Smoky Mountain News | February 2, 2022

8 Sylva social districts would allow outside alcohol Page 14

On the Cover:

Nic Stone, author of ‘Dear Martin,’ discusses her thoughts on her young adult novel being pulled from a tenth-grade English class at Tuscola High School. (Page 6)

News

Grant to bring new life to historic Sulphur Springs ..................................................4

Missing persons cases aren’t always what they seem ............................................8 Canton may try vehicle tax again ....................................................................................9

Republicans fight for the soul of the party ................................................................10 Canton explores rebuilding flood-damaged facilities ............................................13

Enrollment dips 2.7% at WCU ....................................................................................14 Sylva social districts would allow outside alcohol ..................................................14 Health News ......................................................................................................................19

Opinion

What lesson does censorship teach our children? ................................................20 Birthdays, cardinals and roller skating ........................................................................21

A&E

Brock Butler bringing the groove to Sylva ................................................................22 A book from after the apocalypse................................................................................29

Outdoors

Hiking club members training to assist with rescues ............................................30

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RETAIL AND DRAFT

Grant could bring new life to historic Waynesville springhouse

BY C ORY VAILLANCOURT

Today, almost nothing remains of Waynesville’s majestic old Victorian-era hotel — except for some faded photographs and sepia-toned memories that linger in the minds of the region’s oldest inhabitants — but recent action by the town’s aldermen could go a long way in preserving what’s left of a natural spring that was responsible for producing much, much more than cold, stinky water.

“It’s just our roots, how we became who we are today,” said Alex McKay, a local historian and honorary “mayor” of Waynesville’s Hazelwood district. “I mean, Waynesville is a huge tourist destination and that property, as small as it is, played a huge part in that.”

It all started in the early 1800s, when an enslaved person digging a drainage ditch discovered a natural spring not far off what’s now called Sulphur Springs Road. It’s first mentioned in print in the 1840s as being located on the property of James Robert Love. When Love’s daughter married Col. W.W. Stringfield, they began to enlarge the old house on the property, turning it into a hotel.

“The Battles House on Main Street was the only hotel. We had no grand hotel. But they had that spring down there and I guess drinking sulfur water or taking a bath in it or, you know, rubbing it on you, they thought that had some benefits,” said McKay.

Natural springs are thought to have a number of health benefits beyond the simple pleasures of relaxing in a pool of water, thanks to the minerals they contain. Calcium and sodium bicarbonate present in the water are good for circulation, and sulfur is good for skin disorders like dry scalp, eczema, psoriasis and rashes — even if it does smell strongly of rotten eggs.

Some natural springs are heated by geothermal activity far below the ground. The only natural mineral hot springs in North Carolina, clustered around the French Broad River in Madison County, have been used for hundreds, if not thousands, of years.

Others, like at Waynesville, run at a constant 57 degrees, but still offer many of the benefits of a hot spring.

Post-Civil War, as the Industrial Revolution drove more and more people to

Pamphlets beckon travelers to Waynesville’s White Sulphur Springs Hotel. A postcard (below) from the collection of Alex McKay depicts the springhouse as it would have appeared in the early 1900s.

overcrowded, disease-ridden northern metropolises, the nation’s ever-expanding rail network began bringing the wealthier among them on vacations to “health resorts” like Waynesville’s White Sulphur Springs Hotel.

While writing their 1883 book, “The Heart of the Alleghanies,” authors Wilbur Zeigler and Ben Grosscup visited the property and described the original hotel:

“The grounds are naturally adapted for a summer resort. A grand forest, principally of oaks, covers about eight acres of level ground, through which, with green sward on either hand, winds the road toward the hotel. The hotel is a large farmhouse, modeled and added to until its original proportions and design are lost. Near it, at the foot of a low wooded hill, is a line of cot-

tages connected with the main structure simply by a graveled walk, which also leads to the Sulphur spring bubbling up in a stone basin within a small summer-house. There is a comfortable, healthy air about the hotel and its surroundings.”

It’s around this time that then-university professor and future President Woodrow Wilson is thought to have honeymooned at the White Sulphur Springs Hotel, shortly after marrying his first wife, Ellen Axson. Wilson was known to have had a vacation cottage in nearby Arden.

The original White Sulphur Springs Hotel burned down in 1892 and was replaced with a 45-room, three-story brick building on 50 scenic acres. This was probably the heyday of the hotel, as over the ensuing decades, it slid slowly into decline.

During World War I, it was appropriated by the federal government to serve as a hospital for tuberculosis patients. Then, it became a vocational school offering woodworking and blacksmithing instruction. After that, it served as little more than a warehouse. Horses and chickens were kept inside at various points, and with the advent of automobile travel and motor hotels, the majestic old resort was torn down, likely in the 1940s.

By the 1960s, small tracts of land on the former grounds of the hotel had been parceled out and modern homes were constructed, leaving the site in the middle of a nondescript residential neighborhood on Waynesville’s west side.

The springhouse that provided water to large boilers that would fill baths for guests on the upper floors and still survives to this day, in the form of a dilapidated gazebo on town-owned property. A large tree is also encroaching on its concrete foundation.

“The last time it was restored, maybe in the early ‘90s, it was under [Mayor] Henry Foy, but they just kind of slapped some shingles on it and repainted it and didn’t do what was really needed at the time,” McKay said.

That’s all about to change, if the town is successful with its grant application to the

Mib and Phil Medford Endowment Fund.

The Fund makes grants for “beautification, streetscape improvements and other public amenities … for the purpose of enhancing economic prosperity, a healthy community and the arts for public enjoyment.”

The Town’s Historic Preservation Commission, of which McKay is vice-chairman, recently identified the springhouse as a priority for preservation. Aldermen gave the OK to town staff to apply for the grant, which may require as much as $3,000 in matching funds from the town.

“It’s such a small building and in the scope of everything, it’s a very small amount of money to spend preserving it,” McKay said. “I mean, if they’re just gonna let it fall down, I’ll buy the thing and fix it up right.”

The revitalization of the springhouse could also serve as a springboard to higher visibility for the little-used Sulphur Springs Park, but McKay thinks there’s value in preserving it for future generations.

“I guess ultimately what we would like to do is to have it be a teaching tool for local schools, to bring students down there and teach more localized history,” he said. “We’ve been working on this for eight years and it’s never really took off, but that’s what I would like to see. I’d like to see it become a teaching tool for local kids and locals.”

BEE PACKAGES

Ingles Nutrition Notes

written by Ingles Dietitian Leah McGrath

THE TEAM PLAYERS OF THE FOOD SCENE

The term “superfood” is a marketing term used to sell products. Each year a different pricey “superfood” seems to attract a lot of attention. We all remember the years when it seemed like pomegranate juice, acai berries, kombucha, kale, quinoa, salmon, Greek yogurt, “plant-based” meat alternatives, blueberries and almond beverages were especially popular. But what about our tried and true team player foods that don’t get the notice or fanfare? Team player foods work well with other foods, are solid nutritionally, and are usually reasonably priced but they often don’t get the notice of “superfoods”. Here are a few of them:

Canned and Dried beans

Brown and white rice

Pasta

Canned and frozen fruits and vegetables

White and Sweetpotatoes

Onions and Garlic

Spinach and Broccoli

Bananas and Apples

Cow’s milk and Soy dairy alternative

Canned tuna

Cottage Cheese

Eggs

Chicken and Beef

While many of us enjoy novelty and trying new foods and are attracted to the idea of “superfoods”; you can count on tried and true “team player” foods to be the basis of many meals your family will enjoy.

Author responds to Tuscola pulling

‘Dear

Martin’

BY HANNAH MCLEOD STAFF WRITER

After Haywood County Schools administration pulled “Dear Martin” from a 10th grade English II class, The Smoky Mountain News caught up with author Nic Stone to get her thoughts on the issue.

“I don’t fault the parents at all,” said Stone. “We’re all just trying to do our best when it comes to raising our kids. I would just hope that they would be willing to read beyond the first chapter just to see what’s actually in there.”

Stone was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia, the same city where “Dear Martin” takes place. After graduating from Spelman College, she worked extensively in teen mentoring and lived in Israel for a few years before returning to the United States to write full-time.

Stone has two young boys of her own, whom she says were a big inspiration for writing “Dear Martin.”

“I wrote [Dear Martin] with my own children in mind,” said Stone. “I was really jarred by some of the things happening in the news media around the deaths of unarmed Black boys, especially as the mother of one. So I wanted to explore and get a better handle on why things work the way that they do, what’s the history behind it, and what would a kid do if he found himself in some of the situations that we were seeing on the news?”

“Dear Martin” is a young adult novel written in 2017. The book follows Justyce, a Black high-schooler attending a predominantly white preparatory school. After an incident with a police officer turns violent, Justyce begins writing a journal of letters to Martin Luther King, Jr. Near the end of his first entry to MLK, Justyce writes, “I wanna try to live like you. Do what you would do. See where it gets me.”

The story that unfolds is one that grapples with coming of age and the intricacies of racism in today’s United States. The book was written for ages 14 and older.

One parent complained about the book, leading to its removal from an English class at Tuscola High School. Tim Reeves said he found “a lot of language, a lot of sexual innuendos, a lot of things that are concerning to me as a parent that’s being presented to my child as a text.”

After the removal of the novel was announced, countless parents and members of the public expressed negative reactions to

the administration’s decision.

The book contains no sexual content and there are only a few instances in which intimacy is mentioned by the characters in the story. Among the more mature content in the book is teen drinking, racial slurs and police brutality.

Stone says she believes that the language she used throughout the novel is authentic to high schoolers in today’s society.

“I spend a lot of time in both middle and high schools, and I think if parents were to spend some time in a high school, they would either be appalled or they would be reminded of their own youth,” said Stone. “The innuendo piece is interesting to me because there’s actually not a single mention of sex in the book at all.”

If the language used in the novel is the very same language teenagers are using or hearing on a regular basis, and there is almost no sexual innuendo or content, why is “Dear Martin” getting challenged and banned in Haywood County and elsewhere?

Stone believes it has to do with unfamiliar subject matter that feels threatening to parents.

“It has a lot to do with it just being different than what they were exposed to when they were young,” she said. “I’m 37. I have kids of my own. I do understand the instinct to try and keep your children safe and to shield them from things in the world that you don’t feel like they’re ready for. But that can be detrimental. And I think it’s that gray space between recognizing that we are supposed to be preparing our children for a world that they’re going to enter and have to live in and have to work in, have to love in, and also trying to keep them as innocent and safe and sheltered as we possibly can.”

James Tager is director of research at PEN America, an international organization founded in 1922 with the mission of uniting writers and their allies to celebrate creative expression and defend the liberties that make it possible. Tager’s work centers on freedom of expression and books bans, both in the United States and abroad. He weighed in on some of the dangers of challenging, banning or removing books from the classroom.

“A long-standing truism in book banning is that books featuring characters of color or written by authors of color are disproportionately likely to be banned,” he said.

According to Tager, the American Library Association’s list of Top Ten Banned Books regularly features books with LGBTQ characters, characters of color, or are written by authors from those communities. In 2020, seven of the top 10 most banned books were banned due to

content regarding race. In 2019, eight of the top 10 banned books were banned due to content regarding the LGBTQ community.

“Particularly when it comes to banning books featuring people of color or other marginalized communities such as LGBTQ people, the issue is that people from those communities do not get to see themselves portrayed in literature,” said Tager. “And of course, any book that sort of whittles down the diversity that children are exposed to in literature, it affects their understanding of diversity in life and disadvantages these children from operating in a multicultural and diverse society.”

Tager used the metaphor of a vampire, the mythical creature unable to see themselves in the mirror. He says the lack of visibility of oneself is what tells you that society sees you as “monstrous.”

“That is a sort of a beautiful, but uncomfortable metaphor for the importance of representation in literature,” he said.

“There’s also the case with this book, the fact that it’s this young man conversing one on one with Martin Luther King is a powerful representation of the fact that the struggles of the Civil Rights Movement are not divorced from where we are today. That’s a really powerful message. And it’s disappointing to hear that the superintendent in question thought that was not an important enough message to stand up for this book.”

A parent commented on Facebook saying her child read the book and was deeply moved by it.

“My son read this book in 8th grade,” said Jaylee Hobbs. “I remember him telling me about it. He had never been so emotionally involved in a book. To be able to get a perspective of the real issues that people of color

face in this country every day. The truth is not always pretty, but it needs to be addressed.”

Several members of the public who reacted to the removal of “Dear Martin” from the English II class expressed concern that there was not more oversight or a coherent process for removing the book.

“I am saddened that the county did not come to us as a group and ask us to read and review the book before deciding to ban it,” a school media specialist in Haywood County Schools commented. “There is a process outlined by the American Library Association for how to handle challenged books and the media specialists of the county should have at least been consulted.”

Megean Wantz, librarian at Tuscola High School, previously told The Smoky Mountain News that there are no copies of “Dear Martin” at the Tuscola Library.

Haywood Attorney Mark Melrose commented that he would donate unlimited copies of the book to any teacher in Haywood County who would like to provide it to their students.

Stone, along with several members of the public reacting to the removal of “Dear Martin,” noted that in banning or challenging a book, those challengers do a lot to raise the profile of the book, sometimes making it even more popular than it was before being challenged.

According to Haywood County Schools Superintendent Dr. Bill Nolte, “Dear Martin” will be permitted for assigned reading in the future. He said it may be more appropriate for students older than those who received it in their 10th grade English class. The catch, however, is whether any teacher would be willing to assign this book, or any other book

that hasn’t stood the tests of time, knowing that one parent’s complaint can lead to a quick pull of the book with almost no discussion on the matter.

Stone says she isn’t shocked anymore when “Dear Martin” is challenged or banned. She knew this book would ruffle some feathers from the very moment she got the idea for the project. She was nervous about writing it. Even with that knowledge, it still makes her sad every time it happens.

“Knowing that there are going to be kids who can identify with the characters in this book that don’t get to read it in class and instead have to read something about kids that they do not identify with at all, that’s unfortunate to me,” Stone said. “Especially as a kid who was never given anything, never assigned any books that had a positive representation of an African American character.”

Stone used the example of “To Kill a Mockingbird.” She had to read it as required reading in high school, as did her mother when she was in high school several years before.

“It’s a book that’s safe simply because it’s been read over and over and over and over again,” said Stone. “Parents are familiar with it I think to the point where parents overlook the language in that book. No, it’s not the Fword, it’s the N-word over and over and over again. You have a better chance of hearing the F-word in a high school hallway than you do the N-word, I would hope.”

Again, it’s the unfamiliarity of subject matter and the powerlessness that comes with that, Stone believes, that leads parents

to be uncomfortable with certain novels.

“I think that we have been sold a lie that adults are supposed to know what they’re doing,” she said. “We have no idea what we’re doing. I don’t know if there is a single adult on this planet who actually knows what they’re doing. And there’s almost this shame that comes along with that, not knowing exactly what to do with every moment of every day and every situation. But how could we? So I think it has more to do with this sense of not having control of these people that you made, being exposed to something that you were not exposed to, and therefore you don’t have a complete understanding of.”

According to the American Library Association, book bans are on the rise across the United States. Tager says that if parents are opposed to banning and removing books, they should be vocal in their opposition to the issue.

“We are seeing those who are in favor of those challenges and book bans being ever more vocal and shutting down access to ever more books,” he said. “Parents who are concerned about that, I encourage them to sort of be that counterbalance to speak to your local officials, speak to your principal, superintendent, school boards and say that you demand an education in which your children are not disserved by being exposed to fewer perspectives or identities or themes.”

Stone is not worried about the pace at which books are being challenged and banned in public schools.

“It’s the times of greatest upheaval that

the most progress is happening,” said Stone. “When I’m seeing this much pushback, it’s because there’s a lot of progress and that’s literally just historically speaking. I look back over history, I look back over times of tumult and chaos in society, and when you get to the other side of that, things have changed and they’re different and they’re more equitable. So I’m not really worried. I do think that it’s going to be important for those of us who are kind of eyes wide, and not scared to make sure we are being compassionate toward literally everybody we come in contact with. It’s

important to me to remain compassionate towards these parents who think that my book should be pulled from their kids’ classrooms.”

This sentiment of Stone’s harkens to that of “Doc,” the main character’s mentor and only Black teacher in “Dear Martin” when he says, “you can’t change how other people think and act, but you’re in full control of you. When it comes down to it, the only question that matters is this: If nothing in the world ever changes, what type of man are you gonna be?”

Missing persons cases aren’t always what they seem

BY C ORY VAILLANCOURT

OLITICS E DITOR

Every so often — about 20 times a year — Western North Carolina’s social media networks flare up with impassioned pleas from friends and family members of a missing person, begging for any information that could help bring their loved one home. But the reasons for the disappearances, and the results of the investigations, are often as unique as the missing persons themselves.

“Missing person cases are probably just like any other case,” said Tony Cope, a captain in the Haywood County Sheriff’s Office. “We get the report, we vet all the information, and we get our information out pretty quick. Generally, that generates a lot of leads. We follow up on those leads and usually gain information that usually leads to finding these folks.”

Cope’s been with the department for 22 years, and has handled missing persons cases for the past eight. Since 2018, Haywood County has averaged about 20 missing people a year, and local law enforcement usually finds them all.

“Missing persons are fairly small in this county as you’ll see by our stats, but those things can be very time consuming,” Cope said. “I’d say probably those are the hardest, because you have to get on those cases immediately and you have to follow those leads up in a timely manner, because obviously if it’s a child or even if it’s an adult, we want to bring those folks home safely and as quickly as possible.”

Contrary to popular belief, missing persons can be reported to local law enforcement

Cherokee man sentenced in child sex abuse case

Cherokee resident Forrest Cole Stamper, 28, will spend four years in federal prison after pleading guilty in federal court to abusive sexual contact of a minor.

Delivering the statutory maximum penalty for the offense, Judge Max O. Cogburn Jr. sentenced Stamper to four years in prison and 15 years of supervised release. Stamper must also register as a sex offender upon his release from prison. Stamper is currently in federal custody and will be transferred to the custody of the Federal Bureau of Prisons upon designation of a federal facility.

According to court documents, the crime occurred on Sept. 6, 2020, when Stamper was sitting on a living room couch next to the victim, a girl who was 10 years old at the time. The victim’s mother entered the room and saw Stamper with his hand on the victim’s groin and inner thigh. Both Stamper and the victim are enrolled members of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, meaning that the case fell under federal jurisdiction.

agencies immediately — not after some arbitrary waiting period. Like many law enforcement matters, speed is of the essence in solving most cases, no matter the reason for a person’s disappearance.

“Some people just want to get away sometimes,” Cope said. “Sometimes they’re juveniles that are just not having a good day and maybe have run away, or those kind of things. They just feel like they need to get away for a

Stamper was first indicted on June 1, 2021, and at that time he faced three criminal charges, two related to the events of Sept. 6, 2020 and specifically alleging that he touched the victim under her clothes. A third charge alleged that Stamper assaulted a different person under the age of 16 in September 2019. However, those charges were dismissed in a Dec. 2, 2021 court order after Stamper pleaded guilty to the single charge for which he was recently sentenced.

The court file includes two character reference letters for Cogburn to consider at sentencing, as well as photos of Stamper smiling at his high school graduation ceremony and while playing football at Cherokee High School. One letter, from the prison chaplain who has ministered to Stamper for the past three years, asserts that Stamper has expressed “deep regret and repentance for his crime” and is likely to be a “very productive” member of society if given the chance.

The Cherokee Indian Police Department investigated the case, and Assistant U.S. Attorney John Prichard prosecuted it in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina in Asheville.

— By Holly Kays, staff writer

little while. And typically, we find most of those immediately, sometimes while we’re responding to the call.”

One such case recently involved a juvenile missing from Maggie Valley. She was reported missing on Jan. 18, and located fairly quickly, on Jan. 26. The advent of the internet has made spreading the word about missing persons much easier, something the HCSO takes full advantage of when possible.

“Social media is the best avenue,” said Christina Esmay, HCSO’s public information officer. “We immediately post anytime someone’s notified as missing. We post some late at night, things like that, and we update immediately.”

Other cases, however, aren’t solved as quickly. Currently, the only person reported missing from Haywood County is Saundra Carrie Bryson. Bryson was last seen when she was released from the Haywood County Detention Center and had recently been

Black History Month underway at WCU

A series of activities, exhibits and events is planned at Western Carolina University in recognition of February as Black History Month, including an inaugural scholarly discussion of diversity in Appalachia.

Among the many events will be a free community webinar about race and ethnicity in the mountains on Monday, Feb. 7, beginning at 4 p.m. The panel includes Ben Steere, WCU director of Cherokee Studies; Sophia Enriquez, assistant professor of ethnomusicology at Duke University; Joe Trotter Jr., professor of history and social justice at Carnegie Mellon University; Neema Avashia, civics and ethnic studies teacher at Boston Public Schools; and Trey Adcock, director of American Indian and Indigenous Studies at the University of North Carolina at Asheville.

View the livestream on the Appalachian Studies Association Facebook page or register to attend via Zoom at wcu.zoom.us/webinar/register/ WN_ryn7b7ShSAO02bWQ2DtxMQ.

A virtual series presentation on the WCU website is “The Black Fantastic,” a project by the University Communications and

served a magistrate’s order as a fugitive from drug charges in Alabama.

Facebook posts have been circulating Bryson’s image, pleading for details from anyone who may have seen her.

Bryson’s sister reported her missing on Jan. 19; she’s a white female in her mid-30s, 5’ 6” and 150 pounds, with short blond/brown hair. Recent reports of a deceased female in Asheville didn’t match Bryson, and as of press time on Feb. 1, Bryson remains missing.

“We’ve checked several locations in Haywood County that we’ve been told about where she could be and we’ve not been successful at finding her,” Cope said.

One of the possible reasons Bryson hasn’t been found is that she may not want to be — she has an active warrant for failing to appear for extradition and two more for probation violations. Through an intermediary, Bryson’s family declined to speak to The Smoky Mountain News about her disappearance.

“We continue to follow any of the leads that we get daily,” said Cope. “If anybody’s got any information, please call our number and follow us on social media for any updates. We want to resolve those cases very quickly. I know that parents and children, this just really wears on ‘em. They want to know that their family is safe and that we can bring ‘em home and get ‘em back safely.”

Follow the Haywood County Sheriff’s Office at facebook.com/HaywoodNCSheriff. If you have information on the whereabouts of Saundra Carrie Bryson, call the Haywood County Sheriff’s Office at 828.452.6666.

Marketing team to highlight excellence among Black faculty and staff.

WCU’s Mountain Heritage Center will feature “Ann Miller Woodford: The Artist as Storyteller” throughout the month as well, with in-person and video exhibit of paintings created by the noted Cherokee County author, artist and local historian.

To learn about additional events, visit wcu.campuslabs.com/engage/.

Free food distribution

A free food distribution with MANNA FoodBank Mobile Express will be held from 3 to 5 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 10, at St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church, 234 Church St., Waynesville.

Fresh produce and other fresh food items will be available, along with baby diapers and hygiene products (while supplies last). This is open to all. There is no paperwork to fill out, no forms and no ID required.

For more information, contact MANNA HelpLine at 800.820.1109 or Catholic Charities, Western Region Office at 828.255.0146.

Canton may try vehicle tax again

BY C ORY VAILLANCOURT

P OLITICS E DITOR

Four years after the Town of Canton made an unsuccessful push to impose a vehicle tax to fund much-needed road repairs, town officials are contemplating another attempt.

Back in June 2018, the town proposed a $30 yearly vehicle registration fee that would apply to all vehicles registered in the town, except for government vehicles, auto dealer inventory and non-motorized vehicles like trailers.

At the time, the town estimated that the tax would raise around $60,000 a year.

Stemming from a state statute enacted in 1986, the first $5 of the vehicle tax can be used for any purpose, but the next $5 must be used for public transportation, if such a system exists in the town. The rest of the tax, up to the maximum $30, must be used for roads or streets.

A lengthy public hearing was held, with almost no one supporting the tax. Many cited the potential impact of the tax on people with fixed incomes or multiple vehicles, and some resented that they had to pay to fix roads that people from outside Canton use as well.

Alderman Dr. Ralph Hamlett said he felt the fee was regressive in that it would hurt the people who can least afford to pay it.

“We did what we consider a fair amount of paving, but that doesn’t get you very far,” said Town Manager Nick Scheuer.

Now, the town estimates that 4,000 cars would be eligible for the $30 tax if it’s enacted. That would raise approximately $120,000, and since the town doesn’t have a public transit system, all of it would be dedicated to road maintenance.

“Without it, you are looking at bandaids,” said Natalie Walker, Canton’s chief finance officer.

The proposed vehicle fee would help fill potholes, like this one photographed on Holtzclaw road in 2018. Cory Vaillancourt photo

Alderwomen Gail Mull and Kristina Smith Proctor joined Hamlett in voting against the it; then-Alderman James Markey was absent, and Canton’s mayor only votes in the case of a tie, so the motion to enact the fee died 3 to 0.

“This is obviously a volatile issue. We found that out a few years ago when that was raised,” said Zeb Smathers, Canton’s mayor, during the town’s annual budget retreat held last week. “One of things we heard was, ‘Spend down what you have.’ We’ve done that.”

Each year, the town receives around $160,000 in Powell Bill funding from the state, earmarked for roads. While some of that goes toward consumables like salt, a good portion goes toward ordinary wearand-tear repairs, like potholes.

Whatever the town has left over each year goes into a sort of savings account and at the time of the 2018 proposal, there was about $400,000 in that savings account. Now, that’s no longer the case.

In 2021, the town spent around $60,000 to pave the equivalent of a 30-foot-wide road nearly a mile long — around 14,400 square yards.

Pulling money from the general fund balance isn’t really an option as Canton strives to maintain a financial cushion to pay for much-needed flood-related items while awaiting reimbursement from FEMA, but other options to keep up on Canton’s aging road system are scarce.

Smathers stressed that right now, the fee proposal is just that — a proposal. As the town goes through its budgeting process for the coming fiscal year, the proposal may or may not make it into the final budget. If it does, the town board would then have to pass an ordinance similar to the one that failed in 2018 after holding a public hearing on the matter.

By state law, municipal budgets must be passed by July 1, so there will be more clarity around the issue come May or June.

Both the Town of Waynesville and Town of Maggie Valley have similar fees; Maggie Valley’s is $5, and Waynesville’s is $15. Property tax increases are not expected in Canton this year, perhaps making the fee easier to swallow for residents.

In advance of midterms, Republicans fight for the soul of the party

BY C ORY VAILLANCOURT P OLITICS E DITOR

With President Joe Biden’s disapproval ratings through the roof and a recent spate of setbacks in the Senate, Republicans appear poised to capitalize in the 2022 General Election — if a twice-impeached former president who isn’t even on the ballot doesn’t first tear their party apart.

Donald Trump still has a dedicated cadre of supporters who continue to advance what’s been called “The Big Lie.” As Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election come into sharper focus each day, some candidates have tried to distance themselves from him, while others have only drawn closer.

Which side will win the internecine conflict is the subject of great speculation, but it all depends on just one thing: the enduring popularity of Trump within the Republican Party since the Jan. 6 insurrection.

While very clear opinion lines have already been drawn by some high-ranking elected officials within the party, recent polling in North Carolina suggests that the fracture runs so deep that it may be the only thing that can save Democrats from a midterm thrashing this coming November.

Don’t buy the lie — that’s the simple message from Geoff Duncan.

It’s perhaps a surprise to hear that coming from Georgia’s Republican lieutenant governor, but perhaps not.

Georgia became the epicenter of President Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the results of his 2020 election loss, based on the conspiracy theory that nefarious perpetrators risking substantial prison time were able to carry out across all 159 Georgia counties a secret operation that completely fooled highly trained law enforcement and left absolutely no trace but only gave Biden a margin of 12,000 votes and didn’t bother to help any other Democrats win any other races.

The real election conspiracy, Duncan says in his “GOP 2.0: How the 2020 election can lead to a better way forward for America’s conservative party” (Forefront, 2021, 288 pages) “involves leaders who irresponsibly spread untruths and rumors after the election, seeking to mislead honest Georgians and invalidate the peoples’ fairly expressed will.”

As Duncan tells it, when he woke up the day after the 2020 election, he had no idea that his life would soon “a bizarre Twilight Zone” and “an alternative reality.”

Out of nearly 5 million votes cast in the state, Biden was clinging to a fragile 12,000vote lead over Trump. Constituents, supporters and elected officials from Duncan’s own party began to send him messages questioning the results and advancing rumors of fraud.

Duncan’s book provides a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at the events that

transpired both before the election and after, and concludes that even to this day, no credible evidence of voter fraud has ever been presented in Georgia.

“If election fraud happened in Georgia, it would’ve been the most extensive, bipartisan, criminal and brilliant conspiracy in U.S. history. That it remains undetected would prove the supreme genius of the Democratic perpetrators,” Duncan writes. “I just don’t believe that scenario.”

Indeed, Duncan looked into many of the fraud claims himself.

The recount itself found two discrepancies, both in Republican-run counties. In Fayette County, 2,700 uncounted ballots were discovered on a memory card, netting Trump around 400 votes. In Floyd County, 2,600 uncounted ballots netted him 800 votes.

Other than that, Duncan deduces that election workers did not commit fraud, votes were not double-counted, computer magic wasn’t used to change votes, no secret suitcases of ballots appeared in the night, there was no water leak in Fulton County that damaged ballots and only four dead people voted — at least one of them for Trump.

Yet, Trump continues to peddle these myths, and some Republicans continue to believe him. Duncan said he felt compelled to speak out because he couldn’t tell his children at home not to lie, and then stand up in pub-

lic as the lieutenant governor of Georgia and do just that.

“Right now, party leaders are peddling misinformation and telling people what they think people want to hear. Nobody’s hearing the truth and both the party and country are careening down a bad path,” writes Duncan.

“Party leaders and the people need to hear the truth. Deep down, they know it. Only if we start being honest, respecting one another, and leveling with voters can the GOP improve, expand our tent, and stop winning or losing by inches and instead win by miles.”

The second part of Duncan’s book deals largely with his opinions on how the party can rid itself of Trump and Trumpism.

“It was important for me to not just be a diary of events in the post-election debacle here in Georgia, but to lay the groundwork for better pathway forward for the Republican party,” Duncan told The Smoky Mountain News on Jan. 6.

Duncan calls this his “PET project” — an acronym meaning Policy, Empathy and Tone.

“We need to remind Americans that Republicans are really, really good at policy. By

all metrics this is a center-right leaning country,” he said. “I think a majority of Americans trust a Republican to be in charge of growing the economy, keeping their neighborhoods safe and keeping our nation secure.”

When the 2020 election took place, the stock market had cracked 30,000 points, three separate COVID-19 vaccines have been developed, three conservatives had joined the Supreme Court and more than 200 others had been appointed to the federal bench. Tax code and criminal justice overhauls had passed, ISIS had collapsed, four Arab countries recognized Israel and a new North American trade agreement was reached. Instead of concentrating on these victories, Trump derided Georgia’s election security and later told Republicans not to vote in the Jan. 5 Senate runoffs.

“The ‘E’ is for empathy. Since I’ve campaigned statewide and won the job of lieutenant governor, I’ve learned that empathy really means a conversation at a kitchen table with a single mom with two kids and two jobs and asking her what are her biggest challenges every day,” said Duncan. “She’s gonna tell you whether you’re a Democrat or Republican that she wants safer streets for her kids and better schools for her kids and better opportunities. I selfishly believe that Republicans are really strong at being able to tackle those challenges.”

The final letter of the acronym doesn’t stand for “Trump,” but it might as well.

“The ‘T’ stands for tone, and, it takes no description to understand that the tone in this country and around our political system is broken. Donald Trump certainly ran with a tone and tenor that did not lead and did not encourage,” Duncan said. “It simply spoke down to a majority of Americans and certainly it’s one of the reasons that I think he’s no longer the president of the United States. We can do better. And we as Americans deserve better.”

Duncan says his bold statements have earned him and his family violent threats, but he stressed that without quick corrective action, what happened in Georgia in 2020 could be coming to a state near you.

“If the GOP wants to see the future,” he said, “it can simply look at Georgia.”

Multiple telephone messages over multiple weeks were left at North Carolina Republican Party headquarters for Chairman Michael Whatley, specifically asking for comment on Duncan’s book. They weren’t returned, and when the Republican National Committee’s North Carolina Communications Director Alex Nolley was reached, she couldn’t provide a single North Carolina Republican elected official or spokesperson willing to discuss Duncan’s book.

But one was — Western North Carolina Congressman Madison Cawthorn (RHenderson). Cawthorn said he hadn’t read the book, but was familiar with its premise.

“Peddling misinformation that there was fraud in the election? I mean, that’s patently false. We can prove that in a multitude of ways, but the number one way, which is the reason I objected to the election in the first place a year ago is that this all was done in an unconstitutional manner,” said Cawthorn. “I mean, there were election laws clearly violated and changed without going through the proper channels of the state legislatures and that is in clear violation of our Constitution.”

Courts across the country have now rejected more than 60 cases filed by Trump and/or his acolytes, and the Republican-dominated Supreme Court (with three justices appointed by Trump himself) declined to hear cases that alleged that Georgia and three other states violated their own election laws.

Cawthorn’s been a staunch defender of Trump, as well as Trump’s baseless claims that the election wasn’t conducted fairly, and has come under scrutiny for comments he made at the “stop the steal” rally immediately preceding the insurrection.

Predictably, Cawthorn is deeply committed to the former president’s movement, and disagrees vehemently with Duncan’s premise that Trump is dividing the party.

“Blah, blah, blah. He’s trying to use that as a straw man. It’s disgusting. He’s trying to say that we lost the Georgia [Senate runoff elections] because of Trump and therefore we need to move away from the Trump agenda,”

Cawthorn said. “The Trump agenda is the American agenda.”

Not only does Cawthorn disagree with Duncan, he also takes a stern tone on Duncan’s performance as a Republican in a state that hadn’t gone Democrat for president since 1992.

“I mean, he should be ashamed of himself. If you’re an elected representative and you let your state be destroyed into an ash heap in the vision of Stacy Abrams, you’re pathetic,” Cawthorn said. “Seriously, I’m 26 years old. I could probably crush him in any kind of debate. We need to start demanding better people. I honestly think a 15-year-old who’s been in a civics class could crush this guy.”

It’s clear that Cawthorn and Duncan represent opposite ends of the spectrum within the Republican Party, at least in regard to the ongoing importance of Trump. As to which faction is currently in the majority, Duncan took a swing at an answer.

“What’s the saying, 90% of all stats are made up? So I’m gonna make this up, this is just a gut feeling that the number is well below 50%,” Duncan said.

There remains, however, a stigma within the party that prevents those in power from identifying with Duncan’s message publicly.

“I can count on one hand the number of folks that are in Republican leadership positions that are willing to call balls and strikes, willing to call out the things that Donald Trump did well, but also the things he didn’t do well,” said Duncan. “GOP 2.0 is right. It just isn’t popular yet. But it will be.”

Duncan may be close to the mark, if a recent North Carolina poll is to be believed.

Conducted statewide by Cygnal on behalf of Civitas from Jan. 7-9, the poll sampled 600 GOP Primary Election voters and has a margin of error of almost 4 points. If the 2024 Republican presidential primary were held today, only 47% said they would choose Trump.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis came in a distant second with 19%, while 16% of voters were undecided and five other potential candidates split the remaining 18%.

Cawthorn didn’t have a quantifiable estimate of Trump’s support. Instead, he shifted focus from the man to the movement.

“A lot of people call it the ‘America first’ agenda, and I credit Donald Trump with starting that movement, but now it’s being decentralized,” Cawthorn said. “Now, there’s really no leader of it. It’s the people who are leading.”

He referenced recent commentary penned by conservative radio host Charlie Kirk suggesting that Trump’s America first movement was becoming “anti-fragile.”

“Basically he went on to define that word to mean, it’s decentralized, it’s a movement where you can’t just cut off the head of a snake because now there’s a hundred heads and they’re not snakes, but lions,” Cawthorn said. “I don’t believe that we’re moving away from Donald Trump. I think we’re moving away from having to rely on a single person to run the entire show. Donald Trump started this movement and now the American people are gonna have their voices heard in 2022, I can promise you.”

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Canton begins to explore rebuilding flood-damaged facilities

BY C ORY VAILLANCOURT P OLITICS E DITOR

In addition to the devastating loss of life and tremendous damage to private property, Tropical Storm Fred caused millions in damage to facilities owned and maintained by the Town of Canton. During a Jan. 27 allday budget retreat, town staff and elected officials began to make some decisions on what, how and when to rebuild.

“We’re pursuing rebuilding and mitigation on all these projects, but we’re also trying to prioritize fire, police and town hall,” said Canton Town Manager Nick Scheuer.

As far as town hall goes, Scheuer said that there was a “98% chance” the town would take a buyout on the William G. Stamey Building that served as town hall and police headquarters for 53 years.

In considering options for a new town hall, Scheuer said the town must plan not just for a reopening of the administrative center, but also for the population growth and resultant staffing needs over the next 40 to 50 years.

Given the cost of building a brand-new facility from scratch, Scheuer estimates that a new town facility would have $9.9 million in unmet needs, even after FEMA and insurance monies arrive.

Retrofitting an existing building would leave a hole of about $3 million and also produce a much quicker timeline.

Canton’s downtown.

The property next door, which was slated to become another location for Waynesvillebased Kim’s Pharmacy, will likely end up with a buyout as well, perhaps giving the town the opportunity to build some sort of flood mitigation feature, like a wall.

Dr. Ralph Hamlett, the Canton alderman who lost his downtown home in the flooding, cautioned against strong community pushback if the integrity of the theatre is compromised in any way.

Canton Mayor Zeb Smathers opined that the issue of the Colonial would likely require a special meeting dedicated solely to its fate — much like the 2018 meeting in which the building’s annual income was revealed to be around $18,000 a year, far below operating cost.

Two other town-owned facilities, the armory on Penland Street and the 100-acre Camp Hope facility, were also damaged and

For the next year, Scheuer and town staff will continue to operate out of temporary facilities; during the retreat, the board approved a $100,000 contract to establish a temporary town hall in modular structures that will be located near the town garage, on Summer Street. The town believes the cost will be reimbursed by FEMA.

“We are happy to remain in our temporary facilities until we can make the right choices,” Scheuer said.

The future of Canton’s police station may or may not be tied to a permanent town hall, and the town is still exploring its options.

The fire department, located behind the Stamey Building, may be salvageable as long as it’s retrofitted to become more flood resistant.

The same goes for the Canton Historical Museum, located right next door to the Stamey Building, on Park Street.

But tough choices will also have to be made regarding the town-owned Colonial Theatre, located just across Park Street.

The historic theatre has been the subject of discussions before, as it’s been underutilized for years and costs the town a substantial amount of money for upkeep each year. Scheuer said that all options are still on the table, and Alderman Tim Shepard raised the idea of leasing it to an operator that would be dedicated to making it into more of a bustling community attraction that would provide entertainment for locals and lure tourists to

are in need of substantial repair.

During the flooding of 2004, Camp Hope wasn’t damaged, but this time, it didn’t fare as well. The entry bridge has been compromised and the bathrooms were destroyed, so it’s currently offline. Three cabins that were just rehabbed were also flooded and will have to be rebuilt, but the main building and the caretaker’s house weathered the water relatively well. The property did not carry flood insurance, so rebuilding will depend largely on how much money the town receives from FEMA.

The site is popular for church retreats, family reunions and weddings, and is usually booked “pretty far out,” according to town CFO Natalie Walker.

Another popular in-town site, the Armory, will also see some changes to get it back online as quickly as possible.

“It literally is a hub for our community,” said Alderwoman Kristina Smith Proctor.

The wood floors, damaged by flooding, won’t be replaced. Something like polished concrete will likely be utilized instead. A flood wall could be constructed around the property, and any available funding may include the addition of an elevator that would make the second floor compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, opening up more potential for the historic space.

Sylva considers creating social districts

BY HANNAH MCLEOD STAFF WRITER

After a bill allowing cities and counties to create their own social districts passed through the general assembly last September, towns across the state are exploring their options. Sylva is among the latest to do so in Western North Carolina.

“We did quite a bit of research on this, sat in on a webinar with Mobile, Alabama; Huntsville, Alabama; Grand Rapids, Michigan; and I actually went to Kannapolis, North Carolina, which is the only North Carolina city that has it fully implemented, to study how they have done things,” said Bernadette Peters, director of the Main Street Sylva Association, when presenting information to Sylva commissioners at a Jan. 27 board meeting.

If the ordinance were to pass, the proposed district would span from Nantahala Brewing to Innovation Brewing on Main Street and Mill Street and would include Bridge Park. Within that area, people would be allowed to carry and consume alcohol from any bar, restaurant or other entity that has a permit to sell alcohol and has agreed to participate.

The town would have to clearly mark the social district with signage and alcohol would have to be served in a cup that is no more than 16 ounces. Cups cannot be glass and must be marked in some way to indicate the origin of sale, the social district logo, as well as with the words “drink responsibly — be 21.”

People can leave establishments with their alcoholic beverage while within a social district, but they may not enter the premises of a different seller without first consuming the beverage purchased at the previous location. Beverages can, however, be taken to participating locations that do not sell alcohol.

For events in downtown Sylva, this means people could purchase alcohol at downtown businesses and proceed to Bridge Park with that drink in hand. However, during special events, if there are entities such as food trucks or breweries selling alcohol in the park, it would then be considered a separate alcohol-permitted establishment. In this case, people would need to finish their beverage before entering the park. People could leave the park with a beverage in hand and move about the district within the same guidelines.

“So for Greening up the Mountains, Hook, Line, and Drinker, you could not bring purchased alcohol into the park, but you could for Concerts on the Creek because no alcohol is sold there,” said Peters.

Commissioner Ben Guiney questioned the use of so many plastic cups if each cup is

WCU enrollment dips

Fewer male and in-state students; distance learning grows

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER

Enrollment at Western Carolina University is the lowest it’s been for any spring semester since 2018, according to student census data collected Jan. 24. The school cites the ongoing pandemic and its impact on student finances as drivers of the 2.7% decrease in enrollment between the 2022 and 2021 spring semesters.

“Some students we’ve heard from have expressed the pandemic has been hard on them and they wanted a break before resuming their collegiate career, while others found it easier to move into distance education programs rather than face-to-face,” said

Chancellor Kelli R. Brown. “We are working hard and putting in place different strategies so that we can remain focused on student success and helping our students to achieve their goals.”

Despite these challenges, fall-to-spring retention for first-time, full-time freshmen increased slightly, coming in at 86.54% compared to 86.51% last year.

MALE, IN-STATE

ENROLLMENT DECLINING

The university collects student census data on the 10th day of classes each semester. According to the spring 2022 census, 10,977 students are enrolled at WCU compared to 11,284 at the same time last year. That’s an overall drop of 2.7%, but the undergraduate student population saw an even bigger dip, with the 9,287 undergrads enrolled this semester representing a 3.1% decrease from January 2021.

That reduction was mainly due to falling enrollment among male students and instate students. In-state enrollment fell 3.8% compared to spring 2022, even as the num-

ber of out-of-state students grew 4.3%. Meanwhile, male enrollment came in 4.02% lower than last spring while female enrollment saw a more modest slump of 1.77%.

While a gender breakdown of in-state versus out-of-state students in spring 2022 was not available as of press time, data on past semesters indicates that enrollment has been falling fastest among students who are both in-state and male. Between spring 2020 and spring 2021, the number of instate male students decreased 4.2%, while in-state female enrollment and out-of-state male enrollment grew. Out-of-state female enrollment decreased slightly, falling 1.21%.

A comparison of fall 2020 and spring 2021 figures reveals similar trends.

According to Associate Vice Chancellor for Undergraduate Enrollment Phil Cauley, female enrollment has, for various reasons, most often outpaced male enrollment since the university’s inception. Males comprised about 43% of the student body between 2013 and 2019, though that number slipped below 43% for the first time in 2020 and has continued falling since, both as a percentage of total enrollment and in absolute terms. These data mirror a nationwide trend of declining male college enrollment.

According to the current census, men make up only 41.81% of WCU’s student body, with 4,589 enrolled compared to the high point of 5,280 in fall 2019. Meanwhile, female enrollment grew to a high of 6,999 in fall 2020, dropping by just 15 students the following fall and coming in at 6,388 this semester.

The number of in-state students has also been falling since 2019, when it hit a high of 10,679 that fall semester and 9,962 the corresponding spring. Out-of-state enrollment rose slightly over the same time period, now sitting at 1,551. Multiple factors are impacting these trends, Cauley said, including the N.C. Promise Tuition Program and an overall decline in North Carolina high school graduates. Fall 2022 is expected to produce the fewest North Carolina high school seniors in decades.

Spring semester ‘close to normal’

Western Carolina University continues “close to normal” operations this semester as the pandemic continues.

Campus life includes in-person classes, sports, campus events and activities, community engagement, normal hours and increased capacity for buildings and facilities like dining halls and the campus recreation center, and full-occupancy residential living.

However, face coverings are required for all indoor public spaces, and all members of the campus community — students and employees — are asked to report their vaccination status. Because the N.C. Commission for Public Health is the only entity authorized to mandate immunizations for college students in North Carolina, vaccination is not required. Vaccination status information is used to inform WCU’s ongoing preparations and planning related to COVID-19. Any unvaccinated student or employee is expected to be part of a regular testing regimen.

As of Jan. 31, there were 410 active COVID-19 cases among students, employees and contractors at WCU, with only 5% of campus quarantine beds in use. In the past week, 142 students, 21 employees and five contractors tested positive, with a testing positivity rate of 23.2%. At WCU, 68% of students and 82% of employees are vaccinated.

DISTANCE LEARNING KEEPINGS GROWING

While overall enrollment was down, WCU saw growth in distance learning enrollment and recruitment of new graduate students. Graduate student enrollment was down by seven students compared to last spring, less than 0.5%, but the number of new graduate students increased by 13%.

Meanwhile, distance learning enrollment grew by nearly 5%, now accounting for 24.83% of total enrollment — an all-time high. Prior to the pandemic, distance learning enrollment was holding steady at around or just under 20%, but interest increased as the pandemic unfolded.

“People see it as an opportunity,” Associate Director of Distance Learning Tony Miller told The Smoky Mountain News for an Aug. 18 story. “It’s an economically affordable and convenient way to finish the degree and still manage the work-life balance, and I think that’s what appeals to the adult students getting their degree.”

The spring 2022 data was compiled by WCU’s Office of Institutional Planning and Effectiveness and is considered preliminary until verified and sent to the University of North Carolina System Office.

Omicron brings fewer deaths, more hospitalizations than previous variants

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER

After case counts soared to unprecedentedly high levels throughout the month of January, the Omicron wave of COVID-19 appears to be receding in North Carolina — but public health officials in Western North Carolina are hesitant to say that’s yet the case locally.

“We are typically slightly behind the

statewide trends,” said Anna Lippard, deputy health director for Jackson County. “Our cases are still too high to know if we’ve ‘peaked.’ Reported case rates did decrease last week. However, decreases are likely due in part to decreased testing related to recent weather events and MLK holiday.”

Lippard’s comments aligned closely with those of health officials in Haywood, Swain and Macon counties. Allison Richmond, the

NOW AVAILABLE

public information officer for Haywood County Emergency Management, said that Haywood County is seeing a 41% positive test rate — well above the desired cap of 5% — and high numbers of new cases, so it’s not safe to say that the wave has yet peaked locally. However, it might be plateauing. The weekly COVID update Richmond sent Feb. 1 reported 773 new cases in the past week, less than 1% higher than the 767 new cases

reported the previous week.

“It looks like we have at least plateaued and may be heading downward,” Macon County Public Health Director Kathy McGaha said of case counts in that county.

While case numbers are extraordinarily high compared to previous COVID-19 surges, the Omicron wave has proven far less deadly. Between Dec. 25, 2021, and Jan. 20, 15 COVID-19 patients died in Haywood, Jackson, Swain and Macon counties, with 6,018 cases reported during that same time period according to state data. Between Aug. 25 and Sept. 20, the height of the Delta surge, those four counties saw triple the number of deaths — 48 total — despite much lower case counts. The counties reported 3,013 COVID19 cases during that time period, though it wouldn’t be accurate to extrapolate a fatality rate from those figures, because the date of death is offset from the date of case detection.

Though the Omicron wave brought far fewer fatalities, it produced a surge of hospitalizations, peaking statewide at 5,201 on Jan. 26 — well above the previous highwater mark of 3,992, set Jan. 13, 2021. In the western 17 counties, 266 people were hospitalized with COVID-19 as of Feb. 1, of whom 49 were in the ICU. Across the region, 135 ICU beds were in use, 62 were empty and with sufficient staffing to use, and 50 were unreported or unstaffed.

“Like hospitals and health care systems around the region, our capacity has been challenged by this latest surge of COVID-19, and we have seen a notable increase in the number of

Emergency Room visits and increased wait times for patients as a result,” said Chelsea Burrell, wellness manager and health educator at Harris Regional Hospital.

Over the past two weeks, Harris has averaged seven COVID-19 patients at any one time, of whom 75% to 85% are unvaccinated, Burrell said. Meanwhile, a Haywood Regional Medical Center spokesperson said that hospital has averaged 23 COVID-19 patients over the same period, with more than 80% unvaccinated and an average admission age of 60.

As of 9 a.m. Feb. 1, the Mission Health system had 176 COVID-positive inpatients, of whom 142 were at Mission Hospital in Asheville, nine were at Angel Medical Center in Franklin and two were at HighlandsCashiers Hospital. At the Cherokee Indian Hospital, six people were hospitalized with COVID-19 as of Jan. 31, of whom five are over the age of 60. Only one is unvaccinated, said Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Public Health and Human Services Secretary Vickie Bradley, but the other five either did not finish their immunization series or did not receive their booster shot.

During the height of last winter’s surge, Harris was treating 25-30 COVID-19 patients and HRMC had 20-25; on Jan. 3, 2021, Mission housed 162 COVID-positive patients across its network.

SYLVA, CONTINUED FROM 14

required to display the name of the vendor where it was purchased.

“I don’t want to be out paddling and then fishing all these cups out of the river,” said Guiney. “That’s one of my big concerns.”

“Actually, what Kannapolis does is they use stickers,” said Peters. “And they put the sticker over the previous seller’s sticker so that the cup can be reused.”

According to Peters, Sylva’s plan is for drinkers in the social district to be able to use their reusable cups, as long as it is less than 16 ounces and it has the correct marks on it — a sticker from the vendor indicating where it was purchased, as well as “Sylva Social District, Drink Responsibly, Be 21.”

Commissioner David Nestler asked Peters if the map was set in stone and how easily it could be amended.

“Most of those cities that I mentioned have amended their district based on new merchants coming in, and it’s been fairly easy for them to do,” said Peters.

Commissioner Mary Gelbaugh asked if any members of the service industry had been approached about the possibility of the social district.

“Has there been a conversation about keeping their customers in their space, the ambiance, that’s part of what you’re buying. You’re not just buying the beer, you’re playing darts with your buddies. And I just wonder what’s the spur to have it come out of your location?” she asked.

“For the most part, since we’re a tourist town, what we see is that a family will be at a brewery, they’re having a drink, mom and the kids want to move on to the next place and go shopping or whatever. And dad downs the rest of his beer really quickly to

North Carolina does not track how many COVID-19 patients are hospitalized primarily for COVID-19 and how many are COVID-positive but hospitalized primarily for some other reason. When New York Governor Kathy Hochul released a report Jan. 7 making that distinction, it showed that in 43% of New York’s statewide hospitalizations at that time, COVID infection was not included as one of the reasons for admission.

However, spokespeople for both Harris and HRMC said that the COVID-19 patient numbers those hospitals report to the community “reflect the patients who have been admitted with a primary diagnosis of COVID-19.”

COVID-19 is the cause of all hospitalizations in Cherokee, Bradley added.

Staffing shortages are another factor challenging hospital capacity. As of noon Feb. 1, Harris had 99 job openings and HRMC had 169. At full capacity, HRMC would employ about 800 people, meaning that the 169 open positions account for 21% of the total.

Vaccinations and boosters are currently available to anyone over the age of 12, with walk-in appointments available at various locations regionwide. Free testing is also available at multiple locations, including Lake Junaluska and Medical Park Loop in Sylva. Find a testing site and register for an appointment at lhi.care.

get out of there,” said Peters.

The proposed social district would be in place seven days per week, 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Sundays. Peters has been in contact with Sylva breweries throughout this process and the businesses are on board with the plan.

If the ordinance is passed, a merchant information session will be held, and permitholders can determine if they want to opt out of the program. Non-permit holders (retailers) may also choose to opt out of allowing folks to bring alcohol into their stores. Those who do not allow food or drink to be brought into their location typically already have signage prohibiting it.

“I would say one of the positives to people being able to take the beverage out of an establishment, especially during the pandemic is crowding in bars,” said Commissioner Natalie Newman. “And I think that’s one of the positives is that people can go outside and drink and it may even open up more space for these businesses to be able to get more people in to purchase versus people seeing that it’s too crowded, or not being able to get to the bar and things like that.”

According to Peters, the North Carolina Retail Merchants Association was the major interest group pushing for the passage of the social district ordinance law. During the pandemic, online retail purchasing became more popular than it was before the pandemic. The merchant association saw this social district ordinance as a way to increase foot traffic in towns for local businesses.

Most of the board seems to be in favor of creating a social district in Sylva. A public hearing will be held on the issue Feb. 10.

Gillespie receives DAISY Award

Haywood Regional Medical Center recently presented The DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses for November and December to Megan Gillespie, RN Care Coordinator, and Shelly Sneed, staff RN.

The award is part of the DAISY Foundation’s mission to recognize the extraordinary, compassionate nursing care they provide patients and families every day.

Gillespie’s nominator shared an example of her compassion for a patient who was actively dying and work with their family.

“She was unafraid to be honest, yet compassionate in communicating and advocating what was in the patient’s best interest” and offering comfort to the family during an especially difficult time.

Sneed’s nominator shared that she’s hardworking with a wonderful bedside manner, even coming to check on her when she wasn’t assigned as her nurse.

“We have a great team here at Haywood, and Megan and Shelly are wonderful examples,” shared Susan Mahoney, HRMC Chief Nursing Officer. “We look forward to another year of DAISY Awards in 2022.”

More information is available at daisyfoundation.org.

Enroll in Diabetes Prevention Program

The Diabetes Prevention Program is a lifestyle change program dedicated to preventing type 2 diabetes through a series of 24 one-hour group classes hosted by Haywood County Health and Human Services.

Taught by a trained health educator/lifestyle coach, DPP is a fun, yearlong program that gives participants the information and tools needed to maintain a healthy weight, prepare and eat healthy meals and be more physically active.

Thanks to a grant administered by NC State University, the classes are now free and will include incentives, such as resistance bands and cookbooks.

Anyone interested in learning more about or participating in DPP can contact Megan Hauser at 828.356.2272. Providers can refer patients who are either at increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes or have been diagnosed with pre-diabetes to join DPP.

Classes are scheduled to begin at 5:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 7. The program will use a virtual format, with both telephone and video options available to participants.

Free community grief support available

Haywood Hospice & Palliative Care is sponsoring a Community Grief Gathering at the Canton Library on the second Wednesday of the month

Center.

The expanded space is conveniently located adjacent to the longstanding facility at 55 Holly Springs Park Drive, which includes Harris Family Care — Franklin, Harris Orthopedics and Sports Medicine, Harris Women’s Care, Harris Pediatric Care, and outpatient lab, radiology, and physical rehabilitation services.

“We’re excited to expand access to care in Macon County as part of our mission of Making Communities Healthier,” said LaCrystal Gordon, CNO and Interim CEO for Harris Regional Hospital and Swain Community Hospital. “Our new space for general surgery and pain management in Franklin will complement our primary, subspecialty, and outpatient services that have been available to the community for decades.”

To schedule an appointment with a provider, call 800.414.DOCS.

HRMC hires nurse midwife

Haywood Regional Medical Center recently welcomed Ashley Pennington-Tripp, MSN, CNM to its staff.

She will be offering family nurse midwife care to patients throughout Haywood County and beyond. Her specialties include general gynecological care, obstetrical care, postpartum care, childbirth, contraceptive counseling, pregnancy, menopause management, and more.

Western North Carolina community by providing this much-needed facility and adding additional resources to care for the area we serve,” said Chad Patrick, CEO of Mission Hospital.

Sweeten Creek Mental Health and Wellness Center will care for adult, geriatric, adolescent, and pediatric patients. This expansion adds 38 additional beds that will help meet the growing needs of our community and allow Mission Health to continue to care for patients in a state-of-theart facility that keeps our community members close to home.

HCC receives health science grant

Haywood Community College recently received a grant from the Cannon Charitable Interests for $150,000 to purchase equipment for the college’s new Health Sciences Education Building. Featuring a new state-of-the-art learning environment, the cornerstone of the building will be a simulation lab equipped with manikins that provide life-like patient care experience to students. The Cannon funds will be used toward the purchase of manikins that cover the spectrum of life from birth to geriatric care, including male and female models.

beginning at 1 p.m. in the meeting room. Each month will feature a different grief topic: Feb. 9 — Handling the Difficult Emotions of Grief; March 9 — Caring for the Whole Self; April 13— Preparing for Special Occasions.

The Haywood County Public Library and Haywood Hospice require that masks be worn inside the building. For more information or to RSVP, contact Dan Pyles at 828.452.5039 or email daniel.pyles@lhcgroup.com.

Mental health series at Marianna

The Marianna Black Library in Bryson City, in partnership with the VAYA Health, will be hosting an educational series on adult mental health, every third Thursday of the month throughout the year.

This is a free course on substance abuse, misuse and the opioid crisis. All Geriatric and Adult Mental Health Specialty Team courses are evidence-informed, meaning they are derived from evidence-based research and incorporated into a user-friendly format focused on promoting adaptive outcomes.

Harris to host open house in Franklin

Harris Regional Hospital Medical Park of Franklin has completed an expansion at 144 Holly Springs Park Drive that includes new space for Harris Surgical Associates and the Harris Pain

Pennington-Tripp is a Certified Nurse Midwife who completed her Bachelor of Science in Nursing at Western Carolina University. She went on to earn her Master of Science in Nursing – specializing in Nurse Midwifery – at Frontier Nursing University in Versailles, Kentucky.

“I became a midwife because I believe every woman needs a midwife…The wellbeing of women impacts the well-being of families and communities, making the world a better place,” she said. “I look forward to building relationships with the women and families of WNC by providing excellent, compassionate, evidence based, empowering, inclusive and respectful care.”

Appointments may be made by calling 828.452.5042.

Mission breaks ground on mental health facility

The team at Mission Health broke ground this week on a new Behavioral Health facility in Asheville. The Sweeten Creek Mental Health and Wellness Center is slated to open in early 2023.

Located just off Sweeten Creek Road in Asheville, this 120-bed center will offer advanced therapies, technologies and evidence-based best practices to improve the health and well-being of our community.

Mission Health’s new $62 million facility will offer 84,000 square feet of space that will include a therapy gymnasium, music therapy, art therapy and more. The 26-acre property will also include outdoor recreation space and gardening.

“We are furthering our investment in our

Slated to complete construction in the spring of 2022, the Health Sciences Education Building will expand, enhance and modernize the student experience while supplying critical healthcare professionals for the region. It will include an 85-seat lecture hall, 40-seat biology lab and 60-seat classroom. HCC plans for a grand opening of the facility in the summer of 2022. Haywood Healthcare Foundation joined with HCC and NC Connect Bond funds to make the new building a reality.

For more information, call 828.627.4654.

HIGHTS receives mental health grant

HIGHTS received an award from the Evergreen Foundation to fund crisis mental health services for youth in Western North Carolina. Grant funds also provide training and supervision, in partnership with Western Carolina University, for Restorative Justice Continuum providers across Western North Carolina. Training includes Substance Use Series with Dr. Beth Young, addressing substance use psychoeducation and prevention. An Adolescent Mental Health Training Series will be delivered by Dr. Nathan Roth. Dr. Jonathan Campbell will provide training on youth on the autism spectrum. Dr. Young and Dr. Roth will also provide supervision to assist therapists in obtaining their clinical licensure and licensed addiction specialist credential.

HIGHTS (Helping Inspire Gifts of Hope, Trust, and Service) works with the communities’ most vulnerable youth to provide essential clinical mental health services, workforce development, skill building programs, meaningful community service opportunities, recreational therapy, and mentoring. To learn more about HIGHTS, visit hights.org.

What lesson does censorship teach our children?

When I learned of the removal of the book “Dear Martin” from an English II class at Tuscola High School, my first thoughts were of my daughter’s English teachers who created opportunities for the students to read texts that made them think. They engaged in discussions about important topics and real-world issues and were asked to critically analyze different perspectives and experiences. My often-reluctant reader was motivated and inspired. High-performing schools allow for intellectual discussion and debate, and I am grateful her Tuscola teachers provided these opportunities.

The removal of “Dear Martin” concerned me. Would this decision, this censoring of teacher professional discretion, restrict important opportunities for students?

I wonder how the decision was made to remove the book from the curriculum. Whose voices were listened to and who were the decision makers? I know that my parental perspective was not considered. Did decision makers read the entire book? How was the teacher who assigned the book involved? Were a range of perspectives considered? Was research done about the book and its use in schools?

I am writing this column having just finished the book. To be honest, it was a difficult read. The more I read, the more I saw the many real-world, difficult issues including racial profiling, violence and systemic inequities represented. I found myself marking places that I wanted to discuss with others, especially people who have had different lived experiences than me. There were places that made me pause and consider connections to current events, sparking me to learn more. Yes, there is language that I prefer not be used in the world, but it is real language, language that adolescents hear and that many of them use. This realistic language and content is characteristic of young adult literature.

Did the decision makers consider that this book focuses on racial issues and inequities that real people in our nation

Pulling book was a mistake

To the Editor:

I, too, deplore young people’s use of “foul language,” but hearing or reading it would not have affected me when I was 14 because my Southern Baptist Sunday School teacher and my parents, grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins and friends were a much stronger influence.

Tragically, young people have long experienced violence and obscenity. My teen years were spent living in Selma, Alabama, and I was there when Bloody Sunday and, after, the march to Montgomery. (Even seeing police and “deputized” white citizens beating peaceful demonstrators on their heads, kicking and knocking them down did not make me hate all my fellow white people. It made me hate the violence that the minority of white people were perpetrating.)

I realize that today’s generation is different from ours because of public role models on digital media. Perhaps the father who asked for “Dear Martin” to be pulled from the shelves at Tuscola High School could first have discussed the objectionable segments

and local communities face? The North Carolina Standards for American History include engaging students in inquiry, evaluating American identity, critiquing multiple perspectives, explaining experiences and achievements of minority and marginalized populations, and learning about struggles against bias, racism, oppression and discrimination. The North Carolina English Standards include teaching students to effectively participate in discussions, to create rules for collegial discussion and to refer to evidence from texts and other research on issues to stimulate thoughtful, wellresearched exchange of ideas.

In July 2020, the Haywood County School Board reiterated its commitment to ensure equity for all students. The Superintendent created a Plan to Foster Unity and Limit Divisive Bias Regarding Race and other Important Topics. Little related information has been available to the public since then. Is the advisory committee established as part of this plan active and was it involved in this decision? Has there been any attempt to ensure that racial issues are included in our curriculum and that collegial, critical conversations about current realities take place — with or without this particular book?

So, what now? My hope is that we all continue to consider this situation in a range of ways. I invite school board members, teachers, school leaders, parents and community members to join me in a book group that reads and discusses “Dear Martin.” I am more than willing to organize related efforts and help identify the best facilitator for this work. I also ask that the school leaders ensure access to the “Dear Martin” book in the Tuscola and Pisgah libraries.

I strongly encourage the school system to honor the pro-

LETTERS

with his child and also investigated the media the child accesses. Electronic media is pervasive. Unfortunately, books aren’t.

I am a retired English teacher but haven’t read the novel that the one parent objected to. The novel is clearly a lesson in how not to behave and think, a lesson in choosing nonviolent, positive dialogue.

I suspect that reading the whole book, the father would have found that the main character, in emulating Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., a theologian and nonviolent leader, would have stopped using the language that the one parent objected to.

When a superintendent fails to respect the judgment of those who by professional training know much more about an academic discipline than he does, we’re in totalitarianland. A year or two ago, when Superintendent Bill Nolte was discovered to be frequenting a website that promotes hate and racism, I went to that website. On the same page with the post he shared on Facebook was a much-doctored photograph of a Democratic senator with a caption saying that she would be happy for American women to be raped for some idiotic reason I don’t recall because it’s too irra-

fessionalism of teachers and their decisions. Of course, there are times when decisions need to be reconsidered, but censoring books is serious business. School leaders should have input from multiple perspectives (teachers, curricular leaders, diverse parents and community members, state standards and high-quality educational sources). The Board could conduct a thorough review of “Dear Martin,” be open to a range of outcomes, make a fully informed decision and share a detailed account with the public. If they determine that the language in this book is truly the problem, I recommend that teachers help students understand the realistic language in its context. Another response would be to specifically endorse other texts that address the experiences of marginalized people and help students learn about bias, racism, discrimination and oppression, as is required by the North Carolina American History Standards.

I am left convinced that our children, the future leaders of our communities, would be much better prepared if they could read texts like this, think critically about them and engage in civil discourse around them. I am also proud of teachers in our school system who seek to engage our students in these ways and am greatly disappointed that this important work was shut down.

Finally, I ask that we work together in efforts to prioritize work related to equity in our schools and that the school board communicates regularly about related initiatives to our community.

I once again offer to partner and serve in any or all of these efforts.

(Patricia Bricker lives in Waynesville with her 15-year-old daughter Sofie, who attends Tuscola High School. She is a professor in the School of Teaching and Learning, Director of Teacher Education, and Associate Dean in the College of Education and Allied Professions at Western Carolina University. pbricker8235@gmail.com.)

tional, vile and insane to recall.   This is the man who unilaterally decided what professionals can and cannot assign to students. Clearly, he needed significant training in detecting faked photographs and hatespreading social media.

As the article notes, all the parent had to do was follow the school system guidelines by telling the teacher he wanted his child assigned another novel without obscene. Mary Curry

Birthdays, cardinals and roller skating

My older son turned 13 on Jan. 19, and my younger son turned 10 on Jan. 20. They are both officially in the double digits, which is hard for this mama to believe. Since they were babies, we’ve hosted a dual birthday party, as opposed to separate celebrations for each boy.

Ironically, my sister’s birthday is four days earlier than mine in the month of October, so we had similar experiences growing up. She and I always celebrated together. Most often, our birthday party was held at the old Skate-A-Round USA in Woodfin, and because it was near Halloween, all of our friends dressed in their costumes.

We would skate, laugh and bebop to Whitney Houston or Janet Jackson until our hearts’ content and then hang out in the lounge area to eat pizza, blow out candles and open gifts. When I think of my childhood, those birthday memories at the skating rink are very special. With my boys’ birthdays being in January, I’ve had to be creative with party venues. We’ve tried everything from trampoline parks and indoor swimming pools to gymnastics centers and bowling. But during the Covid era, it felt uncomfortable to gather indoors for long periods of time, especially when jumping and rolling all over things.

mom’s favorite birds are cardinals and hummingbirds, so every time we see one, it feels like she is saying hello from afar or that she’s watching over us. Seeing that picture made my heart happy and heavy at the same time. I knew in my heart it was her.

Serendipitously, the next day, which was my younger son‘s birthday, we saw another cardinal in the snow outside the window and again, we knew it was my mom offering my younger son a birthday wish. She was never one to miss a birthday and always wanted to be one of the first to call the grandkids, so it’s no coincidence that we saw the cardinals early in the day.

A lot of folks get kind of down during the month of January because it’s cold and dreary and there’s not a lot to look forward to, especially after the hoopla of the holidays. But for me, it’s always been a time of celebration because both my boys were born during this month. And while it’s expensive to have Christmas and two birthdays lumped together, it’s always a lot of fun and gives the month some light. Emotionally, it was a hard birthday because my older one is now a teenager and it feels like yesterday that he was toddling around and learning to say his first words.

Last year, we had a small family birthday party with a few close friends. We thought that would be the only year that we couldn’t celebrate in a grandiose way. Despite the lingering pandemic, I was determined to host a party this year that felt festive but safe. So even though it was freezing and a snowstorm was on its way, we lit up two fire pits in the yard and kept everyone outside while the kids rode bikes and scooters, played basketball, corn hole or carport Ping-Pong, and roasted marshmallows. It ended up being so enjoyable, we’re probably going to make it an annual tradition, pandemic or otherwise.

On the morning of my older son‘s birthday, he took a photograph of a cardinal in the snow outside his window. My late

Then again, it’s cool to see him grow and develop into a young man.

I saw a quote recently that said, “Get out of your head and into your life.” Many women I know, myself included, tend to overthink and perseverate instead of simply living in the moment. One of my goals for the New Year and forever is to stop doing that. There is so much beauty in the everyday and the here and now. Whether it’s roller skating in witch costumes, sharing a birthday with a sibling, gathering around a fire pit, little boys turning into teens or cardinals in the snow, all of it is wonderful and meaningful, if only we allow ourselves to feel it.

(Susanna Barbee is an editor, writer and digital media specialist for The Smoky Mountain News, Smoky Mountain Living and Mountain South Media. susanna.b@smokymountainnews.com).

Brock Butler of Perpetual Groove

BY GARRET K. WOODWARD ARTS

& E

NTERTAINMENT

E DITOR

It is said that a cat has nine lives. If so, then singer-songwriter Brock Butler may just be half-feline.

Lead singer/guitarist for southern jamband juggernaut Perpetual Groove, Butler has talked openly and candidly over the years about his struggles with drug addiction and succumbing to his personal demons — the unbearable pressures of life and trying to finding yourself, all while fronting a nonstop national touring act.

Formed in Savannah, Georgia, in 1997, PGroove has remained at the apex of live improvisation and layered sonic landscapes, this realm where traditional rock music intersects with the modern era of digital technology.

It’s a dance of cat and mouse between the musicians onstage and those in the audience — an ebb and flow of energy and purpose from both sides of the microphone.

But, through his own trials and tribulations, and also putting the band on ice for a period, Butler has come out on the other side and, well, landed on his feet.

Following the shutdown of the music industry over the last two years, and recently bringing in a new drummer, Butler and his band-

Want to go?

Acclaimed lead singer/guitarist for jamband legends Perpetual Groove, Brock Butler will be hosting a special solo weekend showcase from 8 to 11 p.m. Feb. 11-12 at Nantahala Brewing in Sylva.

Admission is $5 per person, per night (at the door). Both shows will be all ages. 828.641.9797 or nantahalabrewing.com.

mates are moving headlong into the next, bountiful chapter of its storied career.

In conversation with the jovial, kindred spirit, Butler speaks in a humbled tone, not only about the past, but also his sincere hopes and aspirations for an existence — personally and professionally — that is currently one of balance and gratitude.

Smoky Mountain News: With the shutdown, what were some of the silver linings you sought out in your life?

Brock Butler: Well, I had just started to date my girlfriend. And, normally if you’re courting someone [as a touring musician], it has to be done with planning where, “Oh, there’s a week here we can steal some moments.”

It’s hard enough to try to meet somebody you vibe with, and then get to do all that. So, I had completely uninterrupted time to truly get to spend with her, and down in Florida where

what the music has meant to them, how it’s done something positive in their life. So, it all matters in that sense.

There seems [to be] a younger age group of people right now that are getting real stoked on some really cool music — [acts like] Goose, Billy Strings. And I hope that there would be some overlap, in that if people come across [Perpetual Groove] and hear what we’re working on, they’ll like it, too.

All of this plays into wanting to feel better in the way that I’ve mentioned. Instead of being sloppy, dusty, party animals, to have selfrespect and be serious about the craft.

SMN: P-Groove will celebrate 25 years together in 2022. What do you think about that number, especially when you apply it to the road to the here and now?

BB: When I met [Perpetual Groove cofounder/bassist] Adam [Perry] at SCAD (Savannah College of Art and Design), it was my freshman year of college. I was still 17 and I met him the second night I was in Savannah.

I’m living now with her and our dog.

As far as musical satisfaction is concerned, I did some live streams on Facebook and really tried to make the most of those — it kept me engaged. It was also a great opportunity to learn some covers I’ve always been meaning to learn, where now I had time to do it.

And just being home and sleeping on the same mattress every night. There were a lot of benefits to it, at least for me and my physical and emotional health.

SMN: It also seems like there’s this renewed sense of self within P-Groove, where the band is really firing on all cylinders these days.

BB: I think we might be in peak form in a lot of ways [right now]. Because a lot of those obstacles were self-inflicted things, like partying too much. If your life is at a balance, then that’s going to manifest into everything you do, the interactions within the band and stuff like that. And, I think now, everybody is living in a better, balanced way, [which] shows up to how we really enjoy hanging out and playing [together].

SMN: And that all plays into how P-Groove seems to be circling back into the mainstream jam scene again, where people are now realizing just how important and innovative the group was and remains.

BB: You’re kind to say that. I mean, I certainly think it’s pretty special, and I get the occasional message from people that tell me

“If your life is at a balance, then that’s going to manifest into everything you do, the interactions within the band and stuff like that. And, I think now, everybody is living in a better, balanced way, [which] shows up to how we really enjoy hanging out and playing [together].”

— Brock Butler

I had just moved from Virginia to Savannah, and I overheard a conversation he was having, where he was discussing some band or something. So, I just went right in and said, “What are you guys talking about?”

And it turned out we were in same dormitory. He had his bass and amp with him. In my dorm room, I probably had more music equipment that I did art tools, to be honest. We had a lot of music in common, so I grabbed my guitar, and we jammed a little that night.

The friendship has remained and endured. We’ve been friends and collaborators and laughed until it hurts. Right now, I’m at his house in Atlanta doing tour rehearsal for our upcoming [Perpetual Groove] tour. We’re all now in our forties. He’s got two sons and they love “Uncle Brock.” We have a good time. And, you know, the dynamics have shifted over time. We also got a lot of grey hairs and all that kind of stuff. But, it’s just mind-blowing and amazing to me [to look back on it all] — I’m aware of it, and I’m grateful for it.

This must be the place

BY GARRET K. WOODWARD

It’s a Monday, it’s so mundane, what exciting things will happen today?

Just east of Hot Springs, I pulled off U.S. 70 and turned into the small, muddy parking lot. Emerging from the truck, I threw on the rest of my trail running gear. Heading northbound on the Appalachian Trail, the destination was the Rich Mountain Tower.

It was Monday afternoon. Though the sunshine was bright and the air somewhat balmy, the temperature would drop considerably while making my way around the north side of the mountain or wandering deep into a holler en route to the top of the ridge (the route a 5.3-mile roundtrip with 1,446 feet of elevation gain).

Immersed in the depths of solitude along the trail, there wasn’t another soul around for miles. And, as per usual in these situations, I let my mind and thoughts drift. Visions of friends and family back home in the North Country. Dusty memories of long gone lovers. Hopes for the unknown tomorrow (and the days thereafter).

And I kept coming back to my impending birthday this Saturday. I’ll be turning 37. At least socially-speaking, it’s a number that isn’t really significant birthday-wise, at least not like 13, 18, 21, 30, 50, 75 or 100. But, for some reason, 37 weighed heavily in my head as I pushed further and farther up the ridge towards the tower.

Maybe it’s because 37 means I’m “officially” in my late 30s, which means “you’re almost 40,” as a friend jokingly reminded me over a happy hour drink last week. Forty means 50, onward to 75 and eventually 100.

these restless thoughts was that of Australian indie/rock singer-songwriter Courtney Barnett. Later that day, Barnett would take the stage at a sold-out performance in The Orange Peel in Asheville.

But, before I would wander into the venue and soak in the essence of one of the finest modern-day rock-n-rollers, Barnett’s melodies bounced across any and all emotions felt within my heart and soul. The songs are, well, like lullabies for adults, these cozy numbers that wrap around the listener, ultimately bringing forth a sense of ease only found in the confines of unique, timeless music.

Whether it was standing atop the Rich Mountain Tower overlooking the Blue Ridge Mountains or standing at The Orange Peel and gazing out across a sea of faces, Barnett’s words and tone seems to bring everything into focus — to be keenly aware of the moment you’re in, and to find gratitude in any situation.

Beyond the unknown depths of Barnett’s lyrical prowess, the album titles seem to become personal mantras within 21st century human beings just trying to keep our heads above water: “Things Take Time, Take Time,” “Tell Me How You Really Feel,” “Sometimes I Sit And Think, And Sometimes I Just Sit.”

HOT PICKS

1

Popular regional rock act Andrew Thelston Band will hold a special month-long residency every Saturday evening in The Gem downstairs taproom at Boojum Brewing in Waynesville.

2

With genre-bending original compositions, Black Violin will perform at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 9, at the Bardo Arts Center Performance Hall at Western Carolina University.

3

The one-man show “Nocturne” will hit the stage at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 4-5 and 2 p.m. Feb. 6 at the Haywood Arts Regional Theatre in Waynesville.

4

The “Lois Petrovich-Mwaniki: Shadowed Reality Artist Reception” will be held from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 8, in the Rotunda Gallery at Jackson County Public Library in Sylva.

5

“Books & Brews” with beloved Jackson County author/historian Dave Waldrop will be held at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 9, at Innovation Brewing in Sylva.

This is how fast my mind works, as most of us can attest to. The thought of fleeting time and life flying by you is a haunting notion, especially more so nowadays amid incessant white noise and technological distraction — all the more reason to disappear regularly into the depths of Mother Nature. And throughout the trek up Rich Mountain, the soundtrack swirling around

Leaning against the railing of the tower, I kept replaying the deeply-held sentiments of Barnett’s signature selection “Avant Gardener” across my field-of-vision. Although, in essence, the song is about an asthma attack, it speaks more to the absurdity of daily life, for good or ill, “Should've stayed in bed today, I much prefer the mundane, I take a hit from an asthma puffer, I do it wrong, I was never good at smoking bongs, I'm not that good at breathing in.”

Stand in the crowd and soak in the message of this singular, mesmerizing artist up there onstage behind the microphone. Soak in the beauty of the adult lullabies when everything slows down, all while holding an honest sense of solidarity when the guitar gets louder and angrier.

The sheer joy of live music, that communal sense of self and of the greater universe all found in the presence of an Australian whose perspective on the grand scheme of things brings forth the lost art of simple happiness and the ongoing act of self-realization to the countless faces in the crowd — find humor in everyday life, kindness breeds kindness, seek out and be aware of the absurdity of your own existence (for none of us will get of here alive, don’tcha know?).

These days, it’s as if we’re all constantly on the edge of this existential crisis — everyone stuck in confusion about time and place, nothing and everything — with Barnett this melodic tether pulling us back in from floating out into the dark abyss, “Stars in the sky are gonna die, eventually, it’s fine, just like a lonely satellite, drifting for a little while.”

The ebb and flow of frustration and compassion, of tension and release we experience collectively, whether we realize it or not, “Sit beside me, watch the world burn, we'll never learn, we don't deserve nice things, and we'll scream self-righteously, we did our best, but what does that really mean?”

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

Franklin welcomes The Whisnants

The Whisnants will hold a special performance at 7 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 12, at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing

Arts in Franklin.

In 1970, around the old upright piano in John and Betty Whisnants’ house, a family began singing in the Appalachian foothills of Morganton. The voices of children blended with their parents as the sound of a gospel song filled the house. And, from that time forward, they were known as The John Whisnant Family.

Passing the leadership of the group onto Jeff (John & Betty’s son) and Susan in 1990, a new era of The Whisnants began. The current line-up of the trio is Jeff and Susan, Aaron Hise and their sons Austin and Ethan.

Tickets are $18 per person. For more information and/or to purchase tickets, go to smokymountainarts.com or call 866.273.4615.

Thelston residency at Boojum

Popular regional rock act Andrew Thelston Band will hold a special month-long residency every Saturday evening in The Gem downstairs taproom at Boojum Brewing in Waynesville.

Featuring an array of special guests and musical themes, the showcase will include a Led Zeppelin set (Feb. 5), Alma Russ (Feb. 12), a Beatles set with Walker Astin (Feb. 19) and a Fleetwood Mac set with Carrie Morrison (Feb. 26). All shows begin at 9 p.m. Free and open to the public.

On the table

• Unplugged Pub (Bryson City) will host a “Chocolate & Wine Pairing” event from 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 10. Presented by the Bryson City Wine Market. Cost is $35 per person. To make your reservation, call 828.538.0420 or 828.538.2488.

• “A Valentine’s Celebration” dinner will be held from 7 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 12, at The Classic Wineseller in Waynesville. Dinner by master chef Michelle Briggs and live music from Nathan Hefner (piano/vocals). Limited seating. Cost is $72.99 per person (plus tax and gratuity). To make your reservation, call

WCU to present Black Violin

With genre-bending original compositions, Black Violin will perform at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 9, at the Bardo Arts Center Performance Hall at Western Carolina University.

Black Violin is composed of classically trained violist and violinist Wil Baptiste and Kev Marcus who combine their classical training and hip-hop influences to create a distinctive multi-genre sound that is often described as “classical boom.”

For 17 years, Black Violin has been merging string arrangements with modern

828.452.6000. Credit cards required for reservations. classicwineseller.com.

• Nantahala Outdoor Center will now host a monthly brunch at the Rivers End Restaurant, as well as a special Valentine’s Day weekend. Aside from brunch, guests can also enjoy live music from local musicians as they dine. No reservations are needed for the brunch events. The full menu is available at noc.com/restaurants/rivers-end-brunch. For those looking for ideas to celebrate Valentine’s Day,

Rivers End will have a prix fixe Valentine’s weekend menu all day from Feb- 11-14. Local musicians will also entertain guests with live music over the weekend. A full menu and details are available at noc.com/events/rivers-end-valentines. Reservations are required in advance. Other events, full menus, dates and times can all be found on the NOC events page at noc.com/events.

• “Flights & Bites” will be held starting at 4 p.m. on Thursdays and Fridays at Bosu’s Wine Shop in downtown Waynesville. For more information on upcoming events, wine

beats and vocals and building bridges in communities along the way. Marcus and Baptiste first met in orchestra class at Dillard High School in Fort Lauderdale, becoming classically trained on the violin and viola through their high school and college careers. Post-college, they reconvened to produce beats for South Florida rappers, and began building an audience in local clubs. They later went on to win Showtime at the Apollo in 2005, and eventually soldout headline performances at venues across the country, including a sold-out two-night headline run at The Kennedy Center in 2018.

NPR took note and declared “their music will keep classical music alive for the next generation.” Black Violin’s latest release, “Take the Stairs,” earned a Grammy Award nomination for “Best Contemporary Instrumental Album.”

Find further information and purchase tickets at arts.wcu.edu/blackviolin. The BAC Box Office can be reached at 828.227.2479.

Masks are mandatory at all Western Carolina University in-person events, which include Bardo Arts Center Performance Hall.

tastings and special dinners, click on waynesvillewine.com.

• A free wine tasting will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. every Thursday and 2 to 5 p.m. every Saturday at The Wine Bar & Cellar in Sylva. 828.631.3075.

• “Uncorked: Wine & Rail Pairing Experience” will be held from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 12 (and other select dates), at the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad in Bryson City. Full service all-adult first class car. Wine pairings with a meal, and more. 800.872.4681 or gsmr.com.

Triple-Win Climate Solutions: More private sector jobs, higher quality of life

Nature never did betray the heart that loved her. —William Wordsworth, 1798

The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Law

Effective November 10, 2021, the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Law (IIJ) is allowing the United States to update and upgrade systems that have been neglected for many years. The January 28 failure of the bridge in Pittsburgh is the latest example of our crumbling infrastructure. It is one of 170 bridges in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, rated in “poor” condition.

Improvements to our inadequate systems of transportation, water and energy will save families and businesses money and generate jobs. Below are details of one segment of the IIJ, its climate mitigation provisions. Next week, read about climate programs in the Build Back Better Act. The law includes $110 billion for roads, bridges, and major projects, and $66 billion for passenger and freight rail. Numerous projects are already underway.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is allocating $7.4 billion for states to upgrade aging water and sewerage systems, pipes and service lines, and other crucial public works.

The Department of Energy (DOE) Office of

Clean Energy Demonstrations is investing $20 billion for clean energy development and pollution reduction, both requiring well-paying private industry jobs. The DOE is also accelerating installation of new, more secure transmission lines for the US electrical grid, bringing more jobs with enhanced national security.

The Department of the Interior (DOI) invited states to apply for funding to cap and plug defunct oil and gas wells and cut methane emissions while creating instate jobs. So far 26 states are applying. Better health and jobs for coal mining communities: With funding through 2024, the DOI is helping states and Indigenous Nations and Tribes to reclaim hazardous abandoned mines, replace polluted water supplies, and reduce longstanding pollution. Another program will re-train miners for safe, well-paying clean energy jobs.

Who pays for all this? The seventeen Nobel Prize laureates who supported the bill note that taxing the wealthiest Americans and large, multinational corporations, many of whom have paid $0 in taxes, can fund it. Also, they write, “Because this agenda invests in long-term economic capacity and will enhance the ability of more Americans to participate productively in

On November 19, 2021, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg announced that the Administration is investing nearly $1 billion in grants to 47 states, D.C. and Guam for 90 projects. They require local employment to improve safety by installing and maintaining transport technology. A priority is fixing long-neglected pollution and transport problems in low- and middle-income communities.

the economy, it will ease longer-term inflationary pressures.”

An additional 70 economists also write that even the White House’s original, much larger IIJ bill could have been paid for by taxing the untaxed super-wealthy: “The infrastructure package comes paired with the Made in America Tax

Plan, which would raise the corporate tax rate to 28% from 21%. It's meant to offset the complete cost of the bill within 15 years.”

Americans approve. “Polling from Morning Consult/Politico found that voters support paying for the package with tax hikes, although they prefer increased taxes on the wealthy more than on corporations.” – Insider (formerly Business Insider)

For more information:

The Infrastructure and Jobs Law, fact sheet: https://www.whitehouse.gov/bipartisan-infrastructure-law Roads and Bridges (industry organization): https://www.roadsbridges.com/biden-signs-infrastructure-investment-and-jobs-act-law

https://www.businessinsider.com/infrastructure-investment-70-economists-support-bidenbill-large-scale-spending-2021-4

By WNC CAC volunteer, co-founder and Triplewin Editor Mary Jane Curry

MJCinWNC@gmail.com WNC Climate Action Coalition is an all-volunteer group working to mitigate the effects of the climate crisis in our region.

https://WNCClimateAction.com Twitter: @WncAction

On the beat

• Balsam Falls Brewing (Sylva) will host an open mic from 8 to 10 p.m. every Thursday. Free and open to the public. 828.631.1987 or balsamfallsbrewing.com.

• Blue Ridge Beer Hub (Waynesville) will host a semi-regular acoustic jam with the Main Street NoTones from 7 to 9 p.m. on Thursdays. Free and open to the public. For more information, click on blueridgebeerhub.com.

• Boojum Brewing (Waynesville) will host karaoke at 8:30 p.m. on Wednesdays, trivia at 7 p.m. on Thursdays, a special residency by The Andrew Thelston Band (rock/soul) at 9 p.m. every Saturday in February, and semi-regular live music on the weekends. All shows begin at 9 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.246.0350 or boojumbrewing.com.

• The Classic Wineseller (Waynesville) will host Kevin Lorenz (folk/jazz) Feb. 5. All shows begin at 7 p.m. Limited seating. Reservations are highly recommended. 828.452.6000 or classicwineseller.com.

• Cowee School Arts & Heritage Center will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. 828.369.4080 or coweeschool.org.

• Currahee Brewing (Franklin) will host The Thompson Brothers at 7 p.m. Feb. 5. Free and open to the public. 828.634.0078 or curraheebrew.com.

• Elevated Mountain Distilling Company will host an Open Mic Night 7 to 9 p.m. on Wednesdays and semi-regular live music on the weekends. Free and open to the public. 828.734.1084 or elevatedmountain.com.

• Frog Level Brewing (Waynesville) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. All shows begin at 6 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.454.5664 or froglevelbrewing.com.

• Innovation Brewing (Sylva) will host semiregular live music on the weekends. All events begin at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. innovation-brewing.com.

• Innovation Station (Dillsboro) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. All events are free and begin at 2 p.m. unless otherwise noted. innovation-brewing.com.

• Lazy Hiker Brewing (Franklin) will host Scott Stambaugh (singer-songwriter) 7 p.m. Feb. 5. All shows begin at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.349.2337 or lazyhikerbrewing.com.

• Lazy Hiker Brewing (Sylva) will host Karaoke in The Smokies Feb. 4 and Trivia

Time w/Brandon and Sunny 6:30 p.m. Feb. 9. All shows begin at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.349.2337 or lazyhikerbrewing.com.

• Mountain Layers Brewing (Bryson City) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. All shows begin at 6 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.538.0115 or mountainlayersbrewingcompany.com.

• Nantahala Brewing (Sylva) will host an intimate solo performance by Brock Butler (lead singer of Perpetual Groove) Feb. 1112 ($5 at the door). All shows are free and begin at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. 828.641.9797 or nantahalabrewing.com.

• Rathskeller Coffee Haus & Pub (Franklin) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. Shows begin at 8 p.m. Free and open to the public. rathskellerfranklin.com.

• Satulah Mountain Brewing (Highlands) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. 828.482.9794 or satulahmountainbrewing.com.

• Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts (Franklin) will host a live stream of “Cory Asbury: Songs & Stories” at 7 p.m. Feb. 3. The live stream will be screened at the SMCPA. Doors open at 6 p.m. Free and open to the public.

• Southern Porch (Canton) will host semiregular live music on the weekends. 828.492.8009 or southern-porch.com.

• The Ugly Dog Pub (Cashiers) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. 828.743.3000 or theuglydogpub.com.

• The Ugly Dog Pub (Highlands) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. 828.526.8364 or theuglydogpub.com.

• Unplugged Pub (Bryson City) will host Aces Down 7 p.m. Feb. 3, Jon Cox Band Feb. 4, Jason Lee Wilson & James County Feb. 5, Rock Holler Feb. 11 and Genepool Feb. 12. All shows begin at 8 p.m. Free and open to the public. 828.538.2488.

• Valley Tavern (Maggie Valley) will host the “Hillbilly Jam” showcase weekend w/DJ Jason Wyatt Feb. 24 and Mile High Band Feb. 25. Both events begin at 6 p.m. 828.926.7440 or valley-tavern.com.

• Water’n Hole Bar & Grill (Waynesville) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends and an “Emo Night Dance Party” at 9 p.m. Feb. 12. 828.456.4750 or facebook.com/waternhole.bar.

• Whiteside Brewing (Cashiers) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. 828.743.6000 or whitesidebrewing.com.

On the wall

Sylva art opening, reception

The Jackson County Arts Council will host the Lois Petrovich-Mwaniki: Shadowed Reality Artist Reception from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 8, in the Rotunda Gallery at Jackson County Public Library in Sylva.

The gallery reception features the work of artist Lois Petrovich-Mwaniki in a show titled Shadowed Reality. The showcase consists of oil portraits.

“In exploring the medium of oil, I began

• The Innovation Station (Dillsboro) will host “Paint-A-Pint” night at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 2, and “Paint & Sip” at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 10. innovation-brewing.com.

ALSO:

• Haywood County Arts Council (Waynesville) is currently seeking one or more gallery interns with a passion for the arts and interest in learning about the administration of a small nonprofit. Send cover letters and resumes to HCAC Executive Director Morgan Beryl at director@haywoodarts.org.

• “Thursday Painters” group will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Thursdays at The Uptown Gallery in Franklin. Free and open to the public. All skill levels and mediums are welcome. Participants are responsible for their own project and a bag lunch. For more information, call The

Want to paint, sip craft beer?

Robin Arramae of WNC Paint Events will be continuing her fun paint nights to bring you not only a “night out” but an experience that lifts your spirits. Join others as Arramae shows you stepby-step how to paint a beginner level painting of the evening as you sip on your favorite local craft beer.

to appreciate the mixture of colors on the canvas and the control I had to either flatten or abstract the shadowed figure, or to emphasize the curvature of certain body parts using shadows,” Petrovich-Mwaniki said. “In some of the paintings I attempted to reflect another reality, like the cut-outs of Matisse or the reflected light from Venetian blinds, superimposed on the seated or resting figure. As I continue painting, I am exploring how this new reality can juxtapose what the viewer perceives and recognizes in the surrounding world.”

Petrovich-Mwaniki’s work will be shown in the Rotunda Gallery through March 2022. The Jackson County Public Library requires masks to be worn indoors. Cookie grab bags will be available in lieu of refreshments. The reception and the showcase are free and open to the public.

Uptown Gallery at 828.349.4607 or contact Pat Mennenger at pm14034@yahoo.com. franklinuptowngallery.com.

• A “Foreign Film Series” will be held at the Jackson County Public Library in Sylva. Each month, on the second and fourth Friday, two movies from around the globe will be shown. This program is in the Community Room and is free of charge. Masks are required in all Jackson County buildings. To find out what movie will be shown and/or for more information, call the library at 828.586.2016. To learn more, click on fontanalib.org.

• Mountain Makers Craft Market will be held from noon to 4 p.m. the first Sunday of each month at 308 North Haywood Street in downtown Waynesville. Over two dozen artisans selling handmade and vintage goods. mountainmakersmarket.com.

Events will be held at the following locations: 828 Market on Main (Waynesville), Balsam Falls Brewing (Sylva), BearWaters Brewing (Canton) and Mountain Layers Brewing (Bryson City).

Please visit WNC Paint Events (@paintwnc) Facebook page, under “Events” for date and time of upcoming events.

For pricing and to sign up, go to wncpaint.events. Space is limited. Drinks sold separately.

On the stage

Ready to try theater?

Have you always dreamed of being on the stage but don’t know where to begin? Maybe you know a student who yearns for an opportunity to express themselves?

The Haywood Arts Regional Theatre in Waynesville offers a wide variety of classes in the theater arts for all ages, young and old. Whether you are just starting out or want to hone your skills, HART has opportunities for you.

Learn more about acting classes available for K-2, Ggades 3-5, middle and high school, adults, and seniors. Musical theater dance and advanced beginner tap are available for teens and adults.

And classes are rounded off with improvisation classes and musical theater group voice for teens and adults. Spring courses

HART presents ‘one-man show’

begin Feb. 6, with 12 weeks of courses through May 13, with a week off March 28April 1 and spring break April 11-15.

Sign up before Feb. 6 to take the whole semester. HART also offers pay-per-class with just a $15 drop-in fee.

HART is also offering free workshops in stage management April 2, 9 and 16. There will also be a lighting workshop on March 19.

You can learn more about these opportunities and sign up for classes and workshops by visiting harttheatre.org and viewing the Kids at HART classes and camps page. Masks will be required for all courses.

For more information, contact Artistic Director Candice Dickinson at 646.647.4546 or email candice@harttheatre.org.

mented mind, full of memories, regrets, and dreams.

As part of its 2022 Winter Studio Season, the one-man show “Nocturne” will hit the stage at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 4-5 and 2 p.m. Feb. 6 at the Haywood Arts Regional Theatre in Waynesville.

Written by Adam Rapp, “Nocturne” examines a life of exceptional loss. With a keen eye for human relationships and a deft ear for language, Rapp’s work will linger in the memories of those who see it — just as the accident that effectively destroyed an entire family continues to lurk in the mind of the play’s protagonist.

In “Nocturne,” audiences step into the psyche of “Son” as he explores the effects of the incident that caused him to accidentally kill his sister at a very young age and how his family was subsequently torn apart. The stage is set to look like the inside of his tor-

The play is at times a beautiful exhibit of Rapp’s exceptional writing and at others a deep cut into the life of a piano prodigy whose life was taken away by one tragedy after another. “Nocturne” reminds us that life is fragile, fleeting, and in the end, beautiful.

With socially distanced seating similar to what HART offered in spring of 2021, audiences can enjoy productions all year round at HART. Hold over/snow dates will be Feb. 1113.

For tickets, visit harttheatre.org or call HART’s Box Office at 828.456.6322 and leave a message. Seating will be socially distanced, and masks are required for all HART productions.

A book from after the apocalypse

Manon Steffan Ros is a Welsh author of more than 40 books, writes in the Welsh language and has only this fall published her latest novel, “The Blue Book of Nebo” (Deep Vellum Publishing, 2021) which has already won several literary prizes in Wales.

the other has written, just in case. In case of what, I’m not sure.”

Essentially, Rowenna and Dylan are forced to live a lifestyle that is referred to today as “living off the grid.” In essence, living as did their Neanderthal ancestors thousands of years before. Dylan, at only 9 years old, has become a premature young adult

herself in books. I read slowly and read the same book straight after I’ve finished it, so that I can memorize it in my mind. I know most of Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee by heart,” says Dylan.

Having spent a good bit of time in Wales, myself during several trips abroad, and having written a collection of poems at the Dylan Thomas Boathouse in Laugharne, Wales, which was published by Carreg Gwalch, a Welsh publisher, and having edited an anthology of contemporary Celtic poetry that included Welsh language poets, I’m interested in anything literary coming from that country. So, when I saw Ros’ “The Blue Book of Nebo” reviewed in a recent New Yorker magazine, I ordered it in advance of its official release. Knowing it was about an apocalypse while we’re all currently living in an apocalyptic period of a covid pandemic and climate change didn’t stop me from ordering it, as I was anxious to check out this unfamiliar author and her prize-winning book.

In a word, Ros’ book is about and from the perspective of a young mother and her pre-teen son. She writes her book as from chapters taken from the diaries of both characters. In fact, that is exactly the style and format that the book takes as both mother and child (Rowenna and Dylan) literally have created a blank book, which they both write in on different days and which neither of them is allowed to read. So, as readers of Ross book, we swing back and forth from mother to son, from Rowenna to Dylan, to vicariously witness their lives during an enormous apocalypse where they are seemingly the only survivors from some sort of nuclear cataclysm.

We spend our time with Rowenna and Dylan following in their footsteps and in their minds — essentially living in apocalyptic times in their company:

“We still have the old calendar, the one from 2018, the year The End came. And we can’t be certain that we’re in the right place, because the days when we were sick at the beginning all went into one mess of time. But we agreed, Mam and me, to share The Blue Book of Nebo, as we have called it. She’ll write about the olden days and The End, and I’ll write about now, about how we live. And we’ve agreed not to read what

and is doing hard physical labor that includes heavy chores, building, gardening and growing the food that they will survive on. He, it turns out, is the stable influence in the family (Rowenna is a single mom and Dylan doesn’t remember his dad) and works hard, as well, keeping his mother in line.

One of the ways they both cope is by reading books they have scavanged from the shops, libraries and, eventually, empty homes of neighbors and people in the little town of Nebo.

“Our taste in books is very different. Mam reads quickly and reads the same ones over and over—The Brontes, Kate Atkinson, Bethan Gwanas, who writes as the world was before. She doesn’t read that much Welsh, but more than she used to. She loses

Since this book is mainly about practical things, so, what happens during an apocalypse when one is sick or injured? We’re already into the third year of the Welsh armageddon near the end of “The Blue Book of Nebo” and much has taken place. Rowenna is writing in the Blue Book about this and she says: “Over the years, Dylan and I have needed a doctor, even the hospital sometimes for treatment. Now, we’ve learnt, Dyan and me, to use moss to absorb blood when a cut is large and exposed. We know that steam is the best thing for a cold or cough. We’ve learned that stinging ourselves with nettles heals a surpringly long list of ailments and illnesses.”

And so it goes, day after day, interesting entry after interesting entry in their “Blue Book of Nebo.”

Despite all the hardship and trauma, Rowenna confesses near the end of the book: “I choose to keep the faith. And the things we believe in, the things we have faith in — we have all made the choice to believe.” At the very end, and on a positive note, we have Dylan looking back upon their years during the catastrophe, saying, “We sat in silence. I don’t know what Mam was thinking about, but I was remembering all the brilliant things, like the first plants, and all the stories in all the books. And our book, “The Blue Book of Nebo,” living amongst them on the shelf.” Kudos to Rowenna and Dylan for their fortitude and desire to endure during hard times. They are good role models for those of us living in our own set of catastrophes today.

(Thomas Crowe is a regular contributer to The Smoky Mountain News and author of the multi-award-winning non-fiction nature memoir “Zoro’s Field: My Life in the Appalachian Woods.”)

A Carolina Mountain Club member demonstrates fire-building skills during the training program. Nancy East photo

ALL HANDS ON DECK

New program trains hiking club members to assist SAR missions

BY HOLLY KAYS OUTDOORS EDITOR

When Chad Seger was reported missing on Friday, Oct. 16, 2020, the Haywood County Rescue Squad’s Wilderness Search and Rescue Team deployed immediately to seek the 27-year-old Asheville man in the Shining Rock Wilderness Area. But even with rescue crews from across the region joining the effort, day after day went by with no sign of Seger.

“All the regional teams were getting pretty tapped out, because it was during the week and all of us have to work outside of search and rescue,” said SAR team member Nancy East. “It’s just volunteer.”

It wasn’t until Tuesday, Oct. 20, that search

teams located Seger’s body near the Art Loeb Trail — eight days after Seger last spoke to his family and four days after he was reported missing. SAR Director Mike Street saw how the search had strained the region’s volunteer resources and asked Steve Kuni, who is a member of both the SAR team and of the Carolina Mountain Club, to see if the hiking club might be interested in forging a partnership.

“His idea was to use experienced people in the woods from the local area that are not on the team and train them to a level where we wouldn’t expect them to do dangerous missions, night missions, searches and rescues involving ropes and whatnot — but if they can help us do the simple search of ‘look down this trail and see if you can find this person,’ that would help us a lot,” said Kuni.

CMC, which at 90 years is the oldest hiking and trail maintaining club in Western North Carolina, seemed the perfect place to look for those experienced, local woodspeople Street hoped to find. Kuni contacted CMC

CMC members go through basic swift water awareness training, which teaches them how to assist swiftwater technicians and how to react should they find themselves in a swiftwater situation. Donated photo

and received an enthusiastic response — and the result is a brand-new partnership between the SAR team and CMC, training CMC members to assist the SAR team on longer missions like the search for Seger.

A retired army officer, Kuni moved to Haywood County with his wife about five years ago, and his involvement with both SAR and CMC began soon afterward. He signed up for the SAR team but needed to get in shape to be at his most effective on missions, so he started using local trails for exercise. On one of those workout hikes, he bumped into a CMC trail maintainer and started asking questions. He wanted to know how he could give back to the trails that had proved so important in his fitness journey. Eventually, he wound up as trail maintainer for the Buckeye Gap Trail in the Middle Prong

Wilderness.

As the bridge between the two organizations, Kuni was instrumental in developing what is still a new and semi-experimental program. Currently open only to CMC members, the program provides participants the basic training needed to ensure that they understand how to work under SAR leadership and that they’ll be an asset in the backcountry, not a liability.

“If you’re not prepared, it can turn bad real quick, and then we wind up having to rescue the rescuers,” said Kuni.

CMC members tend to be woods-savvy folks already, and the training process provides additional layers of knowledge. It includes an introductory briefing covering rules and regulations, communications procedures, responsibilities and authorities, as well as a skills training that F

Built to provide recreational opportunities and stormwater retention capabilities following the 2004 flood, River’s Edge Park in Clyde is one example of a flood prevention project. File photo

Program to fund flood prevention projects

An online Q&A session for a new program funding efforts to reduce flooding in North Carolina is coming up at 9 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 10.

The N.C. General Assembly approved $38 million for the new Streamflow Rehabilitation Assistance Program, which allocates money to projects that protect and restore the integrity of drainage infrastructure. Projects could include clearing debris or sediment blocking streams, stabilizing and restoring streambanks, or reha-

Do your part

Haywood County has one of the most organized and highly trained volunteer search and rescue teams around. Here’s how you can help this crew continue to fulfill its lifesaving mission.

n Donate to the WNC Wilderness Safety Fund at wncwildernesssafety.org.

n Join the team. Find out how at haywoodrescue.org/specialty-teams/sar.

n Don’t become a rescue call. For tips on planning and packing appropriately, visit americanhiking.org/resources/planning-yourhike.

covers improvised shelters and fire-building, first aid and navigation using the U.S. National Grid navigation system that search and rescue crews rely on. It’s different from the latitude and longitude system and unfamiliar to most people outside the SAR world.

Prospective trainees must also pass a pack test that requires them to travel 3 miles in 45 minutes while carrying 20 pounds.

“This is an actual demonstrable ability that we know they can move down a trail and not be a liability,” said Kuni.

The first aid section of the training ensures that team members can provide first aid to each other, said Kuni. CMC members are not supposed to administer first aid to subjects, but rather to connect them to a first responder as quickly as possible — with the caveat that they are permitted to react like a “reasonable person” in case of emergency.

bilitating and improving small watershed structural projects.

“This is a monumental step to help us prevent future flooding,” said Agriculture

Commissioner Steve Troxler. “While we have previously secured federal and state money to clear debris from waterways after flooding events such as hurricanes, those efforts were reactive approaches that were part of disaster recovery funds. StRAP now allows us to be proactive in clearing waterways so we can hopefully reduce flooding and protect people’s property before the next big flood event happens.”

Applications are now being accepted. Learn more at ncagr.gov/swc/watershed/strap.html.

“If the situation were such that they had no communication, conditions were deteriorating, I would expect them to use their common sense and say, ‘Yeah, we need to treat this guy and get him out of here,’” said Kuni. But in general, CMC partners are to leave medical treatment to the medical professionals.

So far, 16 CMC members are fully trained to assist the Haywood SAR team, and another four have volunteered to start the process. But so far, nobody has deployed.

“Most of our missions conclude in less than 12 hours,” said Kuni. “We might need these guys once or twice a year, but they all know that up front. If we do need them, then we really, really need them.”

As of now, the program is open only to CMC members, most of whom live in Buncombe County but know Haywood’s trails intimately. It’s hard to say what its future might hold, though — whether training opportunities might open beyond CMC membership, or if the program will serve as a stepping stone toward full Haywood SAR membership. It’s a young program, and its leaders are still figuring out the details.

“We’re not building an airplane in flight, but we are building it from the ground floor up,” said Kuni.

The Haywood SAR team prefers that its members reside in Haywood County, so CMC’s Buncombe-centric membership is not the ideal pool for prospective new recruits. But the program has netted at least one so far — Sanderson is now a full member of the Wilderness Search and Rescue Team.

“He came to our meeting to see what was going on,” said Kuni. “He looked at the boss and said, ‘How do I join?’”

Take the Plunge

Enter the wintry water of Lake Junaluska’s pool to support environmental education in Haywood County Saturday, Feb. 12, during the 10th annual Plunge event.

Haywood Waterways and Lake Junaluska Assembly are hosting the event, with participants choosing from two options — the traditional Plunge or the Plunge Challenge. The traditional Plunge will take place from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Lake Junaluska Aquatics Center Pool, with onsite check-in and registration starting at 10 a.m. The Plunge Challenge is adapted for the COVID-19 pandemic — in this format, participants can pick the date, time and location to plunge at their convenience.

Cost is $25 for adults or $10 for youth under 18, or free by raising sponsorships. All plungers receive a free T-shirt and hot lunch, and the depth of the plunge is a personal choice, ranging from the tip of the toe to a full-body immersion. Prizes are awarded for best costumes, best fundraisers, best plunge

Play pickleball

The water’s cold, but plungers can participate by dipping a toe or braving a full-body immersion.

and most plungers.

All proceeds benefit Haywood Waterways’ Kids in the Creek program and environmental education programs. Sign up or learn more at tiny.cc/HWA10thPlunge. Reach Haywood Waterways at 828.476.4667 or info@haywoodwaterways.org.

Learn to play pickleball this February with lessons offered 9 a.m. to noon Mondays and Wednesdays throughout the month at the Waynesville Recreation Center.

Lessons are for beginning and seasoned pickleball players. Class size is limited, so advance sign-up is required on sheets available at the rec center. Lessons are free for rec center members, and non-members can pay a daily rate or purchase a “ten play” card for $20. There will be no class Feb. 9 or Feb. 23.

For more information, contact Donald Hummel at 828.456.2030 or dhummel@waynesvillenc.gov.

SNOW REPORT SNOW REPORT

18 Trails Open 3 Aerial Lifts 2 Surface Lift 39 - 58 Inch Base

Weekdays: 9:00am – 10:00pm 9:00am Weekends: 8:30am – 10:00pm

Haywood boarder takes fourth at X Games

Waynesville native Zeb Powell, 22, narrowly missed a medal at the X Games in Aspen Jan. 21, coming in fourth on the Wendy’s Snowboard Knuckle Huck event he dominated in the 2020 games.

Powell wowed the crowd with a diverse bag of tricks in the event, which involves doing tricks off the “knuckle” of the slope. In one maneuver, Powell convinced follow competitor Luke Winklemann to lay down on his side below the jump, with his snowboard in the air. Powell then used the board like a launching pad, glancing off it as he raced downhill and completing an polejam backflip before once more hitting the ground.

However, Powell ultimately missed out on a medal. Norwegian boarders Marcus

Kleveland and Fridtjof Saether Tischendorf claimed first and second, respectively, and American boarder Dusty Hendricksen took third. Powell finished just behind him in fourth out of eight competitors. Boarders get five runs to make an impression on the judges, with rankings announced at the end of the contest.

The knuckle huck made its X Games debut in 2019, and Powell competed for the first time in 2020, taking home gold. He didn’t participate in the 2021 games but returned for 2022. Unlike in the 2020 games, when Powell led in all five runs, judges did not issue scores for each attempt but instead delivered only an overall ranking.

— By Holly Kays, outdoors editor

Run the inaugural Strawberry Jam race

The inaugural Strawberry Jam Half Marathon/5K will step off Saturday, May 21, in Bryson City, 7:30 a.m. for the half marathon and 7:45 a.m. for the 5K.

Both races start and end downtown and will be held in conjunction with the annual Strawberry Jam Festival at Darnell Farms. The half marathon course will include a segment on the farmland, and runners will also go twice through the outer edge of the Deep Creek section of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Both races offer “very flat” courses, according to a press release from organizer Glory Hound Events. The races are also presented by the Swain County Tourism Development Authority.

Registration is $70 for the half marathon and $35 for the 5K. Sign up at gloryhoundevents.com.

Standing 5,720 feet high, Devils Courthouse is an important habitat for many imperiled species. NPS photo

Become a Devils Courthouse Rover

A new volunteer program aiming to educate visitors to Devils Courthouse on the Blue Ridge Parkway and share information about imperiled species at the site — such as peregrine falcons and sensitive plants — is now accepting applicants.

Participants in the Devils Courthouse Rovers Program will engage with park visitors, answering their questions and sharing important information about the site. Team

members will have a direct impact on preserving park resources and serving visitors to one of the Parkway’s most iconic locations.

Devils Courthouse is a landmark cliff face near milepost 422.4 of the Blue Ridge Parkway, accessed via a half-mile trail to the summit that has become a popular destination for tourists and locals alike.

To learn more or apply, visit bit.ly/3aduwsq.

Check out Barker’s Creek Mill

Join the Nantahala Hiking Club for an easy 2-mile out-and-back excursion Saturday, Feb. 5, on the Cove Forest and Anselm’s trails.

The group will meet at 10 a.m. in the Piggly Wiggly parking lot in Dillard, Georgia, and carpool to the trailhead at Patterson Gap. After the hike, which includes several gentle ups and downs, they’ll drive a short distance to Barker’s Creek Mill to see the mill operate and have lunch. Bring food and fluids as needed. No charge and no reservations needed. Visitors and wellbehaved dogs welcome. Current COVID protocols will be observed. For more information or foul weather updates, contact David Stearns at 828.349.7361.

Get ready for turkey season

Three turkey hunting webinars are coming up Feb. 8-10, offering information on a variety of topics associated with planning and executing a turkey hunt.

The hour-long classes start at 7 p.m. and conclude with an interactive Q&A session. Planned sessions are:

n Tuesday, Feb. 8 — Biology for Hunters, Regulations, Where to Hunt and Scouting.

n Wednesday, Feb. 9 — Firearms, Ammo, Clothing and Miscellaneous Equipment.

n Thursday, Feb. 10 — Hunting Techniques and Strategies.

about how to prepare for the hunt, what to expect and how to execute a successful harvest and enjoy the time in the wild, even if the hunt is unsuccessful.

The webinars were created with the new hunter in mind. Turkey hunting can be more approachable than other big game hunting but has its challenges. The instructors will provide a comprehensive overview

Wild turkey open seasons for male and bearded turkeys are April 2-8 for youth under 18 and statewide April 9 through May 7. The program will be held over Zoom, and space is limited. Pre-register at ncwildlife.org/learning/skills-based-seminars. For more information, contact Walter James at walter.james@ncwildlife.org or 984.202.1387.

Summer camp provides an array of experiences for campers and counselors alike. Donated photo

Time to apply for summer camp jobs

It’s hiring season for summer camp counselors, with applications now open to work at day camps in Cashiers and Waynesville.

n The Cashiers/Glenville Recreation Center in Jackson County is looking for summer camp staff to work 40 hours per week during camp dates June 6 through July 29. The job will include working with kids, outdoor activities, weekly pool trips and day field trips to exciting places. For more information, contact Gabriel Frazier at 828.631.2025 or gabrielfrazier@jacksonnc.org.

n The Waynesville Parks and Recreation Department is accepting applications for summer camp sessions June 13 through Aug. 12, with a break July 4-8. Work will start May 24 with a mandatory training April 12, and all applicants must be at least 16 years old. Interviews start Feb. 15. For more information, contact MaShon Gaddis at 828.456.2030 or mgaddis@waynesvillenc.gov.

n Youth who are rising seventh graders through age 15 can apply for the Volunteer

Upgrade your gardening know-how

Expand your gardening knowledge ahead of growing season with a pair of virtual classes offered at 1 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 17, through Haywood County Cooperative Extension.

Counselor in Training Program with Waynesville Parks and Recreation Department Base Camp.

The program provides young adults who are no longer eligible to attend day camp but not old enough to work as a counselor with the chance to develop the skills necessary to become an exceptional youth programs counselor as they get older. The program’s main objective is to offer an educational and recreational alternative for young adults in the community.

Each applicant must meet numerous criteria, including attending organizational meetings, completing necessary paperwork, attending summer program staff training and demonstrating enthusiasm and competency. Recreational activity knowledge and experience is a plus, and applicants must display a genuine interest in personal development of program participants.

Summer camp dates are June 13 to Aug. 13, with a break July 4-8. For more information, contact MaShon Gaddis at mgaddis@waynesvillenc.gov or 828.456.2030.

The course will last two hours, with two classes offered end-to-end. The “Spring Vegetable Selections” section will discuss varieties for small spaces, managing plant diseases, disease-resistant selections, varieties for increased yields and other topics. The “Diagnosis of Tomato Diseases” section will include an introduction to diagnostic techniques, knowing your tomato host, tomato diseases in North Carolina and disease management strategies. Registration is $10 and ends Feb. 12. Sign up at haywood.ces.ncsu.edu or email mgarticles@charter.net.

WNC Calendar

COMMUNITY EVENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS

• The Jackson County Farmers Market meets every Saturday November through March 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and April through October 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Bridge Park in Sylva, 110 Railroad St. Fresh, locally grown seasonal vegetables, locally produced meat, eggs, fresh bread and pastries, coffee, foraged mushrooms, flowers, starter plants for the garden, honey, jams and jellies, local artisans and more. Special events listed on facebook and instagram.

• St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church will host a free food distribution with MANNA FoodBank Mobile Express from 3 to 5 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 10. St John's is located at 234 Church St., Waynesville. Fresh produce and other fresh food items will be available, along with baby diapers and hygiene products (while supplies last).

B USINESS & E DUCATION

• The Haywood County Tourism Development Authority will host a workshop for those wishing to apply for 1% or 3% grants at 10 a.m. Feb. 8 via zoom. Must attend to be eligible for grants. For more information, call the HCTDA office at 828.944.0761.

• SCC will hold a Healthcare Job & Career Fair from 1 to 4 p.m. Feb. 10, at the Burrell Building on SCC’s Jackson Campus in Sylva. Call 828.229.4212 or email m_despeaux@southwesterncc.edu.

• Where We Live: History, Nature, and Culture will be held at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 21, at Cowee School in Franklin. Author Deena Bouknight will be the speaker.

• SCC will hold a general career fair featuring employers from all sectors from 1 to 4 p.m. Feb. 24 at the Burrell Building on SCC’s Jackson Campus in Sylva.

FUNDRAISERS AND B ENEFITS

• Food for Fines will take place during the month of February, and all food collected will benefit local agencies. Library cardholders may relieve outstanding fines by donating canned or boxed food, with each individual item erasing one dollar in fines. Donations will be received at the Waynesville, Canton, Fines Creek, and Maggie Valley branches

H EALTH AND WELLNESS

• Swain County Caring Corner Free Clinic is open Thursday’s 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Restoration House (Bryson City United Methodist Church). Office hours are Tuesday, Thursday, Friday 9 a.m. to noon. Call 828.341.1998 to see if you qualify to receive free medical care from volunteer providers.

AUTHORS AND B OOKS

• “Books & Brews” with beloved Jackson County author/historian Dave Waldrop will be held at 7 p.m. Feb. 9 and 23 at Innovation Brewing in Sylva. Free and open to the public.

P OLITICAL CORNER

• The Swain County Democratic Party Whittier-Cherokee precinct will be having its annual organizational meeting at 10 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 12, via zoom. The group will elect delegates to the county convention. For more information or the zoom link, email maryherr2017@gmail.com or call 828.497.9498.

• The annual meeting for the Swain County Democratic Party Alarka precinct will be held at 10 a.m. Feb. 12,

n All phone numbers area code 828 unless otherwise noted.

n To have your item listed email to calendar@smokymountainnews.com

via zoom. The group will elect officers and delegates for the county convention in March. For more information or to request a link, call 828.488.1234.

S UPPORT G ROUPS

• Haywood Hospice & Palliative Care is sponsoring a Community Grief Gathering at 1 p.m. on the second Wednesday of the month at the Canton Library in the meeting room. Each month will feature a different grief topic. The Haywood County Public Library and Haywood Hospice require that masks be worn inside the building. For more information or to RSVP, contact Dan Pyles at 828.452.5039 or email Daniel.pyles@lhcgroup.com.

• Dementia Caregivers Support Group, for those providing care for folks who are dealing with dementia, meets from 4:30 to 6 p.m. on the fourth Tuesday of every month at the Haywood Senior Resource Center (81 Elmwood Way, Waynesville). For additional information call 828.476.7985.

• Al-Anon, for families and friends of alcoholics, meets every Monday night from 7-8 p.m. at First United Methodist Church, 77 Jackson St., Sylva. Enter at front of church through the door to the left of the sanctuary; meeting is first door on the right. The Church requests that you wear a mask if you are not vaccinated.

• Narcotics Anonymous meetings are back "live" in-person after a year of being on Zoom only. Local meetings are at noon on Mondays and Wednesdays at Sylva First United Methodist Church in downtown Sylva. Entrance at back of building.

• Nantahala Brewing (Sylva) will host an intimate solo performance by Brock Butler (lead singer of Perpetual Groove) Feb. 11-12 ($5 at the door). All shows are free and begin at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. 828.641.9797 or nantahalabrewing.com.

• Unplugged Pub (Bryson City) will host Aces Down 7 p.m. Feb. 3, Jon Cox Band Feb. 4, Jason Lee Wilson & James County Feb. 5, Rock Holler Feb. 11 and Genepool Feb. 12. All shows begin at 8 p.m. Free and open to the public. 828.538.2488.

• Water’n Hole Bar & Grill (Waynesville) will host an “Emo Night Dance Party” at 9 p.m. Feb. 12. 828.456.4750 or facebook.com/waternhole.bar.

F OOD AND D RINK

• Unplugged Pub (Bryson City) will host a “Chocolate & Wine Pairing” event from 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 10. Presented by the Bryson City Wine Market. Cost is $35 per person. To make your reservation, call 828.538.0420 or 828.538.2488.

• “A Valentine’s Celebration” dinner will be held from 7 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 12, at The Classic Wineseller in Waynesville. Dinner by master chef Michelle Briggs and live music from Nathan Hefner (piano/vocals). Limited seating. Cost is $72.99 per person (plus tax and gratuity). To make your reservation, call 828.452.6000. Credit cards required for reservations. classicwineseller.com.

• “Flights & Bites” will be held starting at 4 p.m. on Thursdays and Fridays at Bosu’s Wine Shop in downtown Waynesville. For more information on upcoming events, wine tastings and special dinners, click on waynesvillewine.com.

• A free wine tasting will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. every Thursday and 2 to 5 p.m. every Saturday at The Wine Bar & Cellar in Sylva. 828.631.3075.

A&E

• Mountain Makers Craft Market will be held from noon to 4 p.m. the first Sunday of each month at 308 North Haywood Street in downtown Waynesville. Over two dozen artisans selling handmade and vintage goods. Special events will be held when scheduled. mountainmakersmarket.com.

• Boojum Brewing (Waynesville) will host a special residency by The Andrew Thelston Band (rock/soul) at 9 p.m. every Saturday in February. All shows begin at 9 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.246.0350 or boojumbrewing.com.

• The Classic Wineseller (Waynesville) will host Kevin Lorenz (folk/jazz) Feb. 5. All shows begin at 7 p.m. Limited seating. Reservations are highly recommended. 828.452.6000 or classicwineseller.com.

• Currahee Brewing (Franklin) will host The Thompson Brothers at 7 p.m. Feb. 5. Free and open to the public.. 828.634.0078 or curraheebrew.com.

• Elevated Mountain Distilling Company will host an Open Mic Night 7 to 9 p.m. on Wednesdays and semiregular live music on the weekends. Free and open to the public. 828.734.1084 or elevatedmountain.com.

• Lazy Hiker Brewing (Sylva) will host Karaoke In The Smokies Feb. 4 and Trivia Time w/Brandon and Sunny 6:30 p.m. Feb. 9. All shows begin at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.349.2337 or lazyhikerbrewing.com.

• “Uncorked: Wine & Rail Pairing Experience” will be held from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 12 (and other select dates), at the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad in Bryson City. Full service all-adult first class car. Wine pairings with a meal, and more. For more information and/or to register, call 800.872.4681 or click on gsmr.com.

ART SHOWINGS AND GALLERIES

• The Innovation Station (Dillsboro) will host “Paint-APint” night at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 2, and “Paint & Sip” at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 10. innovation-brewing.com.

• Haywood County Arts Council (Waynesville) is currently seeking one or more gallery interns with a passion for the arts and interest in learning about the administration of a small nonprofit. Send cover letters and resumes to HCAC Executive Director Morgan Beryl at director@haywoodarts.org.

• “Thursday Painters” group will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Thursdays at The Uptown Gallery in Franklin. Free and open to the public. All skill levels and mediums are welcome. Participants are responsible for their own project and a bag lunch. 828.349.4607 or pm14034@yahoo.com.

Outdoors

• Join the Nantahala Hiking Club for an easy 2-mile out-and-back excursion on the Cove Forest and Anselm’s trails Saturday, Feb. 5. The group will meet in

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

n Complete listings of local music scene

n Regional festivals

n Art gallery events and openings

n Complete listings of recreational offerings at health and fitness centers

n Civic and social club gatherings

the Piggly Wiggly parking lot in Dillard, Georgia, at 10 a.m. and carpool to the trailhead at Patterson Gap. After the hike, which includes several gentle ups and downs, they’ll drive a short distance to Barker’s Creek Mill to see the mill operate and have lunch. Bring food and fluids as needed. For more information or foul weather updates, contact David Stearns at 828.349.7361.

• Explore the Rough Creek Watershed with a guided hike Saturday, Feb. 5, and learn about the watershed ecology that drives the place. The group will meet at the Lower Trail Junction parking lot at 9 a.m. with the moderate-to-strenuous 5.5-mile hike concluding by 1:30 p.m. Space is limited, with no pets allowed. Pack lunch, water, warm clothing and rain gear. Free for HWA members with a $5 donation requested from nonmembers. RSVP to Christine O’Brien at christine.haywoodwaterways@gmail.com or 828.476.4667, ext. 11.

• The Waynesville Parks and Recreation Department will offer a trip to Linville Caverns from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 5. The cost of the trip is $20 per person. The fee does not cover lunch. For more information or to register, please call the Waynesville Recreation Center at 828.456.2030 or email mgaddis@waynesvillenc.gov

• Jackson County Coon Hunters Association will hold a night hunt at 4 p.m. and bench show at 6 p.m. Feb. 5. Entry fee for the bench show is $15 and entry fee for the night hunt is $20. Contact Matthew Bryson for more information at 828.508.6465.

• Three turkey hunting webinars are coming up Feb. 810, offering information on a variety of topics associated with planning and executing a turkey hunt. The hourlong classes start at 7 p.m. and conclude with an interactive Q&A session. The program will be held over Zoom, and space is limited. Pre-register at ncwildlife.org/Learning/Skills-Based-Seminars. For more information, contact Walter James at walter.james@ncwildlife.org or 984.202.1387.

• Hike Haywood Gap on Wednesday, Feb. 9, for an easy to moderate excursion with Haywood County Recreation and Parks. Led by Kathy Odvody and Phyllis Woollen, the hike will cover 5.5 miles with less than 600 feet in elevation change, traveling from N.C. 215 to Haywood Gap. Cost is $10 per person. Register by calling the Haywood Recreation at 828.452.6789.

• An online Q&A session for a new program funding efforts to reduce flooding in North Carolina is coming up at 9 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 10. Applications are now being accepted. Learn more at ncagr.gov/SWC/watershed/StRAP.html

• Haywood Waterways and Lake Junaluska Assembly will host The Plunge from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Feb. 12, at the Lake Junaluska Aquatics Center Pool, with onsite registration and check-in starting at 10 a.m. Cost is $25 for adults or $10 for youth under 18, or free by raising sponsorships. All proceeds benefit Haywood Waterways’ Kids in the Creek program and environmental education programs. Sign up or learn more at tiny.cc/HWA10thPlunge. Reach Haywood Waterways at 828.476.4667 or info@haywoodwaterways.org.

Market PLACE WNC

MarketPlace information:

The Smoky Mountain News Marketplace has a distribution of 16,000 copies across 500 locations in Haywood, Jackson, Macon and Swain counties, including the Qualla Boundary and west Buncombe County. Visit www.wncmarketplace.com to place your ad!

Rates:

• $15 — Classified ads that are 25 words, 25¢ per word after.

• Free — Lost or found pet ads.

• $6 — Residential yard sale ads.*

• $1 — Yard Sale Rain Insurance Yard sale rained out? Call us by 10a.m. Monday for your ad to run again FREE

• Legal Notices — 25¢ per word

• $375 — Statewide classifieds run in 170 participating newspapers with 1.1+ million circulation. (Limit 25 words or less)

• Boost Online — Have your ad featured at top of category online $4

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• Yellow, Green, Pink or Blue Highlight $4

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Note: Yard sale ads require an address. This location will be displayed on a map on www.wncmarketplace.com

p: 828.452.4251 · f:828.452.3585 classads@smokymountainnews.com www.wncmarketplace.com

Announcements

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Business Opportunities

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Employment

THE JACKSON COUNTY DEPARTMENT Of Social Services is recruiting for an Administrative Assistant. This person assists the director in carrying out administrative activitiesing personnel duties. This position performs a variety of administrative functions, such as serving as secretary to the DSS Board and agency Leadership Team. This includes preparing minutes, coordinating and making agendas for meetings under the supervision of the director. This person keeps all employees personnel

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THE JACKSON COUNTY DEPARTMENT Of Social Services is recruiting for a Child Support Agent II. The primary purpose of this position is to perform line-level Child Support Services through in-depth investigation and preparation of cases for court, enforcing court orders and presenting cases in court

The starting salary is $34,637.49, depending on education and expea four year degree and six months experience in eligibility, investigative,

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We are looking for a newsroom professional who can write, edit copy, handle air-traffic control with incoming information, plan out the weekly print edition, manage some of our social media accounts and take charge of some of our e-newsletters.

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