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On the Cover:

A MedicForce team trains community health worker Andreas Che, center, in how to properly take blood pressure during a volunteer trip in Belize. The nonprofit organization is based out of Bryson City and leads trips across the globe assisting communities with training and other public health projects.

(Page 16) Donated photo

News

Waynesville police’s four drug-related bills become law.

Haywood schools review results of student drug test.

Downtown street performers nuisance or nice addition?.

Cashiers residents contest new ABC store location.

Haywood County residents open homes to Folkmoot guests.

8

9

10 Lake Junaluska reluctantly dragged toward politics.

12 Election round-up.

Canton town board to see near complete overturn in November.

15 WCU makes final decision on which degree programs to cut.

Opinion

N.C. should leave politics out of redistricting.

Outdoors

Officials try to save Golden-winged Warbler.

Back Then

Water had a magical draw on us.

E DITOR /PUBLISHER:Scott McLeod. . . . .

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C ONTRIBUTING: Jeff Minick (writing), Chris Cox (writing), George Ellison (writing), Gary Carden (writing), Don Hendershot (writing)

CONTACT

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P: 828.452.4251 | F: 828.452.3585

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Police help push new laws through legislature

BY CAITLIN BOWLING STAFFWRITER

The Waynesville Police Department helped craft and then usher four bills, or some version of them, through the N.C. General Assembly this year, giving law enforcement officers statewide new tools in the fight against drugs.

For a small mountain police department, it was impressive to play such a prominent role in shepherding statewide drug-fighting legislation into law — not to mention four different bills.

“We are extremely pleased,” said Waynesville Police Chief Bill Hollingsed.

The four bills tackle different problems that law enforcement agencies have grappled with, including the sale and use of synthetic drugs, delays in getting results of toxicology tests, and troubles combating prescription drug abuse.

For Hollingsed, he regularly witnessed the shortcomings in existing laws that sometimes handcuffed his officers from being as effective as they could in fighting drugs. Why not do something about it, he thought.

The police department found a willing partner to carry the bills to Raleigh for them, namely Sen. Jim Davis, R-Franklin. The Waynesville Police Department gathered notebooks full of information to present to Davis in addition to wording for the bills to illustrate why each piece of legislation was important.

“A legislator doesn’t know there is a problem until someone tells you there is a problem,” Davis said, adding that the new laws will help both law enforcement and residents. “Everything that we can do to make their jobs more effective and easier and make our citizens safer is a good thing.”

The Haywood County District Attorney’s Office, the legislature’s legal department and agents with the State Bureau of Investigation also helped in the process.

SYNTHETICDRUGS

One of the laws made the manufacture, sale, possession and use of synthetic marijuana illegal.

Hollingsed has repeatedly spoken about the negative effects of synthetic marijuana, plants that have been sprayed with unknown chemicals and psychotropic drugs. Side effects of the drugs include hallucinations, seizures, vomiting, elevated blood pressure, increased anxiety and violent behavior.

The bill drafted locally took cues from a law in Tennessee that prohibits all forms of synthetic drugs, even future forms. However, the bill was deemed too broad and a similar, yet more narrowly focused, piece of legislation, H.B. 813, was pushed through.

Prior to the bill’s passage, there were no limits on who could buy and who could sell the synthetic drugs, even young children.

Now, synthetic drugs in all its current forms are illegal.

“We are happy that we’ve got a law in place now,” Hollingsed said.

The Waynesville Police Department has already arrested at least one person for possession of synthetic marijuana since the bill.

However, the new law still leaves wiggle room for manufacturers to create different chemical combinations, which would be legal unless the specific blend of ingredients is outlawed by the state.

“If new combinations come up, we will just have to deal with them,” Hollingsed said.

GREATERPENALTIES

Undoubtedly, the greatest problem law enforcement agencies face today is the illegal sell and abuse of prescription drugs. The sale of prescription narcotics has risen 600 percent in the last decade, said Donnie Varnell, supervisor of the State Bureau of Investigation’s diversion agents. Prescription drug overdose has become a leading cause of accidental deaths in the state.

“They are deadly,” Varnell said. “Prescription drugs are bought and sold on the street just like cocaine and heroin.”

However, state laws did not treat the sell of prescription pills as seriously as those drugs, particularly when it came medical personnel’s role.

To help remedy the problem, Waynesville police drafted S.B. 252, which makes it a felony for employees in the health care profession to knowingly sell drugs or give out unnecessary prescriptions. The maximum sentence is 42 months in prison.

For example, a doctor or nurse could give a patient aspirin, claiming its percocet or hydrocodone. Meanwhile, they pocket the stronger pain pills to sell.

“It is cruel that they are not getting the pain medication they need,” Hollingsed said.

Previously, the offense carried a minor sentence and sometimes offenders got out of any penalty at all.

“It’s a little bit more of a deterrent,” Varnell said.

A harsher sentence also gives law enforcement some leverage when interviewing an alleged criminal. It can be a bargaining chip if officers are trying to get information.

The new law is a step in the right direction, but eventually, Varnell said, he would like to see further ramifications for people who illegally possess, misuse and/or sell prescription drugs.

Of course, the ultimate goal is to eliminate prescription drug abuse altogether.

“In the end, we would like not to have a job,” Varnell said. “It takes partnerships with everyone to combat the prescription drug problem.”

DOCTORSHOPPERS

In addition to medical personnel who abuse their access controlled substances, there are also individuals — both dealers and

addicts — who travel from physician to physician to obtain prescriptions. Using a tactic, known a doctor shopping, people look for medical practitioner they can easily get a prescription for narcotics from. The person will often visit multiple doctors so that no one physician gets suspicious.

In some cases, organized rings will send out people to obtain the prescriptions, which can then be sold for thousands on the street.

“We are almost being overwhelmed by very large scale, well-organized prescription drug rings,” Varnell said.

To help identify prescription drug dealers and abusers, a new state law will give police access to the state’s Controlled Substance Reporting System, a database that tracks whenever certain prescription drugs are prescribed and whom they are given to. With that information, law enforcement officials can identify doctors who are giving out large numbers of prescriptions or people who are seeking pills from multiple sources.

The law, which is the combination of three bills, including the locally drafted S.B. 253, gives police chiefs and/or designated officers on the force limited use of the database — bringing the state up to speed with the rest of the U.S.

“We were the only state in the country who did not allow law enforcement access,” Hollingsed said.

Only trained officers will have permission to view the database, and they will have to keep a detailed log of when and why the Controlled Substance Reporting System is accessed.

FASTERTESTINGRESULTS

Whenever a crime occurs in Haywood County, police can send blood samples or other evidence to the nearby hospital for testing. However, when a motorist was arrested for driving under the influence, state law required law enforcement to send the blood or urine sample to the state crime lab, though no one seems to know why.

“We could not get an answer from anyone in Raleigh why that was in the DWI (statute),” Hollingsed said.

Forcing the samples to go through the state crime lab delayed results, which sometimes caused DWI cases to be dismissed. Without the results, the district attorney could not prosecute the case.

In addition, the technician who ran the sample had to drive all the way from the eastern part of the state to Western North Carolina to testify, creating an inconvenience for the crime lab.

But under passed S.B. 285, law enforcement agencies will no longer have to ship off evidence in DWI cases. Along with evidence from other crimes, blood or urine samples from alleged intoxicated drivers will be tested at nearby hospitals.

“(The hospitals in the state) were certainly more than qualified to do blood and urine testing,” Davis said. “Doing blood and urine alcohol testing is not particularly difficult.”

Drug testing par for the course in WNC high schools

BY B ECKY JOHNSON STAFFWRITER

The number of high school students failing random drug tests in Haywood County has remained constant since the school system put a drug testing policy in place seven years ago.

Between 12 and 14 students have tested positive for illegal drugs just about every year since 2006 when Haywood County Schools began giving random drug tests to high school students. About 5 percent of the students given the drug tests come up positive.

The intent of drug testing is not to punish students but to serve as a deterrent, explained Assistant Superintendent Bill Nolte.

“This is not a disciplinary program,” Nolte said.

Students don’t get suspended. Their teachers aren’t told — only the principal and parents are informed. Nor are the students automatically barred from sports or extracurricular activities as long as they comply with certain requirements, like counseling and regular drug testing going forward.

The random drug tests aren’t given across the board to the entire student body — that would actually be unconstitutional. But public schools can legally test students involved in extracurricular activities.

In Haywood, any high school student in sports, band, chorus, cheerleading, any school-related clubs — even students who drive to school and park on campus — could be subject to testing. Parents can also elect to put their children on the list.

“Students are placed in a random selection pool if they are in extracurricular activities, if they drive a vehicle on campus or if their parents request they be put in the program,” Nolte said.

Big trucks take heed: no more Jake brakes in Waynesville

BY B ECKY JOHNSON STAFFWRITER

Waynesville has outlawed the use of noisy engine-compression brakes by big trucks.

Known as Jake brakes, they make a loud, shuddering, reverberating thunking noise that seems to rattle windows and irritates residents who live along grades frequented by heavy trucks and equipment.

“It is very loud and very distracting. It is breaking the sound barrier. Especially if you are in a residential community,” said Waynesville Mayor Gavin Brown.

Jake brakes release built-up compressed air to slow the engine, producing a machine-gun like chatter. Truck drivers use them to save wear and tear on their real

In Haywood County, just more than half the 2,200 high school students qualify for random drug testing. About one-fifth of those eligible — or 220 students — got tested during this past school year. It cost the school system $6,000 to conduct the drug tests.

“We believe that is a very good investment,” Nolte said at a recent school board meeting where he shared an annual recap of the drug test results.

The random testing policy could give students a convenient escape valve in the face of peer pressure.

“It gives students a opportunity to stay away from stuff because they are in the pool,” Nolte said. “They can say, ‘Sorry, I am in the testing program. I can’t do that.’”

Most importantly, however, the drug testing alerts parents that their child has been using drugs so they can intervene.

A 5-4 Supreme Court ruling declared random drug tests legal for students engaged extracurricular activities, but not the entire student body.

WHATOTHERCOUNTIESDO

• Macon County Schools give mandatory drug tests to all high school students in interscholastic sports. At the start of each athletic season — fall, winter and spring — every student participating in a sport that season is tested. It came out to more than 1,000 students. Which day the test is given is a surprise. Additional random testing is conducted during the course of the season.

• Swain County Schools conducts random drug testing of middle and high school students who participate in any school-sponsored extracurricular activities.

• Jackson County Schools conduct random drug tests only for high school athletes.

brakes — a matter of maintenance costs and not necessity.

The town banned the use of Jake brakes in 2006 along Allens Creek Road, which sees excessive truck traffic en route to and from a rock quarry. The thundering sound of Jake brakes was a near constant backdrop for residents along Allens Creek as dozens of dump trucks passed up and down the road to the quarry daily.

But it recently dawned on town leaders this wasn’t the only community plagued by trucks deploying Jake brakes. From construction traffic on Eagles Nest to tractortrailers on Russ Avenue, the noise from Jake brakes was a nuisance in other neighborhoods as well.

“We thought, ‘Why are we doing this in one area?’ The problem is not peculiar to Allens Creek. There are issues in the rest of the community,” Brown said.

Signs will be posted at entrances to the town alerting truck drivers to the new ordinance.

To busk or not?

Waynesville ponders street performer ordinance

BY CAITLIN BOWLING STAFFWRITER

Street musicians are becoming a common sight in downtown Waynesville, despite a town policy that bans sidewalk performers from playing for tips.

It’s OK to play for fun, but it’s not OK to casually leave your instrument case propped open as a landing place for wayward dollar bills and itinerant coins from a passersby.

Still, the town of Waynesville’s policy hasn’t stopped Bill Turner, a 92-year-old saxophonist, from staking out a section of the sidewalk along Main Street to play for money.

“You would be surprised how many people drop money in the bucket,” he said, adding that he has collected $150 after two hours of playing before.

Technically, a street performer who puts out a bucket, hat, basket, bowl, dish, vase — anything at all that could be construed as a receptacle for tips — is labeled a panhandler. And the town bans panhandling.

Turner claims the panhandling ordinance shouldn’t apply to street musicians like himself, however.

“The laws that they put there are to keep people off the street who are undesirable,” said Turner, a lifelong professional musician who splits his time between Florida and Waynesville. “It’s not fair.” Turner points to his impressive resume as a musician, which crossed paths with the likes of Dean Martin, Jackie Gleason and Count Basie.

Street musicians playing for tips do have

one avenue: they apply to the town for a permit

Turner has appealed to the town to reverse its prohibitive policy on playing for tips — known colloquially as busking. Turner said he’s in dire need of money after recently being declared legally blind, rendering him unable to work as a piano tuner or drive to paying gigs.

Turner, it turns out, wasn’t the only one playing to Waynesville leaders’ sympathies lately.

Town Manger Marcy Onieal said three other individuals have made appointments with her to talk specifically about busking downtown. She told each of them they are free to play but cannot legally collect tips or cause a ruckus.

“You are welcome to play on the street as long as you are not disturbing the peace, blocking the sidewalk or doing anything obscene,” Onieal said.

people from this community say, ‘We don’t want to be Asheville.’” Asheville is well known for its buskers who litter city streets, and for the most part, business owners welcome the performers outside their doorsteps for the crowds they attract.

“Street performers are becoming part of a vibrant downtown,” Assistant Town Manager Alison Melnikova said, citing the

The town doesn’t really have an official busking ordinance though — only the loosely applied panhandling one. And while street musicians have the option of going the permit route, it’s unclear whether any have actually done so in recent history and Onieal doesn’t want to be the arbitrator of who can and cannot play.

So Onieal brought the matter to the town aldermen last week to gauge their thoughts. Should the town draft a busking ordinance? If so, what should it include?

“We kind of just wanted your opinion on that,” Onieal said. “I have had a number of

A future ordinance could include restrictions on how many permits the town awards, when someone can play, for how long, where buskers can perform, and how loud the music can be.

lively scene on Asheville’s streets.

While Asheville officials are pretty hands-off when it comes to busking rules — anything goes, literally — other towns only allow it certain places, or limit a performer to a couple of hours at a time.

No suggested ordinance was presented to the board last week, but a future ordinance could include restrictions on how many permits the town awards, when someone can play, for how long, where buskers can perform, and how loud the music can be. It could also give first preference to Waynesville or Haywood County residents.

“It is for people who live here to make a couple dollars,” Melnikova said.

According to Onieal, the Downtown Waynesville Association foresaw no problems with allowing buskers but was concerned that performers would interfere with the paid entertainment at downtown street festivals. However, town-issued permits could preclude buskers from setting up shop on festival days, Onieal stated.

The biggest concern for the town board, however, is whether the buskers will bother tourists and hurt business owners.

“The danger is that tourists don’t like it or something like that. That is our collective fear,” said Mayor Gavin Brown.

Alderman and Main Street business owner LeRoy Roberson noted that performers will often park themselves on one of the wooden benches downtown, preventing shoppers from using them.

“I have noticed when they have been playing, they are usually at the benches,” Roberson said. “They have got their stuff laid out and are taking up the whole benches.”

Occasionally, people will call the town to complain about street performers.

“The police usually ask them to move on if there has been a complaint,” Onieal said.

In the end, town board members said they wanted more time to look into the matter before deciding whether to maintain the status quo or create a specific busking ordinance.

Higher cost for new restrooms at Waynesville playground could nix project

BY CAITLIN BOWLING STAFFWRITER

Renovating the antiquated, shuttered restrooms at the Waynesville Recreation Park will cost more than town officials anticipated, leaving them to question whether to bother or just scrap the plans altogether.

The project included new toilets and bathroom fixtures, new plumbing, a pitched roof, an extended picnic shelter with grills, a concession stand, a food prep area with a microwave and possibly a popcorn machine, and a meeting room. It was estimated to cost $180,000.

But when the town put the project out to bid, none of the five proposals came in under $300,000. Trimming some of the project’s extras wasn’t enough to make the price more feasible.

“It was so way over budget even after cutting things out,” Town Manager Marcy Onieal told the town board at a recent meeting. “We

simply cannot bring that proposal back to you.”

The dilapidated restrooms were once the bathhouse for an old outdoor pool. The pool was bulldozed, but the bathhouse remained as public restrooms for park goers, despite frequent vandalism and maintenance issues.

The restrooms were closed in 2011 following arson, however. The town got $97,000 in insurance money and planned to put it toward a major renovation. Town leaders were willing to chip in $100,000 in town funds, for a total cost of $200,000.

simply kill the project.

Now, they must figure out if they want to come up with a simpler restroom concept or

“We may or may not want to plop a restroom down in that spot,” Onieal said. “We really need to take a step back and look at a

master plan for that area.” No decision was made at the board meeting. The town has two other public restrooms at its sprawling recreation complex along Richland Creek, but none are in convenient proximity to the large Waynesville Kiwanis Community Playground, which is currently served by portapotties. In the same breath, Onieal delivered another piece of bad news. The town did not receive a $60,000 grant from the N.C. Parks and Recreation Trust Fund that would have helped pay for the about $200,000 cost of reconstructing its six tennis courts. The fate of that project is up in the air as well.

Harrah’s Casino one of the few big games in town for job seekers

BY ANDREW KASPER STAFFWRITER

Since Harrah’s Cherokee Casino and Resort added table games with live dealers last year they’ve had to round up hundreds of new card dealers — and they’re still looking for more.

“It’s been crazy good,” Gaming Manager Anna Rowe said about the success of Vegasstyle table games like Craps, Roulette, live Poker and Blackjack. But to offer the game, you’ve got to have the dealer — 500 dealers to be exact.

Jason Rowe, one of Harrah’s standout dealers, offered advice to new recruits at a casino job fair last week. Expect to be a bit nervous when you’re first starting out, including sweaty hands. But it all becomes natural eventually.

“If you can deal a $10 blackjack game, you can do a $10,000 blackjack game,” added Christina Esmay, another Harrah’s dealer on hand at the job fair. “It’s all about muscle memory.”

Already the largest private employer west of Asheville, Harrah’s beefed up its payroll by 600 employees during the past year as a direct result of table games and the increase in guests they spurred. Of those, 500 were actual dealers.

But, professional card dealers are not a dime a dozen in Western North Carolina. So recruiters have had to get creative, taking both card-dealer training and job fairs on the road.

Jones Douglass drove all the way from Blairsville, Ga., last week for a card dealer job fair Harrah’s hosted at Southwestern Community College. The commute to Cherokee from his home is 74 miles. But he’s been out of work since last November, and Harrah’s is one of the few employers handing out new jobs these days. Harrah’s is now up to 2,900 employees across the resort. It is nearly always hiring to replace people who leave.

Card dealer Christina Esmay shows off her table gaming skills to potential applicants at a

Want to apply?

So, Douglass, like many across the region, was willing to overlook the lengthy commute.

After working construction for 22 years, however, he never imagined himself as a card dealer.

“That never crossed my mind,” Douglass said. Rowe, who lives in Haywood County herself, said the lure of Harrah’s jobs have drawn applicants from far and wide who are willing to make the commute.

But the payoff can be worthwhile. The average pay for a card dealer at the casino is about $20 per hour including tips. The job also carries generous health benefits and a retirement match.

Not just anybody can do it, though — the effortlessness of the pro dealer comes with practice and patience.

It requires astute analytical skills and a knack for getting along with clientele — from greasing the skids of the high rollers to sympathizing with players down on their luck.

“It’s more than you think. Your math skills have to be impeccable — very sharp and quick,” Rowe said.

But the job also takes people skills, explained Jason Rowe, a dealer talking shop with job seekers at SCC last week. Dealers don’t just have to deal cards but also deal with the occasional irate gambler. When people lose, they can get upset, and guess who is standing right in front of them at the table?

“Some people get mad, lose money, but if it gets to that they’re taken care of and escorted out,” Jason Rowe said. “Don’t take it personally.”

Job-seekers looking to work in the live gaming industry can apply online at www.caesars.com or walk into the employment office at Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort in Cherokee during normal business hours Monday through Friday.

He has worked at the casino for eight years and became a dealer as soon as table games went live last year.

Trainees start out learning the three core games — Blackjack, Three Card Poker and Let It Ride — in a fourweek, full-time training course through the casino. They also have the option of taking card-dealing courses through Haywood Community College or SCC. Eventually, they advance into the more complicated games.

Dealers work eight-hour shifts, in hour-and-a-quarter rotations followed by a 20-minute break. Running a table can be mentally fatiguing. Meanwhile, the customers keep pouring in.

As one of the premier casinos in the Southeast, customers have flocked from far away to Cherokee to try their luck at live tables games. A World Series of Poker tournament at the casino this spring was evidence of the pent-up demand in a multi-state area of the South devoid of other casinos, touting some of the highest participation numbers on the professional poker circuit.

Esmay, who graduated from Western Carolina University with a four-year degree, said she never envisioned herself as a card dealer but has grown to like the profession.

“I never thought I would be in card dealing — but I’m glad I am,” Esmay said. “Every day is really interesting.”

Concerns voiced over proposed Cashiers ABC store site

BY B ECKY JOHNSON STAFFWRITER

Jackson County got a green light from the state to move forward with plans to build a liquor store in Cashiers, despite more than two dozen residents voicing opposition to the particular location that was chosen.

The N.C. Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission signed off on the county’s plans to lease a purpose-built storefront on a vacant 4.5 acre tract across from the Ingles grocery store in Cashiers. The property owner has agreed to build a 4,000-square-foot store and lease it to the Jackson County ABC board for $32,000 a year.

More than two dozen Cashiers residents lodged their disapproval of the site with the state, however. Chief concerns were traffic at the already congested, wreck-prone stretch in front of Ingles. Many also disapproved of building a new store when there were plenty of existing vacant storefronts in Cashiers that could be used instead.

“The biggest thing at Ingles is the traffic. It is absolutely murderous,” said Clyde Welch, one of the Cashiers residents who submitted comments and a retired Conmet factory worker.

Like many who lodged opposition, Welch feared the additional traffic at this spot would lead to more wrecks. Several residents requested a traffic light be installed if the location was approved, but likewise, some said they didn’t particularly want to see another traffic light in Cashiers. Cashiers only has two traffic lights now.

Kathy Blozan, a retired artist in Cashiers, said it was a shame an existing building couldn’t fit the bill.

“It seems so weird to have to build something when we have all these vacant buildings,” Blozan said. “There are so many empty spaces up here.”

But Blozan said she understands the rationale.

The Jackson ABC board researched several possible locations in the area. The site across from Ingles is the cheapest option and the most suitable, since the space would be custom built rather than having to remodel an existing building, according to Jackson ABC officials.

However, Cashiers resident B. K. Jones questioned the practicality of the site, which has significant underlying rock and isn’t on public sewer.

The state process to approve construction of new ABC stores is fairly routine, primarily intended to make sure the site meets various criteria, such as being a minimum distance from existing schools or churches.

Only four residents submitted comments to the state in favor of the site, none of whom are year-round residents of the county.

The property owners, Louis and Joni Darre, bought the vacant tract across from Ingles in 2009. At one point, there were plans for a Dollar General to be constructed on the site, but it never came to fruition. According to the application with the state, the Darres hope to further develop the site after the ABC store is built, presumably with the ABC store serving as an anchor to draw additional commercial outlets.

The ABC store will have a “rustic look in keeping with the general design standards and values of the Cashiers commercial and resort areas,” with Hardy-plank siding and a timber-framed covered entrance, according to the state application.

Currently, Cashiers residents, vacationers and restaurant owners must make the half hour or more trip into Sylva to buy liquor at the ABC store there. But last year, voters approved a ballot measure that legalized the sale of beer and wine countywide and paved the way for county-run ABC stores.

Jackson County is facing up to $200,000 in start-up costs for the Cashiers ABC store, and it could take more than five years to recoup those costs before seeing a profit.

Bringing the world into your home

BY GARRET K. WOODWARD STAFF WRITER

The house is silent, but soon, it will be overflowing with voices, faces, words and languages known and unknown. Awaiting her guests, Jay MacDonald stands in the kitchen of her home in downtown Waynesville.

“I do this because I want people who come to our country to see something besides where they stay, for them to be waited on, appreciated, to see an actual residence and have a positive experience in Waynesville,” she said.

MacDonald is hosting one of the international groups that perform at the Folkmoot International Dance and Music Festival. Alongside the numerous shows around the area, a handful of local residents act as host families to the dancers and musicians from around the world that call Western North Carolina home for two weeks every year. And tonight’s guests are the Ena Sutton Highlands Dancers of Winnipeg (Canada) and Lous Gouyats De L’Adou (France). MacDonald is part of a group that has prepared a massive home-cooked meal for the two groups, feeding more than 60 people.

“By having them in my home, you get a one-onone experience, talking and interacting with them,” MacDonald said. “I love Folkmoot. I love the performances and all of the people. I may never get to visit all of these countries, so to have these groups come here and perform is incredible.”

Just as quickly as MacDonald finishes her statement, dozens of voices echo from the front yard. The Canadian group has arrived. Dancers and musicians stream into the rambling Victorian home, shaking hands and introducing themselves to anyone they haven’t met yet. Smiles radiate from both sides of the conversation.

“The people of North Carolina and the South, they’re so friendly, and people here really go above and beyond to make you feel comfortable,” said Jillian Impey, a 20-year-old Ena Sutton Highland dancer. “Sometimes you can get so wrapped up in the festival, and here you get to see people, how they live, you get to mingle and feel more at home.”

The house begins to fill up with laughter, music and hearty chatter. The hazy summer sun soon begins to fall behind the high peaks of Southern Appalachia. The property is now a beacon of literal and emotional light within the neighborhood.

“I love interacting with all of the different cultures and learning about them,” said Hannah McLeod, a guide for the Canadian group who has volunteered and worked at Folkmoot for several years. “With the Canadians, we’re very similar in a lot of ways, and very different in some other things, and that’s great.”

Bringing together youth from around the region, the Folkmoot guides provide the groups with a direct outlet and helpful resource to the world outside of the stage and Folkmoot Center in Waynesville. It’s learning experience for both, which is the key to the festival – breaking down social barriers and sharing in the experience of new cultures and unique people.

“Without Folkmoot, we don’t realize that we’re living in a world with so many different kinds of

“Sometimes you can get so wrapped up in the festival, and here you get to see people, how they live, you get to mingle and feel more at home.”

— Jillian Impey, Ena Sutton Highland dancer

people,” McLeod said. “You can get so focused in your own life, the way you live and that’s all that matters. But it’s not, because there so many other places and people that have a lot to offer you. Without this festival once a year, you might lose sight of that.”

A commotion suddenly arises from the street. The French group is finally here. Though you might not know how to speak French, what is understood, and is universal, is friendship. The large dance troupe fills the hallways and back porches of the home. At the center of the group is Annie Lasserre, director of Lous Gouyats De L’Adou. The ensemble is the only act to attend Folkmoot four times (2001, 2003, 2008, 2013).

“It’s magnificent here. We’re always surprised as to how welcomed Folkmoot makes us feel,” she said. “This festival is a great exchange. It’s about traditions, which makes us a better world.”

Standing next to Lasserre is Emily Burrus, a French teacher at nearby Pisgah High School. A Haywood County native, Burrus got involved in Folkmoot early when she was a student at Tuscola High School. She began answering phones, then became a guide for the French group, and now is a volunteer aiding in any facet possible.

“I’ve always loved the French culture and language, and I never had any inclination to become a French teacher, but Folkmoot changed all of that,” Burrus said. “Folkmoot shaped who I wanted to be. I wanted to travel and have made lifelong friends with the French group.”

Burrus encourages young people around Western North Carolina to get involved in Folkmoot.

“Do it. It will change your life,” she said. “It shows you that even though you live in a small mountain, the world comes to Folkmoot. There’s no other way you’ll get to see and meet all of these different cultures, unless you travel. Folkmoot is a great opportunity for those experiences.”

After a feast fit for a king, the performers, hosts and guides gather into a circle, singing songs, trading stories and dancing arm-in-arm. It’s a scene that makes you realize just how small this great big world actually is, and how striking up a conversation with a stranger from the other side of globe can reinvigorate the soul.

A guide for the last three years, 19-year-old Logan Samuelson of Maggie Valley is a guide for the French group this year. His work with Folkmoot has led to him majoring in international business and studying French at Appalachian State University. For him, it all started when he saw an advertisement in his high school French class looking for people to volunteer for the festival.

“Folkmoot is the only thing like it in the state. It’s so hard to explain to people because it’s so amazing,” he said. “Even though guiding and hosting may seem like a small opportunity, it’s the opportunity of a lifetime – you’ll never do anything else like this.”

Folkmoot, 30 years in the making

BY GARRET K. WOODWARD STAFF WRITER

It was a phone call Rolf Kaufman will never forget.

The year was 1983, and on the other end of the line was the voice of Dr. Clinton Border, a Waynesville surgeon and Kaufman’s neighbor.

“He invited me to his house for a meeting,” Kaufman recalled. “I didn’t know what it was about; he didn’t tell me, but did say it was something I would be interested in.”

That something was an idea Border had been mulling over and researching the last few years. After accompanying a local dance troupe to a folk festival in England in 1973, Border felt Southern Appalachia could mimic the concept of the event. Already a haven for the heritage and preservation of mountain music and clogging, Western North Carolina seemed the ideal location to Border for a festival. That idea became the Folkmoot USA, the international dance and music festival.

Fast forward 30 years, and Kaufman — a festival supporter from its inception and a longtime board member — is among just a handful of people who have attended or been a part of all 30 Folkmoot festivals.

“I had no past experience with folk dancing, music traditions or anything of that sort,” Kaufman said. “But it grew on me, and I’ve never been able to leave it. I’m 82 years old now, and it has become my passion.”

Folkmoot (an old English word meaning “meeting of the people”) is the state’s official international festival and in the course of its existence has hosted more than 8,000 performers from more than 100 foreign countries.

“Frankly, for a rural area like this, having entertainers come from around the world and perform, it’s pretty special,” said John Browning, who with his wife, Pat, is among that small group of local residents who can proudly say they’ve attended each and every one of the 30 Folkmoot celebrations.

“This isn’t Asheville or New York City, and we’re able to have this. Where else are you going to see this type of entertainment coming from all of these different countries? It’s priceless,” he said.

“We’ve enjoyed so many groups over the years, like the dancers from Ireland and Russia or the Mexican performers,” he said. “My wife and I were just thrilled by all the colorful outfits and music, especially when we went to the Stompin’ Ground.”

Since the inaugural year, the Stompin’ Ground in Maggie Valley has been one of the main venues for Folkmoot performances. And from day one, owner Kyle Edwards — one of those

who has seen performances from every year of Folkmoot — has been more than willing to provide the performers a suitable place to display their sacred, beautiful traditions.

“Folkmoot is something the kids get to see without having to travel throughout the world,” he said. “They get to see it at home, when maybe they’d never get the chance to see any of these things. It has worked out well for everybody.”

Edwards remembers being approached by Border with the idea to use the venue for his new festival. Edwards saw an opportunity to not only help the event but also get the word out about his unique performance venue. The Stompin’ Ground is the self-proclaimed “World Capital of Clogging,” and Edwards and his wife work hard to preserve traditional clogging.

“I told Dr. Border, ‘I have the place. You set’er up, and we’ll do it here,’” Edwards said. “I remember the full house that opening night, and it’s been a full house every night ever since. It’s also really nice to bring people into my building that otherwise would never come in.”

Kaufman remembers vividly the ambiance and cherished experience during that first Folkmoot celebration.

“It was a revelation to see those traditions from various countries and to witness the open-mindedness between the local people and international performers,” he said. “I was particularly impressed with the impact the festival has had on all of the young people growing up in this area.”

For many young people in Western North Carolina, Folkmoot has always been in their lives. They’ve grown up with it, been to the programs, and many of them have participated in the festival, whether through performing themselves, volunteering or being a guide for one of the guest countries.

“Over the years, there have been hundreds of guides who lived with a group for two weeks, day and night,” Kaufman said. “And those experiences definitely affected their career futures, many of which getting involved with jobs overseas or involved in international affairs.”

As Folkmoot evolved, so did Kaufman’s role in the festival. From his early support and help with preparing and hosting the event, he soon became the director of group relations for Folkmoot, as well as a member of the festival commission for the International Council of Organizations of Folklore Festivals and Folk Arts (CIOFF). In essence, Kaufman is the person who seeks out and identifies the groups picked to perform at Folkmoot.

“We try to achieve a certain balance by varying our sources in groups and try not to recruit the same acts year after year,” he said. “We look for performers with a great reputation and are very conscious about the visa process for these foreign groups to come overseas.”

Folkmoot has come a long was from its humble beginning where performers were housed at local schools. Though the Folkmoot Center has provided a great space to host the performers, operational and repair costs are mounting, not to mention the increase in travel costs and visa applications. Due to a lack of state and federal funding, the nonprofit festival is about to embark on a capital campaign to help it remain viable for another 30 years.

“I hope the first 30 years of Folkmoot is a solid base to survive another 30,” Kaufman said. “We need to rebuild our endowment and become more visible year-round, preserving the intangible traditions, because Folkmoot has become an identifying event for Western North Carolina, and we don’t want to lose that.”

Lake Junaluska navigates choppy political waters

BY B ECKY JOHNSON STAFFWRITER

Ron Clauser never saw himself as a lobbyist. He’s an accountant by trade, a world where logic and rationale rule the day. The same could be said of Ed LaFountaine, a career military man and retired major general in the airforce.

But Clauser and LaFountaine may soon find themselves evicted from their cocoon of civility at Lake Junaluska and thrown into the new terrain of state politics. The task at hand: convincing state legislators in Raleigh that the majority of property owners in their Methodist community indeed want to be absorbed into Waynesville’s town limits.

A bill to that effect had been sent to Raleigh earlier this year but it was shipwrecked by political maneuvering.

“It is unfortunate that a minority in the community has taken a contrary position and stopped this particular effort,” said LaFountaine. “It was disappointing because the effort had the support of the community but we saw a few individuals engineer a change in that through 12th hour lobbying.”

Proponents of the merger with Waynesville say they were blind-sided by the bill’s derailment. While not all 800 property owners at Lake Junaluska had agreed unanimously, the conclusion to merge with Waynesville was a collective one, arrived at after nearly a year of studies, reports, analy-

sis, public meetings, public hearings — backed by a survey and unanimous votes of two elected homeowners boards.

“We tried very hard to achieve transparency,” Clauser said. “Yet when it got to Raleigh, there wasn’t much transparency. The opponents are getting an upper hand and we don’t know how or why. I think we are disappointed in the political process.”

Clauser admitted to being naïve when it comes to inner political workings, but never suspected a handful of opponents would work subversively to stop what the majority of the community wanted.

But who’s to say that’s what the majority wanted, asked Walt Logan, a part-time Lake Junaluska property owner who lives in Florida. Logan believes the process was flawed — like most of the meetings being held over the winter or the mail-in survey be structured as a sliding scale.

But most importantly, Logan believes the community was led astray by those at the helm, steered toward a forgone, preferred conclusion with a false bill of goods.

After the merger bill has fizzled this year in the General Assembly, the town of Waynesville and Lake Junaluska had three choices: forget the merger, pick back up with the special bill next year in the hopes of getting it passed, or bite the bullet and go through the official annexation process.

Waynesville leaders aren’t eager to go

through the official annexation process. They fear it will inaccurately portray the town as aggressively trying to gobble up Lake Junaluska — when in fact Lake Junaluska asked to be annexed, said Waynesville Mayor Gavin Brown.

Logan questioned what they have to fear, however.

“That begs the question: if the vast majority of people want this, then why not go through the statutory annexation process?” Logan said.

But Waynesville leaders would rather Lake Junaluska give the political process another shot next year before going for the nuclear option of a forced annexation — a politicallycharged and technically-arduous process.

Brown said the chief strategy now should be for the homeowners who support annexation to “carry the water.”

“It is time for those people to step forward,” Brown said.

Brown made more than half a dozen trips to Raleigh to speak on behalf of the bill along with other town and Lake Junaluska officials. But legislators needed to be hearing from property owners.

“We probably should have had a different game plan,” Brown said.

Clauser and LaFountaine thought there was plenty of evidence that a merger was what property owners wanted.

“There seems to be some perspective in Raleigh that property owners haven’t spoken.

In reality they have,” LaFountaine said.

The Lake Junaluska Community Council and the Lake Junaluska Property Owners Association both voted unanimously in support of merging. There was also a mail-in survey of all property owners, with 60 percent favoring a merger.

But the integrity of the survey has been maligned by opponents. And the community council and property owner’s board has been disparaged as an illegitimate indicator of residential sentiment.

The bill has already passed the N.C. Senate, but faced a series obstacles in the N.C. House over the past two months — some philosophical and others purely political. Last week, leaders with the town of Waynesville and Lake Junaluska pulled the bill since the chances seemed slim of it being passed anyway.

Several weeks ago, it seemed proponents of the merger had placated hold-outs in the legislature. They agreed to hold an official vote of Lake Junaluska residents to the merger had majority support.

But that compromise somehow fell by the wayside.

The lake and the town would still like to hold the vote, as it would give them ammunition when they push for the bill again next year. But legally, they can’t simply declare an election.

Only the legislature could call for such an election unless it was held under the guise of a forced annexation process.

Tie match called in Jackson visitor center firestorm

BY ANDREW KASPER STAFFWRITER

After a tumultuous start to hashing out a blueprint for this year’s finances, the Jackson County Tourism Development Authority reached a moment of harmony last week when its members unanimously adopted a budget.

“In the end, we reached a compromise,” said Debby Hattler, a member of the tourism authority’s finance committee. “I think it’s something we can move forward with.”

Dissention began in May in a tiff over how much each of the county’s visitor centers should get from the pot of tourism tax dollars. Tempers flared when Chairman Clifford Meads took action to thwart part of a funding increase destined for the Cashiers Area Visitor Center as part of a preliminary budget.

Lively debate among board members and a heated public meeting in Cashiers ensued — one which drew a full house in support of giving the Cashiers Area Visitors Center its due.

But all the turmoil was behind the board last week when TDA members moved a compromised version of the budget forward, one that divvies up the funds more or less equally between visitor center operations based in Sylva and Cashiers and even sets aside a separate pot of money for Dillsboro’s.

When the compromise budget came to a vote, and nobody spoke in opposition, Meads shared his obvious relief with the crowd.

“Opposed…?” Meads asked, glancing around the table for dissenters but finding none. “Thank God.”

An early draft of the TDA budget would have awarded a roughly $20,000 increase for Cashiers’ visitor center operations, from $60,000 to more than $80,000. The increase was intended to bring the funding for the

Cashiers visitor center in line with the Jackson visitor center in Sylva.

Meads, however, altered the budget crafted by the tourism authority’s finance committee. He reduced the amount slated for the Cashiers visitor center, giving it an increase of only $8,000. He argued that the limited pot of tourism dollars would be better used in advertising and promotion of the county as a destination.

That touched off a firestorm on two fronts. One issue was the merit of the matter: how much funding was the Cashiers visitor center entitled to? The other issue was procedural: why hadn’t the tourism authority followed a better budget process?

Meads misstepped when unilaterally editing the draft budget outside the purview of

“Now our budget is set; our focus is reset; let’s drop the armor and move on.”

— Clifford Meads, Jackson County Tourism Development Authority Chairman

the finance committee or full tourism board. He took the brunt of the blame for acting outside the proper board protocol. But that wasn’t the board’s only growing pain. In another faux pas: The budget never came before the full tourism board for a vote after the finance committee crafted it. And the tourism board failed to hold the required public hearing on its budget, forcing it to pass an interim budget for the month of July.

“The last month or so wasn’t the prettiest thing to see, but it probably was neces-

sary,” Meads said. “Now our budget is set; our focus is reset; let’s drop the armor and move on.”

In the compromise brokered last week, the Cashiers visitor center got an increase of $14,000 — less than was originally propose but more than Meads had proffered. In fact, it was right in the middle of the two.

Cashiers Area Chamber of Commerce President Ken Fernandez and Hattler, both of whom had rallied the troops to demand equitable funding for the visitor center in Cashiers, ultimately supported the compromise budget.

WHAT’SFAIR?

The funding increase awarded to the Cashiers visitor center now puts it on par with what the Jackson visitor center in Sylva gets. But whether Cashiers’ center actually deserves an equal cut of tourism dollars has not been addressed head on.

It is, no doubt, a sensitive issue. The creation of a single countywide tourism authority earlier this year was supposed to bridge the historical divide between Cashiers and Sylva tourism interests, but it hasn’t happened overnight. The tourism board has shied away from a genuine analytical discussion of the funding formula.

The Jackson visitor center serves greater numbers, and is a clearinghouse of tourism information for the entire county, including Cashiers. It’s run by the Jackson Chamber of Commerce.

The Cashiers visitor center, on the other hand, serves a more narrowly focused geographic area. It’s run by the Cashiers Chamber of Commerce.

Nonetheless, Cashiers tourism interests felt slighted for getting less. Tourism board members who aren’t from Cashiers apparently felt it was worth going to the mat over.

Some, it seemed, were tired of the hue and cry such a small percentage of the TDA budget had cause and the fact it was impeding progress for the fledgling board.

“$6,000 is really minute,” said Board

Jackson County Tourism Development Authority Chairman Clifford Meads was able to reach a compromise with other board members for visitor center funding in Cashiers. Andrew Kasper photo

Member Mickey Luker, owner of the Caney Fork General store in Cullowhee.

The entire tourism authority budget is about $600,000 a year, raised through a 4 percent tax on overnight accommodations. The countywide tourism authority was just formed in January with the mission of focusing the county’s tourism strategy on the whole county rather than individual geographic areas.

The adopted budget now earmarks a separate pot of $6,000 in operating costs plus $3,000 or so in recent and utilities for the Dillsboro visitor center. Before, Dillsboro’s visitor center funding was lumped in with funding for the Sylva visitor center, since both were run by the Jackson chamber, but it falsely inflated the perceived inequity between Cashiers and Sylva.

PULLINGTHEIRWEIGHT?

Although Meads is still skeptical about funding visitor centers as a viable means of boosting tourism, he said the reality was that compromise and unity needed to be found to keep the board on track. At the center of the hailstorm over the visitor center funding, Meads saw firsthand how distracting it could be.

The tourism authority played catch up last week — finally holding the required public hearing on the budget before adopting it. Several proponents of visitor center funding took the opportunity to make their case.

Jane Ebberts said she and her husband stopped in at the Cashiers visitor center in 1997 to start their trip to the area.

“The first place we came to was the visitor center in Cashiers,” she said.

She ultimately moved to the area and is now on the board of directors for the Cashiers Chamber of Commerce and a Realtor.

But the tourism industry and the game of attracting visitors has changed during the past 15 years. George Ware, owner of the Chalet Inn outside of Dillsboro, said it was understandable for the board not to make drastic cuts to visitor center funding the first year out of the gate with the new countywide tourism authority.

However, if that kind of money — roughly $160,000 in public funds — is being handed over to private chambers of commerce to operate visitor centers, there needs to be accountability and transparency.

Ware said he’d like to see the money tracked, as well as proof that visitor center operations actually promote tourism in the area. This way, when the debate surfaces again next year, residents of Jackson County know that it’s well spent.

“You just don’t say, ‘Here’s money, go do it,’” Ware said. “You’ve got to be able to see where it is. How are you going to measure performance?”

News editor Becky Johnson contributed to this story.

Town election ballots shake out

Towns across the mountains will hold elections for their mayors and town board leaders this fall. Some town races are shaping up to be hotly contested, like Maggie Valley with a deep bench of challengers, while others like Dillsboro have no challengers at all. In the Village of Forest Hills, no one signed up to run for mayor during the official filing period, prompting an extension of the candidate registration deadline through Friday to drum up takers.

• In Maggie Valley, three of the five seats are up for election. Two of the seats are held by Mike Matthews and Saralyn Price, who are both running for reelection, along with challengers Billy Case, Mike Eveland and Steve Hurley. The third seat is vacant, with still two years left in the term. Three candidates — Janet Banks, Joe Maniscalco and Charlie Meadows — are running for the empty seat.

• In Canton, all four seats on the town board plus mayor are up for election. Mayor Mike Ray is running unopposed. None of the current four aldermen are running for reelection. Candidates are: Carole Edwards, Ralph Hamlett, Gail Mull, Phillip Smathers, Zeb Smathers and Roy Taylor.

• In Sylva, two of the five town board seats plus mayor are up for election. Candidates for mayor include current town board member Christine Matheson and Jeremy Edmonds. For town board, incumbents Danny Allen and Barbara Hamilton will seek reelection against Mary Kelly Gelbaugh.

• In Dillsboro, all five town board seats are up plus the mayor. The sitting board members are all running for reelection and face no competition.

• In Webster, all five town board seats plus mayor are up for election. Current board member Jean Davenport is running for mayor. Incumbents Billie Bryson, Allan Grant and Tracy Rodes are running for reelection against challengers Janice Blanton, Nick Breedlove and Danell Moses.

• In the Village of Forest Hills, no one at all has signed up to run for mayor yet, so the filing deadline has been extended until noon Friday. Two of the five town board seats are up for election. Incumbents Clark Corwin and Carl Hooper will seek reelection uncontested, while Ron Mau will run for an open seat.

• In Franklin, four of six town board seats plus mayor are up for election. Current board members Sissy Pattillo and Bob Scott are vying for mayor, with the sitting mayor stepping down. Billy Mashburn is the only incumbent running for town board, leaving three wide open seats. Other candidates include: Patti Halyburton Abel, Mack Brogden, Emmanuel Carrion, W.H. Derrick, Marshall Henson, Adam Kimsey, Barbara McRae, Angela Hubbs Moore and Thomas Ritter.

• In Highlands, three of the six town board seats are up for election. Mayoral candidates are Brian Stiehler and Patrick Taylor. Both town board incumbents Gary Drake and Amy Patterson will run for reelection against Donnie Calloway and Michael David Rogers.

Canton aldermen to step down en masse following election

BY CAITLIN BOWLING

Canton will witness a mysterious mass exodus of its elected town board members following the town election this fall.

All four of Canton’s current aldermen are bowing out of town politics come November.

Mayor Mike Ray is the only town leader running for reelection. He did not return messages seeking comment about the sudden departure of all his fellow board members. Ray is running uncontested for mayor.

“I honestly thought that one or two of the board members may not run, but I was kind of surprised that they all elected not to re-file,” said longtime Town Manager Al Matthews.

The four outgoing aldermen offered varying and sometimes vague answers as to why they planned to step down.

“I’ve been on it for four years, and it’s time to give somebody else a chance to learn what it’s like to be a town leader,” said Alderman Ed Underwood. “Everybody in the town should take the time to do that.”

Underwood said he probably made the final decision on whether to run at the last minute — the night before the deadline for candidates to announce their intentions. Candidates seeking town office had until noon last Friday to file with the board of elections.

Fellow Alderman Kenneth Holland, who also served on the board for four years, kept his reasoning brief.

“I just decided not to,” Holland said, declining to say more than that.

The youngest member of the board, 32year-old Alderman Patrick Willis, listed family and his job as the reason he won’t seek a second term. Willis and his wife have a three year old and 17 month old.

“They are keeping us busy,” Willis said.

Meanwhile, Alderman Jimmy Flynn, who was a longtime town employee before becom-

Four out of four Canton town aldermen are bowing out after this year. Only Mayor Mike Ray (center), will seek re-election in November.

Bryson’s aldermen bow out also

Bryson City will have two new members on its town board after this November’s election.

Two of the board’s four seats are up for election this year, and incumbents Tom Reidmiller and Stephanie Treadway both decided not to run. Instead, voters will choose two aldermen from the following candidates: Rick Bryson, Janine Crisp, Matthew Kirkland, Brad Walker and Tom Wilmot. Reidmiller, 72, simply decided it was time to hang up his town politics’ hat. Meanwhile, Treadway said she decided not to run again due a new job that will consume more of her time.

ing an alderman four years ago, said he wants a respite from public service.

“I need a break from government right now,” Flynn said.

The aldermen all seemed unfazed that, like themselves, their fellow board members wouldn’t be running again. Willis, Underwood and Holland said they were unsurprised by their compatriots’ decision.

But Flynn answered the question diplomatically.

“I wasn’t shocked, and I wasn’t not shocked,” he said.

Ironically, the current Canton board has talked for some time about altering the town’s current election cycle — whereby the entire town board goes up for election every

two years. Instead, they proposed switching to the more common model of four-year, staggered terms — whereby only half the seats on the board are up for election every two years.

It would eliminate the scenario currently being witnessed where there’s a nearly complete turnover of the board in a single election year.

But to change the town’s election cycle, it must be put to a vote of town residents. And that’s what the town has done on November’s ballot. Along with making their selections for aldermen, Canton residents can vote for or against making the switch to four-year, staggered terms.

If the new terms are approved, the two aldermen who receive the most votes will serve four-year terms. The next two highest vote get-

ters will serve only two years before their seats are up for election, thereby setting the stage for four-year, staggered terms from there on out.

NEWTOWNMANAGER, TOO

Not only will the town board feature four new faces come January 2014, but Matthews also will retire, taking with him years of institutional knowledge as town clerk, assistant manager and eventually manager.

There will be a void to fill.

“(The new board members) are going to have a lot on their plate,” Willis said.

Like any new government officials though, the new alderman will attend seminars at the University of North Carolina School of Government detailing the duties of public officials as well as what they can and cannot do.

“There is a learning curve,” Matthews said. “Thank God for the UNC’s School of Government.”

Matthews added that hopefully, the new town manager will have the experience necessary to guide the board, even though he or she will be new as well.

The aldermen want to find a replacement for Matthews before he retires and before they depart. That way the new board is not faced with such a tough job right out of the gate.

“If we don’t (hire someone), we are not doing a good job,” Flynn said.

The town board started its search earlier this year and recently decided to keep its process private. The board voted not to hold a public meet-and-greet for the finalists once they are chosen. However, that could still be a ways off. Just last week, the board agreed to advertise for more applicants.

“We will be accepting more applications going forward, but we have not ruled out any of the applications we have received yet,” Willis said.

Wilderness calling

‘Jono’ Bryant blends his taste for adventure and medical skills toward a greater good

BY ANDREW KASPER STAFFWRITER

It was a rather strange place to have a lifechanging epiphany, but there he was, on the set of a British reality TV show in 2007, deep in the bowels of the Borneo jungles, when Jonathon Bryant found a purpose in life.

Set in some of the most remote jungles on the planet, “Adrenaline Junkie” was shooting its third series. Starring Jack Osbourne, son of the famous rocker Ozzy, and five tagalongs, the show took viewers through the primitive Pacific island, encountering wild boar, bloodsucking leeches and the secluded people of the Penan, exotically adorned with drooping ear lobes, weighted earrings and body tattoos.

Bryant, an experienced jungle guide working with the show’s support crew, couldn’t have imagined a worse way to experience such a special landscape. Pampering highmaintenance pseudo celebrities from sun-up until sundown, hauling equipment through the jungle and realizing how the natives, whom he described as wholesome, friendly people, must have viewed the whole fiasco left a bad taste in his mouth.

“It was miserable really,” Bryant said. “I was pretty embarrassed about the whole situation.”

What he did take away from it was the blatant need for medical services in the remote part of the jungle, and thus was born his vow to help the Penan and show them all Westerners were not like Jack Osbourne and his crew.

Bryant returned to the States and put in motion his plan to return to Borneo, but this time on a medical mission to help the locals,

enough reasons to stick around. He also works part-time as a paramedic for Macon County.

A steady stream of students learning wilderness medical skills at the NOC gives Bryant plenty of young recruits for his growing organization, MedicForce. He couldn’t think of a better place to live, or better home base to run his non-profit.

But in 2008, the organization was still in its infancy. After his reality TV stint in the Borneo jungle, Bryant rallied a few of his EMT students in their early 20s to fly to back to the Pacific Island. As first-time, thirdworld medical relief workers, Bryant was still unclear on what they would exactly accomplish and how they would do it.

“I was thinking, ‘Oh gosh, how are we going to do this,’” Bryant said.

But he kept plodding forward with the plan to provide aid to the underprivileged.

Upon arriving in Borneo, the crew contracted a local doctor and a dentist, picked out a route into the jungle that had no roads, only foot trails, and set off.

“The MedicForce philosophy came more along the lines of we’ll give you the training to help yourself.”

— Jonathon “Jono” Bryant

not use them as porters and extras for reality television.

The name of that mission became MedicForce, a nonprofit Bryant now runs out of a small office in Bryson City. Bryant ventures into poor, remote, third-world regions of the globe with teams of volunteers amassed from all across the country. He went to Belize this winter and will head out for Kenya soon.

To support his philanthropic streak and his taste for exotic adventures, Bryant works as a SOLO wilderness medicine instructor through Nantahala Outdoor Center, based in the Nantahala Gorge. The job as a wilderness medical instructor with NOC is in fact what drew him to WNC in 2009.

Although originally from England, moved to the United States to study backcountry wilderness medicine at the SOLO campus in New Hampshire before transferring to the NOC campus, where he never quite left.

A steady girlfriend in Sylva, a wilderness medical school to manage, a non-profit to run — and all the mountain biking and kayaking he can fit into his free time — give him

Along the way, they encountered people who needed teeth pulled, because of the cavities and rot, cases of dysentery and malaria. Some of malaise the volunteers found was easily remedied with providing classes on proper mouth hygiene and hydration. While inadequate water intake in a tropical climate wreak havoc on kidneys and cause headaches, it can also have more serious ramifications.

A misconception Bryant discovered among some of the locals was that withholding water from a baby with dysentery was the correct manner to counteract the vomiting and diarrhea, when in fact that can be a death sentence for the child.

But the aid workers had to walk a fine line between teaching Western methods and not trampling on native knowledge.

when it wanted to and then walk away when the volunteers had to go home — it needed to be something enduring. Out of that philosophy came the MedicForce’s true mission.

“The MedicForce philosophy came more along the lines of we’ll give you the training to help yourself,” Bryant said.

Bryant returned the following year to Borneo with a renewed vision and more direction. He brought with him another crew of willing volunteers and an experienced eye doctor. They stayed for three months, sleeping on hammocks and making walking sojourns deep into a jungle with tree trunks as big as a room, gigantic carnivorous plants, rhinoceros and pygmy elephants.

But among the diverse flora and fauna, they also encountered rampant eye problems. Some were born into a life of poor vision and had never had a visit from the eye doctor; others

Want to help? Donate used gear

MedicForce is raising funds to build a clinic in Kenya. The organization has no paid staff and relies on gifts, donations and volunteers to operate. Donations are accepted through the group’s website, by mail or even in the form of outdoor gear for an upcoming charity event.

MedicForce is collecting outdoor gear, which it will then sell at Nantahala Outdoor Center’s Guest Appreciation Festival Sept. 27-29. All the funds raised will go towards constructing and stocking a community health post in rural Kenya. Gear can be dropped off at the NOC’s outfitter’s store. 603.733.6636 or www.medicforce.org

MedicForce, PO Box 163, Almond, NC 28713

“We were trying to help people, but we’re not trying to change their culture completely,” Bryant said.

During one tooth-brushing course, an elderly woman signaled to Bryant and led him into the woods. He followed her until they arrived at a plant. The woman dug up the plant’s root and began showing him how to brush his teeth with it.

The moment made him think to himself, “Oh, you stupid Westerner.”

While in Borneo, the crew also began administering more advanced medical classes in CPR, first aid, how to set bones and apply bandages to wounds. Bryant found that assisting a village medicine man, so to speak, with advanced medical training and support is one way to try to help advanced medical practice take root in the traditional culture well after his aid workers have left.

Bryant began to develop a philosophy that medical relief couldn’t just show up

developed cataracts from sunlight reflecting off the water while working the flooded rice fields.

Bryant remembers the feeling of watching someone put on their first pair of prescription glasses, ever.

“Imagine to live your whole life and not be able to see, other than a blur,” Bryant said. “And, finally be able to see clearly, wow.”

They also encountered rotted teeth from sugar cane consumption, a lack of dental care and cases of scabies, a skin mite often found on bedding. Simply administering a topical ointment to those infected with scabies would have provided a temporary measure, Bryant realized the more appropriate approach was to try to eradicate the mite from the homes of the locals.

After all, a child who was treated for a scabies infection on the skin would most likely catch it again by sleeping in the same bed. But a

Jono with a solar powered laptop and a spear. Donated photo

regiment of boiling sheets or storing bed sheets for 48 hours in a garbage bag would get to the root of the problem and teach the Penan how to approach an outbreak once the volunteers left.

On that trip, Bryant and the volunteers came across a well-manicured, blue building on stilts in one of the villages. After asking what the nice building was there for, the crew was told it was a clinic, built by relief workers. But after they left none of the villagers knew what to do with the medical supplies gathering dust inside.

Bryant said at that moment he knew what he didn’t want MedicForce to be, and he questioned the real motivation behind some third-world relief endeavors.

“Sometimes it’s for our own ego that we do some of these projects,” Bryant said. “It’s shortsightedness of aid.”

Since its beginnings in 2008, on that first trip to Borneo, MedicForce volunteers have been involved in medical outreach projects in Africa, Asia and Central America, drawing from a pool of dozens of volunteers from Western North Carolina and as far away as Great Britain. Some of his recruits come from his own wilderness medical courses through NOC, where he teaches everyone from Navy Seals to FBI agents.

But the 41-year old takes the greatest pride in teaching those skills to people who don’t have access to them on their own.

Volunteers often pay their own way to participate in the excursions and bring a variety of skills from dentistry to basic support services to the mission. They come from all walks of life — some are Bryant’s students and other are retired folks looking to lend a hand.

In coming months, volunteers will go to Kenya to work with the Maasai people. And even in WNC, the organization has worked to train first responders in rural communities far from medical help.

But many of the medical problems Bryant has encountered, on distinct continents in diverse cultures across the globe, all point back to the same common cause,

“It’s the same kind of things you see all over,” Bryant said. “And most of it is just from lack of resources.”

WCU hires regional expert to lead hospitality, tourism program

BY CAITLIN BOWLING STAFFWRITER

Well-known regional tourism expert

Steve Morse has been hired by Western Carolina University to head its hospitality and tourism program.

WCU has “great vision,” said Morse, who has more than 20 years of experience with the industry. “We just think it’s a perfect match.”

The first task in his new position is to recruit students, he said. Morse is speaking to high school hospitality teachers in the state this week about WCU’s hospitality and tourism program.

“Those teachers are the best people to recommend to the students where to go,” Morse said, adding that he hopes to show people that hospitality and tourism jobs are more than minimum wage positions and that opportunities are ample.

“It employs a lot of people,” Morse said. “The job market in Western North Carolina is great.”

WCU has worked with the Jackson County Chamber of Commerce to provide tourism volunteers and interns before, but Julie Spiro, head of the chamber, wants to create stronger ties between the two entities.

“We have partnered with the program in the past,” she said. “I am hopeful that we are able to grow that relationship now that he is here.”

The second goal for Morse is research. He has received industry awards for his research including the 2010 Shining Light Research Award from the Southeast Tourism Society, the 2011 Hospitality Professor of the Year from the Tennessee Hospitality Association, and the 2011 Tourism Industry Spotlight Award from the Tennessee Association of Convention and Visitor’s Bureaus. He is also the recipient of an award from the Southeast Chapter of the Council on Hotel, Restaurant, and Institutional Educators.

Morse’s research focus at WCU will be in economic impact and demand analysis in the hotel, restaurant, attractions, and tourism sectors of the economy. Morse said he wants it to encompass every county in the state and help WCU move toward becoming the go-to university for tourism-related information.

“Something that all 100 counties can use in the future,” Morse said. “We hope to be the leader in the state in that type of information.”

A goal set out in WCU’s 2020 Vision strategic plan is to broad the university’s connection with sur-

WCU weighs merits of majors in light of funding challenges

Chancellor throws film production major a lifeline

BY CAITLIN BOWLING STAFFWRITER

Western Carolina University will erase 10 degree programs, including women’s studies and the graduate music courses, from its books during the next few years.

WCU Chancellor David O. Belcher last week announced the fate of 13 degree programs up for elimination based on the recommendation of a task force. Belcher who had the final say, decided to cut 10 of the degree programs and saved the remaining three.

The chancellor’s decision concludes a comprehensive review of WCU’s 130 majors, minors and masters degrees. The review assessed what degrees weren’t pulling their weight enrollment wise — primarily those that simply didn’t appear to have high student demand.

“It is not fair to judge a program by a single year, so we looked at trends over time,” Belcher said.

The review took into account the number of students in a degree, how many graduated with said degree and how the degree fit into WCU’s strategic plan, among other factors.

In a time when funding is limited, some colleges such as WCU are moving away from the traditional liberal arts model of scatter-gun education with a wide range of interests to pursue. Instead, they focus their resources on a narrower group of strong degree programs.

“Western Carolina University cannot be all things to all people,” Belcher said. Rather than having many OK programs, the university can cultivate and improve its more popular degrees.

“We are looking very pragmatically at making sure we invest our resource in those areas in demand,” Belcher said. “How well are we utilizing the resources from taxpayers?”

Therein lies part of the rub. WCU has lost $32 million in state funding since 2008, with more cuts anticipated to come.

Belcher predicted that enrollment will increasingly dominate state funding formulas, and so degrees must pull their weight.

“State funding for all of our institutional priorities will be tied to enrollment, retention rates, and graduation rates,” Belcher wrote in an internal memo to faculty.

Keeping degrees that lack student numbers on the books is simply a luxury universities can’t afford anymore in today’s budget realities.

“A decision to discontinue a program does not imply a lack of value for the discipline,” Belcher said.

A 17-member task force began the evaluation process last fall. In late May, the task force released its recommendations — eight degrees were listed as historically strong and worthy of more funding; 96 were marked as adequate and in no need of adjustment; five needed to create an action plan for improvement; and the 13 were nominated for elimination altogether. Lastly, eight were voluntarily cut because they had low demand or, in many cases, were not actively offered to students.

Along with funding, Belcher assessed whether the university could get stretched too thin by too many degrees, diffusing its focus in “so many directions that the institution jeopardizes the quality of all of its programs,” Belcher wrote in a memo to WCU faculty.

KEEPON, KEEPINGON

Faculty who run the 13 majors, minors and masters degrees slated for elimination had the opportunity to meet with Belcher and plead their case for why they should be saved. Of those, three were successful — the bachelor’s degree programs in Spanish, Spanish Education, and Film and Television Production.

Although both Spanish degrees had less than stellar enrollment rates, Belcher said that with some effort, the programs could persuade some students who might only minor in Spanish or Spanish Education to sign-up for the bachelor’s major.

“The numbers are not really bad, but they are not really good either, so I understand where the task force was coming from,” Belcher said. However, “Because of the burgeoning Latino population in our area, I think it’s critical that we keep (those program).”

As for the Film and Television Production major, the task force argued that it served only a limited number of students and had below average graduation rates, while costing WCU more than other programs.

However, Jack Sholder, director of Film and Television Production program, said enrollment has increased 40 percent, while graduation rates have gone up 60 percent during the last five years. It had 75 freshmen taking courses in the program last year.

“We should have been in category one, not in category three,” Sholder said. “For a little school in Western North Carolina, we have a really powerhouse program.”

Belcher agreed that the degree has gradually built itself up. He also noted new information that came available after the task

What stays, what goes?

The task force charged with reviewing WCU’s 130 degrees recommended which degrees the university should grow, leave as is, cut or study further. Thirteen degrees were recommended for elimination.

Bachelor’s degree programs in Spanish, Spanish Education, and Film and Television Production were up for elimination, but Chancellor David Belcher decided not to cut them after further review.

The following degrees, however, will slowly be phased out, eight of them voluntarily and the others at the behest of administration.

Bachelor’s degrees being eliminated:

• German

• Business Administration (BSBA)

Master’s degrees being eliminated:

• English/Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (MA)

• Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (MAEd/MAT)

• Applied Math

• Mathematics

• Music

• Music Education

• Health and Physical Education

• Master of Arts in Education and Master of Arts in Teaching/Chemistry

• Master of Arts in Teaching/Music

Minors being eliminated:

• Women’s Studies

• Broadcast Sales

• American Studies

• Multimedia

• Earth Sciences

• Appalachian Studies

• Digital Communications Engineering Technology

• Broadcast Telecommunications Engineering Technology

force had reached its conclusions among the reasons he chose to retain the degree.

Sony Corporation gave the program a nearly $100,000 state-of-the-art camera in May. WCU was one of less than a dozen film programs to receive one of these new industry-standard cameras from Sony.

“It was an external validation for that program,” Belcher said. “It is a strong program.”

The Film and Television Production program will be under the spotlight to improve.

“Can we make the program better? Sure. We do that ourselves. Every year, we make

changes,” Sholder said. “We are very open to whatever suggestions the provost has.”

MOSTLYDEAD

Ten other programs were not as lucky (see box). Among them were the minor in women’s studies, the German language major, and the master’s degrees in music education and music performance.

Marilyn Chamberlin, head of women’s studies minor, said she was “obviously disappointed,” but understood the rationale involved in the decision. “We didn’t have the numbers,” she said.

After the task force’s recommendations came out earlier this year, Chamberlain admitted that enrollment numbers for the minor were low but said that it just needed to be publicized more so students knew it existed. Although she had crafted a plan to boost the minor’s performance, her efforts were all for not.

However, Chamberlain said she believes her program was given a fair shake.

“I left the meeting feeling as if, for the first time in the process, we had actually been listened to without, to some extent, some prejudgment,” Chamberlin said. “This decision is coming at a time when budgets are being cut, and something has to be cut.”

Even though WCU will no longer offer the minor to incoming students, only one course — Introduction to Women’s Studies — will actually be cut once the program is completely eliminated. The university will continue to offer other classes dealing with women and gender issues; there just won’t be a degree in it.

The case is similar for other eliminated programs as well. In the School of Music, classes will still be there — there just won’t be a masters. In fact, there weren’t exactly separate courses for masters students anyway. Masters students were in the same classrooms as their undergrad counterparts, but they had additional work and were held to a higher standard.

Belcher, who actually received a master’s degree in piano performance, said he looked at each program as objectively as possible, and although some degrees aligned with goals set out in WCU’s 2020 vision strategic plan, they were in too low of demand to consider keeping.

The 10 cut programs will not go away immediately. Some students are currently in those degree programs, and WCU leaders want to give them a chance to finish their degree before eliminating it. In the meantime, however, the provost’s office will formulate a plan for how to erase the degrees once there are no longer students seeking them.

rounding community. Ken Flynt, the associate dean of WCU’s College of Business, said Morse’s experience with the region and background with research and consulting will help the university meet that goal.

“We now have the ability to go out and deal with large entities like Harrah’s, and we can also grab small bed and breakfasts,” Flynt said.

Morse has visited WNC before, giving speeches on the economics of tourism and conducting regional and business-specific research. He previously worked with the Nantahala Outdoor Center in Nantahala Gorge on studies examining the economic impact of whitewater rafting and adventure travel industry.

“He has done hands on work with every

county in our region,” Flynt said. “There is no learning curve for Steve (Morse). He is already here and knows the agencies.”

Prior to accepting the position at WCU, Morse taught in the Department of Retail, Hospitality and Tourism Management at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville and directed the Tennessee Tourism Institute, which conducted tourism-related research in

various communities.

He has frequently spoken at national and state hospitality and tourism conferences as well as hosted seminars for county and regional tourism organizations. He is also the president of the U.S. Travel and Tourism Research Association’s Southeast Chapter. Morse is married and has an 11-year-old son, Chance.

N.C. should take politics out of redistricting

BY MARTIN DYCKMAN

Blackbeard, North Carolina's most famous pirate, was a fitting precursor to the modern brigands at Raleigh. As Scott McLeod's column pointed out last week (www.smokymountainnews.com/opinion/item/11167

), there’s no apparent limit to their ruthlessness or to their scorn for the Old North State’s progressive traditions.

Their new tax deal — rhymes with steal — will save the richest of their constituents $10,000 on the average while raising rates on the poor and eventually shorting education and health care by some $700 million a year.

Like Mohammed Morsi in Egypt, the Republicans at Raleigh have perverted a legitimate election victory into a dominion of arrogance.

Here, however, there will be no riots, no military coup. But what is especially striking to someone having moved from another state is just how powerless the people of North

Rep. Presnell should keep out of merger

To the Editor:

We are thankful for The Smoky Mountain News coverage of the Lake JunaluskaWaynesville merger process. I am a full-time resident at the Lake and have served as president of the Lake Junaluska Assembly Property Owners Organization. I also served on the Municipal Study Task Force which studied in depth the pros and cons of merger. My concern is Rep. Michele Presnell, R-Burnsville, and her involvement in the merger process.

Obviously, Rep. Presnell has not bothered to read any of the material and studies related to this proposal. Nor has she investigated both sides of this matter. Rather, while she represents a part of Haywood County, she has chosen to interject herself into a very local issue involving parts of Haywood County that are not in her legislative district, nor is it a matter of state or even regional concern. It is a local issue that has sufficient and appropriate representation by Rep. Joe Sam Queen, DWaynesville, and Sen. Jim Davis, R-Franklin. Rep. Presnell says those few people opposed to annexation asked her to intervene because they felt that they were not getting what they wanted from their elected representatives. Rep. Presnell avows that somehow she knows “in her heart” that annexation is not in the best interests of Lake Junaluska. Never mind the will of the majority of property owners. Her assertion about the Lake and Waynesville making an “end run” around the official process is ludicrous, and Rep. Presnell knows it.

The actions taken by the Lake and by Waynesville have been open to the public, subject to a survey by resident and non-resident property owners (which showed 65 percent of owners want annexation) and vetted in every way by our elected state legislators. Now, Rep. Presnell has decided she is above all that, that she “knows” better about the future of Lake

Carolina are.

The conventional remedy of voting the rascals out faces one high hurdle in shrewdly rigged districts and another in the campaign money that their true constituency — the Koch brothers and Art Pope — will bring to bear. The three-judge court that ought to have trashed the gerrymanderings proclaimed itself powerless to recognize the obvious.

House Bill 606, with a bipartisan majority of co-sponsors, would establish a nonpartisan districting process with clearly stated standards for the courts to respect and enforce. But — no surprise — it isn’t moving.

In Florida, the people put the legislature in its place by adopting constitutional initiatives that spell out how districts should be drawn fairly. The legislative bosses fought it, but nearly two-thirds of the voters cast their ballots “yes.” The state Supreme Court overturned the next Senate plan and is allowing challenges to the House’s maps to pro-

Junaluska — even though she has not been elected by the persons she is seeking to represent and has no jurisdiction or stake in this conversation.

The future of the Lake is indeed at issue here. Should not the persons who have the most at stake make the decisions in concert with their duly elected legislators?

Don Rankin Lake Junaluska

We are going wrong way on abortion issue

To the Editor:

I am old enough to remember the time before Roe v. Wade was passed. Almost every family I knew back then had a horror story about some member of their extended family dying from a botched illegal abortion or an attempted do-it-yourself abortion. Just because abortion was illegal in most states did not stop abortions from taking place. It just made them very risky for the health of the person seeking them. We also tried to legislate abstaining from consuming alcohol, and most of us know how that turned out.

I respect the right of anyone to have a strong personal belief that abortion is wrong, and guess what — so does Roe v. Wade! That law does not tell anyone they have to have an abortion, but it does say that anyone who chooses the abortion option has the right to a legal and medically safe procedure. I do not know anyone who has made a decision to abort that has done so without careful consideration of all her circumstance and a great deal of soul searching.

Suppose a group of people that believed anyone on any kind of welfare should not have more children while collecting it got the legislature to consider a bill like this: “If you are already a parent of two children and you are receiving subsidized childcare so you can work, subsidized housing and food stamps because you do not get paid a livable wage, and your

ceed.

Unfortunately, North Carolina is one of the 26 states whose legislatures have the first, last and only word; where the people cannot petition either to put new laws or constitutional amendments on the ballot. This was not an apparent problem when the government was reasonable. Now it is a formula for despotism, especially in the era of Citizens United. If there’s to be a remedy, it will take the form of a citizens’ campaign pledged to support only those candidates who commit to giving the people of North Carolina what the people of Florida have: the mechanism to overrule an unresponsive, arrogant legislature.

The campaign’s name would be self-evident: Power to the People.

(DyckmanlivesinWaynesvilleandistheauthorofseveral booksonFloridapolitics.Hecanbereachedat dyckmanm@bellsouth.net.)

children, at least, qualify for the Children’s Health Insurance program, and you become pregnant, this law will require you to either have an abortion or lose all subsidies that you have been receiving to support your family and will not be eligible for any help in the future.”

I ask all of you who want to legislate your personal belief on the rest of us, “would you want that group trying to legislate a choice like I just made up on you?” I can almost hear the outcry, “I don’t want the government, or anyone else, telling me what I need to do. I get to decide what I do with my body. I should have the freedom to choose.”

Well that is exactly what people who are pro-choice believe, what Roe v. Wade supports, and what Dr. Jeanne A. Conry, president of the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and Dr. Haywood L. Brown of Durham, Chair of District IV of ACOG, said in the Charlotte Observer on July, 16, 2013:

“… Medical decisions must be based on scientific evidence and made by patients in consultation with physicians, not the state or federal government.

“… ACOG respects our members’ deeply held personal beliefs on abortion. While we can agree to disagree about abortion on ideological grounds, we must draw a hard line against any legislation that threatens women’s health. That’s why we’re setting the record straight for all politicians: Get out of our exam rooms.”

We tried having abortion be illegal and there is abundant data that proves it did not prevent abortion but only made them unsafe. If the legislature was truly concerned about women’s health safety, and not trying to make abortion illegal, they would be working to make sure all women had access to all needed health care based on scientific fact, not political ideology. Make sure all women have access to the correct knowledge and contraception to prevent unwanted pregnancy and the abortion issue becomes mute, and the governor would not have to lie about what he would sign.

Jane Harrison Waynesville

Cullowhee traffic woes deserve attention

To the Editor:

Had I been a student at Western Carolina Teachers College (WCTC) in the late 1920s, I might have taken a walk down the hill from my dorm on the “old campus,” down the road to the campus entrance on Highway 107, on down past Brown’s Store, Battle’s Grocery (subsequently the Village Store), which also housed the Cullowhee Post Office, on to what is now Monteith Gap Road, at that time a dirt road running parallel to the railroad track that ran parallel to the Tuckaseigee River.

Pushing on, I would have crossed a rickety bridge across Cullowhee Creek and, if continuing along the railroad, merged onto another dirt road, which is now Ledbetter Road. After some 200 yards, I would have come upon a field with players engaged in various games. In fact, I would have arrived at what was then WCTC’s athletic field.

To bring a part of this history full circle, had college students of the mid-1970s era traced the route the student of the 1920s took, they would have walked along paved roads, seen no trace of the railroad tracks, but would have felt safer crossing the sturdier bridge that had been built across Cullowhee Creek. Proceeding along Ledbetter Road, they would have observed that the former athletic field had now become a small mobile home park, River Park.

Fast forward to today when pedestrians, cyclists, or anyone picking up litter along Ledbetter Road literally take their lives in their hands due to the large volume of traffic moving along this road, some travelling at double the posted speed limit, some drivers being distracted by texting or cell phone use, thereby drifting into the opposing lane of traffic. All of these circumstances are made much more hazardous due to an imposing guard rail about two feet from the edge of the roadway that can trap any potential victim — pedestrian or motorist — attempting to take evasive action.

Having wandered dream-like through the last number of decades, let me describe the Ledbetter Road of today: During the last decade, the small mobile home park that was once the athletic field of the college has now more than tripled in capacity with three entrances onto Ledbetter Road, all three near or in dangerous curves. And within the last six or so years, we have seen built on Ledbetter Road three large housing complexes: University Suites, Maples Apartments and Cullowhee Villas, altogether accommodating a total of 381 bedrooms.

Ledbetter Road, prior to the building of these three complexes, already served as the ingress/egress for Sleepy Hollow Cottages, the 46-home University Heights subdivision, and various other single- and multi-family homes in the vicinity of where Ledbetter Road dead ends. We now have being planned (the land currently is being cleared) the Western Carolina Apartments complex that is to have an additional 490 bedrooms.

Monteith Gap Road leads to another housing complex, various apartments and other single- and multi-family homes, as well as the university’s landfill. This road ends near the acreage recently purchased for one of the end-point anchors to the Greenway.

There is also a second housing complex being considered for South Painter Road opposite the current Community Garden site, and a bed and breakfast planned for Monteith Gap Road between the Laundromat and the Cullowhee Creek bridge. These come when the university is considering the discontinuance of the offcampus shuttle bus service, and the fall opening of “The Pub” at the former Papa Pizza/Hardies building.

With the impending increase in the volume of traffic, we have circulated a petition signed by sixty-four of the occupants of all but four of the homes of our subdivision asking

that DOT address several safety issues. Among these are: widening the lanes, leveling and resurfacing, constructing a sidewalk, installing guard rails where the road parallels the river closely, making provision for bicycle traffic, implementing a reduction in speed limits, installing rumble strips to both slow the traffic and keep traffic from crossing the center line into the opposing lane, and installing additional signage warning of the intersections to these soon-to-be five housing complexes.

In addition to compiling the petition which was addressed to Mr. Joel Setzer, Fourteenth Division Engineer, we sent copies to Mr. Jonathan Woodard, District Engineer for the six westernmost counties of which Jackson is one; Mr. Jack Debnam, Chairman of the Board of County Commissioners; Mr. Chuck Wooten, County Manager; and Mr. Gerald Green, County Planner. We followed up by meeting with Mr. Woodard for additional discussion and exploration.

During this discussion Mr. Woodard noted that Jackson County is part of the Southwestern Rural Planning Organization (SWRPO), which has a role in ranking potential transportation projects. The DOT Fourteenth Division Office in Sylva also has a role in ranking projects for this area. Mr. Woodard then emphasized that the RPO ranking is based largely on the needs expressed by local government officials. Woodard assured us that DOT will share our concerns with Jackson County officials and the SWRPO, and that his office intends to submit a request to improve these roads in the next project ranking cycle that is scheduled to begin in January 2014.

So, in conclusion, our work is ongoing as we attempt to bring our concerns to the attention of those who are in position to effect change. We pledge a cooperative effort as we continue to move along this path.

Ralph Willis Cullowhee

MOUNTAIN STREET DANCE

tasteTHE mountains

Taste the Mountains is an ever-evolving paid section of places to dine in Western North Carolina. If you would like to be included in the listing please contact our advertising department at 828.452.4251

AMMONS DRIVE-IN

RESTAURANT & DAIRY BAR

1451 Dellwwod Rd., Waynesville. 828.926.0734. Open 7 days a week 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Celebrating over 25 years. Enjoy world famous hot dogs as well as burgers, seafood, hushpuppies, hot wings and chicken. Be sure to save room for dessert. The cobbler, pie and cake selections are sure to satisfy any sweet tooth.

ANTHONY WAYNE’S

37 Church St, Waynesville. 828.456.6789

Open for lunch Monday-Friday 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.; open for dinner Thursday-Saturday 5 to 9 p.m.; and Sunday brunch 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Exceptional, new-American cuisine, offering several gluten free items.

BLUE RIDGE BBQ COMPANY

180 N. Main St., Waynesville. 828.452.7524. 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. TuesdayThursday; 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. FridaySaturday; 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. Blue Ridge BBQ is a family owned and operated

Burgers to Salads

restaurant. The BBQ is slow hardwood smoked, marinated in its own juices, and seasoned with mountain recipes. All menu items made from scratch daily. Featuring homemade cornbread salad, fresh collard greens, or cornbread and milk at your request. Old-fashioned homemade banana pudding and fruit cobbler of the season. Catering, take-out, eat-in. blueridgebbq@gmail.com.

BLUE ROOSTER SOUTHERN GRILL

207 Paragon Parkway, Clyde, Lakeside Plaza at the old Wal-Mart. 828.456.1997 Monday-Friday 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.; Sunday 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. 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. Call-ahead seating available.

BOURBON BARREL BEEF & ALE 454 Hazelwood Ave., Waynesville, 828.452.9191. Now open for lunch 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Dinner nightly from 4 p.m. Closed on Sunday. We specialize in hand-cut, all natural steaks, fresh fish, and other classic American comfort foods that are made using only the finest local and sustainable ingredients available. We also feature a great selection of craft beers from local artisan brewers, and of course an extensive selection of small batch bourbons

117 Main Street, Canton NC

828.492.0618 • SidsOnMain.com

Southern Favorites & Classics -Local beers now on draftJoin us on the patio for live music Tues-Fri. Call to see whose playing. 198-24

Sunday Brunch

Every Sunday from 11a.m.-2 p.m. Reservations Appreciated

www.oldstoneinn.com/dining

tasteTHE mountains

and whiskey. The Barrel is a friendly and casual neighborhood dining experience where our guests enjoy a great meal without breaking the bank.

HERREN HOUSE

94 East St., Waynesville 828.452.7837

Lunch: Wednesday - Saturday 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday Brunch 11 a. m. to 2 p.m. Enjoy fresh local products, created daily. Join us in our beautiful patio garden. We are your local neighborhood host for special events: business party’s, luncheons, weddings, showers and more. Private parties & catering are available 7 days a week by reservation only.

CATALOOCHEE RANCH

119 Ranch Dr., Maggie Valley. 828.926.1401 . Family-style breakfast seven days a week, from 8 to 9:30 am –with eggs, bacon, sausage, grits and oatmeal, fresh fruit, sometimes French toast or pancakes, and always all-you-can-eat. Lunch every day from 11:30 till 2. Evening cookouts on the terrace on weekends and Wednesdays (weather permitting), featuring steaks, ribs, chicken, and pork chops, to name a few. Bountiful family-style dinners on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, with entrees that include prime rib, baked ham and herb-baked chicken, complemented by seasonal vegetables, homemade breads, jellies and desserts. We also offer a fine selection of wine and beer. The evening social hour starts at 6pm, and dinner is served starting at 7pm. So join us for mile-high mountaintop dining with a spectacular view. Please call for reservations.

CHEF’S TABLE

30 Church St., Waynesville. 828.452.6210. From 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday dinner starting at 5 p.m. “Best of” Award of Excellence from Wine Spectator Magazine. Set in a distinguished atmosphere with an exceptional menu. Extensive selection of wine and beer. Reservations honored.

CITY BAKERY

18 N. Main St. Waynesville 828.452.3881. Monday-Friday 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Join us in our historic location for scratch made soups and daily specials. Breakfast is made to order daily: Gourmet cheddar & scallion biscuits served with bacon, sausage and eggs; smoked salmon bagel plate; quiche and fresh fruit parfait. We bake a wide variety of breads daily, specializing in traditional french breads. All of our breads are hand shaped. Lunch: Fresh salads, panni sandwiches. Enjoy outdoor dinning on the deck. Private room available for meetings.

CITY LIGHTS CAFE

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

CORK AND BEAN

16 Everett St., Bryson City. 828.488.1934

Open Monday-Saturday, 8:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Sunday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Enjoy organic, fair-trade, gourmet espresso and coffees, a select, eclectic list of wines, and locally prepared treats to go with every thing. Come by early and enjoy a breakfast crepe with a latte, grab a grilled chicken pesto crepe for lunch, or wind down with a nice glass of red wine. Visit us on Facebook!

CORK & CLEAVER

176 Country Club Drive, Waynesville. 828.456.7179. Reservations recommended. 4:30-9 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday. Tucked away inside Waynesville Inn, Cork & Cleaver has an approachable menu designed around locally sourced, sustainable, farm-to-table ingredients. Executive Chef Corey Green prepares innovative and unique Southern fare from local, organic vegetables grown in Western North Carolina. Full bar and wine cellar. www.waynesvilleinn.com.

FRANKIE’S ITALIAN TRATTORIA

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

FRYDAY’S & SUNDAES

24 & 26 Fry St., Bryson City (Next To The Train Depot). 828.488.5379. Fridays is open 6 days a week and closed Wednesdays. Sundaes is open 7 days a week. Fryday’s is known for its Traditional English Beer Battered Fish & Chips, but also has burgers, deep fried dogs, gyro, shrimp, bangers, Chip Butty, chicken, sandwiches & a great kids menu. Price friendly, $3-$10, Everything available to go or call ahead takeout. Sundaes has 24 rotating flavors of Hershey's Ice Cream making them into floats, splits, sundaes, shakes. Private seating inside & out for both locations right across from the train station & pet friendly.

FROGS LEAP PUBLIC HOUSE

44 Church St. Downtown Waynesville 828.456.1930 Serving lunch and dinner from 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, Sunday lunch and dinner from 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m., closed Mondays. Frogs Leap is a farm to table restaurant focused on local, sustainable, natural and organic products prepared in modern regional dishes. Seasonal menu focuses on Southern comfort foods with upscale flavors. Come for the restaurant’s 4 @ 4 when you can choose a center and three sides at special prices. Offered WedFri. from 4 to 6. frogsleappublichouse.org.

J. ARTHUR’S RESTAURANT AT MAGGIE VALLEY U.S. 19 in Maggie Valley. 828.926.1817 Lunch Sunday noon to 2:30 p.m., dinner nightly starting at 4:30 p.m. World-famous prime rib, steaks, fresh seafood, gorgonzola cheese and salads. All ABC permits and open year-round. Children always welcome. Take-out menu. Excellent service and hospitality. Reservations appreciated.

JUKEBOX JUNCTION

U.S. 276 and N.C. 110 intersection, Bethel. 828.648.4193. 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Serving breakfast, lunch, nd dinner. The restaurant has a

MAD BATTER BAKERY & CAFÉ

Located on the WCU Campus in Cullowhee. 828.293.3096. Open Monday-Thursday 7:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., Friday 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday and Sunday 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Earth-friendly foods at people-friendly prices. Daily specials, wraps, salads, pastries, breads, soups and more. Unique fare, friendly service, casual atmosphere and wireless Internet. Organic ingredients, local produce, gourmet fair trade and organic coffees.

MAGGIE VALLEY CLUB

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

MILL & MAIN

462 W. Main St., Sylva. 828.586.6799

Serving lunch and dinner. 11:30 a.m.-9 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday. Noon to 4 p.m. Sunday. Pizza, pasta, outstanding homemade desserts, plus full lunch and dinner menus. All ABC permits. Take-out menus available.

MOONSHINE GRILL

2550 Soco Road, Maggie Valley loacted in the Smoky Falls Lodge. 828.926.7440

Open Wednesday through Saturday, 4:30 to 9 p.m. Cooking up mouth-watering, woodfired Angus steaks, prime rib and scrumptious fresh seafood dishes. The wood-fired grill gives amazing flavor to every meal that

tasteTHE mountains

comes off of it. Enjoy creative dishes made using moonshine. Stop by and simmer for a while and soak up the atmosphere. The best kept secret in Maggie Valley. themoonshinegrill.com

MOUNTAIN

PERKS ESPRESSO BAR & CAFÉ

9 Depot St., Bryson City. 828.488.9561

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

OLD STONE INN

109 Dolan Road, off Love Lane. 828.456.3333. Classic fireside dining in an historic mountain lodge with cozy, intimate bar. Dinner served nightly except Sunday from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Signature dinner choices include our 8oz. filet of beef in a brandied peppercorn sauce and a garlic and herb crusted lamb rack. Carefully selected fine wines and beers plus full bar available. Open year round. Call for reservations.

PASQUALE’S

1863 South Main Street, Waynesville. Off exit 98, 828.454.5002. Open for lunch and dinner seven days a week. Classic Italian dishes, exceptional steaks and seafood (available in full and lighter sizes), thin crust pizza, homemade soups, salads hand tossed at your table. Fine wine and beer selection. Casual

atmosphere, dine indoor, outside on the patio or at the bar. Reservations appreciated.

RENDEZVOUS RESTAURANT AND BAR

Maggie Valley Inn and Conference Center

828.926.0201 Bar open Monday thru Saturday; dining room open Tuesday thru Saturday at 5 p.m. Full service restaurant serving steaks, prime rib, seafood and dinner specials. Live music Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

SOUL INFUSION TEA HOUSE & BISTRO

628 E. Main St. (between Sylva Tire & UPS). 828.586.1717. Tuesday-Friday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Saturday noon -until. Scrumptious, natural, fresh soups, salads, sandwiches, wraps and desserts. 60+ teas served hot or cold, black, chai, herbal. Seasonal and rotating draft beers, good selection of wine. HomeGrown Music Network Venue with live music most weekends. Pet friendly and kid ready.

TAP ROOM SPORTS BAR & GRILL

176 Country Club Dr. Waynesville

828.456.5988. 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week. Enjoy soups, sandwiches, salads and hearty appetizers along with a full bar menu in our casual, smoke-free neighborhood grill.

THE WINE BAR

20 Church Street, downtown Waynesville. 828.452.6000. Underground cellar for wine and beer, served by the glass all day. Cheese and tapas served Wednesday through Saturday 4 p.m.-9 p.m. or later. info@classicwineseller.com. Also on facebook and twitter.

Roddick, Courier to play charity match in Cashiers

Following his Grand Slam singles victory at the 2003 U.S. Open, Andy Roddick was ranked the number one player in the world. He’s also the last North American player to win a Grand Slam singles championship. During his career, he claimed 32 ATP titles, before retiring last year. The 30year-old is currently married to Brooklyn Decker, a Sports Illustrated swimsuit model and actress.

Donated photo

Charities. “About one-third of children in southern Jackson County live below the poverty line, and over half of the students here are at risk of not graduating from high school.”

Mountain Youth Charities plans to use a portion of the money raised to hire a youth programs director to coordinate and facilitate the various projects. The ultimate goal is to establish a Boys and Girls Club in Cashiers.

“Cashiers is a very generous area — people who live here year-round or are second homeowners support many of the causes here,” McKee said. “The hospital, humane society, churches, schools and youth organizations don’t get adequate funding, and our citizens will, and do, step up to the plate.”

For Roddick, who is a seasonal resident in Cashiers, the charity exhibition match was a way to give back to the community where he has a second-home and fulfill his personal passion for helping youth.

BY GARRET K. WOODWARD STAFFWRITER

Legendary American tennis stars Andy Roddick and Jim Courier will battle it out in a charity exhibition match in Cashiers this Saturday, hopefully raising as much as $200,000 to support and expand a wide variety of youth programs in the area.

“This is a once in a lifetime experience,” said William McKee, the chairman for the United Community Bank Mountain Challenge. “These are two of the most highly regarded players in their sport, and it’s incredible to have two world-class athletes donate their time. Both of these guys do philanthropy around the country, and to have them come to this little village is a huge treat for us all.”

More than 1,000 spectators are expected to attend the United Community Bank Mountain Challenge being held on July 27 at the Cedar Creek Racquet Club in Cashiers. It is hosted by the Cashiers Area Chamber of Commerce and

newly formed nonprofit organization Mountain Youth Charities.

“It will be an exciting exhibition of extraordinary talents for a great cause,” said Stephanie Edwards, executive director of the Cashiers Chamber and member of the Mountain Challenge Host Committee.

Two local tennis players will have the chance to face off in a pro-am doubles match against Roddick and Courier as part of the event as well.

The match was envisioned as an innovative fundraiser for Mountain Youth Charities, with a goal of raising $200,000 to bolster youth programs. A grant pool will be established to support existing organizations that serve youth, as well as offer seed money to help new youth programs get off the ground.

“It’s a beautiful corner of the world here in the southern Blue Ridge. However, there is another side to these mountains,” said Marcia Shawler, president of Mountain Youth

ties he did growing up.

“It seemed like a natural extension to offer this exhibition to the Cashiers area to assist with youth needs here locally,” he said.

When setting up the Mountain Challenge, Roddick called up his friend and colleague Courier to see if he would like to compete for a good cause.

“Jim and I are great friends. I asked him if he would be interested in coming to the mountains for a visit, and he told me he’d love to,” Roddick said. “He’s looking forward to playing a few rounds of golf and is excited about the tennis match. He has a special place in his heart for kids like I do.”

Want to go?

The United Community Bank Mountain Challenge will be at 9 a.m. Saturday, July 27, at the Cedar Creek Racquet Club in Cashiers. There will be three matches, with the main event featuring an exhibition between American tennis legends Andy Roddick and Jim Courier. A gala dinner will be on Friday, July 26, hosted by the Canyon Kitchen at Lonesome Valley. There will also be a youth tennis clinic and VIP breakfast on Saturday morning held by Roddick and Courier. For details and tickets, go to www.cashiers.com or 828.743.3411.

Roddick established the Andy Roddick Foundation more than a decade ago to help inspire and empower disadvantaged kids through sports-based mentoring. Now that he is retired as a tennis pro at the age of 30, he is plowing his time and energy into the mission of helping children who don’t have the same opportuni-

Besides the three-set match between Roddick and Courier and the doubles match against two local tennis players, there will also be a competition between topranked junior players Thai Kwiatkowski of Charlotte and Korey Lovett of Brevard. McKee said donors are still being solicited.

“Everyone wants to see Mountain Youth Charities become a great start-up for this area. Through this event and loyal participation between parents, teachers and mentors, we will have a sustainable program for the children of our area,” McKee said.

This must be the place

BY GARRET K. WOODWARD

Don’t go in there.

As long as I can remember, I’ve been told this. From my parents, teachers, friends or just strangers in general. It’s a phrase that can refer to a dangerous spot in the woods, front yards with vicious canines, disgusting restaurants or mismanaged places of business. But, mostly, it’s been applied to certain bars.

I’ve always been a champion of “dive bars,” places were the people are as unique and real as the aged buildings themselves. Places where the beer is two degrees from frozen and pickled eggs are in high demand. These are spots where laughter is hearty and handshakes are as frequent as a “round for the house” over a recent promotion or just plain ole’ good news.

My fascination with these establishments is deep and personal. Coming from a proud Irish family, being social over a pint or two is in my blood. Jovial conversation and a salute to “another day six feet above and not six feet below” is part of who I am. And, as a journalist, it’s the patrons of these bars that truly captivate my attention.

Some of the wildest tales and best story leads I’ve ever gotten hold of were a direct result of midnight words with the only other person sitting at the counter. They are war veterans and hairdressers, lawyers and nurses, farmers and maybe even unemployed for the time being. But, what remains, what ties us all together, is the mere fact we’re all here, together, and, at least in this moment, the night is ours.

up my 8-ball shot on the pool table upstairs when the lights suddenly went off. It was a blackout on the east part of town. The band downstairs stopped playing and those in attendance wondered what to do next? Do we go home? What now?

With her trademark smile, owner Becky

HOT PICKS

1

Southern rockers The Corbitt Brothers hit the stage at the Saturdays on Pine concert series in Highlands on July 27.

2

Actor/historian Kurt Sutton presents “An Evening with Mark Twain” on July 28 at WCU.

3

4

5

Americana group Sundy Best perform at Nantahala Brewing Company in Bryson City on July 26.

From the moment I arrived in Waynesville a year ago, I was continually told, “Don’t go in there,” anytime I inquired about the Water’n Hole. But, seeing as my apartment was right around the corner from the bar, I soon found myself at its doorstep. Being new in town, I was immediately welcomed with a friendly smile and cold drink. The folks, as expected, were joyous and rowdy — my kind of people.

Many, if not all, of those I met that first night have become some of my closest friends in Western North Carolina. They’ve given me helpful suggestions for features, bought a round for my birthday and always remember to ask me if I’d like to come to their barbeque next weekend.

So, last week, I found myself once again at the Water’n Hole. I was just about to size

The WNC BBQ Festival heats up at the Maggie Valley Festival Grounds on July 26-27.

Cellist/poet Carol Bjorlie comes to City Lights Bookstore in Sylva on July 26.

Robinson grabbed a couple candles and stated she was still open for business. The band grabbed their string instruments and began plucking a few tunes, eventually passing the guitars around for anyone who wanted to chip in a tune or two. We sang together, chuckled and held our heads high – the night was ours once again.

Just as they say “don’t judge a book by its cover,” I also advise, “Don’t go in there ... unless you want to meet some fine mountain folks and have a great time.”

On the beat

• Rockabilly/blues Chris Blaylock, Amy Lavere and The Hermit Kings will perform at the No Name Sports Pub in Sylva. Blaylock plays at 9 p.m. Thursday, July 25; Lavere at 9 p.m. Friday, July 26 and 4 p.m. Sunday, July 28; and The Hermit Kinds at 9:30 p.m. Saturday, July 27. All shows are free. 828.586.2750 or www.nonamesportspub.com.

• Singer/songwriter Aaron LaFalce plays the Groovin’ on the Green concert series at 6:30 p.m. Friday, July 26, at the Village Commons in Cashiers. The event is free and open to the public. www.cashiersvalley.com.

• Eastern Kentucky Mountain Music Group Sundy Best performs from 8 to 11 p.m. Friday, July 26, at Nantahala Brewing Company in Bryson City. The band intertwines country, blues, rock and bluegrass. Free. www.nantahalabrewing.com or 828.488.2337.

• Smoky Mountain Roller Derby Girls, mountain jam session, Jessi & Matt Stone, and Tarnished Rose Band tap into Frog Level Brewing Company in Waynesville. Derby girls and DJ are on July 24, jam on July 25, the Stones on July 26 and Tarnished Rose on July 27. Free. 828.454.5664 or www.froglevelbrewing.com.

• Mountain Faith will play the Concerts on the Creek concert series at 7:30 p.m. Friday, July 26, at Bridge Park in Sylva. The popular Cullowhee group serves up its own brand of bluegrass and Gospel music. The series is sponsored by the Jackson County Chamber of Commerce, the Town of Sylva and Jackson County Parks and Recreation. Free. 800.962.1911 or www.mountainlovers.com.

• The Mountaintop Polka Band performs from 7 to 10 p.m. Friday, July 26, at The Classic Wineseller in Waynesville. The show will be held in the bandstand outside on the patio, and will feature authentic Bavarian and German melodies. $10 per person minimum, including food, drink and retail purchases. 828.452.6000 or info@classicwineseller.com or www.classicwineseller.com.

• Kovacs and the Polar Bear hits the stage at 7 p.m. Thursday, July 25, in the Central Plaza at Western Carolina University. An indie-rock band from Asheville, the group is a culmination of rich harmonies, catchy hooks and Appalachian folk music. Free. ledavis@wcu.edu or 828.227.3622.

• Bluegrass group The Snyder Family Band performs at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, July 27, at the Stecoah Valley Cultural Arts Center in Robbinsville. Featuring siblings Zeb and Samantha Snyder and their father Bud, the band has performed at the Ernest Tubb Midnight Jamboree and Merlefest. Tickets are $20 for adults, $5 for students grades K-12. 828.479.3364 or www.stecoahvalleycenter.com.

• The Blue Ridge Band will perform as part of the Friday Night Live concert series from 6 to 8 p.m. July 26, at the Highlands Town Square. Free. www.highlandschamber.org or 828.524.5841.

• The Music in the Mountains concert series continues with singer/songwriter the Mountain Dew-et at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, July 27, at the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad Depot in Bryson City. The group includes everything from beloved acoustic melodies, to folk and old country selections. www.greatsmokies.com.

• “Jazz Meets Classics” with composer Dwight Andrews will be at 10 a.m. Saturday, July 27, at the Highlands Performing Arts Center. Tickets are $30 for adults, $15 for students under age 18. 828.526.9060 or www.h-cmusicfestival.org.

• Southern rock group The Corbett Brothers plays the Saturdays on Pine concert series at 6 p.m. Saturday, July 27, at the Pine Street Park in Highlands. Free. www.highlandschamber.org.

• Singer/songwriter Brent Wilson hits the stage at 10 p.m. Friday, July 26, at the Water’n Hole Bar and Grill in Waynesville. Free. 828.456.4750 or www.waynesvillewaternhole.com.

• The Charley Horse Band comes to Pickin’ on the Square at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, July 27, at the lower level town hall in Franklin. At 6:30 p.m. the stage is opened up for anyone wanting to play a few songs. Free. 828.524.2516 or www.franklinnc.com/pickin.html.

• Pianist William Ransom and “The Joy of Sax” will perform as part of the Highlands Chamber Music Festival. Ransom will play Chopin, Beethoven and Gershwin on July 26-27, with the Friday performance at 6 p.m., and Saturday’s at 5 p.m. The Joy of Sax will play July 28-29, with both shows at 5 p.m. Friday and Sunday shows are at the Highlands Performing Arts Center, while Saturday and Monday performances are at the Albert Carlton Library in Cashiers. Tickets are $30 for adults, $15 for students under age 18. 828.526.9060 or www.h-cmusicfestival.org.

• Noonday Sun, Dana Rogers and Demon Waffle will play Big Wesser BBQ + Brew at the Nantahala Outdoor Center in the Nantahala Gorge. Jazz/rock/blues fusionists Noonday Sun will perform from 7 to 10 p.m. on July 26. Singer/songwriter Dana Rogers, from 2 to 5 p.m. on July 27, with ska-rocker Demon Waffle, 7 to 10 p.m. Free. www.noc.org.

• The Waynesville Community Dance will be at 2 p.m. Sunday, July 28, at the Gateway Club. Activities include circle and square dancing, which will be taught to anyone interested. Live music will be provided by Out of the Woodwork, with Charlotte Crittendon as the caller. $5. www.dancewnc.com.

Renowned Gospel, Christian groups in Franklin

The Talleys (pictured) and Brian Free & Assurance play Franklin on July 26. Donated photo

The Talleys and Brian Free & Assurance will perform at 7:30 p.m. Friday, July 26, at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts in Franklin.

The Talleys have become one of the most beloved and respected groups in Christian music. The east Tennessee family’s unmistakable style of progressive Southern Gospel has kept them at the forefront of Gospel music for many years. They have enjoyed 10 number one singles. Their most awarded, recognizable and requested songs include such hits as “Searchin’,”

“The Healer” and “I Love The Lord.” Their songs and recordings have received awards

Knight brings folklore, music to Bryson City

Folklorist/musician Lee Knight presents “A Songcatcher’s Notebook: Traditional Music and Storytelling” at 6 p.m. Thursday, July 25, at the Marianna Black Library in Bryson City.

Raised in the Adirondack Mountains of upstate New York, Lee currently works as a folk singer, storyteller and outdoor leader. He

and nominations from the Dove Awards, Singing News Fan Awards, the Southern Gospel Music Guild Harmony Honors, the BMI Awards and SGN Music Awards.

Brian Free & Assurance’s multiple awards include Favorite Male Singer, Favorite Tenor (a record eight times), Favorite Young Artist (twice), Favorite Horizon Group, Favorite Album (4 God So Loved), and most recently, they received a Dove Award for Southern Gospel Recorded Song, “Long As I Got King Jesus.” Tickets are $15 per person. www.greatmountainmusic.com or 866.273.4615.

leads hikes, canoe trips and guides whitewater rafts. He plays various instruments, including the fretless five-string banjo, various guitars, the Appalachian dulcimer, the mouth bow, the Cherokee flute and the Cherokee rattle, as well as the Native American drum. Free. 828.488.3030 or www.fontanalib.org/brysoncity.

Cello performance and poetry reading

Cellist and poet Carol Bjorlie will perform cello music and share some of her poetry at 6:30 p.m. Friday, July 26, at City Lights Bookstore in Sylva.   Bjorlie has written the collection, The Poet Behind the Cello, and graduated from East Carolina University with a degree in Cello Performance. She has an MFA in writing from Hamline University and was a member of the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra for 28 years.

Her poetry and essays have appeared in Water~Stone, The Southern Poetry Review, and Great River Review. Free. 828.586.9499.

On the streets

National Park hosts renowned storyteller

Storyteller Doug Elliot will present “Stories, Songs, and Lore Celebrating the Natural World” at 1 p.m. Friday, July 26, at the Oconaluftee Visitor Center in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Elliott is a naturalist, herbalist, storyteller, basket maker, philosopher, and harmonica player. He has performed at festivals, museums and schools from Canada to the Caribbean, and has been a featured storyteller at the National Storytelling Festival in Tennessee. He regularly writes articles for regional and national magazines, and has authored five books, produced a number of awardwinning recordings of stories and songs, and is occasionally seen on PBS-TV and the History Channel.

828.497.1904 or www.nps.gov/grsm.

Francis Mill celebrates National Register of Historic Places nomination

Supporters of Francis Mill recently helped celebrate the mill’s designation as a National Register of Historic Places site.

Mill tours and Trantham family harmonies of old time music recalled days when people gathered at the local grist mill to socialize and turn the labor involved with growing wheat and corn into staples for family consumption.

Blue Ridge National Heritage Area (BRNHA) was the major funding agency, and Rob Bell of that organization helped implement the grant. BRNHA is an agency that promotes tourism-related projects connected to the agriculture, crafts, Cherokee, music and natural heritage of the area.

Those who helped in the nomination included (pictured) are Tanna Timbes, president of the Francis Mill Preservation Society, Rob Bell, representative from Blue Ridge National Heritage Area and Evelyn Coltman of the Bethel Rural Community Organization. Donated

Blue Ridge Community Organization (BRCO) Historic Preservation Committee was overseer of the grant, and BRCO was a funding organization for the project. Also

Gemboree returns to Macon

Gem, mineral dealers and rock hounds will converge on the 48th annual Macon County Gemboree July 25-28 at the Macon County Community Building in Franklin. Hours for the event are from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday.

The gem and mineral show is the second oldest event of its kind in the Southeast and is known across the nation as one of the region’s finest events.

Those attending this year’s Gemboree will find an unmatched selection of fine jewelry, rough and cut gems and minerals, and a wide variety of beads, lapidary equipment and fossils. Attendees will be able to observe the fine art of faceting stones and more through demonstrations. Hourly door prizes will also be given away throughout weekend.

Friends of the Library holds book sale

Support your local library by coming to the Haywood County Library annual Book Sale from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. July 25, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. July 26, and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. July 27, at the Haywood County Public Library in Waynesville.

The Friends of the Haywood Library Book Sale Committee has been working since last year’s sale, collecting nonfiction, biographies, religious and children’s books, as well as hundreds of cookbooks, westerns and light romance. There are all forms of music from CDs, vinyl records, cassettes, to sheet music and hymnals.

All of the money raised each year goes back to support the Haywood County Library System. The Friends of the Library is a non-profit organization that provides quality programs for the library patrons and the community for all ages. Volunteers needed.

828.627.2370 or 828.452.5169.

assisting with financing were Francis Mill Preservation Society, Haywood County Historical & Genealogical Society, and Mast General Store.

Admission is $2 for adult, with those ages 12 and under free. A “Run-of-Show” ticket is only $5 and will allow you admission to the event all four days for one low price.

The event is a joint effort of the Franklin Chamber of Commerce and the Gem & Mineral Society of Franklin. 800.336.7829 or 828.524.3161.

Parish fair comes to Waynesville

The Grace Church Parish Fair will be held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, July 27, at the church at 394 Haywood St. in Waynesville.

The fair will include the ever-popular flea market, as well as a boutique of unusual and special items, better clothing, children’s booth, books, household goods, furniture, baked goods, quilt raffle, toys, linens ‘n things, arts and crafts booth, plants, not to mention a food booth with hot dogs, hamburgers and lemonade. Waynesville’s “impresario” Charles Alley will present an array of great local talent, showcasing Dixieland to spirituals, and pop music.

All of the proceeds generated from this long-standing tradition of more than 30 years benefit local nonprofit organizations in Haywood County. 828.456.6029 or 828.926.2043.

• The WNC BBQ Festival will be from noon to 8 p.m. July 26, and 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. July 27, at the Maggie Valley Festival Grounds. Along with the BBQ and beer/wine tent, live music will be provided at 4 p.m. Friday by the Caribbean Cowboys and at 6 p.m. by the Mile High Band. The music continues Saturday at 12:30 p.m. with Whitewater Bluegrass Company and at 3 p.m. with The Katts. Admission is $5 for adults, $2 for kids ages five to 12, and free for five and under. www.wncbbqfestival.org.

• A cupcake challenge will be held from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Thursday, July 25, at the Canton Public Library. In celebration of National Culinary Arts Month, participants are asked to make one to two dozen summer-themed cupcakes that will be judged on flavor, appearance and originality. Prizes given to both kid and adult categories. 828.648.2924.

On the stage

HART has reached its goal of raising $600,000 to begin construction of its new second main stage, which will include a 150-seat space and amenities for actors-in-residence. Donated photo

HART reaches goal for new stage

The Haywood Arts Regional Theatre (HART) in Waynesville reached its fund-raising goal of $600,000 sooner than expected, thanks to John and Susie Harmon.

The Harmon’s pledged the final $75,000 of the $600,000 needed for startup costs on a second main stage, during HART’s opening performance of Brigadoon on July 12.

About a year ago, HART announced its intent to raise $1 million dollars to build a Stage II, with the intent that construction

should not begin until at least $600,000 in cash and pledges were in hand. By July 11, the theater had raised $525,000 from nearly 200 donors. The next night, the Harmons stepped forward to help HART reach its goal. HART hopes the new space will be open next year. The addition will include a 150seat theater, a bistro/café and a full kitchen. Joe Sam Queen and his daughter, architect Sarah Queen, will design the new theater. www.harttheater.com.

Special

Occasions

and everyday fashions.

‘An Evening with Mark Twain’ at WCU

Actor and historian Kurt Sutton will present “An Evening with Mark Twain” at 3 p.m. Sunday, July 28, at the John W. Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center at Western Carolina University.

Sutton employs wit and satire in his performance as an elderly Samuel Clemens, the intellectual icon who created Mark Twain as a means of telling stories. He notes the subtle distinction in portraying Clemens rather than Twain. The performance is set in Clemens’ parlor and includes storytelling and music, as Clemens was a musician.

carried down through the generations; Nathan Parrish, a southern Gospel singer, who has sung onstage with The Kingdom Heirs, Ernie Haase & Signature Sound and The Blackwood Brothers; and Windy Gordon, a Scottish historian, who will summarize the origin of Scotland, including some of Scotland’s best historical moments, and try to trace some Ammons Scottish history. Holly Springs Church is located at 366 Holly Springs Baptist Church, Franklin. 404.310.5172.

Theatrical retrospective of Lake Junaluska to debut Aug. 3

The Light of the Lake, a theatrical production evoking 100 years of Lake Junaluska history, will have its premier performance at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, August 3, in Stuart Auditorium.

Described as a multimedia experience, the production will incorporate photography, acting, and a heavy musical influence with performances by the Lake Junaluska Singers and a small orchestra.

Jerry Sipp, the playwright commissioned to write the production, said he was tasked with creating “an honest portrayal of the struggles and triumphs of Lake Junaluska that have led up to all the good things at Lake Junaluska today.”

Summer Sale

Summer Sale

20% up to 75% off as marked in the store.

The event is sponsored by the WCU Friends of the Arts organization and presented by the College of Fine and Performing Arts.

Tickets are $5 for all ages.

828.227.2479 or bardoartscenter.wcu.edu.

Celebrating the Ammons Family Roots

Once again, the Ammons family is sending out a call to all those who have a stem on the branches of their family tree for their reunion from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, July 27, at Holly Springs Baptist Church in Franklin.

Among those performing will be The Ross Brothers, well known for their toe-tapping, old-time Appalachian music which has been

• There will be auditions for the September production of the Tony Award Winning Best Musical “Avenue Q” at 6:30 p.m. July 28-29, at Haywood Arts Regional Theatre in Waynesville. “Avenue Q” is a quirky adult take on the Muppets and Sesame Street. All of the performers in the show work with muppets-like puppets throughout the show, which opens Sept. 20 for a three-weekend run. The show has a moderate size cast with singing roles for adults. 828.456.6322 or www.harttheatre.com.

• The Spirit of the Smokies storytelling event will be from 7 to 8 p.m. every Saturday through Aug. 10 between C-Loop and D-Loop

The production will incorporate visual projections from the past and present to illustrate the story as well.

“Not only will the audience get to use their imaginations as the actors are performing, but they will see the main events we are chronicling through photography,” Sipp said.

Sipp spent hours researching in the SEJ Heritage Center and interviewing residents of Lake Junaluska.

“The personal anecdotes and stories of the people of Lake Junaluska were so interesting,” said Sipp, calling that one of the most rewarding aspects of the project.

www.lakejunaluska.com/light-of-the-lake or 800.222.4930.

at the Smokemont Campground in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. Bring a blanket and chair, and listen to tales of the Smokies. Free. www.nps.gov/grsm.

• Beloved Broadway musical “Annie” hits the stage July 25 through Aug. 17 at the Highlands Playhouse. “Annie” is a musical based upon the popular Harold Gray comic strip, Little Orphan Annie. With equal measures of pluck and positivity, little orphan Annie charms everyone’s heart, despite a next-to-nothing start in 1930s New York City. Show times are 8 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, with a Sunday matinee at 2 p.m. Tickets are $30 per person, $12 for children ages 12 and under. 828.526.2695 or www.highlandsplayhouse.org.

Mountain momma

BY B ECKY JOHNSON

Inever realized little old ladies had such sharp elbows, or just how willing they were to use them, until my first experience with the Friends of the Library book sale at the Waynesville library several years ago. It started innocently enough. I was reaching for a $2 used cookbook full of low-fat muffin recipes when I realized too late that someone else had their eye on it first, and they were playing for keeps.

I had stumbled into the bowels of this bibliophile mayhem quite by accident that day, popping in for what I intended as a morning of browsing for books with my toddler. Instead, I found myself smack in the middle of a roller derby equivalent of book buying.

The frenzy was catchy, and before I knew it, I was digging through the heaps of books with one hand and balancing my baby in the other, trying to shield her from the bumps and jostles that I quite quickly learned go with the territory on opening day of the used library book sale. But I was ill-equipped to say the least. I had no laundry basket or backpack to corral my finds, and this was clearly no place to have a small child in tow.

As I learned more about the book sale, I found out just what a coveted event it is. People actually line up early in the morning,

hours before the doors open, to have their first crack at the book bargains waiting within. Of course, everything you find is such a steal, and there are soooo many books to chose from, I’m not quite sure what those early birds catch that we mid-morning folks don’t.

Other than the sheer fun of being first, I wager there’s one distinct advantage to getting there early. When the doors open, the copious volumes of books are neat, tidy and ordered, painstakingly sorted and organized by volunteers for months in the lead up to the sale. But within a couple of short hours, all that hard work has devolved into precariously towering stacks of books, threatening to tumble down and land in a heap at your feet should you dare an extraction of an interesting title part-way down the pile.

no matter what day you make it.

If you want to introduce your kids to the makers behind the books they read, Blue Ridge Books in Waynesville will have an appearance at 3 p.m. Saturday, July 27, from author Anna Browning and illustrator Josh Crawford — both of whom went to high school in Haywood County and to WCU — with their new children’s book Tanner Turbeyfill and the Moon Rocks. See our Books page for more about their literary creation.

I was reaching for a $2 used cookbook when I realized too late that someone else had their eye on it first, and they were playing for keeps.

Also, the musical “Annie” is opening this weekend at the Highlands Playhouse and will run through August 17. For most of us, it’s a bit of a haul to get to Highlands, but a stage production of “Annie” with a full cast of 24 is too much to pass up. They have matinees on Sunday if you want to make a day of it. www.highlandsplayhouse.org.

Make your own pottery in Bryson City

Jesting aside, the library sale is not to be missed. It’s coming up Thursday, July 25, through Saturday, July 28, at the Waynesville library starting a 9 a.m. each day. And they have TONS of children’s books for all ages,

Lastly, I must put in an early plug for the The Big Latch On coming up Saturday, Aug. 3. If you have a baby and are breast-feeding, here’s your chance to help set a world record. In honor of World Breastfeeding Week, Big Latch On events are being held around the globe in hopes of setting a record for the most number of breastfeeding moms simultaneously nursing. Head over to the community room of the Sylva library starting at 10 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 3, and be ready to partake in the big nurse when the clock hits 10:30 a.m. 828.587.8214.

People of any skill level will have the opportunity to make their own pottery from 7 to 9 p.m. Friday, July 26, at Pincu Pottery in Bryson City.

Make your own cup or mug. Stamp, draw on or texture a slab of clay and shape it into a useful cup or mug. This is a great way to make a gift or just have fun and make a useful, beautiful item. In three weeks, you will have a functional, personalized cup to use, dishwash or microwave. Cost is $25 per person, per cup/mug. 828.488.0480 or www.pincupottery.com.

Dad is Fat, and comical truths about child rearing

Thirty some years ago, my wife and I announced to my mother that we were expecting our first child. After giving her enthusiastic congratulations, my mother said to me, “Well, having a baby will certainly bring some big changes into your life.”

“Oh, I don’t know, Mom,” I said. “I don’t think having a baby has to change a person’s life.”

After a long moment of staring in astonishment at me, my mother began laughing. For the rest of the evening, whenever she looked at me, she would start laughing. Some months later, after my world had turned upside-down, I would record my casual remark as number one on my list of “The Ten Dumbest Things I Ever Said.” I’ve said a lot of dumb things since then, but my words from that evening still rank as number one. Nothing else has even come close.

I was reminded of that evening when I began reading comedian Jim Gaffigan’s Dad Is Fat (ISBN 978-0-385-34905-5, 274 pages, $25), in which he recounts his adventures as a father living with his wife Jeannie and their five small children in a two-bedroom walk-up apartment in Manhattan. Yes, you read that correctly — five children in a two-bedroom apartment in the heart of New York City. Shipping out steerage on the Mayflower seems palatial by comparison.

Such tight quarters and so many children might break the nerve of the strongest man, but Gaffigan has that best of protections

against insanity: his humor. He is, after all, a professional comedian who has done major television specials, a man with an eye for the

has a gift for bringing his humor to the printed page. Here, for example, he discusses women and pregnancy:

“But truly, women are amazing. Think about it this way: a woman can grow a baby inside her body. Then a woman can deliver the baby through her body. Then, by some miracle, a woman can feed a baby with her body. When you compare that to the male’s contribution to life, it’s kind of embarrassing, really. The father is always like, ‘Hey, I helped, too. For like five seconds. Doing the one thing I think about twenty-four hours a day. Well, enjoy your morning sickness — I’m going to eat this chili. Mmmm, smell those onions.’”

In short comedic riffs, Gaffigan covers all the typical trials of parenting: changing diapers, taking children to restaurants, breaking up fights, going to church, dealing with sickness, visiting relatives, going on vacations. Below are just a few of his observations:

On playgrounds: “It is probably unique to NYC that your children can’t play in a sandbox because it’s closed due to rat poop.”

On children in church: “Anyone who has ever taken their babies and kids to a church, a temple, a mosque, a wedding, a funeral, or any other place of reverence understands the true meaning of torture.”

On Dr. Seuss: “Is it possible to read a Dr. Seuss book and not sound a little drunk?”

On leaving the apartment: “If it’s winter and there are hats, gloves, scarves, and mittens involved, just forget it. You might as well just stay in. It will be spring thaw by the time you get them bundled.”

On the ideal meal for children: “Pizza is the answer to kids’ eating problems I mentioned earlier. Pizza is so easy. Kids don’t need utensils to eat a pizza. Hell, you don’t even need a plate. The crust is the built-in edible plate. Pizza makes you a hero in the eyes of your kids. ‘Daddy got pizza!’ You are higher status walking in the door with a pizza than if you were returning from a war with a Purple Heart.”

On Disney World: “To me the term ‘Disney Vacation’ is equivalent to the term ‘Chuck E. Cheese Fine Dining.’”

Enough. The temptation is to go on and on quoting from Dad Is Fat because of Gaffigan’s exuberant take on family life and children. He has enlivened the text with numerous family photographs and drawings amusingly labeled; the series of sketches showing how he and Jeannie put the children to bed at night was especially clever.

absurd and the talent to call it to our attention. In Dad Is Fat — the title comes from a drawing of Gaffigan by his oldest son labeled “Dad is fat” — Gaffigan shows us that he also

Senior book club in Haywood

The Senior Resource Center and the Haywood County Public Libraries are partnering to create a book club, “Chapters and Dessert” for seniors. The first meeting will be at 2 p.m., Wednesday, Aug. 21, at the Senior Resource Center in Waynesville. For the first meeting, librarian Kathy Olsen of Haywood County Library in Waynesville will choose a book for participants to read about three weeks before the first meeting. This will be a “borrowed” book, no cost to the reader, and will be available for pick up at the Senior Resource center.

Patrons are welcome to bring a dessert to share with the group while discussing the book. Coffee and tea will be furnished by the Senior Resource Center. The club is free. 828.452.2370.

Friends of the Library book sale

Support your local library by attending the Haywood County Library annual Book Sale from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. July 25, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. July 26, and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. July 27, at the Haywood County Public Library in Waynesville.

The Friends of the Haywood Library Book Sale Committee has been working since last year’s sale, collecting nonfiction, biogra-

On children as carriers of infectious diseases: “I don’t want to give terrorists any ideas, but if I really wanted to cripple a city with biological warfare, my WMD of choice would have to be a toddler.”

phies, religious and children’s books, as well as hundreds of cookbooks, westerns and light romance. There are all forms of music such as CDs, vinyl records, cassettes, sheet music and hymnals. All of the money raised each year goes back to support the Haywood County Library System. The Friends of the Library is a nonprofit organization that provides quality programs for library patrons and the community. Volunteers needed.

828.627.2370 or 828.452.5169.

Children’s writer to read at Blue Ridge

Children’s author Anna Browning will read from her new book, Tanner Turbeyfill and the Moon Rocks , at 3 p.m. Saturday, July 27, at Blue Ridge Books in Waynesville.

The 32-page hardcover book is now available at Blue Ridge Books, City Lights Bookstore in Sylva, and online at www.amazon.com and www.bn.com. Book illustrator Josh Crawford will sign books alongside Browning.

My hope for Mr. Gaffigan is that he sells a million copies of this fine book so that he can then move his wife and children to a larger apartment. On the other hand, if he doesn’t move and if you can locate his street address and would like an autographed copy of Dad Is Fat, you should have little trouble finding Jim Gaffigan. As he himself says: “If you come to visit us at our apartment building, there is no need to ask what apartment we live in. Just follow the screaming.”

Tanner Turbeyfill and the Moon Rocks is an exciting story about a young boy who has always wanted his own moon rocks. Tanner’s dream was to fly to the moon and dig up his own lunar rocks. Much to his surprise, that trip would come sooner than he could imagine! www.blueridgebooksnc.com.

Poetry and prose joint reading

Award-winning writers Susan Tekulve and Angela Kelly will read from their recent works at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, July 25, at City Lights Bookstore in Sylva.

Tekulve’s novel In the Garden of Stone was the winner of the South Carolina First Novel Prize in 2012. It is a multi-generational tale about the nature of power and pride, love and loss, and how one impoverished family endures estrangement from their land and each other in order to unearth the rich seams of forgiveness. The book has been named a summer “Okra Pick” from the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance (“Great Southern books, fresh off the vine”), and a “spring pick” from Library Journal.

Kelly’s Voodoo for the Other Women is a collection of largely narrative poems about relationships, offering glimpses of her parents’ hardscrabble marriage in Appalachia in the 1960s, her own coming of age in the 1970s, a young marriage of her own and the subsequent unraveling of it in the 1980s. She is the author of four chapbooks and has won the Carrie McCray Nickens Fellowship in Poetry from the South Carolina Academy of Authors.

828.586.9499.

Global warming imperils Golden-winged warbler

WNC mountains could be last refuge in the hunt for suitable habitat

BY ANDREW KASPER STAFFWRITER

The steady decline of the Goldenwinged Warbler on the Southern Appalachian landscape is a trend that not only threatens the future of the bird in Western North Carolina but also puts in peril the species as whole.

During the past century, it has experienced one of the most precipitous population falls of nearly any other songbird species. Brought on by habitat loss and interbreeding with a more dominant species of warbler, less than 500,000 exist in the United States.

Most are found in the northern Midwest, but there are 2,000 or so hold-outs here in the high elevations of the Southern Appalachian mountains. It may seem like a drop in the bucket, but the small group of Goldenwinged warblers found in WNC — at the southernmost extent of the species’ range — are more significant than the numbers alone would indicate, however.

“We want to preserve these birds in the Appalachians as kind of a safety net,” said Curtis Smalling, director of land bird conservation for Audubon North Carolina and based out of Boone. “If things change, they’ll be able to go upslope.”

In other words, if the climate keeps warming, the Golden-winged warbler could find much of its current habitat elsewhere become inhospitable. But here in the mountains, it could seek refuge by moving higher up the mountainside.

Found predominantly between the elevations of 3,000 and 4,500 feet, the Goldenwinged Warblers is known as “Canadian throwback,” a nickname given to species that took hold in Appalachians eons ago when its climate resembled that of Canada. Now, they are confined to high-elevation islands, seeking refuge in pockets that still have those cooler climes.

The mountains, Smalling said, give the bird distinct advantages to overcoming threats the species is facing elsewhere.

In recent years, the winter breeding ground of the Golden-winged Warbler has shifted both north and west across the U.S. States, attributed to a warming climate and loss of its preferred shrubby habitat.

However, faced with a wall of coniferous forest to the north — which is not an ideal habitat for the bird — it has pushed west on a course that brings it in contact with another non-ideal habitat: the Great Plains.

“They’re going to hit prairie to the west and boreal forest to the north,” Smalling said. “They’re going to run out of habitat.”

The mountains are a potential safe-haven for another important reason, however — the

elevation seems to be a deterrent against other more dominant species.

As the Golden-winged warbler fled north and west, its cousin the Blue-winged Warbler has been close on its tail, following it into states like Minnesota and Wisconsin and

Farrell, a biologist with the N.C. Wildlife Commission.

The birds thrived in the Southern Appalachians in the era following clear-cut logging, when mountaintops were stripped and barren expanses dotted with shrubs and

her property might not have any nesting pairs now but the hope is that if a nice habitat is built, they will one day come. In other cases, the birds have been nesting in an area for a while but encroaching forests or development threaten to push them off.

competing for resources. The two warbler species are also known to intermingle, but the result is usually more Blue-winged than Golden-winged. In some areas, such as Connecticut, the Blue-winged Warbler has breed its counterpart out of existence, and the offspring can be born with its song, its colors and other attributes.

While rapidly encroaching on the habitat of the Golden-winged Warbler in other parts of the country, the Blue-winged Warbler seems to be deterred by elevations higher than 3,000 feet. In WNC, about 15 percent of the Golden-winged Warblers have traces of Blue-winged Warbler in their DNA already, Smalling said.

A CHOOSYBIRD

Scientists, bird enthusiasts and environmentalists have been working hard to preserve and recreate the Golden-winged habitat in the high Southern Appalachians.

The biggest challenge is that it’s a choosy bird.

The Golden-winged Warbler prefers young, immature forests and shrub lands above 3,000 or so feet. Anything else, and the bird will probably not nest.

“They’re really kind of picky,” said Patrick

sparse trees were left. Their reign continued through the years when agriculture dominated the landscape with open fields and pastures.

But as development and forests grow up over historic pastures, the bird’s land is being gobbled up.

Farrell works under contract with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to recruit private landowners in WNC to maintain Goldenwinged Warbler habitat. That task is not simple: the list of criteria is long, and many don’t make the cut. Factors like elevation, size of the property, type of vegetation and the property’s proximity to other nesting Golden-winged Warblers and large housing developments are all taken into consideration.

But, if a landowner’s property fits the bill, and they are willing to participate, they get financial assistance to help with the upkeep the open shrub habitat the warblers like. Burning, tree-cutting and grazing are all techniques used to keep the right blend of open space and trees.

Currently, Farrell is working with property owners in WNC, including Jackson County and Haywood County, to create Goldenwinged Warbler habitat.

As is the case with a property owner in Jackson County, sometimes it’s a crap shoot:

“Sometimes we will find them where they are just holding on,” Farrell said.

The USDA took an interest in the bird a few years ago after it was deemed one of several “species of concern” through the agency’s wildlife habitat incentive program, an initiative to defray the costs of habitat creation for property owners. The hope is to save the Golden-winged Warbler, and other animals like it, before the situation is dire.

“The philosophy is to recover that habitat, whatever it is, before they become endangered or threatened,” Farrell said.

When the program was started three years ago, Farrell was switched from his post working on habitat for the Bobwhite Quail to the warbler. As for its success with the warbler, he said it was promising but early in the game.

“This year is my best year for recruiting land owners,” Farrell said. “We’re doing work now, but it’s too early to tell.”

TWO-SIDEDCOIN

On public lands, such as the Nantahala and Pisgah national forests, warbler habitat can be controversial. Since the warbler thrives in immature forests and shrub lands, logging interests have elevated the Goldenwinged warbler to golden-child status, using it as an excuse to log in the name of helping create habitat for the bird.

But logging to create habitat for the warbler could hurt other equally important bird species that prefer mature forests.

As Smalling pointed out, the Audubon Society also has a long list of high-priority forest species it would like to help as well. And the pickiness of the warbler can mean that a small, well-chosen plot of land can oftentimes be better suited for nesting than vast expanses at the wrong elevation or out of their migratory flight path.

“It’s a balancing act,” Smalling said. “We don’t want the National Forest Service cutting trees in the name of Golden-winged Warblers while ignoring other birds. We don’t need 100,000 acres of new habitat that’s not occupied.”

The Naturalist’s Corner

BY D ON H ENDERSHOT

Where martins hang

Purple martin “scouts” are some of the earliest harbingers of spring. I recorded one in February at Black Bayou Lake National Wildlife Refuge in Louisiana during last year’s Great Backyard Bird Count, and it’s not uncommon for them to show up in Florida in January. The idea that purple martin “scouts” are on a reconnaissance mission to find suitable nesting territory, then report back to the flock is, like too much of what we hear about the natural world, a romanticized anthropogenic notion. The scouts are actually older birds returning to their nesting site. Martins have strong nest-site fidelity, and older birds return first. It may take four to six weeks before sub adults return to the site – perhaps giving the impression that these birds were led to the site by “scouts.”

Nest sites east of the Rockies are almost exclusively man-made. There appears to be a long, strong human-martin bond. Native Americans in the East hung gourds for purple martins before white settlers arrived. Birds west of the Rockies nest almost exclusively in abandoned woodpecker cavities. It seems standing snags in beaver ponds were/are preferred sites in the West. Purple martins are large swallows reaching nearly 9 inches in length. The male is a dark, deep, rich blue above and below. He appears black at a distance. Females and juveniles are dark above with a whitish belly and grayish brown on the breast and throat.

Martins generally have one brood per year. When nesting is over – which could be as early as late May in the Deep South or as late as September in Canada – these gregarious creatures congregate in large roosts before starting their southern migration. One roost in Lake Murray, S.C. was reported to have more than 700,000 birds. It’s hard to tell what draws martins to a roost. Many are located over water, which would seem to protect against predators, but there are large roosts in urban areas like the Schumpert medical complex in downtown Shreveport, La. and Sharpstown Mall in Houston, Texas, to name a couple.

The Old North State is home to a large pre-migratory purple martin roost beneath the William B. Umstead Memorial Bridge (Old Manns Harbor) over Croatan Sound in Dare County. The roost is near the western end of the bridge and is home to around

Boater safety course

Summer is here, and it’s time to brush up on boater safety.

Haywood Community College’s Natural Resources Division and the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission will offer a boating safety course from 6 to 9:30 p.m. Aug. 8 and 9 in rooms

100,000 purple martins. The roost generally peaks from around the end of July through the end of August when tens of thousands of martins funnel and swirl through the twilight vying for perches beneath the bridge. No doubt, 99.9 percent of the Manns Harbor martins nested in man-made nests somewhere in the coastal plain of North Carolina. But these birds were fortunate to have another human benefactor. Alisa Esposito Lucash and her husband Chris were crossing the bridge one evening around dusk in 2001 when their car was enveloped by a mass of swirling martins.

The Lucashes slowed their car but Alisa recalled in an article, “…we watched horrified, while the van ahead of us drove full steam forward into a swirling wall of martins, seemingly unaware of the dead and maimed creatures it left in its wake.”

Esposito Lucash worked tirelessly and with friends created the Coastal Carolina Purple Martin Society. Their initial thought was an exclusion fence like one that protects roosting martins along the causeway across Lake Pontchartrain in New Orleans. But the Umstead Bridge wouldn’t support such a structure. The group didn’t quit and in 2007 with the help of N.C. DOT, Dare County Commissioners, then State Sen. Marc Basnight and others signs and flashing traffic lights were installed. While this solution is not as effective as a fence, Esposito Lucash noted, “When every car slows down, there’s not a bird killed,” she said. “It’s really completely related to motorists’ behavior and their willingness to slow down.”

Sightseeing and educational programs are offered every year to see the Manns Harbor martins. www.purplemartinroost.com or www.purplemartin.org.

309 and 310 at Haywood Community College in Clyde. Participants must attend two consecutive evenings to receive a boating safety certification.

These courses are offered as a community service and are free of charge for all ages. Preregistration is required. www.ncwildlife.org.

Expert to talk about the red wolf in the Appalachians

The red wolf is one of the most endangered animals in the world and a native of North Carolina.

Wildlife expert Ron Sutherland will lecture about “Restoring the Endangered Red Wolf to the Wilds of the Southern Appalachians” at 7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 1, at the Highlands Nature Center. The talk is part of this summer’s weekly Zahner Conservation Lecture Series.

Sutherland will talk about a recovery program that has released red wolves into northeastern North Carolina and into the Tennessee side of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Sutherland is a conservation scientist for Wildlands Network where he focuses on creating habitat for the Southeast Atlantic Coastal Plain and wildlife corridors connecting the coastal plain to the Southern Appalachians. He completed his Ph.D. in

environmental science and policy at Duke University, where he studied wildlife species, urbanization and car traffic in the Sandhills region of North Carolina. 828.526.2221.

Talk on toxins and wildlife reproduction

What are the effects of environmental contaminants on wildlife and humans? That question will be explored, along with other topics of environmental health, at an upcoming lecture in Highlands.

Louis Guillette will give his lecture “Environmental Health, Genes, and Contaminants: New Lessons from Wildlife” at 7 p.m. Thursday, July 25, at the Highlands Nature Center.

Guillette is a professor for the department of obstetrics and gynecology at the Medical University of South Carolina. His talk will focus specifically on how pollutants affect wildlife, particularly their reproductive systems. He has won awards for his work, which focuses on environmental health, endangered species’ reproductive biology and the evolution of maternal-fetal chemical communication. And, he has studied alligators extensively. The talk is part of the weekly Zahner Conservation Lecture in Highlands, an ongoing tradition since the 1930s. 828.526.2221

BLUE RIDGE BREAKAWAY

REI gives a boost to trail crews

Recreational Equipment Inc. has donated $5,000 to support trail work in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

The money was given to The Smokies Trails Forever program, an initiative by the Friends of the Smokies. The funds will help a volunteer and professional crew work on the park’s Forney Ridge Trail by Clingmans Dome.

During the past few years, REI has funded trail reconstruction along Forney Ridge and Chimney Tops Trails, as well as provided an equipment trailer to help with tool and equipment

The Trails Forever program is in its fifth year of operation. Volunteers work one-on-one with experienced trail building staff to re-construct trails using sustainable materials to preserve the trail and protect the resources around the trail corridor.

www.friendsofthesmokies.org or 828.452.0720.

AT video contest solicits submissions

The Appalachian Trail Conservancy is accepting submissions for the “I am the Appalachian Trail” video contest, a nationwide search for the best video about the trail.

Contestants will submit video shorts, no longer than three minutes, emphasizing how they are connected to the trail.

The creators of the top three videos with the most votes will each win a one-year membership to the ATC and be featured in an issue of A.T. Journeys, the official magazine of the ATC. The winner will have his or her video featured in theaters during the 2014 ATC Membership Drive, shared with thousands of followers across ATC’s social media sites. The winner also will receive a hammock.

The public will vote for its favorite video through ATC’s Facebook page. Submissions are being accepted until Sept. 15, and voting will take place from Sept. 16 to Nov. 8. Winners will be announced on Nov. 11.

www.appalachiantrail.org/2013videocontest.

Section of parkway closed to vehicles

A 21-mile section of the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina is closed —

der areas caused by recent heavy rains. Federal Highway Administration engineers are helping park managers to determine the extent of the damage and will make recommendations for necessary repairs.

Damage from rains has caused a section of the parkway to be closed.

The closure is the result of structural damage to a section of the road and shoul-

A detour route is available, which directs traffic from Asheville along Interstate 40 to U.S. Route 221. However, pedestrians and bicyclists are allowed on the parkway until construction begins or if conditions change. Mount Mitchell State Park remains open and accessible from the northern approach along the parkway. www.nps.gov/blri.

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Smokies looks to include kids in hands-on science

Center near Cherokee. They will assist in a new science investigation in the park, using scientific tools, and take part in an ongoing outdoor research project.

Registration is not required. More information available by phone.

Student volunteer opportunities in the Great Smokies

Bird habitats program

Audubon Society members will present a program on bird habitats at 7 p.m. Tuesday, July 30, in the Community Room of the Jackson County Public Library Complex in Sylva.

Local birders Glenda Zahner and Russell Regnery will talk about making a garden a bird habitat and the often-overlooked role of leaf litter, as related to the success of native plants, and its relationship to birds.

Zahner has a master’s degree in ecology and evolutionary biology and has been an environmental educator for many years. She is also one of the founders of the annual Highlands Native Plants Conference and was one of the first members of the Highlands Plateau Audubon Society.

Regnery is a retired Ph.D. research microbiologist who worked at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for 30 years. He is currently the president of the Highlands Plateau Audubon Society. He is also involved with conservation issues of Atlantic coast barrier islands as part of the Georgia Shorebird Alliance.

828.586.2016.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park is offering a citizen scientist program for a chance to be part of ongoing research program.

The Special Scientist program invites young scientists, ages 10 and older, to learn about unique animals that are part of the biodiversity of the Smokies.

Participants will meet from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 6, in front of Oconaluftee Visitor

865.436.1713

Trout derby weekend in Cherokee

High school students, recent graduates and their families can spend time in the field conducting scientific projects such as salamander monitoring, tree identification and mapping, and water quality assessments.

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is offering Student Volunteer Days, hands-on projects with a Park Ranger. The program will take place Aug. 1 on the North Carolina side of the park.

Participants will be tasked with helping park researchers perform important studies. This experience also provides young people an opportunity to get involved in science and in their national park in a fun and interesting way.

Contact the park by phone to reserve a spot and for more details.

828.497.1907.

Talking Trees Children’s Trout Derby is set for Saturday, Aug. 3, at the Oconaluftee River Islands Park in Cherokee. The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians is hosting the event, which is open to children ages 3 to 11 years old. Pre-registration is from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday, Aug. 2, at the Cherokee Indian Fairgrounds. Fishing begins at 8 a.m. Saturday and ends at noon with awards and prize presentations afterward.

On Friday, there will be traditional music and dance, food, games, zip lines, animal exhibitions, professional bull riders and the Madison Hornbuckle Children’s Cancer Foundation Cornhole Tournament with a $500 first prize. This is a non-sanctioned tournament, but American Cornhole Association rules are followed. All boards and bags will be provided. Registration is required. . This event is accessible to Children with Disabilities. 843.909.0847 or www.cherokeetroutderby.com.

Get your Breakaway jersey and pedal

The Haywood Chamber of Commerce has released the 2013 Blue Ridge Breakaway jersey design.

The Aug. 17 ride will feature a custom jersey that combines the adrenaline-pumping nature of the breakaway with the needs of the everyday cyclist. The Hincapie  jersey features an edgy design, touting the mileage and cumulative elevation gain of each route in the Breakaway. The Axis is a relaxed, tradition-

ally-styled jersey, featuring a lightweight fabric, a full-length hidden zipper and three pockets.

“This year’s jersey design represents the Blue Ridge Breakaway’s reputation as a beautiful but very challenging ride,” said Brian Birthright, one of the ride’s committee mem-

The cycling event brought 500 or so riders to Haywood County last year. Early registration is open until Aug. 2 for this year’s ride and costs between $54 and $39, depending on the distance of the route. Jersey quantities are limited. Both can be purchased online. BlueRidgeBreakaway.com or 828.456.3021.

Triathlon at Tsali

The Tsali Challenge Triathlon will take place Saturday, July 27, and Sunday, July 28, at the Tsali Recreation Area outside of Bryson City.

The annual triathlon will feature a paddle, run and bike on some of the most famous trails in the Eastern United States. Racers will start out paddling a calm 3-mile water loop around Bear Island in Lake Fontana. Then they will head to the hills for a 5-mile run on the mountain bike single track at Tsali before ending with a 12-mile spin on mountain bikes.

The solo event will take place on Saturday and the team relay event on Sunday. Early registration is 4 to 6 p.m. Friday, July 26, at Bryson City Bicycles and day of registration is from 7 to 9 a.m. Saturday and Sunday at the race site. www.goneriding.com or 352.873.9279.

Trail conservancy chooses new leader

The Appalachian Trail Conservancy has a new executive director and CEO.

The organization’s board of directors appointed Ronald J. Tipton to lead the ATC beginning in late August.

Tipton has spent more than 30 years as an advocate for public land preservation and national park protection. With a degree in law, Tipton first worked at the National Academy of Sciences and on the oversight and investigative staff of the House Environment, Energy and

Natural Resources Subcommittee.

Since 1978, he has been a part of the advocacy or management team of four nonprofit national conservation organizations: The Wilderness Society, National Audubon Society, World Wildlife Fund and the National Parks Conservation Association.

“Ron has the passion, management experience, and advocacy skills that the Appalachian Trail Conservancy is looking for, plus a strong connection to the Appalachian Trail and the Trail community,” Bob Almand, chair of the board of directors for the ATC, stated.

The ATC currently has more than 43,000 members, a vast network of over 6,000 volunteers and an operating budget of $7.3 million.

B USINESS & E DUCATION

• Free 90-minute computer class, Excel for Beginners, 5:45 p.m. Wednesday, July 24, Jackson County Public Library, Sylva.. Register, 586.2016.

• Franklin Chamber of Commerce Alive After Five! Networking Social, 5 to 6:30 p.m. Thursday, July 25, Barium Springs, 150 Georgia Road, Franklin. 524.3161.

• Haywood Chamber’s Young Professionals of Haywood After Hours Networking event, 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, July 25, Sunburst Market on Montgomery, Waynesville. Free to YPH members, $5 to non-members. RSVP to kgould@haywoodchamber.com or 456.3021. www.yphaywood.com.

• Smoky Mountain Chapter of the National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association, noon Saturday, July 27, Jarrett House, Dillsboro. Ed Fox, 456.5251, Haywood County; Betty Brintnall, 586.9292, Jackson County; and Luci Swanson, 369.8922, Macon County.

• Free 90-minute computer class, Intermediate Excel, 5:45 p.m. Wednesday, July 31, Jackson County Public Library. Register at 586.2016.

• Issues & Eggs, 8 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 7, Anthony Wayne’s Restaurant, The Gateway Club, 37 Church St., Waynesville. 456.3021.

COMMUNITY EVENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS

• Junaluska Woman’s Club Game Day, 2 to 4 p.m. Thursday, July 25, Gaines Auditorium of the Bethea Welcome Center, Lake Junaluska. Tables, game materials and refreshments provided.

• Celebrating the Ammons Family Roots, 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, July 27, Holly Springs Baptist Church Franklin. 404.310.5172.

• Swain High School Class of 1983 Reunion, 1 p.m. Saturday, July 27, Administration Pavilion. Tanya Calhoun or James Fisher, tanyac02@aol.com.

• Big Game Banquet and Auction, 5 p.m. doors open, Saturday, July 27, Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort Hotel. Hosted by the Great Smoky Mountains Chapter of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation. J. Cooper in Cherokee, 506.3308 or R. McLean in Waynesville, 452.2896. Individual membership is $35; meal $45. Order online at http://events.rmef.org/!AEQ.

• The Big Latch On, 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 3, Jackson County Public Library, second floor Community Room, Sylva. To celebrate World Breastfeeding Week. www.biglatchon.org . Teresa Bryant, 587.8214.

• Sarge’s Animal Rescue Foundation Downtown Waynesville Dog Walk, 10 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 3, downtown Waynesville. Registration at 9 a.m. in front of the Haywood County Courthouse on Main Street.

B LOOD D RIVES

Jackson

• Sylva Community Blood Drive, 1:30 to 5:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 2, Jackson Senior Center, 100 County Services Park, Sylva. 800.RedCross or www.redcrossblood.org Keyword: Sylva.

Haywood

• Longs Chapel Church Blood Drive, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday, July 30, 175 Old Clyde Road, Waynesville. Carol Honeycutt, 627.2808.

All phone numbers area code 828 unless otherwise noted.

• Day Camps at Western Carolina University, Cullowhee, 227.7108 or www.wcu.edu/academics/edoutreach/conted/camps-and-programs-for-kids/index.as

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

H EALTH MATTERS

• Lunch and Learn, noon to 1 p.m. Friday, Aug. 2, MedWest-Harris board room, with orthopedic surgeon Jud Handley, MD and Robin Pope, Ph.D., PA-C. Lunch provided. Reservations required. 631.8894.

THE S PIRITUAL S IDE

• Workshop with Trish Thompson, a Dharma teacher, ordained by Thich Nhat Hanh and a certified Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction instructor, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 3, at St. David’s Episcopal church in Cullowhee. $15 or whatever you can afford. Includes a vegetarian meal. Michael Hudson, stdavids1879@gmail.com.

• 2013 Global Leadership Summit, 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Aug. 8-9, broadcast live from Willow Creek Community Church to host site Lake Junaluska’s Stuart Auditorium. Gen. Colin Powell one of 13 speakers. www.willowcreek.com/summit, 800.570.9812.

S ENIOR ACTIVITIES

• Free seminar, “The Health Benefits of Essential Oils” 2 to 3 p.m. Wednesday, July 31, Jackson County Senior Center Board Room. 586.4944.

K IDS & FAMILIES

• Kindergarten Readiness, Family Story time, 6 p.m. Monday, July 29, Macon County Library, Franklin. Young Scientists Needed to Help Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Summer Camps

• Tennis Lifesong Summer Camps, Tuesdays through Fridays, through Aug. 23 at Lake Junaluska. Ages 4 and older. Bunnie Allare, 513.608.9621, www.lakejunaluska.com/tennis or www.facebook.com/tennisLifesong.

• Waynesville Parks and Recreation Department summer camp for kids in kindergarten to fifth grade., 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. through Aug. 16. Register, 456.2030 or email recprogramspecialist@townofwaynesville.org.

• Summer Day Camp Cullowhee United Methodist Church, ages 3 to 11, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, through Aug. 2. $90. 293.9215 or visit http://www.cullowheeumc.org/summer-camp-2013/.

• Lake Junaluska Summer Day Camp, through Aug. 9, for ages 24 months through rising sixth graders. Half day, full day available. www.lakejunaluska.com/children, lkrekelberg@lakejunaluska.com, 454.6681. Registration forms available online.

• Highlands Playhouse Summer Fun Drama/Theatre Camps: Musical Theatre Camp; and July 29-Aug. 2, Dance Camp. 526.2695 or email highlandsplayhhouse@yahoo.com. Highlands Playhouse, 362 Oak St., Highlands, www.highlandsplayhouse.org.

• From Struggle to Freedom: Discover the 5 Steps to a Life of Fulfillment, 5:30 to 7 p.m. Thursday, July 25, Where Angels Gather, 124 Miller St., Waynesville. Free. Diannah Beauregard, 400.0003. info@LaniaDesmond.com, www.LaniaDesmond.com.

• Summer Day Camp, Southwestern Child Development and Hazelwood Early Education and Preschool, 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Fridays, through Aug. 28. Ages 5 to 9. $500 per month. Subsidy accepted. 456.2458.

• Jackson County Natural Resources Summer Camp, 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. July 29-Aug. 2, Jackson County Recreation Center, Cullowhee. For rising seventh graders. Jane Fitzgerald, 586.5465 or email janefitzgerald@jacksonnc.org.

• SummerVoice Music Camp by Voices in the Laurel, 8:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Monday, July 29-Friday, Aug. 2, First Baptist Church of Waynesville. Register through Monday, July 29, at 335.2849, www.voicesinthelaurel.org.

Literary (children)

• Book Club with Mary Ann, 2 to 3 p.m. Wednesday, July 24, Macon County Library, Franklin. For third through fifth graders. 524.3600.

• Teen program final party, 2:30 p.m. Thursday, July 25, Marianna Black Library, Bryson City. 488.3030.

• Family Carnival, 4 to 6 p.m. Friday, July 26, Marianna Black Library, Bryson City. 488.3030.

• Game Day, 10 a.m., Friday, July 26, Macon County Library, Franklin. 524.3600.

• Family Carnival, 4 to 6 p.m. Friday, July 26, at the Marianna Black Library, in Bryson City. 488.3030.

• Local author Anna Browning will sign copies of her new book, Tanner Turbeyfill and the Moon Rocks, at 3 p.m. Saturday, July 27, Blue Ridge Books, Waynesville. www.anna-browning.com.

• The following events are at the Jackson County Public Library, Sylva. 586.2016:

• Ms. Doris Mager, the Eagle Lady, 10:30 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 1, Canton Library , and 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 7, Waynesville Library. Seating is limited. Groups, call ahead. 452.5169, Waynesville, 648.2924, Canton.

ECA EVENTS

• Extension and Community Association (ECA) groups meet throughout the county at various locations and times each month. NC Cooperative Extension Office, 586.4009.

9:30 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 1 – Christmas in August and White Elephant, Potpourri ECA, Conference Room of Community Service Center, Sylva.

FESTIVALS, S PECIAL & S EASONAL EVENTS

• 48th annual Macon County Gemboree, July 25-28, Macon County Community Building, Franklin. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday. 800.336.7829 or 828.524.3161.

• WNC BBQ Festival, “Smokin’ in the Valley,” noon to 8 p.m. Friday, July 26, and 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday, July 27, Maggie Valley Festival Grounds, Maggie Valley.

• Annual Grace Church Parish Fair, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Saturday, July 27, 394 N. Haywood St., Waynesville. Flea market, music, food and more. 456.6029, 926.2043.

LITERARY (ADULTS)

• PLAYFEST, 7 p.m. Wednesday, July 24, Albert Carlton Cashiers - Community Library, Cashiers. Local actors and librarians will present eight fully staged readings of some of the best short plays in the country.

• Joint reading of poetry and prose by Susan Tekulve and Angela Kelly, 6:30 p.m. Thursday, July 25, City Lights Bookstore, Sylva. 586.9499.

• Friends of the Haywood County Library annual Book

■ 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

Sale, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday July 25; 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday, July 26, and 9 a.m. to 3 ish Saturday, July 28, Haywood County Public Library, Waynesville, 678 S. Haywood St., Waynesville. Bring bags/boxes. Volunteers needed. 452.5169.

• A Journey with Olga Pader on the Camino de Santiago, 7 p.m. Thursday, July 25, Macon County Public Meeting Room, Franklin. 524.3600.

• Cellist and poet, Carol Bjorlie will perform cello music and share some of her poetry at 6:30 p.m. Friday, July 26, City Lights Bookstore, Sylva. 586.9499.

• Local author Anna Browning will sign copies of her new book, Tanner Turbeyfill and the Moon Rocks, at 3 p.m. Saturday, July 27, Blue Ridge Books, Waynesville. www.anna-browning.com.

• Metal sculptor Grace Cathey will sign copies of her new book, Fire & Steel: The Sculpture of Grace Cathey, from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday, Aug. 2, and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 3, 136 Depot St. (Walker Service), Waynesville. www.gracecathey.com.

F OLKMOOT USA

Schedule subject to change. Visit FolkmootUSA.org for additions or cancellations or call the ticket office, 452.2997.

• 2 p.m. Wednesday, July 24—Blue Ridge Community College, Flat Rock. (All groups) General admission, adults $30 and children (12 & under), students, faculty ½ price.

• 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 24—Asheville High School, Asheville. (All groups) General admission, adults $30 and children (12 & under), students, faculty ½ price.

• 2 p.m. Thursday, July 25—Town Center, Burnsville. (2 groups) Adults $16; children (12 & under) ½ price.

• 7:30 p.m. Thursday, July 25—Smoky Mountain Center for Performing Arts, Franklin. (3 groups) Adults $25, $20; children (12 & under) $10.

• 7:30 p.m. Thursday, July 25—Haywood Community College, Waynesville. (4 groups) Reserved seating: $25, $20; general admission $15; children (12 & under) ½ price.

• 2 p.m. Friday, July 26—Extravaganza Matinee, Stompin’ Ground, Maggie Valley. (All groups) Reserved seating: $30, $25; general admission $20; children (12 & under) ½ price.

• 6:30 p.m. Friday, July 26—Folkmoot at Friday Street Dance, Main Street, Waynesville. Free.

• 7:30 p.m. Friday, July 26—Extravaganza, Stompin’ Ground, Maggie Valley. (All Groups) Reserved seating: $30, $25; General admission $20; Children (12 & under) ½ price.

• 2 p.m. Saturday, July 27—Haywood Regional Theatre (HART), Waynesville (3 groups). General admission $16; children (12 & under) ½ price.

• 7:30 p.m. Saturday, July 27—Haywood Community College, Clyde. (All groups) Reserved seating $30, $25; general admission $20; children (12 & under) ½ price.

• 2 p.m. Sunday, July 28—Dance Workshop (1 group), Folkmoot Friendship Center, Waynesville. Adults $10; children (12 & under) $5.

• 7 p.m. Sunday, July 28—Candlelight Closing, Stuart Auditorium, Lake Junaluska. (All groups) Reserved seating: $30, $25; general admission $20; children (12 & under) ½ price.

ON STAGE & I N CONCERT

• “Honeymoon at Graveside Manor,” 7:30 p.m. Friday, July 26; Saturday, July 27; Sunday, July 28; and Monday, July 29, Smoky Mountain Community Theatre, 134 Main St., Bryson City. Tickets for adults are $8, students ages 6 to 18 are $5, and under age 6 are free. Director Toby Allman, 488.8227, 488.8103. www.smctheatre.com.

• Family friendly Concerts on the Creek, Fridays, 7:30 to 9:30 p.m., Sylva Bridge Park Pavilion near Scott Creek: July 26, Mountain Faith; Aug. 2, Whitewater Bluegrass Company; 800.962.1911, www.mountainlovers.com.

• Western Carolina University free Summer Concert Series, 7 p.m. Thursdays, A.K. Hinds University Center stage in Central Plaza: July 25, Kovacs and the Polar Bear. atledavis@wcu.edu, 227.3622.

• Auditions, 6:30 p.m. July 28-29, Haywood Arts Regional Theatre, Waynesville, for September production of the Tony Award Winning Best Musical Ave. Q. 456.6322 or www.harttheatre.com.

• “Side By Side By Sondheim,” 2 p.m. Aug. 3, Performing Arts Center at the Shelton House, 250 Pigeon St., Waynesville. 456.6322, www.harttheatre.com.

• Brigadoon, 7:30 p.m. July 25-27 and Aug. 1-3; 3 p.m. July 28 and Aug. 4, Performing Arts Center at the Shelton House, 250 Pigeon St., Waynesville. 456.6322, www.harttheatre.com.

• “An Evening with Mark Twain” with actor and historian Kurt Sutton, 3 p.m. Sunday, July 28, John W. Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center at Western Carolina University. $5 for all ages at Bardo Arts Center box office, 227.2479 or by going online to bardoartscenter.wcu.edu.

• Daytime classic and country music, 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 1, Meeting Room, Macon County Public Library, Franklin. Music by Lady & The Old Timers.

• Thursdays at the Library- Music with Marshall Ballew, 7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 1, Macon County Public Library Meeting Room, Franklin.

• The Light of the Lake, Lake Junaluska’s Centennial Celebration theatrical production, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 3, Stuart Auditorium, Lake Junaluska. Tickets at www.lakejunaluska.com/light-of-the-lake or the Bethea Welcome Center at Lake Junaluska. 800.222.4930, www.lakejunaluska.com/100.

• Macon County-based songwriter, Angela-Faye Martin, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 3, Nantahala Brewing Company performance hall and tasting room in Bryson City. 488.2337, www.nantahalabrewing.com.

• An Appalachian Evening Concert Series at historic Stecoah Valley Cultural Arts Center. 7:30 p.m. Saturdays, through Aug. 31. www.StecoahValleyCenter.com, 479.3364.

• Unto These Hills, 7:30 p.m. preshow, 8 p.m. main performance, nightly except Sundays, through Aug. 17, Mountainside Theatre, 688 Drama Road, Cherokee. www.cherokeeadventures.com/tickets.

N IGHT LIFE

• Live music schedule at the Nantahala Outdoor Center: 7 to 10 p.m. July 25, Karaoke Night; 7 to 10 p.m. July 26, Noon Day Sun; 2 to 5 p.m. July 27, Dana Rogers; 7 to 10 p.m. July 27, Demon Waffle; 8 to 11 p.m. Aug. 2, Playing on the Planet; 8 to 11 p.m. Aug. 3, Jackleg. www.noc.com.

• Cellist and poet, Carol Bjorlie, 6:30 p.m. Friday, July 26, City Lights Bookstore. 586.9499.

• Live music, 6 to 9 p.m. Saturdays, Mountaineer Restaurant, 64904 Soco Road, Maggie Valley: Judy Morgan–July 27; David Cody, Aug. 3.

OUTDOOR M USIC CALENDAR

• Kovacs and the Polar Bear, 7 p.m. Thursday, July 25, Western Carolina University Summer Concert Series.

• Summer Music Series featuring folk singer Lee Knight, 6 p.m. Thursday, July 25, Marianna Black Library front porch, Bryson City. 488.3030, www.fontanalib.org/brysoncity.

• Mountain Faith, 7:30 p.m. Friday, July 26, Concerts on the Creek, downtown Sylva at Bridge Park. 800.962.1911.

• Aaron Lafalce, 6:30 p.m. Friday, July 26, Groovin’ on the Green, Village Commons, Cashiers.

• Tonesmen, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, July 27, Pickin’ on the Square, Lower Level Town Hall, Franklin. 524.2516.

• Whitewater Bluegrass Company, 7:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 2, Concerts on the Creek, downtown Sylva at Bridge Park. 800.962.1911.

• Soldiers Heart, 6:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 2, Groovin’ on the Green, Village Commons, Cashiers.

• Curtis Blackwell, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 3, Pickin’ on the Square, Lower Level Town Hall, Franklin. 524.2516.

JAMS

• Mountain Street Dance, 6:30 p.m. Friday, July 26, Main Street, downtown Waynesville.

• Open Mic, 6:30 p.m. Saturday, July 27, Pickin’ on the Square, Lower Town Level, Franklin. 524.2516.

• Music Jam, 6 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 1, Marianna Black Library, Bryson City. 488.2382.

• Back Porch Old-Time Music Jam, 1 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 3, porch of the Oconaluftee Visitor Center, 194 Newfound Gap Road, Great Smoky Mountains.

• Open Mic, 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 3, Pickin’ on the Square, Lower Town Level, Franklin. 524.2516.

• Mountain Street Dance, 6:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 9, Main Street, downtown Waynesville.

DANCE

• Waynesville Community Dance, 2 p.m. Sunday, July 28, Gateway Club, Church St., downtown Waynesville. Music by Out of the Woodwork, Charlotte Crittendon caller. $5. www.dancewnc.com.

CLASSES, PROGRAMS & D EMONSTRATIONS

• Free Make and Take class, 10 a.m. to noon, Saturday, July 27, the Art Room, 45 East Main St., Franklin. Ages 15 and up. Dianne, 349.3777

• Make Your Own Mug/Cup, 7 to 9 p.m. Friday, July 26, Pincu Pottery, Bryson City. $25 per person per cup. Must pre-register, 488.0480.

• Hand building class, 6 to 8 p.m. through July 31, Riverwood Pottery, Dillsboro Studio. $160, 586.3601 or email riverwoodpottery@frontier.com.

FILM & S CREEN

• Movie night, 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 24, Jackson County Public Library. Call for movie title. 586.2016.

• Children’s movie, noon Saturday, July 27, Jackson County Public Library, Sylva. 586.2016.

• Family movie, 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 30, Marianna Black Library in Bryson City. Animated movie about a pirate captain from the high seas. 488.3030.

• New movie, 4:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. Wednesday, July 31, Macon County Public Library, Franklin. Stars Matthew Macfadyen, Keira Knightley and Jude Law. Based on the novel by Leo Tolstoy. Rated R for some sexuality and violence; 2hrs. 9 min.

• Classic movie, 2 p.m. Friday, Aug. 2, Meeting Room, Macon County Public Library, Franklin. Stars Gregory Peck and Jane Wyman.

Outdoors

OUTINGS, H IKES & FIELDTRIPS

• Franklin Bird Club weekly bird walk Wednesday, July 24, along the Greenway. Meet at 8 a.m. at Big Bear shelter parking area. Led by Karen Lawrence. 524.5234.

• Franklin Bird Club joint bird walk with Highlands Plateau Audubon Society, Saturday, July 27, to Turtle Pond Road area near Highlands. Led by Brock Hutchins. Meet at 7:30 a.m. at Highlands Town Hall parking area or Franklin Bi-Lo to carpool.

• Nantahala Hiking Club hike, Saturday, July 27, Jones Knob and Keith Day Knob on the Bartram Trail. Meet at 10 a.m. at Bi-Lo parking lot in Franklin. Joyce Jacques, 410.852.7510. No pets.

• Local Audubon Society members Glenda Zahner and Russell Regnery, 7 p.m. Tuesday, July 30, Community Room, Jackson County Public Library Complex, Sylva. Program on local bird habitats.

• Franklin Bird Club weekly bird walk, Wednesday, July 31, along the Greenway. Meet at 8 a.m. at Salali Lane. Paula Gorgoglione leader. 524.5234.

PROGRAMS & WORKSHOPS

• Sports Medicine Lecture Series, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday, July 25, Mission Outpatient Care Center, 490 Hospital Drive, Clyde. Bike Fit, basic and advanced techniques to optimize performance, comfort, aerodynamics and to prevent or treat injury. Guest speaker, Thomas Minton, PT, MDT, CRTS

Certified Running Technique Specialist, USA Track & Field Coach, Bike Fit Red Level Pro. 213.0850.

• International birder Romney Bathurst will teach a class, “Birding Beyond Our Borders,” through the Center for Life Enrichment from 2 to 5 p.m. Thursday, July 25, at the Peggy Crosby Center in Highlands. $25 for CLE members, $25 for nonmembers. Register at 526.8811 or www.clehighlands.com.

• Pellet Rifle Shooting Range, 9 to 11 a.m. Thursday, July 25, Pisgah Center for Wildlife Education. Ages 8 and older. 877.4423, https://ncpaw s.org/reservations/pisgah/CalendarView.aspx.For ages 8 and older.

• Louis Guillette, 7 p.m. Thursday, July 25, Highlands Nature Center, 930 Horse Cove Road, Highlands. Topic is Environmental Health, Genes, and Contaminants: New Lessons from Wildlife. Zahner Conservation Lecture Series. www.highlandsbiological.org, 526.2221.

• Bill Lea presents “Understanding the Black Bear” for the B.E.A.R. Task Force, 7 p.m. Friday, July 26, Highlands Recreation Center. 526.9227.

• Introduction to Fly-Fishing on the Lake, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday, July 26, Buck Forest parking area, DuPont State Forest. Ages 12 and older. 877.4423. https://ncpaws. org/reservations/pisgah/CalendarView.aspx.

• Renowned storyteller Doug Elliot presents “Stories, Songs, and Lore Celebrating the Natural World,” 1 p.m. Friday, July 26, Oconaluftee Visitor Center, near Cherokee, Great Smoky Mountains National Park. 497.1904 or www.nps.gov/grsm.

invite all Veterans who

• Gone Fishin’, 9 to 11 a.m. Sunday, July 27. Meet at High Falls parking area for a hayride to the lake. Ages 5 through 12. 877.4423, https://ncpaws.org/reservations/pisgah/CalendarView.aspx.

• Stream Investigation, 9 to 11 a.m. Sunday, July 27, Davidson River. For ages 8 and older. 877.4423, ncpaws.org/reservations/pisgah/CalendarView.aspx.

• Great Smoky Mountains Chapter of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation “Big Game Banquet,” 5 p.m. Saturday, July 27, Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Hotel Ballroom. Live auction, silent auction, raffles, door prizes, and dinner. $45. 506.3308. Deadline for reservation, July 24. No tickets at the door.

• Nature Photography Exhibit: Our Spectacular Southern Appalachians, through July 29, Cradle of Forestry, Pisgah National Forest. 877.3130, www.cradleofforestry.com.

• Village Nature Series guest speaker ethonobotanist David Cozzo, 7 p.m. Tuesday, July 30, Village Green Commons at the Village Green, Cashiers. Free community event, co-hosted by Highlands-Cashiers Land Trust and Village Green at Harmony Towers. 526.1111 or email Julie.hitrust@earthlink.net.

• Woodsy Owl’s Curiosity Club, 10:30 a.m. to noon and 1:30 to 3 p.m. Thursdays through Aug. 1, Cradle of Forestry, Pisgah National Forest. Summer nature series for children ages 4 to 7. www.cradleofforestry.org, 877.3130. Reservations required, 877.3130.

• Ron Sutherland, 7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 1, Highlands Nature Center, 930 Horse Cove Road, Highlands. Topic is red wolf reintroduction. Zahner Conservation Lecture Series. www.highlandsbiological.org, 526.2221.

S MOKIES NATIONAL PARK

• Mingus Mill Demonstration, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily through Aug. 17, one-half mile north of the Oconaluftee Visitor Center on US 441, 194 Newfound

Some of our excellent services include:

• Primary and Specialty Care

• Pharmacy services including medications sent to your mail boxt

• Secure e-mail messaging to primary care provider

• Travel Pay

• Home Based Primary Care

• Picture VA Health Care Identification Card

• New Patient Exams in some County Health Departments

Gap Road, Cherokee. 497.1904, www.nps.gov.

• Mountain Farm Museum, dawn to dusk, daily through Aug. 17, adjacent to Oconaluftee Visitor Center,194 Newfound Gap Road, Cherokee. 497.1904, www.nps.gov.

• Back Porch Old-Time Music, 1 to 3 p.m. Saturdays, Aug. 3 and 17, Oconaluftee Visitor Center porch, 194 Newfound Gap Road, Cherokee. 497.1904, www.nps.gov. Bring an acoustic instrument or just listen.

• Smokemont Night Hike, 8:45 p.m. Fridays through Aug. 9, Bradley Fork Trailhead, D-Loop Smokemont Campground. Limited to 25 participants. Reservations, 497.1904, www.nps.gov.

• Smoky Mountain Elk, 5:30 p.m. Palmer House, Cataloochee Valley. 497.1904, www.nps.gov.

COMPETITIVE E DGE

• The Mountain Challenge, charity exhibition match between retired professional tennis players Andy Roddick and Jim Courier, Saturday, July 27, Cedar Creek Racquet Club, Cashiers. www.Cashiers.com.

• Tsali Challenge Triathlon, Saturday, July 27 and Sunday, July 28, Tsali Recreation Area outside of Bryson City. www.goneriding.com or 352.873.9279.

FARM & GARDEN

• Just Add Water: Dehydrating 101, 10 to 11 a.m. Tuesday, July 30, Swain County Cooperative Extension Center, 60 Almond School Road, Bryson City. Learn the how-tos of dehydrating foods. $5. Register, 488.3848.

• Macon County Beekeepers Association, 7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 1, Cooperative Extension Office on Thomas Heights Road, Franklin. Public welcome. 524.5234

The following groups of Veterans are eligible regardless of income:

• Medal of Honor, Purple Heart Recipients and Prisoners of War.

• Vietnam Veterans who served in the Republic of Vietnam between January 9, 1962 and May 7, 1975.

• Gulf War Veterans who served in the Southwest Asia Theater of Operations from August 2, 1990, through November 11, 1998.

• OEF / OIF / OND Combat Veterans receive 5 years of health care after active duty discharge. (Iraq / Afghanistan)

• Veterans with service connected disabilities.

• Many other Veterans qualify.

* Minimum duty requirements and nature of discharge may affect eligibility.

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 — Residential yard sale ads, lost or found pet ads.

■ Free — Non-business items that sell for less than $150.

■ $12 — Classified ads that are 50 words or less; each additional line is $2.

■ $12 — 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.

■ $35 — 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

PRIME REAL ESTATE

ANNOUNCEMENTS

TUSCOLA CLASS OF 1978

35th Class Reunion. Saturday August 3rd 2013, Maggie Valley Inn and Conference Center. Meet and Greet 2:00 - 4:00. Pool side with Cash Bar and Menu if desired ($5 for pool use see front desk, 3 & under free). Dinner7:00 ($35 per person, this includes dance) Dance with DJ9:00 - 12:00. Visit with old friends - Dress Casual. Make Checks payable to: Jamie Moody Magalhaes, 295 Laurel Ridge Dr., Waynesville, NC 28786.

ARTS & CRAFTS

ALLISON CREEK

Iron Works & Woodworking. Crafting custom metal & woodwork in rustic, country & lodge designs with reclaimed woods! Design & consultation, Barry Downs 828.524.5763, Franklin NC

AUCTION

ABSOLUTE AUCTION:

Seabrook Island (Charleston, SC) 2 Properties: 3 BR Home and LakeFront Lot. NO MINIMUM! AUG 10. Mike Harper 843.729.4996 (SCAL3728). www.HarperAuctionAndRealty.com

REAL ESTATE AUCTIONBent Mountain Area. Franklin County, VA. 906+/- Acres, offered in 30 Tracts ranging in size from 6 acres up to 100 acres; 3 Homes; Barns & Sheds; 2 Beautiful Ponds; Hunting and Recreational Tracts. 27 Tracts - Totaling 873± Acres Sold ABSOLUTE to the Highest Bidder. Auction held August 8, 5 PM at Holiday Inn - Tanglewood. For more details visit woltz.com or contact Woltz & Associates, Inc. (VA#321) Brokers & Auctioneers, Roanoke, VA. 800.551.3588.

TAX SEIZURE AUCTIONSaturday, July 27 at 10am. 201 S. Central Ave., Locust, NC. (East of Charlotte) Selling Seized Items for NC Department of Revenue. Cars, Pickups, Construction Trucks, Skid Steer, Trailers, 5320 JD Tractor, DSL Gator, (2) Auto Repair Shops. 704.791.8825. ncaf5479. www.ClassicAuctions.com

BUILDING MATERIALS

WHITE PINE, HEMLOCK, POPLAR Lumber and Timbers, Any Size! Rough Sawn or S4S, Custom Sawing. Smoky Mountain Timber, 3517 Jonathan Creek Rd., Waynesville, North Carolina. 828.926.4300.

HAYWOOD BUILDERS

Garage Doors, New Installations Service & Repairs, 828.456.6051

100 Charles St. Waynesville Employee Owned.

CONSTRUCTION/ REMODELING

DAVE’S CUSTOM HOMES OF WNC, INC Free Estimates & Competitive rates. References avail. upon request. Specializing in: Log Homes, remodeling, decks, new construction, repairs & additions.

Owner/Builder: Dave Donaldson. Licensed/Insured. 828.631.0747 or 828.508.0316

SULLIVAN HARDWOOD FLOORS

Installation- Finish - Refinish 828.399.1847.

PAINTING

JAMISON CUSTOM PAINTING & PRESSURE WASHING

Interior, exterior, all your pressure washing needs and more. Specializing in Removal of Carpenter Bees - Log Homes or Siding! Call Now for a Free Estimate at 828.508.9727.

ELECTRICAL

BOOTH ELECTRIC Residential & Commercial service. Up-front pricing, emergency service. 828.734.1179. NC License #24685-U.

CARS

-

DONATE YOUR CARFast Free Towing 24 hr. ResponseTax Deduction United Breast Cancer Foundation Providing Free Mammograms & Breast Cancer Info 888.759.9782.

Training Financial Aid For Qualified Students - Housing Available Job Placement Assistance. Call Aviation Institute Of Maintenance 1.866.724.5403 WWW.FIXJETS.COM. SAPA ARE YOU TOUGH ENOUGH To wear Wylie? $1000 Flatbed Sign-On. Home Weekly. Regional Dedicated Routes. 2500 miles Weekly. $50 tarp pay. 888.336.6820. www.drive4ewwylie.com

VACANCIES: Physics (9-12), Biology (9-12), Biology/Physics (9-12), Earth Science (9-12), Mathematics (8-12), Physical Science (5-8). Signing Bonus $2,000. Prince Edward County Public Schools, Farmville, VA. 434.315.2100. www.pecps.k12.va.us Closing Date: Until filled. EOE

EMPLOYMENT

BECOME DIETARY MANAGER

(Average annual salary $45,423) in eight months in online program offered by Tennessee College of Applied Technology Elizabethton. Details www.tcatelizabethton.edu, 1.888.986.2368 or email: patricia. roark@tcatelizabethton.edu.

CAN YOU DIG IT?

Heavy Equipment Operator training! 3 Week Hands On Program. Bulldozers, Backhoes, Excavators. Lifetime Job Placement Assistance. National Certifications. VA Benefits Eligible. 1.866.362.6497

DRIVERS -

CDL-A Now Hiring Experienced OTR Drivers. Excellent Miles. Family Oriented Company. Up to $5,000 Sign On Bonus. USA Truck. 877.521.5775. www.GoUSATruck.com

EARNING BETTER PAY

Is one step away! Averitt offers Experienced CDL-A Drivers Excellent Benefits and Weekly Hometime. 888.362.8608, Recent Grads w/a CDL-A 1-5/wks Paid Training. Apply online at AverittCareers.com. Equal Opportunity Employer.

EMPLOYMENT

DRIVERSHiring Experienced/Inexperienced Tanker Drivers! Earn up to $0.51 per Mile! New Fleet Volvo Tractors! 1 Year OTR Exp. Req. - Tanker Training Available. Call Today: 877.882.6537. Or go to: www.OakleyTransport.com

DRIVERS...APPLY NOW, 13 Drivers Needed! Top 5% Pay & Benefits. Class A CDL Required. 877.258.8782 www.ad-drivers.com

FTCCFayetteville Technical Community College is now accepting applications for the following positions: Audio Visual Engineer and Associate Degree Nursing Instructors. Deadline: July 31. For detailed information and to apply, please visit our employment portal at: https://faytechcc.peopleadmin.com Human Resources Office, Fayetteville Technical Community College, PO Box 35236, Fayetteville, NC 28303. Phone: 910.678.8378. Internet: http://www.faytechcc.edu CRC Preferred Employer. An Equal Opportunity Employer

EMPLOYMENT

EXPERIENCED DRIVERS -

EMPLOYMENT

HIGHLANDS-CASHIERS HOSPITAL

EMPLOYMENT

NEED MEDICAL OFFICE TRAINEES!

DRIVERS:

Home Weekly. Pay up to $.40/mi., 70% D&H, 90% No Touch Freight. BCBS/Dental/Vision/401k. Class A CDL 6 Months Exp. 877.704.3773.

PART-TIME JOB

With Full-Time Benefits. You can receive cash bonus, monthly pay check, job training, money for technical training or college, travel, health benefits, retirement, and much more! Visit NationalGuard.com or call us at 1.800.GO-Guard to learn more on how the National Guard can benefit you.

TRUCK DRIVERS WANTED -

Positions now available: Chief Nursing Officer/Director of Patient Care Services, Director of Human Resources and Volunteer Services, Med/Surg Registered Nurses, Clinical Applications Analyst, Clinical Informatics Specialist, Maintenance Mechanic, Radiologic Technologist. Benefits available the first of the month following 60 days of full-time employment. PreEmployment screening required. Call Human Resources. 828.526.1376, or apply online at: www.highlandscashiershospital. org

NC LICENSED MASSAGE THERAPIST

Needed for established & growing spa in Sylva. Pay based upon experience. Please email for more details: sandra@fusionsspa.com

NEED EXTRA CASH?

Are you living pay to pay? My business is booming I need help. Call now 1.717.256.1082 www.BIGideasComeOnce.com

Train to become a Medical Office

Assistant at CTI! NO EXPERIENCED NEEDED! Online Training at CTI gets you job ready! HS Diploma/ GED & Computer needed. Careertechnical.edu/northcarolina. 1.888.512.7122

SOLO & TEAMS.

Priority Dispatch. Consistent Miles. Established Routes. No Touch Freight/Hazmat. CDL A w/1 yr. OTR exp. Food Grade Tanker. 855.IRTTANK. indianrivertransport.com

TANKER & FLATBED COMPANY.

Drivers/Independent Contractors! Immediate Placement Available. Best opportunities in the Trucking Business. Call Today. 800.277.0212 or www.primeinc.com

FINANCIAL

$$$ACCESS LAWSUIT CASH NOW!! Injury Lawsuit Dragging? Need $500-$500,000++ within 48/hours? Low rates. Apply Now By Phone! 1.800.568.8321. www.lawcapital.com Not valid in CO or NC SAPA

BEWARE OF LOAN FRAUD. Please check with the Better Business Bureau or Consumer Protection Agency before sending any money to any loan company. SAPA

COMPARE QUALITY & PRICE

Best Pay and Home Time! Apply Online Today over 750 Companies! One Application, Hundreds of Offers! www.HammerLaneJobs.com SAPA

Excellent Regional Runs! Great Home Time with Full Benefits! Competitive Weekly Pay & Late Model Equipment. Arnold Transportation. www.drivearnold.com 888.742.8056 OWNER OPERATORSFlex Fleet. 14-21 days out. $3,500 gross weekly. Weekly settlements. Class A CDL & 1 year experience. Discount plans for major medical & more. Fleet Owners Welcome. CALL TODAY! 866.566.2011. DriveForGreatwide.com

SAPA

Puzzles can be found on page 45. These are only the answers.

Shop Tupelo’s, 828.926.8778. HAYWOOD BEDDING, INC. The best bedding at the best price! 533 Hazelwood Ave. Waynesville 828.456.4240

LAWN & GARDEN

HEMLOCK HEALERS, INC.

Dedicated to Saving Our Hemlocks. Owner/Operator Frank Varvoutis, NC Pesticide Applicator’s

License #22864. 48 Spruce St. Maggie Valley, NC 828.734.7819 828.926.7883, Email: hemlockhealers@yahoo.com

PETS

HAYWOOD SPAY/NEUTER

Has a microchip clinic Saturday, August 3, 2013, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at our office. $15. Folks need to call us at 828.452.1329 to make an appointment. This is open to all dogs and cats in WNC.

LEGAL ADVERTISEMENTS

NOTICE OF MEETING AND PUBLIC HEARING TO ADOPT RESOLUTION DECLARING INTENT TO LEASE, SELL OR CONVEY

HAYWOOD REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER

Haywood Regional Medical Center is part of the MedWest Health System which is soliciting proposals for potential affiliations involving the hospitals in its system. The Board of Commissioners of Haywood Regional Medical Center has publicly indicated its desire to participate in that process. As a public hospital authority, Haywood Regional Medical Center must comply with certain statutory procedures set forth in Chapter 131E of the North Carolina General Statutes in order to participate. The first step in that process is public notice of adoption of a resolution “declaring its intent to sell, lease or convey” Haywood Regional Medical Center.

Therefore pursuant to N.C. Gen. Stat. §131E-13(d)(1), notice is hereby given to all interested persons, that the Board of Commissioners of Haywood Regional Medical Center (the “Board”) will consider adopting a resolution declaring its intent to sell, lease, or convey the real and personal property, operating rights and any other related intangible assets utilized in connection with the ownership and operation of Haywood Regional Medical Center and its intent to negotiate the terms of the lease, sale or conveyance as part of the affiliation process being conducted by the MedWest Health System at the place and time set forth below.

PLEASE BE ADVISED THAT THE ADOPTION OF THE RESOLUTION DOES NOT MEAN THAT ANY DECISION HAS BEEN MADE OR WILL BE MADE TO LEASE, SELL OR CONVEY HAYWOOD REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER OR ANY RIGHTS OR INTEREST THEREIN.

Although the MedWest Health System has initiated a solicitation process for the System, the Board is required by statute to solicit proposals. The Board’s solicitation process will be conducted as part of and consistent with the solicitation process conducted by the MedWest Health System. Haywood Regional Medical Center is also required by statute to name known potential buyers or lessees. Known potential buyers or lessees include local and regional nonprofit and public health systems and for profit national hospital chains such as Adventist Health, Appalachian Regional Healthcare System, Ascension, Capella Healthcare, Carilion Clinic, Carolinas Healthcare System, Community Healthcare System, Duke/LifePoint, Erlanger Health, Greenville Health System, HCA, HMA, Iasis Healthcare, LHP Hospital Group, Mission Health, Mountain States Alliance, Novant Health, PinnacleHealth, RegionalCare, Sentara Healthcare, Spartanburg Regional Health System, Tenet Healthcare, University of Tennessee, UNC Healthcare System, Wake Forest Baptist, and Wellmont Health System.

All interested parties are invited to submit proposals. The Board intends to negotiate the terms of any lease, sale, or conveyance; however, no proposal will be considered unless it has been approved for consideration by MedWest Health System, Inc. Any sale or lease of Haywood Regional Medical Center must also be approved by the Haywood County Commissioners. Additional criteria for selection will be available following adoption of the resolution.

The Board will consider this matter in the Classroom Room on the second floor of the Fitness Center located at Haywood Regional Medical Center in Clyde, N.C. at 6:00 p.m. on July 30, 2013.

PETS

HAYWOOD SPAY/NEUTER 828.452.1329

Prevent Unwanted Litters! The Heat Is On! Spay/Neuter For Haywood Pets As Low As $10. Operation Pit is in Effect! Free Spay/Neuter, Microchip & Vaccines For Haywood Pitbull Types & Mixes!

Hours:

Monday-Thursday, 12 Noon - 5pm 182 Richland Street, Waynesville, North Carolina.

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. Our readers are hereby informed that all dwellings advertised in this newspaper are available on an equal opportunity basis. To complain of discrimination call HUD toll-free

CHUBS - JUST TOO CUTE FOR WORDS!! HE IS A POMERANIAN/CHI MIX AND IS ABOUT 1 YEAR OLD. CHUBS HAS A BEAUTIFUL, SOFT WAVY COAT THAT IS A DEEP RED AND BROWN. HE REALLY WANTS TO BE YOUR LAP DOG! HIS ADOPTION FEE IS $200.

BUBBA - THE ONLY BOY IN HIS LITTER, SO HE THINKS HE'S KING OF THE HILL! HE HAS A SWEET AND PLAYFUL PERSONALITY, LOVES PEOPLE AND WILL BE A WONDERFUL PET. THROUGH JULY 31, KITTENS ARE 'BUY ONE GET ONE FREE' SO ADOPT BUBBA AND A SISTER FOR JUST $60!

Board of Commissioners of Haywood Regional Medical Center

By: Bennie R. Sharpton, M.D., Secretary

Haywood County Real Estate Agents

Beverly Hanks & Associates — beverly-hanks.com

HOMES FOR SALE

BRUCE MCGOVERN

MEDICAL

ATTENTION SLEEP APNEA

Sufferers with Medicare. Get CPAP

FOR SALE

CHAMPION SUPPLY

• Michelle McElroy — beverly-hanks.com

• Marilynn Obrig — beverly-hanks.com

• Mike Stamey — beverly-hanks.com

• Ellen Sither — esither@beverly-hanks.com

• Jerry Smith — beverly-hanks.com

• Billie Green — bgreen@beverly-hanks.com

• Pam Braun — pambraun@beverly-hanks.com

ERA Sunburst Realty — sunburstrealty.com

Haywood Properties — haywoodproperties.com

• Steve Cox — info@haywoodproperties.com

Keller Williams Realty kellerwilliamswaynesville.com

• Rob Roland — robrolandrealty.com

• Ron Kwiatkowski — ronk.kwrealty.com

Mountain Home Properties — mountaindream.com

• Sammie Powell — smokiesproperty.com

Main Street Realty — mainstreetrealty.net

McGovern Real Estate & Property Management

• Bruce McGovern — shamrock13.com

Prudential Lifestyle Realty — vistasofwestfield.com

Realty World Heritage Realty realtyworldheritage.com

• Katy Giles - realtyworldheritage.com/realestate/viewagent/7765/

• Lynda Bennett - mountainheritage.com/

• Martha Sawyer realtyworldheritage.com/realestate/viewagent/7769/

• Linda Wester- realtyworldheritage.com/realestate/viewagent/7771/

• Thomas & Christine Mallette realtyworldheritage.com/realestate/viewagent/7767/

RE/MAX — Mountain Realty remax-waynesvillenc.com | remax-maggievalleync.com

• Brian K. Noland — brianknoland.com

• Connie Dennis — remax-maggievalleync.com

• Mark Stevens — remax-waynesvillenc.com

• Mieko Thomson — ncsmokies.com

• The Morris Team — maggievalleyproperty.com

• The Real Team — the-real-team.com

• Ron Breese — ronbreese.com

• Dan Womack — womackdan@aol.com

• Bonnie Probst — bonniep@remax-waynesvillenc.com

The Seller’s Agency — listwithphil.com

A Full Service Realtor shamrock13@charter.net McGovern Property Management 828.283.2112.

VACATION RENTALS

FLAGLER BEACH FLORIDA

NEAR ASHEVILLE, NC -

Replacement Supplies at little or NO COST, plus FREE home delivery! Best of all, prevent red skin sores and bacterial infection! Call 1.888.470.8261. SAPA

CANADA DRUG CENTER

Owner liquidating a 1232 SF cabin shell on 1.53 private acres. Has new septic, well and paved access. $62,000. Needs finishing. 828.286.2981, brkr.

• Phil Ferguson — philferguson@bellsouth.net

Oceanfront Vacation Rentals. Furnished Studio, 1, 2, & 3 Bedroom, Full Kitchens, FREE WiFi, Direct TV, Pool. 1.386.517.6700 www.fbvr.net SAPA

CAVENDER CREEK CABINS

Dahlonega, GA GAS TOO HIGH?

Spend your vacation week in the North Georgia Mountains! Ask about our weekly FREE NIGHT SPECIAL! Virtual Tour: www.CavenderCreek.com Cozy Hot Tub Cabins! 1.866.373.6307

SAPA

WAYNESVILLE HOUSING AUTHORITY

THE TOWER

Church Street Waynesville, NC 28786 Phone: 828.452.1223 Fax: 828.452.1207

The Waynesville Tower Is Seeking Elderly Only Applications for 1 & 2 Bedroom Units If You Are Interested in Being Placed on Our Waiting List Contact Our Office Office Hours Are Mon. - Fri. From 9:00 a.m. -

NICOL ARMS APARTMENTS

Is your choice for safe and affordable medications. Our licensed Canadian mail order pharmacy will provide you with savings of up to 90 percent on all your medication needs. Call Today 1.800.265.0768 for $25.00 off your first prescription and free shipping. SAPA

MEDICAL ALERT FOR SENIORS24/7 monitoring. FREE Equipment. FREE Shipping. Nationwide Service. $29.95/Month CALL Medical Guardian Today 855.899.5309.

VIAGRA 100mg & CIALIS 20mg! 40 Pills + 4 FREE for only $99. #1 Male Enhancement, Discreet Shipping. Save $500! Buy The Blue Pill! Now 1.800.491.8751 SAPA

STORAGE SPACE FOR RENT

GREAT SMOKIES STORAGE

Conveniently located off 19/23 by Thad Woods Auction. Available for lease now: 10’x10’ units for $55, 20’x20’ units for $160. Get one month FREE with 12 month contract. Call 828.507.8828 or 828.506.4112 for more info.

Janitorial supplies. Professional cleaning products, vacuums, janitorial paper products, swimming pool chemicals, environmentally friendly chemicals, indoor & outdoor light bulbs, odor elimination products, equipment repair including household vacuums. Free delivery across WNC. www.championsupply.com 800.222.0581, 828.225.1075.

ENJOY 100% GUARANTEED, Delivered–to-the-door Omaha Steaks! SAVE 67% PLUS 4 FREE BURGERS - The Favorite FeastONLY $49.99.ORDER Today 1.855.300.2911 Use Code 48643XMJ or go to: www.OmahaSteaks.com/mbff74 SAPA

WANTED TO BUY CASH FOR

Unexpired Diabetic Test Strips! Free Shipping, Friendly Service, BEST prices and 24 hour payment! Call Mandy at 1.855.578.7477, or

RIVER PARK APARTMENTS

93 Wind Crest Ridge in Dillsboro. Social community designed for the Elderly (62 or older) or persons with disabilities, has regularly scheduled, varied activities. Energy efficient, affordable 1 BR apts. AVAILABLE IMMEDIATELY!

Rental Assistance Available.

Accessible units designed for persons with disabilities subject to availability. $25 application fee; credit/criminal required. Call site for information 828.631.0124. Office hours are M-Th 1-3 pm or by appointment.

Equal Housing Opportunity. This institution is professionally managed by Partnership Property Management, an equal opportunity provider, and employer.

PERSONAL SCHOOLS/ INSTRUCTION

MEET SINGLES RIGHT NOW!

No paid operators, just real people like you. Browse greetings, exchange messages and connect live. Try it free. Call now 1.888.909.9978.

SAPA

PREGNANT?

Considering Adoption? Call Us First! Living expenses, Housing, Medical and continued support afterwards. Choose Adoptive Family of Your Choice. Call 24/7. ADOPT CONNECT 1.866.743.9212.

SAPA

UNPLANNED PREGNANCY?

Thinking Of Adoption? Open or closed adoption. YOU choose the family. LIVING EXPENSES PAID. Abby’s One True Gift Adoptions. Call 24/7

1.866.413.6295

SAPA

YOUR 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 $330 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 www.ncpress.com

AIRLINES ARE HIRINGTrain for hands on Aviation Career. FAA approved program. Financial aid if qualified. Job placement assistance. Call Aviation Institute of Maintenance. 877.300.9494.

EARN YOUR H.S. DIPLOMA

At home in a few short weeks. Work at your own pace. First Coast Academy. Nationally accredited. Call for free brochure.

1.800.658.1180, extension 82. www.fcahighschool.org SAPA

SERVICES

YOUR LIFESTYLE ASSISTANT

Concierge & Home Care Services. Housekeeping, airport/hospital transportation, grocery shopping, non-medical senior care, pet sitting. Complimentary In-home Consultation. 828.550.2171

* REDUCE YOUR CABLE BILL! *

Get a 4-Room All Digital Satellite system installed for FREE and programming starting at $19.99/mo. FREE HD/DVR upgrade for new callers, SO CALL NOW.

1.800.725.1835. SAPA

MY COMPUTER WORKS:

Computer problems? Viruses, spyware, email, printer issues, bad internet connections - FIX IT NOW! Professional, U.S.-based technicians. $25 off service. Call for immediate help. 1.888.582.8147 SAPA

WEEKLY SUDOKU

SERVICES

DISH NETWORK -

$19.99/mo. Free Install, Free DVR Equipment, Free Movie Channels for 3 Months. Ask about our no-credit promo. Call Now 877.717.7273

DISH TV RETAILER -

Starting at $19.99/month (for 12 mos.) & High Speed Internet starting at $14.95/month (where available.) SAVE! Ask About SAME DAY Installation! CALL Now! 1.800.405.5081

DISH TV RETAILER - SAVE!

Starting $19.99/month (for 12 months.) FREE Premium Movie Channels. FREE Equipment, Installation & Activation. CALL NOW, COMPARE LOCAL DEALS!

1.800.351.0850. SAPA

HD CABLE TV DEALS

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ACROSS

1 Brother of Harpo and Groucho

6 Impress in stone

10 Kind of orange or Indian

15 General - chicken

19 Like Cato

20 Spicy tea

21 Move spirally 22 Greet loudly 23 - flowing with milk and honey

24 Lewis of track

25 Winter song

26 Unsightly

27 Start of a riddle

31 I-80, e.g.

32 Eternally, poetically

33 Unduly

34 Prefix for “ear” or “gold”

36 Riddle, part 2

45 A birdie beats it

46 Yr. parts

47 Voice mail prompts

48 Run away to wed

49 Riddle, part 3

54 Pros at spinning LPs

55 “Well, I’ll be!”

56 Widen, as pupils

57 Very long time unit

59 Ogden’s state

61 Prefix with conservative

64 1983 Woody Allen film

66 Jamb’s place

68 Rhode Island city

71 Riddle, part 4

76 Actor Pierce

77 Restrain

78 Dr. Seuss’ “The - the

79 Kind of milk

- me tangere 82 University mil. program 84 Eight-armed cephalopods 88 Skin blemish

90 Debut on the NYSE 92 Riddle, part 5 94 Bird or plane 97 Thrown 99 City in Brazil, briefly 100 Turf

101 End of the riddle 107 Nipper the dog’s corp. 108 Maintain the status

109 Start for existing 110 Electrolysis particle 111 Riddle’s answer

Sci-fi sights

Sanders of baseball and football

Seedy bar

Innocent 125 Griffin of talk TV 126 Spin - (do some taletelling) 127 Holiday preceders 128 Like a pixie

Get ready for surgery

Emerson work

Auto ding

Winter vehicles DOWN 1 Grumpy sort

Golf target

Apple type

Baseless rumor 5 At one’s post 6 Caesar’s “Lo!”

7 Bangkok cuisine

8 Actress/singer Irene

9 Jewish campus organization

10 Academy Award nomination

11 Waver

12 Snobs put them on

13 Beards, e.g. 14 Singer Cass

15 Dull, heavy sound 16 Big cactus 17 Crankcase attachment 18 Devious

Six, in Italian

Whip mark

Checking account lure

Bakery loaf option

Whizzed

Cabby’s car

River in Kazakhstan 39 Abbr. for someone

Arthur of tennis fame

Bodily

Liza Minnelli ex David

Labyrinths

Austere

Dependent 53 “It’s - for!” 55 Slummy districts 58 GI’s refusal

60 Author Seton

61 Negative conjunction

62 Hosp. sections

63 Mel of baseball

65 “This - time for jokes!”

67 As - (henceforth)

69 “- way did he go?”

70 Calico horse

71 Sit-ups’ targets

72 To’s counterpart

73 Kid’s amuser

74 Cause to err

75 He debated with Obama

81 Tulip relative

83 “Comin’ - the Rye”

85 Kick out of office

86 Map out

87 “... and - it all again!”

88 Alphabet-ending letter

89 Baghdad native

91 A single cent

93 Suited - tee

94 Christmas tree, often

95 Satan

96 Animator Freleng, a.k.a. “Friz”

97 CBers’ cops

98 Dog’s sound

102 Dairy treat

103 Like some grapes

104 Be horizontal

105 Des -, Iowa

106 Standing by in readiness

112 “Please reply” abbr.

113 Actresses Carrere and Texada

114 Israeli ring dance

115 Almost half a dozen

116 Cooking chamber

117 Take 115-Down

118 Prevalent

119 Fervent

120 YMCA part

121 Sports arbiter

Place a number in the empty boxes in such a way that each row across, each column down and each small 9-box square contains all of the numbers from one to nine.

Answers on Page 42

Mid-SummerBlowout

(Editor’snote:Thisarticlefirstappearedina TheSmokyMountainNewsin2001)

We are attracted to water. Mountain paths always wind down to water — springs, branches, creeks and rivers. Water is the essence of our very being here in the mountains.

BACK THEN

Water has a magical draw on us

settlements from the old mothertown of Katuah, which was located several miles to the southeast on the north side of the Tuckaseigee River between Bryson City and Cherokee. A friendship wall on the ridge between Katuah and the Deep Creek watershed existed into the middle of this century.

Deep Creek on the North Carolina side of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park probably has as much or more to offer in the way of recreational opportunities than any other watershed in the park. If you want a truly remote backcountry experience, places like Hazel Creek or Eagle Creek would be your choice. But if you’re looking for a variety of directly accessibleoutdoor experiences like tubing, fly fishing, horseback riding, and hiking — as well as sites of historical interest — and a campground that’s one of the best in the Smokies, Deep Creek is the place to be.

Archaeological surveys have determined that the watershed has been the site of human occupation for nearly 8,000 years. Small Cherokee villages were established there within the last 1,000 years as outlying

When the Cherokees were being removed from Western North Carolina in 1838, many of them sought refuge in the higher reaches of the Smokies where the Left Fork of Deep Creek drains the southeastern side of Clingman’s Dome. The rock shelter many old-time Bryson City residents believe was the Cherokee martyr Tsali’s last hideout is located up on the Left Fork.

White settlers were established all along the watershed by the middle of the 19th century. When Deep Creek was logged just after the turn of the century, splash dams were built near the logging operations as a way of getting the timber down to the sawmill and rail line at Bryson City. Once the ponds created by the dams were full of logs, they would be opened (sometimes with dynamite) to provide enough water to float the logs downstream. Many of the mountaineers-turned-loggers were agile enough to ride the logs down the narrow, rocky watercourse. The sites of the splash dams can still be spotted if you know just where to look.

Bryson City author Horace Kephart — whose Our Southern Highlanders (1913) and Camping and Woodcraft (1906) remain in print as classics in their respective subject areas — lived for a short while with the Bob Barnett family in one of the last houses up Deep Creek in 1910. And until his death in an automobile accident in 1931, he used the old Bryson Place near where the Left Fork enters the main portion of Deep Creek as his summertime camping spot. A permanent marker there commemorates his use of the site.

All but the lowermost three miles of Deep Creek became a part of the national park in the 1930s. Through the years, the Deep Creek Campground situated just inside the park boundary has gained a reputation as the campground-of-choice for those seeking a quiet getaway that’s readily accessible.

Unlike many of the larger campgrounds on both sides of the park, the one at Deep Creek has something for everyone. Younger people can entertain themselves for days tubing along the creek, and a variety of trails — easy, moderate, and strenuous — lead away from the campground along the watershed or up the ridges to Thomas Divide and Clingman’s Dome.

The lower terminus of the main Deep Creek trailhead is at the campground. It’s 14.3 miles to the upper trailhead on the

south side of the Newfound Gap Road (U.S. 441), 1.7 miles south of Newfound Gap. Road access at each end of the trail provides an excellent opportunity for those wanting to make a one-way hike by leaving a vehicle at one end or the other. Most choose to hike from U.S. 441 (4,810 feet) down to the campground (1,990 feet), a gradual descent of 2,820 feet.

The average hiking time — allowing for a lunch break — is perhaps seven to eight hours. Many choose to leave out early and make the excursion a leisurely all-day outing. One of the best things about the Deep Creek trail is that it has no crossings of the main creek except in the very highest elevations, where it can be hopped over. Other trails in the region, like those along Forney and Hazel creeks, have numerous places in the higher elevations where fording a sometimes raging torrent numerous times is part of the deal.

Designated backcountry campsites along Deep Creek provide scenic spots to settle down for a night or two and really enjoy the solitude and opportunities for fishing or simply exploring along the main stream or its tributaries. (Overnight hikers must obtain a backcountry use permit, which is available from backcountry permit stations located at all ranger stations and the Oconaluftee Visitor Center near Cherokee.)