Smoky Mountain News | April 15, 2020

community navigates through COVID-19 Page 24

On the Cover:

Businesses in Western North Carolina have been a critical resource for providing necessary personal protective equipment to health care workers and other essential employees on the frontlines of the COVID-19 Pandemic. (Page 6) Cory Edwards, a U.S. Postal Service employee at the Waynesville Post Office, wears a mask made by a local seamstress. Mandy Wildman photo

News

Community answers call for ‘more cookies’ at Silver Bluff ....................................4 Daydreamz serves creative outlets during COVID-19 ............................................5 Webster Enterprises produces for pandemic ............................................................6 Opportunities available for those seeking employment ..........................................7

Boosting immunity during coronavirus ..........................................................................9 Community spread confirmed in Jackson ................................................................10 Tribe, casino announce changes to employee pay ................................................11 Pandemic presents budget challenge for Swain ....................................................14 Strong storms bring flooding, slides to WNC ........................................................17

Opinion A glimmer of light, perhaps, in the darkness ............................................................18

Cullowheegee Farms Handmade Natural Soaps & Crafts ..................................20 Outdoors Agricultural community navigates through COVID-19 ..........................................24

Back Then Panther sightings persist in the Smokies..................................................................31

DITOR /PUBLISHER: Scott McLeod.

ADVERTISING D IRECTOR: Greg Boothroyd. . .

ART D IRECTOR: Micah McClure. .

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D ESIGN & PRODUCTION: Jessica Murray. . .

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Hylah Birenbaum. .

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C LASSIFIEDS: Scott Collier. .

N EWS E DITOR: Jessi Stone. . . .

WRITING: Holly Kays. .

Cory Vaillancourt. . .

Garret K. Woodward.

ACCOUNTING & O FFICE MANAGER: Amanda Singletary. .

D ISTRIBUTION: Scott Collier. .

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C ONTRIBUTING: Jeff Minick (writing), Chris Cox (writing), George Ellison (writing), Hannah McLeod (writing), Don Hendershot (writing), Susanna Shetley (writing).

CONTACT

WAYNESVILLE | 144 Montgomery, Waynesville, NC 28786 P: 828.452.4251 | F: 828.452.3585

SYLVA

S UBSCRIPTIONS

Community answers call for ‘more cookies’ at Silver Bluff

BY J ESSI STONE

N EWS E DITOR

The COVID-19 Pandemic has been a lonely time for many senior citizens, especially those residing in an assisted living facility.

In order to protect one of the most vulnerable populations from contracting the respiratory virus, visitation has been restricted at these facilities since early March, which means residents haven’t been able to see their loved ones.

Peggy Daniels will celebrate her 84th birthday on April 18 , but her daughter Lisa Stevens won’t be able to celebrate with her at Silver Bluff Village in Canton.

“We used to visit as much as four times a week between my sister and I, but we don’t

visit at all now,” Stevens said. “We send gifts and talk on the phone and get updates from various staff on her condition. Tracy is the NP there and does a wonderful job of keeping us informed.”

Daniels, a resident at Silver Bluff for two years, has two types of dementia. Fortunately, Stevens said her mother still understands a lot of what she sees on the news and understands why her daughters can’t visit her right now.

“I am grateful for that,” Stevens said, knowing that some other residents aren’t able to comprehend what is going on in the world right now.

Stevens is also grateful to Silver Bluff and its staff for making this difficult time as joyful as they can for residents. Silver Bluff started a social media campaign of sorts a few weeks ago where staff started posting pictures of residents on Facebook holding signs with various messages. A photo of Daniels holding a sign that read, “Send more cookies,” was posted to Facebook and ended up going viral throughout the county.

“Well it went crazy with shares and comments and ended up on a local county group of people helping each other through the virus crisis,” Stevens said. “As a result, people are sending cookies and a big organized

delivery that includes Buttered Biscuit and Kandi’s bakery is happening tomorrow.”

Her mom’s picture was even seen by a woman in California whose friend used to work at Silver Bluff and had since passed away. The woman is sending cookies in memory of her friend.

“(Mom) absolutely loves the cookie dropoffs and pretty much thinks it’s all because of her so she’s proud of that,” Stevens said. “It’s really hard not to visit, but the hardest thing to think about is an outbreak of the virus in the home and the possibility of her or any of the residents dying without a last visit. That’s really what keeps me up at night.”

Silver Bluff Administrator Lisa Leatherwood said she was so appreciative of her staff for coming up with innovative ways to keep their residents in good spirits during this difficult time and also for the residents, who’ve been understanding of the visitation restrictions.

“They understand hard times and they understand sacrifice, which is why I think they’ve done so well during this,” she said. “I also appreciate our staff — they’ve shown up for work and taken on the call because they know how much the residents need them.”

The idea to post pictures of residents with signs came about after some residents were still having a hard time communicating

through phone calls and video conferencing. They let residents start making their own signs. One resident — someone who never misses a Pisgah home football game — shared a sign saying, “This better be over with by football season.” Another resident who was so tickled about the toilet paper shortage shared a sign that read, “Three rolls of toilet paper for $19.99.”

“We were telling them about the toilet paper shortage and that just blew their minds — they couldn’t understand why people were buying all the toilet paper up. They laughed for two days about it,” Leatherwood said.

Silver Bluff is also doing window visits for residents while maintaining social distancing. Thanks to Waynesville Elks Lodge, residents also got a visit from the Easter Bunny last weekend. Leatherwood said Silver Bluff usually hosts an Easter egg hunt for residents’ grandchildren so just having the visit from the Bunny created some sense of normalcy for them.

Leatherwood is also encouraging a “senior to senior” pen pal program to get high school or college seniors to write to the residents during the shelter in place order. For more information about how to make a delivery or to write a letter, call 828.648.2044.

Daydreamz serves creative outlets during COVID-19

BY HANNAH MCLEOD C ONTRIBUTING WRITER

The Coronavirus Pandemic has forced many nonprofit organizations to find new, innovative ways to meet their mission while not being able to hold traditional fundraising methods or connect directly with their clients.

The Daydreamz Project, an all volunteer nonprofit founded by a small group of artists, has been no exception. The organization’s founders use their artistic talents to awaken people to their own creativity, which is difficult to do when you can’t be within 6 feet of others.

“We believe that creativity is a birthright and a resource for all of us, and that in our culture we’re sort of separated from that. So we try to work with folks who traditionally don’t have access to the arts, to experiences, to resources, materials, and give them an opportunity to explore their own creative voice. We find that it’s very empowering,” said Daydreamz Director Starr Hogan.

Since the shutdown caused by the coronavirus, the Daydreamz Project has been forced to cancel all of its public events. So far this has included two of its monthly community creative sessions. The sessions are free to the community and Daydreamz invites anyone to come, learn and express. Both March and April sessions were canceled.

Daydreamz began its work in the four corners region, doing video work with students on reservations that would eventually be screened at the Sundance Film Festival. The project later worked in Denver bringing senior citizens and newly immigrated children together through creativity. Since 2008 Daydreamz has been serving Haywood County.

Volunteer focus groups, which meet the Wednesday prior to the community sessions, in order to plan and prepare, have also been canceled. Because many of the volunteers for Daydreamz are elder, it has taken some creativity to keep the services going.

“The reality is that we know there are families in the community that don’t have the internet, that don’t have Netflix, iPads, Gameboys and all the bells and whistles to entertain and distract. We want to help give kids something to focus on during these very

uncertain times. Because creativity has been such a natural resource and outlet in my own life and my own healing, we want to share all the materials Daydreamz has, to the extent that we can,” Hogan said.

The Daydreamz Project has been teaming up with schools, guidance counselors, food pantries and others that are already distributing food and materials to students throughout the community, to get bags of craft supplies and guidelines to students.

“Daydreamz helps people realize you can do so much with so little, and so much with things you might normally throw away,” Hogan said.

One recent project was making a gratitude flower. Students made a flower with their name in the center circle, and on each flower petal, something that they were grateful for. They were then encouraged to put the flowers in their windows to share with the community and hopefully, begin a gratitude garden.

In communication with students receiving creative activity bags, Daydreamz has been encouraging them to reach out to family members and neighbors for help in creative projects.

“We have tried to encourage the whole community to engage in the activities. We have made the activity sheets available both on our Facebook and website with the materials list. And most of those materials are things mainstream households have around — or something close,” she said.

The most valuable donations for Daydreamz are in-kind contributions. People supply their time, their resources, materials, locations, etc.

One local restaurant recently donated lids for a specific craft activity. Another person donated an abundance of mixed paper. However, without community gathering for creativity sessions, Hogan said “it is harder to get the word out,” about the in-kind donations Daydreamz needs.

For community members looking to volunteer time or resources to the creative project, Hogan encourages people to call or text Daydreamz at 828.476.4231, or email Daydreamz at info@daydreamzproject.org.

“We would love to see the community sharing their creativity, because we know that it’s out there … we know that it can be soothing and we hope that people find a little peaceful place to drop into,” she said.

BEE PACKAGES

Ingles Nutrition Notes

written by Ingles Dietitian Leah McGrath

#QUARANTINE KITCHEN RELYING ON RICE

Another great pantry staple is RICE. Do you know that there are different types of rice and some types work better in certain dishes? Here are some of the main types of rice you can find at Ingles Markets that are good to keep on hand in your pantry:

• Long Grain – (examples: Jasmine and Basmati) light and fluffy, It’s good for pilaf, stir fry, soups, jambalaya and gumbo

• Medium Grain – (example: Arborio) has a creamier consistency so use it for sushi rice, in Asian dishes, risotto and rice pudding

• Short Grain – has a chewier consistency, use it for creamier dishes and it’s also good to use for Asian dishes (Source: www.thinkrice.com/at-home/rice-varieties)

HAVE LEFTOVER RICE? USE IT TO MAKE:

• Rice pudding

• Add it to soups or stews

• Mix rice in with ground meat when making meatballs or meatloaf

• Fried rice

• Stuffed peppers

• Cheesy Rice Balls – to 1 c cooked and cooled rice, add ½ c. grated cheese (like parmesan), one beaten egg, spices and 1/2c bread crumbs form into balls. Roll in additional bread crumbs and bake or fry.

Seamers make masks during pandemic

BY J ESSI STONE N EWS E DITOR

When Mandy Wildman opened up her own bridal shop on Hazelwood Avenue in February, she had no idea her new business venture would take an immediate hit when COVID-19 brought the wedding industry to a standstill.

Not even a month after opening, UpLove Bridal & More closed its doors on March 15.

“We plan on reopening the shop whenever Disney World reopens,” Wildman said. “We figure that they of all people know how best to protect the world’s most beloved princesses. We cherish our brides, so we will follow their lead.”

But closing up the shop for a while didn’t stop Wildman and others from keeping busy and finding purpose during the Coronavirus Pandemic. As soon as it became clear that there was — or would soon be — a shortage of medical supplies like facial masks, Wildman got busy.

“We started making personal face masks as soon as we realized that they wouldn’t be available to our community. As a women’s clothing brand — we don’t just do bridal — we have a huge stash of fabrics and materials. We focus on being eco-friendly, so we were uniquely positioned to make pretty masks using the scrap stash we were keeping for a rainy day. And boy, did it rain,” she said.

Not only is she providing a much-needed product right now for community members, but she’s also keeping people working as

much as she can during this uncertain economic time. Currently, Wildman said she had seven part-time local seamstresses making a total of 200 to 300 masks per week.

“Most of them were laid off from their regular jobs. Many of their spouses were laid off too, including my own husband,” she said. “The bills keep streaming in, so this was a way for me to help them earn a little money while doing something important to help the community.”

Among these local seamstresses is a young woman who is a black belt in taekwondo, a great grandmother who was laid off from her teacher’s aide job, and a local barista with two young children whose hours were drastically cut. They are all working from their own homes while strictly observing social distancing when doing pickups and dropoffs. And of course, they are always wearing masks.

“Some of UpLove Bridal’s customers have kindly given us some 100 percent cotton fabrics from their quilting stash. One local doctor’s office gave us a huge bag of old scrubs, which were wonderfully soft and comfortable on the skin,” Wildman said. “I had bought several industrial-sized reels of panty elastic at a sale some years ago. It’s very soft and stretchy so it doesn’t hurt the ears. At the time I purchased it, my husband wondered aloud what I would do with it all, but I knew it would come in handy someday. He now wears his mask proudly with a grin on his face.”

Wildman and the other seamstresses started making the masks before the Centers

Webster Enterprises produces for front lines of COVID-19

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER

Webster Enterprises has long used the production of medical supplies as a vehicle for its main mission, vocational rehabilitation for people with disabilities and disadvantages.

However, the onset of the COVID-19 crisis has pushed that vehicle to a position of core importance as worldwide shortages have increased demand for the nonprofit’s products. “We’re building product that goes straight to the front line for individuals battling this virus,” said Executive Director Joe Rigdon. “It’s been real topsy-turvy over the last month or so.”

When the crisis first hit, Webster Enterprises’ first reaction was to see what it could do to help the local community, and Board Chair Dr. Cliff Faull suggested that the nonprofit make gowns and face masks for use at Harris Regional Hospital. Webster mocked up some samples, and the hospital liked them — but before production could begin Webster got some news from one of its largest customers, Indiana-based Cook

within a grueling non-stop 48hour period. People called, texted, Facebooked and emailed me begging for masks,” Wildman said. “I quickly put the word out and doubled my sewing team overnight. I’m happy to say that we are now caught up with our waiting list, and if someone needs a mask we can have it to them within a few days.”

UpLove Bridal’s masks cost $10 each including tax. They come in women’s, men’s and children’s sizes. To order masks, you can email UpLoveCreations@gmail.com or order online at www.UpLoveBridal.com.

Medical. Drapes and wraps from Webster Enterprises would be going specifically to treat COVID-19 patients, and Cook would need 260 percent the amount of product it had been buying to meet demand.

“In order to do that, we had to pour all of our energy and efforts back into drapes and really were not and still aren’t in a position to make masks,” said Rigdon.

However, Webster Enterprises found another way to do its part to help Harris. While the masks Webster had designed would have helped, what Harris really wanted were N-95 masks, which Webster was not set up to do. However, gowns were also becoming an issue for the hospital.

As it turned out, about two years ago Cook had a surplus of disposable Tyvek gowns and donated 1,700 of them — a $12,000 value — to Webster Enterprises. The nonprofit didn’t end up using them, because their employees wear cloth gowns that can be laundered and reused. Webster donated the gowns to Harris.

“We have been overwhelmed with the generosity and compassion that our commu-

for Disease Control and Prevention changed its recommendations for protecting yourself from COVID-19, but once the CDC began advising the general public to wear masks, the demand increased dramatically.

“We got over 400 requests for face masks

nity has shown us during this unprecedented time,” said Stephen Plemmons, Director of Emergency Services for Harris, in a press release. “The usage and supply of personal protective equipment is something we keep at top of mind in order to keep our frontline staff safe and healthy and we cannot thank you enough for your generous donation of Tyvek protection gowns. What an honor and blessing it is to provide health care to this community, and thank you for thinking of us in our time of need.”

Meanwhile, Webster Enterprises is in a

“All we ask is that you don’t order more than 10 masks without talking to us ahead of time,” Wildman added. “We have provided masks for people from many walks of life — nurses, caregivers, cancer patients, KFC employees, Bojangles employees, a lady who recently had a heart transplant, immunecompromised folks and senior citizens, and even the sheriff’s department. Everybody is important to us. Everybody needs to be wearing a mask right now.”

hiring frenzy as it seeks to meet the newly heightened demand for its products. Before the virus hit, the nonprofit employed 45 people, of whom 10 worked with high school students in Jackson, Macon and Swain counties. Those employees lost their jobs, then got them back as a result of the CARES Act, and now Webster Enterprises is onboarding new employees to bring its total roster to 55 or 60 people.

These new employees are mostly displaced workers who had previously been working jobs not considered essential in the current climate. They’re being hired on a temporary basis through the crisis. Several of the new hires are actually alumni of the Webster Enterprises program who were successful in getting and keeping a job as a result of that training but are now unexpectedly out of work.

While the hiring frenzy is a response to what will hopefully be a short-lived pandemic, Rigdon said that he expects the heightened demand for Webster Enterprises products to continue into the foreseeable future.

“My understanding is that customers like our vendors are trying to stock up on these items to not only treat the here and now in the present but are looking ahead to having safety stops so that if there is another wraparound — and I hope and pray there’s not — in the fall, they’ve got preparations for that,” he said.

Now hiring: opportunities available for those seeking employment

BY C ORY VAILLANCOURT STAFF W RITER

While not yet a humanitarian tragedy in terms of lives lost, the Coronavirus Pandemic has quickly become an economic tragedy in terms of livelihoods lost.

Intuitively, local and statewide “stay home” orders have resulted in large-scale unemployment, but counterintuitively, there are still plenty of places putting out the proverbial “now hiring” signs all across Western North Carolina.

Much of Western North Carolina’s economy is tourism-based and as such was hit hard in the days immediately following Gov. Roy Cooper’s March 17 order closing bars and restaurants to sit-down customers. That’s especially so in Jackson County.

“Roughly one in 10 workers are in a hospitality-related field in Jackson County,” said Nick Breedlove, executive director of the Jackson County Tourism and Development Authority.

The Jackson TDA is the entity charged with collecting the county’s 4 percent room occupancy tax, and then spending that money marketing the county as a destination. The problem is, right now there’s not much to collect.

“We’re actually projecting zero revenue through June,” said Breedlove. “I see weekly reports and the report as of yesterday, which would be the 8th of April, showed that we had about 28 percent occupancy in our hotels, which is better than zero, but most of those people are construction workers and essential workers.”

Normally, at this time of year Jackson County’s lodging industry would see occupancy rates in the mid-60 percent range. July’s average is closer to 90 percent, and October’s is even higher.

Breedlove’s been at the TDA since late in 2015 and has a unique insight into the current state of the WNC economic situation — he’s a former journalist, and former mayor of the town of Webster.

Support your favorite Jackson service employees with a virtual tip

While there are plenty of employment opportunities out there for unemployed service industry workers, those opportunities aren’t for everyone — transportation, childcare and lifestyle considerations make seeking work difficult for some who have few other options other than to wait it out and hope for the best.

But that doesn’t mean you can’t pitch in and help, according to Jackson County

“It also has ripple effects to every other industry because when people stop visiting, the services that they utilize, they have to shut down or alter staff hours and reduce their hours as a result of lack of visitation,” he said.

Ultimately, in many WNC communities, that ripple effect is having an impact on other businesses that rely on spending by service industry workers; while Breedlove said it’s hard to estimate what the unemployment numbers are in Jackson County, he estimated that statewide, 75 percent of the hospitality workforce is out of work, or approximately 300,000 workers.

“I think we’re seeing the true impact of tourism and visitation,” he said. “We knew that it was a large industry here and now we’re actually seeing the effect of removing it completely from our economy, and that effect has been devastating.”

With little money and even less marketing to do, Jackson’s TDA quickly found other ways in which to be helpful on a local level during the pandemic.

“We’ve shifted our entire role at the tourism office from visitation and encouraging visitors to focusing on our local commu-

Tourism Development Authority Executive Director Nick Breedlove.

“Yesterday we launched the virtual tip jar,” Breedlove said April 9. “Several cities throughout the U.S. are employing the same model.”

Here’s how it works — service industry employees that have been impacted by the Coronavirus Pandemic through job loss or a reduction in hours can sign up and list their information at www.lovejacksonnc.com.

That list is public, and currently includes employees from a number of Jackson County’s better-known establishments like City Lights Café, Cork and Barrel, The Cut, Guadalupe Café, Haywood Smokehouse, Innovation Brewing, Lazy Hiker, Lulu’s on

nity and jobs and putting people to work and connecting them with resources that can help them during this difficult time,” he said.

Almost as soon as Cooper’s March 17 order came down, the Jackson TDA created a website, www.lovejacksonnc.com, oriented not toward visitors, but toward locals instead.

“It’s very similar to ‘Love Hendo’ or ‘Asheville Strong,’ those campaigns,” he said. “But what we really wanted to do was cut through the noise and help people find the resources that they need to connect with the most.”

Initially, those resources were limited to restaurants still engaging in take-out business, but it wasn’t long until focus shifted to providing information for job seekers.

“There wasn’t really an exhaustive list, so we compiled a list of all the major employers and job banks and listed it on that site for a central repository,” Breedlove said. “We’ve had a great response from people who appreciate that. Right now, we really hope more than anything to keep those in the industry employed and put people back to work.”

S EE H IRING, PAGE 8

Main, Nantahala Brewing, The Orchard restaurant, Papermill Lounge, Pie Times Pizza, Whiteside Brewing and more.

As of April 14, more than 70 people had added their names to the list. Those wishing to make a contribution to their favorite bartender, chef or server can find their PayPal or Venmo account on the list, and then use their own PayPal or Venmo accounts to contribute directly and confidentially.

“I recognize most of them who have served me meals in the past,” said Breedlove. “We’re getting a lot of support from the community on the virtual tip jar, and I know that while it may be just a dollar, that dollar may make the difference in them paying rent or being able to put food on the table right now.”

Jackson TDA collects employment resources

One of the ways the Jackson County Tourism Development Authority is trying to help those seeking work as a result of the Coronavirus Pandemic is by collecting, cultivating and updating a long list of websites featuring “help wanted” ads. The list, along with instructions on how to access a host of other resources like free public internet, includes employers not only from Jackson County but also from across the region and is regularly updated on www.LoveJacksonNC.com, so check back frequently, or sign up for the Jackson TDA newsletter to receive updates.

NC Works www.ncworks.com

Southwestern Community College Jobs Board

www.southwesterncc.edu/job-board

Jackson County Chamber of Commerce Job Listings www.mountainlovers.com/jobs

Cashiers Area Chamber of Commerce Job Listings www.cashiersareajobs.com

The Sylva Herald www.thesylvaherald.com/classifieds/job

Smoky Mountain News — Employment Ads www.wncmarketplace.com/ classifieds?category=52

Crossroads Chronicle Employment Ads www.crossroadschronicle.com/ classified/employment

Citizen Times — Asheville area Job Search www.jobs.citizen-times.com

Western Carolina University Jobs www.jobs.wcu.edu

Southwestern Community College Jobs www.southwesterncc.hirecentric.com

Jackson County Government Employment Opportunities www.jacksonnc.org/ employment-opportunities

EPDNC Jobs across North Carolina www.edpnc.com/north-carolinaimmediate-employment-opportunities

Federal Jobs — USAJobs.com www.usajobs.gov

GovernmentJobs.com www.governmentjobs.com

Southwestern Community College to host virtual job fair

BY C ORY VAILLANCOURT

STAFF W RITER

Southwestern Community College

Director of Career Services Michael Despeaux has been holding bricksand-mortar job fairs for almost 20 years, but on Friday, April 24, he’ll hold his very first “virtual job fair” to connect employers and job seekers online.

“As of now, I’ve sent out invitations to the virtual job fair to well over 7,000 employers and 400 who regularly or actively recruit through SCC,” Despeaux said on April 10.

Thus far, he’s had close to a dozen employers respond, not only from Jackson County but also regional businesses and non-local businesses that have a local footprint. Those include well-known names like Drake Software, the North Carolina Department of Transportation and Terminix pest control services.

Despeaux said he’s been targeting essential businesses that are in a position to hire, but he’s also targeting businesses that will need employees quickly once business returns to normal in the coming weeks or months.

Many of those employers rely on students from Western Carolina University, but since large numbers of WCU students

are from major metropolitan areas like Charlotte and Atlanta, they’re no longer here, looking for part-time or summer jobs like they normally would be.

“Our local labor force will be more critical than ever,” Despeaux said.

The virtual job fair will give employers an opportunity to make presentations on available jobs and how to apply for them, and may become a weekly event, according to Despeaux.

Applicants should visit www.southwesterncc.edu/job-board to register for the virtual job fair.

Employers looking to participate should contact Michael Despeaux, Southwestern Community College director of career services by emailing jmichaeldespeaux@gmail.com.

One of the biggest employers on that list is an instantly recognizable regional grocery store chain with locations in almost every county and town in Western North Carolina.

“As of the end of last year, we had approximately 27,000 employees company-wide,” said Ron Freeman, chief financial officer of Ingles Markets. “We have more employees in North Carolina than any of the other five states where we have stores.”

Freeman said they’re currently looking to add another 5,000 workers to that total to help with increasing numbers of customers and turnover.

“It’s a great opportunity for people who might be otherwise displaced due to the virus,” Freeman said.

Indeed, signs posted on doors at both Waynesville Ingles locations advertise openings in the bakery and meat departments as well as the Starbucks franchises inside, but Ingles isn’t the only major employer looking for workers.

Waynesville’s Sonoco Plastics has several signs outside its Howell Mill Road location and even took the extra step of mailing out postcards encouraging people to apply for jobs that pay from $13.39 an hour to $21.74 an hour. Walmart has also been advertising its willingness to hire with signs outside many of its regional locations, similar to Ingles.

“I can’t say enough about our store and warehouse associates who have been putting forth a marvelous effort for over a month now,” said Freeman. “We all realize the great

responsibility we have right now to keep people fed and to provide other needed items like fuel and medicines. Our vendors have likewise done a great job of getting products to us so we can get them to the stores. There are so many more things to take care of right now, even compared with the start of the crisis over a month ago. Our community support has been outstanding and I’m personally optimistic we’ll get through this as a community, even though we don’t know precisely what the next few weeks will look like.”

Breedlove isn’t exactly sure what that looks like either, but he remains optimistic that recovery will be quick, once it eventually comes.

“From an industry standpoint, I think we’re looking to see people come back to a rural destination that is unspoiled in beauty,” he said. “We have strong belief in the tourism industry that the mountain region will recover much quicker than your Charlottes, Raleighs and Atlantas because people want a tried and true experience. It used to be they wanted to try something novel and new, but now people are going to stay close to home.

Gas prices are cheap and we’re known as the ‘great American road trip,’ so we expect people to come explore and enjoy our mountains and we expect businesses to reopen and see a large influx of visitors as a result.”

And while he may not know when that will happen, Breedlove’s already planning for the day that it does.

“Personally,” he said, “I can tell you I’m looking forward to hearing the words, ‘Can I start you off with an appetizer?’ or ‘Would you like to start a tab?’”

Boosting immunity during COVID-19

Dr. Mark Jaben, medical director for Haywood County Health Department, gives some tips on how to keep your immune system healthy during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Watch the video series at www.youtube.com/ SmokyMountainNews.

BY HANNAH MCLEOD

C ONTRIBUTING WRITER

“The immune system is complex and different for every person. Each person’s immune system is unique to them because it is based on the genes one inherits.”

Those are the words of Dr. Mark Jaben, medical director for Haywood County. Like many things in life, the immune system is a balancing act. There is so much information about how to strengthen the immune system, different ways to keep it strong. When really, we could spend just as much time ensuring the immune system isn’t too strong, that it can differentiate between good and bad, and doesn’t attack those things important to the functioning of a healthy body.

“Not all bugs are harmful. In the gut, for instance, thousands of bacteria there help us to digest food. So we want them to survive. The immune system has to distinguish good from bad and not overreact to kill off beneficial bugs and normal cells,” said Jaben.

The immune system contains itself through several mechanisms. A person inherits the ability to recognize certain pathogens that have plagued mankind for thousands of years. The system also has ways to react to new and different pathogens and to remember these so if a pathogen returns, the system can ramp up its defenses fast. There can also be defective genes. Autoimmune diseases are examples of this, where the person inherits certain deficiencies that allow the immune system to attack normal cells. Allergies are inherited tendencies that cause the immune system to overreact to certain substances.

Dr. Judith Stringfield with Waynesville Family Practice said it is important to remember the factors that help ward off infection before getting to the hematological immune response within the body. These include things like having intact skin, good mucus production, functioning cilia and a functioning respiratory tract. Preservation of these systems is vital. One should avoid

smoking, which not only destroys cells within the lungs, but also inhibits cilia (hair-like structures in the nose and airways that remove viral particles and mucus, one of the protective defenses that keep pathogens out of the lungs). Staying hydrated and avoiding sitting for too long are other important ways to preserve the systems that are first responders, prior to the hematological immune response.

“Factors that can be controlled such as good nutrition, regular exercise and stress reduction have been shown to improve immune response,” said Stringfield.

Anyone who has read into ways to keep the immune system functioning correctly has read about the importance of food and exercise. Both of these are vitally important to healthy immune system function. However, each comes with a grain of salt.

Stringfield and Jaben attest that regular, moderate exercise is important, but that too much exercise can wear down the body. Especially if someone is already sick. As far as nutrition, Jaben says “there has yet to be a magic bullet identified.”

A well-balanced diet, including plenty of fruits and vegetables, can provide all the vitamins, minerals and nutrients your system needs. Zinc, vitamin B12, vitamin C and other supplements are important to a person’s health but, “barring any malabsorption issues, diet alone should be adequate to maintain normal levels of nutrients,” Stringfield said.

However, she did note that socioeconomic status can affect nutrition and more.

“A kind of sad reality is that poverty can increase risk of malnutrition along with multiple other conditions leading to inadequate intake including poor dentition, social isolation and depression,” she said.

Studies, like Epidemiological Sociology and the Social Shaping of Population Health conducted by Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, show that low income relative to that of the rest of society is associated

with higher rates of chronic health conditions. The coronavirus is no different as these chronic health conditions make COVID-19 more dangerous and deadly for the people who have them.

All of the things that keep people well and healthy align with keeping the immune system strong and functioning properly — diet, exercise, sufficient sleep, stress reduction, etc. Jaben said that circadian rhythms really matter. It is important to get eight hours of sleep every night, even more for teenagers.

“People who shift between nighttime and daytime sleep, like shift workers, pay a price here,” he said.

According to Stringfield, “Immunosenescence refers to the changes in our immune system as we age. Because the immune system weakens with age, older people are at increased risk of infections, malignancies and autoimmune disorders.”

This is why measures like social distancing are so important to protect elderly people and immunocompromised people. By social distancing, people are not only protecting themselves, they are protecting others by reducing the risk of contracting and spreading the virus.

One local business that specializes in products to reduce stress, pain and sleeplessness is Appalachian Growers. The farm began in 2016 under the North Carolina Hemp Pilot Program.

Hemp naturally produces a compound called Cannabidiol, also known as CBD. When ingested, Cannabidiol interacts with the endocannabinoid system. This system is

responsible for triggering humans’ response to stress and influencing appetite, mood, energy, metabolism and muscle control.

“One of the main benefits of CBD is that it helps the body’s homeostasis, or self-regulating mechanism of bringing our bodies back to balance,” said Lori Lacy, co-owner and operator of Appalachian Growers in Macon County. “Studies show that over time, a more enhanced endocannabinoid system through healthy cannabinoids like CBD may help in building a stronger immune system. Customer experiences report that as they incorporate cannabidiol into their lifestyles, they can eventually get better sleep, help with chronic pain management, stress and anxiety, as well as more relaxation and better focus.”

Most important for the current crisis, Lacy said that CBD can help individuals find the rest and sleep that they need and reduce stress. All of which are essential for maintaining a strong immune system.

There are many ways to help keep your immune system functioning at its best. Most of them are the same things that keep a person feeling healthy and happy over a long period of time. But for this particular crisis, the Coronavirus Pandemic, Jaben pointed to one thing that mattered above all else.

“I want to emphasize that the one main thing a person can do right now to boost their immune system is to not ask it to do too much. Taking measures to reduce exposure and keep the virus from getting inside you does more to preserve one’s immune function than anything else,” he said.

Community spread confirmed in Jackson

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER

Proactive testing by the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians has revealed community transmission of COVID-19 in Jackson County.

The Cherokee Indian Hospital began offering drive-thru testing on Thursday, April 2, setting up locations in the town of Cherokee and in Cherokee County. Testing is open to all enrolled members, residents of tribal land and essential employees who have access to the Qualla Boundary — people do not have to show symptoms in order to qualify for testing.

In fact, the six people who have tested positive at the drive-thrus as of press time were all asymptomatic. Four of the six are Cherokee County residents, but on April 13 two Jackson County residents received positive test results.

“What’s important for people to note is that all of these patients were asymptomatic,” Principal Chief Richard Sneed said in an April 13 video update. “They weren’t feeling sick. They didn’t have a fever. They didn’t have a cough. They were completely asymptomatic. They simply showed up for the testing and it turned out that they were already positive and did not even know that they were positive. That points to why it’s so important that everybody get tested.”

Between March 1 and April 14, the tribe administered 238 tests, of which 157 were negative and six were positive. An additional 75 tests await results.

The two Jackson County cases are separate from each other, and both people are in isolation, said Jackson County Deputy Health Director Melissa McKnight. After investigating the patients’ travel history and close contacts, the department was unable to link the disease to an identifiable source.

“Based on the findings of our communicable disease investigation, we are able to

confirm that we have community transmission in Jackson County,” said McKnight.

The department is working to identify close contacts of the COVID-19-positive residents, defined as those who were within 6 feet of the person for 10 minutes or longer.

These confirmed cases make Jackson the 92nd county out of 100 to have at least one verified COVID-19 case among its residents, but the virus has been present in the county since before March 23. On that date, a part-time resident of the county tested positive. However, because that person’s primary residence is not in Jackson County, the case was attributed to the person’s home state rather than to North Carolina. A total of two cases have so far been confirmed in part-time residents.

individual. The CDC defines close contact as being within approximately 6 feet of a person with an infection of COVID-19 case for 10 minutes or longer.

Based on information provided by the

navirus — 139 of those tests came back negative, three came back positive and the health department is still waiting on the results of 19 tests.

Being “recovered” means the patients have met the criteria to come out of isolation and are well. It means it’s been at least seven days since the onset of symptoms, at least 72 hours with no fever and off any medication that would suppress a fever and improve symptoms.

Case counts for both full-time and parttime Jackson County residents are posted at health.jacksonnc.org/covid19, and the EBCI is posting daily counts at www.ebci.com. A hotline for COVID-19 questions is open daily 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. at 828.631.HELP. For more information about EBCI drive-thru testing, call 828.497.3743.

SECOND COVID-19 CASE CONFIRMED IN MACON

Macon County Public Health received notice on late Wednesday evening, April 8, that a second Macon County resident has tested positive for COVID–19.

The individual is between the ages of 2549 with underlying health conditions and is in isolation in a health care facility. No further information will be released about this individual. Macon County Public Health is working to identify close contacts of the

individual, county health officials will assess risks of exposure, determine which if any additional measures are needed such as temperature and symptom checks, quarantine and/or testing. The entire state of North Carolina is under a “Stay at Home” executive order. Older adults and people of any age who have serious underlying medical conditions might be at higher risk for severe illness from COVID-19; however, anyone of any age can become infected with this illness.

Macon County Public Health regularly updates its Facebook page with accurate and current information regarding COVID-19. Visit www.facebook.com/MaconPublicHealth. If you believe that you may have COVID-19, call the Health Department at 828.349.2517.

HAYWOOD COVID-19 CASES IN RECOVERY

Haywood County has had three confirmed cases of COVID-19, but as of Tuesday, April 14, all three patients had recovered from the virus following the required 14-day quarantine.

As of April 13, a total of 161 people in Haywood County have been tested for coro-

HealthPATH

Haywood County, its

and

Post isolation recommendations are to continue good handwashing practices, disinfecting surfaces, distancing measures and wearing a mask until fully well.

NO CONFIRMED CASES IN SWAIN

Swain County is one of the few counties in the state that hasn’t had one confirmed case of COVID-19 yet.

According to the county’s website, 124 people have been tested, 112 tests have come back negative and the county is still waiting on the results for 12 people as of April 13.

Swain County implemented a State of Emergency on March 17, the same day Gov. Roy Cooper issued the statewide emergency order. Swain has also passed several amendments to its order that placed further restrictions on businesses and residents. As of March 31, anyone entering Swain County from another state or country had to selfquarantine for 14 days and bring enough supplies to last them the entire quarantine period. Then on April 8, Swain commissioners put a countywide curfew in place, telling residents not to be out and about from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. unless they are an essential employee driving to and from work.

Harrah’s extends closure

Tribe, casino announce changes to employee compensation

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER

Harrah’s Cherokee Casinos announced April 1 that its COVID-19-induced closure would extend through the end of the month, and that same day Principal Chief Richard Sneed issued his own announcements about changes to compensation for tribal employees in the weeks ahead.

The casinos in Cherokee and Murphy generate the majority of revenues for the tribal budget and will have lost six weeks’ worth of business by the time this is over — if, that is, the closure is not extended again. When it reopens, business will likely resume at much lower levels than typical as Americans continue to struggle with unemployment and the economic engine works to get into gear.

Currently, all casino and tribal employees are receiving pay and benefits despite not being at work, with tribal employees in essential positions receiving double pay for remaining at work. However, as of April 16 most casino employees will be placed on furlough. They will no longer receive a salary but will continue to receive medical benefits through re-opening or June 30, whichever comes first.

Tribal secretaries have been tasked with keeping the number of employees working to a bare minimum — currently about 12 percent — with those employees working very

Expanded access to Paycheck Protection Program

Mountain BizWorks, working with Dogwood Health Trust, announced a targeted effort to provide increased access to the highly anticipated Small Business Administration Paycheck Protection Program for nonprofits and small businesses in the region, with a focus on rural and minority and women-led organizations.

The PPP was created to provide loans to organizations impacted by COVID-19 and are forgivable if they are used to cover payroll, mortgage, rent and utility costs over an eight-week period after the loan is issued. The Mountain BizWorks

limited hours, Sneed said in a video posted April 1. As of April 12, those employees who are working will receive time and a half for their labor, not double time, with the remaining employees continuing to receive salary and benefits.

However, if the shutdown continues through April 26, employees who are still working will be compensated at their regular rate of pay and nonessential employees will receive 85 percent of their typical salary. These employees will be able to use accrued sick leave and annual leave to make up the difference and will continue to accrue new leave at the same rate they would if they had been working.

“As with all things financial, there’s not just this unlimited open-ended cash flow, and obviously now we don’t have revenue coming in from the casino with it being shut down as well,” said Sneed.

Overall, he said, the tribe is in a solid financial position to weather the storm, but the unknowns surrounding how long the shutdown will last and what business as usual will look like once it ends require making these changes now.

“If this goes on for a long period of time, what’s going to be painful is fiscal year ‘21,” he said. “So we do have cash reserves now. We want to preserve those cash reserves to make up for the shortfall that inevitably is going to come because we don’t have gaming revenue coming in.”

In a follow-up video posted April 3, Secretary of Finance Cory Blankenship explained that there’s need for caution, but not for panic. Because the tribe based its current budget on 80 percent of casino projections, the casino can miss projections by about $40 million without impacting tribal operations.

“Financially, the tribe is in a solid position to be able to weather that storm and to actually provide assistance to tribal members as well as to local business in getting through this particular crisis,” he said. “It’s interesting that the circumstances nobody could have predicted, but honestly we couldn’t have been better prepared for this situation from a finance perspective.”

regional application process opens for nonprofits on Wednesday, April 8, and will open on Friday, April 10, for small businesses. Information and application materials can be found at mountainbizworks.org/ppp/.

Dogwood Health Trust is supporting this effort with an initial investment of $2 million paid back to the trust when the loans are funded through Mountain BizWorks. For many banks in the region, the requirement that they advance the funds for these loans before receiving the funds from the SBA can be prohibitive. As a U.S. Treasury certified non-profit community development financial institution (CDFI), Mountain BizWorks is an ideal partner to facilitate the targeted distribution of these much-needed funds to diverse-led nonprofits and small businesses in the region.

Mountain Farms

NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR FALL 2020

The Catamount School, a school for 6th, 7th, and 8th graders in Jackson County, is accepting 6th, 7th and 8th grade registrations for the 2020-21 school year. Operated by Western Carolina University’s College of Education and Allied Professions in cooperation with Jackson County Public Schools, The Catamount School is designed to explore innovative teaching approaches and applied learning opportunities in order to help every student discover his or her full academic potential. The school is a public lab school operated on the campus of Smoky Mountain High School and is free to accepted students and their families.

Get details on any property in the MLS. Go to beverly-hanks.com and enter the MLS# into the quick search.

| #3524295

Cherokee passes small business support measure

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER

During a special-called session April 9, the Cherokee Tribal Council unanimously passed a resolution designed to help small businesses operating on the Qualla Boundary survive the COVID-19 crisis.

“What we’re trying to do is to ensure that once this crisis is over and the economy has opened back up again that the small businesses that are here on the boundary will be able to open back up and stay operational,” said Principal Chief Richard Sneed, who proposed the resolution.

The provisions contained in the document are two-fold. First, it allows the tribe to remit tribal levy payments already made during the 2019-20 fiscal year back to the small businesses that made them. Secondly, it sets up a grant program to be administered by the Sequoyah Fund that will help these businesses continue to make payroll as most sectors continue to be shut down.

The resolution allows up to $1.1 million from the tribe’s $11 million tribal levy fund balance to be sent back to businesses that are licensed by the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, have a primary place of business on tribal trust lands and made levy and privilege tax payments for the current fiscal year.

Payments will be remitted on a sliding scale based on how much levy the business has paid. Businesses that paid less than $1,000 will receive a 100 percent rebate; those that paid $1,001 to $5,000 will receive 75 percent; $5,001 to $10,000 will receive 65 percent; $10,001 to $20,000 will receive 55 percent; $20,001 to $30,000 will receive 45 percent; $30,001 to $40,000 will receive 35 percent; $40,001 to $50,000 will receive 25 percent and greater than $50,000 will receive 15 percent.

Secretary of Finance Cory Blankenship said that there are about 220 businesses on the Qualla Boundary that could qualify for some kind of rebate. If all 220 were to submit an application, then the program would just about hit the $1.1 million mark contained in the resolution. However, he said, it’s anticipated that not all 220 will ultimately submit the required paperwork.

The resolution also provides for $250,000 from the fund balance of the general fund to be allocated to the Sequoyah Fund, which will then provide grants to small businesses to help them keep their employees paid during the closure. To qualify for a grant, a business would have to be licensed by the EBCI, have a primary place of business on trust lands, employ 50 or fewer people, and be impacted by the closure of the Boundary and nonessential businesses. In awarding grants, preference will be given to businesses that employ enrolled members. Grant funds must be used to preserve the employment and wellbeing of employees through the closure.

Businesses with 30 days of payroll

greater than $10,000 will be eligible for a grant of up to $10,000, and businesses with a 30-day payroll less than $10,000 will be eligible for a grant of up to $5,000.

“There are going to be businesses that do not survive this,” said Sneed. “This is just an attempt to ensure that our local businesses, that once we open the economy back up, that they are able to stay in business.”

The grants will be available to businesses regardless of the enrollment status of their owners, said Sneed.

“Every bit of it trickles down,” he said. “Even if the business is not owned by an enrolled member, they are leasing from an enrolled member. If that business goes under and they go bankrupt and they fold, there’s no lease payments going to that enrolled member who’s the possessory holder of that land as well. The bigger pic-

“Before 1997, this was all we had to depend on, the 220 businesses on the Qualla Boundary.”

— Boyd Owl

ture is at the end of the day, all of this benefits tribal citizens because if the business folds and they don’t make their lease payments, I can assure you that those people who are the possessory holders count on those lease payments to come in on an annual basis.”

Council members — who sat at dispersed intervals along the horseshoe and in the area typically reserved for public seating to observe social distancing guidelines — had several questions about the resolution but were uniformly supportive of its provisions.

“Before 1997, this was all we had to depend on, the 220 businesses on the Qualla Boundary here,” said Birdtown Representative Boyd Owl. “That’s what people came for, to visit and spend their money here as a tourism town. I think if we don’t help these businesses, some are going to fold, and not all people come to gamble.”

Vice Chief Alan “B” Ensley said that he supports the resolution but that the tribe should also consider starting a food bank to help families who are struggling as a result of the crisis.

“I would hope that Council would authorize a couple million dollars for myself and the chief to start a food bank over there at the ceremonial grounds,” he said, adding that, “I’ve always supported the small business owners, but we’ve got to take care of our own at the same time.”

The Sequoyah Fund is accepting grant applications at www.sequoyahfund.org/tribal-economicstimulus. Paper applications are available at the EBCI Finance Office.

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Pandemic presents budget challenge for Swain

BY J ESSI STONE

N EWS E DITOR

County governments are in the midst of planning for their 2020-21 fiscal budgets that have to be approved by the end of June, but the COVID-19 Pandemic is going to throw a wrench in their ability to project revenues for the remainder of the year.

At a recent budget workshop, Swain County Manager Kevin King told commissioners he was recommending the board adopt an interim budget that would cover July 1 to Oct. 1.

“It’s going to be difficult to predict revenue between now and July so I’m proposing the board adopt an interim budget until Oct. 1 so we can work through the forecast and expenses up until Oct. 1,” King said.

The interim budget will basically carry forward the 2019-20 fiscal budget through Oct. 1 with no new funding included. During the Great Recession, King said, the county saw a 5 percent reduction in sales tax revenue for 2007 and an 8 percent reduction in 2008. His best guess is that Swain County can expect the same kind of revenue loss during the COVID-19 Pandemic if the shelter in place orders don’t last more than three months.

Either way, King presented commissioners with a list of capital needs the county will need to prioritize going into the budget process.

“First is the jail — this year we’re looking

at several bigger ticket items that need to be replaced,” he said.

The biggest need is a new grinder pump, which could be a $40,000 expense to replace.

“There’s a certain amount of waste still getting through the grinder and it’s getting through to the wastewater treatment plant, so the town wants us to fix that grinder,” King said. “They don’t make that kind of pump anymore, so we’ll have to take out the whole mechanism and replace it.”

The jail also has 12 HVAC systems that are about 14 years old. King said the county should begin replacing two each year to ensure they all get replaced soon. One of the boilers in the jail got replaced last year, but now the second boiler needs to be replaced either this year or the next.

Lastly, the town of Bryson City also wants to partner with the county on replacing some old water and sewer pipes that run under the old courthouse — now the heritage museum. There were old water and sewer taps on the lines that were supposedly capped off years ago, but the town is experiencing leaks in that area and it’s seeping back into the sewer system.

“The town wants to replace the main line through there … they’ll have to tear up our parking lot to replace the old clay pipe with ductile lines and take out the old taps that were put in,” King said.

CUSTOMERS:

As the impact of the COVID-19 grows in our community where we live and do business, we would like to serve you as a customer in the safest manner and support you by offering you the highest standards in the area of cleanliness and health. Some of our most important areas of focus are:

Ensuring strict hand-washing guidelines

Sanitizing our store and flooring

Frequently disinfecting commonly touched surfaces

Limited the number of people in the store to 10 or under

Practicing social distancing

We have two locations that are open to serve your essential needs. We ask that you visit our website or Facebook page to view the most recent store hours. You may call ahead to purchase your order and we will be glad to meet you at the door.

We pray for your health, finances, and well-being. We are Haywood Strong! Thank you for being a loyal customer and the continued support in our community.

Bryson City will pay for the project and is asking the county to cover the cost of repaving the parking lot behind the museum.

Swain County is also looking to add on a courtroom to the courthouse — formerly the administration building on Mitchell Street. King said a proposal will be ready soon to go out to bid and the county is also looking to get a grant or loan from USDA to

much longer the shelter in place orders will last, King said the county is still moving forward with plans to open the pool this summer.

“It’s going to be difficult to predict revenue between now and July so I’m proposing the board adopt an interim budget until Oct. 1.”

— Kevin King

complete the project. The only cost in the 2020-21 budget would be about $30,000 for architectural planning work.

The county has also been discussing much-needed improvements to the pool at the recreation center. The most inexpensive proposal would include installing a beachlike entrance to the shallow end of the pool and changing the deep end from 12 feet to 8 feet deep. The slide would move to the opposite side. The proposed cost is $382,000 and the county received a $100,000 grant to put toward the project. Without knowing how

Since commissioners passed an Animal Control Ordinance last year, King brought up the potential costs of constructing an animal shelter and adding personnel to enforce the ordinance. He said there was a company that would come in and build a steel shell building for $250,000 and then the county crews could come in to finish the interior, which would cost another $100,000. The site would be property already owned by the county at the intersection of Industrial Park Road and U.S. 19.

To offset the expense, the county is working to sell the former police department building on the corner of Main Street and Rector Street. Right now the bid for the building is up to $426,500, King said, and other bidders have until April 16 to outbid the current offer.

Other project priorities, including improvements to the federal building and creating an Ela Sewer District, will be discussed at future budget meetings. During social distancing, the public can watch the commissioners’ meeting on the Swain County Government’s YouTube channel.

We chose Pamela Williams to represent the listing of our historic home and, suffice to say, it was one of the best decisions we've ever made. Pamela's skilled marketing plans and the results she consistently achieves speak for themselves, and she did not fall short of the mark in the presentation of our home. She was punctual, articulate, completely prepared, and knocked the socks off of the competition. Professional photography showcased our property, and her marketing plan was well crafted with considerable time and effort involved. Her dedication paid off handsomely...she produced an acceptable offer within 48 hours of listing. In a transaction that presented numerous challenges, Pamela handled both sides of the transaction with great skill and transparency for all parties involved. Pamela is exemplary of the gold standard reputation of Beverly-Hanks within our local real estate community. We will hire her services again, without hesitation, for our future home sales and purchases." - Mr. Chastain

We’re In This Together

Terry Troutman has been the Chief of the Clyde Police Department for six years.

He said the way they do daily business hasn't changed much, except for taking into account the social distancing requirements that everyone is following.

As always, but especially during times like these, Clyde police are on duty 24 hours, 7 days a week, to keep the safety of the citizens a top priority. With businesses shut down or limiting operating hours, o cers are taking a proactive approach, staying extra vigilant for any possible criminal activity in the area.

“The Townʼs residents are our community and we try to be seen in each neighborhood several times throughout the day as families stay home. We make it a point to stop and have a conversation as much as possible to answer any questions that we can. We're all in this mess together and striving daily to reduce the transmission of Covid­19 while remaining available to any need that we can help with as well,” said Troutman.

River’s Edge Park in Clyde was still partially underwater as of noon on April 13.

Strong storms bring flooding, slides to WNC

BY C ORY VAILLANCOURT

STAFF W RITER

Heavy rains and high winds associated with strong storms last Sunday night led to plenty of headaches Monday morning, as downed limbs cut power and closed roads while swollen streams slipped their banks, flooding businesses and residences across Western North Carolina.

Per National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration radar, during the 24-hour period ending at noon on April 13, Haywood County east of Interstate 40 picked up between 1 and 2 inches of rain, but the western half of the county reported between 2 and 4 inches. Areas south of Canton, including Cruso, reported more than 5 inches.

Pisgah National Forest announces closures

Camping is no longer allowed in the Pisgah National Forest following an order enacted April 13.

The order also closes certain roads and trails, and prohibits entering or using a developed recreation site. It will remain in effect through Aug. 13 or until rescinded.

Recreation opportunities remain open on the Nantahala, Uwharrie and Croatan national forests in North Carolina, but visitors are encouraged to recreate in a responsible way so as to prevent COVID-19 transmission and the necessity for further closures. Don’t visit while sick, practice CDC guidelines on hygiene and social distancing, take your trash with you when you leave, use the bathroom before arriving and avoid crowded areas and high-use times. The U.S. Forest Service will temporarily suspend access to areas that attract large crowds and

fire departments, who he said had been up all night.

“Got a call at 6 a.m. from Canton FD. River is out of banks and brewery is flooding. On my way to assess damage,” said Kevin Sandefur, owner of BearWaters Brewing in Canton, in a Facebook post around 10 a.m. on the morning of April 13.

Photos posted by Sandefur show the Pigeon River nearly coming up to the bottom of the brewery’s outdoor deck. By midday on April 13, floodwaters appeared to be receding in some places, but it was clear the damage had already been done; other photos posted by Sandefur show water being pumped out of the brewery’s basement.

River’s Edge Park in Clyde — designed specifically to withstand periodic flooding of the Pigeon River — was still partially submerged around 11:30 a.m.

The northern sections of Jackson and Macon counties saw between 2 and 4 inches of rain, but almost the entirety of Cherokee, Clay, Graham and Swain counties logged between 3 and 4 inches. Much of eastern Tennessee saw similar totals, with some spots also recording in excess of 5 inches.

“Officially 8.31 inches fell [in Cruso] in a very short amount of time, maybe 6 or 7 hours,” said Greg Shuping, Haywood County’s director of emergency services. “That community took the brunt of it, and then of course the chain reaction began with Bethel, Canton and Clyde, all the way down.”

Those are the communities through which the Pigeon River and its tributaries flow; when they join together, they can produce quick and dangerous floods.

Shuping said he was aware of four specific water rescues carried out by first responders in Cruso and Clyde, although he couldn’t say how many people were extracted during each rescue. Shuping also commended members of the Cruso and Clyde

don’t meet social distancing guidelines. Trails closed as a result of the order include:

• Appalachian Ranger District: Big Butt, Douglas Falls, Walker Creek, Elk Pen, Snowball, Upper Corner Rock, Little Andy, Perkins, Bear Pen, Black Mountain Crest, Green Knob, Stair Creek, Laurel Gap, Mount Mitchell, Buncombe Horse, Big Tom Gap, Roaring Fork Falls, Setrock, River Loop, Fork Ridge, Jerry Miller, Green Ridge, Hickey Fork, Whiteoak, Roundtop Ridge, Shutin Creek, Cherry Creek, Cold Springs Horse, Buckeye Ridge Horse, Max Patch Loop, Lover’s Leap, Overmountain Victory Trail from Roaring Creek to the A.T., Pump Gap Loop, Laurel River, Groundhog Creek, Mountains-to-Sea, Hemlock, Briar Bottom and Elk Falls.

An April 13 press release issued by Macon County Emergency Services Director Warren Cabe said the storms resulted in high water, debris and at least eight slope failures, with severe impacts seen in the vicinity of Dairy Barn Loop Road and Old Murphy Road.

Because of one debris flow near Pressley Road, 16 people were evacuated; another three people in Macon County were also rescued from high-water areas. As of 1 p.m. April 13, Duke Energy was reporting just 83 Haywood County customers without power, but neighboring counties didn’t fare so well — Transylvania County still had more than 6,800 customers without power, Jackson County reported more than 5,000, Macon County had more than 2,400 and Swain County had about 700.

By the next day, all Haywood customers had power restored but about 600 in Jackson, 400 in Macon and six in Swain were still awaiting service restoration.

Moore Cove, Campground Connector, Mt. Pisgah, Graveyard Ridge, Graveyard Fields, Upper Falls, MST Access, Shining Creek, John Rock, Rainbow Falls, Sunwall, Hardtimes Gap, Deer Lake Lodge

• Pisgah Ranger District: Ivestor Gap, Daniel Ridge Loop, Looking Glass Rock, Slick Rock Falls, Cat Gap, North Face, Art Loeb from Davidson River to Joel Branch, Art Loeb from Black Balsam Road to Camp Daniel Boone,

and FSR 491.

To see all roads, trails and recreation sites now closed in the Pisgah, Appalachian and Grandfather Ranger Districts, visit https://bit.ly/usfsclosures.

A glimmer of light, perhaps, in the darkness

Way back, way back, like three or four weeks ago, our little company was on track for its best year ever.

Our print newspaper was going strong and we had just added a new, energetic and driven sales professional. Our digital footprint was growing faster than we had expected, and our staff was brimming with new ideas to help local businesses get their message out via several online platforms. Our niche publishing sector had grown significantly in the last 12 months, adding two annual magazines and the four-time-peryear Blue Ridge Motorcycling Magazine to our portfolio.

We were — like many small businesses — looking forward to the kind of year you sometimes have after 20 years of nose-to-the-grindstone, toughing it out through good years and not-so-good ones.

How quickly things have turned south. In the past two weeks we have laid off three full-timers. In addition, we have cut hours such that we have eliminated another 4.75 full-time equivalencies. That’s 7.75 positions out of a staff of 17.

In an attempt to control print costs, we’ve reduced page count and press run. I’m hopeful 32 pages will be the norm for a few weeks, but we could drop more depending on what

Thank You

Haywood County

To the Editor:

For the past several weeks, Haywood Regional Medical Center (HRMC) has been busy preparing for COVID-19 to reach our community. We have built upon our robust emergency operations plan that we have in place year-round by updating policies, implementing new protocol, educating our staff and working with our community partners. But in all this preparation, HRMC has never been alone.

Today, I write to share my appreciation to our community. Thank you to the countless individuals and organizations who have generously donated critically important supplies and resources and offered inspiring words of encouragement to our team. In this crisis, the true meaning of community has never been more apparent or appreciated.

Last week, the Haywood County Sheriff’s Office and EMS passed out roses during a shift change to lift the spirits of our hardworking staff. Community members have brought in surgical masks and N95 respirators to add to the resources we’re working to preserve. Local restaurants and businesses have sent food to treat our folks as they work. Many people have donated homemade cloth masks to our hospital and local EMS — an incredible labor of love. And these are just a few of the many examples that exist.

The outpouring of love and encouragement from our community has been overwhelming, and it makes us so proud to call Haywood County our home. HRMC stands ready to serve you — our neighbors, family and friends. Please continue to keep our community safe and prevent further spread of this disease:

the next few days or weeks hold.

That’s my story. I’ve talked to other business owners and employees, and it’s one that is echoing throughout these mountains and down main streets. Other, larger operations are losing hundreds of thousands of dollars that they won’t be able to recoup. It’s just gone.

And like them, we plan to come out on the other end. Who knows when that will happen, but the reality is that the sense of panic has calmed despite the reality that the projected magnitude of the economic and psychological pain changes every few hours. Still, some of us are looking at how we will return to some semblance of normalcy.

The bickering between the president and the governors is not helpful, nor is the standoff between the GOP and Democrats in Congress over additional recovery bills. As main street bleeds, politics remains the divisive, distasteful

LETTERS

• Practice social distancing.

• Wash your hands often.

• If you must go out in public, wear masks to protect those around you.

• We’re working for you; please stay home for us.

To learn more about Haywood Regional Medical Center’s COVID-19 preparedness and what you can do to help stay well, visit MyHaywoodRegional.com.

Rod Harkleroad HRMC CEO

Raise

concerns

if you have them

To the Editor:

These are challenging days for everyone. This is particularly true for the long-term healthcare community. Whether you are a resident, the family members, friends, or other acquaintances of a resident; or, someone who is in an administrative position or works as direct-care staff in a long-term healthcare facility, you are probably stressed out and anxious (justifiably) about Covid-19.

As the Regional Long-Term Care Ombudsman (RLTCO) with the Southwestern Commission- Area Agency on Aging, serving the seven western-most counties in North Carolina — Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Haywood, Jackson, Macon, Swain — I offer some suggestions of ways to deal with this challenging time in regards to the long-term healthcare community.

• Be grateful for the facilities and those who are working to provide care for the residents who live in the facilities. These staff members are seeking, while at personal risks to their own health and that of those closest to

reality show that we all have to endure.

The current lockdown, or stay-at-home orders, last until the end of April in North Carolina, a few days longer in some counties. This we know.

How will we open up and start heading toward normal? I read the plan adopted by Israel, and that country’s four-step process seemed like a fairly good model that I suspect many industrialized countries will follow in some fashion.

First back are the tech and finance industries, which do a lot of work from home already. Second to reopen are everyday commerce and retail stores (not huge malls), which would continue social distancing measures. Next come restaurants and hotels, again with social distancing, and perhaps the reopemning of some educational systems. Last will be recreational sectors like sports, air travel, and entertainment.

That said, we may not be out of the woods by early May. But the measures we’ve enacted are working and beginning to slow the spread. I’ll keep doing the distancing and stay-athome protocols, but with a glimmer of hope that we could be in a much better place three or four weeks down the road. (Scott McLeod can be reached at info@smokymountainnews.com)

them, to provide for the needs of the residents in ways that are adequate and appropriate.

• As you have opportunity, express your gratitude to those that are staffing the facilities. Kind words and simple tokens of appreciation can go a long way in encouraging these folks to keep on doing their work on behalf of

the residents.

• Strive to be realistic and reasonable. Realistically, no one knows the many ways Covid-19 will impact the facilities and the entire long-term healthcare communities. The numerous limitations and restrictions that have been put into place will be frustrating for those desiring to have intimate contact with residents. The unavailability of needed equipment and supplies to address Covid-19 will be difficult to accept. The expected increase in the number of those who will test positive to the disease will be frightening and the results (deaths) devastating. These things, and so many more are likely to happen before an improvement in containing and controlling the spread of the virus occurs. The best way to approach these issues is to be reasonable.

Inasmuch as is possible, practice patience, kindness, understanding, and advocacy for best practice in caring for the residents. Reasonableness requires that responses exhibit control of anger outbursts, avoidance of excessive demands, and a willingness to listen to the explanation of those most closely engaged in the situation. Please be assured that it is acceptable to raise any concerns and complaints that you may have during these days. If you suspect that a resident has been abused, intentionally neglected, or is being (or has been) financially exploited, contact the Department of Social Services-Adult Protective Services (DSSAPS) in the county where it occurred. If you suspect that the rights of a resident are not being honored, or there are questions concerning the quality of life experienced by the resident, contact the RLTCO (828.586.1962, ext. 223).

You will be asked to leave a voice message and will receive a return call. If you prefer, call your complaint to North Carolina Division of Health Services Regulations (NC-DHSR) at 1.800.624.3004 (within NC) or 1.919.855.4500. Again, be realistic and understand that your complaints will be handled in a timely manner, given the current situation. And, be reasonable and understand whatever resolution may be possible will be dependent on the restrictions and limitations in place due to Covid-19.

Larry Reeves, Long-term care ombudsman Sylva

Right now, life as an otter sounds pretty good

Cfabric for a mobile she must have seen in a dream, or more likely saw on Pinterest, which is for her the Bermuda Triangle. She flies in and disappears forever.

Having long since exhausted ordinary conversational patterns — why talk about your day when all the participants in it are already well aware of every detail? — we move on to other pressing matters, such as what are the precise qualities of a perfect pickle, whether a good shower is better than a good bath, and the things we would like to do when the world opens back up again.

an we all admit that this quarantine is getting a little weirder every week? The rules for what we can and cannot do in order to defeat the coronavirus have become so specific that many of us are staging strange little rebellions at home by completely obliterating the rules that were once so much a part of the fabric of our daily lives that we took them for granted.

For example, in pre-quarantine days, how many times did you stay up until 4 a.m. in the morning — on a Tuesday, or was it Wednesday? — binge-watching six episodes of “Ozark” on Netflix while also binging on a diet of wasabi almonds, Wheat Thins, Freeze Pops and Easter candy?

In pre-quarantine days, meals were generally planned and reasonably balanced. How many of us now are having cereal for lunch at 3:30 p.m., and then eating dinner at 10 p.m., a meal consisting of completely random, spontaneously chosen “food groups.”

Typical scenario in our house:

“What do you feel like for dinner?”

“I don’t care. What time is it?

“10:15.”

“Right, I guess we should eat then. I could cut up some zucchini!”

“Good idea! I think there are some breaded fish patties in the freezer!”

“Yes! And I think we have some leftover chili. Also, I think there’s a pear that hasn’t turned brown yet.”

Our 15-year-old son is so bored that he not only speaks to us on an alarmingly regular basis now, but will also willingly participate in family activities such as playing blackjack using gummy worms as chips, or walking Lake Junaluska at midnight when the only sign of life anywhere in the absolute stillness are a few startled geese and one imperious swan, who seems not to find any humor at all in the impromptu game of hide and seek we launch halfway around the lake.

We’re working on projects that have needed attention for months, or years, such as cleaning out the basement, the closets and the drainpipes. We’re caught up on our laundry for the first time since … OK, for the first time ever. I am re-alphabetizing 3,000 CDs, while Tammy is upstairs making tiny miniature dachshund figures out of felt

Ever the romantic, I tell my wife one night after splitting a family-size package of Kit-Kat bars that I would do this all over again — not eating the Kit-Kat bars, which I already regret, but marrying her — despite her inexplicable revulsion of jazz and my incomprehensible distaste for cheese. I tell her that I will find her again in the next life, and the next one, and the next one after that.

She wonders who, or what, we’ll be in future lives. Maybe trees in a rainforest, if any still exist. Maybe otters. She likes this idea.

“Would we be otters in the wild?” she asks.

“I don’t think so,” I say. “We’d be otters in a very nicely maintained nature park. We’d spend all day entertaining children. Women in green polo shirts and khaki shorts would feed us shellfish and little frogs.”

“Is that what otters eat?”

“It beats what we’re eating now,” I say. We check Facebook every so often to check in on friends we haven’t seen for weeks. Seems like everyone is playing little games that involve making lists: their 10 favorite fictional dogs, eight highlights of their senior year in high school, six characters throughout history they’d choose as breakfast companions.

Others are posting photographs of themselves doing normal things, as if in contrast to the strangeness of being cooped up in their houses for several weeks or months. See, there’s Margie in her flower garden and there’s Bill turning over steaks on the grill while little Susie chases their standard poodle around the yard.

Finally, there are the political jeremiads. Trump haters forecasting a crushing defeat in November and a subsequent prison term for the president, while Trump lovers are posting ever nuttier conspiracy theories about how Nancy Pelosi teamed up with the mainstream media, China, Italy, George Soros, the NBA, Planned Parenthood, Tom Hanks, the Grateful Dead and the ghost of Saul Alinsky to create this pandemic as a means of ruining Trump’s chances of getting re-elected in November.

I don’t have the heart to tell them that the Democrats would have trouble organizing a game of pick-up basketball, much less masterminding a pandemic. On the other hand, if Trump is trailing in the polls by June and we are also still in quarantine, these theories are just going to get even crazier. By then, we may all wish we were otters. (Chris Cox is a writer and teacher who lives in Haywood County. jchriscox@live.com)

Finding a better way

Cullowheegee Farms

Handmade Natural Soaps & Crafts

BY GARRET K. WOODWARD STAFF W RITER

About three years ago, Sarah and Eric Rehmann uprooted their lives in Raleigh and headed for Western North Carolina.

The young couple had just gotten married and were looking for a change, personally and professionally — something that would bring them closer to the mountains they enjoyed hiking and exploring.

“We loved our jobs [in Raleigh], but we were always so busy. We were looking forward to a slower pace of life and wanted to get busy building a more sustainable life,” Sarah said. “Whenever we could squeeze together a couple of days off, we would visit Western North Carolina. We’d often daydream about someday owning land and living a more sustainable life.”

Want to know more?

For more information and/or to purchase products, visit www.cullowheegeefarms.com, Facebook search “Cullowheegee Farms Natural Soaps” or Instagram: @cullowheegee_farms.

Cullowheegee Farms products can also be found at Innovation Brewing (both Sylva and Dillsboro locations), Black Balsam Outdoors, City Lights Café, Fish & More Pet Store, Tuckasegee Trading Company and Mountain Flora Dispensary.

I started posting photos online of the soaps and was overwhelmed by the amount of people who asked if I was selling the bars.”

different herbs and oils to use to provide the best products for our customers,” Sarah said.

“I’ve always loved to create and design, but working heavily in the restaurant industry [in Raleigh] didn’t leave much time for creativity. But, once we moved here, I found inspiration everywhere,” Sarah said.

During Christmas 2017, Sarah was looking for different ways to make handmade gifts for loved ones. A friend recommended that she perhaps dive into handmade soap as a possible gift option.

“That was the ‘aha moment,’” Sarah said. “I always had sensitive skin and had recently converted to natural soaps myself and had seen a huge improvement in my skin. And I decided to give it a try in making my own soaps.”

From the outset, the Rehmanns have intended to turn Cullowheegee Farms ultimately into a multifaceted property of artisan crafts and agricultural products. As the landscape and ideas for it started to take shape, Sarah quickly gathered supplies and knowledge for handcrafting the soap.

“Making soap is both a science and an art,” Sarah said. “I made my favorite combination, this lavender and oatmeal batch, and was immediately hooked [on the creation process].

Once Eric got a position as a chef for Western Carolina University in 2017, the Rehmanns relocated to an 11-acre piece of property in Tuckasegee, which they dubbed Cullowheegee Farms.

Since launching the natural soap company, Cullowheegee Farms offers around 20 varieties, with each sporting a unique and aestheticallypleasing appearance that emerges from the varying layers and combination of ingredients.

“I always had sensitive skin and had recently converted to natural soaps myself and had seen a huge improvement in my skin. And I decided to give it a try in making my own soaps.”

—

Sarah Rehmann

The soaps are palm oil free, using only essential oils for fragrance and natural color pigments from herbs and clays. The packaging is eco-friendly, with a nod to eliminating single-use plastics by offering not only bar soaps, but also shampoo and conditioner bars, lotion bars and biodegradable lip balm.

“I love how there are endless combinations of soaps to create. It keeps it interesting and I’m always thinking up new creations, researching

“When people visit these mountains, they’re reminded of the importance of nature, of handmade and homegrown [products]. Mountain culture doesn’t heavily rely on big business and mainstream society to get by.”

Aside from several local businesses that carry the soaps, the Rehmanns also set up shop at the Jackson County Farmers Market every Saturday in Sylva.

“We’ve been blown away at the support this community has given us right from the beginning,” Sarah said. “The people we’ve met here are so genuine and truly want you to succeed. They’ve been a great support, especially in the beginning stages by helping us promote and get into stores.”

But, perhaps more importantly, the journey for the Rehmanns and Cullowheegee Farms has become one of deep and personal fulfillment. In 2016, Sarah’s mother passed away after a courageous 11-year battle with breast cancer.

“She was treated with traditional medicine, which changed the way I looked at a lot of things. For the first time, I discovered the importance of what put in and on our bodies and how it impacts our health,” Sarah said.

“Though she passed away, her passion for nature and creativity lives through me. And from the very beginning of this soap venture, I wanted to stay true to those passions.”

This must be the place

BY GARRET K. WOODWARD

The street heats the urgency of now, as you can see there’s no one around

So, probably like most of y’all out there, I’ve spent a lot of time during the continuing quarantine combing through the details of my life, physically and emotionally, whether I intended to or not.

While some folks are using this time to literally clean their homes and such, I’m finding myself left in, and lost in, thought. Usually right before those thoughts becomes some sort of existential crisis, I’ll either lace up my running shoes or crack my first beer of the afternoon.

Sure, this solitude has been cathartic to peel back the layers of one’s self without distraction from the outside world. But, at the same time, it’s been quite the odyssey to look into the mirror and make sense of the eyes staring back of you.

Some of these wide-ranging thoughts and conclusions as of late are as follows: I’ve broken up with as many women as who have broken up with me; I’ve never owned a new

She responded, “That’s crazy to think about. You’re probably more similar to who you’ll be at 50 than at 20. You should write a piece interviewing those two people. It’s a cool premise. Maybe time is nonlinear: you’re all three ages at once.”

And I got to pondering about who I was at 20. Honestly, it was the true line in the sand of who I was and who I am. That summer of 2005 changed every single thing in my life.

In a four-month period, my best childhood friend was tragically killed in a motorcycle accident at age 19 (May), I went on my first solo road trip to Bonnaroo and had the epiphany to become a writer (June), my college girlfriend who I thought I’d marry someday left me (July), and I jumped on a flight to Ireland for a semester abroad in Europe (August).

Yeah, crazy, right? I knew even then that nothing would ever be the same after that summer. That time period set me on the trajectory that eventually led me to live and write in Western North Carolina. Here I sit in The Smoky Mountain News office, typing my weekly column, all steps previous resulting from the summer of 2005.

And yet, no regrets. Plenty of mistakes, sure. But, no regrets. There were definitely times where I could have been a better person. And there were times when I bit my tongue and walked away from a situation before it was set ablaze by the gasoline spewed from triggered mouths and things said in haste.

So, I’ve established the haphazard, yet bountiful, road to the here and now. But, where to from here, eh? Well, even if 50 is some 15 years down the road, it’ll probably be here in a blink of an eye if the speed and distance between 20 and 35 are any indication of just how quickly times flies, especially when you’re having fun.

car and have no desire to; my constant need to wander and stay in motion might be a subconscious urge to escape inevitable hard truths in my life; I can truthfully say I’ve been “in love” three times thus far.

And so forth into the depths of the midnight hour with nothing really do in the morning but more thought over coffee instead of beer. Wake up and do it all over again — make breakfast, write, think, lunch, write, run, pop a beer, put on music, order takeout, think, stare out the window.

Lately, my thoughts have been drifting over the mere fact that, at age 35, I’m currently equidistant from age 20 and 50. This notion popped into my mind while I was simply sitting in my apartment and gazing blankly out onto Russ Avenue in downtown Waynesville, the normally bustling road empty — no people, no cars, no nothing, just silence.

I mentioned that crossroads of age via text to a friend of mine in quarantine up in Lexington, Kentucky. She’s a truly cosmic soul, one I met through my musical travels last year in The Bluegrass State. She’s the kind of radiant persona you find yourself sitting with on the tailgate of your truck at a festival, deep in conversation about nothing and everything as the world slides by none

On the most basic of levels, I do what I love for a living and I’m doing so in a place I’m happy to call home. Yes, there are other writing goals in mind, other books that I’d like to write and projects chased after. But, I can’t complain when I wake up and look forward to work. I still enjoy running every day. And I’ve surrounded myself with incredible people who I adore, friends and family near and far.

Other than that, everything else is just details. Love remains elusive, but I’ve also never given up the hunt. Bring it on. As well, I still want to someday find and purchase that cabin in northern Maine, the closer to Rangeley the better. I still want to teach creative writing and journalism in a college setting. And I still want to come up with new dreams and goals to pursue.

The crazy thing is: life keeps on going. Don’t forget that, more so in this current situation we all find ourselves in. Aside from the chaos and uncertainty of it all during “this,” there will also be a great awakening within many of us: we will finally see ourselves clearly in the mirror without noise or distraction, ready to run at the horizon of our wildest aspirations. And for that, I’m thankful.

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

Poetry and pandemic: Let’s celebrate National Poetry Month?

“Whan that Aprille with his shoures soote,” The Canterbury Tales begins, “the droghte of Marche hath perced to the roote….”

Robert Browning kicks off “Home Thoughts, From Abroad” with “Oh, to be in England/Now that April’s there….”

Perhaps most apropos to our current circumstances is the first line of T.S. Eliot’s “The Waste Land:” “April is the cruelest month….”

Many poets have celebrated April in their poetry, and we Americans celebrate poetry in April during our National Poetry Month.

In all our present commotion, I’d nearly forgotten to devote a column, as I usually do, to honoring Poetry Month. For this negligence I apologize to my readers, for poetry, like laughter and music, can be a balm to the soul and an antidote to poisonous times. It can remind us of others who have suffered hardship, inspire us when the black dog barks at our door, point the way to better times, and even bring a smile to a gloomy face.

And though our libraries may still be on lockdown as a result of COVID-19, and our bookstores closed, the Internet offers a festival of verse. Simply Google “poetry,” and up leap websites featuring thousands of poets and their work.

Here are some suggestions for firing up your Parnassian engines and getting the most out of your reading.

If you’re looking for inspiration, let me point you to just a few of the many poets who can hand us a Red Bull can of words to rouse our pandemic-dampened spirits. Beloved by readers and denigrated by academics and literary critics, Ella Wheeler Wilcox is now little read and is remembered mostly for the lines from “Solitude,” “Laugh and the world laughs with you/Weep, and you weep alone.” This

neglect is unfortunate, for like so many poets of her time, Wilcox sought in her work to comfort and give strength to readers. Here in the second stanza of “Solitude” she reminds us that a glad heart and cheerful friends, even in horrible times, is preferable to the company of whiners and doomsayers:

Too grim? Need a smile instead? Google “humorous poems,” and you can rub elbows with the likes of Roald Dahl, Shel Silverstein, Robert Service, Phyllis McGinley, and scores of other versifiers. Alan Balter explores our euphemisms regarding death in “Dead Is Dead.” Here’s one stanza:

Rejoice, and men will seek you; Grieve, and they turn and go; They want full measure of all your pleasure, But they do not need your woe. Be glad, and your friends are many; Be sad, and you lose them all,— There are none to decline your nectared wine, But alone you must drink life’s gall.

Emily Dickinson’s “Hope Is the Thing With Feathers,” Maya Angelou’s “Still I Rise,” Rudyard Kipling’s “If,” and so many more poets have forged their words into shields and bucklers to help us fight the good fight. In “Invictus,” William Ernest Henley pushes us into that battle with words like these:

In the fell clutch of circumstance I have not winced nor cried aloud. Under the bludgeonings of chance My head is bloodied, but unbowed.

Give to love your hearth and hall. But do not give advice at all.

The Society of Classical Poets even features some comical verse about the coronavirus, including spoofs like “How do I glove thee? Let me count the ways” and this longer one:

Listen my children and you shall hear Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere. Or maybe it’s better to tell you the caper Of how I discovered some toilet paper At a Safeway only three miles from here.

Now some tips for getting the most out of your excursion.

There are “fallen off the porch” and “given up the ghost.”

“Taking a dirt nap” is one I like most. “Kicked the oxygen habit” and “gone offline” Are a couple of favorites of mine.”

Like Wilcox, once famed poet Phyllis McGinley — she won the Pulitzer in 1961 — has few readers today. Too bad. Her wit, sophistication, and sparkling words bring us many gifts, including quiet smiles. This is the second verse of “A Garland of Precepts:”

Pressed for rules and verities,

All I recollect are these:

Feed a cold to starve a fever.

Argue with no true believer. Think-too-long is never-act.

Scratch a myth and find a fact.

Stitch in time saves twenty stitches. Give the rich, to please them, riches.

Read the poetry aloud. If you are at home with the kids, now’s the time to hit the stage and be as dramatic or as cornball as you like. Throw yourself into the reading and burn the air with your words. If like me you are living alone, read the poem aloud. Come on — you know you’re talking to yourself anyway. And if you tire of reading, it’s just as much fun have another read to you. At YouTube you’ll find hundreds of people, some professional, some very much amateurs, reciting poems. One of my favorite of these sites is RedFrost Motivation, particularly their rendition of these three poems: Dale Wimbrow’s “The Man in the Glass,” Dylan Thomas’s “Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night,” and Kipling’s “If.” I’ve listened to “The Man in the Glass” so many times that I practically have it memorized.

“The poet,” Wallace Stevens wrote, “is the priest of the invisible.”

We are enduring a grim time. Even in better days, we all too often dwell in a world of pronounced materialism, wrapped up in our senses, believing what we see, taste, touch, and hear, and forgetting that beyond this veil there is a place of beauty, marvel, and mystery.

Poetry can help remove that veil. (Jeff Minick is a teacher and writer. minick0301@gmail.com) stment analysis in commercial real nd presentation of ssionals upon ion

Nate Darnell of Darnell Farms gives a behind-the-scenes video tour of the fruit stand, which is currently operating as a drive-through. Darnell Farms video

Planting for a pandemic

Agricultural community navigates through

COVID-19 crisis

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER

For farmers and agriculture businesses across Western North Carolina, spring is the time to plan and plant for the green season ahead, but uncertainty cultivated by the COVID-19 crisis is complicating that process, often in devastating ways.

“They’re all having to scurry and figure it out,” said Charlie Jackson, executive director of the Asheville-based Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project. “It’s a disruption across just about every farmer out there, and there’s still a lot to figure out about how long this will last and how much to shake your whole model.”

When the crisis first hit, ASAP sent out a survey to 935 farmers within 100 miles of Asheville, which received a response rate of 9 percent within four days. Of those respondents, 80 percent reported an immediate decrease in customers and sales, and twothirds said that if the disruptions persist for several months, the long-term financial hardship could result in bankruptcy, business closure or an exit from the industry.

ASAP is trying to address some of those issues with its newly launched Appalachian Grown Farmer Relief Fund. The fund offers grants to help farmers markets with costs such as face masks, cones and signage related to COVID-19 prevention; subsidize the increased packaging costs farmers will likely incur due to changes in sanitation protocol

and delivery service; and purchase unsold food for donation to hunger programs.

“We’re trying to be real strategic in targeting how to spend this money,” said Jackson.

WHEN ALL THE RESTAURANTS CLOSE

Perhaps the biggest bullet to the heart of the local farming economy has been the overnight closure of the dine-in restaurant business.

“It effectively shut down 75 percent of our income in a day,” said Anna Eason, marketing director for Sunburst Trout Farms in Haywood County.

While Sunburst makes some sales at grocery stores and small markets, restaurants made up 85 percent of its customer base prior to Gov. Roy Cooper’s March 17 executive order closing dine-in operations at restaurants and bars statewide. Some grocery stores have upped their orders to account for increased demand in that sector, and Sunburst is also filling direct orders nationwide through its website www.sunbursttrout.com. However, that hasn’t come close to replacing the income the business, which employs 20 people, expected to receive from restaurant sales this season.

“We haven’t laid anybody off because we need everyone,” said Eason. “Even if we’re only putting out 25 percent we still need all of our employees. Because we run such a lean operation we have to have all of them. So it’s great not to have to lay anyone off, but this happened a month ago. It’s been very difficult.”

Even if everything opened back up tomor-

culture businesses have had to adjust as well.

“We’ve kind of restructured our whole business,” said Afton Roberts, operations manager at Darnell Farms.

Darnell sells most of its produce through its fruit stand and grocery stores, so while those revenue streams weren’t shuttered like the restaurant business, they’ve still been affected. The fruit stand is now a drivethrough rather than a walk-in business — with a host of new coronavirus-induced protocol like sanitizing cash used in transactions — and Darnell Farms is now offering delivery services as well. Roberts has also been working to expand the farm’s online store and to increase the fruit stand’s offerings. She’s been buying products such as bread and milk from local producers who would normally sell out at farmers markets and restaurants but now have extra product to sell.

Those changes have not come easily, and Darnell Farms has hired an additional five people to help with the extra workload. So, while sales are up, so is overhead. Meanwhile, Mother Nature hasn’t stopped throwing her own curveballs — Darnell Farms is also contending with flooding due to heavy rains April 12.

row, the business would continue to struggle for a while because at the time the shutdown occurred Sunburst had many open invoices at restaurants that will have no way to pay them until the economy recovers. Eason’s calling for the state to come out with a plan for how and when the economy might ease back into action.

“The first of May there needs to be some kind of plan announced for how we start to reopen things,” she said. “And I’m not saying everything goes back 100 percent to the way it was, but we need a plan. We need to know what’s going to happen, because it’s not just us.”

RETHINKING EVERYTHING

Restaurant-dependent businesses like Sunburst have been the hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, but other types of agri-

Support farming

Small actions add up — do your part to give the local agriculture community a boost.

n Donate to the Appalachian Grown Farmer Relief Fund at www.asapconnections.org, and browse the site for other ways to support local agriculture.

n When possible, buy directly from the farmer. Check out one of the farmers markets listed at bit.ly/wncmarkets. When shopping at the grocery store, look for locally grown produce when filling your cart.

n The farmers quoted in this story have online stores at www.darnellfarms.com and www.sunbursttrout.com.

“We’re not going to get rich, and in some ways we’re kind of losing money on having to deliver house-to-house,” said Roberts. “But at this point it’s not about money. It’s just trying to keep people alive, trying to keep people eating fresh produce, because really our immune systems rely on having good food.”

William Shelton of Shelton Family Farm said that while his restaurant sales have gone down to “next to nothing,” the 90 percent of his business that relies on grocery store sales has held mostly steady. However, even that business has seen some changes. Due to heightened demand, grocery stores are having difficulty keeping products on the shelves and are running short on manpower. As a result, some of them are streamlining their supply lines by focusing on staples and going easy on specialty items.

“My business is surviving, and I would say I’m very fortunate to be in the position I’m in,” he said. “It has taken a hit, but it’s not taken a hit like farms that are only selling to farmers markets and restaurants.”

AT THE FARMERS MARKET

Mid-April is just the beginning of the season for produce sales, with most farmers markets in their first weeks of operation. So far, things seem to be going well at the Jackson County Farmers Market in Sylva, said market manager Lisa McBride.

“For what they have at the market right now, the numbers have been really good,” she said. “We’ll have to see as the season progresses what happens, but right now it’s actually a stronger start, and I think there’s a number of factors that go into that.”

One is the fact that, for the first time, the farmers market has operated yearround in the same location at Bridge

Pisgah-Nantahala bans fires through Aug. 8

High fire danger has spurred announcement of fire restrictions for the Pisgah and Nantahala national forests.

Building, maintaining, attending or using a fire or campfire is now prohibited. So is possessing, discharging or using any kind of firework or other pyrotechnic device. Restrictions will remain in effect through Aug. 8 unless rescinded earlier due to a change in

Parkway closes northern section

conditions. Camp stoves are still allowed during this time.

The N.C. Forest Service issued a burn ban for 32 western counties — including Haywood, Jackson, Swain and Macon — on April 3, but that ban was lifted April 13.

Firefighters have responded to multiple wildfires on federal, state and private land. Many fires are being investigated for suspected arson. Contact local law enforcement with any information about suspected arson, or call 911 is you see someone starting a fire.

www.fs.usda.gov/goto/currentclosures.

The northernmost 13 miles of the Blue Ridge Parkway, which abut Shenandoah National Park in Virginia, are closed as of Wednesday, April 8, as part of the effort to slow the spread of COVID-19. The closure will remain in effect until further notice and joins the previous closure of the Parkway’s southernmost 14 miles, 455 through 469, which abut the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Outdoor spaces along the remainder of the Parkway’s length remain open, but facilities such as restrooms, visitor centers, campgrounds and picnic areas are closed. Practice social distancing and Leave No Trace guidelines when visiting.

Visitation high on public lands

Many state forests in North Carolina are seeing visitation two or three times greater than what is typical this time of year, stretching resources and making it harder for people to practice proper social distancing.

“Public lands, including state forests and parks, and national forests are experiencing record-high attendance, making social distancing difficult to achieve,” said Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler. “While public lands are a great natural resource, we are urging visitors to observe the CDC and public health’s recommendations of 6 feet of spacing between each other, frequent and thorough hand washing and staying home if you do not feel well.”

Park. In previous years the market went indoors over the winter months, meaning that there was a period of adjustment each spring as customers got used to finding the market outside once more. However, McBride attributes some of the increase to the pandemic itself.

Shoppers and vendors observe social distancing and hygiene rules during a new COVID-19 conscious market ASAP started at AB-Tech in Asheville. ASAP photo

Heavy visitation has spurred many public lands to issue temporary public closures. Responsible use is necessary to ensure that additional closures will not be required.

Members of the public should: pursue outdoor recreation close to home rather than traveling long distances; evaluate any local guidance or restrictions before heading outside; expect closures and use the restroom before leaving home; avoid high-use places and times; keep hiking groups to three or fewer people; wash your hands and follow CDC guidelines; be a steward for nature and the people around you.

Closures in North Carolina State Parks are listed at www.ncparks.gov; national forest closures are available at www.fs.usda.gov/goto/currentclosures.

vendors — that distance is marked out. A physician is present at most market days to help with prevention info, and the town of Sylva paid for a hand-washing station at the market.

“We’re looking at it potentially being a strong year, because people are looking for alternatives to a grocery store, because you go in and everything is jumbled — and we’re outdoors,” she said. “The food touches less hands from being grown to the consumer, so people are looking at it as being safer.”

There have been some changes as a result of the crisis, most notably the absence of crafters, which are not considered to be essential businesses. Vendors are spaced out 6 feet apart rather than being crammed right next to each other, and customers are asked to stay 6 feet away from the

However, said Jackson, farmers markets will likely face challenges if social distancing requirements continue as the growing season blossoms.

“By June or July, you could easily have just in Buncombe County alone 5,000 to 10,000 people a week that would have been shopping at the farmers market,” he said. “The markets just aren’t going to be able to handle that kind of volume.”

Depending how long the season continues, farmers could face additional challenges related to labor. Most farm work is done by migrants who come primarily from Mexico or who work seasonally at different locations in the United States. Social distancing requirements could complicate typical housing arrangements for these workers, and securing approval for international workers could be difficult too.

“I’m sure there’s going to be a crackdown on agricultural processing, things that we can’t grow in the United States that come from oversees,” said Roberts. “I’m glad for that in a way because it helps us focus on the U.S.-grown, locally grown.”

The future is uncertain, but farmers are used to overcoming obstacles. Jackson said that he’s optimistic about the agricultural community’s ability to survive this — if their communities continue to support them.

“They’re scrappy and innovative,” he said. “If we can help them and provide some assistance, they’re going to do what it takes to continue on.”

A.T. groups request trail closure

The Appalachian Trail Conservancy has requested that the federal government officially close the 2,193-mile Appalachian National Scenic Trail in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Of the 31 official A.T. Maintaining Clubs, 29 — including the Carolina Mountain Club and Nantahala Hiking Club — joined the ATC in its request.

The formal letter asks that the trail be closed immediately through April 30, with managers then convening intermittently to decide whether the trail is safe to open again.

“We are alarmed at the incredible increase in usage at many of the ANST’s most popular sites and believe that uniformity in access (i.e. none) is the only way to provide the proper safety for our gateway communities, trail users and federal employees,” the letter reads. “It is now clear to us that the lack of uniformity across our connected units is causing confusion and preventing appropriate social distancing in addition to continuing to allow for the potential contamination of physical structures such as privies and shelters with no Service, Conservancy, or Club staff or volunteers available to keep them sanitized.”

The unprecedented request for closure comes on the heels of a surge in visitor use despite multiple social-distancing orders issued by state and local governments. The Trail, which spans 14 states and passes through 88 counties, is within a day’s drive for half of the U.S. population. Crowding at iconic and well-known A.T. locations became unsafe, as many believed they could avoid COVID-19 by journeying to public lands.

Prior to the request for closure, the ATC asked all staff, volunteers and visitors to voluntarily stay off the trail, and the National Park Service office closed all the shelters and privies it manages. The A.T. passes through several NPS units and national forests that have closed completely or otherwise removed A.T. access prior to sending of the letter. www.appalachiantrail.org/covid-19.

Tune in to Smokies LIVE

Explore with Alarka

Alarka Institute has suspended all of its planned April outings but is offering multiple opportunities to engage with nature through distance learning.

n Angela Martin is offering one-on-one Backyard Phenology & Nature Journaling sessions via Facetime or Skype for $25 per half hour. The course is designed to help students truly notice and explore the outdoors as they note what’s going on with the trees, weather and animals around them. Email alarkaexpeditions@gmail.com to schedule a session.

n A series of happy hour talks will be offered via Zoom, with each session focusing on some aspect of cultural and natural history. Cost is $5.

n Those who would be willing to invest in Alarka during this time of need will receive a 25 percent rate of return on every dollar contributed that can be used toward future Alarka trips.

For more information on any of the above, visit www.alarkaexpeditions.com/new-alarka-tee-s or contact alarkaexpeditions@gmail.com.

The Great Smoky Mountains Association is bringing the Great Smoky Mountains National Park into living rooms nationwide through its new Smokies LIVE virtual magazine.

Borne out of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the March 24 closure of the park, Smokies LIVE aims to bring the park to you through daily social media posts and a weekly email roundup featuring videos, kids activities, cultural history moments, author readings, wildlife updates and more. Check it out at www.smokiesinformation.org/news.

Pilot survives Smokies plane crash

Pilot Georg Kustermann survived a plane crash in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park last week after deploying the aircraft’s parachute about 6 miles west of Clingmans Dome around 11 a.m. Friday,

Celebrate Earth Day

April 10.

A Tennessee Highway Patrol helicopter unit located Kustermann, 47, of Georgia, at 1:06 p.m. and by 2 p.m. the Tennessee Army National Guard had extricated him from the site with a hoist operations, flying him to the Gatlinburg Pigeon Forge Airport in Sevierville.

The pilot did not sustain any significant

injuries and departed the airport under his own care. Park Rangers received additional assistance from the Blount County Sheriff’s Office, Tennessee Emergency Management Agency, and Sevier County Emergency Management Agency during the initial stage of the search operation. The park will work with the Federal Aviation Administration to complete an accident investigation.

WNC for the Planet will celebrate the 50th anniversary of Earth Day with virtual opportunities for education, advocacy and community events across Western North Carolina throughout the month of April.

WNC for the Planet is a collective of local nonprofits, universities and businesses that launched in 2018, offering a community calendar where people could learn about ways to celebrate Earth Day. Because people are not able to gather in person this year, the calendar has shifted to highlight virtual means of involvement.

Check out the offerings at www.wncfortheplanet.org.

Canton Middle student designs winning T-shirt

Canton Middle School student Alyssa Smith won first place in the annual Kids in the Creek art contest, winning a $35 Visa gift card and a tour of Rikki Tikki Tees Screen

Puzzles can be found on page 30 These are only the answers.

Printing and Design, where her design will be printed on T-shirts to be worn by all Haywood County eighth graders.

Every eighth-grade student who attends Haywood Waterways Association’s annual Kids in the Creek environmental education event in September receives a free T-shirt designed by one of their fellow students. All

students are encouraged to submit designs, and HWA members vote on the winner. Coming in second was Waynesville Middle School student Joseph Quinn, and Sarah Cronk of Waynesville Middle School took third. Prizes were donated by Rikki Tikki Tees, HomeTrust Bank, Jukebox Junction and Jack the Dipper.

ENSLEY TIRE SERVICE

WNC Calendar

PLEASE CHECK WITH ORGANIZERS TO ENSURE EVENTS HAVE NOT BEEN CANCELED BEFORE TRAVELING TO AN EVENT LISTED BELOW.

COMMUNITY EVENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS

• Due to COVID-19, the N.C. Democratic Party county conventions have been moved to a digital platform. The Haywood County Democratic Party Convention will be held from 9 to 11 a.m. Saturday, April 25. Party Chair Myrna Campbell will be contacting delegates via email to provide logistical information about the digital platform. In the meantime, questions/concerns should be directed to haywooddemocrats@gmail.com.

• The Jackson County Branch of the NC NAACP meeting scheduled for 10 a.m. Saturday, April 18, will be held online. The program topic is "The Corona Inequity, Why COVID-19 is Disproportionately Affecting African Americans More." Email jcnaacp54ab@gmail.com to receive instructions to join the meeting online.

• Bardo Arts Center has a new webpage dedicated to virtual opportunities at arts.wcu.edu/virtual. This page houses information regarding all the various online experiences and events being hosted by the WCU Bardo Arts Center and the Belcher College of Fine and Performing Arts. Highlights include a series of Thursday lunchtime webinar presentations, which will be streamed on Facebook and YouTube, as well as through the arts.wcu.edu/virtual website. The Thursday webinar series opens with a theatrical talkback, followed by three webinars related to WCU Fine Art Museum exhibitions. Each webinar will last between 45-90 minutes and will include a question and answer sessions.

• First United Methodist Church will continue online worship for the next several weeks. They invite people to join in the worship service on Sunday mornings beginning at 10 a.m. via Facebook Live at www.facebook.com/sylvafumc. For more information, contact the church office at 828.586.2358.

• All Fontana Regional Library locations in Macon, Jackson, and Swain counties will remain closed until further notice

• Moe Davis, the Democratic nominee for Congress in the 11th District, will be hosting a series of "Moe Talks" Facebook Live virtual town halls. There will be two events to be held at the same time each week: from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. Mondays and from 7 to 8 p.m. Thursdays. Topics will change week to week. Viewers can submit questions in advance to the @MoeDavisforCongress Facebook Page.

B USINESS & E DUCATION

• Western Carolina University’s Office of Professional Growth and Enrichment will be offering several virtual trainings in April and May to give professionals the opportunity to still engage in training while practicing social distancing. For more information about these programs, visit pdp.wcu.edu.

• Southwestern Community College’s Career Services will host a virtual job fair from 9 a.m. to noon April 24. Contact m_despeaux@southwesterncc.edu for more information.

• Submissions are being accepted for Southwestern Community College’s Cultural Fusion art/literature contest, which will be featured during the Cultural Fusion Festival on Wednesday, April 15, on the college’s Jackson Campus. Submissions accepted through April 1 in “Artwork or Photography” or “Literature (poetry, short stories, prose).” Info: 339.4325, tknott@southwesterncc.edu or SouthwesternCC.edu.

• Registration is underway for “Basics of Bookkeeping,”

n All phone numbers area code 828 unless otherwise noted.

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

a seminar that will be offered by Haywood Community College’s Small Business Center from 5:30-8:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 21, in Clyde. Info and Registration: SBC.Haywood.edu or 627.4512.

• Registration is underway for “Your Small Business Taxes,” a webinar that will be offered by Haywood Community College’s Small Business Center from 9-11 a.m. on Thursday, April 21. Info and Registration: SBC.Haywood.edu or 627.4512.

• Small business owners can find materials and services to support business growth at Fontana Regional Library’s locations in Macon, Jackson and Swain Counties. Computer classes and one-on-one assistance available. 586.2016 or www.fontanalib.org.

FUNDRAISERS AND B ENEFITS

• Stonehouse Pottery (Waynesville) will be doing an Open Studio Tour and Sale the first Sunday of each month to help support our local nonprofits. Each month highlights a different artist and that artists chooses his or her nonprofit. Stonehouse Pottery and the artist then give a portion of the proceeds as a donation to that nonprofit.

VOLUNTEERS & VENDORS

• The historic Shelton House in Waynesville is currently in need of volunteers for an array of upcoming events. Alongside help for events and gatherings, the organization is also seeking a docent, gift shop attendee, data entry person, landscaper, handyperson, and other positions.

• Haywood Vocational Opportunities is seeking donations of goods, services, time and support for the second annual “HVO Stans Up to PTSD Veteran Community Resource, Education and Job Fair,” which will be held on June 27. 454.6857.

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

• Cat adoption hours are from noon-5 p.m. on Fridays and noon-4 p.m. on Saturdays at 453 Jones Cove Road in Clyde. Adoption fee: $10 for cats one-year and older. Check out available cats at www.petharbor.com. 452.1329 or 550.3662.

• Senior Companion volunteers are being sought to serve with the Land of the Sky Senior Companion Program in Henderson, Buncombe, Transylvania and Madison Counties. Serve older adults who want to remain living independently at home in those counties.

• Great Smoky Mountains National Park is seeking volunteers to assist rangers with managing traffic and establishing safe wildlife viewing areas within the Cataloochee Valley area. To register for training or get more info: Kathleen_stuart@nps.gov or 497.1914.

• Haywood Regional Medical Center is seeking volunteers of all ages for ongoing support at the hospital, outpatient care center and the Homestead. For info and to apply: 452.8301, stop by the information desk in the lobby or volunteer@haymed.org. Anyone interested in becoming a hospice volunteer can call 452.5039.

• STAR Rescue Ranch is seeking volunteers to help with horse care, fundraising events, barn maintenance and more at the only equine rescue in Haywood County. 828.400.4940.

• Volunteer opportunities are available throughout the region, call John at the Haywood Jackson Volunteer Center and get started sharing your talents. 356.2833.

• Phone Assurance Volunteers are needed to make daily or weekly wellness check-in calls for the Haywood County Senior Resource Center. 356.2800.

K IDS & FAMILIES

• The Kathryn Byer Memorial Poetry Contest celebrates our mountains and our connection to them in our everyday lives. It is open to all Jackson County students, K12. The poets are divided into three categories: K-4th grade, 5th-8th grade, and 9-12th. Three winners, in addition to Honorable Mentions, will be chosen in each category. Poems should be no longer than 40 lines, but can be much shorter, of course. Poems should be submitted to City Lights Bookstore in Sylva, either in person, mail or by email to more@citylightsnc.com by April 10. Please include “Poetry Contest” in the subject line. The winners in each category will receive gift certificates to City Lights Bookstore and will be invited to read at Greening up the Mountains at 3 p.m. April 25 at City Lights Bookstore. Winners will be announced by April 20. 586.9499.

• The Sylva Art + Design Committee is pleased to announce a unique pop-up gallery event that will feature the artistic creations of children ages 5-18 in the Western North Carolina region. “Nature Through A Child’s Eye” will be held from 2 to 5 p.m. Saturday, April 4, at Viva Arts Studio in downtown Sylva. If you have a child that you think may want to be a participant ages of 5-18 apply by emailing sylvaartdesign@gmail.com or vivaartsstudio@gmail.com. Facebook at www.facebook.com/sylvapublicart or on Instagram @sylvaarts. All submissions will be available for purchase and can be picked up after the completion of the exhibition. All money raised will be equally distributed between SADC and the Sylva Community Garden in order to further the betterment of the community through arts, education, and environmental awareness.

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

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

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

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

H EALTH MATTERS

• The Community Care Clinic of Highlands-Cashiers, 5 to 9 p.m. Thursdays, provides free care to uninsured patients who meet financial need requirements and live or work in Highlands and Cashiers. $10 donation suggested. The clinic is in the Macon County Recreation and Health Building off Buck Creek Road. 526.1991.

VOLUNTEERING

• The Haywood County Meals on Wheels program has route openings for volunteer drivers. Substitute drivers also needed.

• P.A.W.S. Adoption Days first Saturday of each month from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the front lawn at Charleston Station, Bryson City.

• The Community Kitchen in Canton is in need of volunteers. Opportunities range from planning a meal updating their webpage. 648.0014.

• Big Brothers Big Sisters of Haywood County is now accepting applications for boys and girls within the Haywood County area between the ages of 6 and 14 who could benefit from an approved adult mentor/role model. No cost to the family. 356.2148.

• Gathering Table, 5 to 7 p.m. Thursdays, at The Community Center, Route 64, Cashiers. Provides fresh, nutritious dinners to all members of the community regardless of ability to pay. Volunteers always needed and donations gratefully accepted. 743.9880.

• The Haywood Jackson Volunteer Center has many new openings for volunteers throughout the region. Learn about a wide-range of volunteer opportunities with a variety of non-profit agencies, including respite work, domestic violence hotline volunteers, meal delivery drivers, court mediators, Habitat for Humanity house building, foster grandparenting, charity thrift shops, the Elk Bugle Corps for the Great Smokies National Park and many more. 356.2833.

• Community Care Clinic of Franklin needs volunteers for a variety of tasks including nursing/clinical, clerical and administrative and communications and marketing. 349.2085.

• Catman2 Shelter in Jackson County needs volunteers for morning feeding and general shelter chores. 293.0892 or hsims@catman2.org.

• The Volunteer Water Inventory Network (VWIN) is looking for people to work one to two hours a month taking water samples from local creeks and streams. Fill up empty bottles, collect water samples, and return full bottles. 926.1308 or www.haywoodwaterways.org.

• The Haywood County Historical and Genealogical Society maintains a museum located in the historical courthouse in room 308. The HCHGS is seeking articles and objects of historical value to Haywood County that anyone would like to share. 456.3923.

• REACH of Haywood County is looking for volunteers who would like to assist in its newly expanded resale store. 456 Hazelwood Avenue. 456.7898.

• Free dental clinic for low-income patients, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays by appointment at Blue Ridge Mountains Health Project Dental Clinic on the upper level of Laurel Terrace in Cashiers. 743.3393.

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 N otices — 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

• Boost in Print

• Add Photo $6

• Bold ad $2

• Yellow, Green, Pink or Blue Highlight $4

• Border $4

Note: Highlighted ads automatically generate a border so if you’re placing an ad online and select a highlight color, the “add border” feature will not be available on the screen.

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

PLACE WNC

Announcements

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THE JACKSON COUNTY DEPARTMENT Of Social Services is recruiting for an Adult Services Social Worker. This position investigates reports of adult abuse and neglect, provides case management for at-risk monitors clients receiving Special Assistance In-home services. This position also provides ongoing case management for guardianships, payeeships, individual and family adjustments, in-home aide services, and case management of substantiated adult protective service cases. Other duties include general intake and community outreach services. Requires limited availability after hours and on weekends on an as-needed-basis. Starting pay is $35,656.23, if fully

a four year degree in a Preference will be given to applicants with a Master’s or Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work and experience providing Social Work services. Applicants should complete a PD-107 state application form and submit it to Jackson County Department of Social

Street Sylva, NC 28779 or the Sylva branch of the NCWorks Career Center. Applications will be accepted until April 24, 2020.

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PUBLISHER’S NO-

TICE All real estate advertising in this newspaper is subject to the Fair Housing Act which makes it illegal to advertise “any preference, limitation or discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status or national origin, or an intention, to make any tion

Familial status includes children under the age of 18 living with parents or legal custodians, pregnant women and people securing custody of children under 18 This newspaper will not knowingly accept any advertising for real estate which is in violation of the law. All dwellings advertised on equal opportunity basis.

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Realty - www.4Smokys.com Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate- Heritage

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• Hunter Wyman - hwyman@beverly-hanks.com

Christie’s Ivester Jackson Blackstream

• George Escaravage - george@IJBProperties.com

ERA Sunburst Realty - sunburstrealty.com

• Amy Spivey - amyspivey.com

• Rick Border - sunburstrealty.com

Jerry Lee Mountain Realty

Jerry Lee Hatley- jerryhatley@bellsouth.net

Keller Williams Realty - kellerwilliamswaynesville.com

• The Morris Team - www.themorristeamnc.com

• Julie Lapkoff - julielapkoff@kw.com Lakeshore Realty

• Phyllis Robinson - lakeshore@lakejunaluska.com

Mountain Dreams Realty- maggievalleyhomesales.com

Mountain Home Properties mountaindream.com

• Cindy Dubose - cdubose@mountaindream.com

McGovern Real Estate & Property Management

• Bruce McGovern - shamrock13.com

Nest Realty

• Madelyn Niemeyer - Madelyn.niemeyer@nestrealty.com

RE/MAX Executive - remax-waynesvillenc.com remax-maggievalleync.com

• Holly Fletcher - holly@hollyfletchernc.com

• The Real Team - TheRealTeamNC.com

• Ron Breese - ronbreese.com

• Landen Stevenson- landen@landenkstevenson.com

• Dan Womack - womackdan@aol.com

• Mary & Roger Hansen - mwhansen@charter.net

• David Rogers - davidr@remax-waynesvillenc.com

• Juli Rogers - julimeaserogers@gmail.com

Rob Roland Realty - robrolandrealty.com

• Rob Roland - rroland33@gmail.com

The Smoky Mountain Retreat at Eagles Nest

• Tom Johnson - tomsj7@gmail.com

• Sherell Johnson - sherellwj@aol.com

WNC Real Estate Store

• Melanie Hoffman - mhoffmanrealestate@gmail.com

• Thomas Hoffman - thoffman1@me.com

SUPER CROSSWORD

multiplayer tackle

75Edifice extension

76Debate side

77- Khan (Islamic imam)

78Wide shoe spec

79Building up to the loudest point

88Parliament's House of -

89"With a Little - Luck"

22Sharing

90Piece-of-cake class

94Fold, spindle or mutilate

97Bottle near a salad bowl

99Smell

100Cannonballs and such

103Pro-learning union: Abbr.

104Healthful getaway

105Backlash

111Banks of modeling

113Catch with one's ears

114"Viva Las Vegas" co-star

116Ancient Greek colony

36Online comparison shopping site

42More nasty

43Dance in Rio

44Has a bawl

45Prenatal chambers

47Locker, e.g.

54U.S. enlistees

57Arrest, as a perp

58Tiddlywink or Frisbee

59How- - (DIYers' books)

60Jurist Scalia

63Novelist Graham

66Camphor or fructose

69Need-for-speed adage adapted from the Bible

72Road salt

73"It's about time!"

74Separates after a

119- Stanley Gardner

120Not trued up

121Kids' caretaker

122Changed the color of

123Favorable votes

124Actor Mike

125Meal blessing that's "mixed" and hidden in seven answers in this puzzle

DOWN

1Inquire

2Itsy-bitsy

3Disneyland's city

4Barrett of gossip

5Snare sound

6DC doubled

7Warlike deity

8Thinker Descartes

9Carrie Chapman10Drop

11Latex, e.g.

12Money spent

13Sailor's site

14German man

15Deny

16Borrowed

17Not smooth

18- of Berlin (snack brand)

21More crafty

27Get less taut

29Late film critic Roger

30Happy times

31- -la-la

33Sitcom psychiatrist Frasier, to his patients

37"2 Broke Girls" airer

38Steed breed

39Sizable

40Comb insect

41Key near F1

42Sea, to Gigi

45Flustered

46Tic-toe link

48Chilling, as champagne

49Playwright Clifford

50City in North Dakota

51Star, in Nice

52Having no service charge

53- fly (African pest)

54Congregate

55Gobble down

56- Artois

61"... - will!" (threat ender)

62- Geo Wild

63Must, slangily

64Holy artifact

65José's "that"

66"- & Kel" (teen show)

67Psychic skill

68Prefix with light

70Turf groups

71Real aficionado

76So-so link

77Slip - (mess up)

80Made a racket

81Hulk of a wrestler?

82Furiousness

83Slugging stat

84Essen "a"

85Enhaloed Fr. lady

86Deteriorating

87Paddled tool

91Girl told not to cry in song

92"Uh-huh"

93"I'm - loss for words"

94Ran quickly

95Carotid, e.g.

96A pep talk may boost it

97Outspoken

98Receiving a pension: Abbr.

100Golf's Palmer, to pals

101High-IQ crew

102The - & the Papas

106Like venison

107Quick haircut

108Punker Pop

109Alençon's department

110At no time, in verse

112Mimic a tiger

115Saints' stats

117Yellow pages abbr.

118Favorable vote

ANSWERS ON PAGE 26

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Panther sightings persist in the Smokies

Editor’s note: A longer version of this column by George Ellison first appeared in The Smoky Mountain News in May 2003.

Have you ever seen a mountain lion here in the Smokies region? I haven’t. In fact, the only one I’ve ever viewed outside of a zoo was somewhere near Crystal River, Florida, back in the early 1990s. It bounded out of the scrub in front of my truck and passed quickly across the highway. Even now, I can vividly recall the combined grace and power of that animal.

I frequently hear from people who have spotted a mountain lion in Western North Carolina. Or at least they think that’s what they saw. I’d guess that about 90 percent of these sightings are of something else. But the other 10 percent seem to be pretty reliable.

It’s my supposition that any mountain lions living in this region today aren’t descendents of the genetic stock that were originally here. That is, I think they are ones that have wandered into the eastern mountains from Florida or the western states; or, more likely, that they are ones that were

trapped elsewhere and deliberately released. Whatever the source, I’m reasonably certain that we have mountain lions in the Smokies region.

The Family Felidae contains a number of species, including jaguars, ocelots, mountain lions, bobcats, lynxes and domestic cats. Bobcats are very common in the Smokies region, but they are very secretive and are seldom seen.

Mountain lions were common enough well into the 19th century throughout North Carolina. According to Donald W. Linzey’s notes in Mammals of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (1995), the last mountain lion killed in the Great Smokies was back in the early winter of 1920: “Tom Sparks was said to have been attacked by a panther while herding sheep on Spence Field. He managed to inflict a deep wound in its left shoulder. Several months later, W. Orr killed a panther near what is now Fontana Village and found that its left shoulder blade was cut in two. This was generally believed to be the same cat Mr. Sparks had wounded.

Nevertheless, according to Linzey, there were 12 reported sightings between 1908 and 1965 and 31 sightings for the years 1966-1976. He doesn’t provide figures since

that date, but my recent discussions with park service biologists would lead me to believe that sightings have increased in the Smokies in recent years, particularly in the Clingmans Dome area. Also, several National Park Service rangers have told me that they have spotted mountain lions while patrolling the Blue Ridge Parkway. Even if only 10 percent of these reports are valid, that still allows for a relatively significant mountain lion population in the Smokies region.

(George Ellison wrote the biographical introductions for the reissues of two Appalachian classics: Horace Kephart’s Our Southern Highlanders and James Mooney’s History, Myths, and Sacred Formulas of the Cherokees In June 2005, a selection of his Back Then columns was published by The History Press in Charleston as Mountain Passages: Natural and Cultural History of Western North Carolina and the Great Smoky Mountains. Readers can contact him at P.O. Box 1262, Bryson City, N.C., 28713, or at info@georgeellison.com.)

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