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Page 4

Deferred maintenance in billions for national parks Page 34

On the Cover:

Duke Energy wants to increase its retail revenue $611 million by increasing rates for customers in North Carolina 15 to 18 percent, on average. The proposed increase would help Duke modernize electric system, generate cleaner power and recoup expenses associated with coal ash basins. (Page 6)

News

Community conversation focuses on homelessness ..............................................3

Hearing set for Health, DSS consolidation in Jackson ............................................4

Cherokee land acquisition bill moves forward ............................................................5

Participants reflect on Women’s March anniversary ................................................9

Funding lines up for new Cashiers sewer plant ......................................................10

Chancellor search begins at WCU ............................................................................12

Tribe hires first-ever TABCC director ..........................................................................13

Charter school hires new director ..............................................................................14

SRCA violates open meeting laws ..............................................................................15

Economic development partnership revs up ............................................................16

Opinion

The feeling reminds me that journalism matters ......................................................19

A&E

A conversation with Del McCoury ..............................................................................24

Outdoors

Deferred maintenance in the billions for national parks ........................................34

Back Then

Did the southeastern Native Americans take scalps?............................................47

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S UBSCRIPTIONS

Community conversation focuses on homelessness in Haywood County

BY S USANNA BARBEE STAFFWRITER

There’s a road in Waynesville called the homeless highway. It runs from Frog Level to Hazelwood and during any given week, you’ll see folks walking back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. The end points of this beaten bath are The Open Door and Haywood Pathways Center, two establishments offering physical and spiritual nourishment to weary souls.

Years ago, Cory Vaillancourt — a Smoky Mountain News reporter — read the book Nickel and Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich. As a form of immersion journalism, Ehrenreich goes undercover as a blue-collar individual trying to discern if it’s possible to survive in America on a minimum-wage income. The results of her study were influential in terms of social and political policy for this population.

Similarly, Vaillancourt shed significant light on what it’s like to be homeless in Haywood County when he went undercover this past Thanksgiving as a homeless person. He then wrote an article in The Smoky Mountain News sharing details of his experience.

From sleeping behind a building to registering at Haywood Pathways to walking all day along the county’s railroad tracks, Vaillancourt was affected personally and journalistically by his time on the streets.

“It’s a very difficult thing to walk up to another human being and ask for a handout,” said Vaillancourt last Thursday as he and Rev. Chris Westmoreland of Long’s Chapel facilitated a community conversation about homelessness in Haywood County.

The purpose of Thursday’s community conversation at Long’s Chapel was to continue the discussion initiated by Vaillancourt’s journey and his subsequent piece in The Smoky Mountain News. The folks in the room risked icy weather and road conditions to attend, demonstrating their interest in this issue and willingness to thwart the county’s homelessness from increasing.

During Vaillancourt’s research for his article, it was found the county’s faith community and the generosity of those within are largely responsible for assisting homeless individuals in Haywood County. During the community conversation, this point was highlighted several times. Along with the faith communities, the compassion of area law enforcement was also touched upon.

“Chief Bill Hollingsed and Sherriff Greg Christopher are both men of faith, and that permeates the law enforcement here in town and enhances all of our efforts,” said Perry

Hines, director of The Open Door soup kitchen.

Throughout the decades, law enforcement has been integral in assisting those in need. Vicki Gribble, a native of Waynesville, remembers efforts to battle homelessness from years ago.

“There’s always been a desire in this community to help homeless people and families,” said Gribble. “We’ve had other sheriffs who’ve said, ‘No one in my town will freeze to death.’”

“Being homeless has a stigma attached to it, but we’ve found there are a multitude of reasons why people become homeless. I think it’s important we continue educating the public on the reasoning people arrive in this situation in the first place.”

— Deb Isenberg, community liaison at Haywood Pathways

Perhaps it’s the continued compassion of law enforcement, the fact that churches are now working in harmony, online media heightening awareness, or all of the above, but it seems the desire to help the homeless in Haywood County continually strengthens.

“The churches in this county are not in competition. We’re all on the same page when it comes to helping homeless people,” said Paul Ervin, director of Generous Living at Long’s Chapel.

Three separate, influential entities attended Thursday’s community meeting: The Open Door, Haywood Pathways and EACH (Ending Area Childhood Homelessness).

EACH is a relatively new program where local churches, Long’s Chapel being one of them, purchase or manage properties and offer them to homeless families. In turn, the families create a life plan, setting goals toward sustainability and self-sufficiency. The families are also given opportunities to give back to the community.

EACH was birthed from the need to help homeless families. Haywood Pathways can only accept individuals at this time, though they are working toward the construction of

a dormitory that will house parents with children or families.

Paul Butler, director of EACH, said, “It’s not the government’s job to take care of the homeless. It’s our responsibility as good people to take care of one another.”

Comments during the community conversation highlighted that a solution to the homeless problem must be a combination of resources and education.

“Being homeless has a stigma attached to it,” said Deb Isenberg, community liaison at Haywood Pathways, “but we’ve found there are a multitude of reasons why people become homeless. I think it’s important we continue educating the public on the reasoning people arrive in this situation in the first place.”

While recidivism seems to be improving because of organizations like The Open Door, Haywood Pathways and EACH, it’s still an issue that has to be dealt with. Christopher saw this on a weekly basis as

the same individuals came time and time again to the Haywood County jail, often merely to find a warm and safe place to sleep and eat.

Not only is this pattern detrimental to the rehabilitation of individuals, but it becomes a burden to public spending. It costs $75 to keep one inmate overnight in the county jail, all on the taxpayer’s dime, while it only costs $36 at Pathways, all of which is funded by private or charitable sources. Recidivism is extremely costly.

Last Thursday’s meeting showed that the faith community, law enforcement and everyday citizens are not OK with the homelessness problem as it stands, including the almost 400 children identified as being homeless under federal guidelines.

“There’s a movement happening across Haywood County to combat these issues,” said Westmoreland. “I love that I’m part of a community who knows it’s not OK to have this many homeless people in our midst.”

Health, DSS consolidation moves forward in Jackson

Public hearing slated for Jan. 29

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFFWRITER

An ongoing push to see Jackson County consolidate its health and social services departments will come to a head during a public hearing on the issue scheduled for Monday, Jan. 29, with a vote likely Monday, Feb. 5.

A 2012 state law gave counties the option of merging two or more of their social services departments into a single entity, and when commissioners Ron Mau and Mickey Luker were elected in 2016, exploring this option in Jackson County was one of their goals.

The county kicked off discussion of the issue with a March 2017 meeting involving commissioners, members of the health and social services boards, staff from both departments and representatives from the University of North Carolina School of Government who had been engaged to come present the issue. Then, during a specialcalled meeting in November 2017, commissioners voted 3-2 to pursue consolidation.

“It streamlines the chain of command is the biggest thing, as far as direct reports to the county manager and things like that,” Mau said. “Long-term there might be some budgetary items that come into play that might save money.”

CHANGESTO

CHAINOFCOMMAND

Consolidation proponents say that the change would allow for improved communication between the two departments — which tend to have an overlapping client list — and perhaps provide the chance to trim budgets by combining back-end services like IT support and billing.

On the board of commissioners, the proponent-opponent division on this issue splits along party lines. Republican commissioners Charles Elders, Mau and Luker are in favor of consolidation, while Democratic commissioners Brian McMahan and Boyce Deitz are opposed.

“I feel like we’re putting a lot of effort into something just to say we changed it for change’s sake,” Deitz said. “I think it’s sore foolish. Not one person has come to me and said, ‘I hope we can get this done.’”

“I believe we have a human services operation right now through the health department and the DSS that is effective and efficient and managed very well,” McMahan said. “I have no concerns. I see no reason to try to fix something that ain’t broke.”

Mau said that, while he does support consolidation, it’s not because anything actually is broken — consolidation simply offers the chance for things to run even more smoothly. He sees consolidation as offering a “streamlined” chain of command offering more

direct reports to the county manager. For other commissioners, however, that “streamlined” process is an argument against consolidation rather than an argument for it.

“It just potentially brings politics into the process,” McMahan said. “Right now those boards are very independent and now they’re going to be appointed completely by the county commissioners and under the county manager’s control.”

Currently, the health board is completely appointed by the county commissioners, but the five-member social services board contains two commissioner appointments, two governor appointments and one appointment by the board itself.

IMPACTSTOLOGISTICS

Luker and Elders both cited logistical efficiency as a top reason to favor consolidation. The health and social services departments serve much of the same clientele, but those services are offered at different locations and administered by different people, which can be confusing and time-consuming.

As an example, Luker brought up a hypothetical family that is in need of WIC, Medicaid and counseling — currently, those services would fall across two departments and involve a good bit of back-and-forth across town.

“Focus on that family as an entity then and there, without them having to see multiple agencies or multiple individuals or travel multiple places,” Luker said. “They may still have to see three folks, but hopefully we can look at it and streamlining it that they can do that in one setting.”

In a March 2017 interview, then-director of the consolidated Haywood County Department of Health and Human Services Stoney Blevins concurred with that assessment, saying that consolidation in Haywood has been “great” and that he “really can’t think of any downsides.”

However, there is a big difference between Jackson and Haywood in this situation. In Haywood, the two departments existed under one roof before consolidation. In Jackson, they’re housed in buildings across town from one another — and that’s a situation that’s unlikely to change in the near future.

The DSS building is still fairly new, built roughly a decade ago, and the county is in the midst of a multi-million-dollar renovation of the health department building. Plans do not call for any sort of expansion that would accommodate DSS functions on the site.

Mau allows that collocating the departments isn’t a likely scenario but wants to see the county use technology to better facilitate communication between the two locations.

“Everybody seems to think it has been an improvement for their counties that have done it and that I’ve talked to,” Mau said.

Luker said he’s also heard feedback from personnel within the health and social services departments saying that consolidation is a good idea.

Be heard

A public hearing at 5 p.m. Monday, Jan. 29, in Room A201 of the Jackson County Justice and Administration Building in Sylva will take input on a proposal to consolidate the Department of Health and the Department of Social Services into a single department. Anybody is welcome to speak on the issue for up to three minutes, with written comments accepted as well.

On the same day, a public hearing on proposed changes to the Cullowhee Community Planning Area Development Standards — copies are online at jacksonnc.org/planning — will be held at 4:55 p.m. and a public hearing on a proposed No Wake Zone between the mainland and two islands at the north end of Lake Glenville will be held at 5:55 p.m. Written comments on any of the above topics can be sent to Angie Winchester, clerk to the board, at angiewinchester@jacksonnc.org.

However, statements made publicly at the two meetings commissioners have held on the subject have been overwhelmingly opposed to consolidation.

“We have agencies of which we can be very proud, and we need to celebrate and support the work we are currently doing,” retired Department of Social Services employee and Jackson County resident Jennifer Montsinger said during the November meeting. “Our agencies are only as good as the leadership that is provided to them, and we have the best. Please keep them in place.”

“I hope we’re making change that needs to be made and not making change for the sake of change,” health board member Jerry DeWeese said during the March meeting. Jennifer Abshire, director of social services, expressed similar feelings in comments sent via email.

“Lots of times consolidation is used to get some unmanageable leaders under control, and that is not the case in Jackson,” Abshire said. “I feel that DSS and the Health Department are already held accountable in many ways to the county manager with our budgets and major projects.”

Abshire and Health Director Shelley Carraway were both hired in summer 2016, and by all accounts collaboration between the two departments is going well.

“My interest is in doing the best for the people who DSS is there to serve, and whether that will make the situation better or worse I really don’t know,” said Charles Wolfe, vice chair of the DSS board. “I guess what I would be looking for is the compelling reason why the commissioners feel this is a good thing to do, and I guess some concrete data to back up that it will do that.”

The board’s next regular meeting after the Jan. 29 public hearing is Feb. 5. A favorable vote would mean that the existing health and social services boards must then nominate people to serve on the board for the consolidated department. Commissioners must appoint the initial board through these nominations. Once the new board is established, the existing boards would dissolve.

The new board’s first task will be to appoint a director for the consolidated department. This could mean hiring a new position, or it could mean moving one of the directors of the existing departments into the role.

Reclaiming the past

Cherokee land acquisition bill moves forward

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFFWRITER

Arecent hearing on a congressional bill that would transfer 76 acres in Tennessee to the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians has spurred hope that a long-fought battle to bring that acreage into permanent trust could soon come to an end.

The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Historic Lands

Reacquisition Act was introduced to the House of Representatives on Jan. 3, 2017, and promptly referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources, which referred it to the Subcommittee on Indian, Insular and Native American Affairs. The subcommittee held hearings on the matter in October and referred the bill back to the Committee on Natural Resources, which held another round of hearings Jan. 17 that resulted in amendments to the legislation, and a unanimous vote to send the bill to the House floor for a vote.

both entities have written letters to Tennessee Senator Lamar Alexander to request his support on a Senate bill.

“This is a long process, and many people have helped along the way,” Sneed said in a statement released on Facebook. “Upon completion, the historic Cherokee overhill towns of Chota and Tanasi will once again belong to our people.”

This isn’t the first time that Cherokee has sought congressional approval to bring the Tennessee lands into tribal trust. A similar bill was introduced in September 2015, and — like the current bill — it was referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources, which sent it to the Subcommittee on Indian, Insular and Native American Affairs. The subcommittee held hearings on Feb. 24, 2016, which then-Principal Chief Patrick Lambert attended to testify.

The Tanasi Memorial in Vonore, Tennessee, looks toward the site of the once-prominent Cherokee town, now underwater. Sequoyah Birthplace Museum photo

The 76 acres in question are located in Monroe County, Tennessee, and are home to the Sequoyah Birthplace Museum, the Chota Memorial, the Tanasi Memorial and land to provide support for these properties and cultural programs. The property borders Tellico Lake, with much of it currently owned by the Tennessee Valley Authority. The tribe fought the TVA over creation of the lake, which inundated the sites of several ancient Cherokee towns — including Tanasi, for which Tennessee was named — as well as the gravesites of thousands of years of Cherokee ancestors.

According to the bill, the TVA would maintain its right to carry out river control and development on the trust lands, including temporary, intermittent flooding of some lands. The bill outlines which structures can be built — with the TVA’s consent — on certain lands subject to flooding and states that the TVA must be compensated for any lost hydropower capacity due to future construction on these lands. Gaming would not be allowed on the property.

With significant progress now made on the House side, Principal Chief Richard Sneed is turning his attention to getting a bill in on the Senate side. In November 2017, he traveled to Tennessee to discuss the issue with leaders from Monroe County and the town of Vonore, and representatives from

Track the bill

The bill’s full text, as well as updates on its progress through the U.S. House of Representatives, is available at www.congress.gov/bill/ 115th-congress/house-bill/146.

“With the return of some of this land to our ownership, we can reclaim some of the land that holds a great amount of spirituality and historical significant to our Tribe,” Lambert said in a statement released at the time.

However, the bill saw no further action after the hearing, despite the favorable feedback and promises from representatives to push for a speedy House vote that Lambert reported. Since then, the country has gone through a tumultuous election cycle, and the roster of decision-makers is significantly different than it was in 2016.

Congress previously sought to recognize the area with a 2005 House bill that would have established the Cherokee Overhill Territory National Heritage Area, but that bill languished before reaching the floor for a vote.

The 2015 bill listed four cosponsors and the 2017 bill lists six, with Congressman Mark Meadows, R-Asheville, present on both lists. For both bills, all the cosponsors are Republican.

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Duke customers: ‘Pay for your own mistakes’

Residents against proposed 15 percent rate hike

BY J ESSI STONE N EWS E DITOR

Western North Carolina residents recently made it clear they do not support Duke Energy Progress’s request for a 15 percent rate increase for its customers.

As required by law, the North Carolina Utilities Commission conducted a public hearing to gather input on the corporation’s request. More than a dozen people testified during the quasi-judicial hearing held in Franklin, and a majority of the speakers were against any increase at all.

“I don’t think Duke requires an electricity rate increase — not at all, not even 1 percent,” said Selma Sparks, a Franklin resident. “I’m 86 years old on a fixed income, and I’m sure a lot of other seniors here are on a fixed income. There’s no reason customers should have to pay for Duke’s errors.”

DUKE’SREQUEST

In its application, Duke Energy requests authority to increase its rates and charges to produce additional overall annual North Carolina retail revenues of about $611 million. For an existing residential customer who uses 1,000 kilowatt-hours of power monthly, Duke’s proposed rates would increase the monthly bill from $103.96 to $122.68 — an 18 percent increase.

The proposed increase also includes an increase to the basic customer charge from $11.13 to $19.50 for most residential accounts. The basic customer charge would increase from $16.45 to $22.50 for most small general service customers, from $20.32 to $30 for medium general service customers, and from $154.85 to $204 for large general service customers.

Duke has requested that the proposed rates become effective on July 1, 2017 but the utilities commission has issued an order suspending the company’s proposed rate changes for a period of up to 270 days from July 1, 2017.

REASONFORREQUEST

Duke Energy claims the rate increase is needed to primarily pay for the modernization of its electric system; to generate cleaner

power through renewable resources; to manage and close its coal ash basins; to respond to major storms like Hurricane Matthew and to continually improve service to its customers.

In particular, $101 million of the request is related to new and existing generation facilities such as the Lee Combined Cycle gasburning plant and two new large solar facilities; $53 million is related to the Lee Nuclear Project in South Carolina that Duke has proposed to cancel.

About $60 million of the requested rate increase is for costs related to Duke’s meter replacement program and a new Customer Information System. These cost increases are partially offset by the return of a deferred tax liability of $64 million as well as a net reduction of $57 million related to other changes in revenue.

In its application, Duke stated that the corporation has made several improvements since receiving its last rate increase in 2013, including the addition of new gasfueled generation and new utility-scare solar facilities that replaced less efficient coal-fired generation. Duke also began construction of the Asheville Combined Cycle Plant and has almost completed construction of its new Sutton Blackstart Combustion Turbine facility.

COAL ASHCLEANUP

One major point of contention for residents is that Duke wants to increase customer rates to help recoup costs associated with its 14 coal ash basins across North Carolina.

Duke stated in its application to the utilities commission that it has started to comply with recently adopted federal and state rules regarding the handling of coal ash and the closure of coal ash basins. Duke’s application states that about $135 million of the requested $611 million is intended to recover ash basin closure compliance costs incurred since Jan. 1, 2015. Duke also seeks to recover $201 million toward ongoing ash basin closure compliance costs.

Tamara Zwinak said during the hearing that residents expect and demand corporate responsibility, which is something they’re not getting from Duke Energy.

“I was shocked when I came to the area and saw Duke passing on the cost of coal ash cleanup to customers,” she said. “You should be ashamed of yourselves. How can this longstanding practice you’ve engaged in be passed on to consumers? Didn’t you take into consideration the pollution you were causing?”

Share your thoughts with the N.C. Utilities Commission

The North Carolina Utilities Commission still has two more hearings to conduct in Greensboro and Charlotte in the coming weeks before an expert witness hearing is held in Raleigh on Feb. 19. This hearing allows Duke Energy and the commission to examine and cross-examine each other’s expert witnesses on the proposed rate increase.

Based on the timeline of hearings and procedures, the earliest the commission could make a decision on the proposed rate increase would be April.

Customers can still provide written comment on the proposal by emailing statements@ncuc.net or mailing a letter to 4325 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC, 27699, in the next few of weeks of deliberation.

Residents across the state still haven’t forgotten the coal ash spill that occurred Feb. 2, 2014, when about 39,000 tons of coal ash was released into the Dan River from Duke Energy’s Dan River Steam Station storage pond north of Eden. According to Environmental Protection Agency documentation, the coal ash spill site extends about 70 miles downstream.

The coal ash — which is the leftover materials from coal-burning power plants — contains unburned carbon and various metals including arsenic, cadmium, chromium, copper, lead, mercury, nickel, selenium and zinc.

The Dan River watershed is an integral part of the local ecosystem as it is home to two identified endangered species. The river is also used by livestock, for crop irrigation, outdoor recreational purposes and is a source

of drinking water for North Carolina and Virginia residents.

Avram Friedman, who is executive director of the regional environmental group The Canary Coalition, also took the stand at the public hearing to oppose Duke’s rate hike. He said nuclear energy has no future in the U.S., but that doesn’t stop Duke from investing in nuclear energy despite the rising costs of nuclear plant construction and the accidents associated with them.

“They have the chutzpah to ask rate payers to pay for corporate irresponsibility,” Friedman said. “They’ve only partially cleaned up the coal ash that essentially they’ve created and they want us to front the money to build infrastructure that keeps us reliant on fossil fuels even though we need to stop burning fossil to avoid climate change.”

According to the EPA case summary, Duke agreed to pay $3 million for the Dan River cleanup. The agreement also requires Duke to perform a comprehensive assessment to determine the location of coal ash deposits and to remove deposits along the Dan River at an estimated cost of $1 million. Duke will also pay $2 million to the EPA for past and future response costs associated with the spill.

In a 2015 U.S. Forest Service report regarding the damage cost of the spill, author Dennis Lemly concludes that the combined cost of ecological damage, recreational impacts, effects on human health and consumptive use, and esthetic value losses totals over $295 million.

“Because the environmental impact and associated economic costs of riverine coal ash spills can be long-term, on the order of years or even decades, this 6-month assessment should be viewed as a short-term preview,” he wrote. “The total cumulative damage cost from the Dan River coal ash spill could go much higher.”

In his research before the hearing, Fred Crawford of Whittier said he found the risks of coal ash outlined several times in Duke’s

Smaller increases slated for Waynesville electric customers

BY CORY VAILLANCOURT STAFF WRITER

Duke Energy isn’t the only utility company raising its electric rates this year amidst rising energy costs, but some local electric customers will see a better deal than others.

The Town of Waynesville is one of North Carolina’s so-called “electric cities” meaning it purchases power from a supplier — formerly Duke — and resells it to its own 3,000 customers.

But now Waynesville purchases power from Santee Cooper; Duke offered to renew its contract with the town, at $79.3 million over 10 years, a deal that compared poorly to Santee Cooper’s $54.1 million bid, especially in light of Duke’s intention to pass along its coal ash cleanup costs to consumers.

The new contract with Santee Cooper,

however, is still higher than the old one with Duke; that’s why last October, consultants recommended Waynesville raise its rates by 12 percent, compared to a requested rate increase by Duke of around 15 percent.

“When we talked about a rate increase, people were scratching their heads saying, ‘Wait a minute, I thought we were going to save money, now you’re talking about a rate increase?’” said Waynesville Town Manager Rob Hites.

It’s true, but it’s not — while a cost savings over the bid Duke Energy submitted to retain its relationship with Waynesville, the new Santee Cooper contract reflects that energy prices have been climbing for some time now.

Hites said that the town’s increase will probably come in much lower than the 12 percent suggestion.

Waynesville electric customers can not only look forward to lower rates than Duke’s customers, but can also rest assured they won’t be on the hook for Duke’s coal ash cleanup costs.

“We recommended a two-phase increase that’s effective Jan. 1 and it’s a 5 percent increase across the board for all rate classes,” Hites said. “What we planned to do was to see how revenues came in on that 5 percent, and as we approach the budget, probably around the first of April when we’re finalizing our figures, we’ll look again at the impact of that 5 percent and fine-tune the second phase.”

Hites said that he predicts the second phase, which would take effect July 1, will be about 4 percent, but notes it could just as

annual reports that stated those risks could affect returns for its stockholders. Even fully aware of the risks to the environment and the bottom line for its investors, Duke continued with the coal ash practices.

“I am a stockholder — I understand at times investments don’t get the return we had hoped,” he said. “They ignored the risks imposed and that cost should be borne by the enterprise only.”

FINANCIALHARDSHIPS

Residents who testified during the public hearing all expressed concern about placing an undue financial hardship on people in Western North Carolina.

N.C. Rep. Kevin Corbin, R-Franklin, said a

15 percent increase was too much.

“Most of us would be happy if we got a 15 percent raise in five years, so 15 percent in one year creates a hardship especially with people on fixed incomes,” he said. “I consider 15 to be excessive for the citizens of our district.”

Donn Erikson of Franklin pointed out that Duke is not struggling financially. In fact, Duke Energy came in at 121 on Fortune magazine’s list of Fortune 500 companies.

“Duke is a big company — it can afford to do things right but has a history of not doing things right,” he said. “If a company is allowed to simply raise rates to rectify irresponsible management practices there will be no incentive to modify the way they’re doing business.”

Sparks agreed that working people in

easily be 3 percent or 5 percent.

“What we’re really doing is bringing the rate base in line with the new contract we signed with Santee Cooper,” he said. “I think that the way the contract came across, the contract was going to save money. The majority of the rate increase is simply passing through the rate increase [from Santee Cooper].”

Waynesville electric customers can not only look forward to lower rates than Duke’s customers, but can also rest assured they won’t be on the hook for Duke’s coal ash cleanup costs.

“One of the main public policy issues that they’re having is whether the rate payers should be responsible for paying for the remediation of the coal ash reservoirs,” said Hites. “Duke’s even charging a profit on the removal of the coal ash. It very well could go to court. And of course, Santee Cooper is South Carolina’s power agency, so, we’re not in the coal ash removal business right now.”

Last year, rather than pass along a rate increase associated with the new Santee Cooper contract, the town chose to simply absorb a $200,000 loss.

By the numbers

For existing residential customers, Duke Energy Progress’s proposed rates would change the bill of a residential customer using 1,000 kilowatts a month as follows:

$104.68

WNC couldn’t afford to pay more than they already are to Duke and that the company needed to reach into its own reserves before increasing rates for its customers.

“The last bill I got was unbelievable, but I paid it. You need to use what you’ve got, don’t take mine,” she said.

Harry Horton of Franklin said he’s in the same boat as Sparks. He retired to Franklin three years ago but his financial plan for retirement didn’t work out, leaving him without many resources.

“Finally I was able to get Section 8 housing or I’d be on the streets — every dollar counts,” he said. “I don’t have a car — I walked here tonight.”

Several nonprofit organizations in the region can attest to the difficulties families experience when it comes to paying for heat in the winter. Mountain Projects has a heating assistance program for Haywood and Jackson County residents that on average assists 200 to 250 families a year depending on the amount of donations the organization receives.

Executive Director Patsy Davis said she sees the greatest need in the elderly who often are forced to make difficult decisions when their power bills increase.

“When I talk with our seniors, many have expressed they have outlived retirement income and the amount paid into Social

Security many years ago hasn’t kept pace with the cost of living,” Davis said. “My fear is we will have more seniors and families having to make hard decisions like keeping warm versus getting medicine. Some of those we serve barely make it from paycheck to paycheck.”

Robert Smith, former board chairman of the Jackson-Macon Conservation Alliance (now MountainTrue), pointed out during his testimony that several western counties are designated by the state as the most economically distressed counties, including Macon, Swain, Graham, Cherokee and Clay. He said it wasn’t fair to ask poor families in these counties to pay the same increase as families in economically advantaged counties in the eastern part of the state.

“This would slam customers close on the heels of a rate hike in 2013, when our base charge rose another 5 percent,” he said.

“While this increase may be minimal for the wealthy decision-makers at Duke, these costs translate to real sacrifice for working families in my part of the state.”

SERVICEPROBLEMS

In addition to voicing their opposition to the rate increase, residents also shared their concerns about Duke’s service in the western counties.

For the most part, residents praised Duke Energy workers for their customer service

and quick response times when they experience a power outage. However, they did have complaints about Duke’s mistakes that have been slow to get resolved.

Deborah Lolly of Franklin said she’s had 96 outages at her home in the last couple of years, which she said is unacceptable considering she has three people over the age of 65 in the home. Her husband suffers from COPD and relies on electricity to power his CPAP machine at night.

Recently when she called to report another outage, she said this time she spoke to a new employee who informed her the neighborhood outages were due to some faulty equipment that the company knew about but hadn’t yet replaced. Once

that was replaced, Lolly said the outages have stopped, but the problem should have been fixed a long time ago.

“We can’t afford to keep paying more and more to Duke,” she said. “We paid $200 to Duke last month so we could keep the power on.”

Duke staff was directed to investigate the matter on Poplar Cove Road in Franklin.

Margaret Crownover of Franklin, a retired teacher of 40 years, said she appreciated her electric service from Duke but didn’t appreciate the fact she was overcharged by the company for 17 years. Even though she’s never used gas to heat her home, for some reason she said Duke had her listed as a gas customer, which means she was charged at a higher rate than other electric customers.

Crownover said Duke never offered to pay her back for their mistake, which cost her a lot of money over the years.

“Everyone needs to talk to family and friends — tell them to call Duke tomorrow to see if they have your information right,” she said. “I’ve never had gas in my house and they charged me a higher rate of usage for 17 years.”

Duke staff was directed to investigate this situation as well.

SENIOR CITIZENS’ TRIP TO Beautiful Saluda, N.C.

Duke proposes $62 million solar rebate program

Duke Energy is proposing a $62 million solar rebate program designed to help its North Carolina customers with the upfront cost of installing solar panels on their property.

This is the first of three customer programs Duke Energy is proposing as part of the implementation of 2017’s Competitive Energy Solutions for North Carolina law — also known as House Bill 589. The law, signed by Gov. Roy Cooper last summer, calls for a major increase in solar power in the state, which is already second in the nation for overall solar power.

Get in the game

In 2018, Duke Energy will roll out additional programs to help customers go solar:

• Shared Solar — Will allow customers to subscribe to the output of a nearby solar facility and provides an alternative for customers who do not want, or can’t have, a solar array on their property.

Thursday, February 8

Departure: 10 a.m. Return: 5:30 p.m.

$10 for members

$12 for non-members

Join us as we visit the oldest general store in North Carolina and enjoy Wards Grill, famous for their delicious sage burger. Bring money for lunch and shopping.

“The Competitive Energy Solutions law for North Carolina will reduce the cost our customers pay for solar, while also supporting their interest in solar energy in ways that are most meaningful for them,” said David Fountain, Duke Energy’s North Carolina president. “For many customers, installing solar is a significant investment. Duke Energy’s rebate program will help them by lowering their initial costs.”

Currently, Duke Energy has about 6,000 customers in North Carolina who have private solar systems with a total capacity of just over 50 megawatts. The program expects to increase the state’s private solar market by 200 percent over the next five years, providing an economic boost for the state’s solar installation business as well.

• Green Source Advantage — Will allow large customers to secure solar power to offset the amount of power purchased from Duke Energy. This is an expanded version of a pilot program Duke Energy Carolinas provided.

cents per watt for solar energy systems 10 kilowatts or less. For example, a typical rooftop array of 8 kW would be eligible for a $4,800 rebate. Installed systems 10 kW or greater would be eligible for a maximum rebate of $6,000.

Nonresidential customers would be eligible for 50 cents per watt. Nonprofit customers — including churches and schools — would be eligible for an enhanced rebate of 75 cents per watt for systems 100 kW or less. Installed systems 100 kW or greater would be eligible for a maximum rebate of $50,000 for non-residential customers, or $75,000 for nonprofit customers.

Customers will also have a solar leasing option. Instead of owning the system, customers can lease solar panels from another company. Much like leasing a car, a thirdparty leasing agency owns the system while the customer has a contract to use the output of the solar panels.

“The proposed solar rebates program is the result of two years of collaboration between the N.C. Sustainable Energy Association and Duke Energy,” said Ivan Urlaub, NCSEA’s executive director. “If approved, this program will enable more North Carolinians across our state to realize the cost-saving benefits of solar. We are glad to have been a voice for electric consumers in the design of this program. NCSEA looks forward to partnering with all energy providers and their customers to continue innovating solutions that open our growing clean energy market to everyone.”

Under the program, residential customers will be eligible for a rebate of 60

“We are structuring our program to give customers more flexibility on how to adopt solar resources,” added Fountain. “Of course, customers have to determine if solar energy fits their needs.”

Like Duke’s proposed rate increase, the solar program will have to be approved by the N.C. Utilities Commission.

We will never go away

The 2017 Women’s March

on Washington, revisited

BY CORY VAILLANCOURT STAFF WRITER

The day after I stood before the West Front of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., and watched Missouri Senator Roy Blount introduce “for the first time, ever, anywhere, the 45th President of the United States of America,” on Jan. 20, 2017, I joined half a million people in the day-long Women’s March on Washington.

In their now-iconic pink hats, they were there for the “protection of our rights, our safety, our health, and our families — recognizing that our vibrant and diverse communities are the strength of our country,” according to organizers.

But they weren’t just there — they were everywhere; the D.C. marchers were but a small part of as many as 5 million protestors in almost 700 marches across the country and on all seven continents including Antarctica.

All of them preemptively joined in opposition to the Trump administration before it’d even gotten past the pomp and the pageantry that have for two centuries accompanied the country’s new chief executives.

With the Washington Monument towering high above, I walked and I talked and I listened and I took pictures. Along the way, I met that day three women who with me shared hopes and dreams and fears. But that was moons ago.

In the intervening year, detractors taunted Trump over his lack of accomplishments including his much-hyped Mexican wall; his recent tax bill, however, coupled with a defacto declawing of Obamacare has both supporters and opponents quickly realizing he’s got at least three more years to go.

Looking back while looking forward, I again talked to the same three women who again shared not only hopes and dreams and fears but also hindsight and foresight.

A MAJORCONVERSATION

As thousands of people took to the streets across the country Jan. 20, 2018, to mark the one-year anniversary of the Women’s March, President Trump was, as is his custom, taking to Twitter to preempt the preemptors.

“Beautiful weather all over our great country, a perfect day for all Women to March. Get out there now to celebrate the historic milestones and unprecedented economic success and wealth creation that has taken place over the last 12 months. Lowest female unemployment in 18 years!”

Is that why Omkari Williams took to the streets in Savannah, Georgia, Jan. 20, 2018,

like she had Jan. 21, 2017?

“Yeah, no,” Williams said. “The hubris. I find it utterly astounding. The reason I went out and marched, the reasons every other man, woman and child marched, were many of the many of the same concerns we had in 2017.”

When I met Williams in Washington, she was marching with a small group and holding a painting of Sojourner Truth; she told me she was concerned about the future of Planned Parenthood, which on Jan. 19, 2018, saw moves by the Trump administration that make it easier for states to end Medicaid funding for the sexual health care organization.

“Some people still don’t understand that Planned Parenthood is not about abortions,” she said. “It’s largely about normal everyday women’s healthcare concerns. When you plan for being a parent, that solves abortion, doesn’t it?”

Williams also mentioned what she said at the time was a general disregard for women on the part of Trump. A year later, she’s steadfast in that.

“I find it really disturbing that the women he chooses to have around him do not seem to have the ability to speak truth to power,” she said. “Women’s wisdom is half the world’s wisdom, and when you don’t engage that, you’re making a decision with half the wisdom.”

Williams said that a candidate for Georgia governor, Stacey Evans, spoke to the crowd of several hundred at the Savannah march.

“The attitude people have right now is a very different one,” Williams said referring to how she felt around this time last year. “We’re not in shock. We’re pissed off, and that’s a very different place to be. At the march last year, at least there was still a possibility he would step up to the job.”

I first met Asheville veterinary technician and D.C. native Amie Tyner on Independence Avenue beneath the brutalist architecture of the James V. Forrestal building — nicknamed the “little Pentagon” — as Women’s March speakers rattled and crowds clamored chest to chest in a claustrophobic thickness not even cellular data signals could penetrate.

Tyner identifies as a member of the LGBTQ community, and said that although nothing had really changed in law — as she feared it might, a year ago — she felt there had indeed been a change in spirit.

“I think there’s still a fear where we are only a year in,” Tyner said a few days ago.

“We have three more to go.”

Tyner marched in Asheville Jan. 20, along with thousands of others.

“I’m not a particularly emotional person,

but I had tears in my eyes because of the turnout,” she said. “It made me proud that that many people felt as strongly as they did.”

As a skilled professional in a demanding work environment, Tyner had also expressed concerns about the wage gap, something she said hasn’t improved over the last year.

“I don’t feel like the wage gap is getting smaller by any means,” she said. “I think it’s still a big issue.”

Workplace issues also permeated the concerns of Jane Pickett, who grew up spending summers in the family cabin at Lake Junaluska and as a filmmaker in a male-dominated industry now splits her time between Atlanta and Los Angeles — where she was one of hundreds of thousands who marched Jan. 20, 2018, just as she had in D.C. the previous year.

“I recently attended a women direc-

speaking up there, telling hard truths about powerful predators somehow able to thrive and cultivate inappropriate and unsafe environments — all of this, in conjunction with the recent election of a president that casually bragged about assaulting women, has served to launch a major conversation in the entertainment community.”

SEPARATESOLIDARITY

As that D.C. march concluded, I watched hundreds of people throw their signs over the wrought iron fence of the White House while Pickett, in another part of the city, said she’d heard a chant.

“Welcome to your first day! We will never go away!”

The true effects of the Jan. 21, 2017, Women’s March on Washington weren’t fully realized on President Trump’s first day, or on any of the 364 that followed.

Women’s wisdom is half the world’s wisdom, and when you don’t engage that, you’re making a decision with half the wisdom.

— Omkari Williams

I’m not a particularly emotional person, but I had tears in my eyes because of the turnout.

I consider myself marching for the rest of my life.

tors brunch in Hollywood hosted by a studio and I mingled with women that work in that studio in various departments,” Pickett said. “I met the recently-hired head of labs and initiatives for diversity who seemed inspired and responsive in talking with all the women there.”

Pickett credits Trump with inadvertently creating the atmosphere that has led to increasing visibility on the issue of sexual harassment.

“The allegations against Harvey Weinstein and the whole emergence of the #metoo movement — all the brave voices

One year later, Pickett, Tyner and Williams — who don’t know each other — had again marched separately in solidarity, hundreds if not thousands of miles from the footsteps they followed in on that foggy D.C. day in January 2017.

Be it Asheville, Los Angeles, Savannah or Washington, will they march again next year?

“I’m hoping that I’m marching in celebration of his impeachment and incarceration. I will march every year until he is gone. Until they are all gone,” said Williams.

“I will march again every year,” Tyner said.

“I consider myself marching for the rest of my life,” said Pickett.

Funding lines up for new Cashiers sewer plant

Capacity increase will spur economic activity on plateau

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFFWRITER

Development in Cashiers will soon reach the end of a longstanding stalemate following the Tuckaseigee Water and Sewer Authority Board’s unanimous vote Jan. 16 to accept a federal funding offer for a new sewage treatment plant.

The existing plant will continue to operate, and the new plant will be built in three phases, with the first phase — for which funding has been secured — to cost $9.5 million and provide an additional capacity of 125,000 gallons per day. The current timeline calls for completion by December 2020, but that timeline will likely change.

However, 20,000 gallons now being held in reserve at the existing plant will be released at some point before the new plant comes fully online. TWSA is working with the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality to determine when that release should happen.

This surge of capacity will have considerable implications for Cashiers’ ability to grow, said Cashiers Chamber of Commerce Director Stephanie Edwards.

“We applaud the TWSA Board’s financial

commitment to the Horsepasture wastewater treatment plant and their recognition that growth in the Cashiers area is an economic benefit to all Jackson County residents,” Edwards said. “When construction is complete, TWSA can allocate sewer capacity to new businesses and residents and approve a longstanding backlog of service applications which will create jobs, generate taxes and improve quality of life.”

The existing treatment plant in Cashiers has been near capacity since 2008 — sort of. During the real estate boom that preceded the recession, investors bought up sewer allocation to go with the land they’d purchased and intended to develop, but when the economy crashed many of those homes were never built. However, the allocation had already been purchased, with most investors choosing to pay the monthly fee required to hang onto the allocation for the intervening years, in hopes that the housing market would eventually come back.

The result was that people wanting to open businesses or build homes in Cashiers were often unable to buy the sewer allocation they needed to make it happen, despite the fact that 52 percent of the 200,000-gallon-per-day plant’s capacity was being held by customers who weren’t actively using it. For the past three years, no new public sewer capacity has been available at all, with just a small reserve held back to address cases of failing septic systems.

{Celebrating the Southern Appalachians}

Despite all these issues, TWSA couldn’t add capacity at its existing plant on the Chattooga River. The river had been seeing impairments from stormwater, and to address that problem environmental managers decided that no additional discharges should be allowed in the Chattooga.

“This is a new plant on a different stream, which is the Horsepasture (River), and the existing plant will stay in place,” said TWSA Executive Director Dan Harbaugh. “This other location will be built in three phases.”

The $9.5 million will fund construction of the first phase of the treatment plant, with the second of the three phases forecast for construction in 10 years.

TWSA purchased the 16-acre Horsepasture River property in 2015 and has been working ever since to secure the environmental permits and funding needed to build a wastewater plant there.

The funding offer from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which TWSA voted to accept Jan. 16, would provide a grant of $1.7 million and a 40-year loan for $4.8

million, with an interest rate of 2.125 percent. In all, the project would cost $9.5 million — TWSA’s contributions will total $2.4 million, with a Golden LEAF Foundation grant providing $460,800 and new service tap fees putting in $20,400. Of TWSA’s $2.4 million portion, about $1.5 million has already been spent on costs such as land acquisition and environmental permitting.

The $9.5 million will fund construction of the first phase of the treatment plant, with the second of the three phases forecast for construction in 10 years. But that timeline is tentative.

“Growth may come really quickly up there, and it may come a lot faster,” Harbaugh said. “That’s why we asked for three phases in the permit so we can move into a new, expanded program without having to go through permitting again.”

When complete, the three phases would result in a total capacity of 496,000 gallons per day at the new plant plus the current 200,000 gallons per day at the existing plant. The current timeline calls for the first phase to be online by December 2020, but that timeline could change depending on when funding is released.

While the funds have been offered, TWSA can’t start work on the project until the USDA officially obligates the funds and makes them available to the state, which will then pass them along to TWSA.

Smoky Mountain Living celebrates the mountain region’s culture, music, art, and special places. We tell our stories for those who are lucky enough to live here and those who want to stay in touch with the place they love.

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Selling online with Craigslist, Ebay and Etsy

The Jackson County Public Library in Sylva will offer a Selling Online with Craigslist, Ebay and Etsy class 5:45 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 31, in the computer lab.

Participants will learn an overview of each online platform and which will best fit their needs. The class participants must have basic computer knowledge, such as keyboard and mouse skills.

The free class is limited to the first 16 people who register. To do so, or for more information, please call the Jackson County Public Library in Sylva at 828.586.2016. This class is co-sponsored by the Friends of the Jackson County Public Library. www.fontanalib.org.

Hospital to host free vein program

A free tired leg/ varicose vein educational program will be held at 5 p.m. Thursday, Jan 25, at the Vein Center at Haywood Regional Medical Center on the second floor.

The program will be led by Dr. Al Mina and Dr. Joshua Rudd. Interested community members are asked to register for this session by calling 828.452.VEIN (8346). Space limited – RSVP required.

Rep. Clampitt to hold town hall

N.C. Rep. Mike Clampitt, R-Bryson City, will hold a town hall meeting at 4 p.m. Friday, Jan. 26, at the Regional High Technology Center Auditorium, located in the 3000 building at 112 Industrial Park Drive in Waynesville.

Constituents are invited to come ask questions and share concerns with their representative.

Exhibitors needs for health festival

The Healthy for Life Action Team of Healthy Carolinians of Jackson County is seeking exhibitors for the ninth annual Healthy Living Festival, which will be held from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, March 24, at the Jackson County Cullowhee Recreation Center.

The Healthy Living Festival is an interactive, successful health fair for Jackson County residents. Local businesses and agencies are encouraged to take advantage of this free opportunity to support wellness in Jackson County.

Applications will be accepted on a first come basis and are due by Friday, Feb. 16. Space is limited. For applications and more information, contact Janelle Messer, Health Education Supervisor, at 828.587.8238 or janellemesser@jacksonnc.org.

Chancellor search begins

Community forums to be held; search will be confidential

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFFWRITER

The 21-member committee charged with finding the next chancellor of Western Carolina University kicked off the search process with an all-day meeting Friday, Jan. 19, to discuss the task ahead and their role in completing it.

“You were all selected for this committee because you bring something special and creative to the process, and I’m going to ask that during this process that all of us put aside any personal prejudice we might have, any personal political leanings we might have,” said Pat Kaemmerling, co-chair of the committee and chair of the WCU Board of Trustees. “When we’re together, we belong to the Purple Party, and our job is to work together to find the best possible candidate we can to lead our university in the future.”

The search was made necessary by former Chancellor David Belcher’s decision to go on medical leave Dec. 31 when treatment stopped working on a brain tumor he’d been battling since April 2016. Belcher doesn’t expect to return to the position when his leave is expired, and while Provost Alison Morrison-Shetlar is serving as acting chancellor in his absence, she has already announced that she doesn’t plan to apply for the permanent position.

The search committee contains a wideranging membership, including representatives from the Board of Trustees, university faculty and staff, the Alumni Association, the student body and the community at large.

“These mountains are sacred to me, and I mean that as much in my heart as the Cherokee do in their hearts,” said committee co-chair Bryant Kinney. “This is the economy of this region, and I would say that today this university means as much to the economy of the region as it ever has. We have got to do a great job with this search.”

The number one key to doing a great job, committee leadership told the group, is keeping the search confidential.

“We want to get the best people in this search,” Kinney said. “We don’t want anyone not to put their name forward because they’re worried about losing their current job.”

However, the community will still have

significant input into the process. Before creating the leadership profile that the search consultant will use to locate candidates, the committee will hold a series of public forums to find out what qualities the community believes to be important for WCU’s next leader. The committee is currently working to set dates for these forums.

“When we finish that process we will have a picture of what everybody’s looking for, so we will take the alumni and the staff and the community and the students — all of those comments — and see what are our common goals,” Kaemmerling said.

Some members of the committee voiced concern about that process, saying that they’d like to see more opportunity for faculty to give input on the candidates as the search narrows.

“It’s a little bit of a mixed message to faculty when we can have open searches for faculty and deans but not for the most important person on our campus,” said Vicki Szabo, associate history professor at WCU.

However, Jerry Baker of Buffkin Baker — the firm managing the search — was quick to defend the confidential process, calling confidentiality the “standalone most critical issue to a successful search.”

“I assure you that those sitting presidents and chancellors (interested in applying) will not jeopardize the good reputation and quality of work they have done early in the process,” Baker said. “Let me equally assure

All search committee meetings will be subject to open meetings laws, but any discussion referring to specific candidates will be held in closed session. Any breach of that confidentiality will be taken seriously, said WCU’s General Counsel Shea Browning.

Kaemmerling told the committee how it was done during Belcher’s selection in 2011, a search process that also used Baker’s firm. In that instance, the committee narrowed the applicant pool down to eight or 10 candidates, and the entire committee traveled to Atlanta to meet those people at the airport for an in-person interview. From there, they selected four or five to invite for a campus interview.

In the end, the search committee must find three applicants that it believes would do well if offered the job, passing those names along to the Board of Trustees for approval. Those names would then go to UNC President Margaret Spellings, who would make the final selection and send her decision to the Board of Governors for approval.

“The next chancellor will have big shoes to fill, but he or she will also have a model to emulate,” Spellings said in an address to the committee. She had planned to be there in person but attended via Skype due to icy roads. “Chancellor Belcher has been a fearless and transformative leader, no doubt about it.”

But, she reminded the board, they must remember that their job is not to look for another David Belcher.

all of you that we will be very careful and very thoughtful and very diligent and dig deeply to learn all we can about the men and women included in the process.”

All search committee meetings will be subject to open meetings laws, but any discussion referring to specific candidates will be held in closed session. Any breach of that confidentiality will be taken seriously, said WCU’s General Counsel Shea Browning.

“If I breached confidentiality, I feel that I would be looking for another job,” Browning said. “So just remember that. If you breach, it may be your removal.”

The exact structure of the search process could take various forms, but for comparison

“We’re not looking for David Belcher. We’re looking for someone who is different for these times and will have his or her unique strengths,” she said.

In her address, Spellings outlined her own list of characteristics that the committee should seek in Belcher’s successor. The next chancellor should be a “leader with unwavering integrity,” a person with “tremendous people skills,” someone who will partner well with the area’s K-12 schools and the entire university system, someone who relates well to students and enjoys spending time with them and someone who can strike the right balance between academics and athletics — and, “perhaps most importantly, someone who values staff and faculty and the critical role they play in the lives of students.”

Tribe hires first-ever TABCC director

The Tribal Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission gained its first-ever director with the hire of Terri Henry, who began work on Monday, Jan. 22.

As director, Henry will oversee the TABCC’s daily operations and offer administration and strategic guidance in its mission to regulate the purchase, possession, consumption, sale and delivery of alcoholic beverages on Cherokee lands.

“The Tribal ABC Commission is pleased to bring Ms. Henry on board. This addition to the organization will strengthen our ability to move the Tribe forward in the area of alcohol regulation and enforcement,” said TABCC Chairman Pepper Taylor.

Henry brings 25 years of experience in Native American government and legal issues to her new position with the TABCC. Her past work experience includes six years on the Cherokee Tribal Council — two as chairwoman — and appointment as the tribe’s first Secretary of State. She founded the National Congress of American Indians Task Force on Violence Against Women and is one of the chairs of the North American to the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. Henry also has a background in small business and currently operates a nonprofit.

“This position looked like a great opportunity to do good work for the tribe,” Henry said. “I am focused on all aspects of the job and looking forward to working collaboratively with the Tribal Alcoholic Control Commission and staff.”

Henry was selected “from a field of several qualified applicants,” said TABCC manager Amanda Younce. She was hired following the posting of a job advertisement, an application period and an interview process.

— By Holly Kays, staff writer

Charter school selects new school director

BY J ESSI STONE AND CORY VAILLANCOURT

After months of searching for someone to replace founding School Director Ben Butler, Waynesville public charter school Shining Rock Classical Academy has made its choice.

SRCA’s board voted unanimously Jan. 23 to extend a contract offer to Nathaniel Duncan, who helped found the Academy at Trails Carolina in Hendersonville and has an extensive résumé including master’s degrees in educational leadership and international relations; he also has ties to the area.

“My wife and I used to live here in 2010,” he said after the vote. “She’s a United Methodist pastor and her family has the Rock House here at the lake [Junaluska], so part of my draw to come back to the county is that this is a central point for my wife’s family, who are all pastors.”

Duncan said he expects to start next week. When he does, he’ll have much work to do; Shining Rock finished last in the county in nine of 17 major performance benchmarks issued by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction last year.

“A lot of it is going to be a much more uniform instructional consensus as far as approach,” he said. “When everyone’s thinking that way, all lessons and activities are geared toward building and feeding student capacity.”

There are, however, some bright spots at Shining Rock; the school scored best in the county in sixth-and seventh-grade reading, both by large margins. The school’s other first place finish came in fifth-grade science.

“One of the things that’s very important

is that at any school anywhere in the world there’s going to be natural teacher-leaders that have an innate gift coupled with a lot of experience and high levels of education,” Duncan said. “The most disingenuous thing a school leader can do is to not support those natural teacher-leaders and let them

Shining Rock again violates open meetings laws

BY CORY VAILLANCOURT STAFF WRITER

A North Carolina Open Meetings Law expert says Shining Rock Classical Academy’s School Board once again violated state laws regarding the notification of meetings.

Shining Rock Classical Academy had scheduled a special closed session meeting for 4 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 17. However, due to a dangerous forecast including possible black ice, SRCA Board Chair Anna Eason announced via email at 10:09 p.m. Tuesday night that the special-called meeting would be moved to the following day, Thursday, at 4 p.m.

Although there are no statutory requirements for cancelling a meeting — which in this case was a prudent decision, as were the closings of SRCA and Haywood public schools for the day — simply “moving” a meeting isn’t really an option.

Meetings of “public bodies” as defined by N.C. General Statute 143-318.10 are governed by a whole set of “sunshine” laws meant to ensure that all business takes place in the proverbial light of day. Chief among those laws are the ones dealing with how much advance notice a body must give when it intends to hold a meeting.

Despite good intentions on behalf of SRCA, postponing or “moving” the special-called meeting 24 hours ahead appears to be a violation of open meetings laws, according to Frayda Bluestein, an open meetings expert who’s been at the UNC School of Government in Chapel Hill since 1991.

“In [this] situation, the special meeting would require the usual 48 hours’ notice,” she said via email Jan. 17.

Indeed, NCGS 143-318.12 (b) says only that if a public body holds an official meeting at any time or place other than its regular meetings — a “special” meeting, like the one SRCA called for Jan. 17 but moved to Jan. 18 — notice must be “posted and

mailed, e-mailed or delivered at least 48 hours before the time of the meeting.”

When reached for comment Jan. 17, Eason said via email that, “you are allowed to move meetings with short notice due to inclement weather.”

Emails to Eason on Jan. 17, Jan. 19 and Jan. 21 asking for the specific authority she’d cited in coming to her conclusion about inclement weather went unanswered. A search of General Statutes for any exemptions to the 48-hour rule came up empty.

“There are no exceptions for inclement weather,” Bluestein said. “If a matter was critical and needed to be dealt with immediately, they could schedule an emergency meeting with no notice, but it would have to be something that has to be dealt with immediately.”

That didn’t happen.

To adhere to the law, SRCA could have convened the special Wednesday meeting at 4 p.m. with a quorum, announced the reconvening of the meeting for the next day, and gone into recess; per NCGS 143-318.12 (b)(2) “If a public body recesses a regular, special, or emergency meeting held pursuant to public notice given in compliance with this subsection, and the time and place at which the meeting is to be continued is announced in open session, no further notice shall be required.”

That didn’t happen either.

SRCA held the special-called 4 p.m. meeting on Jan. 18 and also held its regularly scheduled 6:30 p.m. board meeting on Jan. 18, which was supposed to take place Jan. 17.

Open meetings laws are different for regular meetings than they are for special-called meetings, however.

Public bodies must publish a current copy of the regular meeting schedule; pursuant to NCGS 143-318.12 (a), “if a public body changes its schedule of regular meetings, it shall cause the

help lift the learning community up.”

Before the SRCA made the final decision on its next leader, parents were given the opportunity to ask Duncan and the other finalist Bonnie Brown questions during a Jan. 18 board meeting.

Candidates were asked about the charter school’s current partnership with Team CFA, a Challenge Foundation and whether that relationship would change under new leadership. Team CFA is a network of charter schools and the organization helps new charters by providing expertise and loaning funds for capital projects not funded by the state.

“I’m pretty happy with them — they are a good support for teachers and the director,” Brown said, adding that the SRCA board has a contract with Team CFA for a certain number of years.

Unless there’s some unforeseen shift in the coming years, Duncan said he would support SRCA’s association with Team CFA.

“As an outsider coming in and looking at other charters, being a part of a network allows a degree of autonomy,” Duncan said. “We have our core practices but we do have the ability to differentiate ourselves from others.”

Another parent asked what Duncan would do differently than the former director Ben Butler, who ten-

revised schedule to be filed … at least seven calendar days before the day of the first meeting held pursuant to the revised schedule.”

According to Bluestein, “the regular meeting would require a new schedule to be posted at least seven days before the new regular meeting date.”

Eason said Jan. 17 that she was “having trouble seeing the harm in these meetings getting rescheduled.”

Again, SRCA could have convened the regular board meeting at 6:30 p.m. with a quorum, announced the reconvening of the meeting for the next day, gone into recess, and per NCGS 143318.12 (b)(2), no further notice would have been required.

It didn’t.

And this isn’t the first time SRCA has faced criticism over its knowledge of and adherence to transparency guidelines.

Before it had even opened its doors to students, on July 3, 2015, the board held a closed session meeting to discuss property acquisition but refused to identify the parcel.

Last fall, an unusual and hastily-arranged special-called meeting that resulted in the resignation of then-School Director Ben Butler was announced via email at 8:38 p.m. on the evening of Friday, Oct. 20, and held at 6 p.m. on the evening of Sunday, Oct. 22. In the email, Eason apologized for “being a little late” on the 48-hour notice.

Earlier this month at a public meet-and-greet with new school director candidates, SRCA refused to provide resumes to a reporter in advance of the event and wouldn’t disclose the names of the candidates at the event despite the names and bios of the candidates appearing on SRCA materials at the public event.

Anyone can seek remedies in North Carolina courts for violations of Open Meetings Laws. If consistent slip-ups are proven, one possible outcome is that a court may issue an order requiring the public body to satisfy its notice obligations in the future. Another possible outcome is that any actions taken in violation of Open Meetings Laws could, by court order, be invalidated. The court may also at its discretion order the public body to pay the attorney fees and court costs for those bringing the case.

dered his resignation unexpectedly in October.

While Butler led the school since its inception, Duncan said he would bring a fresh pair of eyes and a higher level of consistency to leading the school.

“I’m about empowering teachers to be artists and create a unique experience for your students,” he said.

Both candidates were asked where they saw themselves in five years.

If hired, Brown said SRCA would be her last stop before retirement.

“I don’t plan on going anywhere. I want to take us to the next level,” she said.

Duncan said he may not be the perfect

“If

ensure every student is on par with their peers across the state so they are well prepared when they go to college.

Brown said teachers were already discussing the idea of creating a class schedule that would allow cross-grade teaching, especially for math instruction where students are on many skill levels. Cross-grade instruction would allow the advanced students to continue to move forward while also providing more individual attention for those students who may be struggling.

Duncan said he also was in favor of a multi-grade approach for SRCA classes. He said the school could also better prepare students by addressing sub-par instruction-

students are the drivers of their own education, they feel invested.”

fit for SRCA forever, but he definitely sees himself as the right fit for what the school needs right now and as it makes the leap toward providing a K-12 education.

“I hope to see the first cohort of students graduate,” he said.

Parents were also concerned with the level of student engagement in the classrooms.

Brown said growing teachers’ interactions with students in the classroom is a goal to work toward. She said she didn’t want to see teachers giving instruction at the front of the classroom the entire time — she wants to see interaction and collaboration with students. She added that the school could work toward that goal by allowing struggling teachers to observe other teachers who have already mastered the art of engagement.

Duncan said the fundamental perspective of teachers would need to change so that more engagement can occur in the classroom, adding that more engagement would increase critical thinking and decrease behavioral problems in the classroom.

“We need to move past the ‘what’ and to the ‘why’ — the idea of empowering those teachers to experiment,” he said. “If students are the drivers of their own education, they feel invested.”

Candidates also fielded questions about how a small charter school like SRCA could

— Nathan Duncan, SRCA School Director

al practices.

When asked what improvements they would make to the elementary grades, Duncan said most of his teaching experience has been in middle and high schools. However, he said good teaching is good teaching regardless of content.

“What’s amazing about K-1 is having that curiosity. We need to look at how do you continue to empower that curiosity as content becomes more sophisticated so that energy will carry itself forward,” he said.

Brown said improvements were definitely needed in K-3 to better prepare them for fourth grade and beyond, including a better understanding and instruction of the curriculum and doing a better job of matching the right teacher and student personalities together in the classroom.

“Core Knowledge Curriculum is really good and strong but it has to be done the way it’s intended to be done, and as much as we’re trained teachers still fall back to the way we used to do it,” she said.

While the SRCA board voted to offer Duncan the job, the details of his contract, including salary, have yet to be ironed out.

Brown is currently the interim school director at SRCA and served as a lead teacher before that. It is unclear at this time whether Brown will be named assistant school director or return to her lead teaching position at SRCA.

Selling Haywood County

Economic development partnership revs up

BY CORY VAILLANCOURT STAFF WRITER

On the west side of Jonathan Creek Road in Haywood County sits a parcel of land where crops and cows are being rapidly replaced by bulldozers and cones and piles upon piles of dirt.

That county-owned 22-acre plot bordered by an idyllic creek at the base of a small mountain may be one of the keys to future economic prosperity as one of the largest and most shovel-ready sites in the area.

But the Jonathan Creek site — and others in Haywood County of varying size, shape and purpose — are nothing without a buyer, and as of Jan. 1 it became the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce’s responsibility to help find one.

Through a unique regional partnership, Haywood has outsourced much of its economic development activity to the AACC, which will simultaneously market Haywood properties along with those in Buncombe.

County brings a lot more force to bear when competing for the attention of businesses looking for a site.

“They have a lot of technology advancements that we don’t have and cannot afford to have,” Hipps said.

Not that Haywood hasn’t scored its own economic development victories in the past — even luring an Asheville truck dealership to Canton in 2016 — but the retirement of Haywood Economic Development Council Director Mark Clasby last December signaled not only the end of an era that brought Walmart and Publix to Waynesville, but also the beginning of a new era in which outsourcing economic development makes better financial sense.

“The concept of regionalism is something that this community has always put as a priority,” said EDC Board Chairman Jason Walls of Duke Energy. “So leveraging the breadth and depth of our adjoining county and their economic development arm can be really helpful as we continue to market and grow our economy here locally.”

Asheville’s brand remains strong across the country; nestled into a bowl-shaped valley that spans the French Broad River, the town and its environs are known for natural beauty and eclectic diversity in a state with the some of the lowest business taxes in the nation; companies want to locate there because workers want to live there.

That growth, however, has rapidly consumed large swaths of Buncombe’s developable land and driven rents through the roof; Haywood, on the other hand, has some prime acreage and more reasonable — albeit climbing — housing and commercial rents, along with similar access to highways, railways and runways.

officer of the AACC and executive director of the Asheville Economic Development Coalition. “Over the last number of years we’ve probably done $1.1 billion worth of economic activity, and I think that’s spurred a lot of momentum that Haywood County and Buncombe County as a region can latch onto, and continue to work together toward the future.”

For Teague and AACC Vice President of Economic Development Clark Duncan, Haywood County isn’t exactly terra incognita.

“I have some generational connectivity to Haywood County. I know a lot of the fishing holes and things like that,” said Duncan. “But I’ve long been familiar with the numbers. The workforce, the talent, the demographics are all trending in really positive directions.”

What he and Teague weren’t completely familiar with are the Haywood sites they’d be charged with marketing, so on Jan. 19 Haywood officials escorted Teague and Duncan around the county on a Leap Frog Tours bus.

“Touring through the different towns and through the county, it really felt like a slice of Americana meets the beautiful mountains,” Teague said. “Mixed throughout, there were great sites for industrial [development] and sites for entrepreneurs.”

One of those, presumably, is the Jonathan Creek site, which has languished since 2007; after winning a lengthy bidding war with a private developer — which drove the price up

“It’s not about selling Buncombe County over Haywood County, it’s really about bringing all that both communities have to offer, and letting that client make the best decision that’s in the best interest of their business.”

The challenges and opportunities of this new paradigm are clearly visible, but what remains to be seen is how successful it will be in selling Haywood County.

A BIGGERSTAGE

The agreement between the Haywood and Asheville chambers represents a new approach to economic development for rural counties such as Haywood.

“The Haywood County Chamber of Commerce and the Economic Development Council had meetings over a period of time and decided that we needed to improve our efforts of economic development in Haywood County,” said Haywood Chamber President CeCe Hipps. “So what we decided is, why don’t we ask our partners to the east of us, Asheville, to assist us in marketing our community, and marketing our commercial sites and providing additional job opportunities in Haywood County?”

Haywood and Buncombe counties have long had an economic relationship that is inextricably linked, but with a population four times the size of Haywood’s, Buncombe

“As folks from the Asheville Chamber are travelling, their ability to sell all of this region — to help recruit business and industry here — will really help to rise all the tides in this community,” Walls said. “It allows us to be seen on a bigger stage with more people at more times, and really will be helpful as we continue to market and grow here.”

— Jason Walls, Haywood Economic Development Council Board Chairman

to $1.1 million — the county saw plans for a recreational sports complex fall flat as the Great Recession proceeded to erase a decade’s worth of economic growth in the region.

THEGRANDTOUR

Last November, Haywood commissioners gave their blessing to the three-year deal, which will cost about $100,000 a year; the EDC technically falls under the auspices of the Haywood Chamber, but county commissioners fund its operations to the tune of just over $200,000 annually.

The Asheville Area Chamber’s economic development arm alone is many times the size of Haywood’s entire chamber, and has seen recent successes — New Belgium Brewing and Avadim Technologies, for example — that have made it the envy of municipalities across the country.

“I think that we’ve been very, very focused on a strategy of knowing who we are, and matching that up with who might be attracted to that,” said Ben Teague, chief operating

Once adjoining counties created recreational sports complexes of their own — which draw tournaments, and tourists, and tax receipts — the Jonathan Creek site became a bit of a red herring in the county’s portfolio.

Its sale is now a top priority as the property, which has sewer, water, electric and is just 2.5 miles from Interstate 40, is no longer leased to a local farmer like it had been; truckloads of dirt from the new Publix site on Russ Avenue are currently being dumped there to create more usable land.

Jonathan Creek’s not the only site Teague and Duncan saw on their tour; there are a number of parcels around the county — some not publicly listed for sale — that are ripe for development.

One well-known spot just outside of Canton is at the Beaverdam

Industrial Park. That site remains an attractive option, just as it was when Clasby plowed the profits from the Walmart deal into site improvements.

Beaverdam’s been a boon to the county and to Canton, the closest Haywood municipality to Asheville.

“The character of our community — very blue collar, driven, a lot of historic buildings — I think syncs well with what you see with the growth in Asheville,” said Canton Mayor Zeb Smathers. “You go to a place like West Asheville and you can close your eyes and I think what you see is what Canton will be in several years.”

Smathers joined the tour in Canton at Bearwaters Brewing, after it had spent the morning exploring the Howell Mill Road corridor with Waynesville Mayor Gavin Brown and visiting Elevated Mountain Distilling in Maggie Valley with Town Manager Nathan Clark.

Haywood County’s Program Administrator David Francis, Planning Director Kris Boyd and Solid Waste Program Coordinator Randy Siske joined Hipps and Walls on the tour; County Commissioner Mike Sorrells — who sits on the EDC board — was present for lunch at Boojum Brewing.

“Unified communities win projects they never should have won,” Duncan said during the tour. “Divided communities lose projects they never should have lost.”

Later, in the cavernous, barrel-roofed former Willy’s Jeep Truck dealership that’s now home to Bearwaters, Teague’s comments echoed Duncan’s.

“What was really exciting to hear is this kind of tremendous unity of spirit — across elected officials, across governmental positions, across business executives — to see really great things happen in Haywood County,” Teague said.

IMPRESSIONS

But the bottom line is the bottom line; as paid marketers, what do the economic development execs from Asheville think of Haywood County’s assets?

“I think that we’ve been very, very focused on a strategy of knowing who we are, and matching that up with who might be attracted to that.”

— Ben Teague, Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce chief operating officer

“I think there’s great potential and I think there’s already really great interest in our client base to understand what we have long said, which is Asheville is an extremely diverse community,” said Duncan, speaking of the regional community at large that includes Haywood County. “You have this urban center, but you have this wealth of really high-quality ‘main street’ communities, where you have all kinds of different economic development opportunities.”

Haywood’s municipalities compare favorably with Buncombe’s, especially given Haywood’s public school system, which again ranked 11th of 115 in the state; with more traffic, higher costs and less unspoiled wilderness, Buncombe may eventually have to reassure itself that it can still compete with Haywood.

“They don’t sell one county over the other county,” Walls said of the AACC. “They want to help match a business that’s looking with a site that’s appropriate, so that we can grow as a region and really benefit from one another. So it’s not about selling Buncombe County over Haywood County, it’s really about bringing all that both communities have to offer, and letting that client make the best decision that’s in the best interest of their business.”

What’s not as widely known is that the Haywood Chamber and the AACC already have a preexisting history of cooperation, at least on matters of public policy; issues of regional economic interest are oft voiced in unison in Raleigh, and will continue to be as

the partnership moves forward.

“One of the things we really want to focus on is the tier system,” Teague said of the yearly North Carolina Department of Commerce designation that determines the level of economic distress a county is experiencing, and parcels out precious economic development incentives accordingly.

Such incentives — in addition to formal incentive guidelines recently passed by Waynesville aldermen and Haywood commissioners — directly influence the packages economic developers can offer potential clients.

Controversially, Haywood County was in 2017 moved from tier two to tier three, vaulting it from a middling yet realistic rank into competition with the state’s most prosperous counties, like Buncombe, Henderson, Chatham, Durham, Orange and Wake.

Having just three tiers, the NCDC’s ranking system is like a stoplight showing only red, yellow or green, while the true colors of economic distress are often more of a rainbow, despite the black and white notion of tiny Haywood taking on mighty Wake.

“It seems a disadvantage to Haywood County to be a tier three and compete with some of the largest communities in the state,” Teague said. “So we want to maybe take another look at that and see if there’s a way we can influence that to our benefit.”

Nevertheless, Duncan still sees opportunity for mutual benefit.

“What is unique that I saw today — we got out and walked several sites that are, I think, really ripe for economic development, for quality job creation,” he said.

In a larger sense, the biggest result of this unique partnership may just be a reset in economic development thinking that flows from the banks of Jonathan Creek to eventually permeate the county, region and state.

“I think the paradigm shift is, we all have to learn how to celebrate economic wins no matter where they are in the metro area,” Duncan said. “If a job is created in Haywood County, that’s great for neighbors in Buncombe County. If jobs are created in Buncombe County, that’s great for the economic stability of Haywood County, and I think this partnership recognizes that truth.”

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Today she is a nine year old who is thriving and enjoying life. The Stanley brothers assure consumers that the oil maintains a 30:1 ratio of CBD to THC. THC is the psychoactive compound that produces the “high” effect in marijuana. Thanks to Charlotte’s Web, Charlotte can now live life like a normal child. She is able to feed herself and sleep through the night. Her autistic symptoms have virtually disappeared. As such, her mind is clear, and her attention is focused. Her brain is recovering, and she is happy.

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HYPERLOCAL

News, A&E, Outdoors coverage and more each week in Haywood, Jackson, Macon and Swain counties. Visit www.smokymountainnews.com to read, comment and search over 10 years of archives.

NATIONAL

Covering the people, places and experiences that make the Smokies unique six times per year. Smoky Mountain Living’s greatest concentration of readers is in the Florida and Atlanta metro area markets.

Media

The feeling reminds me that journalism matters

That feeling in the pit of my stomach is familiar. I imagine it’s something like what people with ulcers feel — nervous, tightening, churning, almost painful. It’s telling me that there is very likely going to be fallout from a story we are about to publish. I won’t sleep well that night after we send the paper to press. After all these years and so many editions, it still comes with certain stories.

Is what we are about to publish going to hurt a friend? Are we being fair? Have we told both sides if that’s what the issue demands? Did a community leader I admire do something bad that we are about to report? Are we obligated to publish a story that is going to cost us advertising dollars, taking money away that we could use to invest and make the company stronger? Are we sure this is a public figure we are writing about, because if it’s not we could face libel charges?

As I sat in the theater watching the “The Post” this past weekend and saw an anguished Washington Post Publisher Katharine Graham (played wonderfully by Meryl Streep) struggle over whether to publish what became know as the “Pentagon Papers,” her uncertainty seemed all too familiar. The publication of that story would upend her personal friendship with our then Defense Secretary Robert McNamara. The newspaper feared it might face an expensive legal battle since President Richard Nixon’s White House had expressly forbid the New York Times from continuing the publication of the information. And her company’s public offering of stock — just days away — could suffer, leaving the company broke and without the means to continue its investigative reporting (which would eventually lead to the Watergate scandal and Nixon’s resignation).

I know our little newspaper doesn’t write stories on the same scale as the Washington Post, but that doesn’t matter. In

Do Republicans in the House and Senate know their voter base?

Republicans in the House and Senate supported a tax bill that was opposed by the majority of Americans. They insisted on passing a flawed, hastily-tacked-together bill with no discussion beyond the Republican caucus in both houses. Why?

Those few of us who will see our federal taxes go down should know that we’re benefitting because the Republicans in the House and Senate have no problem with killing and taking food from the mouths of impoverished children, sick children of the working poor and struggling middle class, and adults with intellectual or physical disabilities. Republicans have admitted that they will sooner or later choose to cut Medicaid, Medicare, and Social Security to repay big donors and buy upper-middle and upper class votes. The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office told us that 13 million people will lose their present health insurance. What many Americans worry about most is prescription medicine costs, yet the White House has already said they can’t keep their promise to bring your medicine bills down.

Are the majority of Americans actually

my world, each of our stories is important, as is the fallout that may occur from what we publish.

Editor Scott McLeod

Each of those scenarios mentioned above has occurred in my career in journalism. Those of us in this business recognize that it comes with the territory. Some days I scour the internet reading for the hundredth time the core principles of journalism, about being truthful, fair, independent, impartial. And then I think back to how many times personal judgment comes into play, how sometimes the line between right and wrong blurs, how there’s sometimes too much grey when I’d rather everything was black and white.

One can get all high and mighty in this business, and I’ve met and worked with reporters, editors and publishers like that. I’ve read countless columns extolling the necessity and virtues of a free press, how we are the only industry specifically mentioned in the U.S. Constitution.

And then I look at other internet sites and much of television talk show drivel and realize that the media industry in many ways is fighting for its life. Impartiality on television news is rare (though it still exists if one looks), and the echo chamber websites masquerading as news proliferate, living on click bait stories that attracts advertising dollars or pushes false information (or both). The line between real journalism, entertainment and simple demagoguery is blurred.

Principles of Journalism

In 1997, an organization then administered by the Project for Excellence in Journalism, the Committee of Concerned Journalists, began a national conversation among citizens and news people to identify and clarify the principles that underlie journalism. These became the basis for The Elements of Journalism, the book by PEJ Director Tom Rosenstiel and CCJ Chairman and PEJ Senior Counselor Bill Kovach. Here are those principles, as outlined in the original Statement of Shared Purpose:

n Journalism’s first obligation is to the truth

n Its first loyalty is to citizens

n Its essence is discipline of verification

n Its practitioners must maintain an independence from those they cover

n It must serve as an independent monitor of power

n It must provide a forum for public criticism and compromise

n It must strive to make the significant interesting and relevant

n It must keep the news comprehensive and proportional

n Its practitioners must be allowed to exercise their personal conscience

For more in-depth information on these principles, visit: www.americanpressassociation.com/principles-of-journalism

And so we push on. We never publish controversial stories without considering the consequences, our obligations, the fallout, and what’s in the best interest of this community we call home. We hit home runs and we get it wrong. And so I don’t think I’ll ever go too long without that feeling in the pit of my stomach coming back again, reminding me that journalism matters.

going to benefit from the tax bill? First, let’s define which North Carolina voters we’re talking about because what’s middle class in every state differs in housing and food costs, local and state taxes, and so on.

According to the US Census Bureau, in North Carolina you’re middle class if you make between $33,890 to $101,170 a year. Every non-partisan expert group (for example, Pew Research/Business Insider and Kaiser Family Foundation) said that the lower middle class ($33,800 to about $56,227 per year household income) won’t see much difference. Half of North Carolinians make less than $50,584 a year. In other words, most Trump supporters will get a few crumbs of crow pie for their loyalty.

The Tax Policy Center explained that only the richest families, the top 1 to nearly 5 percent in the U.S. will see much change. Worse still, by 2027 53 percent of Americans will be paying more tax under the new tax bill. So for over half of Americans, the new Republican tax law is going to make you poorer in the long run.

If you are in that lower middle to midrange in household income — $33,800 to about $68,795 — your tax savings will likely be wiped out by other costs rising, especially higher medical costs, including insurance. Experts predict that health insurance under the Trump administration policies will

LETTERS

(Scott McLeod can be reached at info@smokymountainnews.com)

increase by at least 10 percent. To make matters worse for the middle class, you’ll gradually lose your standard deductions. So why on earth did Republicans and Trump do this to most of the people who voted them into office? Because the tiny, rich minority of their supporters who gave them huge donations didn’t mind robbing the middle class to make themselves richer.

Apparently they believe that their puppets in Congress really can fool all of the people all of the time. Only time will tell whether enough middle class voters are that gullible.

Mary Jane Curry Haywood County

Thanks for sending Simons

Dear friends in beautiful Bryson City,

As the mayor of Murphy I want to sincerely thank the Bryson City mayor, council and all citizens for graciously sending Chad Simons our way. I realize you have some big shoes to fill as we did when our town manager, Ann Payne, decided to take her muchdeserved retirement after 24 years of excellent service.

Beyond a very long history of being foot-

ball rivals, Bryson City and Murphy must continue to work together in the best interest of our citizens, business communities and Western North Carolina overall. Murphy¹ s door is wide open for collaboration and teaming together on the many opportunities we have ahead.

We look forward to working with everyone in Bryson City, and thank you again for sharing your talent with us.

Rick Ramsey Murphy

We need better than Donald Trump

To the Editor:

I am 69, a seven-year veteran of the U.S. Air Force, and a Vietnam veteran. There are so many things wrong about the current Trump administration. What a disappointment our executive branch must be to most of Congress, as it is to most Americans. I ask that our congressional delegation take a deep breath and consider your constituents. This administration will go away — hopefully sooner rather than later — but your constituents will not, and we will remember. Mr. Trump has constantly demonstrated

HIT THE MARK

I can’t stomach the hypocrisy of Trump’s enablers

Imagine, just for a moment, that it is 2010 again. The economy, which was on the verge of a catastrophic collapse just over a year ago, has pulled out of its nosedive and is now showing some tentative signs of recovery. President Obama, the first year of his administration now in the books, is beginning to find his stride and looking forward to a new year.

And then the Wall Street Journal breaks a story that Obama’s attorney created a shell company to pay a porn star $130,000 in “hush money” during his presidential campaign so that she would not reveal an affair that she had with him a year after he married his wife, Michelle.

Let us continue to imagine that President Obama denies the story, and the “spokespeople” for the porn star deny it, too, but then someone finds an interview from a few years earlier that was published in In Touch magazine in which the very same porn star not only admits to the affair, but provides some very specific details about the circumstances, the timeline, and the (um) “preferences” of the President. It is also reported that at the time of the interview, the porn star took and passed a polygraph test. We also discover that the details of the interview had not been published for six years because Obama’s lawyers threatened to sue the publication. It is reported that Obama compared the attractiveness of the porn star to that of his daughter. Imagine all of that, if you can.

Now imagine what Republican political leaders, right wing commentators such as Sean Hannity and Rush Limbaugh, and certain prominent evangelical Christians such as Franklin Graham would have done with this news. Fox News would have had to create a new channel to provide around-theclock coverage of the scandal.

Graham would have shaken his head gravely and said that the scandal story was a sad commentary on the moral decay of the Democratic party, a symptom of its fundamental lack of decency.

Hannity and Limbaugh would have been calling for Obama’s immediate resignation, as well as a congressional investigation into possible criminal activity in whether the money for the non-disclosure agreement was paid out of campaign funds. There would have been non-stop calls for impeachment.

The media coverage would have been utterly overwhelming. There would have been reporters everywhere stalking the porn star, trying to get her to talk. There would have been interviews with her friends, former lovers, relatives, her hair stylist, the bellhop at the Nevada hotel where the affair began, anyone at all who might be able to corroborate some details of the story.

There would have been split-screen shots of the porn star and Michelle Obama, the gentler commentators treating the First

Lady as a victim, the coarser ones casting her as a shameless accomplice who knew but did not care about her husband’s affair and cover-ups as long as she got to be First Lady. It would have been brutal.

Of course, it is not 2010, and none of this happened because Barack Obama was not and is not that kind of man. The biggest “scandal” surrounding President Obama in those days were persistent rumors that he was not born in the United States, even after he supplied a birth certificate proving he had been born in Hawaii in 2008.

Here is a typical quote from one of the key leaders of the so-called “birther movement,” taken from an interview with Whoopi Goldberg and Barbara Walters in 2011, when Obama had been in office nearly three years:

“Why doesn’t he show his birth certificate? I wish he would because I think it’s a terrible pall that’s hanging over him …. There’s something on that birth certificate that he doesn’t like.”

Those are the words of Donald Trump, the 45th president of the United States, the same man who would not release his tax returns as a candidate for president just four years later — perhaps because there was something on there that he didn’t like. Donald Trump, the same man who now stands accused of having his lawyer pay off a porn star to keep quiet about an affair they had 12 years ago. Yes, he is the man in the above scenario, and not Obama.

Consider the contrast in these stories. Name another president prior to Obama who had ever been asked to provide proof of citizenship. Once Obama provided a birth certificate, allegations morphed into conspiracy theories attempting to cast doubt about the authenticity of the document, and the story gained enough currency — especially in the right wing media — to dog Obama through both terms.

So far, a story of a presidential candidate having an affair with a porn star and then paying her off to keep quiet about it during his campaign has failed to gain traction, especially among key Republican leaders, right wing commentators such as Sean Hannity and Rush Limbaugh, or evangelical Christians such as Franklin Graham, who offered this inspiring defense of Trump:

“I believe at 70 years of age the president is a much different person today than he was four years ago, five years ago, 10 years ago. He is not President Perfect … but I appreciate the fact that the president does have a concern for Christian values.”

his lack of knowledge, skill, or abilities to do anything except kill Americans by his policy of enabling the wealthy, while he himself robs us blind through emoluments. I must credit him his ability to con. Congress must not allow America to suffer for the sake of his ego. There are certainly many important matters that need attention. None of these has been addressed during this administration’s term as of yet. The one major item that was touted, the massive tax cut for rich families and corporations, is in fact a setback to American progress.

What we need is effective oversight and management. We are so far from that today.

Bill Taylor Bryson City

Too much is based on skin color

To the Editor:

Imagine yourselves involved in a delicate negotiation in which feelings run high on both sides. It would be important in good faith dealings to maintain confidentiality in the meetings so that in case of initial failure to reach an agreement the process could continue. Even if the disagreements are so great that a successful outcome is not possible at the present time, there would be a path forward for future negotiations.

What do you suppose would happen to these efforts if in the middle of the proceedings one of the principals decides to go public and air details of the meeting that puts the opposing side in a bad light and could be misunderstood by others? This not only hurts the negotiation but hurts everyone concerned.

I think you see where I’m going. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Illinois, upon realizing that he and his feckless Republican enablers would not be able to “roll” President Trump by mousetrapping him into a bad compromise, decided to tattle on him to the press which wasted no time in endlessly repeating the b-a-a-a-d word the president either used or allegedly used. Of course this poisoned the well.

It should be fairly obvious that the Democrats see DACA as an issue, i.e., an unsolved problem, more useful to them

than having a solution. Where is their vaunted compassion for the so-called Dreamers? It seems they are serious only so far as their hypocrisy is concerned. Democrat is not the right word anyway; it’s more like Demagoguecrat. When they are in power they expect everyone to not question the legitimacy of elections (but don’t look too close!), but when they are out of power they act as if they had a Divine Right to Rule (if they even believe in the Divine) and feel free to question the legitimacy of the present administration.

There is no self-reflection or sense of irony here, being oblivious not only to nuance but to what should be obvious. If anyone had someone as a close acquaintance that acted toward them in such a manner, he would soon be given a wide berth if his behavior didn’t improve. How is it then that we have such dishonorable behavior by those in high places that cannot maintain confidentiality and good faith but want to act as if they were playing a video game called “Get Trump”?

Apropos Martin Luther King Day and dovetailing with the above, mention must be made that because some took a principled stand and courageously suffered for it back in the heyday of the civil rights movement does not give license to be scoundrels in the present day, entitled to slander as racists those with whom they disagree.

I have a dream, too. I dream of a day in which ALL people are judged not by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. Sadly, Dr. King’s dream has been betrayed because today it is fashionable for so much judgment to be based on skin color.

David Parker Sylva

Electoral College in need of reform

To the Editor:

In his guest column in the Jan. 17 edition, Martin Dyckman proposes to “eliminate the power of the Electoral College.” I submit that his proposal about how to do that virtually eliminates the need for it altogether and might as well be seen as the last stage in the ongoing reduction of the states from sovereign entities in a sovereign union to dependent provinces of an all-powerful federal leviathan.

Mr. Dyckman proposes that each state

should enter a compact to cast all that state’s electoral votes for the winner of the nationwide popular vote, no matter who wins the state’s popular vote. This would result in further conversion of this country’s political system into a virtual direct democracy, which means that it would be only a matter of time before it became a tyranny, possibly after passage through a period of rank anarchy and civil strife.

This is not to say that the Electoral College system could not stand some serious reformation: Even when one clears away the vestiges of TDS (Trump Derangement Syndrome) that called forth this particular column, there is a need for such reform, so long as it preserves the republican nature of the American Constitutional order.

Accordingly, I would propose that states enter into a compact to cast their electoral votes according to which candidate receives the most votes in each Congressional District, with the two that correspond with the Senate seats being given to the statewide winner. In 2016, that would probably have meant that Mrs. Clinton would have garnered one or two of North Carolina’s 15 votes instead of the zero with which she finished.

This is a system that at least two states — Maine and Nebraska — already use and which another — Virginia — has been considering in a modified form. Like Mr. Dyckman’s proposal, it requires no federal amendment. All that is necessary is the willingness of the state legislatures to enact it.

Such a plan would accomplish one of the objectives that Mr. Dyckman says he wants much more efficiently than his own proposal, in that it would impel candidates for the presidency to allocate their campaign resources more generally than they do at present.

Certainly, the ideal would be to incorporate the Congressional District method into the federal Constitution, but I suspect that Mr. Dyckman is correct in his assessment that such an effort, at least for the moment, is futile. It will be difficult enough in this state, given the bipartisan willingness to rise above principle when political power is at stake. However, it is worth a try, and I strongly encourage our Reps. Mike Clampitt, R-Bryson City, Rep. Keith Corbin, R-Franklin, and Rep. Michelle Presnell, R-Burnsville, and Sen. Jim Davis, R-Franklin, to submit and support a bill to make it happen.

Samuel Edwards Waynesville

On the other hand, in the same year that “not President Perfect” went on the air to question Obama’s citizenship, Franklin Graham was on ABC News questioning Obama’s Christianity:

“For him, going to church means he’s a Christian. For me, the definition of a Christian is whether we have given our life to Christ and are following him in faith, and we have trusted him as our Lord and Savior. That’s the definition of a Christian. It’s not as to what church you are a member of. A

membership doesn’t make you Christian.”

I have a feeling this porn star payoff story isn’t quite over yet, but the fact that it has not yet become the focus of every news cycle since the story first broke tells us certain things about the hypocrisy of the right wing media and certain key members of the “family values” evangelicals.

According to the Washington Post, President Trump, supposedly well past the darker days of leading the birther movement (or, as Christians might put it, “bearing false

witness”), has made 2,170 “false or misleading claims” during his first year in office. “Not perfect” indeed.

Let’s face it. Had Barack Obama been accused of what Donald Trump stands accused of in The Wall Street Journal after one year in office, it would have touched off one of the biggest political scandals in American history. In the Trump administration, it’s just another annoying distraction. (Chris Cox is a writer and teacher. jchriscox@live.com.)

Events begin at 7:15pm unless otherwise noted. Dinner and Music reservations at 828-452-6000.

THURSDAY, JANUARY 25

Robert Burns Supper beginning at 6:30pm sharp. Tickets are $39.99++ per person and include a four-course traditional Scottish dinner, wine or beer tasting, an Address to a Haggis, toasts to Laddies and Lassies, poetry, and live Celtic music. For reservations call 828-452-6000.

FRIDAY, JANUARY 26

Bob Zullo guitar, vocals. Santana, Beatles, Pop, Jazz.

SATURDAY, JANUARY 27

Joe Cruz piano, vocals. Beatles, Elton John, James Taylor, Sting.

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 2

Jay Brown piano, guitar, harmonica, vocals. Blues, Folk-Americana, Originals.

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 3

Joe Cruz piano, vocals. Beatles, Elton John, James Taylor, Sting.

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 9

Kevin Lorenz guitar. Pop, Latin, Classical.

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 10

Joe Cruz piano, vocals. Beatles, Elton John, James Taylor, Sting.

tasteTHE mountains

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.

BOGART’S

303 S. Main St., Waynesville. 828.452.1313

Open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Carry out available. Located in downtown Waynesville, Bogart’s has been long-time noted for great steaks, soups, and salads. Casual family atmosphere in a rustic old-time setting with a menu noted for its practical value. Live Bluegrass/String Band music every Thursday. Walking distance of Waynesville’s unique shops and seasonal festival activities and within one mile of Waynesville Country Club.

BOURBON BARREL BEEF & ALE

through Saturday. Mouthwatering all beef burgers and dogs, hand-dipped, hand-spun real ice cream shakes and floats, fresh handcut fries. Locally sourced beef. Indoor and outdoor dining. facebook.com/ChurchStreetDepot, twitter.com/ChurchStDepot.

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.

THE CLASSIC WINESELLER

20 Church Street, Waynesville.

828.452.6000. Underground retail wine and craft beer shop, restaurant, and intimate live music venue. Kitchen opens at 4 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday serving freshly prepared small plates, tapas, charcuterie, desserts. Enjoy live music every Friday and Saturday night at 7pm. www.classicwineseller.com. Also on facebook and twitter.

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.

FILLING STATION DELI

145 Everett St., Bryson City, 828.488.1919

Open Monday through Wednesday 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Thursday through Saturday 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Sundays (in October) 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Locals always know best, and this is one place they know well. From the highquality hot pressed sandwiches and the huge portions of hand-cut fries to the specialty frozen sandwiches and homemade Southern desserts, you will not leave this top-rated deli hungry.

FRANKIE’S ITALIAN TRATTORIA

1037 Soco Rd. Maggie Valley. 828.926.6216 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday-Saturday. Father and son team Frank and Louis Perrone cook up dinners steeped in Italian tradition. With recipies passed down from generations gone by, the Perrones have brought a bit of Italy to Maggie Valley. frankiestrattoria.com

FROGS LEAP PUBLIC HOUSE

44 Church St., Downtown Waynesville 828.456.1930 Serving lunch 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday; Dinner 5 to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday. 5 to 10 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. www.frogsleappublichouse.com.

GUADALUPE CAFÉ

454 Hazelwood Ave., Waynesville, 828.452.9191. Lunch daily 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.; dinner nightly at 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Closed Sunday and Monday. Wine Down Wednesday’s: ½ off wine by the bottle. We specialize in handcut, all natural steaks from local farms, incredible burgers, and other classic american comfort foods that are made using only the finest local and sustainable ingredients available.

CATALOOCHEE RANCH

119 Ranch Dr., Maggie Valley. 828.926.1401. It’s winter, but we still serve three meals a day on Friday, Saturday and long holiday weekends. Join us for Breakfast from 8:00 to 9:30am; Lunch from 12 to 2:00pm; and Dinner featuring entrees such as prime rib, Virginia ham and lime-marinated chicken, complemented by seasonal vegetables, homemade breads, jellies and desserts. And a roaring fire in the fireplace. We also offer a fine selection of wine and craft beer. Come enjoy mile-high mountaintop dining with a spectacular view. Reservations are required. For more details, please call 828.926.1401.

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.

CHURCH STREET DEPOT

34 Church Street, downtown Waynesville. 828.246.6505. 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday

DELLWOOD FARMHOUSE RESTAURANT

651 Dellwood Rd., Waynesville.

828.944.0010. Warm, inviting restaurant serving delicious, freshly-made Southern comfort foods. Cozy atmosphere; spacious to accommodate large parties. Big Farmhouse Breakfast and other morning menu items served 8 a.m. to noon. Lunch/dinner menu offered 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Come see us. You’ll be glad you did! Closed Wednesdays.

EVERETT HOTEL & BISTRO

16 Everett St.,Bryson City. 828.488.1934

Open daily for dinner at 4:30 p.m.; Saturday & Sunday Brunch from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.; dinner from 4:30-9:30 p.m. Serving fresh and delicious weekday morning lite fare, lunch, dinner, and brunch. Freshly prepared menu offerings range from house-made soups & salads, lite fare & tapas, crepes, specialty sandwiches and burgers. Be sure not to miss the bold flavors and creative combinations that make up the daily Chef Supper Specials. Followed by a tempting selection of desserts prepared daily by our chefs and other local bakers. Enjoy craft beers on tap, as well as our full bar and eclectic wine list.

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.

606 W. Main Street, Sylva. 828.586.9877 Open 7 days a week at 5 p.m. Located in the historic Hooper’s Drugstore, Guadalupe Café is a chef-owned and operated restaurant serving Caribbean inspired fare complimented by a quirky selection of wines and microbrews. Supporting local farmers of organic produce, livestock, hand-crafted cheese, and using sustainably harvested seafood.

J. ARTHUR’S RESTAURANT AT MAGGIE VALLEY U.S. 19 in Maggie Valley. 828.926.1817 Open for dinner at 4:30 to 9 p.m., Wednesday through Sunday. World-famous prime rib, steaks, fresh seafood, gorgonzola cheese and salads. All ABC permits and open year-round. Children always welcome. Take-out menu. Excellent service and hospitality. Reservations appreciated.

JUKEBOX JUNCTION

U.S. 276 and N.C. 110 intersection, Bethel. 828.648.4193. 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday; Sunday 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Serving breakfast, lunch, nd dinner. The restaurant has a 1950s & 60s theme decorated with memorabilia from that era.

LOS AMIGOS

366 Russ Ave. in the Bi-Lo Plaza. 828.456.7870. Open from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. for lunch and 5 to 10 p.m. for dinner Monday through Friday and 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Enjoy the lunch prices Monday through Sunday, also enjoy our outdoor patio.

MAD BATTER FOOD & FILM

617 W. Main Street Downtown Sylva. 828.586.3555. Open Monday through Thursday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.; Sunday brunch 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Handtossed pizza, steak sandwiches, wraps, sal-

ads and desserts. All made from scratch. Beer and wine. Free movies Thursday trought Saturday. Visit madbatterfoodfilm.com for this week’s shows.

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.

MOUNTAIN PERKS ESPRESSO BAR & CAFÉ

9 Depot St., Bryson City. 828.488.9561

Open Monday through Thursday, 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Friday 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturday 8 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. With music at the Depot. Sunday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Life is too short for bad coffee. We feature wonderful breakfast and lunch selections. Bagels, wraps, soups, sandwiches, salads and quiche with a variety of specialty coffees, teas and smoothies. Various desserts.

NEWFOUND LODGE RESTAURANT

1303 Tsali Blvd, Cherokee (Located on 441 North at entrance to GSMNP).

828.497.4590. Open 7 a.m. daily.

Established in 1946 and serving breakfast, lunch and dinner seven days a week. Family style dining for adults and children.

PATIO BISTRO

30 Church Street, Waynesville.

828.454.0070. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Breakfast bagels and sandwiches, gourmet coffee, deli sandwiches for lunch with homemade soups, quiches, and desserts. Wide selection of wine and beer. Outdoor and indoor dining.

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

tasteTHE mountains

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. Extensive selection of local craft beers and a full bar. Catering special events is one of our specialties.

SALTY DOG’S SEAFOOD & GRILL

3567 Soco Road, Maggie Valley.

828.926.9105. Open seven days a week from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday through Thursday; 11 a.m. to midnight Friday and Saturday. Full service bar and restaurant located in the center of Maggie Valley. Featuring daily $6 lunch specials and daily dinner specials such as $1 Taco Tuesdays and 45¢ Wednesday Wings. Backyard Bar is open every weekend thru October. Join us for every NFL game.

SMOKEY SHADOWS LODGE

323 Smoky Shadows Lane, Maggie Valley

828.926.0001. Check Facebook page for hours, which vary. Call early when serving because restaurant fills up fast. Remember when families joined each other at the table for a delicious homemade meal and shared stories about their day? That time is now at Smokey Shadows. The menus are customizable for your special event. Group of eight or more can schedule their own dinner.

SMOKY MOUNTAIN SUB SHOP

29 Miller Street Waynesville 828.456.3400

Open from 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday 11 a.m. to 4 p.m Saturday and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday. A Waynesville tradition, the Smoky Mountain Sub Shop has been serving great food for over 20 years. Come in and enjoy the relaxed, casual atmosphere. Sub breads are baked fresh every morning in Waynesville. Using only the freshest ingredients in homemade soups, salads and sandwiches. Come

in and see for yourself why Smoky Mountain Sub Shop was voted # 1 in Haywood County. Locally owned and operated.

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. Dine in or take out available. Located across from the Fire Station.

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.

TRAILHEAD CAFE & BAKERY

18 N Main Street, Waynesville. 828.452.3881 Open 7 days a week. You will find a delicious selection of pastries & donuts, breakfast & lunch along with a fresh coffee & barista selection. Happy Trails!

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. You’re welcome to watch your pizza being created.

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.

Don’t stop the music

A conversation with Del McCoury

BY GARRET K. WOODWARD STAFF WRITER

If there’s one singular force truly keeping the flame of Bill Monroe alive and kicking well into the 21st century, it would be Del McCoury.

Since 1958, McCoury has traversed the world over, hitting the stage each and every time with the same zest and passion at age 78 that he did as a teenager in search of his big break some 60 years ago.

In 1963, McCoury found himself singing lead and playing rhythm guitar for Bill Monroe’s Blue Grass Boys. Being in the presence of the “Godfather of Bluegrass,” McCoury embraced that “high, lonesome sound,” preserving and perpetuating it in the decades since he set out on his own with The Del McCoury Band.

Nowadays, alongside his sons, Ronnie and Rob, The Del McCoury Band has established the standard for what the “real deal” is when it comes to bluegrass music in the modern era. Their sound (onstage and in the studio) is the foundation by which all who have (and will) come after them measure themselves by — a testament to the wisdom instilled in Del by Monroe those many years ago.

Smoky Mountain News: When you’re up there playing, do you think of Bill [Monroe] at all?

Del McCoury: Well, if I do one of his songs I will. See, I recorded a tribute to Bill back in 2011. An album of songs, some I had sang with him when I was working [for him], and others I never heard him sing — period — on a live show anywhere. I’m sure he probably did, he’d

been recording since 1939 with the Blue Grass Boys, so he never [did] a lot of the songs he put on a record.

SMN: What would he have thought if he saw you play tonight?

DM: I think he would have been proud. I think he was proud of all the Blue Grass Boys that came through the band and went on. Maybe, at the time, when they left, he wasn’t so happy about that. And he had so many musicians through the years. I tell you, I think he had a good ear for people, I don’t think he needed to hear them do much to know what they could do.

SMN: What is it about bluegrass that you love?

DM: My brother taught me to play guitar when I was about 9 years old. And I guess I wasn’t really impressed with the guitar. I heard [banjoist] Earl Scruggs when I was about 11, and that just turned a light on up here (points to head) that is still burning. I played [banjo] for about 10 years. I got a banjo and learned how to play the forward roll, you know, like Earl did. Of course, nobody was as good as Earl. But, we all had to listen to him to start with, because he was the one that popularized the three-finger roll. We all listened, Sonny Osborne did, J.D. Crowe [did]. We were all

Want to go?

The Del McCoury Band will perform at 7 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 28, at the Diana Wortham Theatre in Asheville. Tickets start at $49 per person. For more information and/or to purchase tickets, visit www.dwtheatre.com, email boxoffice@dwtheatre.com or call 828.257.4530.

about the same age. We all listened to Earl. That’s what inspired me.

SMN: What does this music mean to you nowadays? You’ve spent a good chunk of your life dedicating your talents and your time to this music. Now, you’re one of the pillars of bluegrass music. Does [bluegrass] mean anything different than when you were starting out?

DM: Well, I think it does. It does mean something different. But, the thing about it is, I never lost my interest. I knew a lot of great musicians, I don’t know, that got great and then they lost interest because I don’t think they could advance

This must be the place

BY GARRET K. WOODWARD

“Grace,” the 2001 GMC Sonoma.

swimming hole in the Adirondack Mountains of Upstate New York. The sandy beaches of Tybee Island, Georgia. Fourth of July along a lone pier in a cove on the rocky coast of Maine. The muddy backwoods of central Vermont. Wild adventures in the midst of Brooklyn, Hartford, Charlotte, Boston, Savannah, and other cities forgotten in haste.

All of those times helping old friends move and new friends find their way, first dates and eventual breakups, heading for the hills or hiding out in a metropolis, picking up hitchhikers, dropping off things for folks, etc. All the while, there was my girl Grace, parked and ready for our next trip.

When I took this gig with The Smoky Mountain News in July 2012, I packed Grace up with everything important that I owned and headed for Waynesville. Four boxes of books, three boxes of clothes, two boxes of vinyl records and my mountain bike. That was it.

And in the time from that move until last October, when Grace finally had enough, that truck and I saw so many wild and wondrous things around Southern Appalachia and the greater Southeast.

12- 1: Yoga Basics w/

2- 3: Qi Gong w/

• 5:30-6:15: Barre Above* w/ Jay • 6:30-7:30 PM: Yoga Basics w/ Shelby • 6:30-7:30 PM: Candlelight Flow w/ Kendall FRIDAY 9-10: Gentle Restorative w/ Amber • 10:30-11:30:

‘Set the gearshift for the high gear

of your soul’

The time had come.

Last Friday, right around noon, I received a message on Facebook. It was a fella looking to purchase my old pickup truck. Though the engine had died in October, the beloved truck itself was still sitting in front of my apartment in Waynesville. Partly due to my longtime and sentimental history with the vehicle, partly, due to the mere fact nobody had shown any interest (yet) in taking it off my hands.

HOT PICKS

1

Frog Level Brewing (Waynesville) will host Kevin Fuller (singer-songwriter) at 7 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 27.

2

Balsam Falls Brewing (Sylva) will host Shane Meade & Sean Shuffler (singer-songwriter) at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 31.

3

Water’n Hole Bar & Grill (Waynesville) will host Chicken Coop Willaye (Americana/bluegrass) at 9:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 26.

4

Currahee Brewing (Franklin) will host Eric Hendrix & Dr. Todd Davis (singer-songwriter) at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 27.

5

Soul Infusion Tea House & Bistro (Sylva) will host Jonathan Breedlove (singer-songwriter) at 7 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 27.

I had owned the 2001 GMC Sonoma (aka: “Grace”) for a little over 10 years. It was my grandfather’s truck before he passed away in 2007. After the funeral, it was unclear what the fate would be for the truck. Coincidentally, in the months following his death, when my family was figuring out what to do with truck, I accepted my first reporting gig at a small-town newspaper in Eastern Idaho, in the shadow of the Grand Teton Mountains.

Seeing as I would now be headed west, my truck at that time wouldn’t be able to make the trek. No way in hell. Thus, I sold the 1998 Isuzu Hombre for $800 and used the money as a down payment in purchasing the Sonoma from my grandfather’s estate. Within a week of the purchase, and the day after Christmas 2007, I packed up Grace and took off for the Rocky Mountains.

That 2,500-mile journey to Idaho included stops in Buffalo, Cleveland, Cincinnati, St. Louis, Boulder, and so forth. One chaotic adventure after another, all culminating with my first day on the job at the Teton Valley News, in a town with less than 1,000

residents, amid the enormous snowbanks and freezing cold temperatures of the neverending, wide open high desert prairie.

There was many-a-night carefully driving along extremely dangerous mountain roads, where (literally) inches of snow would fall each hour, trying to make it over a pass and back home safely from either Idaho Falls or Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Then there were the trips to Missoula, Montana, and Denver, sleeping in truckstops and one-horse towns that resembled the spots I read about in the writings of Jack Kerouac, something I’d always wanted to see first-hand for myself.

And for the better part of the next decade, Grace and I traveled the country. Most of which were festivals, concerts and events I was covering as a freelancer on a shoestring budget, trying to make it in the haphazard industry that was journalism during the economic depression of 2008 onward.

It was the Rothbury Music & Arts Festival way up in Michigan. A waterfall

Driving Grace up a narrow and bumpy dirt road, half-a-dozen folks in the bed of the truck, heading to a mountaintop bonfire in depths of Crabtree (Haywood County), only to howl at the moon as fiery embers floated upward into the heavens.

Numerous trips up the Max Patch, always with the fear in the back of my mind of getting the rear-wheel drive truck stuck in the mud, ice and snow, unable to turn around (luckily that wasn’t the case). How about traversing seemingly every backroad of Western North Carolina, eh? Trying to find addresses on rusty or nonexistent mailboxes, in search of the source and the story which would ideally fill the pages of this publication.

All of those memories above flooded my field-of-vision when I received that message last Friday, inquiring about buying Grace. The guy was from way up on the Kentucky/Virginia border. He had cash inhand, and could be in front of my house in four hours if I wanted to sell the Sonoma. I waited to reply and went to lunch.

Thinking over the prospect of finally letting the truck go came to a head — I was ready. I messaged the guy we had a deal, awaiting his arrival.

I cleaned out the last of my things from the back of the old truck. At one point, I even found myself sitting in the driver’s seat for one last time, replaying in my head all the places myself and Grace had seen in our decade together. I also thought of my late grandfather, and what he would make of all the adventures and corners of the country I took his truck to.

Four hours later, the guy rolled up with his big truck and trailer. I helped load Grace up on the trailer, was handed $300, and watched her roll away to destinations unknown. It was sad, but I was comforted by my “new” truck nearby, a 2005 Toyota Tacoma (aka: “Lucinda”), and all the unknown adventures awaiting her and I.

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

New bluegrass book

Diving into the rich, vibrant and controversial history of bluegrass music, If You Can’t Play, Get Off the Stage: Bluegrass in Western North Carolina and Beyond is the debut work from Garret K. Woodward, arts/entertainment editor for The Smoky Mountain News.

The book features interviews, profiles, quotes and conversations with the biggest names in bluegrass, mountain and string music, including: Andy Hall (The Infamous Stringdusters), Balsam Range, Billy Strings, Bobby Osborne, Claire Lynch, Dave Johnston (Yonder Mountain String Band), David Grisman, David Holt, Del McCoury, Doyle Lawson, Eric Gibson, Frank Solivan, Graham Sharp (The Steep Canyon Rangers), Jeff Austin, Jesse McReynolds, John Cowan, Larry Sparks, Marty Stuart, Paul Hoffman (Greensky Bluegrass), Peter Rowan, Raymond Fairchild, Rhiannon Giddens, Rhonda Vincent, Ricky Skaggs, Ronnie Reno, Sam Bush, Tim O’Brien, and many more.

To learn more about the book, or to purchase copies, visit www.facebook.com/yobrodobro or email garret@smokymountainnews.com.

MC C OURY, CONTINUEDFROM 24

any further than they thought. And I never did lose interest. But, I think I had an unusual career. I started out playing guitar. Then, I heard Earl Scruggs and I played banjo for 10 years until I got a job with Bill [Monroe] playing banjo. I went to New York City with [Bill] and he offered me a job pickin’. I could play anything he did. “Raw Hide,” all that stuff. But then, [Bill] changed my career right in the middle. He wanted me to play [rhythm] guitar and sing lead, because he needed that worse than anything he told me. And so, I thought, “I don’t know if I want to do this,” because banjo was all I thought about. This was when I’m about 23. Well, OK, I’ll try it. He said, “If you could make the grade on this you gonna like it better than what you’re doing.” And I thought, “Now, you’re wrong about that,” but I didn’t tell him. [Laughs]. But, it proved that he was right about that. Then, when I quit Bill and got my own band, I thought I’d be better off playing guitar and singing. I was used to singing lead and tenor. Sing lead on the verses and tenor on the choruses. I couldn’t find a tenor singer that was “that” good. Then, I got interest again from going from banjo to playing rhythm guitar and singing. My interest was piqued again. And it’s never left me, really.

SMN: How do you define bluegrass? What’s your definition of it?

DM: You know, it’s a great art form. Those guys in the middle-1940s, they invented this style of music. Now, they were influenced, too, when they were young, by other people. Earl Scruggs, he heard these [New Orleans] Dixieland tunes on horns and thought he could play it [on the banjo]. And Bill Monroe, he had a brother duet with Charlie [Monroe], and they had an old-time duet, which was really good for the day. But, [Bill] would go to New Orleans and hear the jazz guys and he kind of adapted a lot of those things to the mandolin. [Bill] was nimble enough to play anything those [jazz] guys did, [and] on the mandolin. And then [Bill’s] singing was influenced by Jimmie Rodgers, his yodeling and all that. Then, along comes this lead singer, Lester Flatt, who is kind of a swooner, you know? And

Chubby Wise was a swing fiddler and he didn’t know a thing about playing. [Chubby] told me this himself, “I don’t know a thing about playing a melody.” And when he came into Bill Monroe’s band, Bill saw that he was a good fiddle player, played a pretty tone. He said, “Bill showed me how to play melodies.” And he played stuff like “Footprints In the Snow” and “Blue Moon of Kentucky.”

SMN: What sticks out for you the most when you think about Bill?

DM: I’ll tell you about Bill. I was a young man, and I wasn’t a good judge of character or anything like that. But, you never knew if he was serious or if he was kidding you. You never knew that. And I think he wanted it that way. I think, in a way, he was bashful. I think in later years I figured that out. He was backwards, but he knew what he could do was the best. And his stuff was the best.

SMN: What do you see today when some people might say that the lines of bluegrass are becoming too blurred?

“I got a banjo and learned how to play the forward roll, you know, like Earl did. Of course, nobody was as good as Earl. But, we all had to listen to him to start with, because he was the one that popularized the threefinger roll. We all listened to Earl. That’s what inspired me.”

— Del McCoury

DM: Well, you know, I think Bill would be proud, because his music spread out. A lot of the good singers and players got their training in bluegrass before they ever went out in these other fields. He always recognized somebody that went on and did something great.

SMN: What has [bluegrass] taught you about what it means to be a human being?

DM: I learned, long ago, that everybody is the same. We are all the same. And in music, [we all] hear things. And if the rhythm is good in any band — and the singing has got to be good, too — but [with] bluegrass, if [you] can play bluegrass, you can play anything.

On the beat

Benefit for Hands & Feet Project

There will be a benefit concert featuring Christian rock acts Zach Williams and Citizen Way at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 3, at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts in Franklin.

Proceeds from the event will support the Hands & Feet Project, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing family-style, residential care for children in crisis.

Currently, the Hands & Feet Project serves multiple locations across the southern peninsula. The project is dedicated to providing sustainable solutions that serve the forgotten children who are part of Haiti’s orphan crisis.

Zach Williams was a member of Zach Williams & The Reformations from 2007-2012. He was also the lead singer of Christian groups Brothers of Grace and Zach Williams and the Brothers of Grace.

In 2016, he signed as a solo artist and released his first single in June of that year. “Chain Breaker” reached No. 1 on the Hot Christian Songs Chart and the Top 10 on Christian radio. A second single, “Old Church Choir,” had similar success. Williams was recently nominated for a Grammy award and multiple Dove awards. He was named the 2017 “New Artist of the Year” at the GMA Dove Awards and also received an award for “Pop/Contemporary Recording Song of the

Year” for “Chain Breaker.”

Citizen Way debuted their first single, “Should’ve Been Me,” in 2012. Their second single, “Nothing Ever (Could Separate Us)” was released the following year. Both charted on numerous Christian song charts. Their third single, “How Sweet the Sound,” was released in September 2013 and became their first number one single. There most

recent single, “Bulletproof,” has also topped the charts.

Tickets start at $10 per person. To purchase tickets or to find out more information about this or any other show at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts, visit www.greatmountainmusic.com or call 866.273.4615.

WCU traditional music series

The 2017-18 First Thursday Old-Time and Bluegrass Series at Western Carolina University continues Thursday, Feb. 1, with a concert featuring the songs and stories of musician and singer Keith Shuler.

His performance at 7 p.m. in the ground-floor auditorium of H.F. Robinson Administration Building will be followed by an 8 p.m. jam session in which local musicians are invited to participate.

Shuler, who was raised in the shadow of the Plott Balsam Mountains in Jackson County’s Addie community, has been playing guitar and writing songs for about four decades in styles ranging from bluegrass and traditional mountain music to folk, blues and rock. He will be telling stories and singing songs about people, animals and places from his native Jackson County and from across Western North Carolina during his performance.

“Shuler holds a deep love of lyrical beauty and humorous stories that he twines together to create his unique stage presence,” said Peter Koch, educational associate at WCU’s Mountain Heritage Center, which sponsors the series. Sitting at the crossroads of traditional mountain music and blues-rock, Shuler is among artists often given the “Americana” label.

The First Thursday concerts and jam sessions will continue through spring, with

programs from 7 to 9 p.m. on the first Thursday of each month.

The concerts and jam sessions are free and open to the public. Pickers and singers of all ages and experience levels are invited to take part in the jam sessions, which also are open to those who just want to listen.

For more information, call the Mountain Heritage Center at 828.227.7129.

‘Open Door Meal & Sing’

The “Open Door Meal & Sing” will be held at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 31, at the First United Methodist Church in Sylva.

The community is invited to enjoy a delicious meal prepared by church members, musical entertainment and fellowship.

The entertainment will be provided by Jeff Ginn, a talented singer and guitar player, who performs a wide variety of music. Ginn is a native of Cullowhee, and has recently moved back home from Texas with his wife Holly and his two children. Although Ginn has traveled worldwide, he always had a desire to return to the mountains. While he lived in Texas, Ginn was the youth director at a Methodist church. A brief devotional will precede the meal. The “Open Door & Sing” event is held on the fifth Wednesday in those months which have one. All are welcome and invited to attend.

• Andrews Brewing Company (Andrews) will host the “Lounge Series” with Blue Revue (Americana) Jan. 27 and The Trailer Hippies Feb. 3. All shows are free and begin at 5 p.m. www.andrewsbrewing.com.

• Balsam Falls Brewing (Sylva) will host Shane Meade & Sean Shuffler (singer-songwriter) 7 p.m. Jan. 31, Twelfth Fret (Americana) 8 p.m. Feb. 9, Taylor Martin (singer-songwriter) 8 p.m. Feb. 16 and 1898 (Americana) 8 p.m. Feb. 23.

• Blue Ridge Beer Hub (Waynesville) will host an acoustic jam with Main St. NoTones from 6 to 9 p.m. Feb. 1 and 9. Free and open to the public. www.blueridgebeerhub.com.

• The Classic Wineseller (Waynesville) will host Bob Zullo (singer-songwriter) Jan. 26, Joe Cruz (piano/pop) Jan. 27 and Feb. 3, and Jay Brown (guitar/harmonica) Feb. 2. All shows are free and begin at 7 p.m. 828.452.6000 or www.classicwineseller.com.

• Currahee Brewing (Franklin) will host Eric Hendrix & Dr. Todd Davis (singer-songwriter) Jan. 27. All shows are free and begin at 7:30 p.m. www.curraheebrew.com.

• Frog Level Brewing (Waynesville) will host Kevin Fuller (singer-songwriter) 7 p.m. Jan. 27. All shows are free and open to the public. www.froglevelbrewing.com.

• Innovation Brewing (Sylva) will have an Open Mic night Jan. 24 and 31, and a jazz night with the Kittle/Collings Duo Jan. 25 and Feb. 1. All events are free and begin at 8 p.m. www.innovation-brewing.com.

• Isis Music Hall (Asheville) will host Taj Mahal (blues/Americana) 9 p.m. Jan. 25, Ian Ridenhour w/Beau + Lucy & Lost Stars (pop/rock) 9 p.m. Jan. 26, Heather Maloney (singer-songwriter) 7 p.m. Jan. 27, MonkeyJunk (blues/pop) 9 p.m. Jan. 27, Taylor Smith & The Roamin’ Jasmine (Americana) 5:30 p.m. Jan. 28, Russ Wilson (jazz/swing) 7:30 p.m. Jan. 28, Tuesday Bluegrass Sessions 7:30 p.m. Jan. 30, The Traveling Ones w/Matt Hires (Americana) 7 p.m. Jan. 31, Missy Raines & The New Hip (Americana/bluegrass) 7 p.m. Feb. 1, Bob Sinclair & The Big Deals 7 p.m. Feb. 2, David Mayfield w/The Maggie Valley Band (Americana) 9 p.m. Feb. 2, Blue Cactus

(Americana) 7 p.m. Feb. 3, The Artimus Pyle Band (southern rock) 9 p.m. Feb. 3 and Welcome to Jazzville 5:30 p.m. Feb. 4. For more information about the performances and/or to purchase tickets, click on www.isisasheville.com.

• Lazy Hiker Brewing (Franklin) will host Nick Prestia (singer-songwriter) Jan. 26 and Frogtown (bluegrass) Jan. 27. All shows are free and begin at 8 p.m. There will also be an open mic night at 6:30 p.m. Jan. 25. www.lazyhikerbrewing.com.

• The Oconaluftee Visitor Center (Cherokee) will host a back porch old-time music jam from 1 to 3 p.m. Feb. 17. All are welcome to come play or simply sit and listen to sounds of Southern Appalachia.

• Pub 319 (Waynesville) will host an open mic night from 8 to 11 p.m. on Wednesday with Mike Farrington of Post Hole Diggers. Free and open to the public.

• 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 an Open Jam

with Rick 8 p.m. Thursdays.

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

• Sneak E Squirrel Brewing (Sylva) will host line dancing every Friday at 7 p.m. and contra dancing every other Friday at 8 p.m. 828.586.6440.

• Soul Infusion Tea House & Bistro (Sylva) will host Jonathan Breedlove (singer-songwriter) Jan. 27. Both shows begin at 7 p.m. 828.586.1717 or www.soulinfusion.com.

• The Strand at 38 Main (Waynesville) will host an “Open Mic” night from 7 to 9 p.m. on Saturdays. 828.283.0079 or www.38main.com.

• Water’n Hole Bar & Grill (Waynesville) will host Chicken Coop Willaye (Americana/bluegrass) Jan. 26 and Jason Taylor Birthday Bash (rock/acoustic) Jan. 27. All shows begin at 9:30 p.m.

On the beat

Country star to play Franklin

Acclaimed county music act Tracy Lawrence will hit the stage at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 26, at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts in Franklin. By nearly every metric, Lawrence is a mega-watt success story — 13 millions albums sold, a collection of No. 1 singles, 22

songs on the Billboard Top-10 charts, a slew of CMA and ACM awards and even a Grammy nomination.

When asked to sum up his career, Lawrence says with a sense of wonder in his voice, “I go to work. I put on my uniform and I go do my job. I’ve been blessed.”

Tickets start at $25. For more information and/or to purchase tickets, visit www.greatmountainmusic.com or call 866.273.4615.

Haywood Community Chorus prepares for spring

The Haywood Community Chorus (HCC) will begin spring rehearsals on Monday, Feb. 5, in the Wilson Children’s Complex at Lake Junaluska.

Registration will be at 6:30 p.m. followed by a full chorus rehearsal at 7 p.m. Rehearsals continue each Monday evening for 12 weeks, culminating in the spring concert, scheduled for Sunday, May 6, at the First United Methodist Church in Waynesville.

Dan Forrest’s new work, “Lux: the Dawn from on High,” will be the major work this season. In addition, the chorus will perform traditional and contemporary spirituals, including “Beautiful River” by John Rutter and “Singabahambayo,” a South African folk song, arranged by Victor C. Johnson.

Membership dues are $30, which covers the cost of music and hiring musicians for concert performances. As attendance is important to learning music and to becoming accustomed to performing with fellow singers, members are encouraged to attend as many rehearsals as possible, missing no more than three, unless approved by the director.

tones. The schedule for sectional rehearsals is emailed to members each week.

The ability to read music is not required but is encouraged. Sectional rehearsals are held each week 30 minutes prior to the regular 7 p.m. rehearsals; sopranos and altos alternate weeks with tenors, basses and bari-

Founded in 1997, HCC is supported by a grassroots grant through the Haywood Arts council and by the continued support of its founders, The Junaluskans. Director Kathy Geyer McNeil is director of music at Grace Episcopal Church in the Mountains, as well as associate director of the Junaluska Singers.

For questions, call Laura Schnabel 828.557.9187.

Bryson City community jam

A community jam will be held from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 1, at the Marianna Black Library in Bryson City.

Anyone with a guitar, banjo, mandolin, fiddle, dulcimer, anything unplugged, are invited to join. Singers are also welcomed to join in or you can just stop by and listen. The jam is facilitated by Larry Barnett of Grampa’s Music in Bryson City.

The community jams offer a chance for musicians of all ages and levels of ability to share music they have learned over the years or learn old-time mountain songs. The music jams are offered to the public each first and third Thursday of the month — yearround. This program received support from the North Carolina Arts Council, an agency funded by the State of North Carolina and the National Endowment of the Arts. 828.488.3030.

On the street

WCU celebrates MLK

Jane Elliott, renowned teacher, lecturer and diversity trainer, will be the 2018 Martin Luther King Jr. speaker at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Jan. 29, in the John W. Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center at Western Carolina University.

Elliott is the creator of “Blue Eyes, Brown Eyes.” As a third-grade teacher in an all-white, rural town in Iowa, Elliott struggled with a way to explain the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. to her students. As a means to help them process his death and educate them about discrimination, Elliott created an exercise in which her students were treated differently based on the color of their eyes.

Elliott has spent the past 50 years educating people across the world and has appeared on “60 Minutes,” “The Tonight Show,” “Oprah” and several other media outlets. She has presented at more than 350 colleges and universities. In addition to her numerous awards and accolades, Elliott also has been criticized, discriminated against, threatened and challenged as a result of her work, but she has remained committed to helping people better understand the impact of discrimination.

Following Elliott’s presentation, there will be a question-and-answer session. The event is free and open to the public. www.wcu.edu.

‘The Little Tennessee River Valley: Treasure Over Time’

Mark Davidson will present “The Little Tennessee River Valley: Treasure Over Time” during the meeting of the Swain County Genealogical and Historical Society at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 1, at the Swain County Regional Business Education and Training Center in Bryson City.

The presentation will provide an overview of the Little Tennessee River Valley from the 1700s until the present. Over the years, many events have taken place in this valley that have shaped the region, the nation and the world, including Fontana Dam.

In 2000, while teaching at William Blount High School, Davidson developed a curriculum known as Appalachian Studies. Now in his retirement, he teaches non-credit classes designed for those who love the mountains and want to learn more through the OUR APPALACHIA series at Pellissippi State Community College’s Blount County Campus.

Robert Burns dinner

The Friends of the Scottish Tartans Museum will host its annual Burns Night Dinner at 5 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 27, in the Tartan Hall at the First Presbyterian Church in Franklin.

Although many poets and musicians have won awards, there is only one person who has a world-wide celebration every year from Canada, United States, Europe, South Africa, to Australia. That is Robert Burns, national poet of modern Scotland.

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

Burns was a poor farmer in Ayeshire, Scotland, but became 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 Broad Scots dialect that was used for storytelling. He set many of these to old pub ballads.

He performed this repertoire in meeting halls and salons around Scotland, attracted mentors, and became famous. Over twoand-a-half centuries later, Robert Burns Nights highlighting his poems and songs are bringing people together around the world. He did not live long enough to gain

his popularity. He died at the age of 37. You do not have to have a Scottish heritage or a certain dress to attend this event. Anyone is welcome. The evening starts with a roll call of clans and districts, moves on to a five course Scottish dinner menu, interspersed with Burns’ poems and songs and concludes with singing “Auld Lang Syne,” perhaps his most famous work.

Common practices in all Burns Night celebrations are a calling of the clans, presentation of the Haggis, ode to the haggis, Selkirk grace, a witty toast to the Lads and Lassies, the immortal memory of Robert Burns, a toast to the bard, and “Auld Lang Syne,” which Scots sing to welcome a new year.

Tickets for the five-course dinner and celebration are $35 per person, $15 for children ages 12 and under. Tickets are available for purchase at the Scottish Tartans Museum and the Franklin Chamber of Commerce. Sponsored by the Friends of the Scottish Tartans Museum. 828.524.3119 or www.franklin-chamber.com.

Conversation and refreshments will follow the presentation. The event is free and open to the public. www.swaingenealogy.com.

Waynesville restaurant rebrands, reopens

Blossom on Main, the popular Thai food restaurant in downtown Waynesville, has closed its doors and is rebranding as Firefly Taps & Grill. The restaurant will reopen on at 11:30 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 25, on Main Street.

When asked what type of food will be offered, co-owner Julie Katt said, “We originally thought southern comfort food, but we are so much more. We have southern food and comfort food, but also vegetarian and vegan items, as well as a few items from our Thai menu. It’s really eclectic, but mostly simple, delicious food at a great price in a fun atmosphere.”

Firefly will keep the same chef and her team in the kitchen and all the familiar faces out front.

“February is ‘Love the Locals’ month, so

we will have specials all month for locals. We also have local craft beer on draft, bottled domestic beers, and a great wine selection. We’re really to add Waynesville Soda Jerks to our menu, too,” Katt said.

“We’re appeasing to a larger audience with our new menu. Hopefully, the locals will embrace us and feel comfortable visiting us often,” added co-owner Keith Cipielewski.

Open call for Greening Up

There is an open call currently underway for artisans, vendors and environmentally-themed booths at the 21st annual Greening Up the Mountains, which will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, April 28, in downtown Sylva.

Celebrating the new spring in the mountains, the festival has become a beloved regional event. Applications can be downloaded at www.greeningupthemountains.com and will be accepted through April 1.

For more information, call 828.554.1035 or email greeningupthemountains@gmail.com.

• “Laughing Balsam Sangha,” a meeting for 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. For more information, call 828.335.8210, and “Like” them on Facebook.

• There will be a free wine tasting from 1 to 5 p.m. Jan. 27 and Feb. 3 at Bosu’s Wine Shop in Waynesville. www.waynesvillewine.com or 828.452.0120.

• A free wine tasting will be held from 2 to 5 p.m. Jan. 27 and Feb. 3 at Papou’s Wine Shop in Sylva. www.papouswineshop.com or 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.

On the wall

ALSO:

• “Fiber Sunday” will take place from 2 to 5 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 28, in Room 104 at The Cowee School Heritage Center in Franklin. Bring a textile project you are working on from spinning, knitting, weaving, rug hooking, baskets, etc. If you have any questions, call or email Teresa Bouchonnet at 828.349,3878 or bouchonnet@coweetextiles.com.

• Mad Batter Food & Film (Sylva) will host a free movie night at 7:30 p.m. every Thursday, Friday and Saturday. www.madbatterfoodandfilm.com.

• The “Watercolor, Gouache & Ink Pen” class will be held from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 27, at Tunnel Mountain Crafts in Dillsboro. Cost is $40, which includes all materials. For more information, call 850.445.4375.

• The Waynesville Fiber Friends will meet from 10 a.m. to noon on the second Saturday of the month at the Panacea Coffee House in Waynesville. All crafters and

beginners interested in learning are invited. You can keep up with them through their Facebook group or by calling 828.276.6226 for more information.

• “Paint Nite Waynesville” will be held at 7 p.m. on Thursdays (Feb. 1 and 15) at Frog Level Brewing in Waynesville. Sign up for either event on the Paint Night Waynesville Facebook page or call Robin Arramae at 828.400.9560. paintnitewaynesville@gmail.com.

• There will be a “Thursday Painters Open Studio” from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 6 to 9 p.m. at the Franklin Uptown Gallery. Bring a bag lunch, project and supplies. Free to the public. Membership not required. For information, call 828.349.4607.

• A “Youth Art Class” will be held from 10:30 a.m. to noon every Saturday at the Appalachian Art Farm on 22 Morris Street in Sylva. All ages welcome. $10 includes instruction, materials and snack. For more information, email appalachianartfarm@gmail.com or find them on Facebook.

Fine Art Museum new acquisitions

The Western Carolina University Fine Art Museum at the Bardo Arts Center is pleased to present the exhibition “WCU Collects: Recent Acquisitions” through Jan. 26 in Cullowhee.

This WCU Collects exhibition showcases a selection of artworks recently given to the museum and includes a number of artists not previously represented in the collection. The WCU Fine Art Museum stewards a collection of more than 1,500 art objects in all media — from painting and printmaking to book

Franklin art showcase

There will be a new art showcase for painter Milly Honeycutt that will run through Jan. 31 at the Macon County Public Library in Franklin. Free and open to the public.

“I started oil painting 10 years ago. A friend talked me into taking classes with Jon Houglum at the art gallery downtown,” Honeycutt said. “I’ve always been interested in all kinds of the arts. Ceramics, China painting, making China painted dolls and making all the clothes. I’m always doing some kind of crafts. [I’ve also] been doing mixed media at the Macon County Senior Center, and that’s real fun to do.”

arts, sculpture, ceramics, and contemporary craft. As the museum continues to research and interpret the collection, purchases and gifts expand and strengthen its holdings. New acquisitions find their way into the collection through a variety of routes and particularly through the generosity of donors.

All WCU Fine Art Museum exhibitions are free and open to the public. For further information, visit go.wcu.edu/wcucollects or call 828.227.3591.

The WCU Fine Art Museum boasts four art galleries with exhibitions year-round. The Museum is open Tuesday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Thursday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. www.wcu.edu.

On the stage

HART winter season continues

One of the bright spots of the winter is the Haywood Arts Regional Theatre Studio Season.

Each year, HART in Waynesville presents a festival of plays in its intimate 60-seat Feichter Studio. The space is located backstage in the Performing Arts Center at the Shelton House and for many this is where the region’s most exciting theatre happens.

Shows include: “The Complete Works of William Shakespeare abridged” (Jan. 26-Feb. 4), “Twelfth Night” (Feb. 9-16), “Women and War” (Feb. 23-March 4), “Mass Appeal” (March 23-April 1) and “In the Next Room or the Vibrator Play” (April 6-15).

Tickets are only $10 with general admission seating, but reservations are recommended as many shows regularly sell out. Another cautionary note, don’t arrive late. Once the show begins, no one can be admitted.

A complete schedule is available at www.harttheatre.org. Season tickets are also available for the winter season. Most shows traditionally run two weekends, but reservations are only taken one week at a time due to possible weather cancellations.

To make reservations or for more information call the HART box office at 828.456.6322. HART is located at 250 Pigeon Street in downtown Waynesville.

‘Live via Satellite’ presents ‘Tosca’

As part of the “Live via Satellite” series, there will be a screening of the MET Opera’s production of “Tosca” at 12:55 p.m. Saturday, Jan 27, at the Highlands Performing Arts Center.

Rivaling the splendor of Franco Zeffirelli’s set and costumes of the Napoleonic era, Sir David McVicar’s ravishing new production offers a splendid backdrop for two extraordinary sopranos sharing the title role of the jealous prima donna: Kristine Opolais and Anna Netrebko. Vittorio Grigolo and Marcelo Álvarez alternate in the role of Tosca’s revolutionary artist lover Cavaradossi, with Bryn Terfel, Michael Volle, and George Gagnidze as the depraved police

chief Scarpia. Andris Nelsons conducts.

Teatro Costanzi, Rome, 1900. Puccini’s melodrama about a volatile diva, a sadistic police chief, and an idealistic artist has offended and thrilled audiences for more than a century. Critics, for their part, have often had problems with the story’s rather grungy subject matter, the directness and intensity of its score, and the crowd-pleasing dramatic opportunities it provides for its lead roles. But, these same aspects have made “Tosca” one of a handful of iconic works that seem to represent opera in the public imagination. Its popularity is further secured by a superb and exhilarating dramatic sweep, a driving score of abundant melody and theatrical shrewdness, and a career-defining title role. Tickets are $26 per person, $22 for MET and PAC members. www.highlandspac.net or 828.526.9047.

Local histories serve important purpose

FFranklin Harry Potter party

or the past two centuries, local historians and writers in England have produced a large number of municipal and county histories, a project formalized in 1899 with the Victoria County History project, a massive undertaking that, more than 100 years later, is still unfinished. These detailed records have proven invaluable for historians and biographers writing on a grander scale, allowing them to compile data and statistics on topics ranging from deaths attributed to the plague to the impact of railroad revenues and services on country life.

In America, local and university historians launched a similar project in the 20th century. Many of these studies were informal and spontaneous, springing from an individual’s interest in his home county or from a group of citizens seeking to compile some formal historical record to celebrate their community.

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) of the Depression-era boosted these efforts, hiring writers and interviewers to record oral histories and to write histories of municipalities, noted churches and schools, and various local events. On my shelves, for example, are three volumes, bound like high school yearbooks, celebrating Yadkin County and Boonville, the small North Carolina town where I spent my formative years.

Such histories, it seems to me, reflect community pride, yet they also serve two other functions for future historians. First, they provide a wealth of information unavailable in a broader account of a region’s past: the description of the first local post office, for example, or the size of the town’s elementary school in 1956. Second, these histories also recount in detail local events with broader consequences that in a more general history might receive only a paragraph.

In Hazel Creek: The Life and Death of an Iconic Mountain Community (Great Smoky Mountains Association, 2017, 119 pages), Daniel S. Pierce, author of three other histories of the region and a distinguished professor at the University of North Carolina-Asheville, admirably meets the challenges of both of these tasks.

In Hazel Creek, Pierce gives us a portrait of Appalachian history in miniature: a quick sketch of the Cherokee; the coming of the white settlers; the development of a community; the activities of that community from church to moonshining, from

education to dances and holiday celebrations. Through Pierce’s examination of the Hazel Creek community, we see too the changes wrought by the coming of the rail-

roads and the building of better roads, and the radical alterations in lifestyle as Hazel Creek moved from subsistence farming to a cash economy based on such enterprises as logging and industrial development.

Using the writings of the renowned Horace Kephart, the outsider whose observations about Hazel Creek could be both accurate and too often romanticized, and the reminiscences and stories of local residents, Pierce recreates the life of this remote community. In introducing readers to church and faith in Hazel Creek, for example, Pierce describes baptisms, footwashings, singing, and preaching, and the important social functions these religious gatherings fulfilled, including the means and place to court a spouse. As local Duane Oliver noted, “With such a comparatively few people living in the area, finding a suitable spouse who was not one’s cousin was no easy task, and church gatherings were a fine place to make acquaintances.”

In addition to bringing Hazel Creek to life, Pierce devotes the last portion of his book to the closure of this community, the agreement made between the federal and state governments and Swain County in regard to visitation access to Hazel Creek, and the subsequent battles in courts and

deliberative bodies over that agreement. For those unfamiliar with this struggle and for historians of the future, Pierce’s account is succinct and valuable. With the waters of Fontana Dam due to cover Route 288, the only access road to Hazel Creek, and with pressure from the government, the residents moved away, mostly to other parts of Western North Carolina and Eastern Tennessee, all in the understanding that a road would be built into Hazel Creek so that they might visit the graveyards and homes of their ancestors.

This promise by the government was never honored.

After years of fighting over the road, a legal and political war involving such personages as Congressmen Charles Taylor, Heath Schuler, and Senator Jessie Helms, Swain County finally accepted a cash settlement in lieu of the highway. Hazel Creek is still accessible by a long hike or by boat across the waters of Fontana Lake, but the road remained only a dream. As of the writing of Pierce’s book, this settlement by the federal government has yet to be paid in full.

Hazel Creek: The Life and Death of an Iconic Mountain Community is a worthy tribute to this lost community. •••

The Christmas tree has hit the curb, the holiday sales have ended, and the decorations are headed for the attic until next year.

Nonetheless, I wanted to recommend a little book I gave as a gift to several people this year. Bob Welch’s 52 Lessons From A Christmas Carol (Nelson Books, 2015, 179 pages) brings us some helpful messages gleaned from Charles Dickens’ this classic tale. Chapter titles like “Fear Has An Upside,” “Learning Begins With Listening,” “Life Is Best Lived Imaginatively,” and “Bitterness Will Poison You” reveal the flavor of this warm and intimate look at Ebenezer Scrooge, Bob Cratchit, Tiny Tim, the various Christmas ghosts, and all the other characters.

Charles Dickens and Bob Welch remind us that Christmas may come but once a year, but that love, largesse, and laughter are in season year round. Highly recommended.

The fourth annual “Harry Potter Book Night” will be celebrated at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 1, at the Macon County Public Library in Frankin.

On “Harry Potter Book Night: Fantastic Beasts,” the library will be sharing the wonder of J.K. Rowling’s unforgettable stories and, most excitingly, introducing the next generation of readers to the unparalleled magic of Harry Potter.

Young wizards, witches and Muggles will be treated to an evening of fantastic activities, magic tricks, and readings from your favorite Harry Potter books. It all begins when the Sorting Hat decides who will be in which house, and then the students will rotate through magical classes.

They will be transforming the library into Hogwarts, as well as serving up snacks inspired by some of the scrumptious wizard foods in the books. Everyone is also encouraged to dress up as a Harry Potter book character for our costume contest.

For more information, call the children’s desk at the Macon County Public Library in Franklin at 828.524.3600. The Macon County Public Library in Franklin is a member of Fontana Regional Library (www.fontanalib.org).

The history of the Plott Hound

The Jackson County Public Library will welcome Bob Plott at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 25, in the Community Room of the library in Sylva.

Plott is an award-winning North Carolina native who has published several books on hunting and the premier big game hunting dog breed in America — the Plott Hound. Plott will be discussing his latest book, Plott Hound Tales

This fascinating story of the Plott family and the Plott hound is a classic American tale of adventure with roots deeply entrenched in North Carolina soil and American history and culture. And it is a story that award winning author and historian Bob Plott, the great-great-great grandson of Johannes George Plott, is uniquely qualified to tell.

This program is free of charge. For more information, call the library at 828.586.2016. This event is co-sponsored by the Friends of the Jackson County Public Library.

The Jackson County Public Library is a member of Fontana Regional Library (www.fontanalib.org).

Book study group: ‘Daring Democracy’

A new book group will hold a discussion on the work Daring Democracy: Igniting Power, Meaning, and Connection for the America We Want by Francis Lappe and Adam Eichen.

Discussions will be held Feb. 4 and Feb 18. This free community program will begin at 1 p.m. at the UU Fellowship on 85 Sierra Lane in Franklin.

Democracy is not just a description of our government, it is a way of life we all can and must participate in to be effective. Complaining does not foster change. Voicing our opinions in constructive ways, selecting leaders who represent our interests, and participating in decision making processes are all part of the democratic process. All are welcome. Register in case they need to reschedule for weather: 828.524.3691 or sandidonn2@yahoo.com.

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Breaking the backlog

Deferred maintenance in the billions for national parks

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFFWRITER

Drawing more than 300 million visitors each year, the National Park Service is both a reservoir of natural beauty and an economic anchor for the communities surrounding its lands — and many of those communities are now banding together to demand that Congress address the parks’ $11.3 billion maintenance backlog.

“To know what this means to us — the Blue Ridge Parkway and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park — and for us to have to ask them for some sustainable revenue to keep these parks going, it’s almost like asking somebody to take care of their baby,”

Jackson County Commissioner Boyce Dietz said before the board unanimously passed a resolution in favor of sustained funding Dec. 18, 2017.

The resolution outlines the importance of the national parks to Jackson County and the nation as a whole, as well as the issues caused by rising maintenance backlogs. It concludes by calling on Congress to “create a reliable, predictable stream of resources to address deferred maintenance needs in America’s National Park System, and to ensure that federal infrastructure initiatives include provisions to address park maintenance.”

A LOCALIMPACT

Jackson County is far from being the only local government to pass such a resolution in recent months. Philadelphia-based Pugh Charitable Trusts has been contacting governments across the country, urging them to pass similar resolutions in an attempt to spur Congress to action. As of press time, 150 resolutions had been passed nationwide, with 26 of those in North Carolina — making North Carolina the state with the broadest interest to date.

“Pugh has a long history of caring about public lands and communities, so this is a natural progression of that work,” said Yaron Miller, of Pugh. “This deferred maintenance issue threatens the integrity of these parks, which can harm the communities that neighbor them and benefit from tourism and visitor spending.”

Home to two of the most-visited national park units in the country — both of which have deferred maintenance needs in the hundreds of millions — Western North Carolina has about as much at stake as any other region in the nation. The Great Smoky

Mountains National Park is consistently the most-visited national park in the country, in 2017 logging a record 11.34 million visitors, and the Blue Ridge Parkway, which sits in a somewhat different classification as a National Parkway and All-American Road, logged 16.1 million visits last year.

According to a 2016 National Park Service visitor spending effects report, North Carolina is the third-ranked state for visitor spending from national park visitors, with $1.3 billion in visitor spending that supported 21,000 jobs.

However, the Smokies currently has a deferred maintenance backlog of $211.2 million and the Parkway has a backlog of $500.6 million — $67 million and $261 million, respectively, of those amounts stem from facilities in the North Carolina section of those parks. Western North Carolina is also home to the Appalachian National Scenic Trail, which runs from Georgia to Maine, and that National Park Service unit has a deferred maintenance count of $19.1 million. A report that Pugh commissioned from Cadmus estimates that addressing deferred maintenance in North Carolina would create 4,187 jobs, making it the seventh-ranked state for job creation.

A SHIFTINGNUMBER

Deferred maintenance numbers aren’t stagnant, however.

“It is a number that is constantly changing, because if they go paint a building tomorrow, that removes that number off the list,” said Dana Soehn, spokesperson for the Smokies.

Conversely, if there’s another building that’s due for a repainting but gets passed over, then that cost gets added to the list. And while it might not be a big deal to be a year late on painting a building or paving a section of road or updating a heating and cooling system, it becomes a bigger deal the longer the project is delayed and the more undone projects accumulate.

“Eventually you get to a point where you have to shut down a facility so you can do those full-scale renovation projects,” Soehn said. “It would be less disruptive to our visitors if we were able to keep up with those annual maintenance projects so that we wouldn’t have to get to the point where we have to close a facility to do a full-scale renovation.”

For example, she said, the park has been deferring maintenance on the Sugarlands Visitor Center near Gatlinburg for “many, many years now.” At this point, it will need a complete renovation, or even a completely new building — given the millions of visitors the center sees each year, such a project would severely impair the park’s ability to serve those visitors.

“Of course we did it at the Oconaluftee Visitor Center, and now we have this beautiful new facility that’s serving far more visitors than the former facility allowed us to do, but it was certainly disruptive during that time period,” Soehn said.

Similarly, the Park Headquarters is more than 75 years old and in need of $5 million of repairs and upgrades. There is $6 million in deferred maintenance needs for wastewater and water treatment facilities in the park, and nearly $350,000 for rehabilitation of various structures in the Cades Cove district.

Who’s on board?

Many counties and municipalities in Western North Carolina have been passing resolutions, shepherded by the Pugh Charitable Trust, asking Congress to create a sustainable funding stream to address deferred maintenance in the National Park System.

Local governments that have passed such resolutions so far include:

n Jackson County

n Webster

n Dillsboro

n Franklin

n Waynesville

n Maggie Valley

n Bryson City

n Robbinsville

n Graham County

n Flat Rock

n Hendersonville

n Marion

However, the Smokies’ 370 miles of roads account for $151.8 million of its $211 million maintenance backlog.

“We just completed rehabilitation of Newfound Gap Road,” Soehn said. “We did the last 2-mile section between Gatlinburg and Sugarlands Visitor Center, and before long it’s going to be time to start again.”

Roads account for an even larger proportion of the Parkway’s maintenance backlog, comprising $452.5 million of the $500 million total. Most road projects are funded by the U.S. Highways Administration, which distributes money to parks throughout the country using a formula to divvy up dollars received through the gas tax.

However, the Parkway has other maintenance needs as well, with buildings accounting for the next largest chunk of deferred maintenance, at $21.3 million.

“Many of the facilities in our park and across the country were built during the Mission 66 period (from 1956 to 1966),” said Leesa Brandon, spokesperson for the Parkway. “Those facilities now are aging to a point they have quite a bit of needed maintenance.”

On the Appalachian Trail, most of the deferred maintenance needs — $15.3 of $19.1 million — are for trails, with unpaved roads adding another $3.2 million.

All three parks are supported by dedicated nonprofits — Friends of the Smokies, the Great Smoky Mountains Association, the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation and the Appalachian Trail Conservancy — that work to supplement federal dollars with donations making possible facilities improvements, equipment upgrades and positions that would otherwise find themselves without funding.

The park also competes for grants from a variety of sources, with a $2.6 million replacement of the Elkmont wastewater treatment plant in the works and a $6 million renovation and demolition project in the Elkmont Historic District underway.

Take the plunge

The annual plunge into frigid water — for a cause — will return on Saturday, Feb. 17, with Haywood Waterways Association’s sixth annual Plunge Benefit-t-t-ting Kids in the Creek and Environmental Education.

Plungers are wanted to jump — or even just dip a toe — into the brand new Canton Pool during the event 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Participation is $25, $20 for kids under 18, or free for those who raise sponsorships. All proceeds benefit Haywood Waterways’ environmental education programs, including Kids in the Creek, which has reached 13,000 kids in its 20-year history.

“The Plunge is a great fundraiser for our education programs, as well a great friendraiser and tool for raising awareness of clean water,” said Eric Romaniszyn, executive director for Waterways.

Fun is a focus of the event, with costumes encouraged and prizes awarded for best getup and top fund-raisers. All plungers will receive a free T-shirt. Donate or register at

While recent years have seen some significant facilities improvements, the deferred maintenance backlog persists.

FINDINGTHEFUNDING

A bill introduced to Congress last year would attempt to create a continuous funding stream to ensure that this backlog eventually disappears. The bipartisan National Park Service Legacy Act, introduced in both the House and Senate last spring, proposes to send federal mineral revenues not otherwise committed into a special fund that would be used exclusively for deferred maintenance projects in the national parks.

A well-costumed plunger leaps into wintry Lake Junaluska during a previous year’s plunge. Donated photo

www.crowdrise.com/6thannualhwaplunge, or request a sponsorship, registration and donation packet from Haywood Waterways at 828.476.4667 or info@haywoodwaterways.org. Event sponsors are wanted as well.

seeing any serious consideration in Congress.

“There’s probably a greater groundswell of support for an ongoing funding stream for our typical roads, bridges and infrastructure than there is for the same in the parks, so I would say that a funding stream for traditional highways, roads, bridges, airports, seaports would have to pass first before you ever got any special funding stream for deferred maintenance in the parks,” Meadows said.

Crews work to repave Newfound Gap Road at Cole Creek, part of a 4.3mile repaving project completed in 2015. NPS photo

Hike the Smokies

A challenging hike in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park will offer plenty of scenery and the possibility of snow in higher elevations on Saturday, Jan. 27.

Organized by the Carolina Mountain Club, the hike will climb up the Kanati Fork Trail and follow the Thomas Divide Trail to descend on the Newton Bald Trail, a total of 11.5 miles with 3,800 feet of climbing. The group will meet at a location off of I-40 and carpool to the trailhead.

Visitors welcome. No dogs. RSVP to hike leader Jeff McGurk, 864.921.6469 or jbsbestfan@hotmail.com.

Banish cabin fever

A 2-mile hike exploring the Winding Stair Gap area of the Nantahala National Forest will commence at 2 p.m. Sunday,

Feb. 4.

Organized by the Nantahala Hiking Club, the hike will taking Winding Stair Gap Forest Service Road north with a return via the Appalachian Trail, crossing Moore Creek and encountering a lovely waterfall. Total elevation gain is 200 feet. The group will meet in Franklin and carpool to the trailhead.

Visitors welcome. No dogs. RSVP to hike leader Mary Stone at 828.369.7352.

Help teach future Special Olympics athletes

Leaders are needed for the new Special Olympics Young Athletes Program in Waynesville, with an interest meeting scheduled for 6 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 6, at the Waynesville Recreation Center. Young Athletes is an innovative sports play program that gives kids with intellectual disabilities ages 2 to 7 the chance to participate in games, songs and other play activities that help them develop motor, social and cognitive skills. Leaders are provided with scripted lesson plans to use over an eight-week period. Lessons are designed to help kids build skills through repetition of activities, covering foundation skills, walking and running, balance and jumping, trapping and catching, throwing, striking, kicking and a review of skills as sports.

Tim Petrea, 828.456.2030 or haywood@sonc.net.

According to the bill, 20 percent would go to transportation-related projects, with 80 percent going to the remainder of high-priority deferred maintenance projects in the parks. The fund would sunset in 2047.

“We’ve been really excited about the bipartisan support that the bill has received in the Senate and the House,” Miller said.

U.S. Congressman Mark Meadows, RAsheville, said that the deferred maintenance issue is a “high priority” for him but that he doesn’t anticipate this particular bill

Indeed, neither the House nor the Senate Bill has seen any action at all this fiscal year. The Senate bill was read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources on March 28, 2017, and after being introduced in the House on May 22, 2017, the bill was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources and the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, where it still sits. However, Meadows said, he does see the potential for a “one-time significant resource allocation” to address the backlog. He said he’s been in conversations with Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke to ensure Zinke knows that a spending bill including a higher amount for deferred maintenance would see support from conservative members.

“I do see it as a priority. I do see it as something I have to address, and I do see it as something that has an economic impact on the communities in Western North Carolina and across the country in general,” Meadows said.

State parks see record visitation

North Carolina State Parks has logged its fourth consecutive year of record visitation, with 19.4 million visits to the state’s 39 parks in 2017.

“It’s great to see more and more people seeking out our parks and enjoying some of the most beautiful places in our state,” said Gov. Roy Cooper.

The 19.4 million visits represent a 3.4 percent increase over the 18.8 million visits recorded in 2016. Visitation at state parks has increased more than 44 percent over the past 10 years, with 13.5 million visits recorded in 2007 — 6 million fewer than 2017.

Among the state’s 39 parks and recreation areas, 27 reported visitation increases in 2017. Jockey’s Ridge State Park in Dare County reported the greatest visitation with 1.56 million visits, among six state park units logging more than 1 million visitors.

Park officials attribute the continued increase in visitation to new trails, improvements in parks and greater public awareness brought on by a more aggressive social media effort. More improvements are coming as a result of the Connect N.C. Bond voters approved in 2016 — these funds will allow the Division of Parks and Recreation to add new campgrounds, visitor centers and additional conveniences to parks, as well as acquiring new lands across the state.

Input sought on Waterrock Knob planning

Ideas for the future of the land surrounding Waterrock Knob and Plott Balsam are welcome during a public hearing slated for 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 25, at the Folkmoot Friendship Center in Waynesville.

The National Park Service is in the process of acquiring 5,329 acres near Waterrock Knob on the Blue Ridge Parkway and is now creating a plan to manage that new acreage.

The public is invited to give their input on future stewardship of the property, as well as on the National Park Service proposal to manage the land as part of the larger landscape of state, federal and local lands in the area.

Send comments about the NPS approach to large landscape collaborative management for the Waterrock Knob lands to http://parkplanning.nps.gov/waterrockknobvisionplan, and written comments to Blue Ridge Parkway, ATTN: Suzette Molling, 199 Hemphill Knob Road, Asheville, N.C. 28803. Comments will be accepted through Feb. 25.

Hosted by the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation in collaboration with the National Park Service and multiple local, state and federal land managers in the region. Light refreshments will be served.

Women’s History Trail lands grant

A $740 grant from the Jim McRae Endowment for the Visual Arts will fuel efforts to create a Women’s History Trail in Macon County, celebrating the lives and accomplishments of Macon County women with a trail to “walk in her steps.”

The project, spearheaded by the Folk Heritage Association of Macon County, will include a marked historical trail as well as art, events, publications and other media, with the first phase of the trail to be installed later this year. The trail will include women from all levels of society throughout the area’s history.

Sculptor Wesley Wofford, of Cashiers, has been engaged to develop a design maquette for an initial sculpture, which will tell the story of three women — Cherokee, black and white — who are representative of the early settlement period. Fundraising efforts for the piece are underway.

“The Women’s History Trail is a unique and groundbreaking way to preserve and share our heritage,” said Anne Hyder, chairman. “Its emphasis on public art has the power to transform our communities. We are excited to be its sponsor.”

The Women’s Heritage Trail held its first event last April, a dramatic portrayal of the lives of nine women buried in the cemetery of First United Methodist Church. This is the second year the project has received funding from the McRae endowment, a fund of the N.C. Community Foundation established in memory of noted figurative artist Jim McRae, who lived in Franklin.

Volunteers and contributions are both sought. Contact Mary Polanski to participate at marypolanski@gmail.com. Send donations to FHAMC at P.O. Box 1416, Franklin, N.C., 28734, with “Women’s History Trail” in the memo line.

Remember wildlife at tax time

Wildlife lovers can help conserve North Carolina’s nongame and rare wildlife species — and their habitats — by making a donation on line No. 30 of the N.C. income tax form.

The Nongame and Endangered Wildlife Fund helps the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission pursue projects that conserve wildlife species without a designated hunting season. Game species such as deer, turkey and bear also tend to benefit from these same projects, as they often share habitats with the nongame species targeted.

Since the fund’s inception in 1984, taxpayers have donated more than $11 million to projects such as restoring mussels to the Cheoah and Pigeon rivers, and enhancing populations of robust redhorse and sicklefin redhorse, two large imperiled fish.

Park camping fees to rise

Fees for frontcountry campgrounds and picnic pavilions in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park will be a little higher after March 1.

Over the past year, park officials have reviewed public comments, operating costs and projected budget levels to settle on rate increases that range from 10 to 25 percent at various locations. The current fees have not increased since 2006 or earlier — except for Cataloochee Campground, which saw an increase in 2011 — and the rate increases were needed to meet rising operating costs, reduce a maintenance backlog on park facilities and allow for improvements.

“Maintaining and servicing these facilities in the mountains presents a unique set of challenges and, with increasing costs, these fee increases are necessary to ensure the continual care and operation of these special places,” said Superintendent Cassius Cash.

New fees will range from $17.50 to $27

per night at campgrounds; $30 to $75 at group campgrounds; $23 to $29 at horse campgrounds; and $12.50 to $80 at picnic pavilions.

The park operates nine open campgrounds, seven group campgrounds, six picnic pavilions and five horse campgrounds. Beginning in March, three more of these campgrounds — Abrams Creek, Balsam Mountain and Big Creek — will be added to the National Recreation Reservation System to improve operational efficiency. Sites at these campgrounds will then require advanced registration at www.recreation.gov or by phone, eliminating the need for staff time to collect fees.

The park retains 100 percent of its camping and pavilion fees, with proceeds used to maintain and operate those facilities. Some revenues also go to maintain park infrastructure and other special projects outside of these sites.

www.nps.gov/grsm/planyourvisit/carcamping.htm.

Summer camp lineup final for Tremont

It may be winter, but the Tremont Institute in the Smokies has its lineup of summer camps and programs ready to go, with a $50 discount on selected camps offered through Feb. 23.

The 2018 program schedule offers summer camps for kids and young adults, educator workshops, photography, hiking, naturalist programs, backpacking and more. Participants typically stay on Tremont’s campus for three to 10 days, with prices including lodging and meals. Visit gsmit.org/program/calendar to learn more or email laurabeth@gsmit.org.

Mountain Ride location announced

The fifth annual Cycle North Carolina weekend “Mountain Ride” will be held in Tryon and Polk County this year Aug. 4-5, Cycle North Carolina announced last week.

The Mountain Ride, last year held in Bryson City, brings more than 400 cyclists to participate in a fully supported weekend of summer cycling along scenic mountain back roads. In the past cyclists have come from more than 20 states and ranged in age

from 13 to 80-plus years. Registration is available at www.ncsports.org.

COMMUNITY EVENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS

• Western Carolina University celebrated the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. with a variety of events throughout January. Jane Elliott, renowned teacher, lecturer and diversity trainer, will be the 2018 MLK speaker at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Jan. 29, at the John W. Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center. For more information, contact associate director Jennifer Cooper at 828-227-7184 or jacooper@wcu.edu. www.wcu.edu.

• A semi-annual community information sharing meeting about broadband will be held from 3:30-5 p.m. on Jan. 30, in the historic courtroom at the Jackson County Public Library.

• Dave Ramsey’s “Financial Peace University” will be offered as a nine-week program from Jan. 31-March 28 at First Alliance Church in Franklin. It meets from 6:308 p.m. on Wednesdays. Price: $50, includes materials. Register: facregistration.com. Childcare available for all ages. Info: 369.7977, Kris@franklincma.com and www.daveramsey.com/fpu.

• Volunteers will be available to assist with federal and state income tax preparation and filing from Feb. 2-April 13 in Jackson County. The service is available from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. on Mondays through Fridays on a first-come, first-serve basis at the Jackson county Senior Center in Sylva. It’s also available from 3-6:45 p.m. on Tuesdays by appointment (586.2016) at the Jackson County Public Library in Sylva. Info: 293.0074, 586.4944 or 586.2016. For tax prep sites in other counties: www.aarp.org.

• Registration is underway for a grant writing and research workshop for nonprofits through the Franklin Chamber of Commerce. Workshop is from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. on Feb. 13 at the Franklin Chamber of Commerce and Welcome Center, 98 Hyatt Road in Franklin. https://tinyurl.com/yax5m96j. Info: 704.614.8703.

• The Town of Waynesville is accepting applications from nonprofit organizations for consideration of special appropriations in the upcoming fiscal year 2018-19 budget. Applications available at www.waynesvillenc.gov/government or at the municipal building. Applications due by March 31. Info: 452.2491 or aowens@waynesvillenc.gov.

B USINESS & E DUCATION

• Blossom on Main, the popular Thai food restaurant in downtown Waynesville, has closed its doors and is rebranding as Firefly Taps & Grill. The restaurant will reopen on at 11:30 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 25, on Main Street. They will offer southern food and comfort food, but also vegetarian and vegan items, as well as a few items from their Thai menu. “February is ‘Love the Locals’ month, so they will have specials all month for locals.

• The fourth annual Appalachian Farm School, organized by Southwestern Community College’s Small Business Center and its partners, will be held from 6-9 p.m. on Tuesdays through Feb. 27 in the Burrell Building on SCC’s Jackson Campus in Sylva. Designed for anyone in the agriculture business. Topics include business planning, farm evaluation, goal setting and more. Registration required: www.southwesterncc.edu/sbc. Info: t_henry@southwesterncc.edu or 339.4426.

• Concealed Carry Handgun Class is being offered from 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. on Feb. 17 at Bethel Grocery Hunting & Fishing at 5692 Pigeon Road in Waynesville. 648.5797 or bethelgrocery@gmail.com.

FUNDRAISERSAND B ENEFITS

• The First United Methodist Church of Sylva will hold an Open Door Meal & Sing at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday,

All phone numbers area code 828 unless otherwise noted.

Jan. 31, in the church’s Christian Life Center. Entertainment by singer/guitar player Jeff Ginn. Devotional precedes meal. 586.2358.

• “Farmers of America Documentary” will be showing on Jan. 31 at 7:30 p.m. as part of a fundraiser at Mad Batter Food & Film. A percentage of sales at Mad Batter Food & Film will be donated to Jackson County 4H. 586.3555.

• There will be a benefit concert featuring Christian rock acts Zach Williams and Citizen Way at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 3, at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts in Franklin. Proceeds from the event will support the Hands & Feet Project, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing family-style, residential care for children in crisis. Tickets start at $10 per person. To purchase tickets or to find out more information about this or any other show at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts, visit www.greatmountainmusic.com or call 866.273.4615.

VOLUNTEERS & VENDORS

• Special Olympics Haywood County is seeking leaders of the new Special Olympics Young Athletes program. An interest meeting is set for 6 p.m. on Feb. 6 at the Waynesville Recreation Center. 456.2030 or haywood@sonc.net.

• Exhibitors are being accepted for the ninth annual Healthy Living Festival, which is from 9 a.m.-noon on Saturday, March 24 at the Jackson County Cullowhee Recreation Center. Applications due by Feb. 16. Applications and info: 587.8238 or janellemesser@jacksonnc.org.

• There is an open call currently underway for artisans, vendors and environmentally-themed booths at the 21st annual Greening Up the Mountains, which will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, April 28, in downtown Sylva. Applications can be downloaded at www.greeningupthemountains.com and will be accepted through April 1. For more information, call 554.1035 or email greeningupthemountains@gmail.com.

H EALTH MATTERS

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

• Classes to help you take control of your diabetes will be offered from 10 a.m.-noon on Wednesdays through Feb. 28 (but no meeting on Feb. 7) at the Canton Library, 11 Pennsylvania Ave., in Canton. Family members, caregivers and friends also welcome to attend. Register at the Senior Resource Center or call 356.2800.

• A “Project 24” program for anyone diagnosed with pre-diabetes – or who knows they’re at risk – is offered at 5:30 p.m. at Haywood County Health and Human Services. 24 one-hour classes. First class was Jan. 22. Info and to register: 356.2272.

• A program entitled “Know the 10 Signs” – regarding early detection of Alzheimer’s Disease – will be offered from 2-3 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 24, at the Waynesville Library. https://www.alz.org/what-isdementia.asp.

• A tired leg/varicose vein educational program will be presented at 5 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 25, at the Vein Center at Haywood Regional Medical Center in Clyde. Led by Dr. Al Mina, MD, FACS, and Dr. Joshua Rudd, DO. RSVP required: 452.8346.

• The Haywood Health Authority Board Meeting is set

for 4 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 25, in the second floor classroom at Haywood Regional Medical Center in Clyde.

• The 10th anniversary of the founding of National Alliance on Mental Illness Appalachian South will be celebrated with a party from 6:30-8:30 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 26, in the third floor classroom at Angel Medical Center in Franklin. Info: 371.5996.

• 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 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 Parkinsons Disease and their caregivers will be held at 2 p.m. on the last Wednesday of the month at the Waynesville Senior Resource Center.

• A support group for anyone with Multiple Sclerosis, family and friends meets twice each month: at 2 p.m. on the second Tuesday of each month in the Heritage Room at the Jackson County Senior Center in Sylva and at 5:30 p.m. on the second Thursday at the Jackson County Public Library in Sylva. Info: 293.2503.

• Free childbirth and breastfeeding classes are available at Harris Regional Hospital in Sylva. Classes are offered bimonthly on an ongoing basis. Register or get more info: 586.7907.

• A free weekly grief support group is open to the public from 12:30-2 p.m. on Thursdays at SECU Hospice House in Franklin. Hosted by Four Seasons Compassion for Life Bereavement Team. 692.6178 or mlee@fourseasonscfl.org.

• A free, weekly grief support group will meet from 12:30-2 p.m. on Thursdays at the SECU Hospice House in Franklin. 692.6178 or mlee@fourseasonscfl.org.

• “ECA on the Move!” – a walking program organized by Jackson County Extension and Community Association – meets from 9-10 a.m. on Mondays through Thursdays. It’s an effort to meet the American Heart Association’s recommendation of 10,000 steps per day. 586.4009.

• 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.

R ECREATIONAND FITNESS

• Waynesville Yoga Center will offer a “Creating a Home Practice Workshop” from 5:30-7 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 26, in Waynesville. Participate in co-creating a realistic, practical and applicable home yoga sequence. $30. Register: 246.6570 or WaynesvilleYogaCenter.com.

• Waynesville Yoga Center will offer a program on “Wrists, Arms and Shoulders” from 2-3:30 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 27, in Waynesville. $20. Tools to manage

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

and prevent pain. Register: 246.6570 or WaynesvilleYogaCenter.com.

• The High Mountain Squares will host their “Broadway Tonight Dance” from 6:15-8:45 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 29, at the Robert C. Carpenter Community Building in Franklin. Caller is Dr. Jim Duncan from Otto. Info: 342.1560, 332.0001, 706.746.5426 or www.highmountainsquares.com.

• Waynesville Yoga Center is offering “Buti Hot Core” from 2-3:30 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 3, in Waynesville. Engage the deep muscles of the tummy and back. $20. Register: 246.6570 or WaynesvilleYogaCenter.com.

• Waynesville Yoga Center will offer “Flow Bros + Beer” from noon-1 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 10, in Waynesville. Men-only yoga basics class followed by a beer tasting (1-1:30 p.m.). $25. Register: 246.6570 or WaynesvilleYogaCenter.com.

• Waynesville Yoga Center will offer “Thai Massage Workshop” from 2-3:30 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 10, in Waynesville. $30 single; $50 for couple. Register: 246.6570 or WaynesvilleYogaCenter.com.

• Registration is underway for “Spa Weekend,” which is Feb. 16-18 at the Lake Logan Conference Center in Canton. Food, time with friends, massage, mani or pedi, facial, guided yoga and other classes. $320. Stay one night or two. Register: lakelogan.org/events.

• A wide variety of yoga classes are offered daily through the Waynesville Yoga Center. For updated, current listings, visit: http://waynesvilleyogacenter.com/class-schedule.

• Registration is underway for rumba, waltz and line dance lessons that will be offered in February and March. Beginning rumba is offered on Mondays from Feb. 12-March 19; intermediate waltz is available on Tuesdays from Feb. 13-March 27; and beginning line dancing is offered on Wednesdays from Feb. 14-March 21. A higher level of line dancing is scheduled for Thursdays from Feb. 15-March 22. $60 per person. All classes are from 6:30-7:30 p.m. Info: 356.7060 or 550.3170.

• Registration is underway for a TaijiFit program, which will be presented by International Tai Chi Champion David-Dorian Ross from March 3-4 at the Haywood Regional Health and Fitness Center in Clyde. TaijiFit makes Tai Chi, yoga and meditation more accessible. Info: 904.377.1527 or mattjeffsdpt@outlook.com.

S PIRITUAL

• Registration is underway for Lake Junaluska’s winter youth retreat featuring Cecilia Tucker (speaker) and The Advice (worship band). Retreat is from Jan. 26-28. Register or get more info: 800.222.4930 or www.lakejunaluska.com/winteryouth.

• Registration is underway for Lake Junaluska’s winter youth retreat featuring Chris Sasser (speaker) and The Advice (worship band) Retreat is from Feb. 2-4. Register or get more info: 800.222.4930 or www.lakejunaluska.com/winteryouth.

• Registration is underway for Lake Junaluska’s winter youth retreat featuring Eddie Willis (speaker), Abbye West Pates (worship band) and Joshua Lozoff (illusionist). Retreat is from Feb. 16-19. Register or get more info: 800.222.4930 or www.lakejunaluska.com/winteryouth.

• Registration is underway for a “Healthy and Holy Retreat,” which is Feb. 23-24 at the Lake Logan Conference Center in Canton. Retreat will be led by author Mike Morrell, David Bolt and Dr. Gus Vickery. Opportunity to enrich, rejuvenate and clarify your essential relationships. Register: lakelogan.org/events.

• Registration is underway for the Interfaith Peace Conference, which is Thursday through Sunday, March 1-4, in Lake Junaluska. Topic centers around communicating with civility and respect while upholding core values and religious traditions. Jewish, Christian and Muslim leaders will offer lectures, worship, music, prayer and meditation. $150 per person. $60 for students. $10 for CEU credits. www.lakejunaluska.com/peace or 800.222.4930.

P OLITICAL

• The Jackson County Board of Commissioners will hold a public hearing at 5 p.m. on Jan. 29 at the Justice and Administration Building, 401 Grindstaff Cove Road, Room A201, in Sylva. Purpose is to receive public input concerning consolidation of the Health Department and the Department of Social Services.

• The Jackson County Board of Commissioners will hold a public hearing to receive public input concerning text amendments to the “Cullowhee Community Planning Area Development Standards” at 4:55 p.m. on Jan. 29 at the Justice & Administration Building at 401 Grindstaff Cove Road, Room A201, in Sylva. Copies available at jacksonnc.org/planning or at the Planning Department at the Justice Center.

• The Jackson County Board of Commissioners will hold a public hearing to receive public input concerning a “No-Wake Zone” on Glenville Lake at 5:55 p.m. on Jan. 29 at the Justice & Administration Building at 401 Grindstaff Cove Road, Room A201, in Sylva.

• A book study group will be starting at 1 p.m. on Feb. 4 at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in Franklin. Book: “Darking Democracy: Igniting Power, Meaning and Connection for the America We Want” by Francis Lappe and Adam Eichen. 524.3691.

• The Jackson County Board of Commissioners will hold a regular meeting at 3 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 5, at the Justice & Administration Building, 401 Grindstaff Cove Road, Room A201, in Sylva.

AUTHORSAND B OOKS

• The Jackson County Public Library will welcome Bob Plott at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 25, in the Community Room of the library in Sylva. Plott will be discussing his latest book, Plott Hound Tales. 586.2016. (www.fontanalib.org).

S ENIORACTIVITIES

• The Mexican Train Dominoes Group seeks new players to join games at 1:30 p.m. each Tuesday at the Senior Resource Center in Waynesville. 926.6567.

• Eat Smart, Move More North Carolina – an effort to help area residents commit to a healthier lifestyle, will meet from 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. on Wednesdays at the Haywood County Senior Resource Center in Waynesville.

• A Silver Sneakers Cardio Fit class will meet from 10-11 a.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays at the Waynesville Recreation Center. For ages 60 and above. Cost is regular admission fee to the rec center or free for members. 456.2030 or tplowman@waynesvillenc.gov.

• 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

• Senior croquet for ages 55 and older is offered from 9-11:30 a.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays at Vance Street Park in front of Waynesville Recreation Center. Free. For info, contact Donald Hummel at 456.2030 or dhummel@waynesvillenc.gov.

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

• Pinochle game is played at 10 a.m. on Wednesdays at Haywood County Senior Resource Center in Waynesville. 356.2813.

• Hearts is played at 12 p.m. on Wednesdays at Haywood County Senior Resource Center in Waynesville. 356.2813.

• Mah Jongg is played at 1 p.m. on Wednesdays at Haywood County Senior Resource Center in Waynesville. 356.2813.

K IDS & FAMILIES

• Signups for the upcoming Jackson County Little League Baseball and Softball seasons will be held from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. on Saturdays, Jan. 27-Feb. 10, at the Cullowhee Recreation Department. Signups also offered from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. on Feb. 3 at the Qualla Fire Department in Whittier. For ages 5-16. $65, with a $5 discount for additional siblings. Bring birth certificate(s). jacksoncountynclittleleague@gmail.com or 226.0061.

• The fourth annual “Harry Potter Book Night” will be celebrated at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 1, at the Macon County Public Library in Franklin. The library will be transformed into Hogwarts, snacks inspired by some of the scrumptious wizard foods in the books will be served. Everyone is encouraged to dress up as a Harry Potter book character for our costume contest. For more information, please call the children’s desk at the Macon County Public Library in Franklin at 524.3600. (www.fontanalib.org).

Puzzles can be found on page 46. These are only the answers.

• Camp Hobbit Hill is currently offering an essay contest to future campers. Winners of the essay contest have a chance to win a free session of camp. Camp Hobbit Hill is a girls overnight camp, with a focus on horsemanship and arts, located in Alexander. The essay must answer one of the following questions (200-250 words), be written by the potential camper, and be submitted to camp@CampHobbitHill.com no later than March 1. Please explain what leadership and community mean to you or How could attending and experiencing camp help you become more actively involved in your community or Tell us how you can be a good role model to other students in school (300 words or less). Further instructions will be available at www.camphobbithill.com. Contestants may enter all sections of the contest, but are only entitled to win one 1st prize. All entries must include name, age, parental contact and return email.

• A “Youth Art Class” will be held from 10:30 a.m. to noon every Saturday at the Appalachian Art Farm on 22 Morris Street in Sylva. All ages welcome. $10 includes instruction, materials and snack. For more information, email appalachianartfarm@gmail.com or find them on Facebook.

ONGOINGKIDSACTIVITIES ANDCLUBS

• A Tuesday Library Club for ages 5-12 meets at 4 p.m. each Tuesday (except for the fifth Tuesday on months that occurs) at the Canton Library. Hands-on activities like exercise, cooking, LEGOs, science experiments and crafts. 648.2924 or kpunch@haywoodnc.net.

• “Art Beats for Kids” will be held from 4 to 5 p.m. on Thursdays at the Charles Heath Gallery in Bryson City. A new project every week. $20 per child, with includes lesson, materials and snack. To register, call 828.538.2054.

• Stories, songs and a craft are offered for ages zerosix (and caregivers) at 10:30 a.m. each Tuesday at the Canton Library. 648.2924.

• A program called “Imagine,” an art program for children 8-12 meets at 2 p.m. on Tuesdays at the Jackson County Public Library. Program contains art, writing, and drama. 586.2016.

• Rompin’ Stompin’, an hour-long storytime with music, movement and books, is held at 10:30 a.m. on Thursdays at the Canton Library and at 11 a.m. on Thursdays at the Waynesville Library. For ages zero to six. 648.2924.

• Rompin’ Stompin’, an hourlong storytime with music, movement and books, is held at 11 a.m. on Fridays at the Canton Library. For ages zero to six. 648.2924.

• Crafternoons are at 2:30 p.m. on the second Tuesday of every month at Hudson Library in Highlands.

• Library Olympics will be held at 2 p.m. on Fridays at Jackson County Public Library. Children age 5 and up get active through relay races, bingo, mini golf. 586.2016.

• Get Moving, a program for children ages 5-12 to encourage children to live a healthy life through exercise and healthy eating, will be held on the first Tuesday of the month at 4 p.m. at the Canton Public Library. 648.2924

• Family Story Time is held on Tuesdays at 10:30 a.m. at the Canton Public Library. Ages 0-6. Stories, songs, dance and crafting. 648.2924.

• Storytimes are held at 10 and 10:40 a.m. every Thursday at Hudson Library in Highlands.

• After-School Art Adventure will be on from 3:30 to 4:45 p.m. on Tuesdays at The Bascom in Highlands. For ages 5 to 10, Art Adventure is a class that explores the creative process of drawing, painting, printmaking, clay, sculpture, fiber art, and crafts by utilizing a variety of media. The students will investigate some of the most popular techniques and theories in art history and will be exposed to contemporary as well as folk art traditions. Tuition is $40 for a four-class package. www.thebascom.org.

• Fun Friday, everything science, is held at 4 p.m. on Fridays at Jackson County Public Library. 586.2016.

• Teen Coffeehouse is at 4:30 p.m. on the first, third, and fourth Tuesday at Jackson County Public Library. Spend time with other teens talking and sharing. 12 and up. 586.2016.

• Rock and Read is at 11 a.m. on Tuesdays at Jackson County Public Library. 586-2016.

• WNC Martial Arts will hold karate classes from 67:30 p.m. on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays at the Old Armory in Waynesville. For more info, contact Margaret Williams at 301.0649 or mvwilliams39@gmail.com.

• Story time and kids can make their own piece of art from 10 a.m.-noon every Saturday during the Family Art event sponsored by the Jackson County Arts Council at the Jackson County Farmers Market located at the Community Table, downtown Sylva. On the first Saturday of each month, there is a scavenger hunt with prizes. 399.0290 or www.jacksoncountyfarmermarket.org.

• A Teen Advisory Group meets at 4 p.m. on the first Wednesday of each month to discuss YA books and teen program events at Canton Library. http://haywoodlibrary.libguides.com/teen or 648.2924.

• Michael’s Kids Club will be held for ages 3-and-up from 10 a.m.-noon on Saturdays at Michael’s in Waynesville. $2 per child for 30 minutes of creative crafts. 452.7680.

• A Lowe’s Build and Grow session for ages 3-and-up is scheduled from 10-11 a.m. on Saturdays at the Sylva (586.1170) and Waynesville (456.9999) Lowe’s stores. Free.

• Art classes are available for kids 10 and older from 4:15-5:30 p.m. on Wednesdays at the Bascom in Highlands. $15 per class. 787.2865 or www.thebascom.org.

• Art Adventure classes are taught for ages 5-10 from 3:30-4:45 p.m. on Wednesdays at the Bascom in Highlands. Theme: metal. Instructor: Bonnie Abbott. $20 per month. 787.2865.

• Free, weekly, after-school enrichment classes are offered by the Bascom and MCAA from 3-5 p.m. on Thursdays at Macon Middle School through a grant from the Jim McRae Endowment for the Visual Arts. To register, contact Bonnie Abbott at 743.0200.

•A Lego club will meet at 4 p.m. every fourth Thursday of the month, at Marianna Black Library in Bryson City. Library provides Legos and Duplos for ages 3 and up. Free. 488.3030.

•A community breastfeeding information and support group meets from 10:30 am.-noon on the first Saturday of each month in the main lobby of the Smoky Mountain OB/GYN Office in Sylva. Free; refreshments provided. For information, contact Brandi Nations (770.519.2903), Stephanie Faulkner (506.1185 or www.birthnaturalwnc), or Teresa Bryant (587-8223).

• Science Club is held at 3:30 p.m. to 4:15 p.m. on the fourth Thursday of each month for grades K-6 at the Macon County Public Library. 524.3600.

• Macon County 4-H Needlers club, a group of youth learning the art and expression of knitting and crochet crafts, meets on the second Tuesday of each month. For information, call 349.2046.

• A Franklin Kids’ Creation Station is held from 10 a.m.-noon on Saturdays at uptown Gallery in Franklin. Snacks provided. $20 tuition. 743.0200.

• SafeKids USA Blue Dragon Tae Kwon Do School offers defense training with after-school classes Monday through Friday and Saturday mornings. 627.3949 or www.bluedragontkd.net.

• A Lego Club meets the fourth Thursday of the month at 4 p.m.- 5:30 p.m. at the Macon County Public Library. 526.3600.

• A Lego Club meets the fourth Thursday of the month at 4:30 p.m. at Jackson County Public Library. 5862016.

• A Lego Club meet the second Wednesday of the month at 5 p.m. at Cashiers Community Library. 743.0215.

• A Lego Club meets at 4 p.m. on the fourth Thursday of the month at Marianna Black Library in Bryson City. Legos and Duplos provided for ages three and up. 488.3030.

• Teen time 3:30-4:30 p.m. Thursdays at Waynesville Library. A program for teens and tweens held each week. Each week is different, snacks provided. 356.2511.

•Teen Advisory Group, first Wednesday of each month at 4 p.m. For ages 13-18. Teens can enjoy snacks while discussing popular young adult books, help plan events and displays for children and teens at the library, and participate in community service projects. Canton Library, 648.2924.

• The American Girls Club meets at City Lights Bookstore in Sylva. The club meets one Saturday a month, call for details. Club is based on a book series about historical women. Club members read and do activities. Free. 586.9499.

• Crazy 8 Math Adventure Club on Tuesdays 3:30 p.m. - 4:15 p.m. for grades K-2 at the Macon County Public Library. 524.3600.

• Culture Club on the second Wednesday of the month, 1 to 2 p.m. for K-6 graders. Guest speakers, books, photos, crafts and food from different countries and cultures. Macon County Public Library. 524.3600.

• Children’s craft time, fourth Wednesday, 3:45 p.m. at Cashiers Community Library. 743.0215

• The Wee Naturalist program, which is for children ages 2-5 (with a parent or guardian), is held from 1011:30 a.m. on Mondays and Tuesdays at the North

Carolina Arboretum. Age-appropriate activities such as nature walks, garden exploration, stories, crafts and visits from classroom animals $7 cost per child; $3 more for each additional child in a family. Register at: www.ncarboretum.org/education-programs/youthfamily-programs/wee-naturalist

K IDSFILMS

• “Paddington 2” will be shown at 7 p.m. Jan. 24-25, at The Strand on Main in Waynesville. Visit www.38main.com for tickets.

• “Goodbye” will be shown at 6:30 p.m. Jan. 26 and 7 p.m. on Jan. 27, at Mad Batter Food & Film in Sylva. Free, call 586.3555 for reservations.

• A children’s movie about mythical blue creatures will be shown at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 27, at the Macon County Public Library in Franklin. 90 minutes; rated PG. Info, including title: 524.3600.

• “Earth: One Amazing Day” will be shown at 6:30 p.m. Feb. 2, at Mad Batter Food & Film in Sylva. Free, call 586.3555 for reservations.

• “The Princess Bride” will be shown at 6:30 p.m. Feb. 9, at Mad Batter Food & Film in Sylva. Free, call 586.3555 for reservations.

• “Wonder” will be shown at 6:30 p.m. Feb. 16 and 7 p.m. on Feb. 17, at Mad Batter Food & Film in Sylva. Free, call 586.3555 for reservations.

• The Highlands Biological Foundation will offer a series of nature-themed films and documentaries shown at 6:30 p.m. on the second and fourth Thursday of January, February and March in Highlands. For info on each show, call 526.2221.

• A family movie will be shown at 10:30 a.m. every Friday at Hudson Library in Highlands.

K IDS STORY TIMES

HAYWOOD

• Mother Goose Time, a story time for babies and toddlers (5 months to 2 years) and their parents/caregivers, is held at 11 a.m. on Tuesdays at the Waynesville Library. 452.5169

• Family Story Time, 11 a.m. Wednesdays at the Waynesville Public Library. Stories, songs, crafts. 452.5169.

• Movers and Shakers story time is at 11 a.m. every Thursday at the Waynesville Library. For all ages. Movement, books, songs and more. 452.5169.

• Family storytime with crafts, second Saturday of the month at 10:30 a.m. at the Waynesville library. 4525169.

• Family story time for ages zero to six years old is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. each Tuesday at the Canton Library. 648.2924.

JACKSON

• Baby Storytime is at 11 a.m. on Thursdays at the Jackson County Public Library. Songs, fingerplays and stories for infants through toddlers. 586.2016

• Kid’s story time Saturdays, 11 a.m., all ages at City Lights in Sylva 586.9449.

• Kids story time, Fridays 11 a.m., Saturdays at 11:30 a.m. at Jackson County Public Library. Story time includes books, puppets, finger plays, songs and crafts. 586.2016.

• Pre-school story time, second Wednesday, 11 a.m. at Cashiers Community Library. 743.0215.

• Rock and Read storytime, 11 a.m. on Tuesdays at the Jackson County Public Library. 586.2016

SWAIN

• Preschool Story time, Wednesdays, 10:30 a.m., Marianna Black Library. After a book or two is read, the children participate in games, songs, finger plays, puppet play and make a craft to take home. 488.3030. a website to take you to

Let yourself unplug.

MACON

• Paws 4 Reading, a family story time, will be held from 6:30 to 7:15 p.m. second Thursday of the month at Macon County Public Library. Children can read to a therapy dog. (grades K-6). 524.3600.

• Toddlers Rock, Mondays, 10 a.m., Macon Public Library. Music, movement and instruments (Designed for children 0-24 months, but all ages are welcome).

• Family Story Time is held at 10 a.m. on Tuesdays at the Macon County Public Library in Franklin. 524.3600.

• Family Story Time for ages 0 to 7 years is held at 10 a.m. on Thursdays at the Macon County Public Library in Franklin. 524.3600.

• Bilingual Story time – 6 to 6:30 p.m., on Thursday, Nov. 10. Program reads a children’s book in English and Spanish at the Macon County Public Library. 526.3600.

www.countrytraditionsnc.com.

• A wine tasting will be held from 2-5 p.m. on Saturdays at Papou’s Wine Shop in Sylva. $5 per person. www.papouswineshop.com or 586.6300.

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

• 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

• Acclaimed county music act Tracy Lawrence will hit the stage at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 26, at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts in Franklin. Tickets start at $25. For more information and/or to purchase tickets, click on www.greatmountainmusic.com or call 866.273.4615.

A&E

FESTIVALSAND S PECIAL EVENTS

• An open call is underway for artisans, vendors and environmentally themed booths for the 21st annual Greening Up the Mountains, which is scheduled for 10 a.m.-4 p.m. on Saturday, April 28. Due by April 1. Applications: www.greeningupthemountains.com. Info: 554.1035 or greeningupthemountains@gmail.com.

F OOD & D RINK

• The Classic Wineseller will host a Robert Burns Supper at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 25, in Waynesville. Tickets: $39.99 per person; includes a four-course traditional Scottish dinner, a toast and a wine and beer tasting. 452.6000. Burns is regarded as the national poet of Scotland. www.classicwineseller.com.

• The Friends of the Scottish Tartans Museum will host its annual Burns Night Dinner at 5 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 27, in the Tartan Hall at the First Presbyterian Church in Franklin.

The evening starts with a roll call of clans and districts, moves on to a five course Scottish dinner menu, interspersed with Burns’ poems and songs and concludes with singing “Auld Lang Syne,” perhaps his most famous work. Tickets for the five-course dinner and celebration are $35 per person, $15 for children ages 12 and under. Tickets are available for purchase at the Scottish Tartans Museum and the Franklin Chamber of Commerce. Sponsored by the Friends of the Scottish Tartans Museum. 524.3119 or www.franklin-chamber.com.

• Sneak E Squirrel Brewing (Sylva) will host the Jackson County Corn Hole Association on Monday evenings ($5 buy in, 100-percent payout), Karaoke with Captain Moose from 7 to 11 p.m. on Tuesdays, Trivia at 7 p.m. on Wednesdays and a Guitar Hero Tournament at 7 p.m. on Thursdays. 586.6440.

• “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.

• 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.

• The Highlands Performing Arts Center will broadcast “Live Via Satellite” the Metropolitan Opera’s new production of Puccini’s “Tosca” at 12:55 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 27, in Highlands. Tickets: highlandspac.org, at the door or 526.9047.

CLASSESAND PROGRAMS

• The Gem and Mineral Society of Franklin meets at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 25, at the Robert C. Carpenter Community Building in Franklin. Topic: “Machine & Workshop Safety.”

• Registration is underway for “Let’s Create: Watercolor Pencil, Gouache and Ink Pen” – a program for beginners and intermediate artists that will be offered from 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 27, at Tunnel Mountain Crafts, 94 Front St., in Dillsboro. $40, all supplies included. 850.445.4375.

• Fiber Sunday is scheduled for 2-5 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 28, at Cowee Textiles in Franklin. Bring a textile project you are working on from spinning, knitting, weaving, rug hooking baskets, etc. Info: 349.3878 or bouchonnet@coweetextiles.com.

• Mark Davidson will present “The Little Tennessee River Valley: Treasure Over Time” during the upcoming meeting of the Swain County Genealogical and Historical Society at 6:30 p.m. on Feb. 1 at the Swain County Regional Business Education and Training Center. www.swaingenealogy.com.

• The Bryson City Lion meet at 6:30 p.m. on the first and third Thursdays of each month at the Iron Skillet in Bryson City.

• “Paint Nite Waynesville” will be held at 7 p.m. every other Thursday at Frog Level Brewing in Waynesville. Sign up on the Paint Night Waynesville Facebook page (www.facebook.com/paintwaynesville) or call Robin Arramae at 828.400.9560. paintnitewaynesville@gmail.com.

• Beginners Chess Club is held on Fridays at 4 p.m. at the Canton Public Library. Ages 8-108 invited to participate. 648.2924.

• Cribbage is at 6:30 p.m. every Tuesday at the Maggie Valley Inn. 410.440.7652 or 926.3978.

• The Adult Coloring Group will meet at 2 p.m. on Fridays in the Living Room of the Macon County Public Library in Franklin. An afternoon of creativity and camaraderie. Supplies are provided, or bring your own. Beginners are welcome as well as those who already enjoy this new trend. kmoe@fontanalib.org or 524.3600.

• Haywood County Arts Council is inviting artist members to participate in its annual Artist Member Show. Download a show contract/inventory sheet from www.haywoodarts.org. Send completed forms to gallery@haywoodarts.org or P.O. Box 306; Waynesville, N.C. 28786.

• The Jackson Rangers Camp 1917 will hold monthly meetings at 6 p.m. on the first Thursday of each month

at the Barkers Creek Community Center. Members are being sought to participate in honor guard graveside events and honor Confederate soldiers. The Confederate Rose, a ladies auxiliary group that supports active members, meets at the same time and location. 736.6222 or jrcamp1917@hotmail.com.

• “Stitch,” the community gathering of those interested in crochet, knit and needlepoint, meet at 2:30 p.m. every first Sunday of the month at the Canton Public Library. All ages and skill levels welcome. www.haywoodlibrary.org.

• The Sew Easy Girls meet from noon-3 p.m. on the first Monday of every month at the Jackson County Cooperative Extension Office’s conference room. Learn how to sew. 586.4009.

• A community art group meets at 10 a.m. every Wednesday at the Hudson Library in Highlands. 828.526.3031.

• A writer’s group meets at 1 p.m. every Thursday at Hudson Library in Highlands. 526.3031.

ARTSHOWINGSAND GALLERIES

• An art show, “Oils and Mixed Media,” will be presented by Milly Honeycutt through Jan. 31 at the Macon County Public Library in Franklin.

• Linda Dickinson’s display of black-and-white photography is being displayed at the Canton Public Library Meeting Room in Canton. Show is entitled “Waynesville and Environs, a Black & White Perspective.” 648.2924.

• The Western Carolina University Fine Art Museum at Bardo Arts Center will host the exhibit “WCU Collects: Recent Acquisitions” through Jan. 26. 227.3591.

• New artist and medium will be featured every month at the Haywood County Senior Resource Center in Waynesville. 356.2800.

FILM & S CREEN

• “Stratton” will be showing at the Strand on Main in Waynesville on Jan. 25 at 9:15 p.m. Visit www.38main.com for tickets.

• “IT” will be shown at 7:30 p.m. on Jan. 25, at Mad Batter Food & Film in Sylva. Free, call 586.3555 for reservations.

• “Post” will be showing at the Strand on Main in Waynesville on Jan. 26 at 7 p.m., 1 p.m., 4 p.m., & 7 p.m. on Jan. 27 & 28 and Feb. 3 & 4, Jan 29-Feb. 2 & Feb. 5-8 at 7 p.m., Visit www.38main.com for tickets.

• “Professor Marston and The Wonder Women” will be shown at 7:30 p.m. on Feb. 1, at Mad Batter Food & Film in Sylva. Free, call 586.3555 for reservations.

• “Marshall” will be shown at 7:30 p.m. on Feb. 3, at Mad Batter Food & Film in Sylva. Free, call 586.3555 for reservations.

• “Loving” will be shown at 7:30 p.m. on Feb. 10, at Mad Batter Food & Film in Sylva. Free, call 586.3555 for reservations.

• The Tuckasegee Chapter of Trout Unlimited will hold a litter pickup along the Dark Ridge portion of Scott Creek on Jan. 27. Volunteers meet at 9 a.m. at McDonald’s of Sylva. tuckriverclub@gmail.com.

• Registration is underway for a basics of trail running class that will be offered from 6:30-8 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 29, at REI in Asheville. www.rei.com/learn.

• Cataloochee Ski Area is offering a $59 package in January for a beginning lesson, lift and rental to anyone 8-up. Valid for non-holidays Monday through Friday. Only available online: www.isalessite.com/cataloochee-rez/Catalog/Rez. Info: www.skiandsnowboardmonth.org.

• The Asheville Winter Bike League offers structured group rides at 10 a.m. every Saturday through Jan. 28. https://tinyurl.com/ycgp8a4s.

• Feline Urgent Rescue will hold a special adoption day for cats that are one year old and older from 1-4 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 10, in Waynesville. Adoption fee is $35 on this day only. Kittens also available for $20. Cats have been spayed/neutered, are current on shots, have been tested for feline leukemia and have microchips. Info: 844.888.2287, furofwnc.org or FUR’s Facebook page.

• A Spay/Neuter Clinic is offered from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. on Tuesdays through Fridays at 182 Richland Street in Waynesville. As low as $10. 452.1329.

• The Nantahala Hiking Club holds a Saturday Work Hike on the fourth Saturday of each month. 369.1983.

COMPETITIVE E DGE

• The largest recreational ski race program in the world, NASTAR Public Racing is happening through the end of February from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. on Sundays at Cataloochee Ski Area. Competitive, 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. $10 for two runs or $20 for unlimited runs. Register: nastar.com or at the ski resort’s ticket center on the lodge’s lower level.

• The Cataloochee Thursday Night Race League is open to skiers and snowboarders 18 years or older from 78:30 p.m. through Feb. 22. 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. https://tinyurl.com/y9ys99hu.

FARMAND GARDEN

• A “Starting Plants from Seed” program, featuring master gardener Jim Janke, is scheduled for 2-3:30 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 8, at Waynesville Library’s auditorium.

• 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).

H IKING CLUBS

Outdoors

• An opportunity for the public to offer input on the future of the larger Waterrock Knob and Plott Balsam region will be held from 5-7 p.m. on Jan. 25 at the Folkmoot Friendship Center in Waynesville. Comments may also be submitted at http://parkplanning.nps.gov/waterrockknobvisionplan or through mail to: ATTN: Suzette Molling, 199 Hemphill Knob Road, Asheville, NC 28803. Comments accepted through Feb. 25.

• Carolina Mountain Club will take an 11.5-mile hike with a 3,800-foot ascent on Jan. 27 at Newton Bald, Kanati Fork. Reservations and info: 864.921.6469 or jbsbestfan@hotmail.com.

• Carolina Mountain Club will take a 9.4-mile hike with a 3,200-foot ascent on Jan. 28 at Turkey Pen Roller Coaster. Info and reservations: 458.1281, mcornn@aol.com or katherinenkyle@gmail.com.

• Carolina Mountain Club will have a 3.7-mile hike with a 1,050-foot ascent on Jan. 28 at Coontree Loop. Reservations and info: 696.9117, 712.0736 or luchat@bellsouth.net.

MarketPlace information:

The Smoky Mountain News Marketplace has a distribution of 16,000 every week to over 500 locations across in Haywood, Jackson, Macon, and Swain counties along with the Qualla Boundary and west Buncombe County. For a link to our MarketPlace Web site, which also contains a link to all of our MarketPlace display advertisers’ Web sites, visit www.smokymountainnews.com.

Rates:

■ Free — Lost or found pet ads.

■ $5 — Residential yard sale ads,

■ $5 — Non-business items that sell for less than $150.

■ $15 — Classified ads that are 50 words or less; each additional line is $2. If your ad is 10 words or less, it will be displayed with a larger type.

■ $3 — Border around ad and $5 — Picture with ad or colored background.

■ $50 — Non-business items, 25 words or less. 3 month or till sold.

■ $300 — Statewide classifieds run in 117 participating newspapers with 1.6 million circulation. Up to 25 words.

■ All classified ads must be pre-paid.

Classified Advertising:

Scott Collier, phone 828.452.4251; fax 828.452.3585 classads@smokymountainnews.com

AUCTION

CONST-TRK-FARM-AUCTION

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LAND FOR SALE?

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SOLD!ADVERTISE YOUR AUCTION

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TAX SEIZURE AUCTION

Of Restaurant Equipment Wednesday, January 31 @ 10am 196 Crawford Road, Statesville, NC. Selling BBQ & Restaurant Equipment. (50)+ Coolers/Freezers, (6) BBQ Smokers, Gas & Electric Cook Equipment. 704.791.8825 ncaf5479 ClassicAuctions.com

DAVE’S CUSTOM HOMES OF WNC, INC Free Estimates & Competitive rates. References avail. upon request. Specializing in: Log Homes, remodeling, decks, new construction, repairs & additions.

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CARS

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AUTO INSURANCE

Starting At $49/ Month! Call for your fee rate comparison to see how much you can save! Call: 855.970.1224

CARS/TRUCKS WANTED!!! Top Dollar Offer! Free Towing From Home, Office or Body Shop. All Makes/Models 2000-2016. Same Day Pick-Up Available! Call Now: 1.800.761.9396

DONATE YOUR CAR To Charity. Receive maximum value of write off for your taxes. Running or not! All conditions accepted. Free pickup. Call for details. 855.972.0354

GOT AN OLDER CAR, VAN OR SUV? Do the humane thing. Donate it to the Humane Society. Call 1.855.617.2024

A PRIVATELY OWNED TELECOMMUNICATIONS COMPANY

Is seeking applications/resumes for an Installer/Technician

The successful applicant will need the following:

• Able to climb utility poles

• Good driving record

•The ability to operate and handle hand tools, power tools, hydraulic eqpmnt., ladders, etc.

• Some computer experience would be helpful

• Self-motivated & dependable with the ability to work independently

• The ability to deal with difficult customers and members of the public in a professional, courteous manner

• Be able to handle multitasking and stressful situations in a professional manner

• Be available for “On Call” Duty on weekends and overtime as needed with little notice

• Be able to pass a drug test and background check

This person will be responsible for the installation of telephone, cable, and internet service from the utility pole into a customer’s home, will install and set up modems, digital equipment, etc. in a customer’s home, and be able to detect, troubleshoot, and fix problems as they occur with the services offered to a customer.

Salary is dependent on exp. Benefits are available

Anyone interested should e-mail their resume to: sanders@ccvn.com or fax it to 828.536.4510.

Resumes/applications will be accepted through February 9, 2018. Equal Opportunity Employer Veterans encouraged to apply

BROWN TRUCKING -

Is looking for COMPANY DRIVERS and OWNER OPERATORS. Brown requires: CDL-A, 2 years of tractor trailer experience OTR or Regional (Multiple states) in the last 3 years, good MVR and PSP. Apply: www.driveforbrown.com. Contact Brandon Collins. 919.291.7416. SAPA

EMPLOYMENT

SEEKING AN INDIVIDUAL

To Provide Direct Client Services for Victims of Domestic and Sexual Violence, to Create and Support a Fundraising Plan for Jackson County Victim Services, and to Develop and Implement Education, Marketing, and Outreach Materials. If Interested, Please Submit a Resume to REACH of Macon County, PO Box 228 Franklin, NC 28744 or Send to: reach@reachofmaconcounty.org

FTCC

Fayetteville Technical Community College is now accepting applications for the following positions: Respiratory Therapy Clinical Instructor (Part-time Raleigh Area). For detailed information and to apply, please visit our employment portal at: https://faytechcc.peopleadmin.comHuman Resources Office Phone: 910.678.7342 Internet: http://www.faytechcc.edu

An Equal Opportunity Employer

JUVENILE MEDIATION PROGRAM

Seeks Assist. Youth Coordinator for multi-county region.Community outreach for restorative justice / bullying prevention services for 20 hr./wk. in multicounty region.Bachelors in related field and experience working with youth required. Send cover letter & resume to: PO Box 1802, Sylva, NC or to: info@mountainmediation.org by January 18, 2018.

TEACHER RECRUITMENT FAIR

To fill 2018-19 Vacancies ~ did you know over 650 teaching positions were filled by 22 Virginia school divisions?Join us on Sat, Jan 27 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. @ Salem Civic Center in Salem, VA. See www.wvpec.org (Job Fair) to pre-register and for details. NO FEES. Sponsored by WVPEC

AIRLINE MECHANIC TRAINING –Get FAA Technician certification. Approved for military benefits. Financial Aid if qualified. Job placement assistance. Call Aviation Institute of Maintenance

EMPLOYMENT

ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT

For Downtown Development program. Downtown Waynesville Main Street City organization seeks self-motivated individual, good customer service skills, trustworthy, dependable, team oriented, advanced computer expertise, Quick Books proficiency, innovative promotional abilities, adept in Social Media/Facebook. Full time. Requires some nights, weekends, holidays. Involves other comprehensive job responsibilities supporting work flow of organizational director by providing administrative reinforcement.

• Applicants may inquire by email: buffy@downtownwaynesville.com

Only applicants who send resume, cover letter, salary requirements will be considered. Send to: DWA - PO Box 1409 Waynesville, NC 28786

NCCAT AT CULLOWHEE

Seeks Permanent Full-Time RECEPTIONIST

Salary Range:

$27,000-$29,950

Job description and application are available online: www.oshr.nc.gov/jobs/index.html

Application deadline: January 26, 2018, at 5 PM EST.

Questions about this job?

Please call Karen Sumner at 828.293.5202.

NC State Government is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

EMPLOYMENT

FRONT

DESK/OFFICE MANAGER

Full Time or Part Time: Maggie Valley Cabin Resort Seeks a Versatile, Energetic & Experienced Front Desk Employee. Customer Service & Computer Exp. Req. Weekends, Nights & Holidays a Must! Call 828.926.1388

AIRLINES ARE HIRING –

Get FAA approved hands on Aviation training. Financial aid for qualified students - Career placement assistance. CALL Aviation Institute of Maintenance 866.441.6890

NCCAT AT CULLOWHEE

Seeks Permanent Full-Time COOK II

Salary Range:

$24,405 - $29,000

Job description and application are available online: www.oshr.nc.gov/jobs/index.html

Application Deadline: January 26. 2018 at 5 PM EST.

Questions about this job? Please call Ian Talarico at 828.293.5202

NC State Government is an Equal Opportunity Employer

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EMPLOYMENT

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Find your next hire in over 100 newspapers across the state for only $375. Call Wendi Ray at NC Press Services for more info 919.516.8009.

NCCAT AT CULLOWHEE

Seeks Permanent Full-Time Development Foundation

Executive Assistant

Salary Range: $29,861-$37,000

Job description and application are available online: www.oshr.nc.gov/jobs/index.html

Application deadline: January 26, 2018, at 5 PM EST. Questions about this job? Please call Tina Wilson at 828.293.5202.

NC State Government is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

FTCC -

Fayetteville Technical Community College is now accepting applications for the following positions: Drama/Theatre Instructor (10month), Digital Media Instructor (10-month), & PC Support & Services/Database Management Instructor (10-month). For detailed information and to apply, please visit our employment portal at: https://faytechcc.peopleadmin.com Human Resources Office Phone: 910.678.7342 Internet: http://www.faytechcc.edu

An Equal Opportunity Employer SAPA

PUBLISHER’S NOTICE

All real estate advertising in this newspaper is subject to the Fair Housing Act which makes it illegal to advertise “any preference, limitation or discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status or national origin, or an intention, to make any such preference, limitation or discrimination” Familial status includes children under the age of 18 living with parents or legal custodians, pregnant women and people securing custody of children under 18 This newspaper will not knowingly accept any advertising for real estate which is in violation of the law. All dwellings advertised on equal opportunity basis.

REAL ESTATE ANNOUNCEMENT

GOT LAND?

Our Hunters will Pay Top $$$ To hunt your land. Call for a FREE information packet & Quote. 1.866.309.1507

SOUTHPORT, N.C.

Limited time offering. For sale waterfront condominium hotel resort units for as low as $149,900. Scheduled completion for summer occupancy. The River Hotel Of Southport. Deep water fishing pier. Amazing water views! Cooke Realty. Call Stuart 910.616.1795.

HOMES FOR SALE

BRUCE MCGOVERN

A Full Service Realtor, Locally Owned and Operated mcgovernpropertymgt@gmail.com McGovern Property Management 828.283.2112.

SAVE YOUR HOME!

Are you behind paying your MORTGAGE?Denied a Loan Modification? Is the bank threateningforeclosure? CALL Homeowner’s Relief Line now for Help844.359.4330 SAPA

VACATION RENTALS

BEACH GETAWAY SPECIAL. Ocean Isle Beach, N.C. Mention this add to receive an extra $25.00 discount on all spring reservations. Limited time offering. Call Now 1.800.NCBeach; or visit us at: cookerealty.com

STORAGE SPACE FOR RENT

GREAT SMOKIES STORAGE

Conveniently located off 19/23 by Thad Woods Auction. Available for lease now: 10’x10’ units for $55, 20’x20’ units for $160. Get one month FREE with 12 month contract. Call 828.507.8828 or 828.506.4112 for more info.

LAWN

& GARDEN

BORING/CARPENTER BEE TRAPS No Chemicals, Poisons or Anything to Harm the Environment. Handmade in Haywood County. 1 for $20, 2 or More for $15 each. 828.593.8321

PETS

HAYWOOD SPAY/NEUTER 828.452.1329

Prevent Unwanted Litters! The Heat Is On!

Spay/Neuter For Haywood Pets As Low As $10. Operation Pit is in Effect! Free Spay/Neuter, Microchip & Vaccines For Haywood Pitbull Types & Mixes! Hours: Tuesday-Friday, 11:00 am - 5:00 pm

DIXIE - A SWEET SOUL ABOUT SEVEN YEARS OLD. SHE MAY BE A LITTLE GRAY IN THE MUZZLE, BUT SHE IS FRIENDLY AND SWEET AS CAN BE, AND DESERVES TO LIVE OUT HER RETIREMENT IN A LOVING HOME. SHE APPEARS TO BE IN GOOD PHYSICAL HEALTH.

KYE - A PETITE SEAL POINT SIAMESE FEMALE ABOUT 1-1/2 YEARS OLD. SHE IS FRIENDLY, PLAYFUL AND VERY FUNNY, AND SHE'LL BRING LOTS OF LAUGHTER TO HER ADOPTIVE FAMILY. SHE LIKES OTHER CATS AND SHOULD FIT IN NICELY WITH A NEW HOUSEHOLD WITH OTHER CATS.

Haywood County Real Estate Agents

Berkshire Hathaway berkshirehathawayhs.com

• Ira Atkins

• Margie MacDonald

• Kaye Matthews

• Donna Miano

• Robert Sales

• Jay Spiro

• Bill Thagard

Beverly Hanks & Associates beverly-hanks.com

• Ann Eavenson - anneavenson@beverly-hanks.com

• George Escaravage - gescar@beverly-hanks.com

• Billie Green - bgreen@beverly-hanks.com

• Michelle McElroy - michellemcelroy@beverly-hanks.com

• Marilynn Obrig - mobrig@beverly-hanks.com

• Steve Mauldin - smauldin@beverly-hanks.com

• Brian K. Noland - brianknoland.com

• Anne Page - apage@beverly-hanks.com

• Brooke Parrott - bparrott@beverly-hanks.com

• Jerry Powell - jpowell@beverly-hanks.com

• Catherine Proben - cproben@beverly-hanks.com

• Ellen Sither - ellensither@beverly-hanks.com

• Mike Stamey - mikestamey@beverly-hanks.com

ERA Sunburst Realty sunburstrealty.com

• Amy Spivey - amyspivey.com

• Rick Border - sunburstrealty.com

Keller Williams Realty kellerwilliamswaynesville.com

• The Morris Team - www.themorristeamnc.com

Lakeshore Realty

• Phyllis Robinson - lakeshore@lakejunaluska.com

Mountain Home Properties mountaindream.com

• Cindy Dubose - cdubose@mountaindream.com

McGovern Real Estate & Property Management

• Bruce McGovern - shamrock13.com

RE/MAX — Mountain Realty remax-waynesvillenc.com | remax-maggievalleync.com

• Holly Fletcher - hollyfletcher1975@gmail.com

• The Real Team - the-real-team.com

• Ron Breese - ronbreese.com

• Landen Stevenson - Landen@landenstevenson.com

• Dan Womack - womackdan@aol.com

Rob Roland Realty

• Rob Roland - rroland33@gmail.com

SuperCROSSWORD

3 R’s

77 Suffer humiliation 81 Furnish supplies to Oregon’s capital?

19 “C’— la vie” (“That’s life”)

84 Box in a den 87 — borealis

Friendly teasing

Jet kept in reserve?

Hobbled along

— -Cat 94 Go higher

Set — (decide when to wed)

97 Egg: Prefix 100 Pickling liquid

Yeast used to treat illness?

107 Dad’s sister

— BessetteKennedy

Dress

Activity held between work hours?

114 Apt word spelled out by the letters added to 10 answers in this puzzle 118 “Uncle Miltie”

Taken with 120 Faraway

121 — Jones Average 122 Williams of “Happy Days”

123 Gotten a glimpse of

Grog drinker

125 Lennon lover

1 Druggist’s crushing tool

Houston team

Blemishes

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MEDICARE DOESN’T COVER

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Place a number in the empty boxes in such a way that each row across, each column down and each small 9-box square contains all of the numbers from one to nine.

Answers on Page 40

Did the southeastern Native Americans take scalps?

(Editor’s Note: Readers should be cautioned that several of the descriptions of scalping and related practices presented in this column are graphic.)

When I was a boy, incidents of scalping by Native Americans were a staple in the old-time movies about the “Wild West.” And there is no doubt whatsoever that the western tribes utilized that practice. But what about the Cherokee, Creek, Catawba and other southeastern tribes — to what extent was scalping a part of their warfare and ritual?

The most informative online source I could locate was “An Analysis of Scalping Cases and Treatment of the Victims Corpses in Prehistoric North America” by Troy Case, who made the following observations (www.dickshovel.com/scalp.html):

“Although the origin of scalping in the New World is unknown, it was a widespread practice among Native American groups during the historic period … Archaeological evidence for the scalping custom in prehistoric North America [is evidenced] as either a characteristic lesion of the frontal and parietals indicating survival of a scalping event, or as a distinct pattern of cut marks in small, parallel clusters that encircled the skull.

“A woman’s or child’s scalp was consid-

BACK THEN

ered a sign of even greater valor than the taking of a scalp on the battlefield, because it indicated that the warrior had penetrated all the way into the enemy’s village, a feat which required great skill.

“Just as being a woman was no protection from scalping, being a child also appears not to have always been a deterrent to becoming a victim of this custom. The youngest prehistoric victim of scalping found in [my] study was a child between the ages of five and seven years [who] may have provided trophies in two different raids. The presence on the cranium of a characteristic scalping lesion with some bone remodeling indicates that the child survived an initial scalping event by at least two weeks before being killed in yet another raid. Obviously there was no scalp left on this child to take as a trophy, but both hands appear to have been removed by breaking the radii and ulnae toward their distal ends, and these hands were probably kept as trophies, along with the head of

another individual from the site who was quite obviously decapitated.”

There is at least a suggestion that women who survived scalping were accepted back into their communities (while) there is no

definite evidence of men surviving a scalping incident and continuing to live within their tribes but in at least one tribe there was a

practice of shunning males who survived scalping and treating them as if they were ghosts or beings with supernatural powers. In his History, Myths, and Sacred Formulas of the Cherokees, the 19th century anthropologist James Moooney, who lived on the Qualla Boundary (presentday Cherokee) during the late 1880s, described the scalp dance: “This dance, common to every tribe east of the Rocky Mountains, was held to celebrate the taking of fresh scalps from the enemy. These scalps, painted red on the fleshy side, decorated and stretched in small hoops attached to the ends of poles, were carried in the dance by the wives and sweethearts of the warriors.”

Charles Hudson, an anthropologist at the University of Georgia, noted in his The Southeastern Indians (University of Tennessee Press, 1976), that scalping was evidently an old practice in the Southeast: “If a man was killed, the attackers tried to get his scalp. They did this by cutting an incision around the head, usually with a small cane knife, and by placing their feet on the victim’s neck, they were able to pull off the scalp. Later the scalp was tied to a small hoop, painted red, and preserved.”

(George Ellison is a naturalist and writer. He can be reached at info@georgeellison.com.)