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Page 3 Sylva businesses organize against N.C. 107 plans Page 8

On the Cover:

Quilts of Valor, a part of the Smoky Mountain Quilters Guild, is celebrating its 10-year anniversary of awarding comforting quilts to veterans touched by war. More than 900 quilts have been given to service members in Western North Carolina. (Page 6) Fifteen veterans were presented with Quilts of Valor on June 23 at the Franklin library. Jessi Stone photo

News

Swain receives North Shore settlement money ........................................................3

Waynesville budget could be hard to swallow ..........................................................4

Sidewalk seating an option for downtown businesses ..........................................5

Sylva businesses organize against N.C. 107 plans ..................................................8

Sentence delivered in 2015 Smokemont murder ..................................................12

Proposed vehicle tax voted down in Canton ..........................................................14 Canton’s July 5 is for the kiddies ................................................................................15

New Sylva mural complete ............................................................................................17

Maggie Valley to join Appalachian Mural Trail ..........................................................17 Health News ......................................................................................................................19

Opinion

Small-town papers help knit communities together ..............................................20

A&E A conversation with Ricky Skaggs ..............................................................................24

Outdoors

Alarka Institute leads quest for rare mountain flower ............................................34

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S UBSCRIPTIONS

Finally!

Swain County receives North Shore settlement money

BY J ESSI STONE

N EWS E DITOR

It’s a day many in Swain County didn’t think they’d ever live to see, but last Saturday county leaders were presented a check for $35.2 million for the North Shore Road settlement, ending a 70-year-old battle with the federal government.

U.S. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke along with U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis, R-NC, U.S. Rep. Mark Meadows, R-Asheville, State Sen. Jim Davis, R-Franklin, and state Reps. Kevin Corbin, R-Franklin, and Mike Clampitt, RBryson City, made the trip to Bryson City to present the check at the Swain County Heritage Museum.

“This has been a long-time coming to Swain County,” said County Commission Chairman Phil Carson. “A lot of folks in this room have worked hard on getting this plan together.”

The North Shore Road issue was still a hot button item for the community when Carson was first elected to the board in 2006. At the time, the commissioners were still trying to get the federal government to live up to its first agreement with Swain County, which was to rebuild the road that was flooded during World War II in order to build Fontana Dam.

Not rebuilding the road has led to a lot of resentment from Swain County residents as they have not been able to access their family homesteads and cemeteries that their ancestors were forced to abandon for the war effort. Many residents wanted the commissioners to hold out for the road to be rebuilt, but the cost-prohibitive and environmentally controversial project just was not going to happen.

“I personally was a road proponent, but after realizing the fact they were never going to rebuild the road, I decided the settlement was the best decision for the county,” Carson said.

Swain County and the U.S. Department of Interior finalized another agreement in 2010 that would provide $52 million cash settlement to the county to be paid out in annual installments until 2020. While the county received its first installment of $12.8 million in 2010, it didn’t see another dime of the money until last year.

The money got caught up in Washington, D.C., every year — either it wouldn’t get budgeted at all or it would get budgeted to the National Park Service but wouldn’t get released to the county.

It’s an issue every Western North Carolina congressman has worked on in the last several decades, including former

When Shuler left office, Rep. Meadows carried the torch.

“This was the last thing Heath Shuler worked on when he left office and it was the first thing I did when I was elected,” Meadows said. “We testified before Congress from different parties to support an issue that should have been done a long time ago.”

Meadows said it wasn’t until Zinke was appointed to Secretary of the Interior under the Trump Administration that the issue started to once again get traction in Washington.

Swain County commissioners had already put pressure on the federal government to pay out the settlement by the 2020 deadline by filing a lawsuit against the Department of Interior back in April 2016. The county spent about $100,000 in litiga-

tion costs only for the breach of contract lawsuit to be dismissed in May 2017, but it did seem to get the ball rolling again.

In September 2017, Swain County received a $4 million payment and in February 2018, President Trump had included the remaining settlement funds in his budget proposal. Even then, officials and residents were hesitant to believe the funds would make it into the final budget.

“What an emotional moment for us here in Swain County,” Clampitt said. “It’s been a long and arduous road to get here today.”

Clampitt choked up as he started to talk about former Swain County Commissioner David Monteith, who was an adamant proponent of getting the road rebuilt and later fought tooth and nail to get the government to pay out the settlement funds. It was Monteith’s number one priority during his 20 years in office, but he passed away in March 2017 before being able to see the con-

clusion of his hard work.

“David was a road builder believer, I know he’s smiling on us today and blessed us with this good weather,” Clampitt said. Tillis thanked everyone for their leadership in getting the issue resolved after so many years, including Shuler, the current congressmen and their staff and especially Secretary Zinke.

“Ryan (Zinke) is connected to the people across this country and he’s made a huge change in the department,” Tillis said.

Zinke assured the crowd gathered at the museum that they were being well-represented in Washington, D.C., by their congressmen and President Trump. Originally from Whitefish, Montana, he said he understood the frustration people in rural America were feeling.

“There’s a lot of anger about the government not following through,” Zinke said. “But this is our government. Government only exists if our people trust we’re going to do the right thing.”

With the North Shore Road settlement behind them, Zinke said Swain County can now focus on the future and other important goals — perhaps a new campground at the end of the infamous Road to Nowhere.

Carson reminded everyone that the settlement funds are kept in an account in the State Treasury and the county is only allowed to use the interest from the money every year. While the interest on the $12.8 million sitting in the account is about $200,000 to $300,000 a year depending on the economy, having interest collecting on the entire sum will no doubt benefit the county’s annual budget.

“This is your money Swain County — 75 percent of the voters are needed to be able to spend any of the principal,” Carson said. “But hopefully this will help future generations not have to pay higher tax rates to be able to live here.”

Waynesville budget gumbo could be hard to swallow

Add a pinch of fees and another dash of taxes, simmer over low heat

BY CORY VAILLANCOURT STAFF WRITER

Property owners, single-family homebuilders and any Waynesville residents who own a car will see their cost of living increase over the next year, under a FY 2018-19 budget passed June 26 that includes an eclectic mix of charges in the form of both tax and fee increases.

“It is a substantial increase, with the 1cent tax increase, the motor vehicle tax,” said Waynesville Mayor Gavin Brown. “We’ve increased some of the revenues in our proprietary funds by 5 percent, but I think looking down the road, we’re just trying to take care of business.”

Amidst rising costs and flat revenues, the increases balance a budget that is 7.1 percent bigger than last year’s, even though pre-recession annual revenue growth of 7 percent is long gone.

The property tax increase is the town’s second in three years and third in five years; in 2014, the town’s 40.82 cents per $100 assessed valuation went up to 43.82 cents for two years. A year later, in 2016, that climbed to 48.57 cents, largely due to the addition of eight new firefighter positions to ensure OSHA compliance. After remaining the same last year, the tax rate was again upped to 49.57 cents for the 2018-19 budget year.

The property tax increase will allow the town to add three new positions — one in the garage, one in the recreation department and one in the planning department, which in an encouraging sign has seen a “significant” increase in incoming workloads, according to Town Manager Rob Hites.

Also significantly increasing is the town’s health insurance premium, which will grow by 6 percent, or about $207,000. For perspective, 1 cent of property tax at the current rate yields about $115,000 in revenue.

An electric rate hike of 5 percent in early January will be joined by an additional 4 percent hike as of Aug. 1, to bring the fund back into balance with rate hikes by provider Santee Cooper; the enterprise fund serving 3,000 Waynesville customers had been operating at a small loss, absorbing $200,000 last year.

Water rates won’t change, but the cost of joining the system will.

CAPACITYUSEFEE

A bill that made it through the General Assembly in 2017 in response to a lawsuit from Moore County developers changed the fundamental nature of how North Carolina towns will amass the monies needed to fund costly water and sewer improvements far into the future.

Under the old policy, new customers wanting to tap in to town water and sewer

services were charged by the size of their water meters and water lines.

House Bill 436 changed that standard to the gallon and required towns to conduct a study to determine the value of the existing system capacity.

Now customers are charged more fairly according to the current value of system capacity they’ll utilize, in essence paying the town back at fair market value for their tiny fractional impacts on the system.

A McGill and Associates report established a maximum rate for the town’s $43 million system, of which the town elected to charge less than half, while also evening out billing inequities, encouraging larger-scale developments and helping save for the future.

With a ceiling of $5.23 for water and $7.23 for sewer, the town set water at $2.62 and sewer at $3.05. Those dollar figures are all measured in average gallons per day of projected system utilization by intended purpose of the parcel. Laundromats, for example, are projected to use 500 gallons of sewer capacity per machine per day, while bars use 20 gallons per seat.

Accordingly, rates vary widely between the old plan and the new plan. For starters, aldermen did away with higher rates for outof-town customers.

Although a typical three-bedroom home within town limits would have incurred $1,300 in connection fees under the old plan, that now jumps 57 percent to $2,041. However, the same three-bedroom home outside of town limits that would have been charged $2,600 is now charged that same $2,041 as a home in town.

A larger, 384-bedroom development that would have cost $135,200 under the old plan could have seen the cost skyrocket to $200,000 but for a $100,000 cap on fees also included in the new plan, which could be a

boon to both multi-unit residential and highcapacity commercial development; a 75,000 square-foot generic commercial development with almost $75,000 in connection fees under the old plan will now see savings of almost $20,000.

VEHICLEFEE

Also included in the budget is a semi-controversial $15 vehicle registration tax, which was passed separately and unanimously by town aldermen just prior to the budget, over minor public opposition.

While municipalities in North Carolina have had the option to levy such a tax since 1986, only Maggie Valley had availed itself of the opportunity to date, charging $5 per year since passing a proposal in 2015.

Statute allows municipalities to use the first $5 of the tax for any lawful purpose; the next $5 must go to the town’s public transportation system, if it has one, but from there, the everything else, up to $30, must be used for road improvements.

Waynesville doesn’t have a public transportation system, and has pledged to put the first $5 toward the police department. The rest, nearly $100,000, will go to things like pothole repair and small-scale patching projects.

Some in the public, however, weren’t willing to give the tax a green light.

“You are asking us, Mr. Hites, to spread the burden of that $15 tax to pave the streets. You have the money in your general fund. You get money from our taxes, our property taxes,” said Waynesville resident Mary Roper, who quickly shifted her ire to the Board of Aldermen.

“It is not right,” added Roper, who’d also spoke against the tax at the previous town board meeting June 12. “If you have any empathy for anybody that has to bear the $15 just for the town, because we’re not the only

ones that drive these streets — you have the trucks, you have the visitors, you have all of Haywood County — you can find another way to get that money.”

Unfortunately, dwindling revenue sources and decreased Powell Bill funding leave many small North Carolina towns with few other options for road maintenance, a fact all too clear to aldermen.

“What we are doing is planning for a way to take care of those streets, because I’ll tell you who ain’t gonna help us, and that’s the State of North Carolina,” said Brown. “They have cut and cut and cut, leaving municipalities to take care of business, and that’s fine, but at some point, we’re going to have to pay for it.”

Alderman Dr. LeRoy Roberson spoke of the tax as a bitter pill, but one that would ultimately pave the road to recovery for the town’s ailing streets.

“I’m not happy with it, and I’d like to see a way around it,” he said, “but if you’ve ever had your tired aligned it costs a lot more than $15. Replacing your tire is going to be more than that. The state has seen to it that our Powell Bill [funding] has been cut, and we just don’t receive the funding that we used to.” Research commissioned by Alderman Jon Feichter and conducted by Finance Director Eddie Caldwell shows that from FY 2007-08 through FY 2013-14, Powell Bill funding decreased by more than 20 percent to just short of $330,000. Although it has inched up since then, it’s still not close to what it had been in the past, according to Feichter.

“But we are still tasked with maintaining more miles and sidewalks than ever before,” he said. “I am all for doing more for less, but at some point ‘less’ becomes ‘not enough.’” Professed 20-something year veteran of the Waynesville Town Board Gary Caldwell said he’d seen firsthand what Feichter was talking about.

A seat on Main Street: Waynesville approves sidewalk encroachments

BY CORY VAILLANCOURT STAFF WRITER

Along-standing informal agreement between the Town of Waynesville and Main Street merchants has now been formalized, clarified and expanded to allow for limited encroachments onto public sidewalks.

“I think it’s very inviting,” said Downtown Waynesville Association Executive Director Buffy Phillips. “It’s that third place — home, work and then social. I only wish we could use it 12 months a year.”

The request was made at the behest of new restaurant Sauced, which hopes to place seating for diners and drinkers on an especially wide portion of town sidewalk in front of the business.

Laws prohibiting the consumption of alcohol on sidewalks and streets would have made that a losing proposition, as would have the town’s casual two-foot buffer it used to allow merchants to use for the display of signs and merchandise.

Phillips said she’d spoken with the DWA board and heard strong support for the proposal; the ordinance also saw strong support from the Waynesville Board of Alderman, and no public comment against it over the course of two meetings dating back to June 12.

Applications will be considered on a case-by-case basis, but must maintain a passage for pedestrians of at least 7 feet as measured 1-foot from the curb face.

With the public works director’s OK, the town manager may at his discretion issue the permit, which would be valid for one year. The town could set a nominal fee for the permits to cover the staff time involved with processing the applications, but thus far has not.

Outdoor sales of any kind would be prohibited.

Applicants must carry appropriate liability insurance that recognizes the existence of the encroachment, and must also contain the encroachment area behind moveable

Waynesville Aldermen passed the ordinance unanimously June 26. As written, the ordinance allows for businesses in Waynesville’s Town Commercial or Mixed Use zoning districts that have sidewalk widths of more than more than 10 feet to apply for an encroachment of up to 3 feet.

“I don’t like it either but I don’t see any other way out of this,” he said of the 85 miles of streets that the town monitors.

“Our entire staff has agonized over this budget,” said Alderman Julia Boyd Freeman. “Looking, and finding and cutting areas so we can fund the services and the repairs that are so needed for our community — it’s just not there anymore.”

The relative ease with which the measure passed in Waynesville lies in glaring contrast to the Town of Canton just 12 miles distant, where a similar proposal for a $30 fee — all going toward streets — was decried by more than 20 people in two separate public meetings before being voted down unanimously by Canton’s Town Board two days after the

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fencing, planters or other similar barriers.

As sidewalk survey conducted prior to the town’s adoption of the ordinance says the average sidewalk width in Waynesville is 17 feet where bulb-outs exist, and 11 feet elsewhere. Specifically, businesses like The Strand could also likely take advantage of the ordinance, as could a number of others.

Waynesville meeting (see Roadblock, page 14).

“I actually talked with young Zeb Smathers down in Canton,” Brown said. “It’s difficult to allocate the costs of maintenance of streets, and this is just one way of trying to do it equitably. I didn’t say it was perfect.”

Waynesville’s vehicle tax is estimated to raise $147,000 this year, per town records. That amount is approximately equivalent to what a 1.27-cent property tax increase would have raised for this year’s $34 million allfunds budget.

Property taxes in Waynesville remain near the low to middle range of other Haywood County municipalities, compared to Canton’s 58 cents, Clyde’s 45 cents and Maggie Valley’s 45 cents.

Take a bite... "Feed the Dialogue NC"

Ingles Markets puts a priority on supporting local farmers and vendors by purchasing produce, grocery and meat items from local and regional growers and producers. Recently I interviewed Marlowe Vaughan the Executive Director of Feed the Dialogue NC. This non-profit group seeks to help North Carolina residents understand more about farming and agriculture in the state of North Carolina by interviewing farmers and featuring those videos and stories on their website and blog as well as coordinating tours of farms for food, nutrition and culinary experts and bloggers who can carry that information to their audiences. Check out Feed the Dialogue NC's website https://feedthedialoguenc.com/about, Facebook page, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube channel to learn more about agriculture in North Carolina and get your questions answered about hot topics like antibiotics, hormones, genetic engineering, animal welfare and more.

Did you know these facts about NC agriculture?

• North Carolina's agricultural industry, including food, fiber and forestry, contributes $84 billion to the state's economy.

North Carolina produces more sweet potatoes than any other state.

• In 2017 the top 5 crops in NC in terms of value in production dollars were: tobacco, soybeans, corn, sweet potatoes and cotton - North Carolina is the #2 producing state for Christmas trees, hogs and turkeys Some of the other key agricultural crops in NC are: winter wheat, melons, pumpkins, and tomatoes.

Sources:

2017 State Agricultural Overview: https://www.nass.usda.gov/Quick_Stats/Ag_Overview/ stateOverview.php?state=NORTH%20CAROLINA

State Agricultural Overview: http://www.ncagr.gov/stats/general/overview.htm

Quilters celebrate 10 years of honoring veterans

BY J ESSI STONE

EWS E DITOR

Carlie Nichols has vivid memories of growing up during the Vietnam War — specifically she remembers how poorly Vietnam veterans were treated when they returned home from combat.

“My father was in the military for 23 years and I vividly remember the way our veterans were treated when they came back from Vietnam,” she said. “I was in college and I remember saying to myself, ‘God forbid something like Vietnam ever happens again — I will not do nothing.’ Back then, there really wasn’t an avenue to do something that I felt would be positive.”

Nichols had the same feeling of helplessness after 9/11, but this time she found something meaningful to do for the troops. After reading an article in Love of Quilting magazine about a woman who started making quilts for soldiers while her son was deployed, Nichols said, “I can do that.”

She made her first Quilt of Valor in 2006 and sent it to the Blanchfield Army Hospital at Ft. Campbell, Kentucky, and in 2008, she formed her own Quilts of Valor group through the Smoky Mountain Quilters Guild.

Ten years later, the Quilts of Valor bee is still going strong and has made 900 quilts for veterans touched by war in Western North Carolina.

QUILTINGWITHPURPOSE

What better way to provide some peace and comfort to war veterans than by wrapping them up with love and honor? That’s the mission of Quilts of Valor: “To cover our service members and veterans touched by war with comforting feeling quilts of valor.”

The nonprofit is not a partisan organization. Nichols said the group “is about people, not politics.” Whether a quilt is being presented to a Vietnam veteran or a veteran who has recently returned from Iraq or Afghanistan, the Quilts of Valor members want them to know their service and sacrifice are respected.

Most recently the quilting bee held an event at the Franklin Library to present 15 veterans with Quilts of Valor. Maybe a quilt wouldn’t mean much to some people, but the pride and appreciation emanating from the veterans’ faces made it clear it meant something to them.

“I think for some it’s the first time they’ve been recognized, especially our Vietnam veterans,” Nichols said.

They ran their hands over the stitching and admired the patriotic colors on their original piece of art and comfort. One veteran spotted the only hand stitched quilt out of the bunch and automatically reached to claim it. A father and daughter who both served in the military hugged each other and posed for pictures while wrapped up in their quilts.

While most of the quilts were patriotic red, white and blue or Americana colors maroon, ivory and navy, Hallie Davison, a sergeant in the U.S. Army Women’s Reserve,

chose a more non-traditional Quilt of Valor named “Nature Walk” that had a variety of wildlife blocks.

Roger Lowery, a U.S. Army veteran and a Purple Heart recipient, couldn’t take his eyes off his quilt after the presentation. He was one of five VFW members nominated by fellow VFW member Max Hooper.

“I really love it,” Lowery said. “It’s one of the greatest things that’s happened to me in a long while.”

Part of the presentation includes the “wrap and hug” tradition in which the quilters wrap the quilts around each of the veterans and give them a big hug. It’s a simple but

powerful moment. Nichols can’t recall how the wrap and hug tradition got started, but she said it just always seemed like the right thing to do if the veteran was welcoming of it — and they usually are.

“I’ll try to say this without sounding too weird,” Nichols began, “but we believe there’s power in quilts. We know this because we’ve heard stories of veterans having their first full night of sleep with a quilt of valor over them.”

Veterans awarded with a Quilt of Valor are told the quilts are not to hang on a wall — they are designed to be used. What is it about a quilt that brings so much comfort and joy to these veterans?

“I think it’s the fact it’s made especially for them by someone — it’s not mass produced,” Nichols said. “Even if it was made on a sewing machine, there’s still handwork in all the quilts we make and each label and letter we give is handwritten.”

Each Quilt of Valor also comes with a lifetime guarantee. If a veteran’s quilt gets lost or damaged, the quilting bee will replace it with a brand new quilt.

Nichols didn’t know how many members of the quilting guild would want to be part of

the Quilts for Valor bee at first. She figured it would be a handful of women and they could quilt around her dining room table at home. However, more than a dozen people showed up for the first meeting.

“We started out slowly using our own fabrics. Originally the president of the guild mentioned setting a goal of 100 quilts a year and I thought she was crazy,” Nichols said. “The guild provided some funding for us at first and now we’re self sufficient and we are doing about 100 quilts a year — and most of them have stayed in Western North Carolina.”

In the beginning, Nichols had no idea just how many veterans were located in WNC or how many would be eligible for a Quilt of Valor. But as the quilters developed a working relation with many of the veteran groups in the area — including the VFW and American Legion — they discovered there’s no shortage of worthy servicemen and women in the area.

Friends and family and fellow veterans nominate veterans to receive a Quilt of Valor and the quilting bee starts working away until they have enough quilts made for a presentation. Nichols said she also tries to keep a few quilts on hand for when special requests come through with a quick turnaround.

“We try to keep a few quilts in reserve for special occasions — we can’t just whip them up overnight,” she said.

The quilting process is much faster nowadays with more technology and tools at their disposal. Nichols said she remembers when using a sewing machine to quilt was considered cheating, but that’s not the case anymore.

“Quilting has been a tradition in the mountains for many years. In the ‘70s there was a great quilt revival — when that happened sewing machines had become computerized and highly technical and it became an acceptable thing to use instead of doing it by hand,” she said. “The hand quilting is becoming a lost art now, but we have a few members who still do it that way but it takes so much longer.”

BUSYBEES

The Quilts of Valor members operate like a well-oiled machine. When they meet at the Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church in Sylva, they come to work. Some are sewing blocks on their sewing machines. A few ladies are binding the quilt tops to the batting and others are making the handmade labels for the quilts or writing the handwritten letters that accompany each quilt.

All the members shout with excitement when they see their “star quilter” Lisa Towe walk through the door toting a large heavy bag of quilt tops.

Janet Steinke of Maggie Valley, who’s been a member for a year, pulls out each top one by one admiring the different patterns and designs Towe has come up with in the last few months. Just since March, she’s sewn nine quilt tops to be completed by the group.

“You can see how many quilts go out of here — this is such a robust group, which is why I joined,” Steinke said.

Every member works at his or her own pace. Nichols, who uses an industrial sewing machine at home, can finish a quilt in a week

Lend a hand

Fabric runs about $13 a yard and it takes about 9 yards to make a quilt plus the cost of tools and thread, which means a $120 donation could fund one quilt.

To learn more about the Smoky Mountain Quilters Guild or to make a donation to Quilts of Valor, visit www.smokymtnquilters.orgor mail a donation to Smoky Mountain Quilters Guild, P.O. Box 1381, Franklin, N.C., 28744.

if she pushes it.

Linda Kocur, a member since 2013, still prefers to hand stitch the tops to the back binding, which can take 8 to 10 hours to complete.

“The talent in this guild is incredible,” she said.

Today, the bee has more than 40 members and usually about 15 show up to any given meeting. Members come from Franklin, Sylva, Waynesville and Maggie Valley to be part of the effort.

Susan Skuda of Waynesville is a secondgeneration Quilts of Valor member. Her mother Rosalie Nieznalski was a former president of the guild in the 1990s and helped the group get its official nonprofit status.

“I joined to boost membership numbers, but the more I had to be up here to take care of my mom, the more I came to visit here and hang out at the quilting meetings,” she said.

Now her mother is in a nursing home facility in Florida and Skuda is still a member of the Quilts of Valor bee. She still uses the sewing materials her mother handed down to her and does everything from binding others members’ blocks and sewing on the labels.

“This is something near and dear to my heart. We have a history of veterans in my family, my brother and nieces serve in the Air Force,” she said.

Skuda sewed fleece blankets one year for her niece’s unit overseas. She washed them and dried them with dryer sheets before mailing them to the six women.

“When they opened them, they said they smelled like home,” Skuda said.

All the members have seen the impact their work has on veterans and each has a personal story that motivates them to continue their mission.

Robbie Roberson has been a member since the guild formed Quilts of Valor 10 years ago and was the only male among the group of women meeting in Sylva last week. He used to be a woodworker, making furniture out of large pieces of oak, but a heart attack and some other health problems left him unable to lift more than 30 pounds. So he decided to pick up a family tradition and started quilting.

“My mother and my grandmother were quilters — I still have their quilts and some of the patterns from my mom,” Roberson said. “I have 12 grandchildren and three great grandchildren so I’ve probably made over 50 quilts for all of them through the years.”

Roberson also has family serving in the military and served himself, though he said he doesn’t qualify for a Quilt of Valor since he

Quilts of Valor members show off a new quilt top that will likely be presented to a veteran in Cherokee later this year. Every quilt includes a handmade label with the veteran’s name, military branch and dates of service. Jessi Stone photos

“The fact we can honor these veterans who have sacrificed so we can be free — so we can continue to be free — that’s a powerful thing.”

— Linda Kocur

wasn’t touched by war during his time in the military.

“I come from a long line of military in my family. I’m even named after a veteran who didn’t make it back home,” he said. “Right now I’m making a quilt for a Marine who married my granddaughter and is deployed.”

Kocur has been sewing and making her own clothes since her mother showed her how to use a sewing machine. Her father was a Marine during World War II and many of her friends served in Vietnam.

“The fact we can honor these veterans who have sacrificed so we can be free — so we can continue to be free — that’s a powerful thing,” she said.

Kocur enjoys doing the labels stitched to each quilt and writing the letters to the veterans who receive them.

“My husband always asks why we don’t just type up the letters but it’s just not the same — it means more to take the time to hand write it,” she said.

Pam Pittman of Sylva just recently attended her first Quilts of Valor meeting now that she’s retired and has more time to devote to the hobby. She comes from a family of quilters who taught her to quilt by hand.

“I learned in the ‘70s before the conveniences we have now. Over the years my technique has developed,” she said. “I’ve had many hobbies but I just love fabrics — it takes some creative skill here and I like the detail it takes to make a quilt.”

Being part of the Quilts of Valor group is about more than just a hobby for Pittman. She’s the wife of a Vietnam veteran and her father and father-in-law also served in the military.

“Knowing these guys and spending time with them you see how much they gave — so we should do all we can to honor them,” she said.

Sylva business community organizes against N.C. 107 plans

Smart Roads Alliance hopes to develop alternative, less invasive road proposal

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFFWRITER

Dismay over preliminary road construction plans that would force 54 Sylva businesses to relocate has sparked a revival of the Jackson County Smart Roads Alliance, the group that in the early 2000s fought off N.C. Department of Transportation plans to build a new highway — dubbed the Southern Loop — connecting Cullowhee to U.S. 74.

“We’ve done it before and we can do it again, so if you want to be part of this process and preserve your community and redesign it in such a way that we can build a good, smart road, now’s the time to join up,” Sylva attorney Jay Coward told a group of about 50 Sylva residents and business owners gathered at the Jackson County Public Library June 26.

It’s no secret that Sylva has a traffic problem, particularly along the five-lane road that runs from U.S. 74 down U.S. 23 to the RiteAid and then left along N.C. 107 to Western Carolina University. Town and transportation officials have been trying to crack that nut for decades, and now the DOT is expect-

Get involved

MountainTrue is serving as the treasurer for the Jackson County Smart Roads Alliance, with funds raised to cover fees for professionals needed to help with the planning effort, along with other miscellaneous costs. Guidance from MountainTrue’s Design Center is free.

Donate online at www.mountaintrue.org/joinand specify that the donation is for the Smart Roads Alliance. For more information or to join the Smart Roads Alliance, contact Jay Coward at jkcoward@chspa.com.

plans stand now, all of the businesses, homes and nonprofits on the list would be “impacted to the point they’re no longer viable to conduct the business that’s being conducted there today,” said DOT division engineer Brian Burch, though it’s possible some type of commercial use could continue on some of the parcels.

“It’s a matter of how much of an internal organ you can remove from your body before your body dies, and that’s what is going to happen to some of these businesses,” Coward said. “They’ll be so hurt by it they won’t be able to survive.”

However, he told the group, there might be another way, and Asheville-based nonprofit MountainTrue could help find it.

“My experience with DOT is that sometimes they don’t come up with the most creative solutions to things,” said Julie Mayfield, co-director of MountainTrue.

ing to actually start construction on the answer in 2020.

The only problem? According to preliminary plans completed this spring, construction would force 54 businesses, one nonprofit and five residences to relocate. That equates to roughly one-sixth of the total number of businesses registered in Sylva.

“We don’t understand any of this concept because you’ve still got the same amount of lanes, and nobody rides bikes,” said Deanie Edwards, who owns Ted’s Laundromat and attended the June 26 Smart Roads Alliance kickoff meeting. “They’re going to make a bike path and take our parking, take our livelihoods, knock some buildings down — we don’t get it.”

IMAGININGABETTERPLAN

Others in the room certainly shared Edwards’ sentiment, but the purpose of the meeting was not to vent anger and frustration at DOT. The meeting was instead an opportunity to learn more about DOT’s current proposal, how that might affect local businesses, and what the community could do to change the project’s trajectory.

“This is not the final plan,” said Coward. “That’s good news, because this means we have input at this time and we can actually have a say-so about what’s happening, but I want you to understand that right now their

According to preliminary plans completed this spring, construction would force 54 businesses,one nonprofit and five residences to relocate. That equates to roughly one-sixth of the total number of businesses registered in Sylva.

proposal, if we don’t say anything at all, is going to go in like it is on this piece of paper.”

According to Coward, that would prove detrimental to Sylva. In addition to bulldozing existing businesses to realign portions of the road and build new features like bike lanes and wider sidewalks, new curbs and retaining walls would have significant implications even for businesses whose structures would not be directly affected. By Coward’s calculations, 22 of the 54 businesses on the list for relocation would be completely demolished, with the remaining businesses seeing impacts ranging from a decrease in parking to partial loss of a structure. As the

By engaging with engineers who have experience in this kind of creative road planning, including Chris Joyell, director of MountainTrue’s Asheville Design Center, the group could come up with a better plan than the one DOT currently has on the table, Mayfield said.

The placement of bike lanes is a good example, she said. Bike lanes are required due to the state’s Complete Streets policy, adopted in 2009, but adding them will mean widening the roadway and have a considerable impact on the right-of-way needed for the project. What if bike lanes and sidewalks ran behind the businesses rather than in front of them? Such an arrangement would keep the roadway narrower, lessening the impact on existing businesses, and result in a more enjoyable place for cyclists to ride.

“I can’t guarantee you that’s the solution we could come up with, but that’s what we want to try,” Joyell told the group.

The tone of Coward’s, Mayfield’s and Joyell’s presentations was calm and informational, but they found it difficult at times to prevent the meeting from turning into an allout venting session against the DOT.

“So build bike lanes on the field of dreams premise? Build it and maybe they’ll ride?” asked Charlie Schmidt, general manager at Speedy’s Pizza. “Ruin people’s livelihoods so somebody can ride bikes?”

Speedy’s Pizza sits along West Main Street — the most visible traffic problem is

on East Main Street — and he’s been advocating for that section of road to be left off the project docket, launching a petition to that effect that now has about 1,000 signatures. Speedy’s has operated out of its current location for more than 30 years but would be slated for relocation according to the current plans.

“You’re talking about the problem is the traffic,” said Dominique Olivarez, who owns AlienFix Phone Repair. “I’m from a bigger city. Coming from Florida, I know what traffic is. The traffic here is two minutes and that’s it. It’s a joke for you guys to kill our business. I think you don’t care about us.”

“We’re not DOT. We’re on your side,” Mayfield was quick to respond.

She then offered some options for the road ahead. While it’s probably not possible to kill the project — after decades of talk, it’s been funded, with most everybody agreeing that something has to be done to make N.C. 107 safer — Mayfield was heavy on hope that the final product could end up being much more friendly to Sylva’s business community.

“So this does happen across the country, where big, five-lane, almost expressway-like roads like this get turned into beautiful places and actually become better for business,” said Mayfield. “I know it is so hard to imagine. But it does happen.”

A PROJECTWITHHISTORY

The current DOT plans show a project that would drastically affect a large proportion of Sylva businesses and make it harder for customers to stop by local establishments due to controlled access — there would no longer be a driveway at every business, with turns permitted only at specified locations.

But the plans are far from being hastilydrawn sketches sent off with no thought of the implications. And at 25 percent complete, they’re also far from final.

“There’s a lot of history in the project as far as how we’ve gotten to this point in the plan,” said Sylva Town Manager Paige Dowling. “Roundabouts have been explored, more intersections have been explored, a bypass has been discussed, but ultimately this is the road that we have and we know that it’s not safe and doesn’t meet the current traffic volume.”

Talk about what to do with N.C. 107 has been going on since the 1990s. Originally, the road was built as a connector between Sylva and Cullowhee — a wide, open road with few, if any, driveways. Over time, the area became more developed, businesses located along the corridor, Western Carolina University began to grow, and a traffic issue was born.

Originally, the DOT’s concept was to build the Southern Loop, a bypass that would connect Cullowhee to U.S. 74 without funneling traffic all the way up to Sylva. In 2002 the Smart Roads Alliance formed in response to that plan, decrying the astronomical expense, environmental damage and harm to Sylva’s downtown economy they expected the project would cause. Eventually, the group won. DOT axed its plans for a bypass and instead aimed to improve the existing roads — namely, N.C. 107.

Speedy’s Pizza and the Valero Gas Station & Convenience Store (above) are both on the N.C. Department of Transportation’s preliminary list of businesses that could be displaced. Community members and business owners (below) look through print-outs of draft DOT plans at the June 26 meeting. Holly Kays photo

The problem is that N.C. 107 serves as the main commercial corridor for Sylva, and due to topographical constraints, most businesses are built right up along the road. The goal may be to improve the road without hurting existing businesses, but logistically there’s just not much space to work with.

“There’s very little opportunity for us to deliver this project and not have significant impacts, and while we can try to address the amount of impacts, it’s very difficult just due to the way those commercial properties are developed. They come right up to the existing roadway now, to the back of the curb in many cases,” Burch said.

“We know it’s going to be painful and

there are going to be impacts,” Dowling added. “We’d like to have those impacts be as few as possible, but we realize the road needs improvements.”

In 2017 alone, Dowling said, there were 220 accidents on U.S. 23 and N.C. 107 in the proposed project area.

Nevertheless, Coward believes there are many opportunities to tweak the plans and avoid unnecessary property condemnations. He pointed out a U-turn turnout that will require condemnation of a business when there’s vacant lot just next door, a bridge relocation that will require realigning the road and mowing through several businesses, and other instances where he believes small

changes could have big payoffs for locals.

“We’re very much willing to sit down and discuss their concerns and how they feel like we can make adjustments,” said Burch.

However, he said, it’s important to note that the plans are only 25 percent complete and could change substantially once Duke Energy provides its utility plans for the corridor. Those aren’t expected until December.

“It’s really premature to start trying to adjust the plans until we have all the information we need,” said Burch.

Burch added that the DOT considers the town of Sylva and the Southwestern Rural Planning Organization as its partners in the project. Those entities will have to be on board with any proposed changes. The Sylva town board has not yet discussed the proposal or the resurrection of the Smart Roads Alliance as a group.

And there’s another wrinkle, too. When it comes to dollars and cents, not all road projects are created equal. If, for instance, Mayfield’s suggestion of running sidewalks and bike lanes behind the businesses proved possible, the next question would be how much it would cost compared to the proposal currently under consideration.

“Once you get outside of the scope of what’s being discussed and planned and the project that was identified, we start having to limit our capacities to fund and partner on those types of improvements, but we’re willing to talk about them, and I think it’s worthwhile to talk about them,” Burch said.

One thing is certain, though: improvements are coming to N.C. 107.

“DOT is committed to delivering the project,” Burch said.

Haywood school board

BY CORY VAILLANCOURT STAFF WRITER

Several key staff positions within Haywood County’s high-performing public school system have been filled by some familiar faces, and there may be more to come.

Todd Tratham, former transportation director and technology director at Tuscola High School, will become principal there, replacing Travis Collins, who departed for Buncombe County. Alex Masciarelli was one of three assistant principals at Tuscola, but will become the principal at Junaluska Elementary School, replacing Sherri Arrington, who retired in March.

Trantham and Masciarelli are the only two staff transfers approved thus far, according to Brooke King, administrative assistant to the superintendent and the board.

Haywood Schools special called board meeting

The Haywood County Schools Board of Education will hold a special called meeting this week, where it’s widely expected that the board will name a permanent replacement for former Superintendent Dr. Anne Garrett, who retired this past spring.

• Date: Tuesday, July 3

• Time: closed session 5:30 p.m., called meeting at 6 p.m.

• Location: Haywood County Education Center, 216 Charles St, Clyde

That could change as soon as July 2, when the board will hold a called meeting in advance of its next regular meeting July 16. The only items on the agenda are a closed session at 5:30 p.m. and a public session at 6 p.m. However, Board Chair Chuck Francis said that the board planned to name a permanent superintendent at that time.

Assistant Superintendent Dr. Bill Nolte has served as interim superintendent since the departure of Dr. Anne Garrett earlier this year, and is considered to be a leading candidate for the job. Francis said that the board had last week interviewed four candidates, three of whom were from outside the county.

Sentence delivered in 2015 Smokemont murder

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFFWRITER

ACherokee resident will spend four years in federal prison for his involvement in the 2015 stabbing death of 25-year-old Tyler Gaddis, of Whittier.

Johnathan Hill pled guilty to one count of accessory after the fact to second-degree murder, with U.S. District Court Judge Martin Reidinger delivering the sentence on June 15. Upon his release, Johnathan Hill will have two years of supervised probation. According to court documents, Johnathan Hill was not the one who stabbed Gaddis — that was Forrest Dakota Hill, 22 at the time of the crime, and also a Cherokee resident. Dakota Hill pled guilty to seconddegree murder in 2016, and on Aug. 16, 2016, was sentenced to 200 months, nearly 17 years, in prison. Dakota Hill will have five years of supervised probation upon his release.

Gaddis was killed in the early morning hours of Sunday, March 29, 2015, in the Lufty Baptist Church within the Great Smoky Mountain National Park, also known as Smokemont Baptist Church.

Smokemont Baptist Church is located about 3 miles from the Oconaluftee Visitor Center. Built in 1912, the church remained in active use until becoming part of the national park in 1935 and has been restored since. It’s typically left open for visitors to enjoy.

Gaddis had nine stab wounds to the chest, back and neck, with another seven to eight wounds on his right wrist and hand, likely incurred while trying to defend himself.

Authorities were alerted to the crime when a caller who identified himself as Raven York — authorities would later find out the caller was actually Johnathan Hill — called the Cherokee Indian Police Department through 911 that same day. Cherokee police and EMS responded to the scene and found Gaddis dead. Because the church is inside the park, Cherokee notified the National Park Service, which then turned the investigation over to the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

According to a complaint against Dakota Hill filed June 19, 2015 — which alleged first-degree murder, not second-degree as he eventually pled to — Dakota Hill set out to kill Gaddis because he was angry that Gaddis had given a woman Dakota Hill was seeing the low-down on lies he had told her.

The woman Dakota Hill had been seeing told investigators she had met him on a dating site under the name “Andrew,” about two weeks before the murder. Over the course of the brief relationship, Dakota Hill asked her to borrow money after learning she’d recently been paid and told her that Tabitha Renee Brown-Ledford — who the complaint identifies as Dakota Hill’s “wife/girlfriend’ — was actually his sister. Gaddis then told the woman that Dakota Hill was lying about his name, that he was in a relationship with BrownLedford, that Brown-Ledford was

Pre-Owned Inventory

carrying his unborn child and that Dakota Hill intended to rob her of her recently received pay.

After that, the woman tried to distance herself from Dakota Hill, but he “hounded her,” according to the criminal complaint, and hours before Gaddis was found dead she met with Dakota Hill and Johnathan Hill, confronting Dakota Hill with the information that Gaddis had provided.

The conversation left Dakota Hill angry. According to the complaint, he told BrownLedford that he was going to assault Gaddis, and told Johnathan Hill, “I’m really heated about this,” and “He is going to get his.”

According to the complaint, Gaddis, who was homeless, sometimes stayed in the Cherokee hotel rooms where Johnathan Hill, Dakota Hill and Brown-Ledford lived. That night, Johnathan Hill and Dakota Hill picked up Gaddis, with Dakota Hill saying he “wanted to go on an adventure.”

Johnathan Hill told law enforcement that the three drove up to the church, and once inside Dakota Hill grabbed Gaddis and repeatedly stabbed him with a knife in the doorway under the church bell tower, calling to Johnathan Hill to help.

According to Johnathan Hill’s statements to law enforcement contained in the complaint, Dakota Hill then picked up Gaddis’ body and slammed it down to make sure he was dead. The blade remained inside Gaddis’ body, but Dakota Hill threw the handle out the window as they drove back to town. Johnathan Hill called 911 from Gaddis’ phone, and Dakota Hill took

the phone, broke it and threw it out the window. The two then burned the clothes they’d worn during the murder and switched hotels. Johnathan Hill flattened the tires of the car and left to contact law enforcement.

Statements from an unnamed witness in the complaint indicate that Johnathan Hill was more complicit in the murder than implied in his initial statements to law enforcement.

“Dakota Hill told Witness 1 that he and Johnathan Hill took Gaddis to the Smokemont Church with the intention of killing him,” the complaint reads.

“Johnathan Hill lost his nerve at the church, Dakota Hill began stabbing Gaddis and could not stop, stabbing him repeatedly to the point that he lost track of how many times he stabbed Gaddis. Johnathan Hill cried at the scene because Gaddis was begging him to help him while he was being stabbed.”

According to court documents, Gaddis had nine stab wounds to the chest, back and neck, with another seven to eight wounds on his right wrist and hand, likely incurred while trying to defend himself.

Witness 1 told law enforcement that Dakota Hill and Johnathan Hill worked together to pick up Gaddis’ body and slam it down to ensure he was dead. After the murder, Witness 1 said, Brown-Ledford admitted that she knew the two men would assault Gaddis and helped them bleach away the blood from the vehicle. No charges were filed against Brown-Ledford.

Candidates file for judicial races

In addition to several referenda as well as federal, state and local legislative candidates that will appear on Haywood County’s General Election ballots this November, a number of other candidates will also seek to gain or retain elected positions within the state’s judiciary.

District Attorney Ashley Welch and District Court judges Donna Forga and Roy Wijewickrama will all run unopposed, but other 15 candidates will compete for six separate seats, among them four incumbents. In those races, Democrats have the chance to flip three seats while defending one, whereas Republicans will defend three seats and have a chance to pick up only one. Two seats are open due to incumbents choosing not to run for re-election. Election Day this year is Tuesday, Nov. 6.

n District Attorney District 30

(i) Ashley H. Welch, R-Franklin

n N.C. Supreme Court Associate Justice seat 1

Anita Earls, D-Durham

(i) Barbara Jackson, R-Raleigh

Chris Anglin, R-Raleigh

n N.C. Court of Appeals Judge seat 1

(i) John S. Arrowood, D-Charlotte

Andrew Heath, R-Raleigh

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n N.C. Court of Appeals Judge seat 2 (Ann Calabria, R-Morrisville)

Jefferson Griffin, R-Raleigh

Toby Hampson, D-Raleigh

Sandra Alice Ray, R-Wilmington

n N.C. Court of Appeals Judge seat 3

(Rick Elmore, R-Greensboro)

Allegra Katherine Collins, D-Raleigh

Chuck Kitchen, R-Swansboro

Michael Monaco, Sr., L-Apex

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(i) Brad Letts, D-Hazelwood

Mark Melrose, D-Waynesville

n N.C. District Court Judge District 30 seat 1

(i) Donna Forga, R-Lake Junaluska

n N.C. District Court Judge District 30 seat 2

(i) Kristina Earwood, R-Waynesville

Leo Phillips, R-Murphy

n N.C. District Court Judge District 30 seat 3

(i) Roy Wijewickrama, D-Waynesville

Vehicle tax hits roadblock in Canton

BY CORY VAILLANCOURT STAFF WRITER

After two consecutive town board meetings during which Cantonians expressed strong opposition to a proposed vehicle registration tax, one thing was clear — residents want better roads, but don’t want to pay for them.

Authorized by statute in 1986, the tax would have allowed Canton to assess a fee of anywhere from $5 to $30 and spend the first $5 for any lawful purpose. Statute mandates the rest be dedicated to street repair.

By town estimates, that would have raised about $60,000, all of which, according to Town Manager Jason Burrell, would have gone towards streets.

However a 30-minute presentation by Burrell on June 28 failed to convince the 14 people who addressed the town board of the necessity of the tax; those so opposed said generally that people on fixed incomes or with multiple cars didn’t want to pay for roads that drivers from outside Canton also use, and that perhaps a bond issue, sales tax or Powell Bill fund balance could be used to finance repairs instead.

In an unusual but intentional procedural maneuver, a motion to approve the proposal, which would have charged most vehicles registered within town limits a $30 tax due upon registration, was brought forth by Alderman Dr. Ralph Hamlett and seconded by Alderwoman Gail Mull.

Had they not done so, the proposal would have died right then and there without further board comment, however, their prescient actions brought the proposal to a discussion phase, and a then vote.

“I made the motion and people thought, ‘Since he made the motion, he’s in favor of it,’” said Hamlett during the meeting. “Well, I’m not.”

Hamlett then explained that he opposed the measure in part because of the tax’s disproportionate impact on lower-income households.

Canton fifth is for the kiddies

BY CORY VAILLANCOURT STAFF WRITER

The United States is and has been for some time embroiled in a great discussion about its role in the world based on its military and political alliances as well as its economic interests.

At the same time, the United States has been embroiled in a similar discussion of who it was, is and will be at home.

In a scant two years, Americans will have to make some tough choices relative to its isolationist leader’s vision of that role — choices that will determine American global

“This to me seems to be a regressive tax,” he said. “A regressive tax is a tax on people who can least afford it, versus a progressive tax, which taxes those who can best afford it.”

Mull thanked those who’d come to speak, said they’d influenced her opinion, and joined Hamlett in voting against the proposal.

Alderwoman Kristina Smith thanked Burrell and town staff for the effort spent in researching and developing the proposal.

“We asked Jason to think of new ways that we could develop new revenue for the town, and he brought this to the table. It’s our job as a board to evaluate,” Smith said, before joining Hamlett and Mull in the 3-0 vote against the tax. Canton Mayor Zeb Smathers only votes in the case of a tie, and Alderman James Markey was on vacation.

WHERETONOW?

Alderman Hamlett, a Democrat and associate professor of government at Brevard College, went on to paint his actions as but a small part of a larger anti-tax stand in Canton, which that same night also passed its FY 2018-19 budget.

That budget holds Haywood County’s highest municipal tax rate steady at 58 cents per $100 in assessed property value, where it’s been for more than a decade.

The vehicle tax, which had been incorporated into the town’s proposed budget, seemed only to add insult to injury for many,

commitments for the rest of the century.

Domestic policy includes the systemic disenfranchisement of large swaths of the population, enforced by a Supreme Court to which the President has already appointed one of the three justices he’ll ultimately choose.

With a recession only recently in the rearview mirror and a stagnant national economy finally beginning to show signs of growth, business is booming in Western North Carolina, especially in Haywood County.

The year is 1915, the president is Woodrow Wilson and things have never been better in the mountain mill town of Canton, where the Champion Pulp Mill had recently begun production in 1908.

Canton’s population was just 230 people in 1900, but as a result of the mill boomed to 1,400 in 1910 and would double in each of the next two decades, due to

including Hamlett.

“I’m not well-off, but we can afford it,” he said of the vehicle tax. “But we would not afford it with a smile, because we’re taxpayers like you, and this 58 cents bothers me.”

Canton remains burdened with some of the more antiquated costs associated with municipal governance during the last century, including four separate money-losing recreational enterprises, as well as everincreasing health care and pension costs, but has seen some small growth of late.

That growth and a renewed focus on economic development have Canton just squeaking by, replacing and repairing infrastructure as needed without raising taxes, but also without taking large strides forward.

“I made a promise when I was first elected that I would not raise taxes,” Hamlett said. “I don’t intend to start now, unless of course it

There were no food trucks on July 5, 1915, no fireworks and no free inflatables for the kiddies — as there will be during this year’s gathering.

Champion’s commencement of paper production in 1922.

On July 5, 1915, there were in total probably about 2,000 town residents, many of whom had read the July 2 issue of the Canton Observer, which ran a front-page news story on the town’s upcoming Fourth of July celebration, held traditionally on the fifth.

“Reports from various parts of the county indicate that one of the biggest crowds

becomes an absolute necessity. I’m not convinced it is at this time. I think we’re burdened enough.”

Elsewhere in Haywood County, the the Town of Maggie Valley has had a $5 vehicle fee on the books several years now, and the Town of Waynesville passed its own version of the vehicle tax — albeit for only $15 — along with its 2018-19 budget two days prior to the Canton vote, with minimal public opposition (see Waynesville, page 4).

Given that Canton’s proposed budget had anticipated the revenue from the vehicle tax being available during the 2018-19 budget year, the board directed Burrell to fund the expenditure tied to the now-nonexistent revenue stream from Powell Bill fund balance, thus averting an approximate 1.25-cent property tax increase or the elimination of paving work planned as a result of the tax.

which Canton people have ever seen will be here on the 5th of July for the annual celebration,” it reads.

Festival-goers that day would have seen two performances by The Five Stirewalts, a nationally-known troupe of acrobats and gymnasts that, according to a classified ad in a 1917 edition of Billboard magazine, featured “the smallest acrobatic clown in America.”

The ad also touts the China Grove, North Carolina-based group as a “strong drawing card for fairs.”

Another strong draw would have been the “inflatables” of the day — hot–air balloons. Two ascensions, likely tethered to the Haywood County clay, were planned amidst the litany of competitions, some of which awarded valuable prizes.

There was a 9:15 a.m. sack race for boys under 16, the prize a

Canton’s “July 4th plus 1” celebration

In conjunction with Champion Credit Union, the Town of Canton presents the annual “July 4th plus 1” celebration. Food vendors including Crestview Baptist Church, Fat Belly’s, Hit the Pit Barbecue and Lenoir’s Beef and Bakery will be on site, as will free watermelon courtesy of former Mayor Mike Ray and his wife Sherry. Free inflatables courtesy Dutch Cove Baptist Church, and free music all day long. Fireworks after dusk; bring a chair or blanket. Event is free and open to all.

• Time: 6 p.m.

• Date: Thursday, July 5

• Location: Sorrels Street Park, downtown Canton

suit of clothes. The winner of the 100-yard dash took home six pairs of “hole-proof ” socks. The winner of the greasy pig contest kept the greasy pig.

The biggest prize of all, however, was bragging rights — a highly anticipated baseball match between Canton and Sunburst was slated for 2:15 p.m. Many of the Sunburst players took the Tennessee & North Carolina Railroad’s Number 10 train to Canton at 7:15 that morning, and then took it back home at 5:30 p.m.

That railroad line is gone now, as is Sunburst itself. Women can vote, most people wouldn’t know what to do with a pig — much less a greased one — and millions of copies of MLB 2018 have been sold for both Xbox and Playstation.

There were no food trucks on July 5, 1915, no fireworks and no free inflatables for the kiddies — as there will be during this year’s gathering.

In fact, some of the boys there on that day more than a century ago wouldn’t again see tethered balloons until they were entrenched beneath them on the battlefields of Europe; of the thousand or so Haywood County men who were called off to the what would naively be called the “Great War” that President Wilson had predictably become entangled in, 23 would never see Haywood County clay again, socks be darned.

This July 5, hundreds, if not thousands, of area residents will again flock to Canton’s Sorrells Street Park for a family friendly Fifth, many of them not knowing they’re taking part in a small-town tradition that dates back more than a century.

They’re looking in the rear-view mirror at an especially cruel “Great Recession” just as an isolationist president who has already appointed one justice to the Supreme Court is about to appoint another. As in 1915, tough decisions await a scant two years hence.

But just as a century ago, this small mountain mill town’s July 5 celebration will persist, like town and the mill itself, and the American values embodied in therein, for another century or more.

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Lake Junaluska bridge work underway

The first phase of construction on the bridge at Lake Junalsuka — placing steel and the bottom layer of wood supports — was recently completed on the vehicular side of the bridge over the dam.

The WNC Annual Conference collected an offering at Sunday's worship service of $14,450 to support the restoration of the bridge, which brings the total charitable giving for the bridge over the dam to $707,393.

The project is still on schedule to be completed in the fall.

The next steps are painting the railing, already underway; installing the wooden top and steel runway on the vehicular portion and refurbishing the pedestrian walkway.

Pedestrians will be re-routed to walk over the vehicular portion of the bridge during Phase 4 so that there is virtually no time that the walk around the lake is disturbed.

Vehicle use of the bridge will commence with completion of the project.

AARP offers driver course

The AARP Smart Driver Course will be offered from 1 to 5 p.m. Wednesday, July 11, at the Senior Resource Center, 81 Elmwood Way, in Waynesville.

Driving can be hazardous. Cars have

changed and so have traffic rules, driving conditions, and the roads you travel every day. Some drivers age 50+ have never looked back since they got their first driver's licenses, but even the most experienced drivers can benefit from brushing up on their driving skills.

AARP offers a strategy to combat driving problems faced by many mature drivers. The Smart Driver course teaches the current rules of the road, defensive driving techniques, and how to operate your vehicle more safely in today's increasingly challenging driving environment.

Participants are asked to arrive 15 minutes early to complete the registration process. Call the Senior Resource Center at 828.356.2800 to reserve a spot. The cost is $15 for AARP members or $20 for non-members. Insurance discounts may apply.

Genealogy Society to host summer picnic

The next Jackson County Genealogical Society meeting will be a covered-dish picnic at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, July 12, in the shelter at East LaPorte River Access Park.

The Society will provide chicken, paper products and beverages; those attending are asked to bring a side dish, salad or dessert to share. JCGS technology coordinator Jason Gregory will give a 10-minute program of pre1850 records he has recently copied at the state archives and discuss how Jackson

County’s destiny was intertwined with that of the Cherokee.

All JCGS events are free and open to the public. For more information, visit the Society on Facebook, www.jcgsnc.org or call 828.631.2646.

Jackson NAACP hosts summer event

The Jackson County Branch of the NAACP invites the public to its annual summer event from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 10, at the Old Webster School Auditorium, 1528 Webster Road.

The event will focus on the historical 150th Anniversary of the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Upon arrival guests can participate in a silent auction of fine art, crafts, tours and books. Afterward guests and members will break bread together.

The Keynote speaker, Elizabeth McRae, WCU associate professor, will address the historical Fourteenth Amendment with the topic: “Foiling the Fourteenth Amendment: White Women and the Politics of White Supremacy.” The author’s recent book is the compelling Mothers of Massive Resistance.

Tickets cost $10 and can be purchased at City Lights Bookstore in Sylva; and for those who cannot attend, “Phantom (donations) ticket” are available. All profits go to support the mission of the NAACP.

Performing arts center named in Belcher’s honor

The academic unit that is home to Western Carolina University’s programs in music, stage, screen, art and design will be known as the David Orr Belcher College of Fine and Performing Arts in honor of the late WCU chancellor, who died June 17 at the age of 60 after battling brain cancer for more than two years.

The university’s Board of Trustees unanimously approved the naming of the college for Belcher in recognition of his background as a classically trained pianist and his impact on higher education and the arts at WCU and across Western North Carolina.

University policy on name designation for facilities and academic units allows for the naming of appropriate spaces in recognition of exceptional service to WCU, higher education and/or the people of North Carolina by members of the university faculty, staff or student body after they have completed employment or enrollment, said Acting Chancellor Alison Morrison-Shetlar.

“I hope that Chancellor Belcher would be well pleased by this recognition, which strikes me as an appropriate coda to his career as an artist and an educator,” she said. “While he may have left us — and far too soon, at that — his legacy will live on through the creative and pedagogical endeavors of those who will follow in his footsteps.”

Sylva mural complete

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFFWRITER

A long-awaited mural is now complete in Sylva, marking the end of the Sylva Public Art Committee’s inaugural project.

“We’re hopeful it will lead to more art and more public art,” said Town Manager Paige Dowling. “At this point the Public Art Committee will begin fundraising for future projects.”

The 22-by-53-foot mural, located on the Ward’s Plumbing and Heating building at 548 Mill Street, is modeled after 1940s vintage postcards from Sylva, showing the town’s name in big block letters, with each letter containing a different scene showing one of the components that makes Sylva special — there’s a car cruising the Blue Ridge Parkway, a log cabin with an array of bluegrass instruments on the front porch, the railroad with Jackson Paper in the background, trout in the Tuckasegee River and Cherokee baskets sitting in a field. The letters are set against a background of sky and mountain featuring Cullowhee lilies and the historic Jackson County Public Library building.

and more public art,” said Dowling. “At this point the public art committee will begin fundraising for future projects.”

The art committee was created in January 2017, charged with installing public art throughout the Sylva downtown, similar to what’s already present in neighboring Waynesville. However, funding is always the issue. Securing the state grant for the mural seemed like the perfect way to show residents what public art could do for a town without spending any taxpayer money

WAYNESVILLE TIRE, INC.

Artist Eron Hare, who is originally from Brevard but now based in Brooklyn, New York, and a graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design, painted the mural, closing out the project on Monday, June 25. It was funded through a $10,000 state grant for downtown revitalization.

“We’re hopeful it will lead to more art

Maggie Valley to join quilt trail

Maggie Valley will be the next town to join the Appalachian Quilt Trail once a mural is completed inside local landmark Joey’s Pancake House on Soco Road.

along the way.

“Public art shows a sense of pride in the community and something to improve the sense of place,” said Dowling.

Currently, Dowling said, the art committee is exploring the potential of a sculpture loan program. The concept would be to raise money to rent a sculpture for two years to be installed downtown. That would be cheaper than buying a sculpture outright.

To donate to the town’s Public Art Fund and support future public art projects, drop off or mail checks with “Public Art Fund” in the memo line to the Sylva Town Hall, 83 Allen Street, Sylva, N.C. 28779.

cake house.

“The idea is for folks who are waiting to have a fun experience as they find all kinds of interesting images of Maggie Valley in the art mural,” Milling said.

The glassed-in foyer will have spotlights on the mural so passing visitors can see the mural through the glass.

“Maggie Valley, North Carolina, is a town that sparks your imagination with memorial images. The Ghost Town theme park, the Stomping Ground’s mountain music, dinner theater, fine dining, shopping for crafts, ski slopes, connecting with the Blue Ridge Parkway, motorcycles, bear and elk and camping by Jonathan Creek are unforgettable,” said Appalachian Mural Trail project director Doreyl Ammons Cain.

All of these images will be a part of a new mural commissioned by Roy Milling, the new owner of Joey’s Pancake House. Ammons Cain has accepted the challenge of completing the mural. Once finished, the mural will cover the wall in the foyer, which is 25 feet long, where folks wait to have a seat to have breakfast in this famous pan-

“This is an exciting art project for me,” Ammons Cain said. “I have been to Ghost Town, danced at the Stomping Ground and tasted fudge at Maggie’s Mountaineer Crafts, things I’ll always remember. My best efforts will be put into this tribute to Maggie Valley.”

The mural is expected to take five months to design and paint. An unveiling date will be scheduled in the fall of 2018.

With the help of the Blue Ridge Parkway Association, the Appalachian Mural Trail Group got started in 2016 and a large mural was created and displayed throughout the far western counties. Since then other murals have gradually developed in Dillsboro and Sylva.

For more information, call 828.293.2239 or visit www.muraltrail.com.

Thursday, July 19

Waynesville, Friends of Folkmoot Annual Gala

5:30 pm Friends Meet & Greet, Queen Auditorium

7:00 pm Gala Under the Stars, Folkmoot Greenspace (All groups)

Friday, July 20

9:00 am - 2:00 pm Waynesville, Camp Folkmoot, Friendship Center (4 groups)

2:00 pm Waynesville, Grand Opening Matinee*, Queen Auditorium (All groups)

*includes a post-performance Cultural Conversations

7:00 pm Lake Junaluska, Grand Opening Extravaganza (All groups)

Saturday, July 21

10:00 am - 11:30 am Downtown Waynesville, Parade of Nations, Main Street (All groups)

11:00 am - 4:00 pm Waynesville, Many Cultures Day, Folkmoot Greenspace (All groups)

12:00 pm - 2:00 pm Hazelwood Neighborhood Hospitality Stage

7:00 pm Clyde, Haywood Community College (All groups)

Sunday, July 22

2:00 pm & 5:00 pm Hickory, Hosted by International Council, Drendel Auditorium (4 groups)

*includes post-performance Cultural Conversations

5:00 pm Waynesville, Sunday Soiree’, international friendship dinner, feat. Blind Pig Supper Club, Folkmoot Greenspace (WNC youth cultural groups)

Monday, July 23

Free Day for Performers

Tuesday, July 24

Folkmoot 2018 Festival Schedule of Events

7:00 pm Canton, Colonial Theatre (4-5 groups)

Wednesday, July 25

3:00 pm Cherokee, Ambassador’s Day, Cherokee Central High School

9:00 pm Canton, Bearwaters Brewery After Party (1 group)

2:00 pm Hendersonville, Blue Ridge Community College (All groups)

*includes post-performance Cultural Conversations

6:00 pm Waynesville, Tranquility Farm Festival Fundraiser (1 group)

Thursday, July 26

7:00 pm Maggie Valley Welcome Wagon, Elevated Mountain Distilling Company (3-4 groups)

12:00 pm - 3:00 pm Hazelwood Neighborhood Hospitality, Meet & Greet with Performers

7:00 pm Franklin, Smoky Mountain Performing Arts Center (All groups)

Friday, July 27

2:00 pm Asheville, Diana Wortham Theatre Matinee (All groups)

*includes post-performance Cultural Conversations

7:00 pm Asheville, Diana Wortham Theatre Evening Performance* (All groups)

Saturday, July 28

10:00 am - 5:00 pm Downtown Waynesville, International Festival Day (All groups)

7:00 pm Clyde, Haywood Community College (All groups)

Sunday, July 29

7:00 pm Lake Junaluska, Candlelight Closing, Stuart Auditorium (All groups)

Workshop on chronic pain offered

This two-session workshop on managing chronic pain will be held from 10 a.m. to noon Thursdays, July 12 and July 19, at the Waynesville Library’s upstairs conference room, located at 678 S. Haywood St.

Join this intriguing discussion and learn the tools for relief from pain, anger and isolation. Paper and pens will be provided but if you have a favorite journal or notebook, bring it. This two-part session class will be led by Sheila Kaye, MSW; her empathy for others fuels her desire to share supportive, healing tools and compassion for those living with chronic pain.

Registration is required. Call 828.356.2507 or email kolsen@haywoodnc.net.

Diabetes prevention available

The Diabetes Prevention Program is a lifestyle change program dedicated to helping at-risk individuals reduce their chances of developing type 2 diabetes through a series of 24, one-hour group classes.

Combined with individual sessions with a trained lifestyle coach, DPP gives participants the information and tools necessary to maintain a healthy weight, prepare simple and healthy meals, and find time to be physically active.

DPP classes are offered from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Mondays at Haywood County Health and Human Services in Haywood County. Registration is still open to new participants.

Contact Megan Hauser, Healthy Haywood Coordinator, at 828.356.2272.

Family Birthing Center complete

The final phase of construction on the New Generations Family Birthing Center at Harris Regional Hospital is complete after a $5.5 million renovation made possible through the Duke LifePoint Healthcare partnership.

The New Generations Family Birthing Center is located on the hospital’s third floor where babies have been delivered to families from across the region for decades. The initial renovation began in 2013 with $600,000 in funding provided by the hospital’s legacy foundation with donations from the community, sponsors and proceeds from fundraisers. Renovations have included a new labor and delivery area, updated patient rooms and nursing stations, and the addition of an operating room for Caesarean-section deliveries.

“It’s exciting to serve families with the completion of our new birthing center. This project demonstrates the commitment Duke LifePoint Healthcare made to our region when Harris Regional Hospital and Swain Community Hospital joined the organization four years ago,” said Steve Heatherly, CEO of Harris Regional Hospital and Swain Community Hospital. “Harris Regional

Harris wins performance awards

For the second consecutive year Harris Wound Healing and Hyperbaric Center earned a nationally-measured award for clinical performance and patient satisfaction.

The Center of Distinction award measures clinical quality, including wound healing rate, and reflects the center’s dedication to healing patients and providing an outstanding patient experience. Harris Wound Healing and Hyperbaric Center also received the award in 2017.

Harris Wound Healing and Hyperbaric Center at Harris Regional Hospital is a member of the Healogics network and serves patients with outpatient wound care and hyperbaric oxygen therapy.

To schedule an appointment, call 828.586.7910 or visit myharrisregional.com/our-services/woundcare.

Hospital, with a strong commitment to women’s and children’s services, is a hub for healthcare in Western North Carolina, and it is our privilege to serve families with the highest quality care in a beautiful, updated environment.”

For more information, visit myharrisregional.com/our-services/new-generations-family-birthing-center or call 828.586.7907.

Evergreen Foundation awards over $500,000

The Evergreen Foundation recently awarded $535,136 in first-quarter funding to 13 agencies providing programs and services for individuals with behavioral health, substance use and intellectual/developmental disabilities.

n Haywood Vocational Opportunities: $20,000 to create a food service training program.

n Appalachian Access (Appalachian Community Services/NCG Cares): $16,500 for the jail treatment programs in Cherokee, Clay, and Graham counties; $20,000 in continuation funding for the transportation of individuals seeking voluntary hospital commitments in all seven counties and $39,366 in continuation funding for their community support case management program.

n Life Challenge: $10,000 toward the purchase of a seven-passenger mini-van to support participation in educational training for women in substance use recovery.

n Macon County Health Department: $43,110 to expand tele-psychiatry in collaboration with ECU and to pilot a “no wrong door navigator model” to promote early engagement, linkage and coordination of mental health and substance use services.

n Center for Domestic Peace: $10,000 to help support a full-time domestic violence/sexual assault victim advocate in Jackson County.

n Hinton Rural Life Center: $17,650 to cover additional training for staff in Mental Health First Aid.

n Southwestern Child Development: $37,500 for

continued support of their Family Nurse Partnership program and $20,000 in funding for continued support of the homeless program in Jackson County.

n Community Services of Swain County: $30,000 for continuation of Circles of Parents in Graham County and implementation of the Incredible Years program for families in both Graham and Swain counties.

n Asheville Buncombe Community Christian Ministries: $36,000 to expand the N.C. Serves Veterans program into Cherokee, Clay, Graham and Swain counties.

n Children’s Hope Alliance: $11,000 toward the funding of a full-time implementation specialist to support the foster care and adoption program in seven counties.

n HIGHTS: $4,000 to implement a beekeeping program with Macon County Schools to help provide structured and positive activities for students in out of school suspension.

n Meridian Behavioral Health: $43,000 to support a behavioral health pilot program at the Cherokee Health Department; $125,000 to provide additional community based services in Cherokee, Haywood, Jackson, and Macon counties, building on the Early Recovery Team concept and $37,000 for continued support of the patient assistance program that provides free medication to individuals in the seven-county area.

n AWAKE: $15,000 to contract dedicated therapist time in their child advocacy center, which will provide more immediate access to these services for the children.

To learn more about the Evergreen Foundation, visit www.evergreenfoundationnc.org.

Hepatitis cases on the rise

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services is encouraging people to speak with their physician or local health department

about hepatitis A and B vaccine, viral hepatitis screenings and treatment options.

From 2012 to 2016, newly diagnosed cases of hepatitis B increased by 62 percent and newly diagnosed cases of hepatitis C increased by 200 percent. Untreated hepatitis B and C may result in long-term liver problems, chronic liver disease and elevated risk of liver cancer. While hepatitis C is curable there is no vaccine yet available. Vaccines are available for both hepatitis A and B.

The leading cause of new hepatitis C cases is transmission through the sharing of needles, syringes and other injection equipment during drug use. Hepatitis B and C are spread when blood from an infected person enters the body of someone who is not infected. Hepatitis B, and in some instances hepatitis C, can also be spread through sex with an infected partner.

Free tick removal kits available

Mercy Urgent Care in Asheville is offering one free tick removal kit per family while supplies last at each of its five urgent care locations in Asheville, Weaverville and Brevard to help arm residents and visitors against these tiny-but-serious pests.

Removing ticks is tricky business, as these skin-burrowing insects must be removed both as quickly as possible and with extreme care — not always an easy feat under pressure. Along with providing tick removal kits, Mercy Urgent Care will be sharing helpful information regarding tickremoval and tick-avoidance that can be implemented everywhere from the great outdoors to your backyard garden.

If you’ve been recently bitten by, or suspect you’ve been bitten by a tick, check in at any one of Mercy Urgent Care’s Western North Carolina locations for a quick checkup, especially if you’ve felt ill or developed a fever or rash following the potential bite.

Small-town papers help knit communities together

I’m dedicating my July 4 to the courageous journalists who were murdered last week at the Capital Gazette in Maryland.

Independence Day celebrates our nation’s declaration that it would not abide by the arbitrary decrees from across an ocean by a monarch who feared putting power in the hands of his citizens. With the Declaration of Independence began the formal shaping of this nation and its ideals of freedom that are unlike those in any other country.

But last week’s shooting rampage was an eye-opener, a game-changer. Journalists are killed in Mexico and Russia and other countries where corrupt governments and oligarchs and drug lords call the shots. They don’t die in community paper newsrooms where most of our resources go to covering town board meetings or art strolls or the demise of Ghost Town or the plans to re-shape N.C. 107 in Sylva.

Of course I’m biased toward newspapers, their mission, and the First Amendment. I clearly remember being inspired to become a reporter while watching the Watergate hearings in the summer of 1973 and the venerable Sen. Sam Ervin grilling Nixon’s associates. In that instance, a newspaper brought down the most powerful man in the world by exposing his wrongdoings.

Of course my universe as a reporter and editor at small papers is much narrower. But small-town journalists take their mission just as seriously. Like cops and teachers, we are part of family devoted to bringing important information to the communities we call home. We strive for fairness, accuracy and objectivity in our stories as we hold public officials and others

Leaders need to act like adults

To the Editor:

Thank you so much for so eloquently stating your opinion in this article about “not much room left in gutter.” There are many of us that just want to see our political leaders act like adults and not be so far to the left that it destroys any credibility the United States has in this world.

Many of us have seen, especially us baby boomers, how other nations abuse their citizens by not allowing them to have a say in their government. You can see this in Russia and China and many other nations. We as United States citizens have the right to be able to speak our minds and make our politicians uphold our values by voting for those we think can do their job for our best interests

accountable to you — the community — for their actions. Being part of the community now becomes a bit more complicated, and it burns me up that we have to take this route. We’ll be locking some doors to our office, I’m afraid, something that will psychologically — at least for me — provide a wall of separation I’d hoped we would never have to put up.

My youngest son is about to turn 20, and I remember watching schools tighten security as he went through the Haywood County School System and as school shooting occurred across the country. At elementary schools you’re now buzzed in and out, just like at the courthouse and at many government buildings. That’s the new normal, and there’s no way we’ll ever go back to the day when I could pop into my children’s elementary school, walk into the principal’s office unannounced and say good morning, mosey down the hall to one my kid’s classes before the bell and tell them that they’d have to be bus riders today, that I couldn’t pick them up. So informal, so easy, so nostalgic. That was just 10 years ago.

Never before has very real, very important journalism like that practiced at newspapers like the Capital Gazette, the Sylva Herald, The Mountaineer, the Franklin Press, the Cherokee One Feather, the Smoky Mountain Times in Bryson City and The Smoky Mountain News been so at risk. The industry is changing, profits are shrinking, and all of us are doing every-

LETTERS

and not for their gain.

I hope that civility does return to this great nation. Let’s hope everyone comes out and votes in 2018 and 2020 to accomplish this end.

And, thank you for reporting the news in a civil way. Many of us do appreciate what our reporters and news people do.

Eileen Janowski Waynesville

We are a nation in crisis

To the Editor:

Children are being shipped around the nation with no records and officials are either lying about their whereabouts or ignorant of

thing we can to survive in this new business model where so much news is consumed online.

Coupled with that, we are in an age when politicians and others are at work trying to undermine trust in what we do. Local newspapers get lumped together with blatantly biased media outlets as information is thrown at citizens from hundreds of sources. Those of us with clear standards are lumped with those who don’t. It’s something we deal with every day.

While divisiveness sweeps across the land, I firmly believe that small-town journalists knit communities together. We celebrate triumphs and encourage discussion, hoping our pages somehow resemble the town square where issues are hashed out in public. We point out problems, but in doing so we try to encourage stakeholders to come to a consensus to make the places we live better, stronger, safer.

I started this piece thinking about July 4 and the Declaration of Independence, and now I’m reminded of the preamble to the U.S. Constitution, which begins with the famous words “We the people ….”

The reporters and editors at the Capital Gazette — and the journalists throughout this nation that work tirelessly to do their jobs — are “the people,” just like all our readers and all those who would weaken the role we play. We are all in this together. Weaken the Fourth Estate, though, and you threaten this country, its freedoms, and our constitutional system. It’s as simple as that.

Have a great Independence Day.

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

what is transpiring. Small children are crying and are traumatized from being roughly separated from their parents. More lies from this administration.

A nonprofit is attempting to put the pieces together while administration officials are at play. I don’t know about you but it is becoming more and more difficult to even watch the news or read about what is going on.

However, ignoring reality in the early 1930s was disastrous for Germany and Europe. I will do whatever I can to prevent the same fate in our country.

Something we can all do is remember Rep. Mark Meadows, our Republican congressman. He has pledged loyalty to our reigning czar and has been silent during this whole mess. As we have all learned, silence is complicity. If you want to really drain the swamp, send Rep. Mark Meadows back to his million dollar home with his expensive suits, import-

ed shoes and fancy haircuts. Let’s elect Phillip Price to bring common sense back to Washington. Phillip is a family man and is campaigning to support our hard-working families and the working poor. We need him representing all of us!

Ron Robinson Sylva

Troubling times for this country

To the Editor:

Troubling times? Very troubling times! Is America the beacon of liberty we claim to be? Is America a Christian nation? Is America a nation of laws? With the Trump administration what is the moral code? The ethical code? Are we in a race to the bottom? What unites us? What divides us?

Thoughts on water and traditions during the holiday

Are you a lake person or a beach person? I always thought I was a beach person, but now I’m not so sure.

I’ve written about my childhood beach trips before and with it being July Fourth week, nostalgia is more paramount than ever. As a little girl, Independence Days were always, always spent at Ocean Lakes Campground in Surfside Beach, just south of Myrtle.

With our family frequenting the campground often and my sister and me being tiny dancers/baton twirlers, we were routinely asked to perform at certain events and functions within the campground. And during the holiday week, we had fun playing up the patriotic theme. Very clear in my memory is me wearing a little sailor costume while leaping and cartwheeling around to “In the Navy” by The Village People followed by my sister tap dancing to “Yankee Doodle.”

Other festivities included a golf cart parade where everyone decorated their battery-powered vehicles with red, white and blue flags, streamers and balloons. We then typically grilled hamburgers or ate BBQ and

What would Jesus do? What would wise King Solomon advise us to do? Do people have any obligation to protect others? Is any individual more important than the entire human race? Are we strong as individuals? Do we gain strength by union of spirit, mind and heart?

Are people who yearn for the opportunity to live a safe, decent life in America worthy of protection under our laws? If they are not what moral/ethical safety net could Americans provide? What should we provide? Is there any justification for separating children from their mothers/ fathers/guardians? Is Trump’s insistence on a border wall more important than promoting human rights? Did Jesus remind us of the difference between His teachings and man-made laws?

What example will America choose to set for a troubled world? Is the bond between mother and child still sacred to Americans?

Glen Campbell sang, “There oughta be a Hall of Fame for mammas. Creation’s most unique and precious pearls. And, heaven help us always to remember that the hand that rocks the cradle rules the world.” Is that true? If so, what do mothers rule with?

Troubling times? Very troubling times!

Dave Waldrop Webster

finished the night by watching fireworks over the ocean. Very quintessential, indeed.

We sold our place at Ocean Lakes during my early college years, so it’s been a long time since I’ve spent a July Fourth at the beach. In fact, it’s been quite a while since I’ve been to the beach at all. When my mom was alive, we enjoyed a family beach trip every summer. We usually went to the Outer Banks or Folly Beach. I love both destinations equally. Since her passing, we haven’t made a family trip to the ocean.

I miss those beach trips and want to resurrect that tradition someday.

Lately, I’ve had several opportunities for some lake fun. Living in the Smoky Mountains, lakes are obviously more accessible than the seashore so it makes sense that many Western North Carolinians enjoy weekends and holidays at the lake. It’s just not something I’ve experienced until recently.

Within the past two months, I’ve visited Lake James twice and this week, the boys and I are traveling to Lake Norman with close friends to celebrate the holiday. Admittedly, while I’ve always called myself a beach person, I may be shifting a little. There’s something uniquely serene about kayaking or hanging one’s feet off the dock while kids laugh and play in the still water. And after a week of work and parenting, it’s beyond relaxing to feel the wind in

my hair and water on my face as we zip around on a boat.

I feel it’s important for children to experience traditions, especially during a holiday or summer vacation. Until this year, our July 4th tradition was watching the parade at Lake Junaluska, spending the day at the pool and watching the lake’s fireworks from Long’s Chapel.

But with this being the first full summer since the boys’ dad and I separated, I want to do something different and perhaps start a new tradition. Whether it’s missing my mom or missing the family unit, I’ve found that traditions that can be painful when a key person is no longer present.

I don’t know if a trip to Lake Norman will be our new July 4th tradition forever but it very well could be. I’m really looking forward to grilling out, watching the sunset over the lake, renting a pontoon boat and relaxing with good friends and my sweet boys.

Back to the question of being a beach person or a lake person, I’ve decided my answer swings back and forth depending on the circumstances. The older I get and the more that life affects me, I realize it’s neither a sand castle or a paddle board that brings a sense of joy. It’s the people I’m with and the feelings that come with enjoying time on the water, whether it’s the ocean or a lake.

I hope you and yours have a happy Fourth of July. No matter your plans, take some time to slow down and enjoy those you love.

(Susanna Barbee writes this column and wears many other hats at The Smoky Mountain News, Smoky Mountain Living, and Mountain South Media. susanna@mtnsouthmedia.com.)

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

Friday, July 6

Cynthia McDermott ukulele, vocals. Bossa Standards, Pop, Originals.

Saturday, July 7

Russ Wilson Duo featuring Russ Wilson percussion, vocals, and Hank Bones guitar, vocals. Bebop, Jazz, Swing, $10 cover per person.

Friday, July 13

'Round the Fire guitar, percussion, bass, vocals. Folk Americana, Pop, Originals

Saturday, July 14

Joe Cruz piano, vocals. Beatles, Elton John, James Taylor + More.

THURSDAY, JULY 19

Wine Pairing with Winemaker Gabrielle O’Connell of O’Connell Family Estate Vineyard, Napa Valley. Four wines paired with food, Guest Master Chef Michelle Briggs, $55/person plus tax & gratuity.

Friday, July 20

James Hammel guitar, vocals. Jazz, Pop, Originals.

Saturday, July 21

Joe Cruz piano, vocals. Beatles, Elton John, James Taylor + More.

828-452-6000• classicwineseller.com 20 Church Street, Waynesville, NC

tasteTHE mountains

specials that pair perfectly with our beer. Cozy up inside or take in the mountain air on our back deck.”

BOURBON BARREL BEEF & ALE

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

BOOJUM BREWING COMPANY

50 N Main Street, Waynesville. 828.246.0350. Taproom Open Monday, Wednesday and Thursday 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday & Saturday 11:30 a.m. to 12 p.m., Sunday 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Gem Bar Open Tuesday through Sunday 5 p.m. to 12 a.m. Enjoy lunch, dinner or drinks at Boojum’s Downtown Waynesville restaurant & bar. Choose from 16 taps of our fresh, delicious & ever rotating Boojum Beer plus cider, wine & craft cocktails. The taproom features seasonal pub faire including tasty burgers, sandwiches, shareables and daily

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

CATALOOCHEE RANCH

119 Ranch Dr., Maggie Valley. 828.926.1401. Breakfast seven days a week, from 8 to 9:30 a.m. – with eggs, bacon, sausage, oatmeal, fresh fruit, sometimes French toast or pancakes, and always all-you-can-eat. Lunch menu every day from 12 noon to 2 p.m. includes homemade soup du jour and fresh-made salads. Wednesday, Friday and Saturday night will feature an evening cookout on the terrace. On all other nights of the week, dinner is served family style and includes locally sourced vegetables, homemade breads, jellies, desserts, and a wide selection of wine and craft beer. The evening social hour starts at 6 p.m., dinner is served starting at 7 p.m., and cozy rooms and cabins are available if you love us so much that you want to stay for breakfast, too. Please call for reservations. And see our dinner menu online at www.cataloocheeranch.com/dining.

CHURCH STREET DEPOT

34 Church Street, downtown Waynesville. 828.246.6505. 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Mouthwatering all beef burgers and dogs, hand-dipped, hand-spun real ice cream shakes and floats, fresh hand-cut fries. Locally sourced beef. Indoor and outdoor dining. facebook.com/ChurchStreetDepot, twitter.com/ChurchStDepot.

CITY LIGHTS CAFE

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

THE CLASSIC WINESELLER

20 Church Street, Waynesville.

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

COUNTRY VITTLES: FAMILY STYLE RESTAURANT

3589 Soco Rd, Maggie Valley.

828.926.1820 Winter hours: Wednesday through Sunday 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Family Style at Country Vittles is not a buffet. Instead our waitresses will bring your food piping hot from

the kitchen right to your table and as many refills as you want. So if you have a big appetite, but sure to ask your waitress about our family style service.

FERRARA PIZZA & PASTA

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

HARMON’S DEN BISTRO

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

MAD BATTER FOOD & FILM

617 W. Main Street Downtown Sylva. 828.586.3555. Open Monday through Thursday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Friday and

MAGGIE VALLEY RESTAURANT

tasteTHE mountains

Saturday 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.; Sunday brunch 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Hand-tossed pizza, steak sandwiches, wraps, salads and desserts. All made from scratch. Beer and wine. Free movies Thursday trought Saturday. Visit madbatterfoodfilm.com for this week’s shows.

MAGGIE VALLEY CLUB

1819 Country Club Dr., Maggie Valley. 828.926.1616. maggievalleyclub.com/dine. Open seasonally for lunch and dinner. Fine and casual fireside dining in welcoming atmosphere. Full bar. Reservations accepted.

MAGGIE VALLEY RESTAURANT

2804 Soco Road, Maggie Valley. 828.926.0425. 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily. Daily specials including soups, sandwiches and southern dishes along with featured dishes such as fresh fried chicken, rainbow trout, country ham, pork chops and more. Breakfast all day including omelets, pancakes, biscuits & gravy.

PIGEON RIVER GRILLE

101 Park St., Canton.

828.492.1422. Open Tuesday through Thursday 3 to 8 p.m.; Friday-Saturday noon to 9 p.m.; Sunday noon to 6 p.m. Southerninspired restaurant serving simply prepared, fresh food sourced from top purveyors. Located riverside at Bearwaters Brewing, enjoy daily specials, sandwiches, wings, fish and chips, flatbreads, soups, salads, and more. Be sure to save room for a slice of the delicious house made cake. Relaxing inside/outside dining and spacious gathering areas for large groups.

TAP ROOM BAR & GRILL

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

VITO’S PIZZA

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

WAYNESVILLE PIZZA COMPANY

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

Music to my ears

A conversation with Ricky Skaggs

BY GARRET K. WOODWARD STAFF WRITER

At 63, Ricky Skaggs has spent just about 58 of those years completely enamored and immersed in that singular “high, lonesome sound” at the heart of bluegrass music. Given a mandolin at the age of 5, a year later he was onstage playing alongside Bill Monroe, the “Father of Bluegrass,” only to find himself at age 7 on a nationally televised variety show plucking with the likes of Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs. As a teenager, he opened for, and eventually was invited to join Ralph Stanley & The Clinch Mountain Boys, following that up a few years later with stints in The Country Gentlemen and J.D. Crowe’s The New South. In the decades since, Skaggs has performed and recorded with seemingly every big name in bluegrass and country music — a melodic common denominator, in many respects. And as his hair has grown into a flowing white mane, so comes the notion of Skaggs becoming one of the few remaining musicians who not only played with the pioneers of bluegrass, but also learned the unknown depths of wisdom and knowledge so key to the continuation of the genre — something he aims to share with any and all who cross his path.

Smoky Mountains News: You’ve spent most of you life in the bluegrass world. What is it about the “high, lonesome sound” that stills calls to you?

want to take that trip and go back to that part of the mountains, we’re a good walkway to get back there. But, we can [also] throw down with Bruce Hornsby, Ry Cooder and Jack White. I think that’s one of the things those guys love about us is that we carry that heart, that mountain old sound. A lot of it is Celtic, a lot of it is gospel.

SMN: You grew up so young in the industry around all those [bluegrass fathers]. What do you make of that role when people look at you as a statesman [of bluegrass]?

RS: Well, it’s kind of hard to believe that it’s here, because I felt so young for so long. I think there is something about the age, maybe it’s the grey hair, but people kind of look at me now as a father in the business, a father in the music. But, I’m a kind, gentle father that’s approachable. I don’t bark and scare people off.

SMN: What has a life in music taught you about what it means to be a human being?

RS: Well, I think I’ve had to learn how to treat people, how sensitive people can be. Now, I’ll talk about Jesus to a mixed audience

“When I was at Ralph [Stanley’s] funeral, I talked about a well of creativity, a well of the spirit, of music, that hovered over those mountains. And you can still draw from that well. If you love it, you’ll go back to it.”

— Ricky Skaggs

Ricky Skaggs: That’s it, it’s the “high, lonesome sound” still calling. Those mountain harmonies, those sliding notes and those notes inbetween notes, those old fiddle tunes. And it’s not always so joyous. When you heard Ralph [Stanley] sing a funny song or a happy song, it was like an old preacher in the mountains. But, that’s why we loved him, because he carried a piece of the mountains, a piece of the spirit of that music. He was king of the mountains. It’s the heart and the spirit of it that keeps me going back to it all the time. When I was at Ralph’s funeral, I talked about a well of creativity, a well of the spirit, of music, that hovered over those mountains. And you can still draw from that well. If you love it, you’ll go back to it. I just love that about the fathers [of bluegrass — Bill Monroe, The Stanley Brothers, Flatt & Scruggs] — and now I’m a father in the music.

SMN: Or like a living bridge to those fathers...

RS: Yeah, I think that’s right. That’s a good title — the “living bridge.” Because if they

in a minute. I don’t have any trouble at all, because I’m not trying to tell people anything other than [that] God loves them. A lot of people say, “Well, just don’t talk about religion and politics and you’ll be just fine.” Well, unfortunately, religion and politics are something we have got to live with and we’ve got to deal with — it’s part of everyday life. That’s one of the reasons I think that we have what we have [in society today] because good people sat back and did nothing. People take things by storm and with avengence. My grandpa always used to say, “Son, you get more with sugar than you can salt.” I try to not sugar-coat something, but I try to love people where they are. I’ll always be who I am. But, I’ve learned that most people, they really want to be loved, want to be accepted — they gravitate towards love and acceptance. And there’s a lot of hurtin’ people out there.

Editor’s Note: To listen to the entire audio stream of this conversation, go to YouTube and search “Ricky Skaggs Garret K. Woodward.”

Isaacs welcome Skaggs, Gatlin Brothers

The Skaggs performance will be on Friday, July 6, with The Gatlin

Both performances begin at 7 p.m. with tickets starting at $30 per show.

Saturday,

There will also be music workshops, bus tours, Q&A forums and more on both days also available for purchase. For more information and/or to purchase tickets, visit www.greatmountainmusic.com.

This must be the place

BY GARRET K. WOODWARD

Don’t shoot the messenger, literally

It’s something that’s been in the back of my mind for a while now. When news broke last week of the shooting at the Capital Gazette newspaper in Annapolis, Maryland, that thought now shifted from the back of my mind to the forefront of my thoughts — could it happen to us?

The late Rob Hiassen, features writer/editor for the Capital Gazette.

had a candidate — now President Donald J. Trump — who turned the tables on the media with buzzwords like “fake news” and “alternative facts” that aim squarely at chipping away the credibility of vital news organizations. This has resulted in rampant public mistrust amid sincerely vile responses — and serious threats — towards these media outlets from the John and Jane Q. Public.

Back in the day, when I worked at a small (tiny) newspaper in Eastern Idaho, we’d get a few disgruntled letters or an irate senior citizen complaining at us in our reception area. Nothing too outlandish. I think the worst I got it was when I wrote a light-hearted feature about a lack of a second slice of breakfast toast per two eggs in the local breakfast establishments, which caused one of the cooks to curse at me in passing as I tried to cross the street.

HOT PICKS

1

The Balsam Arts & Crafters will have its annual “Summer Craft Show” from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, July 7, at the Balsam Fire Department.

2

The “Art After Dark” season will continue from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, July 6, in downtown Waynesville.

3

Lazy Hiker Brewing (Franklin) will host the “Reggae Sunsplash” from 6 to 11 p.m. July 67 with PMA, Center of Motion, Natti Love Joys and Roots of a Rebellion to perform.

4

Now, let’s definitely make note that the shooter in Maryland, though a targeted attack that killed five staff members, was the culmination of an ever-growing grudge with the publication stemming from a story (truthful story) about the deranged man and his back history of criminal harassment. But, the fact remains that a newspaper — whether local, regional and statewide — is a vulnerable place for these kinds of tragedies when you factor in just what we deal with on a day-to-day basis.

Boojum Brewing (Waynesville) will host Ol’ Dirty Bathtub (Americana/bluegrass) at 9 p.m. Saturday, July 7.

5

Lazy Hiker Brewing (Franklin) will host the “Reggae Sunsplash” from 6 to 11 p.m. July 6-7 with PMA, Center of Motion, Natti Love Joys and Roots of a Rebellion to perform.

Think about it. Government offices and schools all have security measures to buzz people in through locked doors and often a metal detector nearby for that extra step needed. These are vulnerable places, in terms of who is housed in these buildings, and also what they represent, whether it be the crucial decision-making process of the government or the highest level of innocence within the walls of local academic institutions.

I’d be lying if I didn’t think about what I would do if there was an active shooter situa-

tion in my place of work. Heck, the door to my personal office is a real struggle to open even when it’s unlocked, and part of me is thankful for that when I shut it to get work done. And the thought of how many seconds you have to react, run and/or fight against whatever it is that’s coming down the hallway at you like a bowling ball. As an almost 12-year journalist, these thoughts have only appeared in recent years.

The Islamist terrorist attack on the French satirical weekly magazine Charlie Hebdo in 2015, which left 12 dead, really opened some eyes in our industry as to the possibility of that happening in American newsrooms. And then we had the 2016 Presidential Campaign, where suddenly we

But, nowadays, the climate has changed in the media world. The hate letters we receive in our mailbox are much darker and more sinister, where each word seems carved into the paper rather than written thoughtfully and with a counterpoint worth considering. Whenever we share a link to an article of ours on social media, we sometimes dread the comment threads, knowing damn well someone (or several folks) will go down the rabbit hole of anger, frustration, misinformation, finger-pointing and conspiracy theories, even if the story was about how much we love kittens (there’s always that one person who hates kittens).

Listen. Is what we do here at The Smoky Mountain News earth-shattering? No, not at all. But, do we provide an invaluable service to you our readers and the numerous communities and counties we cover? Yes, 100 percent. We are the watchdogs for injustice in your backyard, the first line of defense and last say in what people are feeling about whatever topic of the day is at the heart of decisions and change within your town.

Keep this in mind: your local, regional and state newspapers and media outlets aren’t out to get you. We live here, too, you know. We eat where you eat, our kids go to the same school as your kids, we may even share a church pew together on Sundays. Mainly, we’re here to make where we live a better place — through compassion and compromise, remember those two things? — and not to create a personal narrative with division at the heart of our intent. Nope, not even close.

So, now comes the conversation within our office — do we lock the doors? Well, that might be a new reality for my colleagues and myself in the coming days and weeks. I’m apprehensive about the whole idea. I love working for a community newspaper, the welcoming nature of our publication, and how we connect so many levels and social circles of Western North Carolina. And part of that welcoming nature has always been our open-door policy, something that may become an exception rather than the norm in our industry moving forward. I hope not.

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

P.S. — Happy Fourth of July. God bless the freedom of the press.

JULY CLASS SCHEDULE

On the beat

Swannanoa Chamber Music Festival

The annual Swannanoa Chamber Music Festival festival will highlight two world premieres of commissioned works — Clarinet Quintet by Alyssa Weinberg, commissioned by Chamber Music America for the Enso String Quartet, and Sextet for piano 4 hands and string quartet by Inessa Zaretsky, commissioned by Lenore Fishman Davis for the St. Urban concert series.

Performances Saturdays at Warren Wilson College’s Kitredge Community Arts Center in Asheville, Sundays at the First United Methodist Church in Waynesville, and Mondays at Carolina Music Museum in Greenville, South Carolina.

All concerts at First United Methodist Church in Waynesville are Sunday matinees at 3 p.m. except at 7:30 p.m. Sunday, July 22.

• Program 2 — July 7, 8, 9: Ludwig van Beethoven String Quartet in D major, Op.18, No.3; Alyssa Weinberg Clarinet Quintet; Cesar Franck Piano Quintet in F minor - Enso String Quartet; Benjamin Mitchell, clarinet; Inessa Zaretsky, piano.

• Program 3 — July 14, 15, 16: Franz Schubert String Quartet in A minor, No. 13 “Rosamunde”; Selections from Moment musicaux, Impromptu; String Quintet in C major, Op. 163 - Tesla String Quartet; Kathe Jarka, cello; Inessa Zaretsky, piano.

• Program 4 — July 21, 22, 23: Ludwig van Beethoven String Quartet in A major, Op.18, No. 5; Inessa Zaretsky Sextet for piano 4 hands and string quartet; Claude Debussy String Quartet in G minor, Op.10 - Tesla String Quartet; Lenore Fishman Davis, piano; Inessa Zaretsky, piano.

• Program 5 — July 28, 29, 30: Ern Dohnányi Serenade for string trio in C major, Op.10; Amadeus Mozart Concerto for piano in C major, No.21; Antonín Dvoák String Quintet in G major, No. 2, Op. 77 - All Star Ensemble with Alexander Velinzon, violin; Elisa Barston, violin; Tatjana Mead-Chamis, viola; Mihail Istomin, cello; Joe McFadden, bass; Inessa Zaretsky, piano.

For tickets and additional information, visit Swannanoa Chamber Music Festival at www.scm-festival.com.

Concerts on the Creek

The Concerts on the Creek summer series will welcome Crocodile Smile (soul/rock) at 6:30 p.m. during the Fourth of July Fireworks, and also the Darren Nicholson Band (Americana/country) at 7 p.m. Friday, July 6, at Bridge Park in downtown Sylva.

The lineup for this year’s series will also include: The Super 60s Band (classic hits) July 13, Andalyn (rock/country) July 20, Summer Brooke & The Mountain Faith Band (bluegrass/gospel) July 27, Lance & Lea (Americana/pop) Aug. 3, The Get Right Band (soul/rock) Aug. 10, The Colby Deitz Band (rock/Americana) Aug. 17, Geoff McBride (rock/Americana) Aug. 24 and Dashboard Blue (classic hits) Aug. 31.

The concerts are free and open to the public. There will also be food trucks onsite. For more information, call 828.586.2155 or visit www.mountainlovers.com.

‘An Appalachian Evening’

The summer concert series “An Appalachian Evening” will continue with bluegrass act Buncombe Turnpike at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, July 7, at the Stecoah Valley Center in Robbinsville.

The annual bluegrass/mountain music series will also feature Helen White & Wayne Henderson (July 14), The Snyder Family (July 21), Salt & Light (July 28), The Jeff Little Trio (Aug. 4), Volume Five (Aug. 11), Unspoken Tradition (Aug. 18) and The Kruger Brothers (Aug. 25).

Tickets for the Fireside Collective performance are $15, grades K-12 $10. Tickets are a pre-show dinner are also available for purchase. The Lynn L. Shields Auditorium is air-conditioned. www.stecoahvalleycenter.com.

Nantahala Brewing

‘Week

of Rock’

The annual “Week of Rock” celebration will continue through July 7 at Nantahala Brewing in Bryson City.

Performers include: Courtney Lynn & Quinn (Americana) at noon July 4, Danimal Planet (rock/electronic) 3 p.m. July 4, Bauner Chafin (rock) 6 p.m. July 4, Dr. Bacon (rock/jam) 9 p.m. July 4, Andalyn (rock) July 5, Psylo Joe (rock/jam) July 6 and Mac & Juice (rock/soul) July 7.

All shows are free and at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Frank & Allie (Americana/folk) will also perform at 6 p.m. July 7 in The Warehouse restaurant/taproom just down the road from the brewery.

For more information, visit www.nantahalabrewing.com.

Ugandan choir to play Sylva

The Imani Milele Children Choir will be presenting a concert at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, July 5, at First United Methodist Church of Sylva.

The Imani Milele Choir is comprised of children and teenagers who are under the care of the Imani Milele Children Program. These young people are an inspiration to people of all ages.

The purpose of the concert is to bring awareness of the plight of Uganda’s orphans and vulnerable children. The choir has performed before various audiences including ambassadors, ministers, churches, schools

and also for the President of Uganda and his First Lady, with great reviews. The choir’s performance is a mix of African traditional music, dance, African acappella, testimonies, and more.

The Imani Milele Children’s Program mission is to “Rescue, Educate and Develop” orphaned and vulnerable children, equipping them with skills to become self-sustaining and productive leaders, impacted with the love of Jesus Christ.

The concert is free and open to the public. A love offering will be collected to help support the school. Prior to and after the performance, a table of handmade crafts will be for sale.

All are welcome and invited to attend. For more information, call 828.586.2358.

On the beat

• Andrews Brewing Company (Andrews) will host the “Lounge Series” with Jordyn Pepper July 4, Jody West & The Boss Man July 5, Gabe Myers July 6, Twelfth Fret (Americana/folk) July 7 and Kato Estill July 13. All shows are free and begin at 6 p.m. unless otherwise noted. www.andrewsbrewing.com.

• Balsam Falls Brewing (Sylva) will host Twelfth Fret (Americana/folk) July 6, Jeff Ginn July 13, Bird In Hand (Americana/folk) July 20 and John the Revelator (blues/folk) July 27. All shows begin at 9 p.m. www.facebook.com/balsamfallsbrewing.

• Blue Ridge Beer Hub (Waynesville) will host an acoustic jam with Main St. NoTones from 6 to 9 p.m. July 5 and 12. Free and open to the public.www.blueridgebeerhub.com.

• Boojum Brewing (Waynesville) will host Ol’ Dirty Bathtub (Americana/bluegrass) at 9 p.m. July 7. The show is free and open to the public. www.boojumbrewing.com.

• The Classic Wineseller (Waynesville) will host Cynthia McDermott (mandolin/vocals) July 6, Russ Wilson Duo (jazz/swing) July 7, ‘Round the Fire (folk/rock) July 13 and Joe Cruz (piano/vocals) July 14. All shows are free and begin at 7 p.m. 828.452.6000 or www.classicwineseller.com.

• Currahee Brewing (Franklin) will host Gold Rose (Americana/rock) July 14, Brady Clampitt July 20 and Bradley Carter July 28. All shows are free and begin at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted. www.curraheebrew.com.

• Frog Level Brewing (Waynesville) will host The Clyde’s July 6, Elysium Park July 7, Isaiah Breedlove (Americana/folk) July 13 and Scoundrel’s Lounge July 14. All shows are free and begin at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted.www.froglevelbrewing.com.

• Harmon’s Den Bistro at HART (Waynesville) will host karaoke and an open mic at 8 p.m. on Saturdays. www.harttheatre.org.

• Innovation Brewing (Sylva) will have an Open Mic night July 4 and 11, and a jazz night with the Kittle/Collings Duo July 5 and 12. All events are free and begin at 8 p.m. www.innovation-brewing.com.

• Isis Music Hall (West Asheville) will host Blue Yonder 7 p.m. July 6, Ellis Dyson & The Shambles 9 p.m. July 6, Celtic Music & Mythic Tales 5:30 p.m. July 8, Diali Cissokho & Kaira Ba 7:30 p.m. July 8, Upland Drive (lawn concert) 6:30 p.m. July 12 Zoe Mulford & Emily Mure 7 p.m. July 12, The Lost Chord (Moody Blues tribute) 8:30 p.m. July 13, Beth Snapp w/Rebecca Haviland & Whiskey Heart 9 p.m. July 14. For more information about the performances and/or to purchase tickets, click onwww.isisasheville.com.

Groovin’ On the Green

The Groovin’ On the Green concert series will host Hurricane Creek at 6:30 p.m. Friday, July 6, at The Village Green Commons stage and lawn.

Other performers this summer include: Eat A Peach (July 13), High-5 Band (July 27), Andalyn (Aug. 3), Sundown (Aug. 10), The Krickets (Aug. 17), The Buchanan Boys (Aug. 24) and The Boomers (Sept. 1).

Groovin’ On the Green is rain or shine. Picnics and coolers are allowed, however concert goers can enjoy delicious food and beverage for sale from the vendors onsite.

Concerts are free, but donations are always appreciated. Dogs are welcome, but must be on a leash and under the control of their owners at all times.

To learn more about the concert schedule, or about community events at The Village Green visit www.villagegreencashiersnc.com. Follow The Village Green on social media @cashiersgreen.

Pickin’ on the Square

The Pickin’ on the Square summer concert series will feature The Remnants (oldies/Motown) at 7 p.m. Saturday, July 7, at the Gazebo in downtown Franklin.

Other upcoming performers include: Frogtown (bluegrass) July 14, Elderly Brothers (beach/oldies) July 21 and The Clydes (bluegrass) July 28. The concert series is free and open to the public. Bring your lawn chair. Food vendors will also be available. www.townoffranklinnc.com.

• Lazy Hiker Brewing (Franklin) will host the “Reggae Sunsplash” from 6 to 11 p.m. July 6-7 with PMA, Center of Motion, Natti Love Joys and Roots of a Rebellion to perform. There will also be an open mic night at 6:30 p.m. every Thursday. For more information and a complete schedule of events, click on www.lazyhikerbrewing.com.

• The Macon County Public Library (Franklin) will host The Vagabonds (old country/gospel) at 2 p.m. July 9. The group performs every second Monday of the month. Free and open to the public.

• Mountain Layers Brewing (Bryson City) will host an open mic night at 7 p.m. every Thursday. www.mountainlayersbrewingcompany.com.

• Nantahala Brewing (Bryson City) will host the “Week of Rock” celebration with Courtney Lynn & Quinn (Americana) noon July 4, Danimal Planet (rock/electronic) 3 p.m. July 4, Bauner Chafin (rock) 6 p.m. July 4, Dr.

Bacon (rock/jam) 9 p.m. July 4, Andalyn (rock) July 5, Psylo Joe (rock/jam) July 6 and Mac & Juice (rock/soul) July 7. All shows are free and begin at 8 p.m.unless otherwise noted. www.nantahalabrewing.com.

• Nantahala Outdoor Center (Nantahala Gorge) will host Pioneer Chicken Stand July 7. Shows are free and begin at 6 p.m. www.noc.com.

• The Oconaluftee Visitor Center (Cherokee) will host a back porch old-time music jam from 1 to 3 p.m. July 7. All are welcome to come play or simply sit and listen to sounds of Southern Appalachia.

• Pub 319 (Waynesville) will host an open mic night from 8 to 11 p.m. on Wednesday with Mike Farrington of Post Hole Diggers. Free and open to the public. www.pub319socialhouse.com.

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

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

• The Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts (Franklin) will host Mountain Voices, a 55-member chorus, who will present popular music from the past 50 years, at 7 p.m. July 13. Tickets are $12 per person. www.greatmountainmusic.com.

• Soul Infusion Tea House & Bistro (Sylva) will host The Build July 14. Both show begin at 7 p.m. 828.586.1717 or www.soulinfusion.com.

• Southern Porch (Canton) will host Jason Whitaker (singer-songwriter) July 12, Laura Thurston (singer-songwriter) July 19 and Joshua Simmons & Friends July 28. All shows begin at 7 p.m. Free and open to the public. www.southern-porch.com.

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

• The Ugly Dog Pub (Highlands) will host Urban Soil (roots/rock) July 7 and Lance & Lea (pop/Americana) July 14. All shows begin at 9:30 p.m.

• The Water’n Hole Bar & Grill (Waynesville) will host Alex Culbreth July 7 and Humps & The Blackouts (psychobilly) July 13. All shows begin at 10 p.m. 828.456.4750.

On the street

WNC celebrates Independence Day

Nothing says summer more than the Fourth of July, and in Western North Carolina, we celebrate Independence Day with gusto. Between majestic fireworks, sizzling hot dogs and hamburgers, cotton candy, games, live music and craft demonstrations, there’s a little of bit of everything for any and all. So, grab your lawn chair, sunglasses and adventurous spirit, and enjoy this special day.

Sweet Corn Festival

The 21th annual Sweet Corn Festival will be held from 10 a.m.to 3 p.m. Saturday, July 7, at St. Cyprian’s Church on 216 Roller Mill Road in Franklin.

Silent auction with items and gift certificates from area attractions including Dollywood and Santa’s Land Fun Park, as well as local shops and restaurants.

Barbecue, live entertainment including the Nikwasi Dulcimer Players and Westsound from Asheville, trail walks, historic church tours and bake sale. Vendors onsite with a wide variety of crafts, jewelry, fine arts and more. Activities for children, which includes a bounce house and bounce horses.

Proceeds benefit All Saints Episcopal community outreach. Park at church, or

Lake Junaluska

Fourth of July

All are invited to spend a patriotic Fourth of July at Lake Junaluska. The Independence Day Celebrations will feature three concerts, a variety of family friendly activities, a parade and a fireworks display. The theme for the event is “Red, White & Bluegrass: Celebrating the Music of the Mountains,” and it will be incorporated throughout the events.

On July 4, festivities begin with a community Independence Day parade. The parade, which follows the Red, White & Bluegrass theme, will be led by Balsam Range as the grand marshals. The parade begins at Lambuth Inn at 11 a.m. and proceeds along North Lakeshore Drive until its conclusion at the Nanci Weldon Memorial Gym. Immediately following the parade, a barbecue picnic will take place with bounce

houses, face painting and a balloon artist for the kids, and a performance by Whitewater Bluegrass Company. At 1:30 p.m., Whitewater Bluegrass Company’s front man, “Uncle” Ted White, will serve as caller for a family-friendly mountain square dance. No experience is necessary to participate and the free dance is open to all.

The Lake Junaluska Singers will return to the Stuart Auditorium stage at 7:30 p.m. July 4, when they perform a patriotic salute in their first concert performance of the season. Tickets for the Lake Junaluska Singers are $23 reserved or $18 general admission.

After the concert, the Lake Junaluska Singers will sing the national anthem as the free fireworks begin around 9:30 p.m. There will be more than 800 fireworks launched for the community to enjoy. Lodging and meal packages for the entire event are available. To learn more or to purchase tickets, visit www.lakejunaluska.com/july4th.

Independence Day in the Smokies

• Canton Fourth of July Celebration www.cantonnc.com

• Stars & Strips Celebration, Waynesville www.downtownwaynesville.com

• Red White & Boom, Maggie Valley www.maggievalley.org

• Fourth of July Celebration, Sylva www.mountainlovers.com

• Freedom Fest, Bryson City www.greatsmokies.com

• 4th of July Parade/Fireworks Celebration, Franklin, www.franklin-chamber.com

• 4th of July Fireworks Show, Cherokee www.nc-cherokee.com

• Fourth of July Celebration, Cashiers www.cashiers411.com

• Fourth of July Celebration, Andrews www.visitcherokeecountync.com

• Independence Day Celebration, Highlands www.highlandsinfo.com

• Independence Day Fireworks, Murphy www.visitcherokeecountync.com

• Independence Day Parade/Celebration, Hayesville, www.ncmtnchamber.com

• Sapphire Valley Yankee Doodle Dandy Day www.sapphirevalley.com

• Fourth of July Celebration, Fontana Village www.fontanavillage.com

overflow parking nearby at Dr. Shaller’s office on Roller Mill Road at Kmart center. Free admission. www.allsaintsfranklin.org.

• The Appalachian Heritage Festival will kickoff at 9 p.m. Saturday, July 14, in downtown Franklin. Heritage demonstrations, live music, and more. www.franklin-chamber.com.

• There will be several ballroom and Latin dance classes offered on Sundays and Mondays at Frog Level Brewing in Waynesville. Classes for beginners, intermediate and all levels. $10 per class. For more information, visit www.froglevelbrewing.com.

• The Maggie Valley United Methodist Church will host its 15th annual barbecue and

gospel sing from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, July 14. There will be door prizes, musical performances and a barbecue lunch. Cost is $8. Takeouts will be available. Bring a lawn chair. All proceeds will support church missions. The MVUMC is located at 4192 Soco Road. Call 828.926.9794.

• Line Dance Lessons will be held on Tuesdays in Waynesville. Times are 7 to 8 p.m. every other Tuesday. Cost is $10 per class and will feature modern/traditional line dancing. 828.734.0873 or kimcampbellross@gmail.comfor more information.

• “Laughing Balsam Sangha,” a meeting for Mindfullness in the tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh, meets will meet from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. on Mondays at 318 Skyland Drive in

Sylva. Included are sitting and walking meditation, and Dharma discussion. Free admission. For more information, call 828.335.8210, and “Like” them on Facebook.

• There will be a free wine tasting from 1 to 5 p.m. July 7 and 14 at Bosu’s Wine Shop in Waynesville. www.waynesvillewine.comor 828.452.0120.

• A free wine tasting will be held from 2 to 5 p.m. July 7 and 14 at Papou’s Wine Shop in Sylva. www.papouswineshop.comor 828.631.3075.

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

Folkmoot dinner, live music

Join Folkmoot for an evening of locallygrown, internationally-themed delicacies for the Sunday Soiree Friendship Dinner at 5 p.m. Sunday, July 22, on Virginia Avenue in Waynesville.

Celebrating the second year of the Soiree, Folkmoot has invited the chefs of the Blind Pig Supper Club to share an array of street foods from eight world cultures, alongside four youth cultural groups practiced in Appalachian, African, American jazz and Cherokee inspired entertainment. After dinner, meet and greet Folkmoot’s international performers over dessert.

The Blind Pig is a local organization of reputable chefs, cooks, servers, designers, artists, farmers, foragers and hunters. Menus and dinner concepts are drafted upon ideas that inspire, and like Folkmoot, go beyond and above conventional standards.

Blind Pig have strict food philosophies, as you will find in their use of local and seasonal vegetables, meats, and seafood on their menus. Blind Pig has hosted hundreds of concept-charity dinners since their inception and garnered local and national media attention and awards for its array of cultural preservation, documentation, research and philanthropy through their distinct merging of food and experience.

Folkmoot is honored to partner with Blind Pig for the Sunday Soiree dinner which will feature the foods of the countries of all visiting international groups.

Youth performers during the Soiree include Lillian Chase, a prodigious 14 yearold bluegrass and ballad singer. Lillian’s list of accomplishments include performing at Merlefest, Song of the Mountains, and recording her own debut album.

Dvdaya Swimmer is a impressive young Cherokee voice who will wow the crowd with a musical piece sung in the Cherokee language.

The Urban Arts Institute is based in Asheville. UAI’s mission is to provide an outlet for artistic expression and mentorship to youth in Asheville’s urban community. UAI students will perform a dance number sure to excite and inspire.

The Tuscola High School Jazz Band will offer a lively show comprised of American jazz standards. These local students are highly practiced and musically skilled and are sure to impress.

Youth performances at the Sunday Soiree have been made possible by Folkmoot contributor, Thomas Ezell.

Tickets for this event can be purchased in advance, $65 for adults, $30 for kids, at www.folkmoot.orgor by calling 828.452.2997. Ticket sales and contributions support Folkmoot programs that sustain cultural arts for youth & families in Haywood County. Parking is available in the back of the Folkmoot building.

Folkmoot’s year-round programming initiatives have been made possible by the Community Foundation of Western North Carolina and the Cherokee Preservation Foundation.

Folkmoot is a nonprofit organization dedicated to celebrating many cultures in one community. The Folkmoot Friendship Center is located in the Historic Hazelwood School at 112 Virginia Avenue in Waynesville. Staff can be reached by phone at 828.452.2997 or by email at info@folkmoot.org.

JOIN THE TEAM!

Project MARS/AmeriCorps is recruiting for full-time positions in Haywood, Swain , Transylvania, Cherokee, Graham and Buncombe counties.

MEMBERS WILL:

• Serve children directly within the schools

• Provide mentoring, academic assistance andresources for success

• Collaborate with teachers, staff and administration to identify students with needs

Living allowance, health insurance stipend, education awardand loan forbearance available. Candidates must have a bachelor’s degree. Please contact Kate Snow, program director for additional information: katies@bbbswnc.org or at 336.354.3325

s meet rock, folk, and pure ow are $35, with a cookout fore the performance. For 1. And get ready for one s h songwriting. dinner (priced reservations, weet show.

Southeast Tourism Society has Cashiers Plein Air Festival one of the STS Top 20 Events in the Southeast for July 2018.

Glass Catalyst: Littleton’s Legacy in Contemporary Sculpture Plein Air Festival wins award

This year’s Cashiers Plein Air Festival is July 17-21. The STS Top 20 Festival and Event Awards have highlighted programs around the Southeast since 1985. Travel industry experts select 20 events per month, and STS publicizes them throughout the United States.

This summer is the Fifth Biennial Cashiers Plein Air Festival, an art competition and sale featuring nationally acclaimed painters from throughout the country.

Plein air is French for “open air;” more than 20 select festival artists will set up their easels outdoors to capture the beauty of the North Carolina Mountains. Their original art is displayed for viewing and sale at a pop up art gallery at The Village Green Commons in Cashiers. The artists’ medium, technique and

Uptown Gallery exhibit, workshop

There will be an artisan exhibit, presentation and workshop at the Uptown Gallery on Main Street in downtown Franklin.

• The gallery will be introducing new artwork for July and August with an art reception from 4 to 6 p.m. Friday, July 6. Come by for refreshments and meet the local artist members of the Macon County Art Association who create exceptional paintings, jewelry, fine crafts, and other unique gift items.

• Artist Mary Jo Gayer will present the program “Stepping into the Magical World of Fiber” at 1 p.m. Monday, July 9. The discussion will go from processing fibers to the creativity of various fiber work from knitting, weaving, spinning and felting. The program will be followed by The Macon County Art Association general meeting. This event is open to the public and refreshments will be provided.

• Artist Betsey Sloan will host a sweet gourd necklace workshop on Saturday, July 14. Sloan will lead you through the steps of using a spinner gourd, marbleizing it, adding

subject matter are varied but every canvas highlights the unique landscape and lifestyle of the area. Special events, ticketed and open to the public, showcase their art.

The highlight of the week is the Palette to Palate Affair, a summer soiree celebrating the artists. Festival artists compete for the Ring Art Awards which are announced during this event. Patrons will enjoy cocktails, delectable hors d’oeuvres and dessert with an artful flair catered by Chef 365 of Greenville, South Carolina. The gallery will be open to ticket holders only that evening who can browse the art for sale while listening to jazz music by The Hot Club of Cullowhee.

Tickets for the Palette to Palate Affair are $125 per person. For information, call 828.743.3434 or email info@villagegreencashiersnc.com. Visit www.cashierspleinairfestival.com for a full schedule of events or additional details.

a bail and cord for just $7 non-members and $5 members. The process takes about 10 minutes. Adults and children are welcome. No need to register. Just stop in between the hours of 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

To register for the workshops or for additional class information, call 828.349.4607, email franklinuptowngallery@gmail.comor visit www.franklinuptowngallery.com.

Heritage Arts Summer Festival

The annual Heritage Arts Summer Festival will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, July 14, at Southwestern Community College on U.S. 74 just west of Bryson City.

Presented by the SCC Ceramic Arts Club, this event is rapidly growing into a fullfledged “don’t miss” with the work of over 30 of the best pottery students in the region featured, as well as pottery demonstrations, food, live music, and more.

Free admission. www.ncheritageartsfestival.wordpress.com.

The Western Carolina University Fine Art Museum exhibition “Glass Catalyst: Littleton’s Legacy in Contemporary Sculpture” will run through Dec. 7 at the Bardo Arts Center.

Celebrating the efforts of the late Harvey Littleton, one of the greatest proponents of using glass as an expressive medium, the exhibition explores the work of contemporary artists concentrating in glass and how they are building off the foundations laid by Littleton during the early years of the Studio Glass Movement. A key work in the exhibition will be a new acquisition to the Museum’s collection: a glass sculpture by Harvey Littleton entitled “Terracotta Arc.”

This piece was unveiled at a special opening reception on June 14 at the Bardo Arts Center, which would have been Littleton’s 96th birthday. Donated by the

Littleton Family in honor of WCU Professor Emeritus Joan Falconer Byrd, this sculpture serves as a focal point in the exhibition and a reminder of how Littleton’s impact reverberates through the generations.

Artists featured in the exhibition include: Alex Bernstein, Carol Milne, Hayden Wilson, Matt Eskuche, Shane Fero, Robert Burch, Carmen Lozar, Carole Frève, Einar and Jamex de la Torre, Shayna Leib, and Dean Allison. Glass enthusiasts, sculptors, lovers of innovation, and even knitters will especially enjoy this display of works ranging from cast figures to blown glass to delicate lamp-worked forms.

Regular museum hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and Thursdays until 7 p.m. For information, call 828.227.ARTS or visit bardoartscenter.wcu.edu.

On the wall

Waynesville art walk, live music

The “Art After Dark” season will continue from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, July 6, in downtown Waynesville.

Each first Friday of the month (MayDecember), Main Street transforms into an evening of art, music, finger foods, beverages and shopping as artisan studios and galleries keep their doors open later for local residents and visitors.

Participants include Burr Studio, Cedar Hill Studios, Earthworks Gallery, Haywood County Arts Council’s Gallery & Gifts, The Jeweler’s Workbench, Moose Crossing Burl Wood Gallery, T. Pennington Art Gallery, Twigs and Leaves Gallery and The Village Framer.

It is free to attend Art After Dark. www.waynesvillegalleryassociation.com.

Balsam Summer Craft Show

The Balsam Arts & Crafters will have its annual “Summer Craft Show” from 9 a.m. to

• “Paint Nite Waynesville” will be held at 7 p.m. on Thursdays (July 12) at Frog Level Brewing in Waynesville. Sign up for either event on the Paint Night Waynesville Facebook page or call Robin Arramae at 828.400.9560. paintnitewaynesville@gmail.com.

• The “Movies on Everett” outdoor series will run through Aug. 17 at the corner of Mitchell and Everett streets in downtown Bryson City. Screenings begin at 9 p.m. Family-friendly. Free to attend. For a full schedule of the films to be screened, visit www.greatsmokies.com.

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

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

3 p.m. Saturday, July 7, at the Balsam Fire Department.

Handmade arts and crafts will be on display including: baskets, chair bottoming, crocheted items, hand-sewn items, matted and frames photos, hand stitched and stamped greeting cards, oil paintings and prints, small hand painted tiles and wooden spoons, old windows with painted scenes, jewelry, wood carvings, glass jewelry boxes, homemade fudge and baked goods among many other items.

A portion of the entry fee will benefit the fire department.

Haywood Arts member show

The Haywood County Arts Council annual “Artist Member Show” exhibit will run from through July 28.

The show is a celebration of our community of artists, allowing them to share their great work at the height of the summer season. It’s a show filled with variety, including local painters, potters, jewelers, and much more. www.haywoodarts.org.

ed. You can keep up with them through their Facebook group or by calling 828.276.6226 for more information.

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

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

• Free classes and open studio times are being offered at The Uptown Gallery in Franklin. Join others at a painting open studio session from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. every Tuesday and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Thursdays. For information on days open, hours and additional art classes and workshops, contact the gallery on 30 East Main Street at 828.349.4607.

On the stage

Herman classic at HART

Lyn Donley.

The Jerry Herman blockbuster “Mame,” starring Lyn Donley in the title role, will hit the stage at 7:30 p.m. July 6-7, 12-14, 19-21, 26-28 and at 2 p.m. July 8, 15, 22 and 29 at the Haywood Arts Regional Theatre in Waynesville.

JULY 4TH AT LONG'S CHAPEL! 6 p.m. until fireworks end Games and activities for all ages including: Slip-n-slide, ice cream eating contest, corn hole, volleyball, dunking booth, bounce houses, food trucks & more. EVERYONE WELCOME

Bring a lawn chair or blanket and a towel. Event schedule at LongsChapel.com.

“Mame” is based on the play “Auntie Mame,” which is in turn based on the Patrick Dennis novel of the same name. Set in New York and spanning the Great Depression and World War II, it focuses on eccentric bohemian Mame Dennis, whose famous motto is “Life is a banquet and most poor sons of bitches are starving to death.” Her fabulous life with her wealthy friends is interrupted when the young son of her late brother arrives to live with her. They cope with the Depression in a series of adventures.

In 1958, a film based on the play was released, starring Rosalind Russell, who originated the role on Broadway. Russell was nominated for an Academy Award and won a Golden Globe for her portrayal. The decision to turn the show into a musical was almost immediate and Jerry Herman wrote the show with Judy Garland in mind for the title character. He was later persuaded that she was not up to the rigorous eight show a week per-

formance schedule, so it was offered to Mary Martin, who turned it down.

The musical opened on Broadway at the Winter Garden Theater in May of 1966, starring Angela Lansbury and Bea Arthur. The production became a hit, running four years, racking up over 1,500 performances and garnered Tony Awards for all of its leads. The success of the musical spawned a 1974 film with Lucille Ball in the title role and Bea Arthur reprising her supporting role, as well as a London production, a Broadway revival, and a 40th anniversary revival at the Kennedy Center in 2006.

Jerry Herman was coming off the success of “Hello Dolly,” which was still running on Broadway when “Mame” opened. He would later create “La Cage aux Folles,” cementing his reputation for creating shows with elaborate sets, costumes, and showstopper numbers.

HART’s production will also feature Stephen A. Gonya, Allison Stinson, Karen Covington Yow, Janice Schreiber and Andrew Delbene in principal roles and an ensemble of nearly 35.

For more information and/or to purchase tickets, call 828.456.6322 or visit www.harttheatre.org.

• Terpsicorps Theatre of Dance, North Carolina’s summertime professional contemporary ballet company headquartered in Asheville, continues its 15th Anniversary Season with a performance at 7:30 p.m. Sunday, July 15, at the Daniel and Belle Fangmeyer Theater at the Haywood Arts Regional Theatre in Waynesville. Tickets are $35 for adults, $20 for seniors and students, and $12 for children under 12. A special $65 Gala ticket includes a pre-show reception with wine and hors d’oeuvres by Harmons Den Bistro, VIP seating, and coffee and dessert with the cast after the show. Tickets may be purchased online through Eventbrite or in person at the Haywood County Arts Council located at 86 N Main Street in Waynesville.

Frazier’s latest novel is a marvelous read

... never acknowledging that the general culture is often stupid or evil and would vote out God in favor of the devil if he fed them back their hate and fear in a way that made them feel righteous.

— Varina, page 329

Back in the eighteenth century, England developed a popular form of novel called “picaresque.” Essentially, this name was applied to a novel in which the hero or heroine travels to exotic places where they have exciting adventures. The characters were frequently a bit disreputable but survived in spite of the odds against them. Moll Flanders and Tom Jones were popular examples.

Charles Frazier has taken this form and turned it on its head in Varina, his latest novel. Varina Davis, the ill-starred wife of Jefferson Davis, the defeated president of the Confederacy, spent the majority of her life traveling. Frazier follows this remarkable woman as she moves through both time and space. While sharing the indignities and judgments heaped on her husband, Varina accepts her fate and learns to not only endure, but to acquire a kind of dignity. There is one significant difference. Unlike Tom and Moll, Varina is never a comic character. Indeed, Varina, although subjected to the ridicule, contempt and the harsh judgment of both the press and post-war public opinion, retains her wit and charm. In effect, Charles Frazier provides his protagonist with “gravitas” or a well-earned dignity.

If the Civil War had not happened, Varina Davis would have lived the pampered life of the spouse of a popular senator who was already a decorated war hero. Although wounded and widowed, Jefferson was a politician with a gift for oratory. Although rumored to be in mourning for his first wife, he perceived Varina to he an ideal wife who could plan the dinner parties and provide the witty remarks on current events that would be repeated in the press, thereby making Sen.

Davis and his wife the leading stars in the Washington galaxy. Indeed, Varina had already proved her worth in the constant wars with relatives, including her judgmental mother and disputes over property and wills.   However, she had barely adjusted to Washington when her husband was elected

President of the Confederacy and Varina moved to Richmond where she watched this new government flourish and then founder and collapse. When Richmond burned, Varina escaped with a kind of “movable feast” ... a household composed of children, relatives, “extended family members” and friends. Observers often compared Varina’s flight to the movement of a gypsy camp.  Jefferson Davis abandoned Richmond with a vague idea of fleeing to Cuba and possibly reorganizing his rebel government there.

‘Let’s Talk About It’

The next installment of the “Let’s Talk About It” author series, titled “Picturing America: Making Tracks,” will take place from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday, July 7, in the Waynesville Library Auditorium. This event will focus on the book Rising from the Rails: Pullman Porters and Making of the Black Middle Class by Larry Tye. He is an American nonfiction author and journalist known for his biographies of notable Americans.

Drawing on extensive interviews with dozens of porters and their descendants, Tye reconstructs the complicated world of the Pullman porter and the vital cultural, political, and economic roles they played as forerunners of the modern black middle class. Rising from the Rails provides a lively and enlightening look at this important social phenomenon.

As the household travels, the “first lady” gathers a strange assortment of folks: Jimmy Slender is an abandoned child that Varina picks up in the streets of Richmond (she named him for his ability to bend his joints in an unnatural way), a collection of uncles and aunts many of which were African-Americans who had become a part of her extended family, several armed soldiers and a number of young rebel soldiers, the number varying from day to day. It may be that Jimmy Slender may be Frazier’s creation to suggest the “curse” that Jimmy lived under since he was uncertain of his race. Were his parents African-American? His light brown complexion suggested it. The world around him was uncertain, too, and often indicated that he appeared to be “colored” and should wait outside until the Missus can see you. One theme that runs throughout Varina like a dark thread is Varina’s drug addiction. Throughout her life she had been accustomed to taking both opium and laudanum for headaches, nervousness and anxiety. Like thousands of Southern women, Varina kept a steady stock of both drugs, although she preferred the opium which she took in a glass of wine. She was haunted by bad dreams and images of war, and the faces of her dead children. Varina always saw these drugs as a blessing since they afforded a means of suppressing terror and grief, and she recommended them to her famous visitor in her final years: Oscar Wilde.

It is on this journey to Florida that Varina experiences the full horror of the war. She sees the mangled bodies, the dead children, the bitter young men with empty sleeves, flapping pant legs, the eyeless and the mutilated. Years later, she will see them again in the hospitals and in towns throughout the South. When she bent close to the ear of a dying soldier, she whispered, “Go now. Just let go. The future

holds nothing but pain for you, so go. Cross the river and escape into the green woods.”

The fugitives never made it to Cuba, of course. While still passing through ruined towns and muddy roads, at a painfully slow rate ... less than 12 miles each day, they were finally captured. Both Jefferson, the remnants of his staff and Varina are rushed off to prison in Fort Monroe and the hysteria sets in as the press talks of traitors and judgment.

It is in prison that Varina has time to ponder all that she has seen, the burned plantations, the abandoned children and the ruined land. She kept a diary and wrote letters, vainly trying to pull remnants of the old life together. When she is finally released, she goes back to Richmond and spends time prowling through antique stores looking for the silverware, the dishes and the furnishings that were once hers. She sometimes finds remnants: a cracked plate, a few dishes and lo, a small painting by Whistler that she treasured.

There is little to suggest that the elderly Jefferson Davis treasured his youthful, intelligent second help-mate. In fact, upon being released from prison, he chose to live with a widow named Dorsey who intended to help him with his autobiography. He never finished it and it was Varina who, after Jefferson’s death, took the odds and ends of Jefferson’s writing and pulled them together, revising and expanding them. In the end, she dies quietly, almost like an after-thought or a footnote (pneumonia). I am left with a singular thought: Is this book an accurate depiction of Varina Davis, or is she totally a marvelous fictional personage created by Charles Frazier?

This is a wonderful book and represents Charles Frazier at his best. Varina contains some of the most moving passages of prose that I have read in some time. Those dealing with warfare are especially notable and the burning and retreat from Richmond moved me tremendously. The death of two young men in one of the ruined plantations on the “road to Havana” is like a synopsis of the entire war. This book deserves to be read slowly, and savored like one of Varina’s favorite meals: oysters coated in cornmeal and fried in hot bacon grease.

(Gary Carden can be reached at gcarden498@aol.com.)

Copies are now available for loan at the Waynesville Library office, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Bruce Dick leads this discussion. Dick is a professor in the Department of English at Appalachian State University with a specialty in African American Literature and Studies. No registration is required. For more information, contact Bob Bahnsen, Friends Program Coordinator, at 828.421.6798. This project is made possible by funding from the North Carolina Humanities Council, a statewide nonprofit and affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Friends of the Haywood County Public Library provides a matching grant for this series. This nonprofit group raises money for the Library through memberships and its Annual Book Sale in July. Programming for adults and children, furniture, equipment and numerous materials are among the ways it supports the Haywood County Library.

OFF THE BEATEN PATH

Alarka Institute leads quest for rare mountain flower

Bartram delivered the seeds to Philadelphia, it’s been extinct in the wild since 1803.

“Franklinia, which is now extinct in the wild, does fantastic here,” Johnston told the class. “I can grow that stuff all day long. It’s the easiest to grow and it’s extinct. Then the silky camellia you find out on the coast are easier to grow than these mountain camellias.”

The mountain variety is rare enough that Johnston has mostly mapped out where individual shrubs are present in the wild. And the Alarka Institute group was going to get to see some of those plants firsthand.

But getting there would require some doing. First there was a splash across the clear little creek running down to the river, then a scramble uphill to an old logging road, which carried the group through a cutover forest of younger trees and out to the river, where an old, long swinging bridge maintained by the state, though rickety-feeling enough to inspire some trepidation — granted passage to the opposite bank.

Flovers, a blooming mountain camellia is a rare to non-existent sight.

A member of the tea family, it’s picky about its habitat, easily susceptible to drought and fire, and reticent to reproduce. All that adds up to a tenuous existence in scattered, isolated populations through the Southern Appalachians. To find a mountain camellia, you’ve got to know where to go and what to look for, and be willing to tromp through the backcountry until you see it.

At least, that’s true for most everyone except Brent Martin.

Martin, who operates the guide service Alarka Institute with his wife Angela, has only to walk out his back door to see some of the most dramatic camellia blooms around. He has 19 of the shrubs growing in the yard of his Cowee home, and he and Angela are probably

the only people in Western North Carolina who can make that claim — mountain camellia is notoriously hard to grow and impossible to transplant. Brent Martin has planted at least 125 mountain camellia seedlings over the years, and of those only 19 have survived.

“Don’t plan to grow these for money,” Jack Johnston, Martin’s friend and fellow camellia enthusiast, joked to a group of Alarka Institute students gathered in hopes of spotting a camellia in the wild.

INSEARCHOF THEMOUNTAINCAMELLIA

The group stood on the banks of the Little Tennessee River within the Needmore Game Lands, promised a day full of time in the woods and beautiful blooms. But first, a botany lesson.

Johnston, who is also an emergency room nurse, handed each member of the class a

sheet detailing all the major bullet points of knowledge he’d gained from more than 30 years of studying and growing the mountain camellia, whose scientific name is Stewartia ovata. Don’t fertilize it, he said, because the roots can’t take it. If growing in a pot, drainage is key, but definitely don’t let it get dry. After planting a seed, give it up to six years to germinate, and don’t expect a flower until the 10-year mark.

It’s safe to say Stewartia ovata is a finicky plant.

“When you have drought, I’m telling you these plants are disappearing,” said Johnston. “I have seen places where they are gone. One dry year and it kills the roots. They can’t resprout. They are dead. They are no more.”

Yet somehow, Stewartia ovata persists in the wild — and that’s more than can be said for its cousin, the Franklinia alatamaha.

Renowned botanist William Bartram discovered the Franklinia in a 2-acre area along the banks of the Altamaha River in Southeastern Georgia during a 1765 expedition, collecting seeds during a return trip in 1773. The tree was never found growing anywhere else, and while it’s been grown in cultivation ever since

The bridge ended where a narrow and sometimes overgrown trail began, running along the riverside through patches of forest and even larger patches of brambles featuring a healthy share of blackberries and poison ivy.

Suddenly, Johnston veered off the barelythere path and straight uphill, barging through a thicket of rhododendron before bending down to scoop up a handful of whiteness, throwing it to the group trailing below him. They were mountain camellia flowers, fallen to the ground, and they were beautiful — large, white petals that contrasted sharply against dark purple filaments topped with bright yellow anthers.

In the United States, Johnston said, magnolias are the shrubs with the biggest flowers. But Stewartia comes in second.

“Of the eight species of this name, in my experience these mountain Stewartias are as good of a bloom as you can find,” Johnston said.

From the gasps and oohs and ahs of the students, it was apparent that nobody had any fault to find with the flowers as they passed the fallen blooms around. Overhead, more flowers could be seen sitting like halos atop green leaves reaching toward the sun.

The uphill march came to a quick halt, however, when Johnston spotted a seedling. Then two, then three and on up to eight. It was a startling sight, because, as Johnston had explained before starting the hike, “mountain camellia very, very seldom propagates itself.” He urged the class to retreat downhill to avoid trampling these rare offspring.

Even in this case, the seedlings were likely the result of a bit of human intervention — Johnston’s intervention, that is.

“Years ago I came in here with a little saw —there were rhododendrons that were choking it — and opened it up a little bit,” he explained. “It’s taken years for those seedlings to appear.”

Johnston hadn’t come unarmed on this outing, either — he led the way with a pair of clippers that he used to cut F

Explore the institute

Alarka Institute, named for the beautiful and wild Alarka area near owners Brent and Angela Martin’s home in Cowee, offers a diverse array of classes in natural history, cultural history and nature-based art and writing. Here’s a taste of what’s on the calendar this summer:

n Story- Based Medicine Part I: Medicinal Syrups. Get to know the personality or spirit behind various plants and create a medicinal syrup with Katie Ballard of Tears of Ra. July 7. $65.

n Mountain Mycology. Spend all day hiking with “Mycol” Stevens in search of native mushrooms. July 21. $70.

n Cultural and Natural History of the Little Tennessee River Valley. Take a gentle 7-mile paddle through the landscape of the middletown Cherokees, also learning about William Bartram’s 1774 visit, plants and songbirds. July 28, Aug. 18. $50.

n Lichens with Jennifer Love. Learn about basic lichen ecology, identification and natural history with someone who’s been teaching and learning about lichens since 2006. Aug. 4. $65.

n Story-Based Medicine II: Hydrosol Distillation. Explore the alchemical process of using hydrosol, considered by some a byproduct in essential oil extraction but actually the form of plant medicine most harmonious with our bodies, with Katie Ballard of Tears of Ra. Sept. 8. $65.

To register, visit www.alarkaexpeditions.com/upcoming-events. alarkaexpeditions@gmail.comor 828.524.7400.

away brambles obstructing the path and rhododendron branches obstructing the Stewartias.

In truth, the Alarka folks were along for more than just a botany lesson. They were witnesses to an ongoing effort to pave the way for an imperiled plant to succeed.

“Some of this is just a checkup on how the species is doing,” Johnston said. “The only way it’s going to survive is in the wild. It’s simply a matter of having the space for it to grow.”

CREATINGANICHE

Johnston and Martin have been teaming up on Stewartia-seeking expeditions for years, ever since Martin first arrived in Macon County in the early 2000s to take a job with Mainspring Conservation Trust, then called the Land Trust for the Little Tennessee. Offering that experience through the fledgling Alarka Institute seemed a natural fit, but it’s far from the only genre of educational outing to be found at Alarka. From classes in mushrooms to birdcalls to cultural history via canoe trip, as well as explorations of nature-based art and writing, the institute has a broad range of courses, also offering custom trips.

The goal, said Martin, is to let folks dig deeper into the mountains surrounding them through “niche experiences” that provide an opportunity to “do something out

in the mountains that isn’t just getting out and walking around, but getting out and learning something about the place.” Alarka is an off-the-beaten-path kind of company.

The institute turned one year old in May, and Brent and Angela Martin are still in the process of tweaking and experimenting, figuring out how best to grow the business and deliver the kind of experience they want to give their customers. While it’s been a hard road, in many ways it feels like the right road.

“Every job I’ve ever had in conservation has had an educational component to it, and I taught school five years before getting into this field,” said Martin as he hiked back from the Stewartia sighting.

“Education has always been a calling for me. And I wanted to do the educational work that I really enjoyed myself. Most of the courses we offer are courses I would want to take. Plus, it allows you to be around people who love nature, who really enjoy learning about the outdoors.”

In truth, Martin had been thinking about launching a venture like Alarka for years, but the timeline accelerated when he unexpectedly lost his job as regional director for The Wilderness Society last year. Martin told The Smoky Mountain News for a November 2017 story that he’d been fired at the behest of a key donor, who didn’t appreciate Martin’s work collaborating with the divergent groups invested in the forest management plan for the Pisgah-Nantahala National Forest to come up with a compromise proposal. When contacted for that story, The Wilderness Society declined to state the reason for Martin’s termination, say that it couldn’t comment on personnel issues.

“We literally started (Alarka) the day Brent lost his job,” said Angela Martin.

“We feel like we got a lot of expertise under our belt in previous years by trying to get people passionate about the woods and nature and wilderness and various aspects of our natural world so we could help protect it and advocate for it, but now we’re doing it not only to do that but also to sustain ourselves in this world,” she added.

For now, Alarka is a shoestring operation, run out of the Martins’ home in beautiful but remote Cowee Valley. However, the hope is that won’t be the situation for long. The Martins are aiming to get a storefront in Franklin soon, driving walk-in traffic and making the classes an easier sell for folks who are interested in learning but don’t want to venture out to a stranger’s house in the middle of nowhere.

“It takes a special kind of participant to be willing to drive out to the boonies, and we want to be a little more accessible, so to speak,” said Angela Martin. Though, bringing students back to the house does have its perks — especially when it comes to Stewartia season. Brent Martin’s 19 plants, many of them blooming, feature a greater volume and diversity of blooms than could be found in even a full week of tromping through the woods. They’re beautiful, and that’s because he works as hard to bring beauty to his backyard as he does to bring Alarka students to its presence.

The Little River rips through the Elkmont area following heavy rains last week. Donated photo

Flood threat prompts evacuation in the Smokies

Heavy rains and rising rivers prompted the Great Smoky Mountains National Park to evacuate campers at Elkmont Campground last week, beginning the process around 9 a.m. Thursday, June 28, and reopening the area a few hours later.

The campground was one of several areas to close June 28 after heavy rains at high elevations throughout the park, including 2.54 inches recorded at Clingmans Dome. In a sixhour period, Little River rose about 6 feet above normal levels at Townsend Wye.

While Elkmont, Little River Road, Metcalf Bottoms Picnic Area, Upper Tremont Road and Wear Cove Gap Road all reopened about two hours after they were closed, Little River Road from Metcalf Bottoms Picnic area to Townsend Wye remained closed due to downed trees and rocks.

Enjoy Aromatherapy

Walk in the water

Spend a week in the water during a summer program offered 9 a.m. to noon Monday, July 9, through Friday, July 13, at the Pisgah Center for Wildlife

This free program will gives kids ages 10 to 15 the chance to get outside and learn more about what makes Western North Carolina’s waterways tick. It’s part of an ongoing offering of free outdoor-related workshops for people of all ages and skill levels.

Online registration required at www.ncwildlife.org/learning/education-centers/pisgah. The Pisgah Center for Wildlife Education is located near Brevard along the Davidson River.

Dig deep at Fontana

The Great Smoky Mountains Association will hold its 2018 Members

Appreciation Weekend at Fontana Village this year, exploring the theme “Community in the Wilderness” Thursday, Sept. 13, through Sunday, Sept. 16.

The weekend will feature plenty of opportunity to dig deep into the area’s rich cultural heritage as participants learn about the Eagle and Hazel Creek communities, take in the views from Fontana Dam, enjoy guided tours and much more.

$109. Space is limited, and GSMA membership is required to attend. Register at https://conta.cc/2lHoLSI.

Base Camp on the Go

Drop-in campers are welcome. Come join us! Base Camp on the Go is partnered with Haywood Health Care Foundation, the Town of Canton and Haywood County Recreation & Parks. For more information please call 456-2030 or email cmiller@waynesvillenc.gov

along with fun environmental

EVENT! 10 AM to NOON DATES & LOCATIONS: Jonathan Valley Elementary School: July 9, July 16, July 23 and July 30 Canton Park: July 17 and July 31

Fines Creek Community Center: July 11, July 18, July 25 and August 1

Recreation Park in Waynesville: July 13, July 20, July 27, and August 3

or email rlangston@waynesvillenc.gov

Summer lecture series to explore conservation themes

A summer series of free conservationthemed lectures will kick off with a talk on endangered rock gnome lichen at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, July 12, at the Highlands Nature Center in Highlands.

Presenter Jessica Allen, Ph.D., is a postdoctoral researcher at the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research. She’ll discuss the lichen’s conservation success. Up next are a July 19 talk from Planting in a Post Wild World author Claudia West about how planting can be ecological and beautiful, and a July 26 talk from Christopher Jenkins, Ph.D., of the Orianne Society titled “Timber Rattlesnakes on the Highlands Plateau.”

Blitz the biome

Talks are delivered weekly at 6 p.m. Thursdays through Sept. 13, with topics including bird conservation, mushrooms, hemlocks and more. The tradition of conservation-themed free evening lectures in Highlands has been going on since the 1930s, and the series is now known as the Zahner Conservation Lecture Series. Each lecture is sponsored by a member of the Highlands Biological Foundation and followed by a short reception outside of the Nature Center, allowing guests to continue the conversation and meet the speaker. A full lecture schedule is available at www.highlandsbiological.org or by calling 828.526.2221.

Help regional scientists document the diversity of life in the Smokies during a bioblitz in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, July 14.

Discover Life in America will partner with the Tennessee Valley Authority for the event to investigate what flora and fauna are present in the Worthington Cemetery Ecological Study Area at Elza Gate Park.

Free and family-friendly. Register at https://bit.ly/2KvBB1e.

Butterfly garden to renew lifecycle

Celebrate the resurrection of an 11-yearold butterfly garden 9 to 11 a.m. Tuesday, July 10, on the Little Tennessee River Greenway in Franklin.

The event will include a 9:30 a.m. ribbon cutting to welcome the community to the renovated garden, then participants are invited to stick around to find out about the butterflies found in the area and the plants they rely on.

The garden is located just past the rotary shelter, a short walk from the parking area behind the shops at Riverwalk on Highlands Road. The garden renovation is funded in part by a grant from the Macon County Unrestricted Endowment Fund, administered by the N.C. Community Foundation. Rain date is Wednesday, July 11.

The Little Tennessee River Greenway in Franklin. SMN Photo

Get wild in Sapphire Valley

Live animals, guided hikes, music and photography will make the 15th annual Mountain Wildlife Days celebration one to remember when it returns to the Sapphire Valley Resort Community Center July 13-14.

The event will kick off at 8 a.m. Friday, July 13, with a bird-watching walk, followed by a pair of guided hikes leaving at 9:30 a.m. and a birds of prey program at 3:30 p.m. At 7 p.m., nationally noted photographer and black bear expert Bill Lea will present “Caring for God’s Creation — Our Beloved Mountains,” focusing on the beauty and wonder of the Southern Appalachians. Pianist Bryan Heller will accompany the presentation.

On Saturday, July 14, exhibits and a silent auction will open at 9:30 a.m. The schedule includes a reptile program at 10:15 a.m., a wild animal presentation from wildlife rehabilitator Carlton Burke, a wolf presentation featuring live animals at 1 p.m. and a close-up look at animals from the North Georgia Zoo at 2 p.m.

Black bears are a key component of Western North Carolina’s wildlife landscape Bill Lea photo

Silent auction proceeds will benefit the Western North Carolina Wildlife Outreach Program, which provides wildlife and outdoor education for schools throughout WNC. Friday daytime programs are free; $5 for Bill Lea presentation; $8 for Saturday program admission. All programs free for children. Co-sponsored by the Sapphire Valley Support.

A full schedule is available at www.mountainwildlifedays.comor by calling the Sapphire Valley Resort Community Center at 828.743.7663.

Swain gets new wildlife officer

Dakota Curtis of Sumpter, South Carolina, was sworn in as a new Swain County wildlife law enforcement officer with the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission last week.

Curtis was one of 21 cadets to be sworn in during the Commission’s 55th Basic School graduation. New officers will now begin six months of on-the-job training under the supervision of a veteran wildlife officer, assigned a permanent duty station thereafter.

To apply for the next class of N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission Basic School, visit www.governmentjobs.com.

Red wolf proposal draws criticism

A long-awaited proposal for future management of the imperiled red wolf population was released last week, drawing ire from environmental groups that have been engaged in the issue.

Under the proposal, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service would no longer seek to manage red wolf populations living on private lands and instead focus its efforts on certain public lands in Hyde and Dare counties. Outside of those public lands, there would be no hunting restrictions on red wolves — hunters and landowners could kill them with no repercussions.

“By restricting management to Alligator River National Wildlife Refugeand the Dare County Bombing Range, we will ensure we can better reduce external threats and monitor the environments surrounding

these wild wolves,” said Greg Sheehan, the principal deputy director of the Fish and Wildlife Service. “A recent Species Status Assessmentinformed us that past strategies were not effectively leading to recovery, so we believe that a concerted effort in a managed area will help.”

Environmental groups, meanwhile, say that the Fish and Wildlife Service effectively sabotaged recovery of the red wolf and that the current plan will only hasten the species’ demise.

“This plan is a death sentence for red wolves in the wild. Restricting wolves to a fraction of the former recovery area and taking away their protection from being shot and killed everywhere else will certainly lead to their extinction in the wild,” said Jamie Rappaport Clark, president and CEO of Defenders of Wildlife. “Any revision of the regulation for red wolf management must prioritize recovery, not cater to those who would rather see red wolves disappear

from North Carolina.”

Currently, a five-county area in Eastern North Carolina contains the world’s only population of wild red wolves, down from a peak of 150 individuals 10 years ago to about 35 today.

The proposal is the result of a process that began in September 2016, when the USFWS announced that red wolves would be removed from the majority of the fivecounty area of eastern North Carolina where they’d been reintroduced. The move followed nearly two years of evaluating the feasibility of reintroduction efforts, and a lawsuit in which environmental groups claimed the USFWS was not doing enough to protect the wolves. Reintroduction was once attempted in the Smokies, but failed.

Public comment will be accepted through July 30 at www.regulations.govusing docket number FWS-R4-ES-2018-0035. The proposed rule is available at https://bit.ly/2IA4OGE.

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

Subscribe or learn more at smliv.com

MAGAZINE

Stock up on summer plants

A plant sale 8 a.m. to noon Saturday, July 7, in Waynesville will offer an array of locally grown plants to support the Mountain View Garden Club of Waynesville.

Offerings will include ground cove, hostas, herbs, unique yard art and more, with all items grown or made by club members. Proceeds will fund club projects such

Prep like a pro

as the topiary plants at the Waynesville branch of the Haywood County Public Library, plantings at the Waynesville Post Office, future work at the Waynesville Arboretum and more.

The plant sale will take place at the Haywood Historic Farmers Market located in the HART Theater parking lot on 250 Pigeon Street.

A seminar teaching participants how to be prepared in case of societal collapse or other emergency situations will be held 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, July 14, at the Haywood Community College Auditorium in Clyde.

The day will feature an array of speakers covering everything from what to carry every day to survive surprise emergency situations to surviving martial law to mastering invaluable tinctures, salves and herbal recipes.

Sponsored by Carolina Readiness Supply, located in downtown Waynesville. Tickets are $25 instore or $30 online at www.carolinareadiness.com. $10 for lunch. 828.456.5310.

Witness the power of produce

The Power of the Produce Club will give kids a chance to explore the world of local food during subsequent Saturdays July 14, 21 and 28 at the Jackson County Farmers Market in Sylva.

The one-hour program will begin at 10 a.m. each day, including fun and educational activities such as bingo and a scavenger

hunt that allow children to talk with farmers and gain exposure to new fruits and vegetables. Kids will receive a prize for each day they attend and a $5 voucher to spend at the market.

Open to children in kindergarten through fifth grade. Limited to 15 with spots awarded on a first-come, first-served basis. Each child must have an adult in attendance the entire time. Sponsored by a variety of local organizations and businesses. Lisa McBride, 828.393.5236.

COMMUNITY EVENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS

• Lake Junaluska’s nine-week Summer Activities Program include a schedule of activities including bonfires, movie nights, nature walks, boat tours and various music events. For a full schedule: www.lakejunaluska.com/summeractivities.

• The Beaverdam Community Center will have its annual summer potluck dinner at 6 p.m. on Monday, July 9, at 1620 N. Canton Rd. in Canton. Bring a covered dish.

• The Jackson County Branch of the NAACP will hold its annual summer event from 6-8:30 p.m. on Tuesday, July 10, at the Old Webster School Auditorium. Silent auction, meal and featured speaker Elizabeth McRae –WCU associate professor. Tickets: $10; available at City Lights Bookstore in Sylva.

• The Jackson County Genealogical Society will have a covered-dish picnic at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, July 12, in the shelter at East LaPorte River Access Park. www.jcgsnc.org or 631.2646.

• The 10th annual Ammons Family Reunion is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, July 14, at Holly Springs Historical Community Building in Canton. 226.0640.

• Sign-ups are underway for Jackson County’s “Citizens Academy” – an eight-week course focused on services provided by the county – starting at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 11. Info and applications: 631.2295 or jcfitzgerald@jacksonnc.org.

• Grace Church in the Mountains is accepting grant applications from nonprofit organizations in Haywood County. Distribution of proceeds from the church’s Annual Parish Fair will be made to local county charities. The fair is from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. on Saturday, July 28. 456.6029 or admin@gracewaynesville.com.

• Nominations are being sought for the Mountain Heritage Awards that will be presented on Saturday, Sept. 29, on Western Carolina University’s campus in Cullowhee. Awards go to individual and organization for contributions to or playing a prominent role in research, preservation and curation of Southern Appalachian history, culture and folklore. Nominations can be sent to pameister@wcu.edu, Mountain Heritage Center, 1 University Drive, Cullowhee N.C. 28723, or drop off in person at Room 240 of WCU’s Hunter Library.

• Registration is underway for participants in the Southwestern Community College Automotive Club’s annual car show, which will take place Aug. 10-11 at the Wayne Proffitt Agriculture Center in Franklin. Entry fees range from $10-25. d_myers@southwesterncc.edu.

• The Cherokee Bonfire & Storytelling will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays through Oct. 27 at the Oconaluftee Islands Park.

Sit by a bonfire, alongside a river, and listen to some of Cherokee’s best storytellers. The bonfire is free and open to the public. There will be no bonfire events in September. www.visitcherokeenc.com.

• Oconaluftee Indian Village will be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday through Nov. 10. As you step into the Oconaluftee Indian Village, you’re transported back to witness the challenges of Cherokee life at a time of rapid cultural change. Tour guides help you explore the historic events and figures of the 1760’s. www.cherokeehistorical.org.

B USINESS & E DUCATION

• Evening classes for anyone wanting to obtain a high school equivalency diploma are offered from 5:30-8:30 p.m. on Mondays through Thursdays at Haywood Community College in Clyde. 627.4648.

All phone numbers area code 828 unless otherwise noted.

• The Western North Carolina Civil War Round Table meets at 7 p.m. on the second Monday of each month at the HF Robinson Auditorium at the Western Carolina University Campus in Cullowhee.

• An Eggs & Issues event is scheduled for 7:45 a.m. on Thursday, July 12, at Franklin Chamber of Commerce in Franklin. $10 at the door. Preregister: 524.3161 or www.maconedc.com.

• Registration is underway for a workshop on hiring effective nonprofit leaders, which will be offered by Western Carolina University’s Office of Professional Growth and Enrichment from 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 30, at WCU’s instructional site at Biltmore Park in Asheville. For info or to register: pdp.wcu.edu.

• Concealed carry handgun is offered every other Saturday 8:30am-5pm starting at Mountain Range indoor shooting range. Lunch provided. Class $60. 452.7870 or mountainrangenc@yahoo.com.

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

• A meeting of current and former employees of the Waynesville plant of Champion/Blue Ridge/Evergreen is held at 8 a.m. on the first Monday of each month at Bojangles near Lake Junaluska’s entrance.

• One-on-one computer lessons are offered weekly at the Waynesville and Canton branches of the Haywood County Public Library. Lesson slots are available from 10 a.m.-noon on Tuesdays and Thursdays in Canton and from 3-5 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays at the Waynesville Library. Sign up at the front desk of either library or call 356.2507 for the Waynesville Library or 648.2924 for the Canton Library.

FUNDRAISERSAND B ENEFITS

• Hickory Nut Gorge Brewery will host a fundraiser at 5 p.m. on Friday, July 6, for storm-damaged areas in Chimney Rock Village.

• Haywood Christian Ministry will hold its 25th annual Charitable Golf Classic on Wednesday, July 11 and its gala, silent auction and live auction on July 12, at Laurel Ridge Country Club and Waynesville Inn Golf Resort. $125 per person. www.haywoodministry.org/golf. Entry deadline is July 6.

• Maggie Valley United Methodist Church will host its 15th annual barbecue and gospel sing from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. on Saturday, July 14. $10. Door prizes and musical performances. 926.9794.

• FUR’s fourth annual barbecue fundraiser is scheduled for 5:30-8:30 p.m. on Saturday, July 21, at Barn Star Events at 2436 Jonathan Creek Road in Waynesville. Live music by James Hammel. Games, raffles and silent auction. Tickets: $35; Sponsorships: $125. Tickets and sponsorships available at www.furofwnc.org. Info: 844.888.CATS (2287).

• The Community Table has a Blue Plate Special fundraiser from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. on the last Wednesday of each month from January through October in Sylva. $7 minimum donation; dine-in or carry-out. 586.6782.

VOLUNTEERS & VENDORS

• The Town of Canton is accepting submissions for its 112th Labor Day Festival – “A Celebration of All Things

Made in Western North Carolina.” Deadline for all arts and crafts is 4 p.m. on Aug. 21. Before applying: call 648.2363, email photos to lstinnett@cantonnc.com or mail to: Town of Canton, Attn: Canton Labor Day; 58 Park Street; Canton, NC 28716. Event runs Sept. 2-3 in downtown Canton. Cantonlaborday.com.

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

• The Good Samaritan clinic of Haywood County seeks volunteers to help uninsured patients receive medications, vision care and other health and spiritual-related services in Waynesville. Clinic is open from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. on Monday through Thursday and from 8 a.m.-1 p.m. on Friday. 454.5287 or crocco@gcshaywood.org.

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

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

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

• Volunteer Opportunities are available throughout the region, call John at the Haywood Jackson Volunteer Center today and get started sharing your talents. 3562833

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

H EALTH MATTERS

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

• The Haywood County Dementia Caregivers’ Support Group will change the location of its meetings beginning with the July 24th meeting. The group will meet at the Haywood Senior Resource Center (81 Elmwood Way, Waynesville). The meetings are scheduled from 4:30 PM until 6:00 PM. 926.0018.

• Diabetes classes will be offered from 1-3 p.m. on Mondays through July 16 at the Canton Senior Center. Register: 648.8173.

• Registration is underway for a “Story Based Medicine Course 1: Making Your Own Medicinal Syrups,” scheduled for 10 a.m.-4 p.m. on July 7, through the Alarka Institute. Led by Katie Ballard. Cost: $65. Register: www.paypal.me/cedartree. Info: alarkaexpeditions@gmail.com, 371.0347 or alarkaexpeditions.com.

• Registration is underway for a “Story Based Medicine Course II: Hydrosol Distillation,” scheduled for 10 a.m.4 p.m. on July 7, through the Alarka Institute. Led by Katie Ballard. Cost: $65. Register: www.paypal.me/cedartree. Info: alarkaexpeditions@gmail.com, 371.0347 or alarkaexpeditions.com.

• A workshop focused on story-based herbal medicine will be offered on Saturday, July 7, at the Alarka Institute in Cowee. Herbalist Katie Ballard, owner of

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

■ Complete listings of local music scene

■ Regional festivals

■ Art gallery events and openings

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

■ Civic and social club gatherings

Tears of Ra, will lead the session. Cost: $65. Register: www.alarkaexpeditions.com/upcoming-events.

• A monthly health series on “Mind and Body: Health, Nutrition & You” continues with a presentation on “Brain Health, a Look at Alzheimer’s and Dementia” at 6:30 p.m. on July 10 at the Jackson County Public Library in Sylva. 586.2016.

• Long’s Chapel will have its summer blood drive from 8 a.m.-7 p.m. on Tuesday, July 10, in Waynesville. Sign up: www.redcrossblood.org or 476.7807.

• The American Red Cross will hold a blood drive from 9:30 a.m.-2 p.m. on Friday, July 6, at Lowe’s in Franklin. www.redcrossblood.org or 800.733.2767.

• The American Red Cross will have a blood drive from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. on Wednesday, July 11, at Swain Community Hospital in Bryson City. www.redcrossblood.org or 800.733.2767.

• The Waynesville Yoga Center will have a “Buti Glow at the Water’n Hole” from 6:30-7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, July 11. Cost: $14. Register: 246.6570 or WaynesvilleYogaCenter.com.

• The American Red Cross will hold a blood drive from 1:30-6 p.m. on Thursday, July 12, at Oak Grove Baptist Church in Clyde. 648.6372.

• The American Red Cross will hold a blood drive from 7:30 a.m.-noon on Saturday, July 14, at Crabtree United Methodist Church in Clyde. 627.3666.

• The Waynesville Yoga Center will have a “Hike & Yoga in the Mountains” from 8 a.m.-2:30 p.m. on Saturday, July 14. Cost: $45 in advance or $50 at the door. Register: 246.6570 or WaynesvilleYogaCenter.com.

• The Waynesville Yoga Center will have an “Exploring the Mainpura Chakra” program from 2-4 p.m. on Saturday, July 14. Cost: $35 in advance or $40 at the door. Register: 246.6570 or WaynesvilleYogaCenter.com.

• The Waynesville Yoga Center will have a “Mini Retreat: Yoga, Acupressure and Qi Healing” from 2-4 p.m. on Wednesday, July 18. Cost: $35 in advance or $40 at the door. Register: 246.6570 or WaynesvilleYogaCenter.com.

• The American Red Cross will hold a blood drive from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. on Thursday, July 19, at Harris Regional Hospital in Sylva. www.redcrossblood.org or 800.733.2767.

• The American Red Cross will hold a blood drive from 12:30-5 p.m. on Thursday, July 19, at Franklin First Baptist Church. 369.9559.

• The American Red Cross will have a blood drive from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. on Friday, July 20, at Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Hotel. 497.8853.

• “Back in Control: New Ways to think about Chronic Pain” will be presented by Sheila Kaye, MSW, from 10 a.m.-noon on Thursdays, July 12 and 19, in the upstairs conference room of the Waynesville Library Upstairs. Registration required: 356.2507 or kolsen@haywoodnc.net.

• Codependents Anonymous meets at 5:30 p.m. on

Fridays at the Friendship House on Academy Street in Waynesville. Group of people desiring healthy and fulfilling relationships. 775.2782 or www.coda.org.

• Community First Aid and CPR classes are offered from 6-10 p.m. on the first Tuesday of each month at Haywood Community College in Clyde. Info: 564.5133 or HCC-CPRraining@haywood.edu.

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

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

• Western Carolina University’s student-run, Mountain Area Pro Bono Physical Therapy Clinic will be open from 6-8:30 p.m. on Wednesdays of each month. 227.3527.

• National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) holds a support group for family, friends, and those dealing with mental illness on the 1st Thursday of each month in the 2nd floor classroom at Haywood Regional Medical Center at 6:30 p.m.

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

• A support group for anyone with MS, family & friends meets monthly at 6:45 p.m. on the 3rd Tuesday of each month at the conference room of Jackson Co. Library in Sylva. No Fee, sponsored by National MS Society. Local contact: Gordon Gaebel 828-293-2503.

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

• A “Walk With A Doc” program is scheduled for 10

a.m. each Saturday at the Lake Junaluska Kern Center or Canton Rec Park. MyHaywoodRegional.com/WalkwithaDoc.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

• Free childbirth and breastfeeding classes are avail-

able at Harris Regional Hospital in Sylva. Classes are offered bimonthly on an ongoing basis. Register or get more info: 586.7907.

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

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

• A monthly grief processing support group will meet from 4-5:30 p.m. on the third Thursday of each month at the Homestead Hospice and Palliative Care in Clyde. 452.5039.

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

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

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

R ECREATIONAND FITNESS

• Registration is underway for adult beginner tennis classes, which will be offered from 6-7 p.m. on July 12-Aug. 9 through the Waynesville Parks and Recreation Department. $60 for five sessions. 703.966.7138 or kakareka@me.com.

• Registration is underway for Adult Beginner Tennis Classes, which will be offered from 6-7 p.m. on Wednesdays from July 12-Aug. 9 at Donnie Pankiw

Let Me Sell Your House

I

“ “

My Customers are REAL SATISFIED

“I chose to work with Catherine Proben because I trusted that she had my best interests at heart. She was professional, knowledgeable, and added a personal touch to the entire process. She always was available by phone or text to inform me of the progress of the sale of my home.

I am so impressed with the professionalism, dedication, and innovative ways that she used to sell my home. I highly recommend her & the Waynesville office to all the sellers and buyers in the area.”

- Dr. Sherry Manburg, Waynesville, NC (Seller)

Catherine Proben

Tennis Center at Waynesville’s Recreation Park. Offered by the Waynesville Parks and Recreation Department. Taugh by Rumi Kakareka. Cost: $60 for five sessions. Register: 703.966.7138 or rkakareka@me.com.

• Flow + Center Yoga is offered from 9-9:55 a.m. on Wednesdays at Maggie Valley Wellness Center. 944.0288 or maggievalleywellness.com.

• Flow + Chill Yoga is offered from 9-9:55 a.m. on Thursdays through November at Maggie Valley Wellness Center. 944.0288 or maggievalleywellness.com.

• Gentle Vin Yin Yoga is offered from 9-9:55 a.m. on Fridays through November at Maggie Valley Wellness Center. 944.0288 or maggievalleywellness.com.

• Lunchtime Flow Yoga is offered from noon-1 p.m. on Fridays through November at Maggie Valley Wellness Center. 944.0288 or maggievalleywellness.com.

• Mixed Levels Flow Yoga is offered from 9-9:55 a.m. on Saturdays through November at Maggie Valley Wellness Center. 944.0288 or maggievalleywellness.com.

S PIRITUAL

• Lake Junaluska Singers will perform at the Summer Worship Series at 10:45 a.m. on Sundays through Aug. 5 at Stuart Auditorium. www.lakejunaluska.com/singers.

• Lake Junaluska Singers Alumni and Lake Junaluska Singers Worship is set for 10 a.m. on Saturday, July 7, at Memorial Chapel. www.lakejunaluska.com/singers.

• The Summer Worship Series at Lake Junaluska continues on Sunday, July 8, with Rev. Carol Howard Merritt as guest speaker. Merritt wrote: “Tribal Church: Ministering to the Missing Generation” and is known for serving churches with a deep commitment to the poor and disenfranchised. www.lakejunaluska.com/events/worship/summer_worship.

Puzzles can be found on page 46

These are only the answers.

• Lake Junaluska Singers will perform at 7 p.m. on July 13, in Memorial Chapel at Lake Junaluska. www.lakejunaluska.com/singers.

• Rev. Mitzi Johnson, Director of Programming at Lake Junaluska Conference and Retreat Center, will be featured as part of the Summer Speaker Series at 8:20, 9:40 and 11:05 a.m. on Sunday, July 15, at Long’s Chapel in Waynesville. Info: longchapel.com.

• The Summer Worship Series at Lake Junaluska continues on Sunday, July 22, with Rev. Dr. Carl Frazier as guest speaker. Dr. Frazier has served Methodist churches in the N.C. conference since 1980. www.lakejunaluska.com/events/worship/summer_worship.

AUTHORSAND B OOKS

• The North Carolina Writers’ Network-West will sponsor The Literary Hour on the third Thursday of the month unless otherwise indicated. This reading is free of charge and open to the public.

• Author Holly Kays will share her novel “Shadows of Flowers” at 11 a.m. on Saturday, July 14, at Blue Ridge Books in Waynesville. Debut novel about love, loss and the power of place. www.facebook.com/shadowsofflowers or www.paypal.me/hollykays.

K IDS & FAMILIES

• A new traveling recreation program called “Base Camp on the Go” will be present at the following locations and dates this summer: Jonathan Valley Elementary School: July 9, 16, 23 & 30; Canton Park: July 17 & 31; Fines Creek Community Center: July 11, 18, 25 & Aug. 1; Recreation Park in Waynesville: July 13, 20, 27 & Aug. 3. Log rolling in a large inflatable pool, badminton, ninja warrior obstacle course and other games. 456.2030 or cmiller@waynesvillenc.gov.

• Annual Summer Learning Program is being offered through the Jackson County Public Library in Sylva. Features prizes, story times, movies, STEAM programming, arts and crafts and more. 586.2016.

• The Cradle of Forestry in America will host a Junior Forester program for ages 8-12 from 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. on Wednesdays through Aug. 1 in Pisgah Forest. Topic for July 4 is “Leave What You Find.” $5 per youth and $3 per adult per program. Registration required: 877.3130. www.cradleofforestry.com.

• The Cradle of Forestry in America will host “Woodsy Owl’s Curiosity Club” from 10:30 a.m.-noon on Wednesdays and Thursdays through Aug. 2 in Pisgah Forest. Topic for July 4-5 is “Creatures of the night.” Topic for July 11-12, it’s “Life in the dirt.” $5 per youth and $3 per adult per program. Registration required: 877.3130. www.cradleofforestry.com.

• “Smoky Mountain Elk”– a Great Smoky Mountains National Park Summer Junior Ranger program – is at 5:30 p.m. on Sundays from through Aug. 5 and Saturdays, July 7 & 21, Aug. 11-18 and Sept. 8 & 22 at the Palmer House in Cataloochee Valley.

• “Return of the Elk” - a Great Smoky Mountains National Park Summer Ranger program – is at 5 p.m. on Tuesdays through Aug. 28 (not including July 24 and Aug. 14) at the Rough Fork Trailhead at Cataloochee Valley.

• “A Week in the Water” will be offered to ages 10-15 from 9 a.m.-noon on July 9-13 at Pisgah Center for Wildlife Education in Brevard. Registration required: https://tinyurl.com/yb28fpz8.

• Cradle of Forestry in America will present a “Winged Creatures of the Night” program from 7:30-9:30 p.m. on Saturday, July 9, in Pisgah Forest. $6 regular; $3 for ages 4-12 and $3 for America the Beautiful and Golden Age cardholders. www.cradleofforestry.com.

• The Cradle of Forestry in America will host a Junior

Forester program for ages 8-12 from 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. on Wednesdays through Aug. 1 in Pisgah Forest. Topic for July 11 is “Minimize Campfire Impacts.” $5 per youth and $3 per adult per program. Registration required: 877.3130. www.cradleofforestry.com.

• Camp Folkmoot – “Hands Around the World” is open to dancers of all abilities, ages 10-17, and is scheduled for July 20 at the Folkmoot Friendship Center at Sam Love Queen Auditorium. Learn basic movements and concepts, gain appreciation for differences and similarities between cultures, create “Make-and-take” cultural crafts, participate in short performance with groups. $30 per camper: Info: elizabeth@foolkmoot.org. Register: Folkmoot.org or 452.2997.

• 4-H STEM Camp is scheduled for 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. from July 9-13, at the Macon County Cooperative Extension Meeting Rooms in Franklin. For ages 8-12. Cost: $40. Preregister: 349.2046 or macon.cec.nscu.edu.

S UMMER CAMPS

• Registration is underway for a “Basketball Shooting and Dribbling Camp” that will be offered from July 16-19 at the Waynesville Recreation Center. Led by Kevin Cantwell, former head coach at Appalachian State and associate head coach at Georgia Tech. $150 per person. 456.2030 or academy7@live.com.

• The Summer Youth Filmmaking Experience, a twoweek intensive summer course for teenagers, will be offered for two weeks starting July 16 and again on Aug. 6. Cost: $495. Students will direct, shoot and edit a 5-7 minute script of their choosing. www.ashevilleschooloffilm.com.

• Youth Tennis Camp will be offered this summer through the Waynesville Parks and Recreation Department. Juniors tennis camp is from 3-5 p.m. on July 16-20; Teen camps (ages 14-18). Teacher is Rumi Kakareka, a certified teaching pro with 20-plus years of experience. Register: 703.966.7138 or rkakareka@me.com.

• Registration is underway for a summer youth event at Lake Junaluska, geared toward grades 6-12, featuring Celia Whitler (speaker) and Abbye West Pates (worship band), from July 20-23. Register: 800.222.4930 or www.lakejunaluska.com/summeryouth.

• Registration is underway for an “Outdoor Skills” camp that will be offered to grades 6-8 from July 2327 at the N.C. Arboretum in Asheville. https://tinyurl.com/yan722ym.

• Registration is underway for a summer youth event at Lake Junaluska, geared toward grades 6-12, featuring Kevin Wright (speaker) and Abbye West Pates (worship band) – as well as a special performance from illusionist Matt Adams along with a talent show - from July 23-27. Register: 800.222.4930 or www.lakejunaluska.com/summeryouth.

• Registration is underway for a summer youth event at Lake Junaluska, geared toward grades 6-12, featuring Juan Huertas (speaker) and Jimmy Atkins (worship band) – as well as a special performance from illusionist Matt Adams along with a talent show and Sunday morning worship in Stuart Auditorium - from July 27-31. Register: 800.222.4930 or www.lakejunaluska.com/summeryouth.

• Registration is underway for a “Wildlife Management” camp that will be offered to grades 6-8 from Aug. 13-17 at the N.C. Arboretum in Asheville. https://tinyurl.com/yan722ym.

K IDSFILMS

• The “Movies on Everett” outdoor series will run through Aug. 17 at the corner of Mitchell and Everett streets in downtown Bryson City. Screenings begin at 9 p.m. Family-friendly. Free to attend. For a full schedule of the films to be screened, click on www.greatsmokies.com.

• “A Wrinkle in Time” will be shown at 6:30 p.m. on July 6 at the Mad Batter Food & Film in Sylva. Free. 586.2016.

• “Isle of Dogs” will be shown at 7:30 p.m. on July 19 and 6:30 on June 20 at the Mad Batter Food & Film in Sylva. Free. 586.2016.

A&E

FESTIVALSAND S PECIAL EVENTS

• The “Art After Dark” in downtown Waynesville is hosted on the first Friday of the month (MayDecember), Main Street transforms into an evening of art, music, finger foods, beverages and shopping as artisan studios and galleries keep their doors open later for local residents and visitors. www.waynesvillegalleryassociation.com.

• Tickets are on sale now for Folkmoot: North Carolina’s International Folk Festival, which will be held from July 19-29. Schedule and tickets: www.folkmootusa.org or 452.2997.

• The annual Swannanoa Chamber Music Festival will highlight two world premieres of commissioned works — Clarinet Quintet by Alyssa Weinberg, commissioned by Chamber Music America for the Enso String Quartet, and Sextet for piano 4 hands and string quartet by Inessa Zaretsky, commissioned by Lenore Fishman Davis for the St. Urban concert series. Sundays at the First United Methodist Church in Waynesville at 3 p.m. though July 29, except July 22 will be at 7:30 p.m. For tickets and additional information including other locations, visit Swannanoa Chamber Music Festival at www.scm-festival.com.

• The 21st annual Sweet Corn Festival is scheduled for 10 a.m.-3 p.m. on Saturday, July 7, at St. Cyprian’s Church in Franklin. Activities for children include a bounce house; live musical entertainment. Proceeds benefit community outreach and All Saints Episcopal Church. www.allsaintsfranklin.org.

ON STAGE & I N CONCERT

• The “Unto These Hills” stage production will be held at 8 p.m. Monday to Saturday through Aug. 18 at the Mountainside Theater in Cherokee. www.cherokeehistorical.org.

• Overlook Theatre Company will present the hit Broadway musical retrospective “Leader of the Pack: The Musical Life of Ellie Greenwich” at 7:30 p.m. June 29-30 at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts in Franklin. Tickets are $12 for students and $17 for adults. 866.273.4615.

• The Imani Milele Children Choir from Uganda will perform at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, July 5, in the church’s Christian Life Center. Bringing awareness of the plight of Uganda’s orphans and vulnerable children. 586.2358.

• Renowned group The Isaacs will host a two-day musical extravaganza with Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder and Larry Gatlin & The Gatlin Brothers at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts in Franklin. The Skaggs performance will be on Friday, July 6, with The Gatlin Brothers on Saturday, July 7. Both performances begin at 7 p.m. with tickets starting at $30 per show. There will also be music workshops, bus tours, Q&A forums and more on both days also available for purchase. For more information and/or to purchase tickets, click on www.greatmountainmusic.com.

S UMMER M USIC

• The annual “Week of Rock” celebration will be held

through July 7 at Nantahala Brewing in Bryson City. Performers include Andalyn (rock) July 5, Psylo Joe (rock/jam) July 6 and Mac & Juice (rock/soul) July 7.

All shows are free and at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Frank & Allie (Americana/folk) will also perform at 6 p.m. July 7 in The Warehouse restaurant/taproom just down the road from the brewery. www.nantahalabrewing.com.

• The “Groovin’ on the Green” concert series at The Village Green in Cashiers will be hosting Hurricane Creek at 6:30 p.m. on July 6. www.villagegreencashiersnc.com.

• The Concerts on the Creek will have Darren Nicolson Band (Americana/country) at 7 p.m. July 6 at Bridge Park in downtown Sylva. Free and open to the public. There will also be food trucks onsite. 586.2155 or www.mountainlovers.com.

• “An Appalachian Evening” will host Buncombe Turnpike at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, July 7, at the Stecoah Valley Center. www.stecoahvalleycenter.com.

• The Pickin’ on the Square summer concert series will feature The Remnants (oldies/Motown) at 7 p.m. Saturday, July 7, at the Gazebo in downtown Franklin. Food vendors will also be available. www.townoffranklinnc.com.

• The Concerts on the Creek will have The Super 60’s Band (classic hits) at 7 p.m. July 13 at Bridge Park in downtown Sylva. Free and open to the public. There will also be food trucks onsite. 586.2155 or www.mountainlovers.com.

• The “Groovin’ on the Green” concert series at The Village Green in Cashiers will be hosting Eat A Peach at 6:30 p.m. on July 13. www.villagegreencashiersnc.com.

• The Pickin’ on the Square summer concert series will feature Frogtown (bluegrass) at 7 p.m. Saturday, July 14, at the Gazebo in downtown Franklin. Food vendors will also be available. www.townoffranklinnc.com.

• “An Appalachian Evening” will host Helen White at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, July 14, at the Stecoah Valley Center. www.stecoahvalleycenter.com.

• The Lake Junaluska Singers will perform at the “Lakeshore Goes Broadway” Concert and Dinner at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday and Wednesday, July 17-18, at the Harrell Center Auditorium at Lake Junaluska. Cost is $50, including dinner. www.lakejunaluska.com/singers.

CLASSESAND PROGRAMS

• Western North Carolina Woodturners Club will meet at 10 a.m. on the second Saturday every month at the Bascom in Highlands.

• Summerhouse Pottery, LLC, will offer pottery classes for all ages this summer. Kids Art Camp meets for a week in either July or August. For info, visit www.facebook.com/oursummerhousepottery or write: amydapore@gmail.com.

• Bingo will be held at 6:30 p.m. on July 5, July 19, Aug. 9 and Aug. 23 at the Pavilion next to Maggie Valley Town. Sponsored by the Maggie Valley Civic Association. Cash prizes; snacks available.

• A Guardian ad Litem training class will be held from 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m. every Friday through Aug. 10 at the Macon County Public Library in Franklin. The N.C. Guardian ad Litem program recruits, trains and supervises volunteer advocates to represent and promote the best interests of abused, neglected and dependent children in the state court system. Info: 454.6395 or www.volunteerforgal.org.

• A seminar teaching participants how to be prepared in case of societal collapse or other emergency situations will be held from 9 a.m.-6 p.m. on Saturday, July 14, at the Haywood Community College Auditorium in Clyde. Tickets: $25 at Carolina Readiness Supply in Waynesville or $30 online (www.carolinareadiness.com). $10 for lunch. 456.5310.

• The Highlands Village Square Art & Craft Show is scheduled for 10 a.m.-5 p.m. on Aug. 25-26 at KelseyHutchinson “Founders” Park on Pine Street in downtown Highlands. Fine art, folk art and regionally made crafts. 787.2021.

• Registration is underway for a “Lichens of the Southern Appalachians” program scheduled for Aug. 4, through the Alarka Institute. Led by Jennifer Love. Register: www.paypal.me/cedartree. Info: alarkaexpeditions@gmail.com, 371.0347 or alarkaexpeditions.com.

• Friends of the Haywood County Public Library will host “Let’s Talk About It” from 1-3 p.m. on Saturday, July 7, in the Waynesville Library Auditorium. Topic is “Rising from the Rails: Pullman Porters and Making of the Black Middle Class” by Larry Tye. Info: 421.6798.

• Essential Oils 101, make & take blends event at Mad Batter Food & Film in beautiful downtown Sylva on July 18, 6:30 p.m. Each blend made is $5. Learned the Nitty Gritty of Empowered Wellness and go home with solutions to everyday health concerns. Contact Wende Goode at 246.2256 or goodeoils@gmail.com to reserve your spot, limited space.

ARTSHOWINGSAND GALLERIES

• Penland School of Crafts will host an auction of student and instructor work at 8 p.m. on Thursday, July 5, at the Flex Studio on the Penland Campus in Mitchell County. Clay, glass, metals, wood and more. www.penland.org or 765.2359. Proceeds benefit Penland’s scholarship programs.

• The Balsam Arts and Crafters will have their annual Summer Craft Show from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. on Saturday, July 7, at the Balsam Fire Department. Handmade arts and crafts.

FILM & S CREEN

• “Grease” will be shown at 7 p.m. on July 5 at the Mad Batter Food & Film in Sylva. Free. 586.2016.

• “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” will be shown at 7 p.m. on July 7 at the Mad Batter Food & Film in Sylva. Free. 586.2016.

• “Finding Your Feet” will be shown at 7:30 p.m. on July 12 at the Mad Batter Food & Film in Sylva. Free. 586.2016.

• “A Quiet Place” will be shown at 7:30 p.m. on July 13 and 14 at the Mad Batter Food & Film in Sylva. Free. 586.2016.

• “Rampage” will be shown at 7 p.m. on July 21 at the Mad Batter Food & Film in Sylva. Free. 586.2016.

• Free movies are shown at 7:30 p.m. every Thursday, Friday and Saturday at Mad Batter Food & Film in Sylva. Madbatterfoodfilm.com.

Outdoors

• Coffee with a ranger is scheduled for 10 a.m. on Sundays through Aug. 5 at the Oconaluftee Visitor Center porch at the entrance to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park near Cherokee.

• The Great Smoky Mountains National Park will continue its “Smokies Service Days” volunteer program on Saturdays, July 7 clean-up at Deep Creek and July 21 clean-up at Crosby. Sign-up: 865.436.1278 or logan_boldon@partner.nps.gov.

• “Snorkeling in the Stream” will be offered to ages 815 from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. on July 6 at Pisgah Center for Wildlife Education in Brevard. Registration required: https://tinyurl.com/yb28fpz8.

• “Intro to Fly Fishing” will be offered to ages 12-up

on July 7 at Pisgah Center for Wildlife Education in Brevard. Registration required: https://tinyurl.com/yb28fpz8.

• An aquatic ecology workshop will be offered by Haywood Waterways Association and Haywood Community College on July 9 in the West Fork Pigeon River. Experience snorkeling in the river and visit stations on aquatic insects and fish. Free HWA members, $5 for nonmembers. RSVP by 5 p.m. on July 5: rominiszyne@gmail.com or 476.4667.

• “Casting For Beginners: Level 1” will be offered to ages 12-up from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. on July 10 at Pisgah Center for Wildlife Education in Brevard. Registration required: https://tinyurl.com/yb28fpz8.

• Mountain Wildlife Days will be hosted at Sapphire Valley Resort in the community center on July 13th & 14th. Hikes, bird walks, live animals. Children free with paying adult. www.mountainwildlifedays.com or 743.7663

• Carolina Mountain Club will have an 8.5-mile hike with a 1,200-foot ascent on Saturday, July 14, along the East Fork Pigeon River. Info and reservations: 460.7066 and barbc129@gmail.com.

• Registration is underway for a Fly Rod Making class that will be offered from 7-9 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays through Aug. 7 at Haywood Community College in Clyde. Cost: $360. Info or to register: 627.4669 or rgmassie@haywood.edu.

• Boating Safety courses will be offered from 6-9 p.m. on July 9-10, Aug. 28-29 and Sept. 10-11 at Haywood Community College in Clyde. Must attend both meetings. Pre-registration required: www.ncwildlife.org.

• “Foraging for Food and Farmacy” will be offered on Aug. 18, on part of the original route from Gatlinburg, Tenn., to Cherokee. Led by wildcrafter Ila Hatter. Cost: $69. Register: smfs.utk.edu

FARMAND GARDEN

• A gardening workday is scheduled for 9 a.m.-noon on Saturday, July 7, at Deep Creek near Bryson City. 865.436.1278 or logan_boldon@partner.nps.gov.

• The Mountain View Garden Club of Waynesville will hold its annual plant sale from 8 a.m. to noon on Saturday, July 7th at the Historic Farmers Market in the HART Theater parking lot, 250 Pigeon St., in Waynesville. This is the club’s only fundraiser to support its annual community projects.

• Friends of the Greenway will have a Butterfly Garden Renewal Celebration from 9-11 a.m. on Tuesday, July 10.

• “The Endangered Rock Gnome” - part of the Zahner Lecture Series – will be presented at 6 p.m. on July 12 at the Nature Center at the Highlands Biological Station. www.highlandsbiological.org or 526.2221.

• “Planting in a Post-Wild World” - part of the Zahner Lecture Series – will be presented at 6 p.m. on July 19 at the Nature Center at the Highlands Biological Station. www.highlandsbiological.org or 526.2221.

FARMERS MARKETS

• “Locally Grown on the Green,” the Cashiers farm stand market for local growers, will be held from 3-6 p.m. every Wednesday at the Village Green Commons in Cashiers. info@villagegreencashiersnc.com or 743.3434.

• The Swain County Farmer’s Market is held from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. every Friday through October on Island Street in downtown Bryson City. 488.3681 or chamber@greatsmokies.com.

• Jackson County Farmers Market runs from 9 to noon on Saturdays at Bridge Park in downtown Sylva.

• Waynesville Historic Farmers Market runs from 3:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Wednesdays and Saturdays 8 a.m. to noon at the HART Theater parking lot. waynesvillefarmersmarket.com

MarketPlace information:

The Smoky Mountain News Marketplace has a distribution of 16,000 every week to over 500 locations across in Haywood, Jackson, Macon, and Swain counties along with the Qualla Boundary and west Buncombe County. For a link to our MarketPlace Web site, which also contains a link to all of our MarketPlace display advertisers’ Web sites, visit www.smokymountainnews.com.

Rates:

■ Free — Lost or found pet ads.

■ $5 — Residential yard sale ads,

■ $5 — Non-business items that sell for less than $150.

■ $15 — Classified ads that are 50 words or less; each additional line is $2. If your ad is 10 words or less, it will be displayed with a larger type.

■ $3 — Border around ad and $5 — Picture with ad or colored background.

■ $50 — Non-business items, 25 words or less. 3 month or till sold.

■ $300 — Statewide classifieds run in 117 participating newspapers with 1.6 million circulation. Up to 25 words.

■ All classified ads must be pre-paid.

Classified Advertising:

Scott Collier, phone 828.452.4251; fax 828.452.3585 classads@smokymountainnews.com

ANNOUNCEMENTS

HOOPER FAMILY REUNION For All Relations of Absalom & Clements Hooper. JULY 14th New Senior Activity Center on N. Main St., Just Below Entrance to Fair Grounds; Hiawassee, GA. Covered Dish at Noon, Bring Photos to Share. Any Questions Text Barbara 706.581.2081

AUCTION

LAKE TILLERY

Waterfront House, Commercial Building, Lot in Carolina Forest & 27+/-Acres, Online w/Bid Center, Begins Closing 7/17 - RE at 2:00pm and PP at 4:00pm, ironhorseauction.com, 800.997.2248, NCAL 3936

AUCTION AD COULD REACH 1.6 MILLION HOMES ACROSS NC! Your classified ad could be reaching over 1.6 Million Homes across North Carolina! Place your ad with The Smoky Mountain News on the NC Statewide Classified Ad Network- 118 NC newspapers for a low cost of $375 for 25-word ad to appear in each paper! Additional words are $10 each. The whole state at your fingertips! It's a smart advertising buy! Call Scott Collier at 828.452.4251 or for more information visit the N.C. Press Association's website at: ncpress.com

PRIME REAL ESTATE

RESTAURANT EQPMNT AUCTION: Wednesday, July 11 @ 10am. 201

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BUILDING MATERIALS

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CONSTRUCTION/ REMODELING

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You May also get an application from the Bryson City Depot, located at 226 Everett Street in Bryson City.

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JOB OPPORTUNITIES

• FT Arboretum Specialist

• FT Marketing and Graphic Design Specialist

• PT Sociology Instructor

• PT Substitute Teacher Assistant - RCAC

• PT Teacher Assistant Apply via www.haywood.edu at the jobs page or directly at https://www.goevernmentjobs.co m/careers/haywoodedu.

Contact Beverly Balliot in HR at 828-627-4562 if you have any questions.

Haywood Community College is an Equal Opportunity Institution.

OWNER OPERATORS, DRIVERS, Fleet Owners for DEDICATED Regional routes. Weekly Settlements. Minimum 12 months 48-53’ tractor trailer experience. 800.832.7036 ext.1626, cwsapps@ilgi.com. www.cwsdedicated.com

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CAVALIER ARMS APARTMENTS

EMPLOYMENT

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Vacancies 2018-2019-Special Education (K-12); Elementary Education (K-4); Reading Intervention Teacher (K-4); English (5th grade); Middle Education Science; Middle Education Mathematics; Business and Information Technology (9-12); History and Social Sciences (9-12); School Counselor (9-12); Mathematics (9-12). APPLICATION PROCEDURE: To apply, please visit our website at www.pecps.k12.va.us and complete the online application. Prince Edward County Public Schools, Farmville, Virginia 434.315.2100 EOE

FTCC

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UNABLE TO WORK

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All real estate advertising in this newspaper is subject to the Fair Housing Act which makes it illegal to advertise “any preference, limitation or discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status or national origin, or an intention, to make any such preference, limitation or discrimination” Familial status includes children under the age of 18 living with parents or legal custodians, pregnant women and people securing custody of children under 18 This newspaper will not knowingly accept any advertising for real estate which is in violation of the law. All dwellings advertised on equal opportunity basis.

LAND FOR SALE:

East Jackson County. 2- 1acre

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HOMES FOR RENT UNFURNISHED

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GREAT SMOKIES STORAGE

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LAWN & GARDEN

HEMLOCK HEALERS, INC.

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BORING/CARPENTER BEE TRAPS

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SAWMILLS

COMMERCIAL SPACE FOR RENT

On Russ Ave., Formally Used as a Real Estate Office. 1,852 sq. ft.

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Haywood Co. Real Estate Agents

Amanda Simpkins - amandaknowsasheville.com

• Amanda Simpkins amandaknowsasheville@gmail.com

Berkshire Hathaway - www.4Smokys.com

Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate- Heritage

• Carolyn Lauter - carolyn@bhgheritage.com

Beverly Hanks & Associates- beverly-hanks.com

• Ann Eavenson - anneavenson@beverly-hanks.com

• George Escaravage - gescar@beverly-hanks.com

• Billie Green - bgreen@beverly-hanks.com

• Michelle McElroy- michellemcelroy@beverly-hanks.com

• Marilynn Obrig - mobrig@beverly-hanks.com

• Steve Mauldin - smauldin@beverly-hanks.com

• Brian K. Noland - brianknoland.com

• Anne Page - apage@beverly-hanks.com

• Brooke Parrott - bparrott@beverly-hanks.com

• Jerry Powell - jpowell@beverly-hanks.com

• Catherine Proben - cproben@beverly-hanks.com

• Ellen Sither - ellensither@beverly-hanks.com

• Mike Stamey - mikestamey@beverly-hanks.com

• Karen Hollingsed- khollingsed@beverly-hanks.com

• Steve Mauldin- smauldin@beverly-hanks.com

• Jerry Powell - jpowell@beverly-hanks.com

• Mike Stamey - mstamey@beverly-hanks.com

ERA Sunburst Realty - sunburstrealty.com

• Amy Spivey - amyspivey.com

• Rick Border - sunburstrealty.com

• Pam James - pjames@sunburstrealty.com

Keller Williams Realty- kellerwilliamswaynesville.com

• The Morris Team - www.themorristeamnc.com

Lakeshore Realty

• Phyllis Robinson - lakeshore@lakejunaluska.com

Mountain Creek Realty

• Ron Rosendahl - ron@mountaincreekrealestate.com

Mountain DreamsRealty- maggievalleyhomesales.com

• Shirley Cole - shirleycole13@gmail.com

Mountain Home Properties mountaindream.com

• Cindy Dubose - cdubose@mountaindream.com

McGovern Real Estate & Property Management

• Bruce McGovern - shamrock13.com

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

• Holly Fletcher - hollyfletcher1975@gmail.com

• The Real Team - TheRealTeamNC.com

• Ron Breese - ronbreese.com

• Landen Stevenson- Landen@landenstevenson.com

• Dan Womack - womackdan@aol.com

• Mary & Roger Hansen - mwhansen@charter.net

• Judy Meyers - jameyers@charter.net

• David Rogers - davidr@remax-waynesvillenc.com

Rob Roland Realty - robrolandrealty.com

• Rob Roland - rroland33@gmail.com

The Smoky Mountain Retreat at Eagles Nest

• Tom Johnson - tomsj7@gmail.com

• Sherell Johnson - sherellwj@aol.com

CROSSWORD

CLUES ACROSS

1. Guinean seaport

5. They __

8. Electromotive force

11. “McVicar” director

13. Monetary unit

14. Mother of Hermes

15. Broadway actress Daisy

16. Tobacco mosaic virus

17. Expression of surprise

18. African financial intermediaries

20. Fully ripe egg

21. Soothes the skin

22. Editors write them

25. Nashville-based rockers

30. Surgical tube

31. Lasting records

32. Member of Ghanese tribe

33. Being in a vertical position

38. Spasmodic contraction

41. Cartilage disks

43. Domestic help

45. A way of drying out

48. Small sponge cake

49. Distinctive practice or philosophy

50. Sword

55. Type of missile (abbr.)

56. Home to various animals

57. American comedian Tim

59. Scores perfectly

60. A major division of geological time

61. Spiritual leader

62. Unhappy

63. Unit of force (abbr.)

64. Door part

CLUES DOWN

1. Academic degree

2. Expression of sorrow or pity

3. Large, stocky lizard

4. Romanian river

5. Stellar

6. A way to change

7. Surround completely

8. A Philly footballer

9. Dinosaur

shuang_____aurus

10. Slowly disappear

12. Large antelope 14. Not nice

19. Piece of footwear

23. Newt

24. Seriously mentally ill

25. Kilogram force (abbr.)

26. Terrorist group

27. Negative

28. Time zone

29. A blacksmith’s workshop

34. Baked dessert

35. A way to perceive uniquely

36. Breeze through

37. Dry white wine drink

39. Treated with iodine

40. Not thorough

41. Famous museum

42. Supplements with difficulty

44. Polynesian language

45. Bangladesh capital (var. sp.)

46. __ and flowed

47. Excessively theatrical actors

48. Prejudice

51. Swiss river

52. Nonsense (slang)

53. “Luther” actor

54. Resist authority (slang)

58. Pinch

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answers on page 40

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FTCC

Fayetteville Technical Community College is now accepting applications for the following positions: CDL Instructor (Part-Time), Electrical Systems Technology Instructor, Golf-Coach (Part-Time), Grounds Technician, Industry Training Instructor, Senior Systems Administrator Technician. For detailed information and to apply, please visit our employment portal at: https://faytechcc.peopleadmin.com

Human Resources Office Phone: 910.678.7342 Internet: http://www.faytechcc.edu An Equal Opportunity Employer

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The naturalist’s corner

BY DON H ENDERSHOT

Death sentence?

On June 27

U.S. Fish and Wildlife (F&W) announced a proposed rule many in the conservation forefront have deemed as basically a death sentence for any wild red wolves residing in eastern North Carolina. This would be the second time in recent history the red wolf has officially been declared extinct in the wild. The Red Wolf was listed as endangered in 1967. Studies from the small remnant population residing in the wild in southwestern Louisiana and southeastern Texas revealed an alarming rate of hybridization with coyotes. When the Endangered Species Act became law in 1973, F&W began implementation of its Red Wolf Recovery Plan. F&W worked to capture the remaining red wolves along the Louisiana Texas border and start a captive breeding program using genetically pure red wolves. (A short aside here — there are some who question the genetic makeup of red wolves and research into that issue is ongoing, but after a 2012 review of the scientific literature on the subject F&W concluded the red wolf is a distinct species and it remains federally protected under the Endangered Species Act.) It was

thought, by 1980, all red wolves had been removed from the wild and the red wolf was officially declared extinct in the wild.

F&W began to look for places and ways to reintroduce this keystone species into the wild. Attempts to reintroduce red wolves at Land Between the Lakes along the Tennessee-Kentucky border and in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park both failed. But efforts in the newly created (1984) Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge (ARNWR) in eastern North Carolina took a decidedly different turn.

The ARNWR wolves thrived and began producing viable litters. Unfortunately it seems success was a bad thing. The wolves, as healthy wild animals do, began to expand their range. And while they were welcomed on ARNWR and Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge, their forays onto private lands had disastrous results.

Between 2003 and 2011, despite supposedly being protected under the Endangered Species Act, 80 red wolves were killed by gunshot, decimating a wild population that had grown to nearly 200 animals. It is estimated, today that somewhere between 35 to 50 wild red wolves remain in eastern North Carolina.

This new proposal from F&W reduces protected habitat for red wolves from more than a million acres to just ARNWR and Pocosin Lakes and area just over 200,000 acres. It also removes any official (like there was some before?) protection for wolves that stray from the refuges — they can be shot on sight.

There will be a public meeting regarding the proposed rule from 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. July 10 at Roanoke Festival Park in Manteo and a public comment period from June 28 till July 30. Information on how to comment can be found at regulations.gov under docket number FWS-R4-ES-2018-0035.

But one has to wonder what good a pub-

lic comment period will be — results of the last public comment period from 2016 showed that 99 percent of responders — 54,992 out of 55,087 — supported the recovery of wild red wolves, and even 68.4 percent of comments from the current fivecounty region of the state where wild wolves are found supported the recovery. But comment, by all means.

The next installment of The Naturalist’s Corner – July 18 – will delve more deeply into the red wolf recovery efforts.

(Don Hendershot is a naturalist and a writer who lives in Haywood County. He can be reached at ddihen1@bellsouth.net)

UPCOMING SHOWS:

JULY 13

AUGUST 11

AUGUST 17

AUGUST 23