Smoky Mountain News | May 12, 2021

On the Cover:

An anti-police marquee sign at a Maggie Valley motel has sparked controversy in the small tourism town as the summer season heats up. Owners say their intent was to start a conversation but so far, it’s only caused a deeper divide. (Page 6) Cory Vaillancourt photo

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Tribal Council candidates make their case

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER

Early voting is underway for the June 3 Primary Election in Cherokee, which will determine the final slate of candidates progressing to the General Election Sept. 2. This year, all 12 Tribal Council seats are up for election, as well as School Board seats for Wolfetown, Big Cove and Birdtown. The Primary Election will whittle the number of candidates down to four per township for Tribal Council and two per community for School Board, with General Election voters selecting two Tribal Council representatives and one school board member to represent their community. Due to smaller numbers of candidates in those townships, Tribal Council hopefuls from Big Cove, Painttown and Cherokee County/Snowbird will not face a primary contest.

The Smoky Mountain News contacted all 19 Tribal Council candidates facing a primary contest next month with an opportunity to introduce themselves to voters. Below are responses received by the initial deadline, listed in alphabetical order. Over the coming weeks, SMN will run additional responses as they are received.

CYNDI LAMBERT

Lambert, 55, is seeking her first term in elected office as a Tribal Council member representing Birdtown. She owns and operates a carwash, self-service Laundromat and hotel in the casino district. Lambert has been in private business for 25 years, starting businesses from the ground up, and she believes that business acumen is essential for success as a Council member. Lambert served as “First Lady” while her husband Patrick Lambert was principal chief and has been involved in the tribe’s political landscape for more than 20 years. Between 1993 and 1997, she worked as a front office clerk in the EBCI Finance Department and was the person primarily responsible for getting the first per capita distribution out to tribal members in 1995.

Opinion on tribal government’s current direction:

“I think our Tribe’s current direction is fair, but I think there is still more work to be done to get it headed in a better direction. I believe recently we have been spending way too much money on outside ventures while ignoring our issues here at home. We need to get back to taking care of our people and remind ourselves that a position on Tribal Council is a position of service. While business diversification is an important goal, we must not lose sight of our needs at home and protection of our assets. I think so much focus has been on venues outside of our area that we have lost protection of our own sphere of political influence. I think our rela-

tionship with the State of N.C. needs some attention and repair, as this is vitally important to our political and financial wellbeing.”

Top priority if elected:

“Immediately I want to make sure that our people are the direct beneficiaries of the new $1.9 trillion American Relief Plan Act money. There are billions of dollars that are heading into Indian Country, just like for states. And I want to add my voice to make sure this money gets directly into the pockets of our enrolled members. I know there are some spending guidelines, but a large discretion is placed with each tribe to determine the exact way this money will be used, and I want to see it directly benefit all our working families with direct financial relief to every tribal member.”

CHRISTOPHER REED

Reed, 32, is seeking his first elected term and hopes to represent Yellowhill on Tribal Council. He currently works as the JonesBowman Leadership Award program specialist for the Ray Kinsland Leadership Institute and Cherokee Boys Club. He holds a bachelor’s degree in hospitality and tourism from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

Opinion on tribal government’s current direction:

“When I’ve asked my community members what they are worried about most, it seems to always come back to the wasteful spending. Numerous projects are being planned or advanced when we truly need to reign in the hurtful spending the tribe is doing. This could be everything from office printer paper to land purchases. If a budget is developed and approved, programs must adhere to them. Our tribe does not have bottomless pockets. If I can live on a budget, then surely the tribe can; the numbers might be larger, but it’s still a budget.

“Old ideas and the political game of ‘you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours’ must be addressed. Our politicians and program managers must be held accountable for any violations of ethics and integrity as well as be the voices of their communities.”

Top priority if elected:

“Economic diversity and stability. The lockdowns of 2020 have shown us how frag-

Also on the primary ballot

TRIBAL COUNCIL

Birdtown

• Albert Rose

• Boyd Owle

• Gilbert Crowe Jr.

• Gloria “Punkin” Griffin

• Robin Lambert

• Jacob George

• Cyndi Lambert

Wolfetown

• Jesse “Fonzie” Sneed

• Bo Crowe

• Bill Taylor

• Chelsea Taylor Saunooke

• Sam “Frell” Reed

Yellowhill

• Tom Wahnetah

• T.W. Price Saunooke

• Dave Wolfe

• Stephanie Saunooke French

• Christopher Reed

• Shannon Ross

• Elvia Walkingstick (Write-in)

SCHOOL BOARD

Big Cove

• Kristina Hyatt

• Lavita Hill

• Karen French-Browning

• Lori Taylor

• Damian Solis

Birdtown

• Melanie Lambert

• Ashford Smith

• Bree Stamper

• Ray Long

Wolftown

• Isaac “Ike” Long

• Berdie Toineeta

• Bucky Squirrel

To have a profile published in an upcoming issue of The Smoky Mountain News, Tribal Council candidates can contact holly@smokymountainnews.com.

ile an economy based on gaming and tourism can be. While I was in my undergraduate studies, I found the hypothetical examples of pandemics, terrorism and other ‘acts of God’ to be interesting thought exercises. Never in my dreams did I think we’d see the mass closures,

layoffs/furloughs and regional/local economic frenzy as we did in 2020. Now with the vaccines available, we can begin to forge a new path for regional and local wealth building. Not just growth but actual wealth building.

“Financial principles should be taught at early ages to change the family tree and reduce the dependency of credit and loans. The military and trade schools must not be thought of as a last resort for our young people but rather, ‘How do we utilize your specific skill/expertise?’ We also need to clean up downtown Cherokee. The unused, dilapidated shops are an eyesore.

“And finally, the idea of establishing marijuana for medicinal and recreation use would help in the avenue of medical tourism and tourism in general. Environmental biologists and other agricultural experts could receive work in helping us establish greenhouses and other regulations.”

Contact info: 828.507.6355 or cjreed0514@gmail.com

JESSE “FONZIE” SNEED

Top priority if elected:

“It appears the top priority of our people is to make prosperous opportunities for our families. The ‘old saying is ‘Rome was not built in a day.” If one piece of legislation would cure all our problems, I would champion that in a heartbeat. However, I think a series of legislation would be needed to ensure that Cherokee will prosper. We face many challenges and will have more in the future, but without a solid foundation our house will fall. If elected, I will earn my pay to ensure that our tribe will be an example to others in Indian Country.”

Contact info:

828.736.8040 or jesse.c.sneed@gmail.com

DAVID WOLFE

Sneed, 37, is seeking his first term on Tribal Council and hopes to represent Wolfetown. He currently works as a supply coordinator for Qualla Housing Authority — his employer since 2012 — and has been a member of the Wolfetown Community Club Council since 2019, serving as vice chairman for the 20192020 term and chairman for the 2020-2021 term. He has been a Wolfetown representative to the Sgadugi constitution group since 2019 and worked for the Cherokee Boys Club from 1999 to 2012. Sneed has been learning the definition of “gadugi” since childhood, from watching his great-grandfather’s involvement with Wolfetown Free Labor to creating Wolfetown Community Club Free Labor with friends and family. As a community club leader during the pandemic, he worked to keep the club functioning by hosting drive-thru events and streaming meetings on social media.

Opinion on tribal government’s current direction:

“Our government is at a crossroads. You may have noticed two schools of thought about representation. Some representatives make their decision for you. If you vote for me, we’ll make our decisions together! If elected I will be a true voice for our community. I will be able to do this because I will answer your calls and if I do miss your call, I will get back to you soon. I have not missed a community meeting at Wolfetown since becoming involved three years ago, and I have only missed one Big Y meeting in that time because I thought it was canceled during the pandemic. In closing, I feel the community needs to choose a direction. If elected, I promise to work with my Wolfetown/Big Y partner to ensure that we go in the direction that you, the people, wish to travel.”

Wolfe is seeking his eighth term on the Tribal Council and is currently serving his second term as vice chairman. Born and raised in Yellowhill, he graduated from Cherokee Central Schools and coached youth basketball while working and pursuing an education. Wolfe earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Western Carolina University in 1994 and served as a Tribal Council representative from 2005 to 2015 and 2017 to present for a total of seven terms. That includes two terms as vice chairman, three terms as Health Board chairman and six terms as council representative to Cherokee Central School. He has also served as chairman of the Yellowhill Community Club.

Opinion on tribal government’s current direction:

“As a tribe we are making tremendous progress. Our tribe has done more recently than at any point in our history to diversify revenue, expand our reach into other markets, protect what we’ve built locally and provide services to our people. We are investing more than ever in housing, education, health care and public health, and community infrastructure. We have established long-term investment funds that will help ensure the financial success of our tribe that will enable us to continue to serve our people. More than ever, we are thinking and acting strategically about future generations.”

Top priority if elected:

“My top priority is to make the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians a worldwide name. We are well known across the country as being a leader, and I want to protect and grow that reputation. My legislative priorities are centered on revenue diversification and long-term investment to achieve key goals: 1.) protect and grow current assets, 2.) establish permanent reserves to support health care, education and housing so those services are always available to our members, 3.) invest locally in cultural and language preservation, and 4.) begin to rebuild our local economy by supporting small business and our cultural attractions.”

written by Ingles Dietitian Leah McGrath

Food Fears vs Food Facts

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Sign, sign, everywhere a sign

BY C ORY VAILLANCOURT

P

OLITICS

E DITOR

Last summer, the tiny Haywood County tourist town of Maggie Valley was rocked by not one but two peaceful “Black Lives Matter” marches that quickly became heated and confrontational, while also disrupting traffic and commerce.

Last week, the owners of a Maggie Valley motel ignited a fresh furor by posting an antipolice message on their sign that’s since resulted in death threats and a visit from the FBI.

Now, community leaders are calling for calm as a “Back the Blue” rally is scheduled in response.

Much like last summer, the conversation over police reform is taking place not in person, but in separate camps — on social media, on marquees and on opposing sides of Soco Road.

Much like last summer, the intense divisiveness may be a sign of things to come.

Elk bring cars to a halt on Soco Road from time to time and just the other day some random horses showed up to do the same, but traffic on the main drag of the idyllic, family-friendly Appalachian tourist town of Maggie Valley usually flows into attractions like restaurants, the distillery, the ski resort, the gem mine, the putt-putt course or one of the vintage 1960s-era mom-and-pop motels.

Usually, the signs out front of them say things like, “Welcome to our valley,” or “Kids eat free,” but last week one of them displayed a different kind of message.

The sign at Our Place Inn uses the acronym “ACAB,” which originated in the 1940s in the United Kingdom but was adopted last summer by groups of demonstrators

calling for police reform after the May 25 murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin.

ACAB stands for “All Cops Are Bastards.”

In 2020, Our Place Inn owners Kitty and Cody Currin took on central roles in a pair of local Black Lives Matter marches, as law enforcement officers from Maggie Valley, Haywood County and Waynesville were all that stood between the 30 or so BLM marchers and hundreds of counterdemonstrators yelling and waving Confederate flags.

At the time, Mayor Mike Eveland called the encounters “chaotic and grossly confrontational.”

Since then, the Currins say they’ve been involved in a zoning dispute with the town and were issued a littering ticket over what they say is a compost heap, which is why they haven’t backed away from the controversy their sign has generated.

“Do I believe that every single individual cop as a person is a bastard? I don’t believe in judging the individuals themselves,” said Kitty. “They might be perfectly fine individuals, but once they put on that uniform, they’re not just an individual, they are representative of a system that is faulty.”

While some would describe the Currins’ “ACAB” statement as a sweeping oversimplification of national problems with policing, Cody disagrees with the theory that criminal acts committed by bad apple cops like Chauvin are simply misanthropic deeds by misguided individuals — the sign also reads, “The barrel is rotten.”

“When one police officer abuses authority or misuses the trust of the community and a 99 other police officers don’t stick up or say anything about it, then in my opinion, all 100 are responsible for the misuse of authority,” he said.

The Currins say they posted those sentiments on their sign along busy Soco Road so as to start a conversation. It appears they’ve succeeded.

A Canton-based food insecurity nonprofit, called Feeding the Multitude, announced

on May 2 that it would sever ties with Our Place Inn. The Currins had been working with Feeding the Multitude through Haywood Outdoor Pantries to supply their own food pantry — the shed at the center of the zoning dispute.

The story also caught the attention of national outlets like Law Enforcement Today and Glenn Beck’s Blaze Media, just as Our Place Inn was bombarded with negative internet reviews despite being closed for renovations.

Cody said he’s received “hundreds of calls, day and night” both in support of and in opposition to the sign, and Kitty says they’ve received death threats on social media.

“You’re f—-ing dead,” Kitty said, reading a few of them from her phone. “I see that you posted ‘ACAB’ on your advertising billboard. Well, I for one hope you have someone rob you at gunpoint, rape your women, beat the hell out of any kids you have and then shoot your idiot ass and not one of those police ‘bastards’ you hate does a thing to protect your sorry ass.”

Shelley Lynch, public information officer for the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Charlotte field office, confirmed to The Smoky Mountain News that an FBI agent had been sent to the Currins’ motel “out of an abundance of caution” in response to a tip submitted to the FBI’s national hotline about the threats.

At least a dozen other merchants in Maggie Valley and across Haywood County have posted messages on their own signs, reiterating longstanding regional support for police.

“We proudly support our law enforcement. One love, all humanity,” reads the sign outside A Holiday Motel, just down the street from the Currins’ motel.

Robert Edwards, owner of A Holiday Motel, said that he’s talked to members of the business community in Maggie Valley — of all political stripes — and said that most of them believe the broad generalizations of the law enforcement community posted on the Currins’ sign are just as bad as stereotyping people based on race, color or creed.

“The grotesque message being displayed is just a disgusting and divisive message that shouldn’t be tolerated,” Edwards said. “If there is an issue that needs to be addressed, it certainly could be addressed, but a more loving message is healthier for everybody.”

A healthier message is exactly what Rev. Chris Westmoreland is advocating for as tensions over the Currins’ sign continue to rise.

“I don’t think this conversation gets elevated when we try to reduce it to sound bites, and I think a billboard is a soundbite and the law enforcement folks in our community and in our congregation that I’ve talked to felt very indicted by that,” said Westmoreland, who serves as lead pastor at one of Haywood County’s biggest churches, Long’s Chapel.

“The law enforcement officers that I know want to have a meaningful conversation about community policing and how we are expecting them to do too much in their role. They’re begging for those conversations.”

In a letter to his congregation on May 8, Westmoreland wrote that he was grateful for those who serve the community in law enforcement while also acknowledging that

troubling disparities exist in the justice system as a whole.

“I’ve certainly been in churches before — not in the church I currently serve — where there were all kinds of icons and symbols of God, but God was kind of hard to find,” he said. “I’ve been in justice centers that are named ‘justice centers,’ but they seem to be the antithesis of justice, where not a ton of justice happens. The challenge for me is, how do we help stand in that space where we don’t just talk about some of those problems, but where we actually stand in the gap and actually walk with folks and begin to understand?”

Westmoreland looks to his faith for a good starting point towards mutual understanding.

“Blue lives matter, and Black lives matter. We ought to be able to hold those two things together,” he said, “because those two things are not opposites of each other.”

Not long after the sign outside the Our Place Inn went up, calls for a response began to emerge on social media.

“I am proud to announce that on Saturday, May 22 from 10 am to 4 pm we will be having a peaceful sidewalk march in support of our LEO,” reads a May 6 post in a private Facebook group called Maggie Valley Patriots. “A back the blue rally.”

At the time, the group was headed by a man named Steven Rich, although it’s not clear if it still is. A subsequent post by Rich in the group brags about banning Mountaineer reporter Kyle Perrotti, and a membership request by this reporter was originally granted but revoked several hours later, making it difficult to ascertain the group’s leadership, message and intentions.

Rich is the same man who walked into a special called meeting of the Maggie Valley Board of Alderman on July 30, 2020 — just after the “chaotic” July 18 BLM march but just before a slightly less hostile Aug. 1 BLM march — and volunteered to relinquish First Amendment rights of assembly and speech based on recommendations from his Facebook friends.

First, Rich said that there should be a limit on how many times any one group is allowed to demonstrate in the town. Then, he suggested that only residents should be allowed to organize a demonstration. Finally, he called for onerous fees that would have a chilling effect on protected speech.

In conjunction with Town Attorney Craig Justus and the UNC School of Government, attorney Brian Gulden drafted the enhanced protest ordinance being considered at the meeting. Gulden rejected Rich’s legally dubious demands along with the suggestions of others who wanted to ban demonstrations within the town, or ban demonstrations on busy tourism weekends, or force demonstrators to remain in one place.

The ordinance passed unanimously, without the proposed restrictions.

“The events of July 18 showed many of us that Maggie Valley is not isolated,” Mayor Mike Eveland said during the meeting. “In fact, these events illustrated how connected the town is to an evolving landscape of ideas and ideals that are being debated throughout our country.”

Police officers from Maggie Valley keep BLM marchers and counter demonstrators separated (above) during a march in 2020. Messages of support for law enforcement (below) have popped up well outside of Maggie Valley, like this one in Hazelwood. Cory Vaillancourt photos

The practical aspects of the enhanced ordinance dictate that poles or staffs upon which signs, flags and banners are mounted must be made of “corrugated material, plastic or wood,” may not exceed 36 inches in length and must be blunted at each end.

Poles or staffs made of metal or metal alloys are expressly prohibited, as are dangerous weapons, fighting words, threats that might provoke a reasonable person to a breach of the peace, and profane, indecent, abusive or threatening language.

But to help the town ensure public safety for the inevitable constitutionally protected demonstrations that periodically occur even in times of relative calm, aldermen also implemented a procedure whereby groups wishing to demonstrate must deliver something called a “notice of intent to picket” to the chief of police no later than 72 hours before the scheduled action.

When reached for comment May 9, Maggie Valley Chief Russ Gilliland said that Steven Rich hadn’t yet delivered such a notice for the May 22 event but had rented out the pavilion adjacent to town hall instead, appar-

ently opting to remain in one place instead of conducting a march.

Whatever form the event takes, Western North Carolina’s congressman Madison Cawthorn, R-Hendersonville, said he’d be there because he disagreed with the sign.

“Statements like these, that attack law enforcement and the officers who stand between us and violent gangsters are disgusting,” Cawthorn told SMN on May 9. “I am proud to stand with law enforcement in my district and nationwide. We must always back the blue. The rule of law is not a partisan issue, nor should it be.”

The Currins will be there too, or at least right down Soco Road — Our Place Inn is less than 100 yards from town hall.

“I will be operating my business as usual,” Cody said.

They’ve also created a Facebook event.

“We do invite our friends to come visit us on that day,” said Kitty. “We do have parking, we do have grills, it’s probably a great day for a cookout and to just kind of hang out in solidarity and discuss police reform, like we all want to do.”

Investment continues flowing into Haywood County

BY C ORY VAILLANCOURT P OLITICS E DITOR

There’s not yet a lot of information about the latest economic development announcement made by Haywood County commissioners — the fourth in four weeks — but coupled with the previous three, “Project Surrey” pushes total spending commitments in the county to nearly $60 million since early April.

“Economic Development in Haywood County has been very active for several years, even during a national pandemic,” said CeCe Hipps, president of the Haywood County Chamber of Commerce. “Even though we have lost some projects for various reasons, we have succeeded in checking all the boxes for recent announcements.”

Last month, the county announced it would award incentives to two established businesses — Sonoco Plastics and Giles Chemical — based on their expansion investments of $2.6 million and $5 million, respectively.

Two weeks later, the new owners of the Waynesville Inn Resort and Spa announced they’d spend $25 million over the next few years to renovate the inn’s historic golf course, restaurant and guest rooms.

On May 5, the county made another announcement about an endeavor called Project Surrey, which is expected to bring an additional $25 million in investment over the next decade.

County Program Administrator David Francis couldn’t reveal much about the project other than the industrial manufacturing nature of the enterprise and its location in the western part of Haywood County, but a press release says a brand new facility will be built and $14.2 million will be spent over three years. An additional $11.2 million will also be spent over the ensuing seven years, bringing total investment to $25.4 million.

The project is also expected to employ 43 new employees over the first three years, 16 more by year five, and 48 more in the five years after that. All told, the facility will employ more than 100 people.

“Our population, growth trends and

workforce strength of major sectors all define our strength for economic positioning to be competitive and benchmark Haywood County with other communities,” Hipps said.

In accordance with the county’s economic development incentive plan, Francis said that the company would qualify for $244,000 in tax rebates over a five-year period, so long as it meets its spending and hiring goals.

The public hearing on economic development incentives for “Project Surrey” will be held during the regular Haywood County Board of Commissioners meeting, scheduled for 5:30 p.m. on Monday, May 17 at the Historic Haywood Courthouse, 215 North Main Street, Waynesville.

Town of Canton joins municipal TDA bill

BY C ORY VAILLANCOURT

P OLITICS E DITOR

Aweek after Haywood County

Republican Rep. Mark Pless’ municipal TDA bill came out of committee wholly rewritten to include only the town of Maggie Valley, a third version has emerged and passed the House with an additional town listed.

“The board sent approval that we wanted to be included and after the bill goes through, we’ll look at the procedure and the money coming in, and we’ll see how we can best use this money for the benefit of the citizens of Canton,” said Mayor Zeb Smathers. “I think it gives us another tool to add revenue that we can use towards recreation and improvements.”

Pless’ bill, H412, would allow Canton and Maggie Valley to levy a 2 percent room occupancy tax on all lodging establishments within municipal limits. In contrast to the Haywood County Tourism Development Authority’s 4 percent occupancy tax, the 2 percent tax would remain in the town instead of being spread out

HRMC lifts visitor restrictions

Haywood Regional Medical Center announced that it has lifted most visitor restrictions as of May 10. New guidelines will allow adults to visit inpatients and accompany outpatients or those seeking ER care. General visitation hours are 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. The new guidelines are effective immediately.

“The Haywood County positivity rate continues to trend downward, thankfully” said CEO Greg Caples about the changes. “We will continue to be diligent in our fight against the virus, but we are pleased to be able to lift most visitation restrictions for our patients and their family members at this time.”

Visitors will have temperature automatically taken upon entering the main lobby, and each should read the attestation to confirm lack of COVID-19 symptoms upon arrival. If temperature is high and/or a visitor has symptoms, we ask that they do not visit the hospital at that time.

All visitors must continue to mask. COVID-19 visitation will be decided on a case-by-case basis.

www.myhaywoodregional.com.

across the county as a whole.

The 2 percent tax would be levied in addition to the existing countywide 4 percent, pushing room occupancy taxes to 6 percent in any municipality that decides to adopt the measure.

Even if the bill makes it through the General Assembly, Smathers and the Canton Board of Aldermen/women would still have to adopt an ordinance levying the tax, as well as an ordinance establishing a tourism development authority of its own to collect and distribute the funds.

“We’ll look at the next steps of appointing a board or seeing how it should be set up,” Smathers said. “There’s a lot that we’ll have to learn, but to have the opportunity if we decide to implement the tax, we’ll go from there.”

Pless told The Smoky Mountain News last week that he’d offered Canton and Waynesville the opportunity to join Maggie Valley and be part of the bill, but a story in the May 5 issue of SMN showed lukewarm support from at least one Waynesville alderman.

The town of Waynesville hasn’t yet considered the issue during a full board meeting, but a discussion of the bill was listed on the agenda for the May 11 regular meet-

Funding coming for telepsychiatry in schools — if N.C. budget passes

BY C ORY VAILLANCOURT

P OLITICS E DITOR

Aconversation between Sen. Kevin Corbin, R-Franklin, and North Carolina

Gov. Roy Cooper, D-Rocky Mount, seems to indicate that Cooper will likely abandon his hard stance on Medicaid expansion and pass a budget this year.

If that happens, not only will millions in funding finally be freed up for schools and state employees, but a $1 million appropriation for telepsychiatry services in schools shepherded into the budget by Corbin will help address the lack of psychiatrists in rural North Carolina counties.

“I had over $10 million for each of the school systems in my district for construction, and it went away,” Corbin said of Cooper’s budget vetoes over Medicaid expansion, which have left the state without a true budget for several years. “Everybody had stuff in the budget.”

But a brief conversation with Cooper a few weeks ago leads Corbin to believe that Cooper, who is term-limited and can’t seek reelection, may indeed sign something in the coming weeks.

“There were about four senators standing around just to chit chat, small talk, and here comes the governor walking out and he kind

of walked up in our circle,” Corbin said. “We exchanged pleasantries and he said – this is a quote from him – ‘I would really like to sign a budget this year.’ We all kind of looked at each other and said, ‘Well, we would too.’”

Corbin said he asked Cooper if he would veto the budget over single issues.

“He said no,” Corbin said.

That may be a good sign for underserved communities in North Carolina; Corbin reached across the aisle and across the state to gain support for S161, which appropriates $1 million in nonrecurring funds for each year of the 2021-2023 fiscal biennium to be allocated to East Carolina University Center for Telepsychiatry to support a program called NC-STeP.

“A psychiatrist group in North Carolina came to us through their government relations person and expressed that there were a number of counties in North Carolina that were underserved,” said Corbin, who sponsored the bill with Greene County Democratic Sen. Don Davis. “There were several counties that were completely unserved for the schools. Full disclosure, my home County of Macon was not one of them. It is in good shape, but my other six counties, including Haywood and the others, were being underserved or not served at all.”

Tribe loosens marijuana laws

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER

In a pair of actions taken during Tribal Council on Thursday, May 6, Tribal Council voted to decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana and to stop testing Housing Improvement Program residents and applicants for the drug.

“I know several people who are smoking it for the fact that it gives them relief,” said Birdtown Representative Boyd Owle. “That’s what I’m here for, to help the people help themselves. I think it would be a crime to take them to court.”

The decriminalization ordinance was first discussed last month, and while most council members supported its intent, several said they believed that version to be too favorable towards drug dealers and pointed out that it did not include an age limit for legal possession.

This month, Principal Chief Richard Sneed introduced a new version that contained three significant changes from the document read last month. While the previous version would have removed criminal penalties for possessing 1.5 ounces or less of marijuana or 0.15 ounces of hashish, in the approved version the threshold was knocked down to 1 ounce of marijuana, while the limit for hashish remained the same.

The new version also includes an age limit. Possession of any amount is still illegal for people younger than 21.

Finally, the new version aimed to address concerns about boosting the black market by deleting a section of the current tribal code stating that transferring less than 5 grams of marijuana does not constitute a delivery if no money is exchanged. Tribal Council approved an ordinance that would cause any transfer of any amount of marijuana to constitute a crime,

I’ll not be able to support any of it.”

HIP is a tribal program that provides housing for enrolled members who don’t have any other housing options and are at least 59.5 years old and/or have qualifying disabilities. The HIP resolution points out that Harrah’s Cherokee Casinos and the tribal government have both loosened employee drug testing requirements as it relates to marijuana and alleges that by denying access to housing or threatening eviction due to a positive marijuana test, “the Tribe is penalizing its neediest members who, as it happens, would probably benefit the most from the responsible, personal use of marijuana in their own homes.”

“The reason I brought this in, I was contacted by some elders, some of them cancer patients, that said that they weren’t afraid to admit that they were smoking marijuana in their homes,” said French. “It helps with their pain and they would rather do that than take the opioids, and I agreed with them.”

The resolution concludes by directing the HIP committee to amend its program documents to delete marijuana from the list of controlled substances for which applicants and residents can be tested and to make the new program documents and policies flexible enough to accommodate future marijuanarelated changes in tribal law. Additionally, anyone who was previously denied housing due solely to marijuana use will be able to reapply.

scrutiny or threat of eviction merely because they live in a HIP home.”

The legislation still requires Sneed’s ratification to become effective. He plans to sign the decriminalization measure after the mandatory 10-day waiting period is complete. Once in effect, the decriminalization law would apply only under tribal jurisdic-

“I

was contacted by some elders, some of them cancer patients, that said that they weren’t afraid to admit that they were smoking marijuana in their homes. It helps

with their pain and they would rather do that than take the opioids, and I agreed with them.”

— Big Cove Representative Richard French

regardless of whether money is involved.

Council members who spoke in favor of the ordinance highlighted the medicinal benefits of marijuana, couching the vote as a step toward establishing a medicinal marijuana program on the Qualla Boundary.

“There’s so much science now supporting cannabis as a medicine,” said Principal Chief Richard Sneed, who last month told Council the drug had done wonders for his son’s mental health issues where other interventions had failed. Decriminalizing small amounts is a “quality of life issue” for people battling debilitating disease, he said.

Principal Chief Richard Sneed

“If we had to start all over today, alcohol would be the one that wasn’t legal,” said Birdtown Representative Albert Rose, citing the role alcohol plays in crimes such as domestic violence.

The measure passed with the support of all council members save Painttown Representative Dike Sneed, who previously served as the tribe’s police chief and has consistently opposed all legislation aimed at loosening enforcement of marijuana laws.

He also provided the sole opposing vote on the second marijuana-related item of the day, a measure Big Cove Representative Richard French introduced to prevent the Housing Improvement Program from penalizing residents and prospective residents for private marijuana use.

“I just want to let everybody know why I’m not in support of the marijuana bill,” he said.

“I swore an oath, put my hand on the Bible, when I became a cop, and I got to uphold the laws of North Carolina and any other law out there, federal laws. It’s still against the law, so

This is necessary, the resolution reads, “so that HIP applicants and HIP residents are treated the same as everyone else governed by Tribal law and are not subject to increased

tion within the Qualla Boundary. Possession is still illegal in North Carolina, though it doesn’t become a felony unless the defendant carries at least 1.5 ounces, and a $200 fine is the maximum punishment for possessing less than half an ounce.

‘The lady behind the scenes’

Carmaleta Monteith named Beloved Woman

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER

Carmaleta Littlejohn Monteith has worn an impressive number of titles over the course of her life.

She chairs the Cherokee Indian Hospital Authority Governing Board and has filled various roles within the North American Indian Women’s Association over a span of five decades. She serves on the Yogi Crowe Memorial Scholarship Fund advisory board, has been involved with the Yellowhill Community Club for nearly 20 years, spent 10 years as Internal Audit Chair and for more than two decades has actively supported efforts to create a tribal constitution.

The list goes on, but on May 6, the Cherokee Tribal Council bestowed Monteith’s most important title yet — the body named her a Beloved Woman of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.

The Beloved title is the highest honor the tribe can give to one of its own. Monteith is now one of three living people to wear it.

land for the present-day Cherokee Central Schools and govern CCS’s development, the resolution reads.

Sneed, who was once a teacher at that school, remembers the time he built homemade hydroponic units with his high school students to grow lettuce and spinach. Monteith saw what he was up to and took it upon herself to write a grant that funded 120 “amazing” hydroponic grow sites.

bers introduced resolutions requesting them, but Smith wanted to form a committee to evaluate future nominations based on an agreed-upon set of criteria in order to avoid “saturating” the community with enough people bearing the title to take away from the honor of wearing it.

On May 6, Tribal Council members all agreed that Monteith was more than deserving of the Beloved Woman title, taking a unanimous vote to bestow it by standing around the horseshoe rather than simply raising their hands, as they typically do to signal assent to proposed resolutions.

Traditionally, the title of Beloved Man or Beloved Woman was reserved for Cherokee people who had proven themselves valiant warriors in battle but had grown too old to fight anymore. They would come home to an honored place in their tribe, serving their community in new ways, off the battlefield. In modern times, the title has come to recognize people whose lives are an outstanding demonstration of Cherokee core values and cherished characteristics.

“She is first and foremost a servant,” Principal Chief Richard Sneed said of Monteith during the May 6 Tribal Council meeting. “When you think about when Jesus said, ‘Whoever desires to be greatest among you must be servant to all,’ Carmaleta embodies and personifies a servant. When she sees a need, she answers the call and puts the work in.”

Monteith “has demonstrated the Cherokee core value of Education in abundance,” reads the resolution granting her the title. She received her bachelor’s degree at a time when only 5.8 percent of women obtained a college degree and only 2,000 Native Americans — of any gender — were enrolled in college. She “defied the odds” once more in 1985, obtaining a Ph.D. in American studies. Even today, only 0.003 percent of Ph.Ds are held by Native Americans.

Monteith has put that education to work for the good of her people. She served on the Cherokee Boys & Girls Club Board for 15 years, during which time she raised funding for new construction and program development. Her “most significant educational impact” was her work to secure the

he said. “When she sees a need, she immediately does the work to fulfill that need.”

Monteith has also worked hard to nourish and preserve the Cherokee tribal identity, contributing to multiple culturally oriented films and publications and spearheading a multitude of projects, including eight years of work on the Cherokee Leadership Development Project through the Cherokee Preservation Foundation, which led to the development of the cultural leadership programs now housed at the Ray Kinsland Leadership Institute.

“This was really the one nomination that we received of several great ones that we felt needed to be heard before you all today,” said Kim Smith, chair of the Beloved Woman Committee.

While pandemic protocols hampered Tribal Council’s ability to celebrate Monteith as it normally would a newly recognized Beloved Woman, Smith said the committee hopes to hold an official induction ceremony at the Cherokee Indian Fair this fall.

Monteith is the first person to receive the Beloved title since the Beloved Woman Committee was formed in 2018. Smith petitioned Tribal Council to create it on the heels of a three-month period in early 2018 during which three Beloved titles were given. The nominations were approved unanimously after various Council mem-

“Every generation has seen her work and been a part of that, so we really appreciate all her dedication to this community and this tribe,” said Vice Chairman David Wolfe, who represents Monteith’s community of Yellowhill. When the resolution was read at a recent community club meeting, Wolfe added, everybody stood up in support.

“She’s one of the ladies that she never asks for recognition like this, because it comes from the heart,” said Big Cove Representative Richard French. “She does everything for the tribe and for her people.”

The tribe needs more people like her, said French — people who will step up to the plate because they believe in the goal, not because they’re looking for a pat on the back.

“She’s the lady behind the scenes that makes everything happen for all of us,” said Vice Chief Alan “B” Ensley. “Carm, I’m just glad that I’m standing here watching you get this great honor.”

“You had a direct impact on the lives of everybody sitting around this horseshoe and everybody listening to this, whether they know it or not,” added Big Cove Representative Perry Shell.

When it was her turn to speak, Monteith focused her comments on thank yous — to Western Carolina University Cherokee Center Director Sky Sampson, who put the nomination together; to the committee, whose members worked “long and hard” to develop the criteria and standards for the award; and to the women who preceded her, bringing honor and integrity to the office she now joins. Monteith also recognized her mother, who showed her the importance of service and led several of the organizations in which Monteith is now instrumental.

“We’re not islands unto ourselves,” she said. “It takes a family. It takes everybody in the community to achieve things, so I’m deeply honored.”

Sneed plans to sign the resolution honoring Monteith once the mandatory 10-day waiting period has passed.

Haywood NAACP to meet

Haywood County NAACP will meet again at 2 p.m. Saturday, May 29, at the Obama-King Park at the intersection of Craven and Calvary Streets in the Pigeon neighborhood in Waynesville.

Attendees should wear a mask. If you are not vaccinated, bring lawn chairs so you can stay socially distant outside of the shelter. Come with your ideas for the organization’s future.

Rallying against new jail in Haywood County

Down Home North Carolina is continuing its campaign to stop the expansion of the Haywood County detention and to have the county spend money on rehab and mental health treatment facilities.

To support the campaign, attend the Haywood County Commissioners' meeting at 5:30 p.m. Monday, May 17, at the upper floor of the historic courthouse in Waynesville. Wear a mask. Do not bring signs. There will be social distancing at the meeting.

Down Home will also be gathering from 5 to 7 p.m. Saturday, May 15, at the intersection of Main Street and Miller Street in downtown Waynesville to rally against the jail expansion and to raise awareness in the community.

Newby begins 100 county courthouse tour

Chief Justice Paul Newby launched a courthouse tour during which he will visit courthouses in all of North Carolina's 100 counties.

Newby is the first chief justice to visit all of North Carolina’s courthouses. The first phase of the tour began in the far-western counties: Cherokee, Graham, Clay, Macon, and Swain. The phase also includes Jackson, Haywood, Transylvania, Henderson, Polk, and Rutherford counties as well as the Cherokee tribal court. The tour began in Murphy and will end in Manteo. At each courthouse, Newby will greet judges and courthouse personnel to express his appreciation for their commitment and dedication during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Chief Justice’s Commission on Professionalism is presenting professional programs during some of the phases of the tour.

“Our judges and courthouse personnel are the battle-tested heroes of the past year. They came to work, day-in and day-out, facing real and often undefined dangers to fulfill the ‘open courts' mandate of the North Carolina Constitution,” Chief Justice Newby said. “Our courthouse stakeholders are doing their best to ensure that justice is administered without favor, denial or delay. Our state needs these dedicated public servants now more than ever to help address the large backlog of cases left in the wake of this pandemic.”

After completing the far western phase of the tour, Chief Justice Newby will soon visit other courthouses spanning the mountains, foothills, piedmont, sandhills, and eastern North Carolina. The tour is planned to be completed within the next two years. The timeline and details of each visit will be announced as they become available.

Macon requests more funds for the arts

BY HANNAH MCLEOD STAFF WRITER

Last year, Macon County Schools requested a nearly $2 million budget increase to fund additional staff positions. When the pandemic shuttered school doors during budget season last year, the request was dropped. But now, over a year into the pandemic, MCS has again requested the money to fill staffing needs within its schools.

A large portion of the staffing issues across Macon County Schools lie in the arts departments. Macon Middle hasn’t had an art teacher for 10 years and hasn’t had a chorus teacher for four years. Union Academy, serving grades 7-12 has no music or art teachers. At the elementary schools, students receive 30 minutes of music and art weekly throughout the school year.

At the Macon County Schools Board of Education meeting April 26, Maggie Jennings presented the “Arts for MCS” plan to the board for the second time. The first was in January 2020. Jennings is a private music teacher in Macon County. She has a master’s in education and National Boards Certification. Jennings represents a grassroots group of over 1,000 Macon County taxpayers and local businesses who would like to see all students have equal access to quality, sequential arts education in Macon County. The group has been meeting with school administration since October 2019 and appealing to the county government.

The plan Jennings presented lays out a

Macon Middle hasn’t had an art teacher for 10 years and

hasn’t had

a chorus teacher for four years. Union Academy, serving grades 7-12 has no music or art teachers. At the elementary schools, students receive 30 minutes of music and art weekly throughout the school year.

timeline for adding new arts educator positions, some that have previously existed in Macon County, over the course of three years. In the first year of the plan, the group has requested full-time chorus and arts teachers at Macon Middle School, a full-time music teacher to be shared among two or three schools to alleviate overcrowding and allow for after-school music opportunities and a part-time arts director for the county to work on administration, staff support, grant writing and community partnerships.

In year two, the group would like to see a full-time art teacher at each elementary

school, full-time music teacher at each school and the arts director raised to fulltime. Year three involves beginning construction on a new fine arts facility.

According to Jennings, Superintendent Dr. Chris Baldwin helped the group in writing the three-year plan, aligning it with longterm district goals.

According to research compiled by the “Arts for MCS” group, there are numerous benefits to arts education in public schools. Arts classes are a productive and creative outlet for students; learning to hear the beat and actively participate in a collective music class has been shown to help children assimilate, focus and retain content; rhymes in children’s songs reinforce phoneme awareness needed for spelling and reading.

According to the group’s research there are tremendous mental health benefits to arts education such as aligning social and emotional connections in the brain, reactivating parts of the brain that have been misused, teaching emotional stability and creating a coping method, enhancing self-worth and self-esteem and bringing a sense of joy and release.

“When you look at the research, for the last 20 years consistently, it says that music aptitude is set by age 9,” said Jennings. “So what that means is, young children are geared toward listening for things like our speech, language development and of course music. It all is the same part of the brain. So as you develop good literacy habits, music is kind of like reinforcement that tells the brain just how it’s supposed to be wired and how it’s supposed to work.”

The original draft budget, presented to the board of education April 26, requested $8.2 million from the county and did not include the additional $1.9 million, first requested last year, needed to cover various new positions. After lengthy discussion the board passed a motion to approve an amendment to the budget for an additional $1.9 million. COVID relief funds, given to the school systems across the country, will not be used for staff positions since they will not be recurring in the future.

New arts positions covered by the budget increase include four full-time art teachers to cover K-12, four full-time music positions to

cover K-12, a music and art teacher for Macon Middle School and an art/ music teacher at Union Academy. Other new positions covered by the budget increase include 10 additional mental health professionals to cover k-12, five additional full-time school nurses to cover K-12, foreign language teacher for Highlands School, English teacher for Franklin High School and a STEM teacher and EC teacher’s assistant for Iotla Valley Elementary. The $1.9 million also covers a $50,000 maintenance contract for Macon Middle School.

The board also voted unanimously to approve hazard pay for all pay for all employees. Full-time employees will receive $750 and part-time employees will receive $375.

Along with the draft budget to be approved by Macon County Commissioners, the board voted to submit a request in the form of a resolution to County Manager Derek Roland and Macon County Board of County Commissioners asking for consideration of a new high school facility located at the current site. The Macon County Commission will consider both at its May 11 meeting.

Spectators allowed at Haywood graduations

Graduate photos cover the hill outside Tuscola High School. Graduation ceremonies took unrecognizable forms in 2020. File photo

BY HANNAH MCLEOD STAFF WRITER

Graduation ceremonies will be allowed as many spectators as school sporting events this spring, after the Haywood County Schools Board of Education authorized Superintendent Dr. Bill Nolte to use spectator rules for non-athletic, end-of-year programs and ceremonies.

When students returned to partial in-person instruction last fall, state regulations strictly limited the number of spectators that could attend school events, including school sporting events. When the North Carolina High School Athletic Association began allowing spectators at NCHSAA sanctioned events, attendance was limited to 7 percent of

venue capacity, without exceeding 100 people. For Haywood County, that meant only 100 spectators would be allowed at the Pisgah Memorial Stadium for the annual Pisgah/Tuscola rivalry football game — an event that usually draws over 10,000.

When Haywood County School Board members reached out to NCHSAA commissioner Que Tucker to raise the 100-person limit, there was no meaningful response. Instead it took the continued effort of HCS board members, Canton Mayor Zeb Smathers, former congressman and NFL quarterback Heath Schuler and Asheville Rep. Brian Turner appealing to the governor’s office as well as to the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services.

Could you orsomeone you know benefitfromoverdose prevention,

Want to go?

The Haywood County Board of Education announced the following graduation dates at the May 10 board meeting:

• Haywood Early College graduation ceremony will take place at 7 p.m. Friday, May 14, at the Haywood Community College auditorium in Clyde.

• Haywood Community Learning Center graduation will take place at 4 p.m. Thursday, June 3, on the HCLC campus.

• Pisgah High School graduation will take place at 7 p.m. Friday, June 4, at the Pisgah Memorial Stadium.

• Tuscola High School graduation will take place at 10 a.m. Saturday, June 5, at the C.E. Weatherby Stadium.

• Central Haywood High School graduation will take place at 6 p.m. Sunday, June 7, at the Haywood Community College auditorium.

On Feb. 26, just in time for the Pisgah Tuscola rivalry game, Gov. Roy Cooper announced that the limit on outdoor stadium attendance had been raised from 100 spectators to 30 percent of stadium capacity. Effective April 30, a new executive order raised attendance capabilities to 50 percent of stadium capacity. Players, coaches and officiants are not included in the capacity calculations. However, after all the debate around attendance at sporting events, there were still

no regulations regarding attendance at nonathletic school events. Parents, students and staff communicated their concerns about upcoming graduation ceremonies to HCS administration. On May 3, the Haywood County Schools Board of Education voted to authorize the superintendent to use the sporting event spectator capabilities, which are the largest available for public schools, for non-sports related end-of-year programs and ceremonies.

“You are on firm ground here,” said Board Attorney Pat Smathers. “Gov. Cooper issued his latest order, governor’s order 209 allows for half the occupancy of fire code, for assemblies everywhere. Section 5.2A makes it specifically incorporated into education. So, you’re good.”

This allows end-of-year programs and ceremonies to have spectators up to 50 percent capacity of each venue. Both C.E. Weatherby and Pisgah Memorial stadiums will be permitted 3,500 spectators, high school gymnasiums will be permitted 463 spectators, and high school auditoriums will be permitted 250 spectators. Masks are still required inside school facilities and are encouraged but not required in outdoor venues.

“I want to thank students, teachers, administrators, parents, and community members for their feedback on this issue,” Nolte said. “Throughout COVID-19, we have been faced with many challenges and perplexing state regulations. I’m proud of our board, staff, parents, and community for focusing on our students and consistently finding a logical path forward.”

Cherokee to pursue new casino project

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER

The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians will pursue a new casino project in partnership with a publicly traded gaming company, following a vote during Tribal Council Thursday, May 6.

The resolution, submitted by Principal Chief Richard Sneed, gives little specific information about the project. Dubbed

“Project Commonwealth,” it will be a partnership with a company with which the tribe has had a “long-standing relationship” and result in new gaming opportunities “within a certain proximity” of existing casinos in Cherokee and Murphy.

The name “Project Commonwealth” indicates the location may be in Virginia, whose nickname is The Commonwealth State.

This would fit the same naming pattern the tribe used when it dubbed its commercial gaming enterprise purchase in Indiana “Project Hoosier.”

involved would be wholly owned and operated by the tribe through EBCI Holdings.

Before discussing the proposal, Tribal Council stopped broadcasting the meeting, though it kept the proceedings open those in physical attendance.

“I don’t want everyone who’s tuned in states away to know what we’re doing, but I want our local people to know what we’re doing,” said Painttown Representative Dike Sneed.

The resolution stresses the need for a “circumspect discussion” until the time

The Cherokee and the unnamed publicly traded gaming company have been in discussions about developing a casino together, and the next step is for the tribe to present a proposal containing additional details about the potential endeavor — the resolution passed last week authorizes the communication of that proposal.

The topics and parameters to be addressed are laid out in an eight-point list contained within the resolution.

In addition to choosing the name “Project Commonwealth,” the proposal states that the tribe would use its commercial gaming company, EBCI Holdings LLC, to create a joint venture with the partner company. The tribe would have a “large” equity stake in the project, which would be a greenfield project requiring the construction and ownership of a new facility. Completing it would require debt financing, the terms of which are still being developed.

The partner company would manage the operation for at least five years, but EBCI Holdings would hold call rights to buy it out in five to seven years after it opens to the public. The projects and properties

Harrah’s offers sign-on bonus

As one of the largest employers in Western North Carolina, Harrah's Cherokee Casinos is taking a strong approach to market their current employment opportunities and bring new talent to its ever-growing team.

The company is now offering sizeable hiring bonuses, ranging from $500 to $3,000, for select positions at its properties in Cherokee & Murphy. All front of house, guest contact positions will receive a minimum hiring bonus of $500. Select

comes for a public announcement. This is due to federal laws regarding publicly traded companies that “prohibit the public communication of certain financial information and opportunities regarding the company to avoid prohibited behavior, such as insider trading,” as well as “the Tribe’s own concerns about publishing its business plans.”

Nine of the 12 Council members voted in favor of Sneed’s move to take the discussion off-air, with Birdtown Representative Albert Rose, Wolfetown Representative Chelsea Saunooke and Yellowhill Representative Tom Wahnetah opposing it.

After a nine-minute discussion, the body came back on air and voted 10-2 to pass the resolution, with Wahneta and Wolfetown Representative Bo Crowe opposing the move. No discussion accompanied the vote.

This is the second commercial gaming endeavor currently underway under the auspices of the EBCI. In December, Tribal Council a $250 million deal to purchase the gaming operation — though not the property — at Caesars Southern Indiana Casino. That deal is set to close this summer.

positions will be eligible to receive up to a $1,000, $2,000 or $3,000 hiring bonus if certain criteria are met.

Bonuses will be paid in four installments (one payment each quarter) for one-year active employment. Bonus availability and amounts may adjust as needed.

This hiring bonus is also coupled with competitive pay, a full portfolio of benefits including dental, medical, life and vision, 401K, as well as endless career development opportunities.

To explore jobs currently available at Harrah's Cherokee Casinos, visit www.harrahscherokeejobs.com.

Franklin manager delivers last budget proposal

BY J ESSI STONE N EWS E DITOR

Longtime Franklin Manager Summer Woodard will be leaving for a new job in June, but before she goes, she presented her final budget proposal to the town council.

In her 2021-22 budget message, Woodard touts the town’s strong financial position despite all the economic uncertainty during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Her proposed budget of $10,522,662 focuses on addressing some long-term infrastructure needs while maintaining a healthy fund balance for the future.

While many local governments passed extremely conservative budgets last year at the height of the pandemic, most Western North Carolina municipalities have been pleasantly surprised by the increase to several revenue streams. Sales tax revenue is projected to increase by $100,000 in Franklin, but Woodard still cautioned the board to remain diligent.

“The Town of Franklin should continue to monitor investment earnings in General Fund and the Water and Sewer Fund,” she said. “Investment earnings in both General and Water/Sewer have been decreased to give a representation of what is expected to be collected. The town should also continue to plan

for unexpected revenue loss at the state and federal level.”

Her budget proposal allots $20,000 in the contingency fund in anticipation of unexpected revenue loss or unexpected expenditures.

The town currently has a very healthy fund balance that represents 82 percent of the town’s annual budget. The fund balance has increased 4 percent since the 2018-19 budget year. Woodard’s proposed 2021-22 budget includes using a one-time allocation from the fund balance in the amount of $418,736 into the general fund.

Overall, she said general government revenues are expected to remain the same in the coming year, which will allow the town to maintain a balanced budget with the current property tax rate of 0.32 percent — or 32 cents per $100 of assessed value.

PERSONNEL

Looking at personnel costs, Woodard said the budget includes funding for a performance-based payment for most full-time positions, but part-time and probationary employees won’t be eligible. The budget also includes a one-time cost-of-living adjustment for all employees. While the town’s dental and life insurance plans will remain the same,

Woodard said the town’s health insurance premiums would be increasing by 10 percent and property/workers compensation premiums were expected to increase 5 percent.

The proposed budget includes one new full-time position for a code enforcement officer because of the increasing number of dilapidated buildings and homes in the town. The position will be budgeted at the same rate as a sworn police officer with all the same benefits.

The town will once again split the cost of a peer support specialist position with Macon County and has budgeted 20,000 for that position. This person assists people with behavioral health issues at nonprofit No Wrong Door.

CAPITAL PROJECTS

The town will be working to secure funding for phase two of the water treatment plant upgrade and expansion project and addresses several high-priced improvements to the system, including $515,000 to replace the sewer line on Crane Circle/Lakeside Drive; $552,000 to replace water line on Clyde Street and $159,000 to improve the East Franklin pump station. Woodard recommended the town finance the two larger water line projects. She added that Franklin could also consider using some funds from the American Rescue Plan to pay for part of those improvements.

The budget proposes to spend $23,000 so the IT department can upgrade the town’s key scan system.

Woodard said over $200,000 was included in the budget from the state Powell Bill fund for streets and the town also has a list of sidewalk improvements to make — including 630 feet on Harrison Avenue to Courtney Lane, 1,100 feet on Maple Street and ADA compliant curb ramps at East Dogwood and the crosswalk at Dan Street.

The police department will be replacing two vehicles for a total cost of $62,000 and public works department will be replacing a vehicle for $35,000.

DEBT SERVICE

The town of Franklin has several loans it continues to pay off each year. The current loan amount for its water and sewer projects is about $1.47 million, scheduled to be paid off my 2024. The town also has two state revolving loans for its wastewater treatment plant projects — $3.37 million to be paid off by 2033 and $2.76 million to be paid off by 2038.

WATER & SEWER RATES

The proposed budget does include a 3 percent rate increase for water and sewer customers and would only affect base and volume charges — not taps or connection fees. Woodard said the increase is needed based on a detailed water and sewer rate analysis that was done in April 2020 by Withers-Ravenel.

The entire proposed budget can be found at www.franklinnc.com/town-manager-summer-woodard.

Skaters make case for Franklin skatepark

BY J ESSI STONE N EWS E DITOR

The Franklin Town Council board room was standing room only last week as several local teenagers expressed their desire for a skatepark to be developed somewhere within the town limits.

Evan Lampkin, 14, addressed the board first and explained that it was difficult for his group of friends to find a safe and legal place to skate in town without being asked to stop by law enforcement officers.

“We’ve been told multiple times it’s illegal to skate in town, but we haven’t found anything in the town or state ordinances that says that,” he said. “There is no state ordinance prohibiting skateboarding on sidewalks, and when my mom called the town a few years ago, she was told that the town ordinances don’t address it at all.”

to skate.”

Another local teen, Scott Elliott, said skating saved his life and helped him make friends. “Someone handed me a skateboard when I was young, and I quickly fell in love with it,” he said. “I’ve also had many taken from me over the years by the law, but if there’s nowhere to go, kids will be on the streets. I’m lucky that everyone in my life has helped me pursue this hobby and I’ve

He referenced successful skatepark projects in Highlands, Cherokee and Waynesville, but the distance makes it difficult to get there, especially for his friends that don’t drive yet. In speaking to someone with the town of Highlands, Lampkin learned that an estimated 50 people a day utilize the skatepark and that the only problem initially was litter. That issue has been addressed with more signage.

Highlands’ skatepark cost $220,000 to construct in 2017, and it’s the most utilized public recreational asset the town has, Lampkin said.

“If they did it all over again, they said they would make it bigger because it’s so popular,” he said.

Waynesville opened its skatepark in 2013 at the encouragement and assistance from a group of local skaters. The project cost $400,000 and is also a well utilized asset for the town.

Lampkin told the board that constructing a skatepark in Franklin would keep kids from skating on the streets and sidewalks where it’s not safe and would provide something positive for teenagers to do after school.

“There’s a misperception about skaters — we’re not bad kids,” he said. “And skating is for everybody. If you would consider putting in a skatepark here in Franklin, my friends and I would be more than glad to sit down with you and talk about the features and options that could be included.”

Tim Shaw, the father of two skaters, said having a safe location for his kids to skate would give him piece of mind.

“After school they say they’re going to skate town and that makes me cringe,” he said. “They need a legal, safe and free place

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had the chance to drive hundreds of miles to these skateparks, but there are 10-, 12and 13-year-old malleable kids that need somewhere to go.”

Former Councilmember Adam Kimsey said he also supported the development of a skatepark, though he knows there’s an issue of liability on the town’s part. However, he said the town takes on a greater liability by having kids skating around town where they could get injured, and creating a safe environment for skaters is the better option.

As a law enforcement officer, Jordan Sutton said he too wants a safe place for them to go in town so their parents will know exactly where they are when they go skating.

“The things we have in town for kids to do are these kinds of activities or drugs and premarital sex,” he said. “We used to have a bowling alley and skating rink. We have Parker Meadows (recreation park) in the middle of nowhere, but they need somewhere in town to go.”

Mayor Bob Scott suggested putting together some kind of fundraising or advisory committee so discussions on the proposed project can begin.

Councilmember David Culpepper volunteered to help coordinate that effort with the police department, local skaters and the town.

Scott also asked if the police chief could research a place in the town limits that might be safe to block off in the short term so that the skaters would have somewhere to safely go sooner than letter.

Police Chief Bill Harrell said he’d look into a few options and report back to the board.

OUNTAIN H EART

Mountain Heart, or its individual members, have been nominated for Grammy’s, ACM, CMA awards. The band has also been nominated for and won multiple IBMA's. They have appeared on the revered stage of the Grand Ole Opry in excess of 130 times. From large outdoor Folk music, Americana, Jam and Bluegrass festivals, to soldout shows opening for Southern Rock icons like The Marshall Tucker Band, The Tedeshi Trucks Band or Lynyrd Skynyrd, Mountain Heart always makes an undeniable connection with an audience. This rare combination makes Mountain Heart one of the more versatile musical acts ever assembled. The band is comprised of top call studio pros at every position, unmatched energy, and a keen sense of entertainment dynamics have helped them to forge a highly unique sound and stage show which appeals to an ever-growing variety of musical tastes. M

Vaccination still slow as Pfizer shot approved for teens

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER

For the fourth straight week, the rate of vaccinations has decreased in the fourcounty area, with just 0.5 percent of the four-county area’s population receiving a first dose between May 3 and May 10.

were fully vaccinated. By contrast, 33.9 percent of Haywood County residents and 32.5 percent of Jackson County residents are partially vaccinated, as are 38.9 percent of EBCI tribal members.

With the exception of Macon County, these county-level figures fall below the statewide average of 40.1 percent fully vaccinated as of May 10.

The rate could pick up again in the coming weeks, however, due to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s May 9 decision to grant an emergency use authorization for the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine’s use in 12 to 15year-olds. Currently, there are no vaccinations available for people under the age of 16.

The trend was consistent across Haywood, Macon and Jackson counties, all of which increased their partial vaccination coverage by half a percent between those dates. Swain County, where state data records that only 25.5 percent of the population has received at least one dose of vaccine, showed an increase less than half that, 0.2 percent. However, the true number of vaccinated Swain County residents is likely significantly higher. The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians has organized a robust vaccination campaign, and because it receives its doses directly from the federal government those figures are not included with state or county numbers. Much of the EBCI’s Qualla Boundary is located in Swain County.

Macon County has by far the largest share of vaccinated residents, breaking 40 percent for the first time this week. As of May 10, 40.3 percent of Macon County residents were at least partially vaccinated and 37.7 percent

Clinic for 16-18year-olds planned

Haywood County Health and Human Services is partnering with Haywood Community College to host a special COVID19 vaccine clinic for teens 16-18 and their families from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. May 19 at the HCC campus.

Many colleges and universities will be requiring shots when students begin the fall semester. And with summer activities nearing, now is the perfect time for young adults to prepare by choosing to get vaccinated.

This special mobile clinic will offer PfizerBioNTech COVID-19 vaccine on a drive-up basis, no appointment required, on the campus of HCC. Students under the age of 18 will need parent or guardian consent to get vaccinated. Family members of students are also eligible to get vaccinated at this clinic if they so choose.

For vaccine appointment or appointment questions call: 828.356.2019, Option 1.

For general COVID-19 information visit www.haywoodcountync.gov/684/COVID19-Information.

Macon registering ages 12-15 for vaccine

With the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention vaccine advisory panel set to authorize the use of the Pfizer-BioNTech

According to reporting from NPR, a vaccine advisory committee to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will meet May 12 to make recommendations for the vaccine’s use, and shots could be “widely available” this week. The authorization means that 87 percent of the U.S. population is now eligible for a vaccine.

New COVID-19 cases continue to plummet, with the 669 new cases statewide reported May 11 marking the lowest number since Oct. 4, 2020. However, nationwide people under the age of 18 account for 1 in 5 new cases.

COVID-19 vaccine for use in those aged 12 to 15, Macon County’s Vaccine Call Center will begin to pre-register children, should their parents wish for them to be vaccinated once the vaccine has been approved.

No Pfizer clinics are currently planned, though the public and those who pre-register will be notified once appointments become available for the Pfizer vaccine with Macon County Public Health.

Side effects in this age group were similar to that of the age 16 to 25 group which included fever, pain at the injection site, and cold like symptoms lasting no longer than 72 hours after the injection.

Parents who want their child to receive the COVID-19 vaccine must call 828.524.1500 to pre-register.

WCU clinic

taking walk-ins

Western Carolina University’s regional COVID-19 vaccine clinic is now accepting walk-ins on Fridays and Saturdays. Participants will be able to choose the Pfizer BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine or Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen COVID-19 vaccine when they arrive.

The walk-in hours are noon to 6 p.m. on Fridays and 9 a.m. to noon on Saturdays.

The clinic is operating out of WCU’s Health and Human Sciences Building, located at 3971 Little Savannah Rd. in Cullowhee. For more information and to schedule an appointment, visit vaccine.wcu.edu.

Community Almanac

Zonta Club of Franklin donates to REACH

The Zonta Club of the Franklin Area presented reading materials for women to REACH in Franklin.

Fifty booklets on financial management and two selfhelp books were given at a presentation at the REACH for Bargains store. Zonta supports REACH in Jackson County and Macon County.

REACH of Macon County and Jackson County helps women and families by fighting violence in the home and sexual assault anywhere. It runs 24/7 crisis hotlines, counseling and education services and a shelter in Macon County.

The Franklin Zonta Club is the only one of this international organization in North Carolina. Zonta focuses on helping women and their families reach their full potential by addressing education and health needs, by working to end violence against women and by supporting women in the workplace.

For more information visit www.zontafranklinnc.org.

Riley Howell Foundation receives donation

On a chilly April 3 morning, 240 runners gathered in Waynesville for the inaugural Mighty Four Miler, a race honoring the life and legacy of Riley Howell and raising $6,860 for the Riley Howell Foundation Fund, administered by The Community Foundation of Western North Carolina. Another 160 runners gathered for its sister race, the Gateway to the Smokies Half Marathon.

In April 2019, Waynesville native Riley Howell was killed in a school shooting at UNC Charlotte while tackling the gunman to save the lives of fellow students. Fellow student Reed Parlier was also killed. Howell, a runner, loved the outdoors.

“When something like the shooting at UNC Charlotte occurs, most of us feel helpless,” said Greg Duff, Glory Hound Events Director. “Unlike Sandy Hook, Columbine or the seemingly countless others that have happened, this one hit close to home. I know the Howells and remember seeing Riley as a child. I also know how to put on races so doing one to honor Riley was an easy decision. We decided to name it the Mighty Four Miler and to donate all profits to the foundation.”

Learn more at www.rileyhowellfoundation.org.

Community Foundation awards grants

The Community Foundation of Western North Carolina recently approved grants totaling $541,300 reaching 17 WNC counties to address needs exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The awards, made outside of the Foundation’s regular grant cycles, provide funding for basic human needs in Latinx communities and youth mental health services across the region. A few of the grants awarded locally include:

• $82,800 to Blue Ridge Community Health

Services for a school-based mental health program offering counseling sessions to students in Henderson and Transylvania counties that have no insurance or are underinsured.

• $100,000 to Meridian Behavioral Health Services to provide mental health treatment to youth by increasing services for its in-home program, assisting families with co-pays and increasing translator services for Spanish-speaking residents in Jackson, Cherokee, Graham, Clay, Haywood, Swain, Transylvania and Macon counties.

• $100,000 to Vecinos Farmworker Health Program to support low-income Latinx families with basic needs in Jackson, Swain, Macon, Graham, Clay, Cherokee and Haywood counties.

• $50,000 to Western North Carolina Workers Center to provide basic need assistance to Latinx immigrant workers in Burke, Henderson, Macon and Buncombe counties.

Learn more at www.cfwnc.org.

Tag machine donated to Animal Services

The Friends of Haywood County Animal Shelter has donated an IMarc tag machine to Haywood County Animal Services, which will engrave identification tags for collars to provide each adopted shelter animal.

Currently, Haywood County Animal Services provides each adopted animal a microchip. ID tags will provide a quick and easy way to reunite a pet with its owners, eliminating the need for the finder to transport the animal for having it scanned for a microchip.

According to FoHCAS Board Member, Teresa Smith, “Most animals ending up in the shelter do not have a collar, let alone a tag for identification. As part of the Friends’ mission to raise funds to assist in the support, maintenance, and sustainment of operations of Haywood County Animal Services, we consider helping animals to “Return

Waynesville and Canton branches are open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday through Friday; Fines Creek is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesdays and Maggie Valley is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday.

Public computers are available on a first come, first serve basis. Copying, printing, faxing, and limited public seating are available. Programs for all ages are virtual and available on the Haywood County YouTube channel, the library’s Facebook page, and at www.haywoodlibrary.org.

REACH volunteer training May 22

REACH of Haywood County (domestic violence/sexual assault/elder abuse prevention and intervention non-profit) is seeking new volunteers and will hold a Volunteer Training Day from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturday, May 22, at the REACH office, 627 N. Main Street, Waynesville.

Home” a very worthwhile endeavor.”

Haywood County Animal Ordinance Chapter 91.06 requires the owner of a dog provide a metal identification tag with name and phone number attached to a strong and serviceable color or harness. The County ordinance does not require cats to display an identification tag on collar. All cats adopted from the shelter, upon the owner request, will have a tag and breakaway collar provided For more information, visit www.hcasfriends.org.

Nonprofits partner on vaccine efforts

Dogwood Heath Trust has awarded $100,000 to The Community Foundation of Western North Carolina to be distributed through its Janirve Sudden and Urgent Needs (SUN) Grant program to support nonprofits in delivering the COVID-19 vaccine across Western North Carolina.

The SUN program awards grants of up to $10,000 to assist human service nonprofit organizations experiencing an unforeseen crisis that diminishes their ability to provide critical services. In this case, DHT and CFWNC want to remove barriers for nonprofit COVID-19 vaccine efforts in 18 western counties, including the Qualla Boundary.

Applications will be considered on a rolling basis with grants awarded within two weeks. Nonprofits can apply at https://cfwnc.org/grants/janirve-sudden-andurgent-needs-sun.

Haywood libraries now open

All Haywood County Public libraries are now open with limited hours and expanded services. For the safety of staff and the public, masks are still mandatory for those 5 years and older.

Lunch and snacks will be provided for all participants. Volunteers can offer help in several areas, including able-bodied assistance at the Within Reach Resale Store in Hazelwood, answering calls from the community (with staff backup) on the Helpline after hours and weekends (one or more 12 hour shifts per month), and assisting as a Friend of REACH on fundraising, special events and client assistance committees.

The morning training will be general information about REACH, domestic violence and sexual assault. After lunch training will be specifically for Helpline volunteers. Participants do not have to attend the afternoon session if not training for the Helpline. Volunteers should have received their COVID vaccines to attend this in person training. For further information and to register, contact Buffy Queen, REACH Community Educator, 828.456.7898, or bqreach@aol.com by May 20, as notebooks will be prepared for all participants.

Celebrate bike to school day

The month of May celebrates bike to/at school programs including bike skills clinics at local schools, community bike rodeos and comprehensive trainings for PE teachers in Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety, using the Let’s Go NC! curriculum.

While the events continue to adapt to respect the range of COVID local public health guidance and combination of hybrid and remote learning settings, this month offers organizers/teachers and community partners opportunities to find creative ways to support walking and rolling.

Click on the following link to find ideas to recognize the importance of community connection. Check out the list of resources to help all of us maintain our focus on safety and health and ways to stay active together.

https://btsdwnc.weebly.com.

The Safe Routes to School Program in Western North Carolina is housed at the Jackson County Department of Public Health and serves Jackson, Haywood, Macon, and Swain Counties.

A country coming to grips with real problems

BY MARY JANE CURRY G UEST C OLUMNIST

This a reply to a letter by David Parker that appeared in the March 31 issue. The matters discussed are continually relevant.

From whom in our local schools did you hear about the “violations of common sense,” the assaults on national respect you mention? What courses in the state university curricula are you unhappy with? What are your sources, Mr. Parker? Have you asked to visit some university classrooms?

As a retired K-12 and later a university teacher, I do agree that some teachers use their bully pulpits to try to sway students to their political/religious sides. This happens with both right-wing and left-wing teachers. However, in my experience from 1972 through 2014, they are a small minority. Nor do their attempts have much effect.

My husband is a retired college professor of mathematics education and mathematics. Nobody ever suggested in any of his classes or in his own training to teach math and math ed that math is “racist to some as it stresses getting the right answer,” as you claim. Who told you this, the late Rush Limbaugh, perhaps Tucker Carlson?

To cut funding for public education is to throw the baby out with the bath water. People educated in public universities become most of our health professionals, our accountants and bankers, businesspeople, and other professionals on which our communities depend.

You assert, “The task of passing on our civilizational inheritance has been abandoned in favor of denigrating our past and rejecting our ancestors’ accomplishments.” To the contrary, history teachers have increasingly stopped omitting or suppressing the contributions of ancestors — those who happened to be women and people of color. When I was a student in the next-to-last segregated class in my high school in Selma, Alabama, in the mid-1960s, my American history teacher insisted that the only reason the South seceded from the U.S. was “states’ rights,” not slavery. Nobody with eyes, ears, and a brain swallowed that chunk of moldy baloney. Were the accomplishments of Booker T. Washington, George

Honoring our healthcare heroes

What is a hero? Maya Angelou famously said, “I think a hero is any person really intent on making this a better place for all people.”

In my role as CEO of Haywood Regional Medical Center, I have the privilege of working with an incredible team of healthcare heroes who work tirelessly, each and every day, to make our hospital and our community a better place.

Every May, hospitals and communities across the country recognize and celebrate these frontline healthcare heroes over the course of several weeks: National Nurses Week, National Hospital Week and National Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Week. Like many other milestones we’ve experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s celebrations are especially meaningful.

I’m grateful for the more than 925 team members who serve at Haywood and the many paramedics, EMTs and EMS

Washington Carver, Tecumseh, Sequoyah, Lewis H. Latimer, Patricia Bath, George Carruthers taught in that Alabama public school? The first two got a sentence or two, but we never heard anything about the rest of them. Have your children?

As a middle-class white girl in the Deep South, I didn’t need to be taught “critical race theory.” All by myself, I figured out that my neighbors in Selma, Dallas County, Alabama, and much of the nation I was born in and loved were infected with racism against people who weren’t part of the white upper-middle to upper-class ruling class. Too often, those racists exercised the power of life and death over others.

I saw racism and sexism, too — and heard it, felt it, smelled it — and it repelled me from the first time I sensed it. My beloved grandfather told me I shouldn’t be friends with another girl I’d just met in third grade because she was a “wop” (Italian). I had no idea what the word meant, but I’ll always recall the nauseating feeling that hit me when he said it. But I still loved him; what he remembered was that Mussolini sided with Hitler in World War II. He never traveled more than 50 miles from his rural Western Kentucky farm and never met an Italian.

Like some today, he generalized the acts of leaders far away to a whole nation or ethnic group. Making false generalizations is why the brainwashed benighted are beating or shooting Asian American children, men and women, even the elderly. Would you not report this shameful American moral epidemic because it doesn’t fit your image of America?

Do we ignore the long epidemic of racist violence against Black people? As a local head of police told The Smoky Mountain News last year in an article on police violence, “Nobody hates a bad cop more than a good cop.” We in Haywood County and its towns are fortunate in having good cops. I wish they had time to teach law enforcement ethics nationwide.

My husband will always remember the sawed-off shotgun in his face, summer of 1969; it was held by a man showing a Northport, Alabama, police badge under his KKK robe. He and his comrades burst into an apartment where my husband was visiting, along with a friend from high school who hap-

personnel who play such a critical role in helping our community members get the safe, excellent care they need. They are living examples of what it means to be heroes who are focused on making our community a better place through their service to our friends and neighbors.

Guest Columnist Greg Caples

When I think of everyday heroes, I think of our environmental services team members who take pride in ensuring our patients and their families are cared for in a safe and clean environment. I think of our food service and nutrition staff who prepare healthy and comforting meals for our patients while they are away from home. I think of our admitting team members who welcome patients and visitors to our hospital with their kindness and friendly smiles. I think of our dedicat-

pened to be Black. The cop said, “You got any n_____ in here?” He said no. Fortunately, his high school friend had been upstairs and seen them coming; he hid in the bathroom closet.

I’ll always recall Janie, a cute, friendly girl my age dashing into the Wilby Theater where I was working on Bloody Sunday. With terrifying glee, she shouted “They’re beating the n___! They’re beating the n___!” It sickens me still.

Certainly, failures and outright violations of human and civil rights are taught today. Teaching where Americans failed to live up to our ideals does not cancel out the accomplishments of those who have done much good for our nation. Rather, it gives us a realistic picture of where we came from so we can draw a reliable map to a better place for the future.

The overall goals of university and college education are, or should be, to teach people to think rationally and to conduct reliable research. These aren’t the only goals, of course, but they should inform every course.

My second career was teaching college-level English. I was trained to teach at a state university. My training never pushed some of the absurd ideas Mr. Parker cites. When I taught English at a Southern Baptist university, most of my students’ views were the opposite of mine on several controversial issues. I know this because the freshman English text book was organized by hot-button issues, with readings taking both sides of each issue. For essay assignments, a student could choose either side. Essays whose views differed from mine were graded according to such criteria as supporting arguments with valid sources, making arguments that were rational, and using emotional appeal in principled ways (avoiding the logical fallacies that have been taught since Aristotle and used so effectively by some politicians and TV “commentators”). Students’ views didn’t affect their grades, nor did my opinions or theirs get mentioned in class unless they were directly relevant to the subject matter. We distinguished between personal beliefs and provable facts. They learned to use reliable sources.

When you write a letter or op-ed, what and who are your sources? Inquiring minds want to know.

(Curry lives in Haywood County. currycei@gmail.com).

ed caregivers, technicians, nurses, technologists, therapists, physicians and others who demonstrate excellence and compassion in all that they do. I also think of our EMS partners who remain calm under immense pressure, providing critical care when every minute counts.

Our local healthcare heroes are truly living out our hospital’s mission to make our community healthier. Importantly, their focus and dedication has played a critical role in helping us to make strong progress towards improving COVID-19 here in our community. While we must continue to stay diligent in doing all that we can to fight the pandemic, I know we are all encouraged by the progress we are making together.

As we celebrate this year, I hope you will join me in sharing your thanks and appreciation for the everyday heroes among us. Haywood Regional Medical Center is honored to serve this community and we are here for you and your family when you need us.

(Greg Caples is CEO of Haywood Regional Medical Center).

Our public colleges make N.C. the envy of others

There are more than 242,000 students attending the 17 institutions of the University of North Carolina System. It is one of the larger and, arguably finest, systems dedicated to public higher education, research and community uplift in the country.

More than 12,000 of those students attend Western Carolina University, a comprehensive regional institution which is part of NC Promise — the recent endeavor by the General Assembly to make college more affordable and accessible by setting per semester tuition rates of $500 for in-state and $2,500 for out-of-state students enrolled here and at UNC Pembroke and Elizabeth City State University.

in Western North Carolina. Every taxpayer dollar invested to support operations at WCU is delivering a return of $5.40 in benefits back to the state.

There are needs beyond capital improvement, however, that WCU and other UNC institutions continue to struggle with, including a salary increase for faculty and staff, that also will have a ripple effect within our community. The ability to attract and retain high quality faculty and staff is of critical importance. It strengthens the WCU mission, to be sure, and it strengthens the region with the contributions that can only come from people who call this home. We trust the General Assembly to make those investments, should revenues be available.

Success in public higher education requires public support and that includes our duly elected representatives. It is an ongoing partnership that pays dividends when all involved work for the greater good.

NC Promise is one of many commitments made by the state legislature to higher education and the UNC System. At WCU alone, there has been $33 million to fund replacement of a steam plant, the university’s nearly century old source for heating and hot water. Another $110 million, made possible through the $2 billion Connect NC bond referendum, is going to construct our new, modern Apodaca Science Building.

WCU is witnessing new residence halls and parking facilities going up, and renovations at all corners of campus. Construction and contracted work are a wellspring for the local economy, with a multiplier effect upon area businesses, from restaurants to equipment suppliers and beyond.

You don’t have to be a college student, staff or faculty member to reap the benefits provided by a public university. WCU has an annual economic impact of more than $500 million in the 10 surrounding counties

How about the Second Amendment?

To the Editor:

In a recent letter to The Smoky Mountain News a retired military man stated, “Among all the other abhorrent and antiAmerican acts Comrade Beijing Biden and his cabal are perpetrating is endeavoring to take all firearms away from law-abiding Americans.” Later in his letter he refers to “… this unprecedented act.”

This is a reminder of how little legislation has been enacted to regulate guns in the last 25 years. Readers, look this information up for yourselves. Don’t take my word for it. Don’t believe the NRA’s propaganda either. Biden is not going to “take all firearms.”

That support brought us to where we are today. As other states’ public and private universities struggle because of shifts brought by the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting recession, the UNC System is holding steady and, in some cases, seeing increased interest. WCU, for instance, had enrollment gains this past fall among undergraduates and for students seeking master’s degrees.

So, before Western Carolina University continues to press its case for a myriad of needs, it is important that we take a moment to acknowledge the longstanding support of our state legislative body for the work we do on behalf of all North Carolinians. And we offer our special appreciation for their efforts working with us in the shared responsibility of higher education, research and workforce preparation, and creating an enviable quality of life in our state.

(Brown is Chancellor of Western Carolina University.)

LETTERS

The writer focuses only on the second part of the Second Amendment and omits the first part. The entire amendment states: “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.” Contrary to what the writer states the amendment does not provide absolute gun rights. If it did, why even include the first 13 words?

To those who want to protect gun rights as provided in the Constitution this exsailor will stand with you. Will you stand with those who want a “well-regulated militia?”

Dave Waldrop Webster

SWEET HEAVEN IN MY VIEW

A conversation with Charley Crockett

BY GARRET K. WOODWARD

ARTS & E NTERTAINMENT E DITOR

Standing in a hotel room last week, Charley Crockett peered out the window onto the quiet morning streets of Amarillo, Texas.

Crockett had a show in town that evening, something he hadn’t been able to say until recently. For a singer-songwriter who’s spent most of his life rambling around America, having to remain in one place for over a year during the shutdown proved difficult, but also oddly cathartic — ultimately finding inner peace within a restless soul normally dashing off toward the horizon.

In tone and presence, Crockett is this bright, shooting star across the Texas night sky. Hailing from the deep southern tip of the “Lone Star State,” his sound illuminates the communities of honky-tonk, soul, rock and folk — squarely located at the intersection of Hank Williams, Otis Redding, Sam Cooke, and Freddy Fender.

It’s a hearty gumbo of intricate spice and

richness, something Crockett acquired during his teenage years as a street performer on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, Louisiana. To this day, Crockett remains a sponge, one eager to soak in any and all melodic vibrations and intrinsic adventures he might cross paths with.

And it was those early years in the French Quarter that parlayed itself into Crockett playing anywhere someone might listen, whether it be a New York City subway platform or Midwestern basement party, Southern Appalachian backyard barbecue or lonely dive bar stage somewhere along the ole dusty trail.

Now 37, all eyes and ears in the audience, whether on purpose or serendipitously, are on Charley Crockett — this embracing figure of familiarity and timelessness amid confusing, uncertain times.

Smoky Mountain News: I would surmise that you’re not someone who likes to sit around in the same place for a period of time.

Charley Crockett: Yeah, man. I mean, I was a hobo. I used to hitchhike for about a decade.

Want to go?

Presented by Plugged-In Productions, Americana/roots singer-songwriter sensation Charley Crockett will hit the stage at 7 p.m. Thursday, May 20, at the Hazel Robinson Amphitheatre in the Montford Historic District of Asheville.

Doors open at 6 p.m. Jesse Daniel will open the concert. Though the Crockett performance is currently sold out, other upcoming shows at the venue include Jerry Douglas Band (June 3), Chris Knight (June 17), The Travelin’ McCourys’ “Grateful Ball” w/Jon Stickley Trio (June 30), and The Del McCoury Band (Aug. 5).

For more information and/or to purchase tickets, click on www.hazelrobinsonamphitheatre.com.

I just liked to go. I guess the way I see it is, I know that we’re not here long, you know? And there’s something comforting to me about always keeping it moving.

People like Waylon Jennings, all those [legendary country singers], all just stayed on the highway until the end, until they couldn’t really go anymore. And I don’t feel like I’m getting left behind if I’m moving — I don’t want to be left behind.

I would never take a break on my own. But, being forced to stop like that [because of the pandemic], I was able to get back into traveling

just for me — driving my truck through the desert, through the mountains, just for me. And I’m trying to be more about that now, because when you look at this business and everybody [in the music industry], all the things going on, it’s a racket, man. It’s like pinball games or if you’re playing a slot machine — you might win a few times, but at the end of the day, if you keep playing, you’re eventually going to lose all your money, you know?

Where we’ve been the last year? I thought about it, and well, what I built nobody can take away from me. I want to be able to enjoy things in my life without worrying so much about maybe about getting left behind or being forgotten or something like that.

SMN: I identify with a lot of what you’re saying. That’s one of the biggest reasons I became a journalist, having this gig that is a vehicle to roaming around. I’ve always felt more at home on the road than I ever did anywhere I actually called home.

CC: Yeah, that’s just something inside a person. Some people are the opposite, some people want to be in one place. And I mean, as much as I travel constantly, I [can be a] home body. But, my [true] home is that world of traveling.

SMN: Was your original plan to be a musician or did all your traveling morph into that as your ultimate career path?

CC: I fell into it. I don’t think people become itinerant street performers necessarily, I think it’s circumstances, you know? So, I had a lot of things in my life, maybe some bad things that happened, that pushed me in that direction.

It wasn’t even that I was necessarily trying to be a professional musician. People started giving me money for playing in parks, and then I started standing on street corners because I already was traveling around.

There was just something in me, where in high school they’re trying to get you to go a certain direction. I never was able to focus on the things they were talking about in school. They wanted you to pick a category [for a life and a career]. And I didn’t feel like it. It didn’t feel like there was anything for me there.

Because of that, I started kind of squatting with people and wandering around. I had gotten in some big trouble, the kind of trouble where it closes off typical opportunities, maybe the normal path that people would take in America.

[And with that], you get into this counterculture world where something like playing on the street seems impossible to people, but, for some folks, it ends up kind of in the opposite way, ends up being the only thing you can do or that you would even consider doing.

In my twenties, I thought I could live like that, eating hand-to-mouth for all my life, you know? And in a way, I was right, ‘cause that’s all I’m doing now. There a bigger audience and I have a bigger team around me, but it is all built out of playing from a guitar case — learning how to stand behind my guitar, learning how to make money out of the case.

This must be the place

BY GARRET K. WOODWARD

Ode to ‘Lucinda,’ ode to busted front bumpers

Sitting in the waiting room of my hometown mechanic last week, I knew it wasn’t good when he called for me to come into the repair bay. The rusty, musty Toyota Tacoma pickup was up on the rack. And the look on the mechanic’s face wasn’t one of optimism.

“I can’t pass your truck for inspection this time around — the frame is cracked,” he pointed at the extremely rusted undercarriage of the vehicle. “There’s a fist-sized hole in the frame underneath the passenger’s side door. I give this truck about two months before the whole thing snaps in half and it’s totaled.” Shit. Not the news I was hoping for, especially in the midst of an economic downturn. Not to mention those college loans still lin-

gering after all these years that eat up a good portion of my paycheck from this newspaper each month. I wasn’t in the market for new truck. But, now I was forced to be.

Goodbye to “Lucinda,” the 2005 Tacoma with 193,000 miles on the odometer. Over 100,000 of those miles were put on by yours truly in three years and four months of ownership. Averaging in the neighborhood of 33,000 miles a year.

Crazy, right? Up and down the interstates, highways and backroads of America — eternally in search of the next story and adventure to put forth through the written word of this fine publication.

I named the Tacoma “Lucinda” after beloved singer-songwriter Lucinda Williams. I’ve owned several trucks over my 20 years of legal driving, to which I tend to name them after some of my most favorite female singers, to honor their music and legacies.

Many of y’all reading this column may remember good ole “Grace,” my infamous 2001 GMC Sonoma (named after Grace Potter) that initially brought me to Western North Carolina from my native Upstate New York when I accepted this newspaper position in 2012.

I had Grace from 2007 to 2017. It was my grandfather’s trusty mode of transportation before he passed away in June 2007. And I saw every corner of this country post-college in that truck, the engine ultimately blowing up in a gas station parking lot less than a mile from my Waynesville apartment. Last that I heard, Grace ended up in some junkyard on the Kentucky/Virginia state line.

So, in mad scramble to find a replacement vehicle (which is, in all sincerity, my true “office”), I came across the 2005 Tacoma that became Lucinda. I’d always wanted to own a Tacoma, something I think we truck freaks aspire to acquire at some point in our respective lives. Incredibly reliable. Functional. Great on gas. Heck, the only real maintenance one needs to actually do for a Tacoma is oil changes and new tires everyso-often.

In essence, Lucinda was a pretty basic ride. Yes, there was four-wheel drive. But, no power locks or windows. A/C never worked. No cruise control, either. No matter, though. As a minimalist who could care less about the “bells and whistles” of a vehicle, I was just happy to have a 4x4 that could go the distance on a single tank of gasoline. It wasn’t long before Lucinda and I went on haphazard adventures. Pretty much immediately, heading down to the St. Augustine, Florida, to visit my parents’ during spring break, onward through the rest of the Southeast amid that spring of 2018. I always looked forward to the first signs of spring warmth while cruising in that truck — windows cranked down, fresh air and a warm breeze swirling around the cab, stereo blasting some Grateful Dead or Radiohead melody.

Spring turned into summer, which, for me, means attending and covering music festivals. That Tacoma brought me to dozens and dozens (and dozens) of gatherings throughout the last three or so years. FloydFest (Virginia). DelFest (Maryland). Albino Skunk (South Carolina). Suwannee (Florida). RailBird (Kentucky). Bonnaroo (Tennessee). MerleFest (North Carolina).

Adirondack Independence (New York). The list goes on forever.

Countless adventures and shenanigans. From the mountains to the beach, and seemingly everywhere in-between. Chasing down story leads. Meeting deadlines and appointments. All of those first dates (and last dates) with femme fatales and ex-girlfriends. All of those trailheads and shorelines where I’d joyous disappear into the depths of Mother Nature.

And all of those moments on the tailgate. Sitting with new friends, best friends, and long-gone friends. Sitting many-a-time by myself, thinking, as per usual, about nothing and everything. Pondering the mysteries of the universe over a cold beer on a tailgate parked in some empty cornfield, dead-end road, beachside bungalow driveway, etc.

The most ambitious trek with Lucinda came last year, during the shutdown, when I headed out to Bozeman, Montana, to visit family and friends, and to, well, try to once again find myself in the grand scheme of things, in this new reality we’re still currently trying to navigate.

Montana was transformative, as are any road trips taken in haste, and in the name of irresponsible enlightenment. Bleeding, neverending Wyoming sunsets. Hearty Kansas prairie winds. Colorado blue skies that roll on forever. And the hike to Lava Lake, between Bozeman and Big Sky, where I felt as connected to cosmos as ever, only to frolic down the trail to Lucinda, to crank the engine and make my way back to Haywood County.

It was tough to finally accept that I had to junk Lucinda. For every dent and scratch on the paint, a whirlwind tale either recounted in this column or in the blurry conversations of the midnight hour. Faded festival stickers on the windshield and back bumper. A glove box filled with trinkets, a handful of Subway napkins, and unused mustard packets from some truck stop in Pennsylvania.

But alas, it is what it is. And that’s just a simple fact of life. The only constant in your existence is change itself. Onward. Put Lucinda in the rearview mirror of your journey, only to eventually track down a 2013 Tacoma a few days ago, fully equipped with power windows and locks, working A/C, Bluetooth touchscreen and backup camera — my transition into the modern age of vehicles now complete.

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

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

‘Memorial Day Mashup’ at Mad Anthony’s

The Brothers Gillespie.

Presented by Adamas Entertainment, the inaugural “Memorial Day Mashup” will be held from 3:30 to 9 p.m. Sunday, May 30, at Mad Anthony’s Taproom & Restaurant in Waynesville.

Live music is back with a vengeance in Waynesville. And it’s going to be one helluva barnburner. Three bands. Three genres. Onstage in the parking lot of Mad Anthony’s in downtown.

Performers will include: Brothers Gillespie (Americana/indie), J.J. Hipps & The Hideaway (rock/blues), and J. Rex & His High Mountain Pals (jamgrass).

Music kicks off at 4 p.m. Admission is $15 at the door (card/cash accepted). All proceeds at the door goes to paying for the bands and PA system.

A wide selection of craft beer will be flowing from the Mad Anthony’s taps. Fresh gourmet pizza and wings also available onsite from DoughBoys. Support live music. Support independent artists. Support your local scene.

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

• Boojum Brewing (Waynesville) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. Free and open to the public. 828.246.0350 or www.boojumbrewing.com.

• The Classic Wineseller (Waynesville) will host Jay Brown (guitar/vocals) 7 p.m. May 22. Reservations required. 828.452.6000 or www.classicwineseller.com.

• Elevated Mountain Distilling Company will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. Free and open to the public. www.elevatedmountain.com.

• Frog Level Brewing (Waynesville) will host TMJ May 14, Joey Fortner (Americana/indie) May 15 and The Never B’s May 21. All shows begin at 6 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. www.froglevelbrewing.com.

Americana at Mountain Layers

Jackson County Americana/folk duo Bird in Hand will perform at 6 p.m. Friday, May 14, at Mountain Layers Brewing Company in Bryson City.

The road less traveled has always been the way for husband and wife duo Bird in Hand. Bryan and Megan Thurman call the Smoky Mountains of Western North Carolina home and the region is directly reflected in their music. Bird in Hand is upbeat and new while still rooted in the traditions of American folk.

The two have played all over the Appalachian region, as well as across the country, and share an onstage chemistry that demands attention. They need to be seen live

to understand the meaning of “Appalachian Thunder Folk.”

You can find their debut EP, “Due North,” online at www.birdinhandmusic.com. The show is free and open to the public. www.mountainlayersbrewingcompany.com.

Fortner to play Frog Level

Americana/indie singer-songwriter Joey Fortner will perform at 6 p.m. Saturday, May 15, at Frog Level Brewing in Waynesville.

Formerly of Soldier’s Heart and Through the Hills, the Haywood County native is striking it out on his own with this rollicking new stage show, one of rock melodies and poignant ballads.

The show is free and open to the public. www.froglevelbrewing.com.

Cowee welcomes Mountain Heart

Acclaimed bluegrass/jam act Mountain Heart will perform on the lawn at 7 p.m. Saturday, May 15, at the Historic Cowee School in Franklin.

The band has been fearlessly revolutionizing the way acoustic music can be presented and played, its name has been synonymous with cutting-edge excellence in acoustic music circles since the group’s creation. Mountain Heart, or its individual members, have been nominated for Grammys, ACM, and CMA awards. The band has also been nominated for, and won, multiple IBMAs. Tickets are $20 for adults, $10 for children ages 6-16. Under age 6 free. Rain or shine. The Flying Cloud food truck will be onsite. Tickets available at the Franklin Chamber, www.coweeschool.org, or at the door.

• Historic Cowee School (Franklin) will host Mountain Heart (bluegrass/jam) on the lawn at 7 p.m. May 15. Tickets are $20 for adults, $10 for children ages 6-16. Under age 6 free. Rain or shine. Tickets available at the Franklin Chamber, www.coweeschool.org, or at the door.

• Lazy Hiker Brewing (Franklin) will host Andrew Thelston Band (Led Zeppelin tribute set) May 15 and Tea 4 Three May 22. All shows begin at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. www.lazyhikerbrewing.com.

• Lazy Hiker Brewing (Sylva) will host Andrew Thelston Band (Led Zeppelin tribute set) May 14 and Natti Love Joys May 21. All shows begin at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. www.lazyhikerbrewing.com.

• Macon County Public Library (Franklin) will host The Vagabonds (classic country/oldies)

2 p.m. May 17. Safety protocols will be enforced. Free and open to the public. 828.524.3600.

• Mountain Layers Brewing (Bryson City) will host Bird In Hand May 14, Shane Meade May 15, Aly Jordan May 21 and Somebody’s Child May 22. All shows begin at 6 p.m. Free and open to the public. 828.538.0115 or www.mtnlayersbeer.com.

• Nantahala Brewing (Sylva) will host Freeway Jubilee (jam/rock) May 14. All shows begin at 8 p.m. Free and open to the public. www.nantahalabrewing.com.

• Unplugged Pub (Bryson City) will host Carolina Freightshakers May 15 and Blackjack Country May 20. All shows begin at 8 p.m. Free and open to the public.

• Water’n Hole Bar & Grill (Waynesville) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. 828.456.4750 or www.facebook.com/waternhole.bar.

On the table

• “Dillsboro After Five” will take place from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m on Wednesdays in downtown Dillsboro. Start with a visit to the Jackson County Farmers Market located in the Innovation Station parking lot. Stay for dinner and shopping. www.mountainlovers.com.

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

• The “Uncorked: Wine & Rail Pairing Experience” will be held from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on select dates at the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad in Bryson City. Full service all-adult first class car. Wine pairings with a meal, and more. 800.872.4681 or www.gsmr.com.

On the street On the wall

Diamond Rio to play Canton Labor Day

The CMA, Grammy winning, and sixtime Vocal Group of the Year Diamond Rio will be headlining the 114th Canton Labor Day Festival presented by Champion Credit Union and sponsored by Ingles Markets.

The live music will start at 2 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 5, and at 11:30 a.m. Monday, Sept. 6, in Sorrells Street Park in downtown Canton.

Rounding out the bill are International Bluegrass Hall of Famer Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver, southern rocker Joe Lasher, along with performances by Ryan Perry Band, Whitewater Bluegrass, and more.

The event will also showcase artisans and farmers from Western North Carolina

with the Everything Handmade or Homegrown Vendor Market, Classic Car show, Free Splash kids’ zone, Ultimate Air Dog Show, and Food Truck Row. www.cantonlaborday.com.

Do you like strawberries?

The 21st annual Strawberry Jam festival will be held from 10 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. Saturday, May 15, at Darnell Farms in Bryson City.

The Darnell family celebrates their locally grown strawberry crop. Enjoy local music, local food, fresh fruits and vegetables, craft vendors, plow demonstrations, childrens play area, hayrides, fishing, camping, and much more.

Admission is free. Donations accepted for the upkeep and maintenance of the farm. 828.488.2376.

• “G&LW Wholesale Gem Show” will be held May 14-16 in Franklin. The trade shows are produced in many major trade centers across the United States for the convenience of wholesale buyers. For the past 43 years, G&LW’s multiple show venues have been, and continue to be, a top gem and mineral buyer destination. 601.879.8832 or www.glwshows.com.

Want to paint, sip craft beer?

The “WNC Paint Night” will return to local breweries in Haywood, Jackson and Swain counties.

With step-by-step instructions, you will paint yourself a one-of-a-kind masterpiece. This is pure fun to do while you sip on something tasty at the brewery.

Events will be held at the following locations: Mountain Layers Brewing (Bryson City) from 6 to 8 p.m. May 13, June 24, July 22, Aug. 19, Sept. 16, Oct. 14, Nov. 11 and Dec. 9; and Balsam Falls Brewing (Sylva) from 6 to 8 p.m. May 26, June 23, July 21, Aug. 18, Sept. 29, Oct. 27, Nov. 17 and Dec. 22; BearWaters Brewing (Canton) from 6 to 8 p.m. May 27, June 25, July

On the stage

MusicWorks! earns distinguished certification

MusicWorks! Studio of Performing Arts in Clyde has become the first dance studio in the region to achieve Youth Protection Advocates in Dance certification. The certification marks its commitment to keeping kids happy, healthy and safe in dance.

YPAD is the nation’s only dance certification program focusing on both safety and wellness for dance students. To earn the designation, studios must complete two training tracks.

The first track centers on dance safety and educational best practices. It focuses on background checks, CPR and First Aid, abuse awareness and prevention, injury prevention and response, and safety and emergency preparedness.

The second focuses on the wellness and development of youth dancers and covers social media, social media safety, today’s dance culture, developmentally appropriate artistry, body image, nutrition, disordered

“Faces,” an exhibit of drawings by the late Ron Hunnicutt, who passed away in February, will be held May 15 through the end of June at the Macon County Public Library in Franklin. The public is invited to an opening reception from 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday, May 15, at the library. 828.524.3600.

8, Aug. 5, Sept. 2 and 30, Nov. 12 and Dec. 23. Space is limited. Reserve your seat by texting Robin Arramae at 828.400.9560. To learn more, visit the Facebook page @paintwnc or Instagram @wnc_paint_events.

ALSO: HUNNICUTT EXHIBIT IN FRANKLIN

• “Paint-N-Pour” will be held from 7 to 9 p.m. Wednesday, May 19, at Balsam Falls Brewing in Sylva. Cost is $20 per person. All materials provided. RSVP at Balsam Falls Brewing’s Facebook page. For more information, click on www.balsamfallsbrewing.com.

• Open call for artists to sell their work in the Carriage House Gift Shop at the historic Shelton House in Waynesville. 757.894.2293.

eating, bullying, and conflict resolution. Only studios that complete both tracks are eligible for certification.

“We want to do more than just teach great dance at MusicWorks, said studio owner Lynne Meyer. “We want to help develop healthy, happy dancers with an environment that focuses on the well-being of kids. Of course, this also helps us contribute to a sustainable, safe future for dance overall.” www.performwithmusicworks.com.

ALSO:

• The comedy mystery “Clue” will hit the stage at 7 p.m. May 14-15, and 2:30 p.m. May 16 at the Swain County High School in Bryson City. Based on the iconic 1985 Paramount movie, which was inspired by the classic Hasbro board game, “Clue” is a hilarious farce-meets-murder mystery. The tale begins at a remote mansion, where six mysterious guests assemble for an unusual dinner party where murder and blackmail are on the menu. Advance tickets may be purchased online at swainhs.seatyourself.biz.

Insight into the power of listening

Have you ever engaged in a political argument where instead of listening to your opponent your mind is furiously creating counterpoints to your adversary?

Have you ever listened to someone talking, and then you wander away to think of some extraneous matter, and when you return to the conversation, you realize you have lost the thread of your friend’s point?

Have you ever pretended to listen to someone, muttering the appropriate “Hmmm” and “Yes, yes,” while all the while you’re thinking what you might prepare for supper that evening?

As for me, guilty, guilty, and guilty as charged.

I believe I am a reasonably good listener. I frequently interview people by phone, for example, and have learned to let them talk to their heart’s content rather than interrupt. One of my pet peeves about talk radio is that the hosts so frequently cut off their callers just when they are making their main points, butting in with their opinions before the callers have finished speaking. The talk show hosts may have valid arguments of their own, but they clearly aren’t listening at times to the people they’ve invited to their shows.

Yet after reading Kate Murphy’s You’re Not Listening: What You’re Missing and Why It Matters (Celadon Books, 2019, 279 pages), I realized how much more I might improve my own listening skills.

You’re Not Listening is crammed full of statistical data, academic studies, and anecdotal tales of the poor state of listening today. Many of us are great at talking, at dropping our opinions into a conversation at a moment’s notice, but not so hot on hearing, really hearing, what others have to say.

All too often we like to do the talking. The funniest example of this tendency in Murphy’s book has to do with “the late Dick Bass,” a wealthy man “known for ambitious mountain-climbing expeditions and talking about them, at length to anyone within earshot ….” Once on an airplane Bass regaled his seat companion with his tales of climbing Mount McKinley, Everest, and the Himalayas.

“As they were about to land, Bass realized he hadn’t properly introduced himself. ‘That’s OK,’ the man said, extending his hand. ‘I’m Neil Armstrong. Nice to meet you.’”

This failure to listen, or even to try to listen, is a part of our present corrosive politics. In her chapter “Listening To Opposing Views,” Murphy writes,

“In today’s world, to associate with someone who holds opposing views is seen as an almost traitorous act. A landscape

designer who leans left politically told me she would never speak to a childhood friend again after she saw on Facebook that he had attended a Trump rally. ‘He can’t take that back,’ she said. ‘There is no explanation he can give me that would make that okay.’

Likewise, a corporate pilot told me he will not fly with copilots who are supporters of far left politicians like Bernie Sanders or Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. ‘Shows they have poor judgment and lack basic analytical skills,’ he said.”

Throughout You’re Not Listening, Murphy offers numerous tips on how to improve our listening skills. Besides telling us that we must be in the moment, that we actually need to try and hear what others are saying, our responses need to be measured and on target regarding the speaker’s problem. An example: If a friend tells us he’s just lost his job and isn’t sure how his wife is going to take that news, we should avoid “Gee, that’s tough,” and ask him instead how he’s going to break that news to his spouse and family.

Silence, too, can be a part of listening. In one of my favorite scenes from this book, we meet Greg Hopf of Houston’s Gallery Furniture, a top salesman who allows for long silences in his conversations with clients and who has learned that “when you hear people’s stories, you tend to want to do right by them.”

According to Murphy, who sat in on at least one of his sales, Hopf “doesn’t interrupt, wheedle, cajole, correct, or interject.”

Instead, he listens to his clients, allows them time to ponder what they need and want, and only then steps back into the conversation.

Murphy concludes her book at the Basilica of Our Lady of San Juan Del Valle in San Juan, Texas, where thousands of people daily stream into the church. Though many come to make offerings, “the longest lines are for the confessionals ….” Priests man these six confessional booths, often for three-hour shifts. As Father Jorge Gomez tells Murphy, “When the people come here, it’s like they are going to a field hospital. They so badly need to be heard, it’s like a wound; they are in a critical state.” Later he says, “There are a lot of people who want to talk but very few who want to listen, and we are seeing people suffer from it.”

Listening, Murphy says in her “Conclusion,” “is actually the more powerful position in communication. You learn when you listen … how one responds is the measure of a good listener, and arguably, the measure of a good person.”

Enough said in this review. Maybe it’s time to listen.

(Jeff Minick reviews books and has written four of his own: two novels, Amanda Bell and Dust On Their Wings, and two works of nonfiction, Learning As I Go and Movies Make the Man minick0301@gmail.com)

avers, less is more), the licenses and the local waters, all peppered with stories and sayings gleaned from his decades in the sport — and then breaks out a rod, showing the group how to assemble, string and cast it. Point it forward to 10 o’clock, pull it back to 2 o’clock, then bring it forward to bow to the fish, he says, demonstrating under the scanty shade of a barely leafed-out maple tree. Don’t slam it forward too hard, or else the fish will peg you for a predator and hide out, remaining invisible beneath the rocks for half an hour or more.

If that happens, he says, “You might as well go back and sit on the couch.”

He demonstrates again, slowly, a bright pink fuzzball tied on the end of the line in lieu of a hook. Then he releases the students to each grab their own rods — identical black kits courtesy of Haywood Recreation that he praises as “the essence of frugality” — and disperse on the lawn to practice.

The lines stay dry as the students, nearly all retirees or visitors who have the time for a weekday morning class, spread out on the grass to perfect their cast, staying away from the water for now. White lines sail through the air, traveling forward, back and forward again to the ground, over and over and over again.

“It’s very rhythmic and relaxing,” says Jennifer Cracciolo, 39, who is taking the class together with fellow New York City resident Alan Shih, 43.

Hooked on Haywood

County’s expanded outdoor programming offers new ways to explore

BY HOLLY KAYS OUTDOORS EDITOR

“My name is Tommy Thomas. I’ve been fly fishing 30, maybe closer to 40 years now,” says the man wearing a reel of fishing line as a necklace, by way of introducing himself to the couple dozen people gathered for a morning fly fishing class May 7 at Lake Junaluska Dam. It’s easy to believe him, and not just because the fishing line necklace is accompanied by a black angler’s hat, a multi-pocketed tan long-sleeved shirt and a pair of scissors — like the reel, he wears them around his neck — presumably ready to snip through fishing line at a moment’s notice.

Rather, it’s easy to believe him because of the ease with which he strings together instruction, advice and lore for the group of novice anglers taking in the first installment

of a four-part fishing course offered through Haywood County Recreation and Parks. Thomas had met nearly everybody now straining to hear him over the roar of the dam mere minutes before launching into his lesson, but he speaks as though they’re longtime neighbors meeting up for a chat about fishing, and he does so with an earnestness that implies their discovery of the pastime’s inherent pleasure is to him the most important thing in the world.

“You’re going to find that 95 percent of the people who go fly fishing don’t realize that it’s not the fish that they seek,” he says. “It’s the solitude that they seek. Once you cross over that threshold, it’s like Santa Claus at Christmas time. Once you cross into that 5 percent, you’ll find that this is probably one of the most soothing sports that you’re ever going to want to get involved with.”

LEARNING THE CRAFT

Thomas proceeds to cover the basics of fly fishing — the equipment (as a beginner, he

She has visited Haywood County many times over the years, and they found the flyfishing class through Haywood Recreation’s website while searching for active ways to spend their stay.

At $10, they considered the two-hour class a steal, but when they signed up, they didn’t realize that $10 fee actually covered the entire four-session course. Over the next two Fridays, the class will reconvene to learn about fly tying and reading the water, and to keep working on casting. Then on Saturday, May 22, Thomas will take them to the West Fork of the Pigeon River to put their troutcatching skills to the test.

Cracciolo and Shih will be back in New York before the next class is offered, but now they’re considering returning to the area sooner than planned.

“I’m sitting here thinking, ‘Can I get back out here for the one at the West Fork?’” said Cracciolo. “I’d love to be here for all four. It’s such a great program that they’re offering.”

OUTSIDE THE BOX

This spring marks Thomas’ third season teaching fly fishing for Haywood Recreation, and the beginning of Haywood Recreation’s third year focusing on outdoor recreation programming.

“We’ve done recreation events and activities outside, but up until 2019 nothing that really played to the strengths of the natural resources in the county — the abundant streams and creeks and trout waters and hik-

Go on an adventure

For a full schedule of outdoor offerings and registration information, visit www.haywoodcountync.gov/209/recreation-parks.

ing trails,” said Assistant Director Ian Smith. The shift in direction came under duress. Back in 2019, county commissioners were seriously considering a proposal to dissolve the county’s recreation department and contract for services with the Town of Waynesville. The proposal didn’t go through, but leaders in the recreation department realized that they’d have to change the way they do business.

So, they shifted their gaze outdoors.

“I think the mission statement we have for the hiking course best sums up our entire departmental approach, which is to educate and inspire people to get outside,” said Smith. “Whether that’s about hiking or fly fishing, the main goal with a lot of our programs, especially the outdoors programs, is for people who come through them and the citizens of Haywood County to realize what all is in their backyards.”

This spring, the agenda is full.

There’s Thomas’ beginning fly fishing course this month, and then a similar course for intermediate anglers in June. Throughout the season, anglers Ray Sugg and Reid Warren will lead three-hour Saturday morning expeditions into Haywood’s pristine trout waters. Meanwhile, Kevin Burke and Howard Browers are taking on a schedule of bird watching trips that will venture to all corners of Haywood County. A roster of experienced local guides will fuel a robust schedule of hikes, usually four or five a month and offered on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays.

There’s a cost for all activities, but it’s miniscule when compared to the dozens or hundreds of dollars similar activities would command when offered through a private guide service. The county now pays 15 to 20 seasoned outdoorsmen and women as parttime staff to lead these excursions.

“Normally we just about fill up on everything that we offer,” Smith said. “We have developed wait lists for numerous hikes already this year and a lot last year. The expeditions either fill up or get close to it, so there’s been a really good response among the community.”

Meanwhile, the department has been able to keep most of the programs it had in place before launching its outdoors courses. The 2021 Senior Games season starts this week, and the department is keeping its recreational basketball program for youth 5 to 12. However, the department had to pause its adult soccer league, a “horrible, hard decision” that was necessary to free up space for outdoor recreation and adventure programming, said Smith. To help fill the void, the department will offer pickup soccer for people 16 and older every Tuesday at Allens Creek Park, starting May 25.

Man dead following Smokies car accident

A Venezuelan man who had been living in Sevier County is dead following a traffic accident May 2 in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Gian Montano Spagnolo, 25, was traveling south on the Spur when he lost control of his 2008 Nissan sedan near Caney Creek Road at approximately 3:06 a.m. He veered off the roadway and collided into multiple trees. Spagnolo was pronounced dead at the scene. He was the only occupant of the vehicle. Speed is believed to be a contributing factor to the accident.

Pigeon Forge Fire Department, Pigeon Forge Police Department, Sevier County Ambulance and the Sevier County Medical Examiner’s Office responded and assisted on scene. Spagnolo, who was living and working in Sevier County prior to the accident, was transported by the Sevier County Medical Examiner’s Office.

“Whether that’s about hiking or fly fishing, the main goal with a lot of our programs, especially the outdoors programs, is for people who come through them and the citizens of Haywood County to realize what all is in their backyards.”

— Ian Smith

ONLY THE BEGINNING

Smith is also working to continue expanding the department’s outdoor offerings. This year, Haywood Recreation bought a fleet of bikes to launch a mountain bike club for youth in eighth through 12th grades. The group is meeting three times a month, with one of those meetings held at Bent Creek Experimental Forest in Buncombe County.

“Mountain bikes can be really expensive, and it can be dangerous to just grab a road bike or something that doesn’t have the right shocks and suspension and go down a mountain biking trail,” Smith explained. So, the department bought a “small fleet” of bikes with more on the way, so that youth without access to a mountain bike can give the sport a try.

The goal of the programs goes beyond offering participants a momentary diversion from their everyday lives. Rather, they’re about presenting a lifestyle — a life-

time sport, coupled with the knowledge needed to keep it accessible for lifetimes to come.

“When I was a little boy, Richland Creek coming through Waynesville was a different color every day of the week,” said former N.C. Rep. Joe Sam Queen, casting his line on the grass below Lake Junaluska May 7. “I mean, it was the most polluted downtown stream. Now it’s a certified trout water.”

Thanks to the cumulative result of decades of work, Richland Creek is now a clear and beautiful mountain stream, appealing to the eye — and to the fish. By fostering the development of new anglers, new hikers, new birders, new bikers, Haywood Recreation also stands to foster the development of new advocates for those resources, keeping them beautiful for future generations.

“We’re only about two years into really tapping into our potential as a department,” said Smith. “I would say this is really only the beginning.”

NOC welcomes new president

Nantahala Outdoor Center has named a new company president, welcoming former Grand Canyon Resort Corporation CEO Colin McBeath to the top job.

McBeath has more than 20 years of experience in the hospitality and activity/recreation industry. A career hospitality executive, he has worked in the United States, Canada and Asia managing luxury properties, airlines, hotel chains and resorts, most recently for Grand

Canyon in Arizona. That corporation hosted 1.3 million visitors worldwide each year. McBeath managed a large rafting operation on the Colorado River, zip line courses, land-based adventures, retail department, lodging and 12 Food and beverage locations throughout resort.

“I am excited to be joining NOC, a prestigious organization that has proven to be a leader in the industry,” McBeath said. “As interest in outdoor recreation grows, I look forward to helping NOC expand and create more opportunities for our guests to connect with the outdoors.”

McBeath, who started work on April 26, follows in the footsteps for former president William Irving. Irving stepped down at the end of March to take a new job managing a staffing company in Asheville and will maintain a presence on the NOC Board of Directors.

Nantahala Outdoor Center offers a variety of outdoor adventures in multiple locations in North Carolina, Tennessee, South Carolina and Georgia including whitewater rafting, mountain biking, ropes course adventures and more.

Friends of the Smokies names new member

Friends of the Smokies appointed Steven Gigliotti as a new member to its board.

A longtime supporter of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Gigliotti has 45 years of experience helping media companies grow, serving as chief revenue officer for the Scripps Networks Interactive that included HCTV, Food Network and more.

“Steve brings energy, passion and a deep set of skills,” said Tim Chandler, executive director and CEO. “We welcome him to the board and know he’ll be a valuable asset as we work to support efforts to preserve and protect our beloved national park for generations to come.”

Gigliotti resides in Asheville and also serves as a trustee for Warren Wilson College.

Cherokee enter partnership to save the chestnut tree

In a mountaintop signing ceremony on Wednesday, April 21, The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and The American Chestnut Foundation entered into a partnership to establish a demonstration orchard for restoration of the American chestnut tree.

The chestnut blight erased mature American chestnut trees from U.S. forests, but sprouts can survive for short periods of time. File photo

cutting-edge technology, so that we can understand the genetic basis of local adaptation in American chestnut,” said TACF’s Director of Science, Jared Westbrook, Ph.D. “Ultimately the goal is to represent enough genetic diversity in the breeding program so that American chestnut restoration populations can adapt to the changing climate.”

Towering American chestnuts have been absent from North American forests for the better part of 100 years, after a blight accidentally imported from Asia killed the aboveground portions of these trees. Today, young chestnuts can still be found sprouting from the stumps of once-towering trees, but the blight overtakes them before they can mature and reproduce. TACF has been working for decades to create a hybrid chestnut tree capable of withstanding the blight and reclaiming its place on the landscape.

The effort will use local genetics and collaboration on management requirements for sustaining repopulation of the American chestnut. The partnership began through a friendship between EBCI elder Jimbo Sneed and the late father of TACF’s director emeritus Rex Mann, who grew up in the mountains of Western North Carolina.

“As we continue forward, we embrace

The Cherokee had many uses for the chestnut tree, including making cough syrup from its leaves and treating heart trouble with an infusion of year-old chestnut.

“I hope that one day in the future — 200, 500, a thousand years from now — those generations can stand next to a 6 or 8foot diameter chestnut tree in our mountains and be able to trace the story of that tree back to today,” said EBCI Secretary of Agriculture Joey Owle.

Virtual climate series coming to the mountains

A pair of upcoming series will welcome scientists and experts to speak about climate change and how it may impact Western North Carolina in the future.

Climate Conversations at the Highlands Biological Foundation

This series will be available at 6 p.m. on Thursdays via Zoom. Sessions are free, but registration is required at www.highlandsbiological.org or 828.526.2623.

n May 20: “On the edge of a shifting range: Climate change and birds of the southern Appalachian Mountains” with Dr. Richard Chandler of University of Georgia.

n May 27: “Salamanders of the Future: How climate change will impact salamanders of the southern Appalachians” with Dr. Meaghan Gade of The Ohio State University

n June 3: “Climate change and the future forests of Great Smoky Mountain National Park” with Dr. Jason Fridley of Syracuse University

MountainTrue offers climate change series

This four-part series exploring the impacts of climate change on the communities and ecology of the Southern Blue Ridge will stream on YouTube at bit.ly/3skxZnO.

n Already available: “How Local governments are responding to Climate Change” with George Santucci, the City of Boone’s Sustainability and Special Projects Director, and Andy Hill, MountainTrue High Country Regional Director and Watauga Riverkeeper.

n 11 a.m. to noon Thursday, May 20: “Climate Change in our Mountains and Strategies for Mitigation and Adaptation” with MountainTrue Ecologist Bob Gale, and MountainTrue Field Biologist Josh Kelly.

n Noon to 1 p.m. Wednesday, June 23: “Community-Powered Solar in the Fight Against Climate Change” with MountainTrue Organizer and Communications Manager Eliza Stokes.

A fourth session will be scheduled in July.

Crews help maintain a Smokies trail. NPS photo

Make Smokies trails beautiful

A series of volunteer workdays will give Smokies lovers a chance to pitch in on trail maintenance this May and June.

Workdays are scheduled for 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursdays, with sites in North Carolina on May 13, 20 and 27 and in Tennessee June 10, 17 and 24. In addition, a special opportunity will take place in North Carolina Saturday, June 5, in honor of National Trails Day.

Hike for tree ID

Volunteers must be at least 16 and able to hike up to 4 miles per day while carrying tools and be prepared to perform strenuous, manual labor. The sessions will include training on the proper use of hand tools such as shovels, rakes, loppers and hand picks. Those under 18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.

Space limited. Register with Adam Monroe at 828.497.1949.

Learn to identify native trees and woody plants during a 5-mile hike 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, May 23, in the Sunburst area of the Pisgah National Forest in Haywood County. Shannon Rabby, lead instructor for Haywood Community College’s Fish and Wildlife Management Technology Department, will lead the hike together with Haywood Waterways Association. The hike is part of HWA’s “Get to Know Your Watershed” series of outdoor activities. The group will meet at the picnic tables behind Jukebox junction in Bethel. Hikers should be prepared to hike through mud and several small streams, and bring their own food and water. Social distancing will be observed, and space is limited to 13. No pets. Free for HWA members and $5 for nonmembers.

RSVP to Christine O’Brien at christine.haywoodwaterways@gmail.com or 828.476.4667, ext. 11.

Hike Haywood

Hike hard or easy next week with the Haywood County Recreation and Parks Department.

A hard 9.2-mile hike on Wednesday, May 12, will trek the Mountains-to-Sea Trail from Waterrock Knob to Soco Gap, gaining nearly 1,000 feet in elevation along the way.

Then on Sunday, May 16, an easy 2-mile hike will offer a leisurely meander to Grassy Ridge Overlook.

Hikes are $10 apiece, paid at registration. Space is limited. Call 828.452.6789 to sign up.

Glamp in the Great Smokies

The first annual Great Smokies Eco-Adventure will be held Aug. 29-31 near Gatlinburg, a multifaceted fundraising event for Discover Life in America.

DLIA

Paddle

Lake Junaluska

Enjoy a day on Lake Junaluska 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, May 15.

Outdoor Mission Community will provide an introduction to canoeing and paddle boarding free of charge. Bring a lunch and swimming clothes — boats and lifejackets will be provided.

Sign up at www.outdoormissioncommunity.org or call Jamie Shackelford at 336.583.9932.

Play sandlot baseball

Signups are open through May 31 for sandlot baseball leagues in Cullowhee and Sylva. Participants must be between the ages of 5 and 7 by May 1. Games will be played from 6 to 7 p.m. starting the week of June 7. Participants can play Mondays at the Cullowhee Recreation Park or Wednesdays at Mark Watson Park in Sylva.

Fee is $25. www.rec.jacksonnc.org.

Temporary changes proposed for N.C. hunting rule

In an online public hearing at 6 p.m. Thursday, May 13, the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission will take public comment on a proposed temporary rule for hunting on game lands.

The rule was adopted by the Wildlife Commission in February but received objections. By law, the rule is subject to legislative review, which will not be completed before 2021-22 hunting season regulations are published Aug. 1. The temporary rule will stay in place until a permanent one can be agreed upon.

Proposed temporary amendments to Rule 15A NCAC 10D .0103 include all previously adopted changes, with the exception of the prohibition of horseback riding on William H. Silvers Game Land and the name change of Alcoa Game Land To Yadkin River Game Land.

To sign up for the public hearing, see a detailed list of proposed changes or read the entire text of the rule, visit www.ncwildlife.org/proposed-regulations.

Puzzles can be found on page 38

These are only the answers.

Spruce up Allens Creek

Help clean up Allens Creek in Waynesville 9 to 10:30 a.m. Saturday, May 15.

The group will meet at the far end of the PetSmart parking lot and pick up trash along the stream bank, parking lot and railroad. Equipment will be provided, but participants should bring a towel and wear closed-toe shoes and long pants that can get wet and dirty.

Sign up by May 17 with Christine O’Brien, 828.476.4667, ext. 11, or christine.haywoodwaterways@gmail.com.

Run in honor of Juneteenth

A race and fun walk celebrating the 153rd anniversary of the day enslaved people in Texas became Americans under the law will step off at 9 a.m. Saturday, June 19, at Mark Watson Park in Sylva.

The Juneteenth Journey to Freedom

Together 5K and 1K Fun Walk is organized by the Jackson County NAACP and will raise money for student scholarships and to bring the Harriet Tubman Journey to Freedom Sculpture to Sylva. The 5K will start at 9 a.m. and the Fun Walk at 10 a.m. In addition, a virtual bike ride will be held June 14-19. Cost is $30 for the 5K or bike ride and $20 for the 1K. Register by June 6 at www.jacksonncnaacp.org.

WNC Calendar

B USINESS & E DUCATION

• After a year suspension, the lecture series, “Where We Live: History, Nature, and Culture” will resume at 6:30 p.m. Monday, May 17 at the Cowee School Arts and Heritage Center, 51 Cowee Church Rd., with a lecture on Ramps in Southern Appalachians. The series will continue the third Monday of each month thereafter.

• The Small Business Center at Haywood Community College will offer a free Summer webinar series covering a wealth of essential topics for small business. Sessions topics include getting a loan, setting and managing goals and the world of social media. Visit SBC.Haywood.edu or call 828.627.4512 for additional information or to register today.

VOLUNTEERS & VENDORS

• REACH of Haywood County is seeking new volunteers and will hold a Volunteer Training Day from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturday, May 22, at the REACH office, 627 N. Main Street, Waynesville. For further information and to register, contact Buffy Queen, REACH Community Educator, 828.456.7898, or BQreach@aol.com by May 20, as notebooks will be prepared for all participants.

A&E

• The Classic Wineseller (Waynesville) will host Jay Brown (guitar/vocals) 7 p.m. May 22. Reservations required. 828.452.6000 or www.classicwineseller.com.

• “Paint-N-Pour” will be held from 7 to 9 p.m. Wednesday, May 19, at Balsam Falls Brewing in Sylva. Cost is $20 per person. All materials provided. RSVP at Balsam Falls Brewing’s Facebook page. For more information, click on www.balsamfallsbrewing.com.

• Frog Level Brewing (Waynesville) will host TMJ May 14, Joey Fortner (Americana/indie) May 15 and The Never B’s May 21. All shows begin at 6 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. www.froglevelbrewing.com.

• Lazy Hiker Brewing (Franklin) will host Andrew Thelston Band (Led Zeppelin tribute set) May 15 and Tea 4 Three May 22. All shows begin at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. www.lazyhikerbrewing.com.

• Lazy Hiker Brewing (Sylva) will host Andrew Thelston Band (Led Zeppelin tribute set) May 14 and Natti Love Joys May 21. All shows begin at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. www.lazyhikerbrewing.com.

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

• Nantahala Brewing (Sylva) will host Tricia Ann & The Wolfpack May 7. All shows begin at 8 p.m. Free and open to the public. www.nantahalabrewing.com.

• Mountain Layers Brewing (Bryson City) will host Bird In Hand May 14, Shane Meade May 15, Aly Jordan May 21 and Somebody’s Child May 22. All shows begin at 6 p.m. Free and open to the public. 828.538.0115 or www.mtnlayersbeer.com.

n All phone numbers area code 828 unless otherwise noted.

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

• Unplugged Pub (Bryson City) will host Carolina Freightshakers May 15 and Blackjack Country May 20. All shows begin at 8 p.m. Free and open to the public.

• Macon County Public Library (Franklin) will host The Vagabonds (classic country/oldies) 2 p.m. May 17. Safety protocols will be enforced. Free and open to the public. 828.524.3600.

• Historic Cowee School (Franklin) will host Mountain Heart (bluegrass/jam) on the lawn at 7 p.m. May 15. Tickets are $20 for adults, $10 for children ages 6-16. Under age 6 free. Rain or shine. Tickets available at the Franklin Chamber, www.coweeschool.org, or at the door.

• The Western North Carolina Button Club will host the Appalachian Button Jamboree from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, May 22, at the Waynesville Inn Golf Resort and Spa (176 County Club Dr) in Waynesville. The free event is open to the public. For more information contact Julie McMahon at 616.634.8823 or email jmcmahon8@gmail.com.

F OOD AND D RINK

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

CLASSES AND PROGRAMS

• Ice Cream Factory class will be held at Waynesville Art School from 1-3 p.m. Friday, May 21. The class is open to ages 4 through 8. Registration is required, cost is $25. For more information and to register call 828.246.9869 or visit waynesvilleartschool.com/register-online.

• An Art Class entitles "Your Very Own Secret Place" will be taught at Waynesville Art School from 1-3 p.m. Saturday, May 22. Ages 6 and up are welcome. Registration is required, cost is $25. For more information and to register call 828.246.9869 or visit waynesvilleartschool.com/register-online.

ART SHOWINGS AND GALLERIES

• The exhibit: “Celebrating the Flora of the Smoky Mountains” will run May 7-31 at the HCAC Gallery & Gifts showroom on Main Street in Waynesville. The exhibit will showcase our beautiful native wildflowers, flowering shrubs, and trees, all from local and regional artisans. Free and open to the public, for more information, click on www.haywoodarts.org.

• “G&LW Wholesale Gem Show” will be held May 1416 in Franklin. The trade shows are produced in many major trade centers across the United States for the convenience of wholesale buyers. For the past 43 years, G&LW’s multiple show venues have been, and continue to be, a top gem and mineral buyer destination. 601.879.8832 or www.glwshows.com.

• “Faces,” an exhibit of drawings by the late Ron Hunnicutt, who passed away in February, will be held May 15 through the end of June at the Macon County Public Library in Franklin. The public is invit-

ed to an opening reception from 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday, May 15, at the library. 828.524.3600.

Outdoors

• Help clean up Allens Creek in Waynesville 9 to 10:30 a.m. Saturday, May 15. Sign up by May 17 with Christine O’Brien, 828.476.4667, ext. 11, or Christine.haywoodwaterways@gmail.com.

• Appalachian Dowsers will host a Free Zoom Webinar from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday, May 15. Learn more about dowsing during this webinar from master dowser and former national president Roxanne Louise of Virginia who will be offering a talk about “Creepy Energies through Dowsing”. Visit https://appalachiandowsers.org for more information and access code.

• Haywood County Recreation and Parks Department will lead a hard, 9.2-mile hike on Wednesday, May 12, on the Mountains-to-Sea Trail from Waterrock Knob to Soco Gap, gaining nearly 1,000 feet in elevation along the way. On Sunday, May 16, the department will lead an easy 2-mile hike and offer a leisurely meander along Campbell Creek. Hikes are $10 apiece, paid at registration. Space is limited. Call 828.452.6789 to sign up.

• Outdoor Mission Community will provide an introduction to canoeing and paddle boarding free of charge at Lake Junaluska 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, May 15. Bring a lunch and swimming clothes — boats and lifejackets will be provided. Sign up at www.outdoormissioncommunity.org or call Jamie Shackelford at 336.583.9932.

• Learn to identify native trees and woody plants during a 5-mile hike 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, May 23, in the Sunburst area of the Pisgah National Forest in Haywood County. The group will meet at the picnic tables behind Jukebox junction in Bethel. Space is limited to 13. No pets. Free for HWA members and $5 for nonmembers. RSVP to Christine O’Brien at Christine.haywoodwaterways@gmail.com or 828.476.4667, ext. 11.

• Signups are open through May 31 for sandlot baseball leagues in Cullowhee and Sylva. Participants must be between the ages of 5 and 7 by May 1. Games will be played from 6 to 7 p.m. starting the week of June 7. Fee is $25. www.rec.jacksonnc.org.

• A series of Climate Conversations at the Highlands Biological Foundation will be available at 6 p.m. on Thursdays May 20 - June 3, via Zoom. Sessions are free, but registration is required at www.highlandsbiological.org or 828.526.2623.

• MountainTrue will offer a four-part climate change series exploring the impacts of climate change on the communities and ecology of the Southern Blue Ridge will stream on YouTube at bit.ly/3skxZnO. One session is already available, upcoming sessions include 11 a.m. to noon Thursday, May 20, and noon to 1 p.m. Wednesday, June 23.

• A series of volunteer workdays are scheduled for 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursdays, with sites in North Carolina on May 13, 20 and 27 and in Tennessee June 10, 17 and 24. In addition, a special opportunity will take place in North Carolina Saturday, June 5, in honor of National Trails Day. Space limited.

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

Register with Adam Monroe at 828.497.1949.

• The Juneteenth Journey to Freedom Together 5K and 1K Fun Walk will step off at 9 a.m. Saturday, June 19, at Mark Watson Park in Sylva. It is organized by the Jackson County NAACP and will raise money for student scholarships and to bring the Harriet Tubman Journey to Freedom Sculpture to Sylva. In addition, a virtual bike ride will be held June 14-19. Cost is $30 for the 5K or bike ride and $20 for the 1K. Register by June 6 at www.jacksonncnaacp.org.

• The first annual Great Smokies Eco-Adventure will be held August 29-31 near Gatlinburg, a multifaceted fundraising event for Discover Life in America. Tickets are $950 per person and all-inclusive. Proceeds support DLiA, which coordinates the All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory in the park. Buy a ticket at www.dlia.org.

• The 21st annual Strawberry Jam festival will be held from 10 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. Saturday, May 15, at Darnell Farms in Bryson City. Admission is free. Donations accepted for the upkeep and maintenance of the farm. For more information, call 828.488.2376.

• A nonprofit supporting wilderness rescue crews in Western North Carolina will hold a fundraiser next week in conjunction with Frog Level Brewery in Waynesville. From May 10-15, $1 for every 7 Clans Blonde Ale draft purchased will go toward the WNC Wilderness Safety Fund. Those who wish to learn more about the organization can stop by an information table that will be set up May 14-15. www.wncwildernesssafety.org

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

A-1 DONATE YOUR CAR Running or Not! Fast Free Pick-up, Maximum Tax Deduction. Support United Breast Cancer Fdn. Programs. Your car donation could save a life. 888-641-9690

DONATE YOUR CAR OR TRUCK To Heritage For The Blind. Free 3 Day Vacation, Tax Deductible, Free Towing, All Paperwork Taken Care Of. Call 1-855-869-7055

BANKRUPTCY RELIEF! Help stop Creditor Harassment, Collection Calls, Repossession and Legal Actions! Speak to a Professional Attorney and

Get the Help You NEED! Call NOW 844-404-0601

Auction

ONLINE ONLY AUCTION, Of Metal Shop Equipment, Tools and Accessories in Jacksonville, NC. Begins Closing 5/18 at 2:00pm. Auction Manager Anthony Bristow, ironhorseauction.com, 800-9972248 NCAL#3936

Building

Materials

BUYING POPLAR BARK SIDING Buying poplar bark siding. Call for details, ask for Sid or Hannah. 828-264-2464 hannah@hctfmw.com

Old Edwards Hospitality Group Highlands NC

NOW RECRUITING FOR: Assistant F&B Manager, Banquet Captain, Banquet Supervisor, Banquet Server, Host, Server, Busser, Bartender, Gardener’s Assistant, Cook, Pastry & Bread Cook, Dishwasher, Reservations Specialist, Front Desk Agent, Bellman, Night Auditor, Room Attendant, Houseman, 2nd Shift Laundry, Warehouse Associate, Retail Associate, Spa Attendant, Spa Concierge, Fitness Manager, Massage Therapist, Cosmetologist Contract Positions: Fitness Instructor (spin), Makeup Artist

Benefits & PTO for FULL TIME Apply online at oldedwardsinn.com/careers

Employment

COMPUTER & IT TRAINING PROGRAM! Train ONLINE to get the skills to become a Computer & Help Desk Professional now! Grants and Scholarships available for certainplicants. Call CTI for details! Call 833-990-0354. (M-F 8am-6pm ET)

THE JACKSON COUNTY DEPARTMENT Of Social Services is recruiting for a Social Worker in Child Protective Services. This position provides in-home services to families when needs

Requires limited availability after hours and on weekends on a rotating basis. The starting salary is $42,102.07, if fully qual-cations include a four year degree in a Human will be given to applicants with a Master’s or Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work and/or experience providing Social Work services. The Application for Employment is available online at: https:// www.jcdss.org or https:// www.jacksonnc.org/employment-opportunities or may be obtained at the Jackson County Human Sylva branch of the NC Works Career Center. Applications will be taken until May 24, 2021.

FTCC - Fayetteville Technical Community College is now accepting applications for the following positions: Part-time Surgical

Technology/Sterile Processing Instructor. Parttime Respiratory Therapy Clinical Instructor. Certi-

- Curriculum 10 month.

Instructor- Continuing Ed. Division, 12months. Housekeeping Shift Leader. Grounds Tech. Groundskeeper. For detailed information and to apply, please visit our employment portal at: https:// faytechcc.peopleadmin. com/Human Resources

7342 Internet: http://www. faytechcc.edu. An Equal Opportunity Employer

NOW HIRING AT MUSEUM Now seeking applicants for part time Front Line Associates at the Museum of the Cherokee Indian. Hiring both weekday and weekend positions, starting at $10/hr. Must be friendly and organized; previous retail experience a plus. Please come by the Muapplication.

OWNER OPERATORS AND DRIVERS NEEDED Dedicated, roundtrip OTR lanes with regular home time. Call CWS at 800832-7036 x 1626

AIRLINES ARE HIRINGGet FAA approved hands on Aviation training. Fi-

students - Career placement assistance. CALL Aviation Institute of Maintenance 866-441-6890.

CWS- OWNER OPERATORS CDL Class A. I year driving experience. Dedicated round trips

paid weekly paid per mile, regular home time. Call 1-800-832-7036 ext 1626.

WORK FROM ANYWHERE

You have an internet connection? 13 positions available. Start as soon as today. As simple as checking your email. Complete online training provided. Visit for details: https://bit.ly/2yewvor

MEDICAL BILLING & CODING TRAINING.

New Students Only. Call & Press 1. 100% online courses. Financial Aid Available for those who qualify. Call 833-9900354

ATTENTION ACTIVE DUTY/MILITARY Veter-

ans Begin a new career and earn your degree at CTI. Online computer & medical training available for veterans & families! To learn more call 833-9703466

THE JACKSON COUNTY DEPARTMENT

Of Social Services is recruiting for a Processing Assistant III. Duties will include reception,

receiving and providing information to the public, data entry, and other related clerical tasks. Applicants should

have excellent customer service skills, good computer skills, the ability to communicate effectively in person and by telephone, a generalcedures, and the ability to learn and apply a variety of guidelines. The starting salary is $25,847.02 depending upon experience. Applicants must have completed high school and have at least one year of clerical experience or an equivalent combination of training and experience. The Application for Employment is available online at: https://www.jcdss.org or https://www.jacksonnc. org/employment-opportunities or may be obtained at the Jackson County or the Sylva branch of the NC Works Career Center. Applications will be taken until May 14, 2021.

HOUSEKEEPING Full Time & Part Time Available: Maggie Valley cabin resort seeks an energetic and experienced housekeeper. Weekends & Holidays a Must! Valid Drivers License required. Call 828-926-1388

Homes and Gardens Real Estate- Heritage

• Carolyn Lauter - carolyn@bhgheritage.com

Beverly Hanks & Associates- beverly-hanks.com

• Billie Green - bgreen@beverly-hanks.com

• Brian K. Noland - brianknoland.com

• Anne Page - apage@beverly-hanks.com

• Jerry Powell - jpowell@beverly-hanks.com

• Catherine Proben - cproben@beverly-hanks.com

• Ellen Sither - ellensither@beverly-hanks.com

• Mike Stamey - mikestamey@beverly-hanks.com

• Karen Hollingsed- khollingsed@beverly-hanks.com

• Billy Case- billycase@beverly-hanks.com

• Laura Thomas - lthomas@beverly-hanks.com

• John Keith - jkeith@beverly-hanks.com

• Randall Rogers - rrogers@beverly-hanks.com

• Susan Hooper - shooper@beverly-hanks.com

• Hunter Wyman - hwyman@beverly-hanks.com

• Rob Roland - robroland@beverly-hanks.com

ERA Sunburst Realty - sunburstrealty.com

• Amy Spivey - amyspivey.com

• Rick Border - sunburstrealty.com

• Steve Mauldin - smauldin@sunburstrealty.com

• Randy Flanigan - 706-207-9436

Jerry Lee Mountain Realty

• Jerry Lee Hatley- jerryhatley@bellsouth.net

• Pam James - pam@pamjames.com

Keller Williams Realty - kellerwilliamswaynesville.com

• The Morris Team - www.themorristeamnc.com

• Julie Lapkoff - julielapkoff@kw.com

• Darrin Graves - dgraves@kw.com

Lakeshore Realty

• Phyllis Robinson - lakeshore@lakejunaluska.com

Mountain Dreams Realty- maggievalleyhomesales.com

Mountain Creek Real Estate

• Ron Rosendahl - 828-593-8700

McGovern Real Estate & Property Management

• Bruce McGovern - shamrock13.com

RE/MAX Executive - remax-waynesvillenc.com remax-maggievalleync.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 Willet - davidwillet1@live.com

SUPER CROSSWORD

77Stuck -- rut

ACROSS

1Muscat dweller

6Imitate Daffy Duck

10Chest muscles, informally

18Billiards

78Attain

79"Quit it!"

80Home pest

81Mexican folk musician

86WWII-era British gun

88Collins of rock and pop

90Fluorescent green Crayola color

92Period

93Slaved away

97Some Korean cars

98The Antilles, e.g.

100Tangle up

101Some shiny plastics

104Private college in the Bay State

106Chew like a rodent

36Singer Rawls

37Honcho

41Gruesome

44Louvre, e.g.

46False names

50Explorer -- de Leon

51Shakers or Quakers

52Most malicious

53Tiny fraction of a joule

54Heroine in Nintendo's Mario games

59State boldly

60Lisa of pop

62More than friendly

63Rock

66Dictator Idi

68Have control over

70Hawaii's Mauna --

71Lindsay of "Mean Girls"

72Come to

73New York City is said to be one

75"Beetle Bailey," e.g.

107Ending for acetyl

108Legendary hero of Athens

110Regatta gear

114"In case it's true ..."

116Hotel phone abbr.

117It may follow "Use by" on a label

124Of no value

128Irvine locale

129Swamp grass

130Prefix with present

131Contends

132Singer Bonnie

133Concocted

134"Auld -- Syne"

135Apropos of

136Lauder of perfume

DOWN

1Nona- minus one

2Painter Chagall

3Edible pomegranate part

4Court plea, in brief

5Desktops since 1998

6Bygone theater chain

7Like some hotel dining

8Antares, e.g.

9Tyler's successor

10Infant food

11Transgress

12Attire

13Capital of Bulgaria

14Small pellets of shot

15Not including 16Peter of "Masada"

17Len of stage and screen

23Ref's ring decision

25Krypton, e.g.

26See 24-Across

28See 27-Across

33"Speechless" airer

34Set up, for short

35Actress Susan

37Scot's cap

38Bullring shout

39Zadora of "Hairspray"

40See 37-Across

42Resembling a gorilla

43Crowns for nobles

45Spring (from)

47Fourth prime

48Suffix of languages

49Sipping aid

51Transgress

55Fab Four drummer

56Actress Hayek

57Impassive

58See 54-Across

61"Against the Wind" singer

63Gunky stuff

64Pitch-related

65United Airlines hub

67Houdini's skill

69Looker-on

74See 73-Across

75Tots' beds

76Dark Chinese tea

82Gunky

83Slanted

84Uninvited partygoer

85That fellow's

87"Thy Neighbor's Wife"

author Gay

89Solo of "Solo"

91See 90-Across

94Flew on foot

95Period

96Glistening grass stuff

99Mu -- chicken

101Blood carrier

102Give knowledge

103Lipton rival

104Respiratory woe

105One slaving away

109Laud

111Spring (from)

112U.K. mil. branch

113Grocery, e.g.

115Due, as money

11896, in old Rome

119Ache

120Nest eggs for srs.

121Doing the job

122Evening, in adspeak

123See 117-Across

125Praiseful poem

126"Raggedy" plaything

127See 124-Across

Home Goods

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Pets

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preference, limitation or discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status or national origin, or an intention to make any such preference, limitation or discrimination’. Familial status includes children under 18 living with parents or legal guardians and pregnant women. This newspaper will not knowingly accept any advertising for real estate in violation of this law. All dwellings advertised on equal opportunity basis.

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Wanted to Buy

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