colorado. Before he left, one of the head judges suggested that Powell consider going all-in with snowboarding by attending a boarding school designed specifically for aspiring skiers and snowboarders. His mom, unsurprisingly, shot it down. The school was in Vermont, and his parents weren’t big on the idea of sending their boy to live nearly 1,000 miles away from them.

Catch the competition

But Powell kept asking, and by the time he turned 12 his parents had agreed to at least look into it. They traveled north to visit the Stratton Mountain School.

“I went with the coaches for a day, and they said they usually don’t tell the kid if they get in or not, but they told my parents I had made it that night,” said Powell.

It was a “pretty good start,” he felt. He was 13 when he became a student at SMS, spending hours each day riding a mountain wholly unlike the Southern slopes where he’d fallen in love with the sport.

“He was just so blown away by the terrain features, because there’s just multiple features down the run,” said Scott Johnston, Powell’s coach during his five years at SMS. “He was just so blown away by it. He was taken back so far. It was really cool to see the excitement.”

It was a whole new type of mountain, a whole new environment for his skills to grow. But Powell is candid that he wouldn’t be the snowboarder he is if he hadn’t grown up on

the slopes of Cataloochee.

“When you don’t have rails and stuff, you still have all this natural terrain that you don’t really see. But if you think enough and use it enough, all this cool stuff comes out,” said Powell. “It definitely shaped me somehow.”

Powell can certainly take a jump, using that air to perform from an arsenal of tricks guaranteed to leave spectators in awe. But his specialty is the more creative kind of riding, the kind that combines terrain with inspiration to produce off-the-cuff moves in unexpected places.

“There’s really no rhythm to my riding, I guess,” said Powell. “I just kind of use everything, so I’m not a traditional jump rider.”

That preference makes Powell’s admittance to the X Games even more exciting, because in addition to serving as an alternate competitor for the rail jam, he’ll be competing in a secondyear event that just happens to highlight Powell’s specialty. It’s called the knuckle huck.

“If you take your hand and hold your fingers downward, the landing of the jump is your fingers and the knuckle is your knuckle,” explained Johnston. “So what you’re doing is you’re doing a maneuver off the knuckle, which is not a jump, and people have done stuff off it that’s really impressive.”

What’s now called the knuckle huck used to be just athletes playing around, using that knuckle to turn a trick or two after coming up short on the jump. But

it’s gaining increasing recognition as an event all its own.

“Just people on social media videoing people doing knuckle tricks, that’s kind of how it got traction, and Zeb being Zeb was doing things people could never do off a normal jump, and he’s doing it off a knuckle,” said Johnston.

“He’s a fan favorite, or definitely a rider’s favorite,” Powers added. “You never know

on that van when it left. Each day, he’d ride until lunchtime, take classes from 12:30 to 5 p.m., spend the pre-dinner hour training and then study in the evening. It was a rigorous schedule, but Powell was up to the task, graduating last year and going on to pursue snowboarding full-time.

“I could definitely see potential,” Johnston said of his initial look at Powell’s riding, back when he first visited the school. “Being 13 he had a lot of work to do to become where he’s at now. The biggest thing I think I’ve seen with Zeb is his openness to try new things.”

“He’s like supernatural right now. There’s very few like him in our snowboarding world. Everyone’s talking about him because of his creativity.”

— Scott Johnston

what he’s actually going to do. Even being his coach for a number of years, you work with him on something and he does something else in the air and wows the crowd.”

BECOMING SUPERNATURAL

As the new decade begins, Powell is a force to be reckoned with, in Powers’ judgment “one of the best up-and-coming riders out there.” But a lot of hard work on the slopes and dedicated investment from his coaches is behind his blossoming snowboarding career.

“He was a typical 13-year-old kid, on his own at a school with no mom or dad and had to really take the bull by the horns,” said Johnston. “He had to wake up on time, and he struggled with that. There’s no question about it. A lot of them do. Late for the van — we’d generally leave for the mountain around 8:15, and it was 8:30 and he wasn’t there, and I left without him.”

Powell quickly learned his lesson, getting used to setting out his clothing and equipment the night before and making the other adjustments necessary to ensure that he was

Most kids just want to focus on the showy stuff, like half pipe and slopestyle. But Powell was open to anything, as long as it involved a snowboard. For a while he focused on slalom riding, which requires riders to navigate through a series of gates. Slalom events are “really great tools for snowboarding,” said Johnston, because they force you to turn in places you don’t naturally want to.

“It’s really refreshing as a coach to have a kid be that into it,” he said. “Most kids will fight you.”

Not Powell. And that’s paid off.

“He’s like supernatural right now,” said Johnston. “There’s very few like him in our snowboarding world. Everyone’s talking about him because of his creativity.”

“I’d say progression is one of the biggest things that describes him, and creativity,” Powers added. “He’ll ride a park like no other and just find different little features and do different tricks than a lot of the other guys out there.”

LOOKING TOWARD THE FUTURE

Powell is still feeling out what his future holds. He’s a pro, no doubt about that, with sponsorships from Red Bull, Nitro

Vermont, in December 2018.

Snowboards, ThirtyTwo, Recess Ride Shop and Crab Grab.

At the moment, he’s more interested in pursuing filming than competition. But the X Games invitation proves that Powell’s got potential on the competition circuit too.

“Oh yeah. That. That’s crazy,” Powell said when asked about the upcoming event. “I actually can’t believe it.”

That response is typical Zeb, said Johnston. Despite his unmistakable skill, Powell is quiet, reserved, humble and generally “a great human being” who lets his riding speak for itself.

“It’s really cool to see that he hasn’t forgotten where he’s come from,” said Johnston. “When he graduated I said, ‘Never forget where you came from because one day you might be back there.’ He’s like, ‘I’ll take that to school, for sure.’ And he hasn’t forgotten that.”

Powell got the X Games invite email Dec. 28, less than a month before the event was set to commence. He attributes the opportunity to a pair of videos that garnered a ton of attention on social media. One shows Powell flying off the knuckle while sliding on the edge of his snowboard only to somehow gain a significant amount of air and stick the landing. In the second, he somehow completes three spins midair before landing solidly in a cloud of powder.

Watching the videos, it’s hard to imagine what it must be like to be Powell, hurtling down a mountain and then flying through the air, making a split-second commitment to a trick that for nearly anyone else would be patently impossible in the space and time the terrain allots.

“It’s hard to explain,” said Powell. “It’s kind of like you have this scary feeling in the back of your head, the back of your mind, but you can’t let it come out. You have to power through it. You can’t lose your train of thought or else it will go worse than it would if you just try the trick and do it.”

Bottom line: you have to commit.

“It’s funny, sometimes I don’t know what I’m really going to try, but I guess it’s the commitment part that really matters,” he said. “I don’t know what I’m going to try and I just commit to it and kind of leave my friends and people in awe, and myself in awe sometimes too. I guess that’s what I love about it.”

Closures in place at Cades Cove

Several closures and limitations on access in the Cades Cove area will be in place this winter while the Bote Mountain Tunnel undergoes repairs in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Constructed in 1948, the tunnel has not had any significant rehabilitation work since. Crews will replace nine drainage chases, requiring track-mounted saws to cut through the concrete liner along the arc of the tunnel’s 18-foot-high opening. Cracks will also be sealed and repaired to prevent leaks from compromising the walls.

n Laurel Creek Road, a 7-mile access road from Townsend Wye to Cades Cove, is closed to all motorists, cyclists and pedestrians through Saturday, Feb. 29. The closure is necessary to allow equipment setup to repair the internal drainage system in the 121-foot-long tunnel’s walls and ceiling. Crews will enclose and heat the tunnel to allow for temperature-sensitive repairs during the lower-visitation winter months. Intermittent single-lane closures from March 1 to June 15 will allow crews to complete tunnel repairs and repave the area. n Trails will remain open, though access to trailheads is limited. During the closures, trail access at Cades Cove will require at least a 14-mile roundtrip hike to Cades Cove Loop Road from any of the boundary trailheads.

n Rich Mountain Road, seasonally closed in winter, is accessible to hikers walking in or out of the area. Park vehicles will use the one-way, 7-mile gravel roadway throughout the closure to access Loop Road. Due to this increased traffic, cyclists and horseback riders are prohibited from using the roadway during the closures.

n Parson Branch Road, a one-way, 8-mile road that has been closed to public vehicle use since 2016, is open to hikers, bicyclists and horseback riders looking to access Cades Cove during the closure. Users should be prepared to encounter downed trees or park employee vehicles along the roadway. n Cades Cove Campground, normally open during the winter, will be closed through March 5. Elkmont and Smokemont campgrounds will remain open year-round. Information about temporary road closures is available at www.nps.gov/grsm or by following SmokiesRoadsNPS on Twitter.

ID winter trees

Learn how to identify common trees even during the leafless season with a workshop 1 to 2 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 28, at the Highlands Nature Center in Highlands.

During Nature 101: Bark and Branches, participants will get a crash course on a few

tricks for wintertime ID before heading to the Botanical Gardens and putting their sleuthing skills to work.

Free, and open to all ages. The Nature Center is located at 930 Horse Cove Rd. 828.526.2623.

Even with their leaves gone, trees offer plenty of clues giving away their identities.

Hearing planned for wetland classification

A public hearing at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 21, at UNC Asheville will seek public comment on a proposal to assign a Unique Wetland classification to Sandy Bottom wetlands in Buncombe County. Sandy Bottom wetlands are located in the French Broad River floodplain about 5 miles south of Asheville and represent a rare natural wetland community known as the montane floodplain slough forest. Rare species observed at the site include the federally and state-threatened bog turtle and two state species of special concern, the four-toed salamander and mole salamander. Currently, there are 33 wetlands in North Carolina bearing the Unique Wetland classification, which offers additional protection to wetlands of exceptional or national ecological significance. The hearing will be held in the Beaucatcher Mountain Room of Highsmith Student Union, with speaker registration beginning at 5:30 p.m. Written comments can be sent to adriene.weaver@ncdenr.gov or mailed to Adriene Weaver, DWR Water Planning Section, 1611 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, N.C. 27699.

Tree removal to cause closures in the Smokies

Single-lane and area closures will affect several roads in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park through March 27 as tree removal work continues.

Closures will be implemented on the Spur through Jan. 24. Wears Cove Gap Road will be fully closed Jan. 29-30. Singlelane closures will be in place for short durations on Newfound Gap Road, Cherokee Orchard Road, Gatlinburg Bypass, Little River Road, Foothills Parkway West and Lakeview Drive as well as the developed areas in Deep Creek, Cades Cove, Elkmont and Smokemont through March 27.

All single-lane closures will occur between 6 a.m. on Mondays and noon

Fridays, excluding federal holidays. The work schedule is subject to change due to weather or other unplanned delays. Information about temporary road closures is available at www.nps.gov/grsm or by following SmokiesRoadsNPS on Twitter.

Race leagues return to Cataloochee

Winter is here, and skiers and snowboarders with a need for speed can show their stuff with a pair of recreational racing programs offered at Cataloochee Ski Area.

n The largest recreational ski race program in the world, NASTAR Public Racing comes to

abilities to compare themselves with each other, regardless of when and where they race, using a racer handicap system. Every race can earn contenders a platinum, gold, silver or bronze medal based on which handicap the racer has.

Register at the ski resort’s ticket center on the lower level of the lodge, or online at nastar.com. All races subject to weather and slope conditions. Lift ticket or season pass required. Cost is $10 for two runs or $20 for unlimited runs.

Cataloochee 9 to 11 a.m. Saturdays through the end of February. There will be no race on Martin Luther King, Jr. Weekend, Jan. 18. It’s a fun, competitive and easily accessible racing program that allows racers of all ages and

n The Cataloochee Thursday Night Race League is back, with all skiers and snowboarders 18 years or older invited to participate each 7 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday night through Feb. 27. Individuals race against the clock on a modified GS or slalom course for the better of two runs. The top three challengers in men’s and women’s age divisions will win prizes. Helmets and goggles required. $15 to race or $35 for race entry and night lift ticket. Find out more at cataloochee.com/learnto-slide/recreational-race-programs.

Go for a hike

RABUN BALD

Hike to the second-highest point in Georgia with a 4-mile roundtrip to Rabun Bald on Saturday, Jan. 25.

The Nantahala Hiking Club will lead this excursion on the Georgia Bartram Trail, hiking from Beegum Gap to the summit, featuring 900 feet of elevation change and a platform offering 360-degree views of the surrounding area.

EXPLORE CHUNKY GAL

Hike to the Chunky Gal area of the Nantahala National Forest during a difficult excursion 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 18, in Macon County.

SUBSCRIBE TODAY

The group will carpool from Franklin to the trailhead 20 miles away. Visitors welcome. RSVP to hike leader Gail Lehman, 828.524.5298.

Led by MountainTrue Public Lands Biologist Josh Kelly, participants will learn about the flora and fauna along the trail as well as the potential impacts of the Buck Creek Timber Sale. The 5-mile roundtrip includes substantial elevation gain. $5 for MountainTrue members and $15 for nonmembers. Sign up at mountaintrue.org/event/timber-sale-project-hike.

Keep volleyball skills sharp

Open volleyball play is now offered weekly at the Waynesville Recreation Center, 6 p.m. Wednesdays through Feb. 12. Play is open to players 18 and older as of Jan. 1, and it’s free to members with a $7 per person charge for nonmembers. Contact 828.456.2030 or dhummel@waynesville.gov with questions.

Learn about the future of smart vehicles

A workshop focusing on autonomous and connected vehicles will be offered 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 24, at the N.C. Arboretum Education Center.

Prepare for Parkway exploration

Join a Blue Ridge Parkway ranger at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 22, at REI in Asheville for a crash course in the park’s diverse resources and tips for getting out and exploring it.

A unit of the National Park Service, the Parkway traverses 469 miles of scenic beauty and began as a Depression Era project in 1935. Free. Sign up at www.rei.com/events. For more information, call 828.298.5330, ext. 304.

Hosted by the Land of Sky Regional Council, the workshop will provide insights into the potential benefits and challenges these technologies present and include a facilitated community discussion. Register at conta.cc/2sgEfEo or contact Terry Albrecht, 828.251.6622 or terry@landofsky.org.

WNC Calendar

COMMUNITY EVENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS

• Haywood Habitat for Humanity is seeking qualified homeowners for homes in Haywood County, and a mandatory info session will be held at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 15, at the organization’s offices located at the ReStore, 331 Walnut St., in Waynesville. Info: 452.7960 or haywoodhabitat.org.

• A Women’s March, sponsored by Indivisible Common Ground – WNC, is set for 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 18, at Bridge Park in downtown Sylva. Rally, music, speakers in observance of the 100th anniversary of the 19th amendment that gave women the right to vote.

• The largest recreational ski race program in the world, NASTAR Public Racing, will be held from 9-11 a.m. on Saturdays through the end of February in Cataloochee. No race on Martin Luther King, Jr. Weekend, Jan. 18. Fun, competitive and easily accessible racing program that allows racers of all ages and abilities to compare themselves with each other, regardless of when and where they race, using a racer handicap system. Cost: $10 for two runs or $20 for unlimited runs. Register at the resort or nastar.com.

• A weekend of events celebrating the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King is scheduled for Saturday through Monday, Jan. 18-20, by the Haywood County Martin Luther King Jr. Committee. MLK March is at 11 a.m. on Saturday starting at the Haywood County Justice Center; Commemorative Service is at 3 p.m. on Sunday at Jones Temple A.M.E. Zion Church in Waynesville; Prayer breakfast is at 8 a.m. on Monday at the Lambuth Inn at Lake Junaluska. Breakfast tickets: $18 adults, $10 college students, $9 youth and children; free for ages 8-under. Info and tickets: 215.0296; 246.2588; 648.3363; 648.5471; 648.1233; or 734.5251.

• The Jackson County Branch of the NAACP will offer a weeklong celebration in observance of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Day. A screening of “Selma” is set for 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 19, at Lazy Hiker Brewing –Sylva Taproom, 617 West Main St. in Sylva. A Unity March will be held at 11 a.m. on Monday, Jan. 20, starting at the “Catafount” on Western Carolina University’s campus in Cullowhee. On Wednesday, Jan. 22, a kenote addres featuring Dr. Oralene Anderson Graves Simmons will be held from 7-9 p.m. at Bardo Arts Center on WCU’s campus. And on Friday, Jan. 24, WCU will host a day of training by the National Coalition Building Institute; registration required. 404.358.0096.

• A kickoff event for the 2020 Relay for Life season is set for 6 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 20, at the Colonial Theater in Canton. Info: 280.1227.

• The Haywood Arts Regional Theater will hold its annual meeting at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 21, at the HART Theatre, 250 Pigeon St., in Waynesville. Recap of the 2019 season and celebration of volunteers.

• A celebration of “Burns Night” in honor of the birthday of Robert Burns will be held starting at 6 p.m. on Jan. 25, at Tartan Hall in Franklin. Burns, the national poet of Scotland, was born in 1759. Tickets available at Franklin Chamber of Commerce, First Presbyterian Church and the Scottish Tartans Museum and Heritage Center, Inc.

• The Cullowhee Planning Council will meet at 6 p.m. on Jan. 28 at Western Carolina University’s Ramsey Center in Cullowhee. Purpose: Cullowhee Small Area Plan draft. Info: www.planning.jacksonnc.org or 631.2261.

• The eighth-annual Plunge Benefit-t-t-ting Kids in the Creek & Environmental Education is scheduled for 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. on Feb. 1 at Champion Credit Union Aquatics Center in Canton. Presented by Haywood

All phone numbers area code 828 unless otherwise noted.

Waterways Association and the Town of Canton. Cost: $25. Info: haywoodwaterways.org/theplunge, 476.4667 or info@haywoodwaterways.org.

• Tax-Aide volunteers will be available to assist with federal and state income tax preparation and filing from Feb. 3-April 14 at the Macon County Public Library in Franklin. Service is provided by appointment from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. on Mondays and Tuesdays. Appointments: 524.3600 or visit the library at 149 Siler Road.

B USINESS & E DUCATION

• Southwestern Community College’s Small Business Center will hold a “Regional Business Plan Competition” with a kickoff event set for 5:30-7:30 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 20, in the Burrell Building on SCC’s Jackson Campus in Sylva. Competition includes an eight-week series of events designed to help individuals develop their business plans. Sessions are from 5:308:30 p.m. on Mondays in the Burrell Building. Preregistration required: http://bit.ly/bizplankickoff.

• The Jackson County Public Library in Sylva will be starting a monthly documentary series called “DocuWednesday” at 4 p.m. on the last Wednesday of each month. The movies will be shown in the beautiful movie theater in the Community Room. At the end of each movie, the staff member who selected that documentary will lead a short discussion with the public. If you would like to know what movie will be showing each month, email Benjamin Woody at bwoody@fontanalib.org to be placed on an email list. 586.2016. www.fontanalib.org.

• The African-American Business Association Workshop & Meetup is scheduled for 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. on the third Tuesday of every month at the Arthur R. Edington Education & Career Center in Asheville.

FUNDRAISERS AND B ENEFITS

• The 3rd annual “Chili Cook-Off Winter Arts Smokies Style” will be held from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 18, at participating merchants and restaurants in the Main Street, Frog Level and Hazelwood districts of Waynesville. New this year, the event will be selling $5 wristbands for all-day tasting. Half the proceeds go to the Manna Backpack program supporting hungry kids. Wrist bands can be purchased the day of the event at The Jeweler’s Workbench, Blue Ridge Beer Hub, Cedar Hill Studio or any of the three shuttle stops: Main Street/Miller Street, parking lot in front of Frog Level Brewing and Hazelwood Avenue parking lot in front of Pink Regalia. For more information and to stay up to date with the latest participants and sponsors, go to the Waynesville Chili Cook Off Stroll Facebook page or look for them on Instagram: @HayChili. Winners will be announced on Tuesday, Jan 21.

• The 23rd annual Altrusa Soup and Cornbread Fundraiser is set for 11 a.m.-6:30 p.m. on Jan. 21 at First United Methodist Church in Waynesville. Tickets: $10, available at the door, from Altrusa members or by calling 646.0785. Proceeds benefit the Haywood County Schools Foundation fund for Altrusa of Waynesville scholarships.

VOLUNTEERS & VENDORS

• Feline Urgent Rescue is seeking volunteers and sponsors. Info: 422.2704, www.furofwnc.org, www.facebook.com/furofwnc or 844.888.CATS (2287).

• Cat adoption hours are from noon-5 p.m. on Fridays

and noon-4 p.m. on Saturdays at 453 Jones Cove Road in Clyde. Adoption fee: $10 for cats one-year and older. Check out available cats at www.petharbor.com. 452.1329 or 550.3662.

H EALTH MATTERS

• Al-Anon, a confidential support group for friends and family members of alcoholics, meets at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesdays at Grace Episcopal Church in Waynesville. 440.724.5994.

• Co-Dependents Anonymous, a support group for those wishing to create more fulfilling relationships with themselves and others, will meet from 5:30-6:30 p.m. on Fridays at the Friendship House, 566 S. Haywood St., in Waynesville. http://coda.org.

• “Nourishing You” – an introductory “Yoga for Cancer” class, is offered from 1:30-2:30 p.m. on Fridays at the Haywood Breast Center in Waynesville. Taught by Kim Mulholland, Mindful Yoga for Cancer Duke Integrative Medicine Trainer. Info: 452.8691 or MyHaywoodRegional.com/YogaforCancer.

• A Community Acupuncture Clinic is held on the third weekend of each month at 461 Moody Farm Road in Maggie Valley. Hours are 10 a.m.-5 p.m. on Saturday and 1-4 p.m. on Sunday. Sliding scale cost is $35-$55. Offered by Barbara Dennis, a Licensed Acupuncturist and Registered Nurse.

• Jackson County Department of Public Health is offering diabetes self-management education as well as medical nutrition therapy. Info: 587.8240 or http://health.jacksonnc.org/wic.

• The Haywood County Senior Resource Center holds a dementia caregivers support group from 4:30-6 p.m. on the fourth Tuesday each month in Waynesville. 356.2800 or www.haywoodseniors.org.

• “Riding the Waves of Cancer” meets from 2:30-4 p.m. on Thursdays at the Haywood Regional Health & Fitness Center. Physician referral from an oncologist or cancer doctor is required: Myhaywoodregional.com/yogaforcancer. 452.8691.

• Codependents Anonymous (CoDA) meets at 5:30 p.m. on Fridays at the Friendship House on Academy Street, behind and adjoining the First United Methodist Church of Waynesville. Group of persons desiring healthy and fulfilling relationships. 775.2782 or www.coda.org.

• The Jackson County Senior Center will offer a Caregiver Education Class at 10 a.m. on the third Monday of every month in the Board Room of the Department of Aging in Sylva. 586.5494.

• The Haywood County Dementia Caregivers' Support Group meets at the Haywood Senior Resource Center (81 Elmwood Way, Waynesville). The meetings are scheduled from 4:30 to 6 p.m. on the fourth Tuesday. 926.0018.

• A support group for persons with Multiple Sclerosis as well as family, friends and caregivers meets at 6:45 p.m. on the third Tuesday of each month in the conference room of the Jackson county Public Library in Sylva. 293.2503.

• Nutrition counseling and diabetes education are offered through Macon County Public Health in Franklin. 349.2455.

• HIV and syphilis testing will is offered during normal business hours at Jackson County Health Department.

• A support group for anyone with MS, family & friends meets monthly at 6:45 p.m. on the third Tuesday of each month at the conference room of Jackson Co. Library in Sylva. No Fee, sponsored by National MS Society. Local contact: Gordon Gaebel 293.2503.

• “Laughing Balsam Sangha,” a meeting for

Visit www.smokymountainnews.com and click on Calendar for:

■ Complete listings of local music scene

■ Regional festivals

■ Art gallery events and openings

■ Complete listings of recreational offerings at regional health and fitness centers

■ Civic and social club gatherings

Mindfullness in the tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh, meets will meet from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. on Mondays at 318 Skyland Drive in Sylva. Included are sitting and walking meditation, and Dharma discussion. Free admission. 335.8210, and “Like” them on Facebook.

• Adult Children of Alcoholics and Dysfunctional Families (ACA) meets at noon on Saturdays at the First United Methodist Church Outreach Center at 171 Main St. in Franklin. 407.758.6433 or adultchildren.org.

• The Haywood County Health & Human Services Public Health Services Division is offering a Night Clinic from 4-6:30 p.m. on the third Monday of every month in Waynesville. Services include family planning, immunizations, pregnancy testing, STD testing and treatment. Appointments: 452.6675.

• The Jackson County Department of Public Health will offer a general clinic from 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. 587.8225.

• A Food Addicts Anonymous Twelve-Step fellowship group meets at 5:30 p.m. on Mondays at Grace Church in the Mountains in Waynesville. www.foodaddictsanonymous.org.

• Big Brother/Big Sister, a one-evening preparation class for children who are about to greet a new baby into their family, is offered for children ages 3-10 at Haywood Regional Medical Center. 452.8440 or MyHaywoodRegional.com/ParentClasses.

• Mothers Connection, an ongoing social gathering for mothers and their babies, meets from 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. on Thursdays excluding holidays at Haywood Regional Medical Center. 452.8440 or MyHaywoodRegional.com/ParentClasses.

• A support group meeting for those with Parkinson’s Disease and their caregivers will be held at 2 p.m. on the last Wednesday of the month at the Haywood County Senior Resource Center in Waynesville. 356.2800.

• Dogwood Insight Center presents health talks at 6:30 p.m. on the third Thursday of each month.

• Angel Medical Center’s diabetes support group meets at 4 p.m. on the third Thursday of each month in the AMC dining room. 369.4166.

• A Tuesday Meditation Group meets at 6:30 p.m. on the second and fourth Tuesdays of each month at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Franklin.

AUTHORS AND B OOKS

• Waynesville author and Smoky Mountain News reporter Holly Kays will present her newest book, “Trailblazers & Traditionalists: Modern-day Smoky Mountain People” at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 1, at City Lights Bookstore in Sylva. Book reading at 3 p.m. www.facebook.com/hollykaysauthor or paypal.me/hollykays.

• The North Carolina Writers' Network-West will sponsor The Literary Hour at 7 p.m. on the third Thursday of the month. at the Keith House on the John C. Campbell Folk School in Brasstown. This reading is free of charge and open to the public.

• Canton Book Club meets at 3:30 p.m. on the third Thursday of each month, at the Canton Library. 648.2924.

• Cookin’ the Books will be held at noon on the last Wednesday of the month at the Waynesville Public Library. A book club focused on cookbooks. All members choose a recipe from the book and bring it to share. The group will discuss the good and bad aspects of the chosen cookbook. 356.2507.

S ENIOR ACTIVITIES

• The Mexican Train Dominoes Group seeks new players to join games at 1 p.m. on Tuesdays at the Haywood County Senior Resource Center in Waynesville. 356.2800.

• Book Club is held at 2 p.m. on the third Wednesday of the month at the Haywood County Senior Resource Center in Waynesville. 356.2800

• A Hand & Foot card game is held at 1 p.m. on Thursdays at Haywood County Senior Resource Center in Waynesville. 356.2800.

• Senior Sale Day is on the third Friday of every month at the Friends of the Library Used Bookstore. Patrons 60 and older get 20 percent off all purchases. Proceeds benefit the Sylva Library.

• Pinochle game is played at 1 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays at Haywood County Senior Resource Center in Waynesville. 356.2800.

• Mah Jongg is played at 1 p.m. on Wednesdays at Haywood County Senior Resource Center in Waynesville. 356.2800.

• A Canasta card game is set for 1 p.m. on Mondays at the Haywood County Senior Resource Center in Waynesville. 356.2800.

• A Parkinson’s Support Group is held at 2 p.m. on the last Wednesday of each month at the Haywood County Senior Resource Center in Waynesville. 356.2800.

K IDS & FAMILIES

• The Canton Branch Library will host a “Parent Child Workshop (123 Play with Me)” from 11 a.m.-12:15 p.m. on Wednesdays through Feb. 5. For parents of children ages six months to three years old. Deanna.lyles@haywoodcountync.gov or 356.2563.

• Registration is underway for the 2020 Region 8 Western Regional Science fair, which is set for Thursday and Friday, Feb. 13-14, in the Ramsey Regional Activity Center at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee. Thursday’s event is for grades 3-5; Friday is for grades 6-12. Info: sciencefair.wcu.edu or 227.7397.

• Sign-ups are underway for “Mardi Gras in the Mountains,” a children’s costume contest, pet costume contest and pantomime music parade that will be held on Feb. 22 on Main Street in Franklin. Proceeds benefit Appalachian Animal Rescue Center

in Franklin. For details on participation, sponsorships and volunteers: 369.0092.

• Registration is underway for the Challenger International Soccer Camp, which will be offered to ages 3-14 from July 20-24 at the Waynesville Recreation Center. Costs vary based on age group from $90-197. Separate goalkeeper and scorer program is $25 for ages 6-14 from 9-11 a.m. on Saturday. Register: challengersports.com. Info: 456.2030 or dhummel@waynesvillenc.gov.

• Mother Goose On the Loose early childhood curriculum will be featured in a Reading Adventures Storytime program that’s offered at 1:30 p.m. on Wednesdays at Marianna Black Library in Bryson City. Blends rhyming with movement, storytelling, simple songs, music and sensory play. 488.3030.

• Waynesville Art School offers the Young Artist Program in the afternoons for 5-6 year old, 7-8 year old, 9-12 year old. Intro to Printmaking and Evening studies in arts is offered for 13-19 year old. Waynesville Art School is located at 303 N. Haywood Street. Info: 246.9869, info@waynesvilleartschool.com or visit WaynesvilleArtSchool.com for schedule and to register.

• Mountain Wildlife offers wildlife education programs for schools and organizations in Western North Carolina, free of charge. If you are interested in having them visit your group contact them at blackbears66@gmail.com, 743.9648 or visit the website at www.mountainwildlifedays.com.

weather permitting. 452.0120 or www.waynesvillewine.com.

• Bryson City Wine Market offers flights from 4-7 p.m. on Fridays and from 2-5 p.m. on Saturdays. Flight of four wines for $5.

• Bosu’s Wine Shop in Waynesville will host five for $5 Wine Tasting from 5 to 9 p.m. on Thursdays. Come taste five magnificent wines and dine on Chef Bryan’s gourmet cuisine. 452.0120 or www.waynesvillewine.com.

• Secret Wine Bar is hosted by Bosu’s in Waynesville on Fridays from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Contact for more information and make reservations. 452.1020.

• A free wine tasting will be held from 1-5 p.m. on Saturdays from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. at Bosu Wine Shop in Waynesville. 452.0120 or www.waynesvillewine.com.

Bosu’s will host a Cocktails & Lunch on Saturday’s. Serving house-made champagne cocktails from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. www.waynesvillewine.com

• A free wine tasting will be held from 2-5 p.m. on Saturdays at Papou’s Wine Shop in Sylva. www.papouswineshop.com or 631.3075.

• “Brown Bag at the Depot” – an opportunity to gather with neighbors – is at noon every Friday at Sylva’s newest park at the corner of Spring and Mill Street along Railroad Ave. For info, contact Paige Dowling at townmanager@townofsylva.org.

• Graceann’s Amazing Breakfast is 8-10 a.m. every Tuesday in the Sapphire Room at the Sapphire Valley Community Center. $8.50 for adults; $5 for children. Includes coffee and orange juice. 743.7663.

A&E

F OOD & D RINK

• A Tour De France Class is set for 6-7:30 p.m. on Jan. 16 at the Bryson City Wine Market. Class: $30 (includes tasting and food pairings). $5 off ticket price if you RSVP before Jan. 15. For ages 21-up only. 538.0420.

• An exclusive wine tasting with The Swag’s Sous Chef DeeAnn Rose, “A Taste of Italy” will be held at 7 p.m. Friday, Jan. 17, at The Classic Wineseller in Waynesville.

• Bryson City Wine Market will host “Yoga and Mimosas” from 9:30-10:30 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 18, at 1161 Main St. in Bryson City. $10 at the door. Bring a sippy cup. Must be 21 to attend.

• A “Sip-N-Social” is set for 4-7 p.m. on Jan. 25, at the Bryson City Wine Market. Cost: $10 per person. For ages 21-up only.

• Bosu’s Wine Shop in Waynesville is offering lunch on Saturdays, “Lunch with us” from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. featuring fresh seasonal menu with outdoor seating

• Free cooking demonstrations will be held from 5-7 p.m. on Saturdays at Country Traditions in Dillsboro. Watch the demonstrations, eat samples and taste house wines for $3 a glass. All recipes posted online. www.countrytraditionsnc.com.

• A game day will occur from 2-9 p.m. every third Saturday of the month at Papou’s Wine Shop & Bar in Sylva. Bring dice, cards or board games. 586.6300.

• A wine tasting will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. on Wednesdays The Classic Wineseller in Waynesville. Free with dinner ($15 minimum). 452.6000.

ON STAGE & I N CONCERT

• The Highlands Performing Arts Center will screen “Live via Satellite” the National Theatre of London’s production of “All My Sons” at 1 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 18. Tickets are available online at www.highlandspac.org, www.highlandsperformingarts.com or at the door.

• Gypsy & Me will be on stage in the Loft at The Strand on Main on Jan. 18 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $5. 38main.com.

• “Let Freedom Sing,” a mostly-musical program honoring the memory of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., will be

held at 3 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 19, at the sanctuary of First United Methodist Church in Franklin. A reception will follow the program in the church’s Memorial Hall. Everyone is welcome to this event, which is produced by the Human Relations Council of Macon County and the Arts Council. An offering will be taken to help defray program costs.

• The Haywood County Arts Council will present “January Jazz” with Jazz Revolution Band at 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 23, at Laurel Ridge Country Club in Waynesville.

• Dylan Doyle & trio will be on stage in the Loft at The Strand on Main on Feb. 6 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $10. 38main.com.

• Tickets are available now for a performance by the Fisk Jubilee Singers, which is set for 7 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 13, in the University Center at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee. Tickets: $5 for WCU students, $10 for non-WCU students and WCU faculty and staff and $15 for general admission. Available at bardoartscenter.wcu.edu or 227.2479.

CLASSES AND PROGRAMS

• Acrylic painting workshop from 4 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 16, at the Swain Arts Center in Bryson City. Join local artist Melissa Owen for this great workshop. All materials included. Cost is $35 per person. To register, call Rachel Lackey at 488.7843 or email at rlackey@swainmail.org.

• “Mountain Talk: A Serious Look at Our Local English” will be presented at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 20, at Cowee School, 51 Cowee School Drive, off NC 28 N in Franklin. Led by Stacy Guffey, a Macon County native who is director of the Cowee School Arts and Heritage Center. Part of the “Where We Live” lecture series.

• Innovation Brewing and Get Creative Atlanta/Carolina will present “Brush & Brew: A Painting and Craft Beer Night” from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 21, at the Innovation Station in Dillsboro. Tickets are $30 per person, which includes one beverage per person (beer or wine), the class, all painting materials and taking your canvas (16"x20") painting home. To purchase tickets, go to the “Innovation Station at Dillsboro” Facebook page, click on the “Events” tab and scroll for “Brush & Brew.”

• A “Pottery & Pints” class will be held by Viva Arts Studios from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 23, at the Innovation Station in Dillsboro. Cost is $25.50 per person. For more information and/or to register for the workshop, go to Facebook, search “Viva Arts Studio” and click on the “Events” tab for the ticket link. www.vivaartsschool.com or 506.6067.

• An “Autonomous & Connected Vehicles Workshop” is set for 10:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 24, at the NC Arboretum in Asheville. Insights to the potential benefits and challenges. Community discussion. Sign up: https://tinyurl.com/sfddtgs. Puzzles can be found on page 38

These are only the answers.

• The Jackson County Public Library offers eservices support from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. and 4-6 p.m. on Tuesdays in Sylva. For those with new devices or need help accessing library resources. Appointments: 586.2016.

• Asheville’s chapter of American Pilgrims on the Camino will hold a session from 7-8:30 p.m. on Jan. 28 and Feb. 3, at REI in Asheville to offer info about exploring the Camino de Santiago in Spain. Chris Slater and Rebecca Weston will present “Camino 101” covering the history, different routes, how to get there and accommodations available. Registration required: www.rei.com/events.

• Friends of the Canton Area Historical Museum will meet at 11 a.m. every third Tuesday at the museum, 36 Park Street in Canton.

• Encouraging art classes for beginning through advanced adults are offered by the Inspired Art Ministry at the following times and dates: Drawing classes from 1-4 p.m. on Mondays; painting classes from 1-4 p.m. on Tuesdays. Info: 456.9197, charspaintings@msn.com or www.iamclasses.wbs.com.

• Waynesville Art School offers “The Joy of Drawing,” Still Life in Color: Acrylic & Pastel and “Relief Printmaking” classes for adults at 303 N. Haywood Street. Info: 246.9869, info@waynesvilleartschool.com or WaynesvilleArtSchool.com. required: 631.0271. Info: www.JCGEP.org.

• Indoor Flea Market is set for 7 a.m.-2 p.m. every third Saturday at the Old Armory in Waynesville. 456.9207.

• Watercolor classes are set for 1:30 p.m. every third Saturday at the Creative Thought Center on Pigeon Street in Waynesville. Cost: $25 or $20 if you bring your own equipment. theHouseArtist@gmail.com.

• The Dave Drake Studio Barn offers a variety of ceramic and raku classes by appointment as well as weekly drawing, writers and community knitters groups. Info: 787.2865.

• The Old Armory will host an indoor flea market from 7 a.m.-2 p.m. on every third Saturday. Booths are $10 each for selling items. 456.9207.

ART SHOWINGS AND GALLERIES

• Jenean Hornbuckle, a landscape painter, is currently showing her works, at the Rotunda Gallery in the Sylva library. info@jacksoncountyarts.org or 507.9820.

• Acrylic and watercolor painter Linda Blount and acrylic painter Jason Woodard will have their works showing in the auditorium of the Waynesville branch library through January. The showcase is provided by the Haywood County Arts Council/Haywood County Public Library through the collaborative “Art Works @ The Library” program.

• Western Carolina University’s Mountain Heritage Center will host an exhibit by Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist José Galvez on Latino life in North Carolina in the museum’s second-floor gallery at Hunter Library. The center’s first bilingual exhibit, “Al Norte al Norte” will be on display through Friday, April 10. Admission is free. The 51 black-and-white photos are from a 10-year project to capture images of daily life of Latinos living in North Carolina, from business owners to farmers at work, multi-generations of families at home and at church, and other candid moments. The gallery is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on

Monday through Friday. 227.7129.

• Cherokee Indian Hospital is issuing a “Call to Artists” for the new Analenisgi Inpatient Unit. The mission is to create community pride and ownership using a variety of culturally significant, healing art mediums. Enrolled EBCI members will be given preference. Mediums can include, but are not limited to, paintings (oil, acrylic, pastels, watercolor) photography, fiber arts, metal, mixed media and sculpture. Please email legendweaverstudios@gmail.com if you want the formal “Call to Artists” application and information.

• The Museum of the Cherokee Indian has recently opened a major new exhibit, “People of the Clay: Contemporary Cherokee Potters.” It features more than 60 potters from the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and Cherokee Nation, and more than one hundred works from 1900 to the present. The exhibit will run through April.

FILM & S CREEN

• “Uncut Gems” will be showing through Jan. 16 at The Strand on Main in downtown Waynesville. For showtimes, pricing & tickets visit 38main.com or 283.0079

“Bad Boys for Life” will be showing starting Jan. 16 through Jan. 23 at Smoky Mountain Cinema in Waynesville Plaza. Visit www.fandango.com or smokymountaincinema.com for showtimes, pricing & tickets. Info on Facebook or 246.0588.

• “1917” will be showing starting Friday, Jan. 17 through Jan. 23 at Smoky Mountain Cinema in Waynesville Plaza. Visit www.fandango.com or smokymountaincinema.com for showtimes, pricing & tickets. Info on Facebook or 246.0588.

Outdoors

• Landmark Learning will offer courses in Wilderness First Responder Registration Jan. 18-26 in Brevard and Feb. 8-16, March 7-15 and March 14-22 in Cullowhee. Info: www.landmarklearning.org.

• A program entitled “Winter’s For the Birds” will be offered from 1-3 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 18, at Balsam Mountain Trust, 81 Preserve Road in Sylva. Examine some of the special adaptations that even small songbirds use to survive frigid temperatures when staying around through the winter. Registration required by Jan. 14: jknight@bmtrust.org or 631.1061.

• A public hearing will be held on the topic of wetlands reclassification at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 21, in the Beaucatcher Mountain Room in Highsmith Student Union on the campus of UNC Asheville. Info on the classification: https://tinyurl.com/w7k3uyh. Written comments, data or other relevant info can be sent to Adriene.weaver@ncdenr.gov or Adriene Weaver, DWR Water Planning Section, 1611 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-1611.

• A Blue Ridge Parkway ranger will offer a crash course on the park’s resources and tips for exploring it at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 22, at REI in Asheville. Sign up: www.rei.com/events. Info: 298.5330, ext. 304.

• A program entitled “Nature 101: Bark & Branches” will be presented from 1-2 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 28, at the Highlands Nature

Center, 930 Horse Cove Rd., in Highlands. Info: 526.2623.

• An opportunity to learn about winter hikes and waterfalls in Western North Carolina will be offered from 7-8:30 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 20, at REI in Asheville. Registration required: www.rei.com/events.

• Landmark Learning is offering several options to take a Wilderness First Responder Recertification class, Feb. 28 in Cullowhee and March 1 in Brevard. Registration is also underway for courses on www.landmarklearning.org.

• Registration is underway for the Landmark Outdoor Educator Semester, which is offered May 14-June 30, through Landmark Learning. www.landmarklearning.org.

• The Asheville Winter Bike League will offer structured group rides at 10 a.m. every Saturday through Jan. 25. $5 donation requested. Sign up required: https://tinyurl.com/yx5byb8h.

COMPETITIVE E DGE

• The Cataloochee Thursday Night Race League is open to skiers and snowboarders 18 years or older from 7-8:30 p.m on Thursday through Feb. 27. Individuals race against the clock on a modified GS or slalom course for the better of two runs. The top three challengers in men’s and women’s age divisions win prizes. Helmets and goggles required. $15 to race or $35 for race entry and night lift ticket. https://tinyurl.com/y9ys99hu.

FARM AND GARDEN

• A program on pruning plants for optimum success will be offered from 2-3 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 16, in the Waynesville Library Auditorium. Snow date is Jan. 23. Led by Sam Marshall, Agriculture and Horticulture Extension Agent of Haywood County. Registration required: 356.2507 or Kathleen.olsen@haywoodcountync.gov.

• Registration is underway for a seminar entitled “How to Make Money on the Farm,” which will be offered by the Small Business Center at Haywood Community College from 1-4 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 30, in the college’s Regional High Technology Center Auditorium in Waynesville. Info and registration: SBC.Haywood.edu or 627.4512.

• The Small Business Center at Southwestern Community College and the Center for Environmental Farming Systems will offer a seminar entitled “How to Make Money on the Farm” from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 1, at the Whittier Fire Station. Preregistration required: bit.ly/makemoneyonfarm.

• Registration is underway for the Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project’s annual Business of Farming Conference, which will be held from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. on Feb. 22 at the AB Tech Conference Center in Asheville. Cost: $75 if registering by Feb. 1 or $95 after. asapconnections.org or 236.1282.

• Garden workdays are held from 3 p.m. until dusk every Wednesday at Cullowhee Community Garden, 65 S. Painter Road. Weeding, mulching, general garden maintenance. 587.8212.

• Local farmers can stop by the Cooperative Extension Office on Acquoni Road from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. every fourth Friday to learn about USDA Farm Service Agency programs in the 2014 Farm Bill. Info: 488.2684, ext. 2 (Wednesday through Friday) or 524.3175, ext. 2 (Monday through Wednesday).

MarketPlace information:

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SUPER CROSSWORD

APT OCCUPATIONS

ACROSS

1Ship parts

6One in a veil

11Very small: Prefix

15Sealed, say

19Early TV's Stu

20Posteriors

21Stick -- in the water

22Songwriter's creation

23Martin the ticket collector?

26Actor Bana or Stoltz

27Pay to play poker

28Game with Wild cards

29Clinton the doctor?

31Caught at a rodeo

33Pollen lover

34Hardly fresh

35Worldwide

38Ellington the Peppermint Pattie factory worker?

45More greasy

49Ending for Israel

50Ilk

51Car owners' org.

52Kelly the minister?

54"Let's go!"

55Former Apple messaging software

57See 64-Down

58Primate studier Fossey

59Benny the golfer?

61Markey and Bagnold

63Actor Hinds of 2017's "Justice League"

65Negligent

66Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand's purview

67Bailey the philosopher?

72Folder flap

75Meal tie-on

76Rice-based Spanish dish

77Ivory's counterpart

79Benatar the dairy owner?

85Fuzzy stuff

87Departure

88Standoffish

89Karmann -- (bygone VW sports car)

90Nolte the clockmaker?

92Skeleton part

93+

94Ariz.-to-Kan. dir.

95Girls in the family

96Liotta the lamp designer?

100Gets dilated

102Basic deg. for designers

103Supermodel Carangi or actress Scala

105End profit

110Behar the chef?

116Airport stat

117Hotel chain

118Morales of film and TV

119Arden the demolition contractor?

122Shady giants

123Get-out-of-jail money

124Super-mad

125"The Flea" poet John

126Blog addition

127Pot for stew

128Lauder of makeup

129Evil smile

DOWN

1Get gold, e.g.

2Target Center, e.g.

3Smacks

4Spork parts

5-- -cone

6"Viva Zapata!" star

7Alter totally

8Reply to "Who's in charge here?"

9Bounced down the court

10Actress Davis of two "Matrix" films

11Spam, say

12Langston Hughes poem

13Athletic team assoc.

14Film anew

15Not wobbly

16Throw

17Troop body

18Pt. of MIT or STEM

24Nuclear reactor tube

25Polar vehicle

30Polar pixie

32Curved arch

36High jump on a skateboard, informally

37Lacking a key, in music

39"Semper Fi" mil. branch

40Weirdo

41Rubik of cube fame

42Aiea's island

43Broccoli --

44Kit -- (candy bars)

45Poet Nash

46Twisted wit

47-- lazuli

48Frosted

53Abbr. on a pay stub

54"Please, Mommy, will you let us?"

55"Veni," in English

56Nero's 160

59Villain in Disney's "Aladdin"

60Waitress on TV's "Alice"

62Spruce (up)

64With 57-Across, Ali ring strategy

68Abate

69"Fighting" Big Ten team

70Cut, as pizza

71Cold and wet

72Like poison

73Japanese cartoon art

74Measures of memory

75Scaring cry

78-- noire

79One of Henry VIII's Catherines

80Et --

81Mug in a pub

82Jamaican citrus fruit

83Mean ruffian

84Wife on "The Addams Family," to her hubby

86Cover for a truck bed

90Crystal rubbers, perhaps

91Jab deliverer

93Control in a clinical study

97Certain wind player

98Very loudly, musically

999-to-5er's weekly cry

101Main dish

104Art house film, often

106Went aboard

107Nitrogen compound

108Words after all or hole

109San Fran gridder

110All-terrain vehicle

111Fjord city

112Tasty tubers

113Egg-shaped

114Eye, in Paris

115Nut with caffeine

116Rock finale?

120Perched

121LP replacers

ANSWERS ON PAGE 34

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828 | 452 | 4251

Answers on 34

Possums are the ultimate survivalist

Editor’s note: This article first appeared in a January 2005 issue of The Smoky Mountain News.

IBACK THEN

viewing that event “as perhaps the single most important natural history event since the death of the dinosaurs 65 million years ago.”

became acquainted with opossums when I was a boy running a trap line — a series of wooden box traps and steel jump traps that I checked every morning before school. Even though they weren't my prime quarry, it was possums that I usually wound up trapping. I learned very quickly to respect their sharp teeth and claws. And I was early on introduced to their survival tactic of “playing possum;” that is, feigning death.

When an article appeared in Smithsonian magazine several years ago titled “A Few Miles of Land Arose From the Sea — and the World Changed” by John F. Ross, I read it with interest because it explained how the possum got to North America in the first place. Ross detailed the significance of the appearance of a land bridge (the Panamanian isthmus) between North and South America approximately three million years ago. According to Ross, some scientists are now

They may be right. For one thing, the land bridge rerouted ocean currents, so profoundly altering the northern hemisphere’s climate that it triggered the series of Ice Ages initiated two million years ago. For another, ocean levels were lowered 200 to 300 feet during the last Ice Age (the Wisconsin), creating another land bridge (Beringia) that allowed modern humans to enter North America from northeastern Asia. And finally, the land bridge between North and South America allowed numerous animals to cross from one continent to the other. That’s it in a nutshell — no Panamanian isthmus, no Ice Age, no Beringian land bridge, no American Indians, no Cherokees, no casino gambling in Western North Carolina, and no possums in our southern woodlands.

Of the numerous critters that trekked northward over the isthmus, the lowly possum has been the most successful because it has been the most adaptable. Humans have not stemmed its progress, which has now reached into Canada. Our barns and outbuildings provide den sites. Our garbage is a never-ending source of nourishment.

They may have small brains and be a touch dim-witted, but possums can find food. And they can remember exactly where they found it in the first place, which — to my way of thinking — is the ultimate sign of intelligence. One researcher tested various animals for ability to remember which of

four runways was connected to a food box. The possum scored better than cats, chickens, dogs, goats, pigs, rabbits, rats, and turtles, although somewhat less well than humans.

Contrary to popular belief, possums aren’t cowardly. They eat snakes with

impunity. In some areas of the country, copperheads constitute up to 6 percent of the possum’s diet. But when faced with a situation it can’t handle, a possum does what it’s most famous for — it “plays possum” by curling on its side, closing its eyes, lolling out its tongue, and lowering its heartbeat in a feigned death posture. It can remain in this state for up to 6 hours. Once the danger has subsided, the possum picks itself up and goes about its two main items of business: finding more food and producing more baby possums.

The only menace possums have been unable to adapt to is the automobile. They are slain by the hundreds of thousands every year by onrushing vehicles during the nocturnal hours. Caught in the headlights’ glare, they freeze and are thereby doomed. It’s too late to “play possum,” which wouldn’t work anyway.

But the automobile is a relatively new challenge. Let’s give these adaptive critters a little more time to form a response. They are, after all, the ultimate survivalists.

(George Ellison is a writer and naturalist who lives in Bryson City. info@georgeellison.com