About a 100 people gathered last week to celebrate the addition of 5,329 acres surrounding Waterrock Knob to the National Park Service. The conservation project has been years in the making but well worth it for the incredible vistas and backcountry adventure now included in the park. (Page 40) Holly Kays photo
News
Affordable housing findings sobering for task force ................................................4
Allens Creek residents seek septic system solutions ..............................................6
Jackson County goes down on hospital value ..........................................................7
Road to Nowhere lawsuit stalled for another month ................................................8
Annexation requested for new charter school ............................................................9
Tribe enacts heft civil fines for drug possession ....................................................10
Group plans Second Amendment protest in Haywood ......................................11 Sylva endorses one-lane Mill Street ............................................................................12
Canton awarded $350K pool grant ..........................................................................13
Swain library not possible without county support ................................................14
Swain purchases property for fairgrounds ................................................................18 Community Almanac ........................................................................................................21
Renters, homeowners can’t always get what they want, sometimes get what they need
BY CORY VAILLANCOURT STAFF WRITER
Atask force studying the issue of affordable housing in Haywood County since March recently issued findings presenter Dona Stewart called “sobering” and “multi-faceted.”
Stewart serves as a program evaluator with the county and co-chair of the Haywood County Affordable Housing Task Force along with Executive Director of Mountain Projects Community Action Agency Patsy Davis.
On Aug. 29, Stewart and Davis hosted a group of elected officials and nonprofit executives at the county Senior Resource Center to discuss the results of the Haywood County Affordable Housing Assessment, which was authorized by the board of commissioners in order to serve as a baseline of the availability and affordability of housing in the county.
And while not quite a crisis, the situation is concerning both from an income perspective and a price perspective.
“I would characterize the national situation as sobering and multi-faceted, and naturally that trickles down to us,” Stewart said. Davis agreed, saying that the data presented in the assessment “absolutely” agreed with the street-level issues she’s seen on a daily basis for many years at Mountain Projects.
“Especially with seniors,” she said. “Senior citizens are a large population with growing needs in our community.”
The assessment was presented in four different sections concerning county demographics, economics, housing supply and housing affordability.
Key findings
HELLO HAYWOOD
• New residents demand a supply of housing in a variety of price ranges.
• New residents are important because more people die in the county each year than are born.
OLDANDOLDER
• Haywood County is, on average, older than the state and nation, and getting older.
• Many older residents are on fixed incomes and require housing that accommodates special needs.
• Largest age group of special needs populations is between 35 and 64 and only getting older.
YOUNGANDYOUNGER
• Nearly one-third of children in Haywood County live below the poverty level.
den” by paying more than 30 percent.
• More than one-third of all homeowners have housing cost burden.
GOIN’ HOME
• Median home sale prices have risen 17 percent since April 2015 to $169,000.
• Median home values of $172,000 should rise by 27 percent from 2015 to 2020.
• Homes valued in the $50,000-$149,000 range are decreasing.
CASHVILLE
• Asheville metro median home sale price is $253,000.
• Asheville rental vacancies are low.
• Asheville rents are high.
• Asheville market will likely affect Haywood’s.
VOODOO ECONOMICS
• Supply of homes for sale has decreased by almost 30 percent since April 2015.
• Supply of long-term rentals is scarce.
The conclusions seem to indicate that an aging population coupled with the high availability of low-wage jobs undermine people’s ability to afford housing that is overpriced and in short supply. However, delving deeper into the information presented in the assessment reveals a number of troubling issues plaguing Haywood County.
DEMOGRAPHICS
The demographic portion of the assessment shines a light on how Haywood County is growing.
According to the North Carolina Office of Budget and Management, that growth is and will continue to be low through 2030 and relies primarily on new residents moving to the area because deaths exceed births.
But in bordering Madison, Buncombe, and Henderson counties, that growth is categorized as medium, as it is in nearby Macon and Swain counties. Such growth may have a spillover effect as residents competing for housing and jobs may look to Haywood County as a more favorable place in which to live and work.
The meager growth that is occurring in Haywood County is expected to drive population from 59,036 in 2010 to 62,414 in 2020, with the caveats that nearly one-third of households consist of a single person and are increasingly comprised of those 55 and older, which may help explain why Haywood County’s rate of natural increase is negative.
Of that elderly population, it is estimated that by 2030, almost 30 percent of households in Haywood County will be headed by someone over the age of 65. Nationally, the U.S. Census Bureau says that by 2030, less than three people of working age for every senior will be paying in to the systems that support entitlements like Social Security and unemployment.
The incomes of the estimated 26,424
• There are approximately 310 homeless children in the Haywood County school system.
LOWAND LOWER
• Almost one-half of renters have a household income of less than $25,000.
• Almost one-third of renters have a household income of less than $15,000.
• Almost 40 percent of households with incomes of less than $15,000 are headed by seniors aged 65 and up.
MILLENNIALMELANCHOLY
• Almost 12 percent of households with less than $15,000 income are headed by people aged 25-34.
BEASTOF BURDEN
• Affordable housing is that which costs less than 30 percent of household income.
• Half of all renters incur “housing cost bur-
households in Haywood County reflect this trend, with well over 40 percent earning less than the county median income of $40,968.
Nearly half of those households that rent rather than own their housing have incomes of less than $25,000, while more than half of homeowners have household incomes between $25,000 and $75,000.
ECONOMICS
According to the assessment, an interesting picture of both the amount and quality of jobs available in the county is emerging.
While January’s unemployment numbers showed a rebound from the 12 percent unemployment that dogged Haywood County during the heart of the Great Recession in 2010 — it’s currently 5.5 percent, the lowest west of Buncombe County — hourly and weekly
• Supply of available long-term rentals often exceed HUD’s Fair Market Rent Level.
MULTI-FAMILYMELTDOWN
• Just 7.4 percent of county housing supply is multi-family units.
• No permits currently active for future multi-family developments.
ALLWORKANDNOPLAY MAKES JACKADULLBOY
• Minimum wage workers need to work 86 hours a week to afford a two-bedroom home.
• Mean wage of renters is $9.83 per hour.
• Workers at mean wage need to work 63 hours a week to afford a two-bedroom home.
Source: Haywood County Affordable Housing Task Force Assessment. All data refers only to Haywood County unless otherwise specified.
wages lag behind the averages for the Asheville area as well as the state as a whole.
North Carolina’s average weekly paycheck is $938; Asheville’s is $810, and Haywood County’s is $706.
This wide discrepancy can be explained by the prevalence of low-wage jobs in the area’s service-based economy; out of the estimated 17,680 jobs in Haywood County, the most were in food service, which holds an estimated $8.10 entry wage — far below the $14 average for all occupations.
Looking ahead, the most in-demand job skills as of July 2016 were “customer service,” “appointment setting,” “greeting customers,” and “mopping.”
Almost 31 percent of jobs had no minimum educational requirement, and 42 percent required only a high school diploma or GED.
Dona J. Stewart (left) presents findings of the Haywood County Affordable Housing Task Force Aug. 29. Cory Vaillancourt photo
SUPPLY
The county’s stock of affordable housing is low; by 2020, less than one-quarter of the 37,756 Haywood County homes will be valued at less than $150,000. Conversely, there are currently 126 homes valued at over a million dollars.
This weighs heavily on people making merely average wages — of 29 apartment complexes and housing developments surveyed by the task force in July, not even one had a vacancy.
average median income, and children make up the largest group living in poverty in Haywood County, with more than one in four below the poverty level.
Low education has always been linked to poverty, and Haywood County’s numbers reflect that. Just 3.6 percent of people with a bachelor’s degree live below the poverty level, while almost 21 percent of those who didn’t graduate high school are likewise situated.
Considering the income side of the equation at the same time as the housing cost side of the equation leaves more than 50 percent of renters — and 35 percent of homeowners — “housing cost burdened,” meaning they spend more than 30 percent of their household income on housing.
While January’s unemployment numbers showed a rebound from the 12 percent unemployment that dogged Haywood County during the heart of the Great Recession in 2010, hourly and weekly wages lag behind the averages for the Asheville area as well as the state as a whole.
Renters lucky enough to find long-term rentals may not be lucky enough to find affordable long-term rentals — the largest portion of renters in the county pay between $500 and $749 per month, and an additional 29 percent pay between $749 and $999. Only about a thousand renters in Haywood County pay less than $500, even though 27 percent of renters have a household income of less than $15,000.
AFFORDABILITY
Vulnerable populations — like seniors who have likely lived past their prime earning years and children who are dependent on adults for income — have historically borne the brunt of poverty nationwide.
Haywood County is little different.
Seniors constitute more than one-third of very low-income households, which are defined as earning less than 80 percent of the
No charges filed in Macon child death
No charges will be filed following a District Attorney Office investigation into the death of 2-year-old Mason Lee Powell of Franklin.
Powell was brought to the Angel Medical Center emergency room around 3 p.m. March 8 by his parents and was pronounced dead upon arrival. Medical personnel were initially concerned about the circumstances because it appeared he had been deceased for longer than his parents reported.
His parents said their son was laid down for a nap at 11 a.m. and they found him nonresponsive and brought him to
Cupping is an Athlete's Secret Weapon...
REACTION
Although the findings of the assessment weren’t revealed prior to the presentation, elected officials were quick to react.
Waynesville Mayor Gavin Brown pointed out that attacking the income side of the equation would help with the “affordable” part of “affordable housing.”
“I think it’s a problem across the state, and Waynesville is just another segment of that,” he said. “Maybe our economy needs to be addressed, and maybe our educational system needs to be tweaked again to address this problem. That would be the easy way of putting it.”
County Commissioner Kevin Ensley — a land surveyor by trade — looked at the “housing” side of “affordable housing” when he addressed the availability of buildable land in the mountainous county.
“What we need to do is find some land and put some housing on it that people can afford,” he said.
Ensley added that this was only an initial assessment of the issue as a whole, and that he was looking forward to “moving towards solutions.”
The next step for the Affordable Housing Task Force in identifying those solutions will be to conduct a resource assessment, which should be available in the coming months.
the ER immediately. Neighbors, childcare providers and medical providers interviewed all said Powell appeared to be a happy and healthy child.
The pathologist who conducted the autopsy said Powell was a healthy weight and height and showed no signs of abuse or neglect. He also tested negative for any drugs or toxins. She found the immediate cause of death was low salt level and dehydration probably caused from an undiagnosed viral infection and a bacterial infection that could have been capable of accelerating decomposition after his death.
After thorough review of all the evidence, the DA office determined there was no evidence of criminal misconduct related to Powell’s death.
Sweet Potatoes - A "LOCAL" Food
Recently I took a trip to Eastern North Carolina to visit Scott Farms in Lucama, North Carolina to learn a bit more about sweet potatoes and how they're grown. Chances are good that if you eat sweet potatoes most anywhere in the U.S. they were grown North Carolina.
–North Carolina produces 53% of the sweet potatoes grown in the United States. –Sweet potatoes are native to North and South America and were being grown by Indians when explorers arrived in the New World.
–Sweet potatoes are a tropical plant that thrive in warm weather and prefer growing in sandy loam (soil).
–They are related to the morning glory (convolvulaceae family) and this is why their blossom may remind you of a morning glory.
–Currently the most popular variety of sweet potato being grown in NC is the Covington but there are about 500 varieties of sweet potatoes.
–Sweet potatoes and yams are NOT the same thing and are not botanically related. A yam is a starchy tuber native to Africa that is low in beta carotene (vitamin A) while the sweet potato is considered an excellent source of beta carotene.
Haywood Square | 288 North Haywood Street | Waynesville, N.C.
Up the Creek
Residents near Allens Creek Road seek solutions for failing septic systems
BY CORY VAILLANCOURT STAFF WRITER
Ahigh water table wreaking havoc with aging septic systems that has left some residents in one Waynesville neighborhood seeking creative answers to nature’s call is finally drawing attention from the town, while at least one homeowner watches his pipe dream go down the drain.
Joseph Broten, 33, is a pharmacist and first-time homeowner in Haywood County, originally from Minnesota. Two years ago, he purchased a home on Skyview Drive — just off Allens Creek Road on the south side of Waynesville.
“I was a clueless homebuyer and it was a foreclosure. I got a good deal on it, but I still wouldn’t have bought it if I knew this problem was here,” Broten said.
The problem he’s referring to is his septic system, which is so inundated with groundwater that it doesn’t always operate correctly.
“Right away when we bought it, the flush toilet wouldn’t work,” he said. “So I knew that there was something wrong with it, because when we bought the house they told us the septic had been pumped. The bank had come out and emptied it and said we didn’t need to do it again for three years. But right when we moved in, it didn’t work — it didn’t flush.”
A BIGSTINK
Broten began to notice that his problem seemed to worsen during damp spells, when excess water underground — supplemented by rainfall or snowmelt — penetrated his septic system, eliminating the pressure differential required to draw wastewater from the house out into the percolation field and forcing him and his family to seek alternative measures.
When it rains, Broten said, they try not to flush the toilet for a few days. He’ll instead take his children to Walmart, or to the public restroom at Allens Creek Park just down the road.
“I was going to take a crap in my kid’s little kiddie potty,” he said, “because I was like, ‘I’m not leaving the house every time I have to go.’”
The Broten family isn’t the only one in the neighborhood to experience such issues, as the water table lies close to the surface in the area and has or will affect almost everyone.
One homeowner on Valley View Circle who declined to be identified on the record said that the home she had owned since 1992
began to experience puddling in the front lawn several years ago. The homeowner added more subsurface percolation lines — perforated tubes that allow wastewater to seep out and enter the soil — twice over that time.
But now there’s no more room for the homeowner to run additional lines, so she has to be careful with household water usage, especially when visitors and guests place additional demands on their already overburdened system.
“This is a nice neighborhood at a make-orbreak moment,” the homeowner said, claiming that the only solution for the problem is to install a “miniature version of a water treatment plant.”
What she’s referring to is a so-called “direct charge” system that treats waste on site, allowing for it to be pumped directly into local creeks and streams.
“One thing I knew from what I was reading is that if it was bad, it was like $5,000 in repairs,” Broten said. “But once you realize that a normal system won’t work here, it’s $25,000. After I got people here looking at what needed to be done, that’s the price they gave me.”
That unanticipated price tag caught Broten — who bought his house for $44,000 — completely by surprise.
And if one of those expensive systems fails, it could raise a big stink in Allen Creek and its tributaries, which flow not far from the town’s 10-billion gallon, 50-acre, 17,000customer water reservoir.
PASSINGTHETIME
During the Aug. 23 Waynesville Town Board meeting outgoing interim Town Manager Mike Morgan admitted the town was a little behind in addressing the problem.
Luckily for the town and for Allen Creekarea homeowners, Waynesville Director of Public Services David Foster was there to explain the issue in depth and to propose a solution.
“Not only are septics failing, but some are floating because the water table is so high,” Foster said in an interview Aug. 29.
He added that one option available was for homeowners to spend their own money on the more expensive treatment systems.
“When you’re talking a large, multi-million-dollar home, that’s certainly an option,” he said. “But when you’re talking about an average sized, $100,000 home, it’s not a viable option to put in a $20,000 treatment system.”
Another option, he said, is for homeowners to increase the “repair area” of their existing systems.
The repair area — an additional plot of land under which supplementary perforated lines are installed so that septic systems can disburse additional input — must today be equivalent in size to the area required for the septic tank and main septic system itself.
But when the 1950s- and 1960s-era homes off Allen Creek were built this wasn’t a requirement, thus most small lots like the one on Valley View Circle can’t even consider such measures.
Indeed, the homeowner on Valley View Circle claims that when the Haywood County Health Department visited the site, they said that today homes would never have been built in such density, if at all.
“When you’re talking about an average sized, $100,000 home, it’s not a viable option to put in a $20,000 treatment system.”
— David Foster, Waynesville public services director
Much ado about flushing
Although most people don’t think of modern plumbing when they think of significant advances in human civilization, its implementation in major cities during the late 1800s revolutionized life for billions, granting no small measure of protection against deadly infectious diseases like cholera, which used to kill millions.
Prior to its introduction, people would defecate out in the open, in outhouses or indoors in large pots which were then dumped indiscriminately into open sewers or streets.
The most drastic option that Foster says nobody wants is to stand by and do nothing; as the systems fail and the houses become uninhabitable, they’ll ultimately face condemnation.
“We want to be the guys riding in with the white hats,” he said. “The real crux of the issue with folks’ homes is they’re talking about condemning properties and moving people off properties that their families have owned for generations.”
The only realistic alternative for residents is to ask the town to connect them to the municipal sewer and water system — a process that will take time, money and political leadership to complete.
Waynesville’s Town Code of Ordinances states in Sec. 58-277 (see Shining Rock seeks annexation, page 9) that “a written petition for voluntary annexation… shall accompany all written requests for connections to or extensions of sewer lines outside the corporate limits of the town.”
What this means is that residents of the
area, which lies outside corporate limits but within the town’s extraterritorial jurisdiction, would have to pay a higher property tax rate than they currently pay, potentially pitting residents who don’t have septic problems — or don’t yet have septic problems — against those who already do.
Waynesville taxpayers would also be on the hook for a total project cost of up to $5 million, depending on how extensive an effort the town decides to undertake.
The scope of that effort is what Foster intended to clarify before the board.
“I basically got a green light for me to go ahead and engage a contractor to do a study which will come back and say where the impacted properties are, the potential costs, and some potential obstacles,” he said.
He didn’t ask for funding for the study, instead saying he hoped his department could absorb the $60,000 to $80,000 cost.
With $23 million in various Clean Water Management Trust Fund grants becoming available in mid-2017, he wants the study to be completed by this coming June.
Foster will then take that study back to the board and inform aldermen about possible grants that might be used to offset the cost.
Foster said that the project’s payback time — 200 years at minimum — wasn’t a viable option to present to the board and that grants would be critical in financing the improvements, which would likely take a decade.
But can Joseph Broten and his family and the 70-something residents near Allens Creek Road hold out until then?
“I bought my house with the idea that I was going to fix it up, live here for five years, and sell it for some profit,” he said. “But now all the work that I’m putting in to it isn’t making it more valuable. I can’t sell this house legitimately for what I need to make on it. Eventually, I’ll have to sell it at a lower price, minus $25,000.”
Jackson County goes down on hospital value
Hospital could still appeal for further reduction
BY HOLLY KAYS STAFFWRITER
Harris Regional Hospital saw its tax value slashed by 36 percent in the minutes before Jackson County’s Board of Equalization Review adjourned for the year, and while its new $27.2 million value is still more than twice the $13 million the hospital had argued it was worth, it’s quite a drop from the original $42.3 million appraisal.
“We try to be as accurate as we can be and as fair as we can be, and after all this adjustment and change we feel like we’re there,” said Bobby McMahan, Jackson’s tax administrator.
The hospital now has two choices — it can accept the revised value and begin paying taxes based on that value, or it can appeal to the N.C. Property Tax Commission in hopes of getting the tax value down closer to its desired $13 million.
“We are appreciative that the county has worked with Harris Regional Hospital and Duke LifePoint Healthcare to assure that our property valuation is fair and consistent with true market value,” said a press statement the hospital issued. “We are awaiting the adjusted valuation recommendation from the County and will evaluate it as soon as possible.”
LifePoint has 30 days from the Aug. 24 board vote to decide which route to take. If it decides to accept the value, then it will have to start paying town and county taxes based on that value. If it opts to appeal, the hospital will likely put off payment until the Property Tax Commission settles the question, which could take months or even, at the outside, years. Afterward, the hospital would be required to pay any back taxes with interest.
said.
“Where we didn’t receive the money from the hospital directly, the expenditures were always in our budget,” she said.
LOOKINGINSIDETHEHOSPITAL
McMahan’s office has been working around the clock over the past year or so to finalize new tax values for every property in Jackson County, the first time the job’s been done since 2008. It was also the first time the hospital was being evaluated as a taxpaying property. Before its sale to Duke LifePoint in 2014, Harris had operated as a nonprofit hospital, meaning it was tax-exempt. In evaluating the property for 2016, the tax office concluded that LifePoint’s 76.8-acre main hospital campus was worth $42.3 million.
LifePoint was quick to send in an appeal, declaring that the property was worth only $13 million.
McMahan shook his head at the $13 million figure when it was first floated, and that’s still his reaction. Just a quick drive-by should be enough for anyone to see the hospital is worth more than that, he said, and the paperwork the hospital sent in to back up the opinion did little to prove otherwise.
The original $42.3 million valuation had meant the hospital comprised 8 percent of Sylva’s total property value.
of the units going out days before the tour.
“He (Olsen) took us up there and showed us, said, ‘There it is. Do you hear it running?’” McMahan said. “They don’t even make that unit anymore.”
There are places where the wall configuration doesn’t allow installation of the kind of technology you’d want in a modern hospital. There’s the hallway configuration on the third floor that prevents an elevator stopped there from being smokeproof in case of fire.
When deciding a building’s value, the tax office uses what’s called an effective year built,
Varying values
“I hope Duke LifePoint will accept this value and not appeal it to the state level,” said Sylva Town Manager Paige Dowling. “They’re a huge part of our tax base.”
The original $42.3 million valuation had meant the hospital comprised 8 percent of Sylva’s total property value, and the value appeal left town commissioners worried about how to make up the difference in the town budget. While 2015 was the first year that the hospital was a tax-generating property — previously it had run as a nonprofit — the new tax revenues Sylva received from the hospital that year mainly served to replace other revenue streams Sylva had lost recently. When the town was allowed to receive revenue from video sweepstakes and business license fees, those two categories had brought in around $100,000, Dowling
mowing the grass would not.
When completing the initial appraisal, the tax office employees had stayed on the outside of the hospital building, arriving at their figures based on what they could see from that vantage point. The evaluation led them to assign the 1952 building an EYB of 1992.
“We felt like the original EYB was too high, that the life of that building had not been extended that much by some of the things that happened,” McMahan said.
The revised valuation uses an EYB of 1982 instead.
Thus, the new value of $27.2 million.
“We’d read all their stuff and got nothing out of it,” McMahan said. “It was just a smokescreen and hodgepodge of information.”
The Board of Equalization and Review said as much to the LifePoint representative who attended an earlier meeting in July, when the appeal was first discussed.
“The board members asked him time and time again, ‘Do you have any comparable sales? Do you have a fee appraisal?’ and his answer was always no,” McMahan said.
But one part of that meeting did pique the board members’ interest. Duke LifePoint’s representative Will Clark had brought along Harris’ facilities manager Dennis Olsen, who spent 10 to 15 minutes discussing the building’s many deficiencies and inadequacies that should contribute to a lowered tax value. The written report that LifePoint had submitted originally didn’t include that kind of information, McMahan said, and the board asked him to make a visit to witness these shortcomings firsthand.
The upshot was what McMahan called a “thorough and extensive” tour of the hospital that lasted three-and-a-half hours.
“The visit helped a lot,” McMahan said. “We saw things that really should have been worked on and repaired years ago. Not necessarily the last four or five but the last 14 or 15.”
For instance, the heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems are aged, with one
Duke LifePoint will be required to pay on a property value much lower than the $42.3 million that Jackson County originally estimated the hospital was worth, but the revised value is still far north of the number that LifePoint had argued for. Here’s a look at the different values and how they would affect town and county tax revenues.
Original $42.3 million$179,600$156,400
Adjusted $27.2 million$115,600$100,600
Appealed $13 million $55,300$48,100
or an EYB. To arrive at the figure, they consider the actual year the building was constructed and what kind of work has been done since then to extend its life. For example, if a homeowner were to replace all his doors and windows, that would move the effective year built up, while something like painting walls or
It’s hard to say what LifePoint will do with the county’s decision, whether it will accept the new value or appeal to the Property Tax Commission.
LifePoint itself says it’s still evaluating its options.
“We will continue working through this process with the County in hopes to reach a resolution soon,” LifePoint’s statement reads.
“I have no clue what they’ll do. I have no gut feeling, I have no instinct,” McMahan said. “This has been so odd, the whole Duke LifePoint appeal thing.”
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Road to Nowhere lawsuit stalled for another month
BY J ESSI STONE N EWS E DITOR
It’s been about five months since Swain County filed a lawsuit against the federal government for $38.2 million, and commissioners are still waiting for a response.
Swain County had been trying for years to get the National Park Service to live up to a promise it made 70 years ago — to rebuild the North Shore Road that was destroyed when Fontana Dam was constructed in 1940. When it became obvious that wasn’t going to happen, county officials and the NPS agreed to a $52 million cash settlement in 2010 hoping to put the issue behind them once and for all. The settlement was supposed to be paid out in annual increments until 2020, but to date Swain County has only received one payment of $12.8 million.
ment was reached in 2010 and the first payment was made, it’s been an unending battle with the bureaucracy in Washington. While former U.S. Rep. Heath Shuler, D-Waynesville, a Swain County native, was instrumental in getting the settlement deal, current U.S. Rep. Mark Meadows, R-Cashiers, hasn’t been successful in getting the Department of Interior to make any further payments.
While the language and the intent of the settlement agreement seems crystal clear to Meadows, he said the issue has gotten caught up in an “earmark ban” in Washington. Even though this is more of a contractual agree-
The board of commissioners unanimously agreed in March to sue the U.S. Department of Interior in a last-ditch effort to get the money before the settlement deal expires in four years.
The $52 million cash settlement was supposed to be paid out in annual increments until 2020, but to date Swain County has only received one payment of $12.8 million.
The Department of Interior had 30 days to respond to the lawsuit, but Swain County Manager Kevin King said some extensions have delayed the process. He told commissioners last week that the Department of Justice filed for a 60-day extension on May 29.
“We didn’t block the extension because it’s fairly customary,” King said.
However, he said he denied the DOJ’s recent request for another 60-day extension. When county attorney Kim Carpenter went to court last week, a judge granted the DOJ a 30-day extension.
King said that is the last extension the DOJ will receive, which means it has to respond to the lawsuit by Sept. 29 at the latest.
“They’ll likely file a motion to dismiss and Kim (Carpenter) will have to answer that motion,” King said.
Commissioners have said a lawsuit was the county’s only remaining option for trying to get the settlement money. Since the settle-
ment, everyone in politics knows earmarked projects have “pet project” written all over them and they don’t have a chance of getting through.
Even when the installment payment for the North Shore Road was included in the National Park Service’s budget in 2012, the department claimed it didn’t have the authority to release the funds and asked for additional authorization from Congress.
Swain County has been getting the runaround since that time. The National Park Service didn’t ask for additional authorization on any other items outlined in its budget. The funding sat there so long that Congress rescinded the allocation because it was unspent and for the last several years the funding hasn’t even made it into the budget.
While Meadows said he continues to make the North Shore settlement a priority, he encouraged commissioners to file a lawsuit in hopes of getting the money.
New charter school campus behind schedule
Students start classes at Lake J facility
BY J ESSI STONE N EWS E DITOR
Shining Rock Classical Academy leaders were hoping students would start classes this year at a new campus on Dellwood Road, but a delay in getting the modular classrooms installed forced them to change the plan.
With the new charter school campus still under construction, SRCA’s board of directors signed a short-term lease for classroom space at Lake Junaluska’s Wilson’s Children Complex and Shackford Hall. SRCA was contained to the children’s complex during its first year in operation, but had to expand to Shackford Hall this year with the addition of seventh grade and a total enrollment of more than 300.
SRCA will pay $10,630 a month for the Lake Junaluska space with hopes of moving into its new modular classrooms by the end of September. Shining Rock also has a five-year lease with the Lake Junaluska Assembly for the property across from the lake on Dellwood Road. The school is paying $3,750 a month for 2.8 acres with road frontage plus access to another 20 acres up the hill that includes cabins, a playground and outdoor space ideal for SRCA’s experiential learning classes.
SRCA students might have started the school year on the new campus if the original modular classrooms the charter school board leased had come through as planned. Shining Rock entered into a lease agreement with MSpace in the spring to provide the school with several used modular classrooms for $360,000 to be paid out over five years.
SRCA’s board of directors put a $50,000 deposit down on the lease only to find out in May that the manufacturer was experiencing financial hardships and started bankruptcy proceedings. The school board hired a lawyer to get the $50,000 back but needed to
Shining Rock Classical Academy’s campus on Dellwood Road is still under construction. Teachers and students are temporarily located in Lake Junaluska facilities until the new classrooms are ready by the end of September.
SRCA had 26 full-time employees last year and 29 fulltime employees this year, including 22 teachers, several administrative positions and teacher aides.
find a plan B in the meantime to keep progress going at the new campus. The board later decided to contract with TTHC Building Systems to purchase new modular buildings for $925,000.
“After we signed our contract with the new company (TTHC Building Systems) we redesigned the interior of the buildings to add space for a teacher workroom/lounge, since that was really important to our staff, and the process of doing that knocked the original schedule off kilter a bit,” said SRCA Chairwoman Nancy East.
SRCA is also still trying to recoup its money from MSpace, but East said it could be a drawn-out process. The chance of a full
Shining Rock seeks annexation
BY CORY VAILLANCOURT STAFF WRITER
The future site of Shining Rock Classical Academy at 1023 Dellwood Road isn’t in the town limits of Waynesville, but that hasn’t stopped the Lake Junaluska Assembly from asking town aldermen to annex the parcel so it can receive municipal services.
Per Town of Waynesville Code of Ordinances section 58277, “a written petition for voluntary annexation… shall accompany all written requests for connections to or extensions of sewer lines outside the corporate limits of the town.”
On Aug. 8, Executive Director of Lake Junaluska Assembly John J. Ewing Jr. submitted that petition to aldermen, who called for the required public hearing to be held on Sept. 13, but questions about the motives of the charter school linger.
refund from the company is low.
“SRCA is an unsecured creditor in a line of dozens of secured creditors to get their money,” she said. “The likelihood of getting even a percentage back through the bankruptcy court is small, unfortunately, but we plan to consult with our attorney to see how we can formally ask for our money back through the court.”
As a charter school, SRCA receives perpupil state funding but does not receive state money for capital projects like building a school. Shining Rock had to turn to its national affiliate Team CFA for funding.
Challenge Foundation Properties, an extension of Team CFA, has provided Shining
Shining Rock calls itself “Haywood County’s first tuition-free public charter school” and serves students in kindergarten through seventh grade, but hopes to expand to K-12 in the future.
Students currently attend classes in the Wilson Children’s Complex on Lake Junaluska’s main campus as they await the completion of their 2.8-acre campus across the street — also owned by the assembly.
The problem is, construction is well underway on the campus, which didn’t have to meet town design standards, because it isn’t in the town. SRCA has looked at two other locations within town limits — one off Ratcliff Cove and one in Francis Farm — but it didn’t pan out for multiple reasons.
SRCA needed a special permit to build the school on the Francis Farm property, but the site plan was denied by the Waynesville Planning Board last August. SRCA’s first site at the intersection of Ratcliffe Cove Road and Old Asheville Highway was abandoned because of increasing costs, including a legal challenge to its special use permit application to the town.
Rock a line of credit for facility construction. After the issues with MSpace, CFP increased Shining Rock’s credit limit to $2.9 million in order to purchase the new modular facilities.
School Director Ben Butler said the new modular buildings have the capacity to accommodate up to 450 students in kindergarten through eighth grade. This year, SRCA added seventh grade classrooms with plans to add eighth grade in the future. Butler said Shining Rock had 362 students so far this year compared to about 226 last year.
SRCA had 26 full-time employees last year and 29 full-time employees this year, including 22 teachers, several administrative positions and teacher aides.
Business Manager Tara Keilberg said all but seven students who ended the 2015-16 school year with SRCA will be returning — one transferred to Waynesville Middle School, five moved out of state and one transferred to Junaluska Elementary School.
Furthermore, the school is a tax-exempt entity, meaning that Waynesville may gain a new utility customer, but won’t gain any property tax revenue from the parcel.
The town’s annexation ordinance goes on to say that aldermen can reject or accept the request for municipal services “without regard to whether or not it accepts the property in question for annexation.”
If the town board elects to annex the Shining Rock property, the fees involved in providing water and sewer will be much lower than if they don’t.
According to Town Engineer Preston Gregg, the school’s water tap fee would be $4,006, and its water capacity fee would be $3,200; the sewer tap fee would be $1,250, and the sewer capacity fee $12,000, for a grand total of $20,456.
But if the board elects not to annex the Lake Junaluska property, water tap fee would be $5,756, and its water capacity fee would be $6,400; the sewer tap fee would be $1,875, and the sewer capacity fee $24,000, for a grand total of $38,031.
Aldermen have 180 days to commence the annexation process if they so desire.
Jessi Stone photo
Drug use in Cherokee to come with a price
Tribe enacts hefty civil fines for possession
BY HOLLY KAYS STAFFWRITER
Possessing drugs on the Qualla Boundary will get a lot more expensive following a decision this month to ratchet up fines for anyone — enrolled and non-enrolled people alike — caught with illegal substances.
The legislation mandates a fine of $1,500 for each illegal substance a person possesses, up to a maximum of $5,000. That’s an even heftier fine than the range of $50 to $500, depending on the substance, originally proposed when the legislation made its way to Budget Council Aug. 2. At the suggestion of Principal Chief Patrick Lambert, Council tacked on an amendment to increase those amounts.
“I want to ask that the amounts on this be doubled or perhaps tripled,” Lambert told council. “Let’s make it real.”
Councilmember Travis Smith, of Birdtown, concurred that the originally drafted fines were too small, comparing them to those already in place for alcohol and drugrelated crimes. According to Cherokee code, crimes involving the use, possession, sale or distribution of alcohol or controlled sub-
stances are subject to an additional $1,000 fee, half of which goes to drug education in Cherokee schools and half of which goes to the Community Watch Program.
“If you get caught with an open container that’s $1,000 bucks,” Smith said. “Drugs, they’re a little more serious than that.”
tions, the newly adopted fines are civil penalties. In Cherokee, that distinction is key to being able to penalize non-tribal members as well as tribal members.
“This impacts not just enrolled members, this impacts nonmembers and gives us a means to hit those people who are bringing drugs onto our boundary in a real meaningful way,” Lambert said.
Smith then moved to increase the fine to a flat $1,500 per substance, up to the maximum $5,000. Council accepted the amendment.
However, while the $1,000 fine Smith had referred to deals with criminal viola-
Though tribal members certainly aren’t the only ones to use illegal drugs on the Qualla Boundary, the legal structure makes it difficult to
still remaining within its legal boundaries.
However, pointed out Councilmember Teresa McCoy, of Big Cove, the tribe will also need to think about how to collect on the fines it levies. If, after being hit with a civil penalty, a person leaves Cherokee land to go back to their home state or county, how can the tribe get its money?
It should work quite easily, said Sheena Meader of the tribe’s Office of the Attorney General.
“If they fail to pay the fine, we can issue a judgment lien against them,” Meader said,
“This impacts not just enrolled members, this impacts nonmembers and gives us a means to hit those people who are bringing drugs onto our boundary in a real meaningful way.”
prosecute those who aren’t part of a recognized Indian tribe. While there are exceptions for some situations, generally speaking nonIndian people who commit crimes on tribal land can’t be charged in Tribal Court. Instead, they’re sent to state or federal court.
Adopting stringent civil fines will give the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians a way to punish non-Indian drug offenders while
“and those judgments are given full faith and credit.”
“Ok. I like that,” McCoy replied. Because the fines are civil, not criminal, violators will not be entitled to an attorney as they would if being hit with a criminal charge, Meader added, so the new fines won’t mean the tribe’s stuck with footing the bill for a boatload of public defenders.
Sample delicious food from local restaurants, bid on exciting products at silent auction, and have a chance to win fabulous door prizes such as a Caribbean resort gift certificate. Bring a bag of food for the Haywood Christian Ministry food bank. ADVANCE TICKETS ARE ON SALE NOW FOR $20 AT PARTICIPATING RESTAURANTS OR ONLINE. TICKETS MAY ALSO BE PURCHASED AT THE DOOR FOR $25 THIS EVENT BENEFITS MEDICAL PATIENT MODESTY.
— Patrick Lambert
Group plans Second Amendment protest
BY CORY VAILLANCOURT STAFF WRITER
Haywood County political activists hope to hold a gun rights rally on the grounds of the Historic Haywood County Courthouse just days before the General Election in November.
“I think there’s been a gradual infringement upon a right that is not supposed to be infringed upon,” said Jess Dunlap, chair of the Haywood County Libertarian Party at a lightly attended Saturday morning meeting at Trailhead Bakery in downtown Waynesville.
Although the group hadn’t yet set a firm date, the protest could coincide with the Gem Capitol Waynesville Gun Show held at the Haywood County Fairgrounds Oct. 29-30 in order to appeal to both open carry and concealed carry advocates.
Alternatively, the group is considering holding the event on Nov. 5, which is commemorated in Britain as “Guy Fawkes Day.” Fawkes has become a countercultural symbol in the United States in recent years due to his role in a failed Catholic uprising intended to overthrow the Protestant King James.
American history.
Activist Gavin Seim organized the “I Will Not Comply” demonstration in Olympia, Washington, to show disapproval for a recently passed Washington law that expanded background checks to gun buyers transferring or purchasing weapons in private exchanges.
According to the Washington State Patrol, around 1,000 protestors converged on the Capitol to buy, sell and transfer
Fawkes — who was hanged, drawn and quartered upon conviction in 1606 — gained newfound notoriety after the 2006 film “V for Vendetta” popularized a stylized mask of the mustachioed, goateed revolutionary that is now ubiquitous at protests nationwide.
“I think when you believe in something, you have to be willing to go to jail for it,” said Dunlap. “Other ways are easier ways — posting something on Facebook is easy, but it’s lazy. So I think that for something you believe in, you need to get your butt up off the couch and get outside.”
The protest, Dunlap said, is to be modeled after a 2014 event that has been called the largest felony civil disobedience rally in
Of course, along with punishing offenders tribal government must also look for ways to transform addicts into productive members of society. And those are questions that the tribe is working to address.
In June 2015, council approved a 15point plan to address substance abuse issues from prevention to rehabilitation, allotting $16 million for facilities and $2.2 million for annual operations to get the job done. This summer the tribe broke ground on a $13.5 million recovery center in Snowbird, with other parts of the plan, such as Analenisgi
weapons, in some cases within mere feet of law enforcement officers. Protestors also burned their concealed carry permits. No arrests were made and no violence was reported.
Dunlap said that efforts were also being made to involve the Black Lives Matter movement, which has been active in Asheville and in July staged an overnight sit-in at the Asheville Police Department to protest the death of 35-year-old Jai Lateef Solveig Williams, who was shot by police after leading them on a chase and brandishing an assault rifle.
“I think there’s a lot of overlap between the Black Lives Matter movement and the Libertarian platform,” Dunlap said.
The group will continue to meet in the coming weeks until final arrangements for the demonstration have been made.
Behavioral Health, already in motion.
The new fine structure is just one part of the overall effort to curtail drug addiction on the Qualla Boundary. The new policy will go into effect 30 days after Lambert’s Aug. 18 ratification.
“I made a commitment when I took office that I would protect Cherokee families and help stem the tide of drug use in our community,” Lambert said. “That is why I have brought forward these changes that would hit drug dealers right where it hurts, their pockets.”
Sylva endorses one-lane Mill Street
Plan would convert one lane to parking, remove light at Allen Street
BY HOLLY KAYS STAFFWRITER
Mill Street in Sylva will likely become a one-lane road in the future following a vote from the town board last week.
“This would add parking spaces and it would add parking spaces closer to the Mill Street businesses,” said Town Manager Paige Dowling.
In a 3-1 vote, the board endorsed a resolution asking the N.C. Department of Transportation to close the left lane of Mill Street from its intersection with Main until it reaches Landis. Diagonal parking spaces would go there instead, making it easier for people to park alongside Mill Street businesses and access downtown. The project would also include installation of pedestrian crosswalks and flashing signs at the intersection with Landis Street. The whole thing will cost about $45,000.
“One of the reasons for doing this is to make it a more safe, walkable community,” said Mayor Lynda Sossamon during the board’s Aug. 25 meeting. “This doesn’t set in stone anything we do.”
The resolution still needs approval from the DOT, and it also needs funding. Some of the money could come from state Powell Bill funds, but the town may also need to pay for part of the project. The ratio is not yet decided. Also unknown is exactly how many parking spots could be created by the lane closure.
“We’ll need to figure that out, but knowing that the citizens, business owners and a majority of the board are in favor of it lets us know what we’re working toward,” Dowling said.
The concept grew out of a years-long discussion about traffic patterns and parking downtown. Since Main and Mill first went to one-way traffic in the 1950s, there’s been talk of going back, the most recent goaround involving a 2015 study from Waynesville-based J.M. Teague Engineering. The conclusion, basically, was that two-way traffic is generally a plus for downtown economies but that it would be hard to pull off in Sylva due to the larger size of today’s vehicles and the traffic congestion likely to result.
However, in the course of public surveys and hearings related to the question of twoway traffic, the town did pick up on another theme in the comments about how to improve downtown patterns.
“Most of the feedback we received was that we could maximize parking on Mill
After hearing Mill Street business owners say there’s not enough parking
endorsed a plan to narrow the street to one lane to increase parking
Street by going to one-lane diagonal parking,” Dowling said.
The town got to experiment with that setup for a while in 2014, when part of Mill Street was used for parking temporarily following a fire downtown. The new traffic pattern generally elicited a positive response from business owners, Dowling said.
However, the question was whether travel on Mill could be restricted to one lane without impairing ease of travel through town. Would a permanent lane closure make traffic backups worse on Mill?
Because Mill Street is a state road, the town invited the DOT to conduct a traffic
there anymore.”
The plan would also involve reducing Spring Street to one lane on the one-block section between Mill and Main. Traffic could turn from Mill Street onto Spring but could not turn from Main Street onto Spring. What is now the right lane of Spring Street on that block could become additional parking or a loading zone.
The resolution did not get a unanimous endorsement, however. Commissioner Mary Gelbaugh cast the sole no vote, explaining that she didn’t feel the parking problem downtown was severe enough to warrant the solution proposed.
Knowing that the citizens, business owners and a majority of the board are in favor of it lets us know what we’re working toward.”
— Paige Dowling, Sylva Town Manager
study to answer the question. What the study found was that Mill could be taken down to one lane without significantly affecting travel times — if the light at Mill’s intersection with Allen and Spring streets were removed.
“They thought it was workable but wanted the town to have a resolution,” Dowling said.
Thus, last week’s vote.
“Very few people make a right from Spring Street onto Allen, and Allen Street of course is just served to a neighborhood,” said Commissioner David Nestler. “If you move that light, even with the reduction to one lane you don’t have backups starting
“We don’t really have parking problems on Mill Street,” she said. “This is a pretty expensive fix to a problem that I don’t see as a problem.”
While it remains to be seen how much of the estimated $45,000 price tag the town might have to pay, Sylva’s budget is perennially a tight one, and rising costs coupled with lower land values following a postrecession revaluation this year meant that even a 42 percent tax rate increase for 2016 didn’t leave the town with much of anything in terms of discretionary spending.
“For as many people as want this, I think that’s a small number compared to how many people this is going to impact,” Gelbaugh said. “This is a primary road. To take it down to one lane with as much traffic as goes through there, I don’t think it’s smart.”
nearby, Sylva has
capacity. SMN photo
Canton awarded $350K pool grant
BY CORY VAILLANCOURT STAFF WRITER
The Canton Board of Aldermen was in high spirits Aug. 25 even before Town Manager Seth Hendler-Voss walked in to the meeting five minutes late.
He’d just come from Raleigh by car to announce great news for the town, but Mayor Mike Ray beat him to it when he told the assembled board and public that Canton had been selected as one of just 31 grantees to receive money from the North Carolina Parks and Recreation Trust Fund (PARTF).
“This whole week the board members had been asking me why I was being so positive,” said Hendler-Voss. “I just said I was optimistic; I tried to go in there with a positive attitude, and I felt confident that we prepared the best application possible. I felt the justification of the project and the need for the project were well-demonstrated.”
PARTF apparently agreed with HendlerVoss; it makes matching grants to counties and municipalities for parks and recreational projects, and the $350,000 that will be formally awarded to Canton in the coming weeks is a significant piece of the town’s proposed $2.2 million project to rehab the town’s 70-year-old public pool and upgrade recreational facilities surrounding the pool area.
Hospital’s rehabilitation into affordable housing would not be awarded to the project’s developers, again leaving the building with an uncertain fate.
There were 66 applicants competing for $8.4 million in funds; at the outset of the meeting, the PARTF board announced that based on the scoring of the grant applications and the monies available, there would be only 31 grants awarded.
“I had a few visions of the consequences of not getting it, but I tried to remain positive and it worked out really well,” HendlerVoss said.
The grantees were announced in order, town-by-town, beginning with the highest scores.
“I numbered my paper one through 31 and went in and wrote down the municipality or the county as they announced them,” he said. “As they were getting near the end, I started to get really sweaty. I was just writing
Generations of WNC families will continue to enjoy Canton’s public pool. File photo
“I think we put together a very sharp proposal with very strong design,” he said. “We had a lot of public input, and that’s why we scored so high. I’m really proud of the job staff did in helping prepare that proposal, and that’s why I felt so good going in to it — because I felt we prepared the best possible grant, and that’s what I had told the board from the beginning. We were just going to submit the best darn grant we could submit, and if we don’t get it, we don’t get it. But I’m not going to go to bed at night wondering if we left something out, because we didn’t leave anything on the table. “
But the money was far from guaranteed — PARTF grants are highly competitive, and as Hendler-Voss sat in the meeting in Raleigh where the winners were announced, he admits that he started getting a little nervous.
Western North Carolina hasn’t fared well when asking the state for money lately; last month it was learned that desperately needed tax credits for the old Haywood County
everything down, and when they said ‘Canton’ I was writing, and it wasn’t until I was halfway through writing it down that it set in — ‘Oh, that’s me.’”
Canton’s grant will supplement a complex 10-part financing package that also includes private donations and a substantial match by the town. To date, Hendler-Voss said, they’ve raised about $280,000 including a $25,000 donation from Debbie Wilson, wife of Canton auto dealer Ken Wilson.
Bids for the project are slated to go out in late September, right around the time the town expects approval on its U.S. Department of Agriculture loan application.
Assuming that goes well, bids will be awarded in early November. After approval by the Local Government Commission — which Hendler-Voss said may take a few months — construction could begin over the winter, with the goal of opening the new pool in time for summer. The pool’s last day this season is Sept. 3.
Fun&Funky
New Swain library not possible without county support
BY J ESSI STONE
N EWS E DITOR
The clock is ticking to get a new library constructed in Swain County before the land donation reverts back to the owner, but the fundraising committee says it can’t move forward without some kind of commitment from county commissioners.
Constructing a new library in Swain County has been a topic of discussion since 2000, but little progress was made until 2014 when Don and Toni Davidson purchased 9 acres on Fontana Road for $350,000 and gifted it to the county. However, they stipulated that a library must be constructed within seven years or the land will revert back to them.
The fundraising committee has been raising awareness with smaller fundraising events, but committee chairwoman Janis Wright told commissioners securing large donations for the $7.2 million project was nearly impossible under the circumstances.
“We’ve made efforts to raise large sums but we’re not being successful,” she said. “They are interested in donating but then they ask about the timeline and we have to say we don’t know because we haven’t had a commitment from the commissioners.”
Not only have commissioners not given a financial commitment to the project, they have offered little comment or feedback about the project when presented with updates from the fundraising committee.
“We’ve talked to all the commissioners and each of them expresses interest in the library, but at this point they tell us the money isn’t there to put it on the calendar,” Wright said.
Wright said the committee understands the county is operating on a tight budget and decided to go back to the drawing board to rethink its fundraising strategy. Instead of working toward raising the $1.5 million needed to purchase furniture, fixtures and equipment for the new library, the committee decided to shift gears and raise the funds for construction.
“Even if we do raise $1.5 million for (furniture, fixtures and equipment), it doesn’t do us much good without a building,” she said.
With so much uncertainty about the project timeline, the committee also decided that securing pledges instead of donations would be a more productive option. Even with the shift to getting pledges, Wright said they still needed to decide what the trigger would be for those pledges to turn into cash.
Wright said the fundraising committee and the library board want the county to form some kind of partnership with them to ensure this project moves forward before time runs out.
“The commission has to make some commitment about what would happen if we raise that amount,” she said. “We want you to sit down with us and see if there’s any feasibility to this idea.”
mise and bring the size of the building down to 15,000 square feet, which would significantly reduce the project cost.
“It’s a tremendous amount of money — 34,000 square feet is bigger than Jackson or Macon’s library,” he said. “We could build 15,000 square feet and make it where it can be added on to in the future.”
Commission Chairman Phil Carson agreed that 15,000 square feet of space would be a more realistic project.
Wright said the committee was not interested in negotiating the size of the library at this point. She said that additional space was needed to be able to offer expanded programming and with the hopes of housing special collections no other libraries carry. She said the Marianna Black Library had been approached about being home to a substantial collection of Appalachia literature.
“This would be bigger and better than the University of Tennessee’s collection,” she said.
“Our library could become a destination for researchers — there are lots of possibilities.”
The proposed new Marianna Black Library would include:
• Comfortable reading areas for patrons.
• Large children’s area for reading and activities.
• Separate space for teen materials activities and group work.
• Improve internet access for public use.
• A separate computer lab for both informal use and group software training.
• Increasing number of computers from 14 to 38.
• Conference room for small programs and meetings.
• Large, adaptable multi-purpose room for community programs, workshops and movies.
• Small rooms for quiet study, tutoring and group projects.
• Ample parking and safe, attractive entrances and exits.
• Accessible building design and parking for people who are physically impaired.
• Convenient location with outdoor space for community activities.
Once the fundraising committee hits the $1 million mark, Wright said more opportunities for grants would open up. She said Jackson and Macon counties received grants from 15 different agencies when they were building new libraries.
The current library in Bryson City was constructed in 1970. With only 9,000 square feet of space, Wright says the library is too cramped and in desperate need of more parking space. A new and expanded library would allow for more programming and larger collections for the community. The new Marianna Black Library being proposed would have about 34,000 square feet of space.
Commissioner Danny Burns asked if the library board would be willing to compro-
Commissioners also hinted that if Fontana Regional Library offices are still going to be housed inside the Marianna Black Library, then the other counties should pitch in some of the cost. The libraries in Macon, Jackson, and Swain counties are all under the Fontana Regional Library system umbrella.
Each county government makes contributions to its own library though. Macon County gives about $1 million each year to fund its three libraries, Jackson County gives about $1.1 million for the Sylva library and Swain County gives about $225,000 a year for the library in Bryson City.
Commissioner Ben Bushyhead asked if construction had to be complete within the next five years or if beginning construction in the next five years would satisfy the land donation stipulation.
Wright said the land donors did not want to take the land back and intentionally left the language vague in the written agreement. While there is some flexibility in the timeline, Wright advised commissioners not to wait until the last minute to begin construction.
Bushyhead said commissioners were simply asking questions that had been asked of them in the community. He said commissioners hadn’t had the opportunity to meet with the library board to work through the issues.
Wright said the library fundraising committee meets twice a month on Mondays, and commissioners were welcome to attend to find out more about its efforts. She said committee members have very detailed plans for fundraising opportunities and a list of potential donors. They just need a more definitive timeline to really make headway.
“We’ve been here a few times making presentations and no one asked a single question,” Wright said. “I’m happy we’re having a dialogue now.”
In the end, the library committee is asking commissioners to work with it to develop a pledge document that can be presented to donors for the fundraising campaign. The document will have a date in which pledges would become donations. Commissioners didn’t take action at the Aug. 25 meeting but said they would consider the proposal before their next meeting.
Swain County and Bryson City officials attend a land donation ceremony in 2014 at the future site of a new Marianna Black Library. File photo
Habitat to offer money management class
On Track Financial Education & Counseling will present a free three part series of money management classes at 5:30 p.m. starting Sept. 6 at the Waynesville Recreation Center, Room B.
Additional classes in the series will be held Oct. 6 and Nov. 1. Attend any or all of the classes. The series, co-sponsored by Haywood Habitat for Humanity and Haywood County Board of Realtors, focuses on creating a realistic budget, managing bills, paying down debt, creating a savings plan, and more.
The classes are free and open to the public. Class size is limited and a reservation is required. Register by calling 828.452.7960. All attendees receive class materials, light meal, and are entered in a gift card drawing. www.haywoodhabitat.org.
Nutrition expert to talk about dieting
Local dietician Ru Caulkins will uncover the science and facts on some of the biggest nutrition trends and give expert advice on how each should be approached during a free program from 1 to 2 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 7, at the Waynesville Library.
She will also cover meal planning and offer a time for question and answer.
Refreshments provided by the Friends of the Library. Sign up not required.
Chamber director earns certified status
CeCe Hipps, president of the Haywood County Chamber of Commerce, was designated by the Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives as a Certified Chamber Executive. The CCE is the only national certification for chamber professionals.
“The CCE program assesses and tests the applicant’s knowledge of core chamber management areas-management, planning and development, membership and communication, and operations,” said Bob Quick, CCE, president and CEO of Commerce Lexington Inc. and CCE commission chairman.
Hipps was one of seven chamber executives in the nation who earned the designation. Since the program was initiated more than 40 years ago, only about 500 individuals have earned this highest designation in the industry.
Free acupuncture for veterans
A free acupuncture clinic for Haywood County veterans will be offered at 7:15 p.m. Sept. 7, 14 and 28 at Waynesville Wellness, 1384 Sulphur Springs Rd., in Waynesville. First come first served. Visit project5pp.strikingly.com/hiw or call 828.356.5577.
Houseboat owners raising legal funds to challenge sunset provision
BY J ESSI STONE
N EWS E DITOR
While the Tennessee Valley Authority seems unwilling to reconsider its decision to sunset all lake houseboats within 30 years, houseboat owners on TVA’s reservoirs aren’t giving up yet.
The Tennessee Valley Floating Homes Alliance, a nonprofit group of houseboat and marina owners created to prevent the removal of some 1,800 floating homes, has started a fundraising campaign to pay for future legal fees. The goal is to raise $49,000 to hire professional public policy advocates to assist the TVFHA in getting the 30-year sunset clause removed from the TVA’s new policies regulating houseboats. So far, the campaign has raised about $15,000 toward the cause.
When the TVA approved the new policy on May 5 in Parris Landing, Tennessee, many houseboat owners from Fontana Lake in Swain and Graham counties drove at least six hours to oppose the measure. Houseboat owners also showed up at the recent Aug. 25 TVA meeting in Knoxville to oppose the ruling during the public comment session, which lasted more than four hours.
Floating home advocates were quick to point out to the TVA board how its May 5 decision was already impacting local lake communities. Sophia Paulos, the new economic development director for Graham County, said just the talk about the sunset provision was already having an impact in Graham County’s property tax revenue. With an annual budget of about $6 million, she said floating houses generate $38,000 in property tax revenue, not to mention all the sales tax revenue from floating homeowners who spend money on gas and at restaurants, grocery stores and the marinas.
Paulos said TVA’s main reasoning for removing all houseboats — not wanting private owners benefiting from public waters — was hypocritical.
“In Western North Carolina, the notion of private use of a public resource doesn’t float well with us because you guys use water from North Carolina to make an exorbitant amount of profit and we see nothing for us,” she said. “There’s no programs that I’m aware of to show what benefits you provide us in North Carolina.”
Lastly, Paulos told the board that it needed to work toward better communication with the communities affected by its decision. She said no one in her county government was aware of the TVA meeting until 36 hours before it was scheduled.
“We’re the ones with all the records. We’re the ones who know how this will affect everyone,” she said. “Not contacting us has been detrimental to all of us.”
Debbie Samples, who owns a marina on Norris Lake in Tennessee, said she understood the TVA had a business to run and hard decisions have to be made for the greater good. But she said the decisions TVA
made for the greater good were too invasive. While she understands the TVA doesn’t want floating homes to proliferate because they could cause problems in the future, Samples said the TVA’s impact report showed no proof that floating homes are causing any current problems.
“Let’s be honest — it’s hard to imagine out of 1,800 floating homes — 98 percent of which are moored in marinas licensed by you — present a problem with private use of public lands,” she said. “There’s no legitimate rationale in that report.”
nitely willing to give it a try. Sneed said the idea of people renting out their floating homes to increase public access was discussed at great length during their meeting with Tolene. Renting out floating homes would also help the owners recoup some of the costs the TVA will be implementing in the future with permitting and annual fees.
“She was really concerned about letting
Overall, speakers were supportive of the TVA’s need to better regulate houseboats. Most said they were more than willing to meet high environmental standards and pay a reasonable annual fee to the TVA, but still want the board to reverse the sunset clause because people will lose their private investments and counties will be negatively impacted by the loss of tax revenue and tourism dollars.
After the TVA meeting concluded, floating homeowners were given the opportunity to speak with Rebecca Tolene, TVA vice president of natural resources. Houseboat owner Laura Sneed of Cherokee said about 15 floating homeowners — most of which were members of the TVFHA — sat down with Tolene for about three hours.
“At first she was very passionate about her position — keeping her lake’s safe. She also views the floating homes as unfair for the have-nots, but we tried to convey to her that we are the have-nots or we’d buy million dollar homes on land,” Sneed said. “I think in talking to each other you humanize each other. This is the first time she’s talked to us so I appreciate where she’s coming from and she appreciates where we’re coming from.”
In the end, Sneed said homeowners made it clear they wanted the sunset provision to be reversed. Tolene told them that if they presented a proposal she could get on board with, she’d be willing to present it to the TVA board.
“The TVA board doesn’t seem willing to back down so I don’t know if there is a proposal she (Tolene) could get on board with,” Sneed said.
But the floating homeowners are defi-
go back to what it was before they made this decision — now values have crashed,” Sneed said. “But we’re willing to negotiate with the TVA — we don’t want to be in an adversarial position.”
U.S. Rep. Mark Meadows, R-Cashiers, has sent support letters to the TVA asking the board to remove the sunset clause. He couldn’t attend the Aug. 25 meeting but did send his aide from Washington and issued the following statement after watching the meeting online.
"It was my hope that the board would reconsider its sunset decision. The most recent board meeting has indicated to so many that it will continue to carry out a very flawed decision that is not based on fact, science or consideration of adverse economic consequences,” Meadows said. “In light of this decision, it now brings into question the entire decision making process of every aspect of the TVA system.”
Meadows has prepared three different bills that will be introduced in the coming weeks. The first, which he said has support of Democrats and Republicans as well as both chambers, will attempt to stop the houseboat action. The other two will look at the financing and government backing of the TVA.
us stay forever on the lake — she thinks house values would skyrocket because no more can be built — but I think they’ll just
“Yesterday I instructed committee staff to start a list of TVA witnesses to include staff and board members as we prepare for hearings in Washington, D.C. The next 30 days will provide concrete actions that will require the TVA board and management to address a host of issues,” Meadows said.
More than 20 people attended an informal meeting with Tennessee Valley Authority staff at Alarka Boat Dock to discuss the future of houseboats. Jessi Stone photo
Swain County buys property to create fairgrounds
Fly-fishing museum to expand in Bryson City
BY J ESSI STONE
N EWS E DITOR
With the purchase of 8 acres in Bryson City, Swain County will now have an outdoor event area to host county fairs, kids carnivals and more.
Swain County commissioners held a public hearing last week regarding the land purchase — among other items — to receive public input before making a decision. But because the event center project had not been brought up in public session prior to the Aug. 25 meeting, members of the audience were a bit confused as to the need for the land purchase.
“I was going to comment after I find out what all this means,” said resident Joe Hayes.
County Manager Kevin King then explained that the 8 acres being purchased were located near Inspiration Park on Hyatt Creek Road and would be used for county events. He said the project has been on the commissioners’ priority list for several years and the right opportunity finally came along to purchase property.
“We’ve never had a place to have a county fair or carnival rides,” said Commission Chairman Phil Carson. “This board looked at a part of the old airport property but the
price tag was too high.”
The county approved borrowing $425,000 to complete several projects — $300,000 for the fairgrounds property, $25,000 to construct a stage on the property and the other $100,000 will go toward constructing a fly-fishing museum close to the river on Island Street in Bryson City.
King said Swain County tax revenue would not be used to purchase or maintain the event property. The Swain County Tourism Development Authority will be responsible for making the $52,000 annual payment using occupancy tax revenue. The TDA will also be responsible for booking and marketing the venue, though King said all the details have yet to be worked out between the county and the TDA board.
After being located in Cherokee for a year, the Fly Fishing Museum of the Southern Appalachians decided last month to make the move to Bryson City. With the threat of losing its lease with the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians tribal government, the museum organizers decided to take an offer to relocate the exhibits from the Cherokee Chamber of Commerce to the Swain County Chamber of Commerce building.
The new museum space isn’t even open yet but has already received approval for an expansion. The county already owns the riverfront land where the 1,000-square-foot facility will be built. Given the chamber’s
location right across from the Swain County Heritage Museum and that Bryson City was recently named a designated Trout City, the location is ideal for the fly-fishing museum.
sponsored by Trout Unlimited where students can learn about the life cycle of trout by catching and releasing them.”
Baker has a tentative commitment for a $25,000 matching grant to help outfit the new facility with the aquariums and new exhibits. He hopes the new facility will help create more foot traffic between the two museums and provide more family and kid-oriented attractions for Bryson City.
“I think having an aquarium will create more family appeal,” he said. “Even if people aren’t into fly-fishing they might visit the aquarium and then want to go to more museums. Hopefully we can create an environment where people want to stay for several days.”
Alen Baker, the driving force behind establishing the fly-fishing museum, said details regarding what the final project will look like were still being worked out with the county as he works on a draft design of the building’s interior.
“The basic idea is to build a building on the river with museum exhibits and an aquarium for various mountain species of fish,” he said. “It will also serve as a center for a trout classroom education program
Progress is being made in moving the existing exhibits to the new space at the chamber office. With a few adjustments, Baker said he’s been able to relocate all the exhibits even though it’s about 30 percent less space. The grand reopening is scheduled to coincide with the induction of the firstever honorees in the Museum Hall of Fame on Sept. 24.
For more information call 828.488.3681 or visit www.flyfishingmuseum.org.
The Fly Fishing Museum of the Southern Appalachians is moving and expanding in Bryson City. Donated photo
opiates
A Canton man was arrested after the Unified Narcotics Investigative Team (U.N.I.T) of Haywood County conducted several undercover purchases of prescription opiate pain pills in a trafficking amount (4 to 14 grams).
Thomas Dewey Parham, 74, of Canton, was arrested by Canton Police Friday, Aug. 19, after a confidential informant working with the U.N.I.T purchased pills from Parham between February and May of this year.
The U.N.I.T is currently comprised of drug investigators from the Haywood County Sheriff’s Office, Waynesville Police Department, Maggie Valley Police Department and North Carolina State Bureau of Investigations.
HCC to hold salary seminar for businesses
A free seminar entitled, “A Small Business’ Guide to The Final Rule regarding Salary Levels for Exempt Employees,” will be held from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 8, at the Haywood Community College Regional High Technology Center Auditorium.
With a broad new class of workers becoming eligible for overtime, many small businesses are scrambling to incorporate
new regulations into their current business operations. Attorney Jonathan Yarbrough will provide a detailed overview of the changes made to the Salary Requirements for Exempt Status under the Fair Labor Standards Act, how these changes will impact your business and suggested methods of implementation.
Visit SBC.Haywood.edu or call 828.627.4512.
Council of State Forum comes to Sylva
The Democratic candidates for Council of State will be in Sylva at 4 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 10, at a forum in the Burrell Building Conference Room at Southwestern Community College in Webster.
They will introduce themselves, advocate for their candidacy, and meet and greet members of the audience. The Council of State includes those members of the Executive Branch directly elected by the people: the Attorney General; Secretary of State; Commissioners of Agriculture, Insurance and Labor; Superintendent of Education; Auditor; Treasurer, and Lt. Governor.
The event begins at 3 p.m. with music and a meet and greet. When the program is over, voters will have a chance to mingle not only with candidates for state offices, but local candidates as well.
The Jackson and Haywood County Democratic Parties are sponsoring the program.
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New, gorgeous log sided & stone home with wooden ceilings floor to ceiling windows fireplaces. Wood design ceramic floors & tiger wood flooring in master suite. Top quality finishes through out home built by & especially for the contractor/owner. Inviting outdoor entertainment area with fireplace, plenty of room to entertain your guest & enjoy the sounds of creek running entire length of 2,81 ac. lot at cool 4200 feet elevation. Tree trimming for year
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Community Almanac
Golf tourney to benefit Pathways Center
A Charitable Golf Outing to benefit Haywood Pathways Center will be held at 1 p.n. Friday, Sept. 16, at Springdale Country Club.
Registration begins at 11:30 a.m. Lunch will be served at noon. The cost is $75 a person for a Four Man Scramble. Men and women welcome. The event includes 18 holes of golf, riding cart, box lunch and a post-tournament appetizer buffet.
To register, visit www.haywoodpathwayscenter.org or call 828.246.0332.
Community Foundation gives $407,900 in scholarships
The Community Foundation of Western North Carolina recently approved scholarships totaling $407,900 to 94 students in Western North Carolina.
The Foundation administers 60 scholarships funds; 45 run a spring cycle offered to high school seniors each year. Scholarship endowments can have broad eligibility criteria or can be focused on a particular school or county, offered to students pursuing a degree in a stated field or available to those who will attend a designated college or university. www.cfwnc.org.
Corn hole tourney to benefit BBBS
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Haywood County will host a corn hole tournament fundraiser at noon Saturday, Sept. 17, at Bear Waters Brewing Company in Waynesville.
Registration will begin at 11 a.m. and there will also be pre-registration forms available. Blue Ridge Corn Hole will facilitate the tournament. All funds raised from this event will stay in Haywood County and will be used to help
Harris provides new scoreboard
Harris Regional Hospital has provided a new scoreboard for the Carr Hooper Stadium and Babe Howell Field. Donated photo
Harris Regional Hospital has provided a new scoreboard for the Carr Hooper Stadium and Babe Howell Field at Smoky Mountain High School as part of its longstanding commitment to Mustangs athletes, families and fans. The scoreboard features the Smoky Mountain High School logo and mustang mascot in addition to the Harris Regional Hospital and Harris Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine logos. Harris provides game coverage and training support for Smoky Mountain High School and eight other schools in the region. The new scoreboard represents updated technology and greater visibility for visitors to the stadium.
children facing adversity achieve measurable outcomes leading to lifelong success.
First place winners will receive $250 cash, second place, $100, and third place $50. Live music will be provided by Chris Minick. Food will be provided for tournament participants, $40 per team entry, 2 people per team, and double elimination. There will also be door prizes and a 50/50 drawing. Rain date is Sept. 24.
828.273.3601 or haywood@bbbswnc.org for further details, sign up a team, or to become a sponsor.
American Revolution discussion to be held
Turmoil on the Southwestern Frontier on 1776 as told by National Park Service Superintendent John Slaughter will be held from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 17, at the Waynesville Public Library.
Slaughter will tell of the differences on the Southwestern frontier — Western North
• Waynesville Police Department will hold a Coffee with a Cop event from 7 to 9 a.m. Friday, Sept. 16, at Panacea Coffee Company. No agendas or speeches, just an opportunity for citizens to voice concerns and get to know their local officers.
• Feline Urgent Rescue is accepting digital entries for its first Cat Photo Contest fundraiser. Each entry is $10. Deadline is Sept. 9. The “Catty Arty Party” held on Sept. 23, at Cedar Hill Studio & Gallery, 196 Main St., Waynesville, will feature the photo contest.
• First United Methodist Church in downtown Sylva is sponsoring a blood drive in conjunction with the American Red Cross. The drive will be held from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday, Sept. 9, in the Asbury Room of the church. 828.586.2358.
• A group has been formed to play Mexican Train, a dominos
Carolina — during the American Revolution. This event is hosted by the Haywood County Historical and Genealogical Society. All are welcome and refreshments will be served.
828.550.0186.
KARE to hold free training sessions
KARE, Haywood County’s child advocacy center, will be providing free training on Sept. 21 and 22 in order to address this growing community need.
Trainings will include Prevent Child Abuse North Carolina’s Recognizing and Reporting Child Abuse and Darkness to Light’s Stewards of Children. These trainings are provided to the community in order to provide education to those who work around children, as well as, to those who simply want to keep children safe. Participants will receive certificates after completing the trainings.
game, at the Haywood County Senior Resource Center in Waynesville. The group plays at 1:30 p.m. on Tuesdays. Those with experience or no experience welcome to join. Easy to learn. 828.926.6567. No cost.
• The Swain County Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors decided to add monthly workshops to its meeting schedule. The workshops will take place on the first Thursday of each month; regular meetings will remain on the third Thursday. Both will be held at 9 a.m. at the chamber and are open to the public.
• Fines Creek United Methodist Church recently celebrated more than 150 years of worship and service to the community with its annual homecoming service Aug. 21. The service included a presentation of a historical sketch of the church by noted local historian Dean Rathbone.
• South of Philly and Jack the Dipper recently hosted a fundrais-
Darkness to Light’s Stewards of Children will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. on Sept. 21, and Prevent Child Abuse North Carolina’s Recognizing and Reporting will be held from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. on Sept. 22 at Haywood Community College’s Regional High-Tech Center located at 112 Industrial Park Drive, Waynesville.
Call 828.456.8995 by Sept. 16 to register.
Fontana Library receives astronomy grant
Fontana Regional Library has been awarded a $50,000 LSTA grant to be used to bring hands-on astronomy education to K-12 students and adults in Macon, Jackson, and Swain counties.
The grant will provide each library in Macon, Jackson, and Swain counties with a quality telescope available for checkout as well as access to a portable (traveling) planetarium for learning about space and astronomy. The grant will also fund the purchase of books and learning kits that target the North Carolina curriculum goals related to the science of space exploration for students in grades 1, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 9.
No Boundaries receives $2,500 donation
The Fund for Haywood County, an affiliate of The Community Foundation of Western North Carolina, recently presented a check for $2,500 to No Boundaries, a local nonprofit organization.
“The funding No Boundaries received from the GIFT Grant will benefit multiple individuals by allowing us to repair inoperable equipment,” said Executive Director Karis Plemmons.
The Fund for Haywood County is a permanently endowed fund to meet local needs. Taxdeductible gifts are added to the principal, which is preserved and invested. 828.734.0570 or www.fundforhaywoodcounty.org.
er for Children’s Hope Alliance to support programs like foster care and Hawthorn Heights emergency homeless/runaway shelter for teens in Bryson City. Call 828.231.5413 or email kmmcmillan@childrenshopealliance.org. www.childrenshopealliance.org.
• MANNA FoodBank received a $25,000 grant from UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of North Carolina to expand its MANNA Express program, an innovative “just-in-time” distribution system that utilizes volunteer drivers to bring fresh, perishable foods like produce, dairy and fresh/frozen meats to hunger relief agencies in 16 counties.
• Brynn Smith, a Western Carolina University student is the newest intern at the 30th District’s Guardian ad Litem program. Smith is a senior majoring in social work and criminal justice. Throughout the summer, she completed 30 hours of training focused on how to advocate for children in court.
We must deal with affordable housing problems
If you don’t think there is an affordable housing problem in the mountain region, you’re just not paying attention.
In last week’s cover story in The Smoky Mountain News (www.smokymountainnews.com/news/item/18291) and in a subsequent story in this week’s edition, we looked into several issues related to affordable housing. But it’s the simple numbers concerning income and pricing that tell the story in the most easy-to-understand terms.
The common rule of thumb when purchasing a home is to find a house that’s about two times a family’s annual income. The median household income in Haywood County is $41,795, in Jackson County it’s $36,705. The median housing value in Haywood is $157,200, and in Jackson it’s $172,300.
According to one study, in the United States the average ratio, though, is not two times one’s income but 3.3 times income. That means across the country people are stretching and scrimping to afford a home.
But here in the mountains, we don’t even come close to that ratio. Housing is less affordable here. In Haywood County, the average home is about 3.78 time median income.
Now this is all relative, and in some markets affordability is much worse than it is in Western North Carolina. But the problem here is large, and it affects the region in many ways.
Patsy Davis, the executive director for Mountain Projects — which helps low-income families and those in need in several ways — said some years ago the organization’s board of directors began maintaining a waiting list for people in need of affordable housing. It was a shortlived but educational initiative.
Editor Scott McLeod
“We had to close the waiting lists because we had hundreds of names. We were not prepared for the magnitude of need we saw,” she said.
There are many, many factors that contribute to affordable housing woes. Some point to wage stagnation as the main culprit. From World War II until 1973, one study says, inflation-adjusted hourly pay rose with economic growth.
However, from 1973 until now, economic productivity per worker has grown 72.2 percent but pay for the typical worker has risen just 9.2 percent.
“People have been told that the economy isn’t doing well and therefore that’s why people haven’t done well,” says Lawrence Mishel, a respected economist and president of the Economic Policy Institute EPI in Washington, D.C. “Everybody’s
Where are all the women?
As my siblings and I became more interested and engrossed in politics growing up, my father always tried to impress on us the importance of understanding the political/ethical/economic/social views of others. Regardless of our point of view, he urged us to listen and try to understand those views that were different from our own. Not only does this allow for greater respect between people of different ideas, it also better prepares a person to counteract ideas or views with which they don’t agree.
This always seemed like a simple and admirable moral mission — while at times frustrating — and yet I have failed at it. Political platforms aside, I cannot understand a woman who is willing to sacrifice her self-respect and legitimacy as an equal being in order to have her political views heard. And no woman should have to.
Where are the women in red standing up to say that Donald Trump and what he says about women is outrageous and simply unacceptable? Surely not every woman voting for him supports the legitimacy of a candidate of a major political party who would try to de-legitimize more than 50 percent of the population of this great nation.
When Hillary Clinton became the first-ever female presidential candidate of a major political party, my heart swelled. Half with pride and excitement because American women reached yet another major milestone in their quest for equali-
ty and half with discouragement and grief because so few women were able to separate political views from female unity for even a moment in order to cheer on this achievement for all women.
Perhaps this should be seen as a positive reaction. Perhaps the lack of coordination and celebration is a sign that women weren’t at all surprised, that this seems like something we have been capable of and are just now, unsurprisingly, achieving. But I fear our absence in this victory is a sign of a much darker storm on the feminist front, one that coincides with the women choosing to let self respect fly by the wayside and vote for Donald Trump. I fear that having won so many cultural and legal battles (there are many more still to be won) we have begun to overlook the social and moral equality battles that have yet to be won.
Equality is an inalienable right that women have made great strides in achieving, and yet this election cycle demonstrates how much farther we have to go. Our fighting mothers would surely be equally overjoyed and taken aback at the juxtaposition of these candidates. On one side a sexist, hateful, power hungry male, on the other our first female candidate. Women should unite to recognize the victory that is our first ever true representation on the presidential scale as well as unite to occupy more positions of power and decision making to ensure our rights, needs and legitimacy are recognized, because 200 plus years of history, 12,000 plus for that matter, have shown us that men won’t do it for us. And they shouldn’t have to.
(Hannah McLeod is from Waynesville and is a senior at Appalachian State University. She can be reached at mcleodhl@appstate.edu.)
wages could have grown substantially. But they didn’t.” I would tend to agree with Mishel’s assessment that workers should be earning more, but that’s not a problem that will easily be solved. Thankfully, advocates in Western North Carolina have recognized the looming affordable housing crisis and are taking action.
In Haywood County an Affordable Housing Task Force just issued an assessment of the problem. It contained a ton of stats and words like “sobering” to describe the situation. As the task force released its finding, County Commissioner Kevin Ensley suggested finding tracts of land that could be used to build affordable housing.
He’s right in that it is going to take bold action, with help from government, to make a dent in the problem. Asheville — which faces a similar predicament, perhaps worse — will ask voters to approve a bond refendum in November that includes $25 million to go into an affodable housing fund to help developers with projects that will address the housing shortage.
Home ownership has been an avenue to middle-class economic security for almost two generations in this country, and now that road is blocked for too many people. It’s an issue whose time has come.
(ReachScottMcLeodatinfo@smokymountainnews.com)
A little perspective is in order, please
To the Editor:
There are those who would have us fear going about our daily lives due to possible terrorist attack. Even including the recent rash of attacks at Fort Hood, San Bernardino, and Orlando, the odds of dying in the U.S. due to terrorism is far less than many other risks we don’t give a second thought.
Consider the following statistics, which reflect averages for the entire population. Compared to terrorist attack you are more likely to die from:
• Poisoning, including drug overdose (4.400 times more likely).
• Traffic accident or obesity (4,000 times each).
• Medical mistake (at least 2,000 times.)
• Alcoholism (1,200 times).
• Crossing the street (600 times).
• Bee sting (8 times).
This is not to say we should ignore the risk. Far from it. But ginning up fear is counterproductive.
By behaving irrationally, we might very well alienate those who could be our strongest allies in stopping attacks. We provide propaganda value to ISIS beyond their wildest dreams by disrespecting Muslims and threatening to torture, carpet bomb and murder the families of ISIS members.
Those who confuse bombast with strength and cheer wildly at these statements are only helping the cause of ISIS. How many more terrorists have been recruited with help of these thoughtless statements and reactions?
The point of terrorism is to terrorize (duh). Many of our so-called leaders are doing their work for them. Let’s not allow ourselves to fall into that trap. We’re smarter than that … I hope.
Everett Baucom Cruso
Democrats need to learn their history
To the Editor:
A recent letter-writer states, “most Republican politicians will continue to tell you that tax cuts are the solution to most of your problems.”
Does he mean Republican President JFK who pointed out, “… it is a paradoxical truth that tax rates are too high today and tax revenues are too low and the soundest way to raise the revenues in the long run is to cut the rates now?”
Maybe he means JFK’s Republican Vice President, LBJ, who signed JFK’s tax reduction legislation into law.
Guest Columnist
Hannah McLeod
The before and the after — living with grief
There are only a handful of life experiences that result in a definitive before and after. I now know that losing a parent is one of those.
My mom passed away on Sunday, Aug. 14, after a threeyear battle with cancer. While she had been sick a long time, her death was unexpected and sudden. The week before she passed, she took my two little boys to the North Carolina Zoo. We knew she was getting worse, but she was fighting and still responding to some of her treatments. We thought she had much more time left in her.
What took her life in the end wasn’t cancer per se but pneumonia then sepsis, which raged like a storm in her frail body. Like the fiercest hurricane to a small, determined boat, the infections pummeled her every organ until one by one they surrendered. As much as we hate it, the victor is sometimes the bigger, meaner opponent.
I’ve learned a lot about grief over the past couple of weeks. Grief is a strange emotion. I feel sadder, more pensive than ever in my life, but I also feel a deeper connection to the world, my faith, and other people. The raw compassion and concern I’ve seen and felt from those around me has been beautiful.
I’ve lost interest in the rat race that is life. Anxiety over trivial matters no longer takes over my day, and when other people start worrying or complaining over silly things, I feel my eyes glaze over and my mind wander. At this moment in time, I’m giving priority to quiet time, meditation, listening to those I trust and respect, and being mindfully present
Was it Republican President Jimmy Carter he was thinking about? The same president who reduced capital gains tax from as much as 98 percent to 28 percent and asked for tax reductions of $17 billion for individuals and $6 billion for corporations?
Could he mean Republican President Clinton who reduced the capital gains rate to 20 percent? He also reduced tariffs by signing NAFTA, signed welfare reform, increased deductions for the estate tax, established Roth IRAs and increased limits for deductible IRAs.
Or maybe he means Republican President Woodrow Wilson who warned, “high rates of income and profits taxes discourage energy, remove the incentive to new enterprise, encourage extravagant expenditures, and produce industrial stagnation with consequent unemployment and other attendant evils.”
He may have Republican President Harry Truman in mind, who proposed cuts of $30 billion in today’s money.
Does he mean Republican President Obama who realized, “No business wants to invest in a place where the government skims 20 percent off the top?” This is the same Republican president who extended the Bush tax cuts to the tune of $858 billion.
Maybe he means that former Goldwater Girl and current Republican candidate for president who as senator voted to extend the Bush tax cuts in 2005 and 2006.
with my family.
Grief is exhausting. I’m not sure what it’s doing inside of me, but I’ve always been a person who after seven hours of sleep pops out of bed at 5 a.m. to get on my computer and crank out work. During the past two weeks, I’ve been utterly fatigued. After seven or eight hours of sleep, I have to pull myself out of bed like I weigh 1,000 pounds. And to be honest, the main reason I get up at all is to get two little sweet boys ready for school. I constantly feel like I either need to sleep more or run 10 miles, but neither activity sounds very appealing.
I’ve learned over the past several weeks that while every major life event may not be happy, it will be defining.
I’m not helping my dad enough even though I’m trying to see and help him almost every day. I worry that I seem distant to friends and colleagues. I feel guilty that I’m backed up with work. I feel guilty that maybe I could have done more to help my mom. I especially feel guilty about feeling happiness or joy when my mom is no longer here.
Apparently there are five stages of grief: denial and isolation, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance. People can weave in and out of all five stages; they don’t necessary happen in some type of linear order. I’m not sure which phase I’m in right now. I feel like I have two toes in each phase, actually. And maybe that’s OK because a number of people and articles have said that grief is unique to the individual.
Some of the most helpful support during this time has been from others who have lost a parent or a child or another human being that was extraordinarily close to them. A common theme from everyone is the advice to let the grief have its space, to let it overtake me. Grief really does come in waves. I feel OK for a couple of hours and then smack, it hits me like a fist and all I want to do is cry and be alone.
I’ve also received advice about the guilt that comes with grief. There really are so many things to feel guilty about. I feel like I’m not being the best mom and wife right now because I’m just trying to make it through the day. I feel like
LETTERS
The writer’s expressed economic policy most nearly resembles John Maynard Keynes’ economic theory of aggregate demand. Even he was forced to admit that “taxation may be so high as to defeat its object,” that in the long run, a reduction of the tax rate “will run a better chance, than an increase, of balancing the budget.”
The recent letter-writer also wrote, “the middle and lower economic classes don’t have extra money to spend ....” But in the next paragraph, he states that the “last 20 years have seen the greatest transfer of wealth in U.S. history.” Since the lower classes don’t have money to spend, how was this miraculous transfer of wealth accomplished? Who exactly is he accusing here anyway? Which party held the White House for 12 of those 20 years?
It’s getting a little tiresome listening to Democrat malcontents who keep harping on the mote in Republicans’ eyes while ignoring the logs in their own and who blame Republicans for the very policies they enshrined into law. Their air of moral superiority while wallowing in the cesspools they accuse Republicans of dipping their toes into is a wonder to behold. Republicans live by North Carolina’s motto: “esse quam videri,” which translates to “to be rather rather than to seem.”
If only Democrats would.
Timothy A. Van Eck Whittier
Others who have felt like this have said they felt the same and the guilt is part of the grieving process. One piece of advice was especially helpful. A friend who lost her dad a couple of years ago said, “In these first months, it’s a dance between grieving appropriately and honoring her memory by being happy when those rare moments of joy come.”
Before my mom passed away, the life experiences that led to a before and after were happy ones. College. Marriage. Becoming a mom. I’ve learned over the past several weeks that while every major life event may not be happy, it will be defining.
The kindness of others has soothed my sadness. The strength from faith and friends has mended some of the brokenness. Hope for the future and love for those still here encourages me to face the day.
I could sit and waller in the darkness. But I won’t. That’s not who I am. That’s not who my mom raised me to be. And while no one loves you like a mother, and while the loss is profound, I keep moving forward.
As Robert Frost wrote, “The only way out is through.” (SusannaBarbeeisawriterwholivesinHaywood County.susanna.barbee@gmail.com.)
Columnist
Susanna Barbee
tasteTHE mountains
the Mountains is an
tact our advertising department at 828.452.4251
BLOSSOM ON MAIN
128 N. Main Street, Waynesville.
828.454.5400. Open for lunch and dinner from 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Sunday. Mild, medium, to hot and spicy, our food is cooked to your like-able temperature. Forget the myth that all Thai food is spicy. Traditional Thai food is known to be quite healthy, making use of natural and fresh ingredients, paired with lots of spices, herbs, and vegetables. Vegetarians and health conscious individuals will not be disappointed as fresh vegetables and tofu are available in most of our menu as well as wines and saki chosen to compliment the unique flavors of Thai cuisine.
BLUE ROOSTER SOUTHERN GRILL
207 Paragon Parkway, Clyde, Lakeside Plaza at the old Wal-Mart. 828.456.1997. Open Monday through Friday. Friendly and fun family atmosphere. Local, handmade Southern cuisine. Fresh-cut salads; slow-simmered 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.
2:30 p.m. Dinner nightly from 5 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 and whiskey. The Barrel is a friendly and casual neighborhood dining experience where our guests enjoy a great meal without breaking the bank.
BREAKING BREAD CAFÉ
6147 Hwy 276 S. Bethel (at the Mobil Gas Station) 828.648.3838 Sunday 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday-Saturday 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Chef owned and operated. Our salads are made in house using local seasonal vegetables. Fresh roasted ham, turkey and roast beef used in our hoagies. We hand make our own eggplant and chicken parmesan, pork meatballs and hamburgers. We use 1st quality fresh not pre-prepared products to make sure you get the best food for a reasonable price. We make vegetarian, gluten free and sugar free items. Call or go to Facebook (Breaking Bread Café NC) to find out what our specials are.
CATALOOCHEE RANCH
CHURCH STREET DEPOT
34 Church Street, downtown Waynesville. 828.246.6505. 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Mouthwatering all beef burgers and dogs, hand-dipped, hand-spun real ice cream shakes and floats, fresh handcut fries. Locally sourced beef. Indoor and outdoor dining.
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.
THE CLASSIC WINESELLER
20 Church Street, Waynesville. 828.452.6000. Underground retail wine and craft beer shop, restaurant, and intimate live music venue. Kitchen opens at 4 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday serving freshly prepared small plates, tapas, charcuterie, desserts. Enjoy live music every Friday and Saturday night at 7pm. www.classicwineseller.com. Also on facebook and twitter.
COUNTRY VITTLES: FAMILY STYLE RESTAURANT
BOGART’S
303 S. Main St., Waynesville. 828.452.1313
Open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Carry out available. Located in downtown Waynesville, Bogart’s has been long-time noted for great steaks, soups, and salads. Casual family atmosphere in a rustic old-time setting with a menu noted for its practical value. Live Bluegrass/String Band music every Thursday. Walking distance of Waynesville’s unique shops and seasonal festival activities and within one mile of Waynesville Country Club.
BOURBON BARREL BEEF & ALE
454 Hazelwood Ave., Waynesville, 828.452.9191. Lunch served 11:30 a.m. to
119 Ranch Dr., Maggie Valley. 828.926.1401. Family-style breakfast seven days a week, from 8 am 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 12:00 till 2 pm. Evening cookouts on the terrace on weekends and Wednesdays, 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 6 pm, and dinner is served starting at 7 pm. 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.
3589 Soco Rd, Maggie Valley. 828.926.1820 Open everyday but Tuesday 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Family Style at Country Vittles is not a buffet. Instead our waitresses will bring your food piping hot from the kitchen right to your table and as many refills as you want. So if you have a big appetite, but sure to ask your waitress about our family style service.
FRANKIE’S ITALIAN TRATTORIA
1037 Soco Rd. Maggie Valley. 828.926.6216 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday-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
FROGS LEAP PUBLIC HOUSE
44 Church St., Downtown Waynesville 828.456.1930 Serving lunch 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday; Dinner 5 to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday. 5 to
tasteTHE mountains
10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Closed Sunday and Monday. 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. www.frogsleappublichouse.com.
J. ARTHUR’S RESTAURANT AT MAGGIE VALLEY
U.S. 19 in Maggie Valley. 828.926.1817
Open nightly for dinner at 4 p.m.; Friday through Sunday 12 to 4 p.m. for lunch. Daily luncheon special at $6.99. Worldfamous 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.
JOEY'S PANCAKE HOUSE
4309 Soco Rd Maggie Valley.
828.926.0212. Open daily 7 a.m. to 12 p.m., closed Thursdays. Joey’s is a family style restaurant that has been serving breakfast to the locals and visitors of Western North Carolina since 1966. Featuring a large variety of tempting pancakes, golden waffles, country style cured ham and seasonal specials spiked with flavor, Joey's is sure to please all appetites. Join us for what has become a tradition in these parts, breakfast at Joey’s.
JUKEBOX JUNCTION
U.S. 276 and N.C. 110 intersection, Bethel. 828.648.4193. 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday; Sunday 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Serving breakfast, lunch, nd dinner. The restaurant has a 1950s & 60s theme decorated with memorabilia from that era.
MAD BATTER FOOD & FILM
617 W. Main Street Downtown Sylva.
828.586.3555. Open Monday through Wednesday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Thursday through Saturday 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Handtossed pizza, steak sandwiches, wraps, salads and desserts. All made from scratch. Beer and wine. Free movies with showtimes at 6:30 and 9 p.m. with a Saturday matinee at 2 p.m. Visit madbatterfoodandfilm.com for this week’s shows.
MAGGIE VALLEY CLUB
1819 Country Club Dr., Maggie Valley. 828.926.1616. maggievalleyclub.com/dine. Open seasonally for lunch and dinner. Fine and casual fireside dining in welcoming atmosphere. Full bar. Reservations accepted.
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.
PAPERTOWN GRILL
153 Main St., Canton. 828.648.1455
Open 7 days a week 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Serving the local community with great, scratch-made country cooking. Breakfast is served all day. Daily specials including Monday meatloaf, chicken and dumplings on Thursdays and Friday fish.
PASQUALE’S
1863 South Main Street, Waynesville. Off exit 98, 828.454.5002. Open for lunch and dinner, Tuesday through Sunday. 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 indoors, outside on the patio or at the bar. Reservations appreciated.
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RENDEZVOUS RESTAURANT AND BAR
Maggie Valley Inn and Conference Center
828.926.0201 Open Monday-Thursday
11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Friday 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m.; Saturday 7:30 a.m. to 11 p.m and Sunday 7:30 a.m to 9 p.m. Full service restaurant serving steaks, prime rib, seafood and dinner specials.
FRIDAY, SEPT. 2 @ 7pm
Hope Griffin Duo guitar, cello, vocals Folk-Americana, rock, blues, originals
SATURDAY, SEPT. 3 @ 7pm
Joe Cruz piano, vocals Beatles, Elton John, James Taylor + More Reserve at 828-452-6000
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Paid in part by Haywood County Tourism www.visitncsmokies.com 828-452-6000 classicwineseller.com 20 Church Street, Waynesville, NC
SAGEBRUSH STEAKHOUSE
1941 Champion Drive. Canton 828-6463750 Sunday through Thursday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Carry out available. Sagebrush features hand carved steaks, chicken and award winning BBQ ribs. We have fresh salads, seasonal vegetables and scrumptious deserts. Extensive selection of local craft beers and a full bar. Catering special events is one of our specialties.
SMOKEY SHADOWS LODGE
323 Smoky Shadows Lane, Maggie Valley 828.926.0001. Check Facebook page for hours, which vary. Call early when serving because restaurant fills up fast. Remember when families joined each other at the table for a delicious homemade meal and shared stories about their day? That time is now at Smokey Shadows. The menus are customizable for your special event. Group of eight or more can schedule their own dinner.
TAP ROOM BAR & GRILL
176 Country Club Drive, Waynesville.
828.456.3551. Open seven days a week serving lunch and dinner. 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tucked away inside Waynesville Inn, the Tap Room Bar & Grill has an approachable menu designed around locally sourced, sustainable, farm-to-table ingredients. Full bar and wine cellar. www.thewaynesvilleinn.com.
THE HEALTHY WAY
284 A North Haywood Street, Waynesville.
828.246.9691. Open 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Monday through Friday. Welcome to the healthy way! Shake it to lose it!! Protein shakes, protein bars, teas and much more. Our shakes and protein bars are meal replacements.
TRAILHEAD CAFE & BAKERY
18 N Main Street, Waynesville.
828.452.3881 Open 7 days a week
Monday-Thursday 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Friday
7 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.,Sunday 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. You will find a delicious selection of pastries & donuts, breakfast & lunch along with a fresh coffee & barista selection. Happy Trails!
VITO’S PIZZA
607 Highlands Rd., Franklin. 828.369.9890. Established here in in 1998. Come to Franklin and enjoy our laid back place, a place you can sit back, relax and enjoy our 62” HDTV. Our Pizza dough, sauce, meatballs, and sausage are all made from scratch by Vito.
With over 30 Years Experience We've
Co-founder of the Colorado-based Yonder Mountain String Band, banjoist Dave Johnston (far left) will be bringing his string ensemble to Haywood County Sept. 4 as the group will headline the Canton Labor Day Festival. Jay Blakesberg photo
High On A Hilltop
Yonder Mountain String Band to headline Canton Labor Day
BY GARRET K. WOODWARD STAFF WRITER
Where to from here?
It’s the lingering question within bluegrass and string circles nowadays. Amid the traditional pickers and grinners, there is an urgency arising in recent years, one that wonders just what will happen to the beloved, deeply held music once the last of the elder statesmen vanish.
In my travels, I’m usually one of the few folks under the age of 50 at a lot of these traditional bluegrass and string music festivals, where the audience is a sea of white hair and walking canes. It’s not to say the music is old and out-of-touch — far from — but what remains is the question of who will carry the torch that keeps finding its way into my ears from someone’s grandparent or an old-time picker, all just as curious as I am as to what the future holds for the fate of the music. And yet, I can respond with confidence to these queries. I know where those younger folks are, and I know damn well how much they adore that high, lonesome sound. Head out the door for a Steep Canyon Rangers or Greensky Bluegrass performance — they’re all there. And
hope that people will buy. We’ve never been that band. We’ve mostly been a band that follows our influences. In terms of being involved with our music on other levels, like marketability and “how this will go over, does it sound enough like Band X but just a little different of a sound to carve our niche?” Well, we’ve never been like that or tried to do that. The only way to really find solid footing is to keep your ears to the ground and keep listening to the music you like listening to. Pay attention to the things in that music that makes you feel good, and find out why it makes you feel good. Be involved in what you’re listening to, this listening with your whole heart type of thing. You need to make something good enough to steal. Something you’ll be listening to and your buddy will want to take it because they want to listen to it, too.
SMN: And with bands like Steep Canyon Rangers, Greensky Bluegrass or Yonder Mountain, I see this disconnect from the old school, where the younger crowds are at your shows, but perhaps the older folks aren’t on board with it. So, a gap kind of occurs when there needs to be a bridge, which is what those three bands do provide.
louder atmosphere, where they might be a little less beholden to accuracy and precision and more about the feeling of what is happening. There’s definitely room for both sides, I think any band that has a banjo in it who loves Earl Scruggs is going to at least try to sound as clean as Earl or Bela Fleck, or any of the greats, because they paved the way. Even if you’re a young player in a jam-grass band, you’re not going to go up there to sound bad. It’s definitely a “here it all is” kind of idea.
SMN: I remember when I asked Graham Sharp (Steep Canyon Rangers) similar questions, he pointed to Miles Davis, saying if you played Miles to someone from the 1920s they’d say that wasn’t jazz, and yet if you played Miles to someone today they’d say he is the backbone of jazz.
at the beginning of this 21st century revival was Yonder Mountain String Band, an ensemble that continues to be at the forefront of the modern evolution of a genre as much a moving target as a staple of this country’s identity.
Formed in Colorado in 1998, Yonder Mountain overtook the Rocky Mountains and the festival circuit with their own unique tone, one seamlessly blending bluegrass, string and Americana. They hit the road, and hit it hard, a place they’ve called home for the better part of two decades. For them, it’s about the live experience, where you connect into a feeling of something bigger than yourself, that idea of community and camaraderie — trademarks of the string music circles, and also the Grateful Dead, which the band points to as another paint stroke of influence on their improvisational capabilities.
At the center of Yonder Mountain is founder and banjoist Dave Johnston. Checking in from Colorado before the quintet heads for the 110th Canton Labor Day Festival on Sept. 4, Johnston spoke of how the Yonder Mountain has been able to gracefully straddle modern and traditional string circles, how the band is shifting its focus since co-founder Jeff Austin departed, and why Miles Davis is the perfect example of where bluegrass is headed in the 21st century.
Smoky Mountain News: You know, in the entire time Yonder Mountain has been together, we’ve seen the high water mark and total collapse of the music industry, in terms of record sales and marketing power. How were you able to find footing through all of that?
Dave Johnston: That’s a great question and a really good observation. I don’t have a solid answer on that. But, if you look at it from a marketing perspective, you make things you
DJ: Yeah, absolutely. We did a whole panel about that at the IBMAs (International Bluegrass Music Association awards). “How did you manage to do this?” they’d ask. And there is a sort of disconnect. It’s the older crowd versus the younger crowd. And they each have different expectations when going to the show. I think younger people like a rowdier,
Want to go?
The 110th Canton Labor Day Festival will be held Sept. 4-5 in downtown. The weekend event will host a wide range of live music, family activities, food vendors, and more.
Sunday, Sept. 4 at Sorrells Street Park
• 1 p.m. — Grey Wolfe
• 2 p.m. — Running Wolfe & Renegades
• 3 p.m. — Cold Mountain Bluegrass
• 4 p.m. — Mile High
• 6 p.m. — Lyric
• 7:30 p.m. — Joe Lasher Jr.
• 9 p.m. — Yonder Mountain String Band
Sunday, Sept. 4 at The Colonial Theatre
• The “Mountain Gospel Experience” from noon to 5 p.m. featuring Ila Knight, The Reggie Saddler Family and The Purpose Quartet.
Monday, Sept. 5 at Sorrells Street Park
• Noon — Vintage County and Clogging
• 3 p.m. — Matthew Curry
• 6 p.m. — Mountain Faith
• 8 p.m. — Balsam Range
All events are free and open to the public. For more information, visit www.cantonlaborday.com.
DJ: It’s totally spot on. You know, Miles Davis is such an interesting example. Before him, it was Dizzy Gillespie. And you had to play like Dizzy to be considered bebop. If you can’t play “Salt Peanuts” then what’s the big deal? The truth is because Miles Davis decided not to play “Salt Peanuts” that we get “Bitches Brew.” You know, the evolution happens as much from your limitations as your talents. And there’s a sort of thing going on with the traditional bluegrass world where they don’t want it to really be altered that much.
SMN: How has Yonder Mountain changed since Jeff left?
DJ: I think we’ve evolved more into a traditional sector. We definitely are playing more towards a traditional ensemble sound with a five-piece band than with the four-piece. That said, we still stretch out into that jam territory. We can take that five-person set and make it into a full jam sound, something we’d like to happen as a feeling within our sound rather than an actual intent. Learning to trust in your sound and let it go into those jam dimensions — it’s definitely something that I think about.
SMN: What has a life being in music taught you about what it means to be a human being?
DJ: The banjo will always be compelling to me, it’ll always be in my head that I want to get better at it. I feel I can still listen to Earl Scruggs and it’s still mind blowing. I’m wonderfully fortunate and grateful to be able to play music everyday. The poet T.S. Eliot once said, “The only wisdom we can hope to acquire, is the wisdom of humility — humility is endless.” You’re not in the world for careerism or perfectionism or to be upwardly mobile, you’re here to share and enjoy, and hopefully with that in mind, you can lift someone up, including yourself. It’s that opportunity to be part of something around you, which is an important part of consciousness. And I think music has helped point me in the direction of thinking about the dayto-day, those benchmarks and signposts. We’re really in the business of helping people find better times — good poetry does that, good music does that. It’s totally available and yet I think it escapes people — it even escapes me sometimes, too.
This must be the place
BY GARRET K. WOODWARD
The instant the guitar chords echoed from the Mexican restaurant speakers, a slight grin emerged on my face. Immediately, the Asheville traffic disappeared from my urban patio view, where all I could see was that old farm town — far away physically, but oh so close emotionally.
“Amie,” the 1975 AM radio gold hit single by the Pure Prairie League. There’s only one other person in this great big and beautiful world who knows just how I adore that melody, and yet it’s been two years since I spoke to him, let alone refer to him by the title I bestowed on him some 19 years ago — best friend.
hiking in the Adirondacks in the summer.
For some reason, beyond my recollection, “Amie” became the anthem of our adolescence and impending adulthood. Each time we went to local bowling alley, in search of girls and illegal drinking activities in the parking lot, we’d throw some change in the jukebox and blast some PPL. And each time I was back home in the North Country on college break, I’d track down my best friend, only to head for the nearest bar with a few extra dollars in hand for the jukebox, for some PPL and midnight shenanigans.
But, eventually, the cracks of our friendship began to show. First, when I took off for the Rocky Mountains following college graduation. Second, when he got married, had two kids, and became a family man. And yet, we always seem to find enough cement to patch up the foundation of “us.”
But, the final straw came shortly after I left for Western North Carolina. It seemed my dear comrade found himself battling some serious demons, of which I won’t delve into, though I will say it led to a punch thrown in anger at a gathering in my hometown a couple of years ago — an eerie silence swooping down between the two parties, one which still remains.
Clinton County, New York.
HOT PICKS
1
Poet, novelist and Canton native Fred Chappell will discuss his memories of Haywood County during a presentation at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 8, at the Colonial Theatre in Canton.
2
The Seven Clans Rodeo will be held Sept. 2-3 at the intersection of U.S. 19/441 in Cherokee. Gates open at 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 12:30 p.m. Sunday. Rodeos begin at 8 p.m.
3
Art After Dark will continue from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, Sept. 2, in downtown Waynesville.
4
The “Saturday’s on the Pine” concert series at Kelsey Hutchinson Park in Highlands will host The Freeway Revival (jam/rock) Sept. 3.
5
That first day of middle school, I didn’t know a soul. Sure, I had acquaintances from my old Catholic elementary school, but most of them disappeared into their respective social circles once we realized how little we actually knew about the world, let alone the trials and tribulations of properly navigating the rough waters of your early teenage years.
Written by famed comedian Lewis Black, the production of “One Slight Hitch” will hit the stage at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 1-3, 8-10, and at 2 p.m. Sept. 4 and 11 at the Haywood Arts Regional Theatre in Waynesville.
And when I got onto the cross-country bus, en route to my first invitational race, I stood at the top of the steps, looking up and down the rows of upperclassmen. Just before I gave up and was ready to sit in the dreaded front seat next to the coach, a kid my age, who looked as doofy and vulnerable as I did, motioned for me to sit with him.
That initial interaction set the tone for our 17-year friendship. We didn’t have any friends, but we had each other. And from
that mutual bond, we grew as people, ultimately becoming some of the more popular kids in school by the time we walked across the stage as graduating 12th-graders. We snuck out of our parents’ houses and went to concerts. We took off after school and smoked a joint in my rusty 1989 Toyota Camry, cranking the stereo and yelling in excitement over the always-elusive “three-ina-row-radio-gold.” We hit up weekend parties and also went on spontaneous road trips to places never heard of, let alone visited, in Upstate New York. We went skiing at Jay Peak and Whiteface Mountain in the winter. We went swimming in Lake Champlain and
For some reason, beyond my recollection, “Amie” became the anthem of our adolescence and impending adulthood.
These days, I hear from mutual friends on how he’s doing. I don’t ask them to update me, but they do anyways, seeing as I won’t be the first to blink in this Cold War of eternal bonds between human beings. They want us to rekindle the friendship, the madness that always glowed so bright, where others would be uttering, “I wish I had a best friend I’d known that long still in my life.”
Personally? I don’t know if we’ll ever bury the hatchet. To be honest, I’ve moved on with my life, a conscious decision to rid myself of any negativity from my existence. I don’t regret the actions that led to where we stand today, which happens to be nowhere near each other. I will say, however, when that song comes on, good ole “Amie,” it’s a time machine. And not a transport out of nostalgia, but of sincerity, where I remember fondly who we both were back then, our genuine selves, and bittersweetly stare out into the abyss, down the separate roads we’re both currently on.
Sure, “Amie” is a love song about some girl. But, isn’t the truest love between two friends, two souls who will never pass judgment, and will always be there for you when the world come crashing down and you retreat to the safety of those who know you best? I’d like to think so.
“Now its come to what you want you’ve had your way / And all the things you thought before just faded into gray / And can you see / That I don’t know if it’s you or if it’s me / If it’s one of us I’m sure we’ll both will see / Won’t you look at me and tell me…”
Garret K. Woodward photo
Rock out at ‘Groovin’ on the Green’
The “Groovin’ on the Green” concert series will close its summer series with Hurricane Creek (rock/blues) at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 2, at The Village Green in Cashiers.
All shows are free and open to the public. www.villagegreencashiersnc.com.
FREEWAY REVIVAL TOJAMIN HIGHLANDS
The “Saturday’s on the Pine” concert series at Kelsey Hutchinson Park in Highlands will host The Freeway Revival (jam/rock) at 6 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 3. Free. www.highlandschamber.org.
ODB AT NOC
The Nantahala Outdoor Center (Bryson City) will host Ol’ Dirty Bathtub (Americana/jam) at 6 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 3. Free. www.noc.com.
Folk Festival returns to Lake J
Mountain music, dancing and tradition will be on display once again as the 46th annual Smoky Mountain Folk Festival celebrates the culture and heritage of Western North Carolina Sept. 2-3 on the shores of Lake Junaluska.
As in years past, spectators will be treated to performances by over 200 mountain dancers and musicians in the 2,000 seat historic Stuart Auditorium on the grounds of Lake Junaluska. Each night will feature open tent shows on the lawn beginning at 5 p.m., with main stage performances at 6:30 p.m. The entertainment will continue into the night with the last shows ending around 11 p.m.
Now a tradition with over 40 years of
BENEFITPERFORMANCEFOR HAYWOOD GLEANERS
The Waynesville First United Methodist Church will host an organ recital with Tate Addis at 4 p.m. Sept. 11. The performance will be a benefit for the Haywood Gleaners. www.tateaddis.com.
history, the festival has established itself as a family and community gathering with performers returning each year to see old friends and make new ones. Families return each year with new generations to enjoy what is one of the richest cultural events of the year.
Main show tickets are $14 at the door, $12 in advance, with children under 12 admitted free. Advance tickets can be purchased at the Haywood County Arts Council at 86 North Main St., in Waynesville or at the Administration Building at Lake Junaluska. 828.452.1688 or 800.334.9036. For a full list of performers and times, visit www.smokymountainfolkfestival.com
Lake Junaluska photo
‘Concerts on the Creek’ goes country
The seventh annual “Concerts on the Creek” series will close its summer series with Erica Nicole (country) at 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 2, at the Bridge Park Pavilion in Sylva.
Concerts are free, with donations accepted. Chairs and blankets are allowed. www.mountainlovers.com or 828.586.2155.
• Andrews Brewing Company will host Liz & AJ Nance (Americana/folk) 6 p.m. Sept. 5 and 10, and Troy Underwood (singer-songwriter) 6 p.m. Sept. 9. There will also be the Fireworks Bluegrass Festival on Sept. 3, with Blue Revue at 1 p.m., Magnolia Justice 3:30 p.m. and Bull Moose Party 6 p.m. All shows are free. www.andrewsbrewing.com.
• BearWaters Brewing Company (Waynesville) will have live music at 6 p.m. Sept. 1. 828.246.0602 or www.bwbrewing.com.
• The Classic Wineseller (Waynesville) will host The Hope Griffin Duo (Americana/pop) Sept. 2, Joe Cruz (piano/pop) Sept. 3 and 10, and Tina & Her Pony (Americana) Sept. 9. All shows are free and begin at 7 p.m. 828.452.6000 or www.classicwineseller.com.
• Derailed Bar & Lounge (Bryson City) will have music at 7 p.m. on Saturdays. 828.488.8898.
• The “Friday Night Live” concert series at the Town Square in Highlands will host Southern Highlands (Americana/bluegrass) Sept. 2 and Mountain Dulcimers (bluegrass) Sept. 9. Both shows are free and begin at 6 p.m. www.highlandschamber.org.
• Frog Level Brewing (Waynesville) will host Melissa & The No Request w/Ed Kelley Sept. 3 and Todd Hoke Sept. 10. All shows are free and begin at 7 p.m. 828.454.5664 or www.froglevelbrewing.com.
• Harrah’s Cherokee will host legendary Rock and Roll Hall of Fame act Lynyrd Skynyrd at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 3. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit www.harrahscherokee.com.
• Innovation Brewing (Sylva) will have an Open Mic night Aug. 31 and Sept. 7, and a jazz night with the Kittle/Collings Duo Sept. 1 and 8, Fin Dog Bluegrass Sept. 3 and Earlaine Sept. 10. All events begin at 8 p.m. www.innovation-brewing.com.
• Marianna Black Library (Bryson City) will host a community music jam from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Sept. 1. Anyone with a guitar, banjo, mandolin, fiddle, dulcimer, anything unplugged, are invited to join. Singers are also welcomed to join in or you can just stop by and listen. Free. 828.488.3030.
• The Music in the Mountains (Bryson City) concert series will host The Caribbean Cowboys (pop/rock) Sept. 3 and Lois Hornbostel & Ehukai Teves (Celtic/World) Sept. 10. All shows begin at 6:30 p.m. www.greatsmokies.com.
• Nantahala Brewing Company (Bryson City) will host Mike Rhodes Fellowship Sept. 2, The Colby Deitz Band (Americana/bluegrass) Sept. 3 and Me & Molly Sept. 9. All shows are free and begin at 8 p.m. www.nantahalabrewing.com.
• The Nantahala Outdoor Center (Bryson City) will host Heidi Holton (blues/folk) Sept. 2, Ol’ Dirty Bathtub (Americana/jam) Sept. 3 and Somebody’s Child (Americana) Sept. 4. All shows are free and begin at 6 p.m. www.noc.com.
• No Name Sports Pub (Sylva) will host Roots of a Rebellion (reggae/rock) Sept. 3, Viva Le Vox w/Mike Farrington (swing/blues) Sept. 9 and Pony Named Olga w/Trixie Train Wreck (punk/rockabilly) Sept. 10. All shows are free and begin at 9:30 p.m. unless otherwise noted. www.nonamesportspub.com.
Erica Nicole will play Sept. 2 in Sylva.
On the beat
Youth Talent Contest winners
The annual Mountain Youth Talent Contest was held at the Franklin Area Folk Festival on Saturday, Aug. 20, at the Cowee School Arts & Heritage Center in Franklin.
This contest provides an opportunity to discover, develop, and encourage talent in the youth of Western North Carolina and to provide an opportunity for local youth to perform on stage before an audience. In hopes of encouraging a continuing "sense of place" for our musical mountain youth, Jackson County 4-H and Catch the Spirit of Appalachia (CSA) co-produce this contest of traditional music, storytelling and dance.
Congratulations to this year’s winners: Youth Fiddle I:
• 1st Place: Ella Ledford (10), Sylva
• 2nd Place: Sayumi DeSilva (11), Sylva
• 3rd Place: Julia Estes (10), Franklin
• 3rd Place: Mihin DeSilva (8), Sylva Youth Guitar:
• 1st Place: Caleb Turpin (11), Robbinsville
• 2nd Place: Evan Lampkin (9), Franklin Youth Banjo:
• 1st Place: Danny Estes (12), Franklin Youth Mandolin:
• 1st Place: Caleb Turpin (11), Robbinsville
• 2nd Place: Mihin DeSilva (8), Sylva
• 3rd Place: Sayumi DeSilva (10), Sylva
Youth Vocal (younger):
• 1st Place: Jacey Begnaud (10), Franklin
• 2nd Place: Ella Ledford (10), Sylva
• 3rd Place: Mihin DeSilva (8), Sylva
• 3rd Place: Caleb Turpin (11), Robbinsville
Teen Vocal:
• 1st Place: Dakota Gatti (15), Topton
Teen Fiddle:
• 1st Place: Joshua Jones (14), Robbinsville
Teen Piano:
• 1st Place: Dakota Gatti (15), Topton
Teen Mandolin:
• 1st Place: Joshua Jones (14), Robbinsville
Teen Individual Dance:
• 1st Place: Dakota Gatti (15), Topton Group:
• 1st Place: Liu Bo Wilkins (15), Isabella Wilkins (11), Sara Ricotta (13), Otto & Franklin
• 2nd Place: Isabella Wilkins (11), Hannah Cabe (17), Otto & Franklin
• 3rd Place: Danny Estes (12), Julia Estes (10), Franklin
Judges Choice Award:
• Mihin DeSilva (8), Sylva
Mountain Youth Talent Contest Participants at the Franklin Area Folk Festival: Joshua Jones (from left), Dakota Gatti, Danny Estes, Julia Estes, Ella Ledford, Jacey Begnaud, Mihin DeSilva, Evan Lampkin, Sayumi DeSilva, Caleb Turpin, Liu Bo Wilkins, Sara Ricotta, Esabella Wilkins and Hannah Cabe.
Best of Show:
• 1st Place: Joshua Jones (14), Robbinsville
• 2nd Place: Jacey Begnaud (10), Franklin
• 3rd Place: Caleb Turpin (11), Robbinsville
The first place Best of Show winner will get the chance to perform on stage at the Mountain
Heritage Day held at Western Carolina University on Sept. 24 in Cullowhee. This larger venue, with its broader audience, will be terrific opportunity for the young people from the Talent Contests to serve as ambassadors of traditional Appalachian music and heritage.
On the beat
• The Oconaluftee Visitor Center (Cherokee) will host a back porch old-time music jam from 1 to 3 p.m. Sept. 3. All are welcome to come play or simply sit and listen to sounds of Southern Appalachia.
• The “Pickin’ On The Square” (Franklin) concert series will continue with Charley Horse (country/swing) Sept. 3 and The Gear Brothers (bluegrass) Sept. 10. All shows are free and begin at 7:30 p.m. A community jam begins at 6:30 p.m. www.franklinnc.com or 828.524.2516.
• The Rathskeller Coffee Haus & Pub (Franklin) will Twelfth Fret (singer-songwriter) Sept. 2, Sweet Charity Sept. 3, Rachel Stewart (singer-songwriter) Sept. 9 and Brother Bluebird (Americana/bluegrass) Sept. 10. All shows are free and begin at 8 p.m. www.rathskellerfranklin.com.
• Salty Dog’s (Maggie Valley) will have Karaoke with Jason Wyatt on Tuesdays and Thursdays, with Mile High (rock) at 8:30 p.m. on Wednesdays. Andrew Rickman (rock/acoustic) will also perform on Saturdays. All events begin at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted.
• Sapphire Mountain Brewing Company (Sapphire) will host a jazz brunch with Tyler Kittle & Friends from 11:30 a.m. until 2 p.m. on Sundays. 828.743.0220.
• Satulah Mountain Brewing (Highlands) will host “Hoppy Hour” and an open mic with Jimandi at 5:30 p.m. on Thursdays, “Funky Friday” with Bud Davis at 7 p.m. on Fridays and Isaish Breedlove (Americana) at 7 p.m. on Saturdays. 828.482.9794 or www.satulahmountainbrewing.com.
• The “Saturday’s on the Pine” concert series at Kelsey Hutchinson Park in Highlands will host The Freeway Revival (jam/rock) Sept. 3. Shows are free and begin at 6 p.m. www.highlandschamber.org.
• The Stompin’ Ground (Maggie Valley) is now open for live mountain music and clogging at 8 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. 828.926.1288.
• The Ugly Dog Pub (Cashiers) will host a “Bluegrass Mix-Up” night at 7 p.m. on Thursdays. 828.743.3000.
• The Ugly Dog Pub (Highlands) will host a weekly Appalachian music night from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. on Wednesdays with Nitrograss. 828.526.8364 or www.theuglydogpub.com.
• The Waynesville Public Library will host Michael Jefry Stevens (classical/piano) at 3 p.m. Sept. 10. Free.
• Western Carolina University (Cullowhee) will host a faculty showcase at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 6 in the Recital Hall of the Coulter Building. Rudy Currence will also perform at 8 p.m. Sept. 7 at the UC Illusions. www.wcu.edu.
ZOOM BALL CHANCE TO WIN A MILLION GIVEAWAY
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 5 NOON TO 4PM
FIVE HOURLY DRAWINGS
Walk away with a cool million in cash just for playing the Zoom Ball machine. When all the balls are colored, you’re a millionaire! Get 7X the entries when you play every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. You could walk away a millionaire on September 5.
On the street
DAZZLING DAHLIASIN HIGHLANDS
The Dazzling Dahlia Festival will be from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 10, at the Highlands Recreation Park and Civic Center. The event, benefiting the Highlands Historical Society, will showcase local enthusiasts' prize-winning dahlias. www.highlandschamber.org.
• The Darnell Farms Corn Maze will be open from Sept. 3 through Nov. 1 on U.S. 19 at the Tuckasegee River Bridge in Bryson City. Besides the maze, there will also be a pumpkin patch, picnic area, farm fresh products, hayrides, and other activities. 828.488.2376.
• The 14th annual Thunder in the Smokies fall rally will be Sept. 9-11 at the Maggie Valley Festival Grounds. Live music, vendors, bike games, and more. $20 for a weekend pass, $8 for a weekend pass under age 12. www.handlebarcorral.com.
• The 13th annual PAWS wine tasting and silent auction will be held from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 3, at Land’s Creek Cabins in Bryson City. Tickets are $20 in advance, $25 at the door. They can be purchased at the PAWS thrift store or at www.pawsbrysoncity.org.
• There will be a “Cooking with Herbs” class held at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 6, at The Community Kitchen in Canton. To signup, call 828.648.2924.
• A bingo night will run at 5:45 p.m. on Thursdays through Sept. 1 at the Maggie Valley Pavilion. Cash prizes and concessions by Moonshine Grill. Sponsored by the Maggie Valley Civic Association. 828.926.7630.
• A wine tasting will be held from 2 to 5 p.m. Sept. 3 and 10 at Papou’s Wine Shop in Sylva. $5 per person. www.papouswineshop.com or 828.586.6300.
• A free wine tasting will be held from 1 to 5 p.m. Sept. 3 and 10 at Bosu’s Wine Shop in
Waynesville. www.waynesvillewine.com or 828.452.0120.
• A wine tasting will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. Sept. 3 and 10 at The Classic Wineseller in Waynesville. Free with dinner ($15 minimum). 828.452.6000.
• Free cooking demonstrations will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. on Saturdays at Country Traditions in Dillsboro. Watch the demonstrations, eat samples and taste house wines for $3 a glass. All recipes posted online. www.countrytraditionsnc.com.
ALSO:
• The ceremonial Cherokee bonfires will run from 7 to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday through Oct. 1 Spend an evening with the Cherokee people by a roaring fire. Listen as Cherokee storytellers in period dress from the 17th century spin tales of days gone by, myths and mysteries passed down through the ages and talk of the history. Learn Cherokee survival skills and experience the dance. Your hosts will provide light refreshments. The events are free and open to the public. www.visitcherokeenc.com.
• The “Way Back When” trout dinner will continue at 5:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 2, at the Cataloochee Ranch in Maggie Valley. The dinner showcases a recreation meal, music, storytelling and atmosphere of a 1930s Appalachian trout camp. Cost is $39.95 per person, plus tax and gratuity. The dinner will also be held on Sept. 16. To RSVP, call 828.926.1401 or 800.868.1401 or www.cataloocheeranch.com.
On the street
Seven Clans Rodeo rides into Cherokee
The Seven Clans Rodeo will be held Sept. 2-3 at the intersection of U.S. 19/441 in Cherokee. Gates open at 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 12:30 p.m. Sunday. Rodeos begin at 8 p.m.
Between the broncos that will be busted, the bulls that will be bucking, and the rodeo clowns looking to avoid getting stomped in
the head, there will be all sorts of skills competitions and top-name riders in this SRAsanctioned event. All performances are included in the price of the ticket.
Single day tickets are $12 for adults ($15 at gate), $6 for children ($8 at gate). For tickets, visit www.showclix.com. www.visitcherokeenc.com or 800.438.1601.
‘SECRET WINE BAR NIGHT’ IN WAYNESVILLE
There will be a ‘Secret Wine Bar Night’ from 6 to 10 p.m. Friday, Sept. 2 and 9 (both drop in), at Bosu’s Wine Shop in Waynesville. The Secret Wine Bar at Bosu’s will host the ‘Taste of Grapes of Spain’ with Javier Baquero from 4 to 6 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 7 (5 for $5, drop in) and Chef Jackie’s ‘BYOB Dinner’ at 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 8 ($50, by reservation). www.waynesvillewine.com or 828.452.0120.
Get on the wine train
The “Railroad Reserve” specialty dinner train will depart at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 3, at the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad Depot in Bryson City.
A specialty train experience featuring wines selected to pair with your meal. Narrator onboard to discuss the six wines selected to accompany a sampling of local cheeses, a freshly made entree and a chef-selected dessert. Passengers receive a souvenir wine glass and tote bag. The Cottage Craftsman, located across from the depot will have all of the sampled wines available for purchase. Age 21 and over only.
For more information or tickets, call 800.867.9246 or visit www.gsmr.com.
Food, fun at Waynesville Rec Center
The Taste of Local event will be held from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 8, at the Waynesville Recreation Center Gym. The evening will showcase an array of local restaurants, a silent auction, door prizes, and more. The event will benefit Medical Patient Modesty. Advance tickets are $20. For more information and tickets, visit www.tasteoflocalfood.com/waynesville.
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 17
The GIBSON BROTHERS
On the wall
MAGGIEWELCOMESARTISANS, CRAFTERS
The Labor Day Craft Show will be from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sept. 3-4 at the Maggie Valley Festival Grounds. Artisan vendors of all mediums. live demonstrations and more. Admission and parking are both free. www.maggievalley.org or 828.926.1686.
Mural prints, album available
The recently unveiled “Golden Threads” mural, located outside facing Pack Square Park in Asheville is now available as a limited edition art print.
These fine art prints and accompanying “Stories of Mountain Folk” album are presently on display at Pack Place in the Asheville Art Museum’s Gift Shop at 2 South Pack Square in downtown Asheville. Proceeds from the sale of the art prints and album will help Shindig on the Green with production costs. This historical mountain musical event takes place in Pack Square Park during July and August.
Other proceeds from sales of the “Golden Threads” mural art prints and album go to the Catch the Spirit of Appalachia Scholarship program facilitated through Southwestern Community College in Jackson County. Contact Doreyl Ammons Cain for further information at 828.293.2239. The 12-foot-long mural was funded in part by the Asheville Area Arts Council “Art in the Park” award.
Discounted classes at Penland
Penland School of Crafts has open spaces in its upcoming eight-week session available at half tuition to area residents. These long workshops are an unusual opportunity to spend two months working with first-rate instructors in professionally-equpped studios. The discount is available to residents of the following Western North Carolina counties: Ashe, Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Caldwell, Cherokee, Graham, Clay, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, Macon, Madison, McDowell, Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford, Swain, Transylvania, Watauga, and Yancey.
The session runs from Sept. 25 through Nov. 18 with openings in clay, metals, printmaking, and wood. The clay workshop, taught by Birdie Boone and Matt Repsher, will cover techniques for wheelthrown and handbuilt pottery. Kristina Glick’s metals workshop will focus on jewelry that includes enameling, electroforming, and found objects, and will cover basic metal fabrication techniques. Students in the print workshop, taught by Georgia Deal, will begin by making paper and then learn a range of monoprint methods to make unique prints on their handmade paper. Asheville artist Daniel Essig will teach a workshop emphasizing
Ceramics at The Bascom
wooden sculptures that incorporate bookbinding. In the process he will cover basic woodworking and a range of techniques for creating interesting surfaces on wood.
All of these workshops are open to students of all skill levels: beginners welcome. Complete information is available in the classes section of the Penland website: www.penland.org. To enroll, call the Penland registrar at 828.765.2359, ext 1106.
The Penland Standby Program offers discounts to area residents who take unfilled spaces in Penland classes shortly before the classes begin.
There will be an array of upcoming ceramic activities at The Bascom in Highlands.
• The Resident Artist Series will be from 10 a.m. to noon Sept. 6 and 8. Students can either throw or hand-build their pieces. The classes will hold discussions. Tuition is $80, which includes 12 pounds of clay.
• There will be an Open Studio for $125. Dates include Sept. 3-5, 7, 9 and 10-17. Tuition is $125, which includes 25 pounds of clay. www.thebascom.org or 828.787.2892.
First Friday of each Month 6-9 p.m. May through December
On the wall
WNC Design Guide exhibit
This September, the Haywood County Arts Council will host several artists from the WNC Design Guide. The WNC Design Guide is an exclusive collection of curated artists from the Western North Carolina region whose work focuses primarily on creating fine craft and fine art pieces for homeowners who enjoy elegant mountain living. Participating artists include painters, potters, wood workers, glass artists, and more. The exhibit runs from Sept. 2 through Oct. 2, with the opening reception coinciding with Art After Dark from 6 to 9 p.m. on Sept. 2.
Waynesville’s Art After Dark
Art After Dark will continue from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, Sept. 2, in downtown Waynesville.
Enjoy a stroll through working studios and galleries on Main Street and Depot Street. Festive Art After Dark flags denote participating galleries, including the Haywood County Arts Council Gallery and Gifts, Burr Studio, Earthworks Gallery, The Jeweler’s Workbench, Studio SG, Twigs & Leaves Gallery, TPennington Art Gallery, Cedar Hill Studios, Moose Crossing Burl Wood Gallery, and the Village Framer. www.downtownwaynesville.com or www.waynesvillegalleryassociation.com.
• Paint Nite Waynesville will be held at 7 p.m. on Fridays at the Panacea Coffeehouse. Grab a cup of coffee, glass of wine or pint of craft beer and get creative. $20 per person. Group rates available. Sign up at Panacea or call host Robin Smathers at 828.400.9560. paintnitewaynesville@gmail.com.
• The next meeting of the Western North Carolina Woodturners Club, Inc. will be at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 6, at the Alternative School in Sylva. The school is located on Skyland Drive. Drive to the back of the school to the woodworking shop. Visitors are always welcome. The club meets the first Tuesday of every month. There will also be meeting at 6 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 8, at the Blue Ridge School in Glenville. The school is located on Bobcat Drive. Drive to the back of the school to the woodworking shop. Visitors are always welcome. The club meets the first Thursday of every month March through November.
• There will be a reception for the folk art showcase from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 8, at the Macon County Public Library in Franklin. Refreshments and open discussions with the artists. www.fontanalib.org.
• Fine art photographer Brian Hannum will be the special guest at the upcoming “Meet the Artist” event from 3 to 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 2,
at Gallery Zella in Bryson City. Live music, hors d’ouevres, wine, newly unveiled art, and more. $25 per couple.
ALSO:
• The “Photography of Bayard Wootten” exhibit will be on display through Nov. 23 in the Mountain Heritage Center at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee. Wootten was a female pioneer in the field of photography from the early 1900s to 1950s, when men dominated the field. All 35 photographs in this exhibition are of North Carolina subjects, which are on loan through from North Carolina Collection Photographic Archives at UNC-Chapel Hill.
• The Adult Coloring Group will meet at 2 p.m. on Fridays in the Living Room of the Macon County Public Library in Franklin. An afternoon of creativity and camaraderie. Supplies are provided, or bring your own. Beginners are welcome as well as those who already enjoy this new trend. kmoe@fontanalib.org or 828.524.3600.
• “Stitch,” the gathering of those interested in crochet, knit and needlepoint, will meet at 2:30 p.m. every first Sunday of the month at the Canton Public Library. All ages and skill levels welcome. www.haywoodlibrary.org.
Etta May swings into The Strand
Etta May will perform Sept. 9 in Waynesville.
Kentucky native and standup legend Etta May, often called the “Polyester Princess,” is making a stop on her comedy tour at 8 p.m. Friday, Sept. 9, at The Strand at 38 Main in Waynesville.
May married quickly, had four children, a string of dead end jobs, and drove a school bus for 10 years. This turned out to be a lifetime of experiences to fuel her comedic fire. She decided to use her talents and her own wisdoms to make people laugh.
Winning the prestigious American Comedy Awards: “Stand-Up Comic of the Year,” has been on of many highlights to her career. May has also appeared on well-known shows like Oprah, Arsenio Hall, Comic Strip Live, MTV and many more. Fans can also enjoy her work with the successful Southern Fried Chicks Comedy Tour on SiriusXM comedy channels. This performance is PG-13. Tickets are $25. For tickets, visit www.38main.com.
‘DON’T DRESSFOR DINNER’ STAGESIN HIGHLANDS
The comedy production of ‘Don’t Dress for Dinner’ will hit the stage at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 1-3 and 2:30 p.m. Sept. 4 at the Highlands Performing Arts Center. For tickets, call 828.526.8084 or www.highlandspac.net.
Overlook Theatre turns 20
The Overlook Theatre Company’s 20th anniversary celebration will be held at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 10, at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts in Franklin. Join the OTC as they remember and honor two decades of wonderful shows, spec-
Chappell returns to Haywood
Poet, novelist and Canton native Fred Chappell will discuss his memories of Haywood County during a presentation at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 8, at the Colonial Theatre in Canton. The event will be a celebration of the 125th anniversary of the Haywood County Public Library.
Chappell is a former professor of English at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. He was the Poet Laureate of North Carolina from 1997 to 2002. His 1968 novel Dagon was named the Best Foreign Book of the Year by the Academie Francaise. Chappell's literary awards include the Aiken Taylor Award for Modern American Poetry, the Prix de Meilleur des Livres Etrangers, the Bollingen Prize, and
the T. S. Eliot Prize. He has also won two World Fantasy Awards.
Lewis Black play at HART
Written by famed comedian Lewis Black, the production of “One Slight Hitch” will hit the stage at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 1-3, 810, and at 2 p.m. Sept. 4 and 11 at the Haywood Arts Regional Theatre in Waynesville.
A couple are preparing for the afternoon wedding of their daughter on their lawn when suddenly the unwanted exboyfriend shows up on the doorstep and sends the house into chaos and hilarity. For tickets, call 828.456.6322 or visit www.harttheatre.org.
tacular memories, hilarious stories and great friends celebrating magical stage performances with this retrospective concert. An evening full of great songs, tons of fun and exciting surprises. 2016 SMCPA patron members are invited to a special post-show reception with the cast and crew immediately following the event. 828.524.1598 or www.greatmountainmusic.com.
The best way to learn to write is simple – write
This one’s for students, especially those of you in secondary school and college.
Let’s get right to the point. Reading, writing, and mathematics are the keys to education. Master these three subjects, and you can tackle any academic subject.
From early grammar school, most of your teachers have emphasized reading and mathematics. They want you to excel, and these two invaluable companions will take you far in college and in the wider world.
The Cinderella of this academic threesome, the neglected stepchild, is writing. Reasons for this neglect abound. Forced to write essays, many students undergo the agonies of the damned. Forced to read and grade these essays, many teachers suffer similar mental torments. And unlike the teaching of mathematics and reading, the art of composition is messy, less structured, dependent on the ear and the intuition as much as on the mind. In addition, to become a competent writer requires years of practice, fooling around with grammar and syntax, words and sentences, and undergoing criticism that often seems itself subjective.
Yet to write competently has never been more important. We live in the “age of communication,” and corporations and small businesses alike look for employees who can express themselves in clear, precise prose. They do so because miscommunication annually costs American businesses hundreds of millions of dollars, and that figure does not include the hundreds of millions more dollars corporations spend on remedial writing classes for college graduates.
Nor is it just about the money. Unclear notes on a hospital chart or vague orders in the military can and do kill people. Conversely, clearly written reports and instructions can bring great benefits. An example: A senior officer of the WinstonSalem Police Department once told me the instruction he received in a writing class at the local community college changed the course of his career. By learning to write better, he found fewer of his cases being shot down in court.
Rash to present new work
So now the question: how can you become a better writer?
Three ways.
First, become a reader. Avid readers make good writers. Reading fiction and nonfiction
will not only give you insights into human nature and empirical knowledge, but will also expose you to many different kinds of writing. Your vocabulary will improve. Your feeling for words, sentences, and paragraphs will be enhanced. The more you read, the more you will catch the rhythm and beat — also called style — of various writers. Some of this prose music you will unconsciously adopt as your own.
Second, write. A pianist doesn’t learn scales by listening to CDs, a soccer forward doesn’t learn to dribble by watching movies, a writer doesn’t learn to write by reading columns like this one. You have to write. So keep a journal. When you write letters and emails, try to shape them into something worth reading. If you’re fortunate enough to find a teacher who assigns lots of essays, then throw yourself into the task of writing these compositions to the best of your abilities.
Then find someone willing to critique your writing. Avoid friends and family members who offer only positive criticism, who can only tell you how wonderful your writing is. Look instead for some red-meat criticism. (First-year college students: your institution likely has a writing center with students hired to critique your essays. If you ignore these centers, if you fail to take advantage of them, then you are either writing the essay the night before it is due
or you are a fool).
Finally, look for a good teacher. If you can’t find one, then get some books on writing and use them as your instructors. Below are several useful guides for students and beginning writers.
William Strunk and E.B. White’s The Elements Of Style 4th Edition (Pearson Publishers, ISBN 978-0205309023, 105 pages) is the best known of these guides. Some teachers and authors scorn the book today as pedantic and dated, but they are missing the point of this slim volume. The entire philosophy of The Elements Of Style may be summed up in Strunk’s command: “Vigorous writing is concise.” Strunk and White aim to teach their readers vigorous writing.
Stephen Wilburs’ Keys To Great Writing (Writer’s Digest Books, 2000, 262 pages, $14.99) is the Strunk and White book writ large. Like those two men, Wilburs emphasizes such ideas as eliminating wordiness, selecting the precise word needed in a sentence, creating a structure and rhythm in paragraphs, and so on. By obeying his own
rules, Wilburs gives readers a manual that is amusing and instructive.
In The Writer’s Workshop: Imitating Your Way To Better Writing (Intercollegiate Studies Institute, 2007, 300 pages), Professor Gregory Roper has created a series of workshops based on the ancient practice of imitation as a vehicle to writing. Roper offers passages from such diverse writers as Thomas Aquinas, Charles Dickens, and Ernest Hemingway, and then instructs the student to imitate them. For a motivated student, The Writer’s Workshop can be of enormous benefit. Finally, invest in a dictionary and a thesaurus. On my desk are two old, battered books — Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary and Webster’s New World Thesaurus — to which I daily refer. Accompanying them, and also of value, is Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary of Synonyms, a thesaurus whose entries show you how and when to use certain words.
These books and good teachers, however, can only take you so far. It’s up to you to do the work.
For nearly 20 years, I have taught writing to students. Many of them have later told me how much my instruction meant to them, how I “taught them to write.” Their compliments always bring a smile. The real reason they became good writers comes not from my instruction, which was often minimal, but from forcing them to write. Many of them were in classes with me in which they wrote 20 and 30 essays a year. I served them more as coach than teacher, more taskmaster than instructor.
They became good writers because they wrote.
That’s how it’s done.
(Jeff Minick is a teacher and writer. minick0301@gmail.com.)
Writer Jeff Minick
Do you write from the heart?
Author Amy Ammons Garza will lead a class on “Writing from the Heart” from 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 6, in Founder’s Hall at Southwestern Community College in Webster.
The class, which runs through seven consecutive Tuesdays, will cover such topics as personal experience, essays and sketches, inspiration, nostalgia, and humor. Each class will also contain suggestions in powerful beginnings, purpose, plot, fact stranger than fiction, understanding “pacing,” persuading with power, and positive verses negative writing.
“In this creative writing class you will uncover ideas worth writing about,” Garza said. “Evoke a vivid sense of place and time, and support your story with strong organization and structure.”
All you will need for this class is paper and pen. The hope is that each writer will have a completed work by the end of the series. For more information or to register, call Jenny Williams in Continuing Education at 828.339.4497.
• Regional thriller author Lawrence Thackstone will host a book signing from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 10, at Blue Ridge Books in Waynesville.
• Local author and homesteader Ashley English will host a “DIY Butter and Yogurt” presentation at 11 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 10, at the Waynesville Public Library. The program is free and open to the public. To signup, call 828.356.2507 or email kolsen@haywoodnc.net.
• Storyteller Vicky Town will host a presentation at 4 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 6, at the Canton Public Library. The event is in celebration of the 125th anniversary of the Haywood County Public Library.
Race relations
of 1960s South
Danny Johnson will read from and sign his debut novel The Last Road Home at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 8, at City Lights Bookstore in Sylva.
Ron Rash, author of Serena, said of the book, “In this intense and well-written debut novel, Danny Johnson probes deep into the cauldron of racial relations in the 1960s South. The Last Road Home introduces an exciting new voice in Southern Literature.” Johnson’s writing follows the tradition of Southern authors, whose characters most often represent the disenfranchised in society, examining their struggles to overcome in a world that does not acknowledge them to be of value nor recognize their humanity. His work has appeared in Remembrances of Wars Past Anthology, South Writ Large, Sheepshead Review and Fox Chase Review.
The value of a view
Thousands of acres added to the
Sunsets and sunrises from the
BY HOLLY KAYS STAFFWRITER
It’s not unusual for Waterrock Knob, which boasts some of the best views on the Blue Ridge Parkway, to see its parking lot test the limits as summer reaches its zenith. More people visit the Parkway than any of the 412 units in the National Park Service, and it’s hard to resist Waterrock’s high-elevation coolness and sweeping vistas when mid-year heat grips the valleys below.
But while the volume may not have been unusual, the crowd gathered on the visitor center lawn last week represented something far different than the typical throng of tourists. Comprising more than 100 people, the audience of Park Service employees, conservation advocates and local government officials had come together to celebrate one of the most significant conservation projects in Parkway history on one of the most significant weeks in Park Service history — that of the National Park Service’s 100th birthday.
“I can’t imagine a more fitting way to celebrate the centennial of the National Park Service than to celebrate this conservation achievement,” Parkway Superintendent Mark Woods told the crowd on Aug. 23.
The achievement in question — adding 5,329 acres surrounding Waterrock Knob to the Park Service — had been years in the making, involving a miles-long laundry list of conservation organizations, government entities, grants and private donors. But the process was winding to a close, with the newly dedicated Waterrock Knob Park promising
another 100 years of Parkway vistas and backcountry adventure to the area.
“It has been literally 60 years since a transaction this large has taken place adding land to the Blue Ridge Parkway,” said Mike Leonard, chairman of The Conservation Fund.
“This is an incredible thing.”
At 469 miles in length, the Parkway traverses some of the most scenic portions of the Blue Ridge Mountains, its many overlooks inviting visitors to pore over mile after mile of mountain views. But for most of its journey, the Parkway is bordered by only a very thin swath of Park Service land, meaning protections for the rare habitats through which it passes and the views it showcases often end not too far from the pavement. Visitors can be hard-pressed to find a trail that gets them distant enough away from the road to escape the sound of revving motors.
Meet the players
■ The Conservation Fund, 2,986 acres, acquired beginning in 2012. Conveyance complete.
■ The Nature Conservancy, 1,654 acres.
■ Conservation Trust for North Carolina, 370 acres, acquired beginning in 2010. Conveyance expected by the end of 2016.
In total, 5,329 acres are expected to be added to the Blue Ridge Parkway as Waterrock Knob Park within the next year.
Parkway for Park Service centennial
Further north on the Parkway, where national forest land isn’t as abundant as in Western North Carolina, overlooks are sometimes better places to view subdivisions than to gaze at forested mountains.
That’s why the Park Service sees the establishment of large-acreage parks at intervals around the Parkway as integral to preserving the route’s character. In North Carolina, three such parks exist — Moses H. Cone Memorial Park and Julian Price Park near Blowing Rock and Doughton Park near Laurel Springs. Waterrock Knob will now have its own part to play in that mosaic.
“I don’t know where to begin to address the significance of the land conveyance and its importance to the Parkway and surrounding region,” said Rusty Painter, director of land protection for The Conservation Trust for North Carolina. “It’s tremendous.”
“It’s very important to the scenic protection of the Blue Ridge Parkway,” agreed Bill Holman, director of The Conservation Fund. “The land base around Waterrock will provide more recreational opportunities for the public, and I think water quality protection is very important.”
REACHINGTHEFINISHLINE
Getting the land officially conserved is cause for celebration, but it was a long road to reach the milestone — and it’s not a road that’s completely traveled yet.
“It’s been a lot of hard work,” Leonard said. “I’ve been working on this since about
2011, off and on.”
The Conservation Fund is responsible for the largest share of the 5,000-plus acre area, purchasing 2,986 of those acres in stages beginning in 2012. Land conservation projects tend to move slowly, involving all the trappings of a real estate deal along with seeking out grants, jockeying for private funding and negotiating contracts to stipulate what kind of development can and cannot occur on the property following the sale.
“At some point in this as it went along I realized, ‘Oh, if we time this right we can have it come to fruition in connection with the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service,’” Leonard said.
As the date drew closer, the centennial goal became an argument for making the legal work move faster. And Leonard made the deadline, with the property from The Conservation Fund officially becoming Park Service land the week before the centennial date.
But there are still plenty of dotted lines to sign, because The Conservation Fund is far from being the only organization involved in creating Waterrock Knob Park. In addition to The Conservation Fund property, the land conveyance involves 1,654 acres from The Nature Conservancy, 319 acres from the Southern Appalachians Highlands Conservancy and 370 acres from The Conservation Trust for North Carolina. That land isn’t officially Park Service property yet, but the process is expected to be complete within the next year, with
F
Waterrock Knob Trail are known to be epic. Holly Kays photo
most land conveyance complete by the end of 2016.
“Even donations to the federal government can take a long time, but we’re confident that the momentum created by this event, the new park and the 100th anniversary of NPS will allow us to move quickly,” Painter said.
Overall, conserving the 5,000-plus acres cost $16.9 million, $14.3 million of which was private funding — the Stanback family contributed a significant chunk of that. The remaining $2.6 million was public money, a grant from the federally funded Land and Water Conservation Fund. Having that grant funding in place, Holman said, allowed the conservation organizations to convince private donors that this was a cause with enough momentum to make it worth getting behind.
“That’s good leverage,” Holman said. “That’s a good investment for the citizens of the United States.”
A WORTHWHILEINVESTMENT
All it takes is a quick look around to see why the peaks and ridges surrounding Waterrock might be a worthy investment for the future generations the Park Service is charged with serving. The slopes are steep and rugged, some of the highest in the region. Spruce-fir forest covers much of the land, a habitat type that’s rare this far south, occurring at only the highest elevations. The endangered Carolina northern flying squirrel lives there, as do several rare bat species and the pink shell azalea, which is native only to high-elevation habitats in North Carolina. Now that the land is coming into Park Service possession, Parkway staff can be turned loose to discover what other prized species might make their homes there.
“This is one of the richest areas in terms of habitat anywhere on the globe, so we know there will be incredible species identified, and maybe new species to science — you never know,” Woods said. “The diversity of the habitat is just incredible in this area.”
There are also the elk to think about, a population that’s been spreading and multiplying since 2001, when the species was reintroduced following centuries of absence from the region. The preserved acreage will serve as a corridor for elk to travel as they range the mountains, traveling between feeding grounds. While much of the preserved land is of the wooded, old-forest type unlikely to yield huge quantities of the foods elk like, Holman can think of at least one popular elk feeding ground within the boundaries — Old Field Top, a plot that’s in the valley between Mount Lynn Lowery and Plott Balsam.
Deer, bear and other wildlife call the tract home as well, and brook trout swim Campbell Creek as it tumbles down the mountain.
There are plenty of people, too, who find quality habitat on the mountainsides — many of them already enjoy some of the notquite-official trails that spider through the area. Spots such as panoramic Blackrock are included within the boundaries of Waterrock Knob Park — the Parkway’s planning process will take a look at where new trails could be put in or how existing trails could be upgraded to meet Park Service standards.
PLANNINGAPARK
Trails will likely be the only kind of development to take place on the new acreage. The land is so rugged, Leonard said, “it would be hugely expensive to do anything else.”
The Parkway’s management plan, adopted in 2012, supports that prediction.
“The park lands adjacent to Waterrock Knob during that planning process were identified as a ‘Special Natural Resources Zone,’ given the unique and sensitive habitats in that area,” said Parkway spokesperson Leesa Brandon. “The newly acquired lands will likely be similarly managed.”
According to the plan, management of areas within the Special Natural Resources Zone should emphasize “the highest level of protection of sensitive habitats,” with visitor use kept very low or even completely closed off in especially fragile areas. Management would focus on restoring rare habitats and recovering or reintroducing rare species, shying away from extremely visible forms of forest management. For the most part, the plan says, visitors experience these areas as part of a distant view rather than up close — unless they opt
National treasure National Park Service
celebrates 100 years
BY HOLLY KAYS STAFFWRITER
When President Woodrow Wilson scrawled the signature that brought the National Park Service into being — 100 years ago, on Aug. 25, 1916 — many of the parks now integral to America’s national identity had yet to be created.
There was no Great Smoky Mountains National Park, no Blue Ridge Parkway, no Appalachian Trail. No Grand Teton or Olympic or Mammoth Cave or Acadia National Park. At the time Wilson signed the Organic Act, only 35 national parks and monuments existed, with America the only country to have any.
But an idea was enacted along with the legislation. A powerful idea. An idea that’s often called, “America’s best idea.”
The National Park Service, the act reads, will work to manage national parks, monuments and reservations in order to “conserve the scenery and the natural and historic objects and the wild life therein and to provide for the enjoyment of the same in such manner and by such means as will leave them unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations.”
Today, the National Park Service manages 412 units covering more than 84 million acres. Worldwide, there are more than 1,200 national parks in 100 nations.
And in Western North Carolina, a region that runs rich with both natural beauty and national park acreage, the words of the Organic Act have rung loudly throughout the 100 years unfolding since Wilson’s pen rose from signed paper.
In 1934, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park was created, an area that would eventually grow to cover 816 square miles, making it the largest national park east of the Rockies. Two years later, the Blue Ridge Parkway was added to the National Park System, with work on the 469-mile mountain road continuing through 1987, the bulk of it complete by 1966. While the Appalachian Trail also came about in the 1930s — it was completed in 1937 — it wasn’t added to the National Parks System until 1968, when the A.T. and the Pacific Crest Trail were added as the nation’s first two scenic trails under the National Trails System Act of 1968.
Now, on the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service, it’s not hard to find people willing to celebrate the milestone and speak to the importance of Western North Carolina’s national parks units — to both the region and the nation at large.
“We have been celebrating all year, so it feels good to finally reach the date that has been circled on so many of our calendars,” said Smokies Superintendent Cassius Cash. “This historic milestone for the Park Service has been an amazing opportunity to recognize and acknowledge our accomplishments, look to the future of our next century of service, and honor the over 340 employees who dedicate themselves daily to preserving and protecting Great Smoky Mountains National park.”
The Park Service has indeed been celebrating all year, launching the site www.findyourpark.com to give people a chance to share their stories and experiences at national park units across the country. Centennial-oriented events and initiatives have been in play throughout 2016, each park developing its own way to commemorate the centennial milestone.
“The National Park Service Centennial highlights the opportunities we all have — park staff and citizens — in ensuring these places and their stories are available for future generations,” said Parkway Superintendent Mark Woods.
For the Smokies, the Hike 100 Challenge was the big push. The challenge encourages people to log 100 miles of
hiking on park trails by Dec. 6, after which those who complete the challenge will be invited to a celebration hosted by Cash. Cash himself, who came to the park in February 2014, is also completing the challenge, logging his miles during hikes organized with groups of youth representing demographics that are statistically unlikely to get much exposure to the outdoors.
“Through this shared experience I continue to discover what a special part national parks like the Smokies play in bringing people together as we disconnect from the busyness of our everyday lives and connect with each other along the trail,” Cash said.
National parks connect communities off the trail, too, with WNC’s mountain towns defining themselves by the natural beauty surrounding them and relying on the steady stream of tourists that the parks bring to bolster their economies.
In 2015, an estimated 10.7 million people visited the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, with visitor spending estimated to total $873.9 million and support 13,700 jobs. During the same year, 15.1 million people visited the Blue Ridge Parkway, with visitor spending estimated at $952.1 million, supporting 15,300 jobs along the Parkway’s length from Cherokee to Waynesboro, Virginia.
The Smokies are the most visited national park in the National Park Service, with the Parkway rated as the system’s most visited unit overall — the Park Service includes a variety of designations, such as “national monument,” “national parkway” and “national historic site,” among many others.
By the numbers
■ 100 years since the National Park Service was created on Aug. 25, 1916
■ 307.2 million visits to National Park Service units in 2015
■ 412 units in the National Park Service
■ 84 million acres in the National Park Service
■ $873.9 million in estimated spending from Great Smoky Mountains National Park visitors in 2015
■ 11 threatened or endangered species in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park
“Haywood County considers the Parkway our top tourist attraction,” said Lynn Collins, director of the Haywood Tourism Authority. “The variety of outdoor recreation activities available and the scenic beauty in Haywood County and its surrounding counties are the major reasons visitors frequent our areas.”
The national parks can be an economic engine for the communities around them. They can also serve as a memory factory for the people who visit them.
Mike Leonard, chairman of The Conservation Fund, can clearly remember the October day in 1969 when he and two good friends, then newly 16, camped out at Grandfather Mountain. They awoke to a clear, brilliant Saturday — the best of autumn in the mountains — and cruised all the way to Waterrock Knob. It was a pinnacle of memory, made all the more poignant by the fact that one of those young men would die in a car crash two weeks later. The day will forever be emblazoned in Leonard’s mind, the last time the three of them were together.
“It’s those kinds of memories that really make me so very passionate about this,” he said.
Most people who have spent time in a national park, he added, can tell a great story about an important moment that’s happened there. Add those walks down memory lane to the sheer beauty of the places and the ecological jackpot they comprise, and it’s easy to see why the Park Service centennial hits home for so many.
“They are the greatest idea — vision — that this nation gave the world,” Leonard said. “There’s no doubt about that.”
What they said
“Really it’s been kind of a dream project because you seldom have the opportunity to protect such a large tract of high-elevation forest such as we have here.”
— Mark Woods, Blue Ridge Parkway superintendent
“Having the collaboration of public and private entities that are working to preserve such pristine lands for public use will have a positive impact on tourism in Jackson and Haywood counties along the Blue Ridge Parkway. Requests for more hiking and walking trails along the Parkway are common — this acquisition will enable visitors to gain access to outstanding topography and viewsheds.”
— Mark Jones, Jackson County commissioner
“The Blue Ridge Parkway is one of the great American treasures and it is right here in Haywood County. The addition of these significant tracts of land adds significant value to this treasure. We are so fortunate to be able to live and work right here. I can’t wait to explore the possibilities it will provide.”
— Jack Ewing, Lake Junaluska Conference and Retreat Center director
“It is not often that such an opportunity comes for friends, neighbors and colleagues to come together in order to plan for a new addition to the National Park System. In my mind there could be no better collaboration than trying to plan a conservation and recreation area that will be enjoyed for the next 100-plus years of outdoor recreation.”
— Andrew Bowen, Maggie Valley town planner
“It’s just wonderful that there are so many generous people that will help conserve some of the lands in the Plott Balsams.”
to venture into the backcountry.
“Visitors would require a moderate to high level of skill, self-reliance and effort to access these areas,” the plan reads.
Locals already know that hiking the Plott Balsams is no easy feat, with high levels of difficulty as well as beauty. The 2.2-mile route to Blackrock, for example, is full of ups and downs and rock scrambles and narrow ridgeline channels, demanding that hikers prove their mettle to reach the breathtaking 360-degree view at the end.
However, developing the area will involve a lot more than just slapping a National Park Service sign at the beginning of existing trails. The Blackrock trail, for instance, sees little use now. But its steep uphills and path through environmentally sensitive areas would become problematic if the full pressure of the Parkway’s 15 million yearly visitors bore down on it. It would take a lot of money and labor and expertise to get a trail like that up to Park Service standards.
Details such as which trail should go where and who can use them and when they’ll be built, however, won’t be pinned down for some time. The next hurdle is to get all the land officially into Park Service possession. From there, the task will be to get the boundaries marked off and park staff familiar with the topography now in their jurisdiction.
“Protecting the land’s pristine condition and ecological integrity will guide the Parkway’s management of these areas,” Brandon said.
Conversation has begun about how the land might be used, but the formal planning process has not started, and Brandon could not say what steps the process might entail.
However, one consideration going forward could be evaluating how a trail network might connect Waterrock Knob Park to other public parcels abutting the acreage. For instance, Sylva’s Pinnacle Park backs up against the land now owned by the Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy and The Nature Conservancy — there’s an existing trail that connects Blackrock to Pinnacle Park’s trailhead on Fisher Creek Road. The Maggie Valley Watershed borders the Parkway’s other side, as does the Haywood Community College Learning Forest. And the Conservation Fund is currently working on a few other land conservation projects nearby, which could add to the contiguous acreage of public land in the area. It’s important to think about how those lands could be considered together to jointly create an invaluable resource for the region, Holman said.
“I think a trail system that would connect Sylva and Pinnacle Park to Waterrock Knob and have connections also into Maggie Valley and into Waynesville and into Cherokee would be a huge draw for outdoor enthusiasts from all over the country,” Holman said. In the future, maybe that would be possible. And looking ahead to the next 100 years of life with the National Park Service, there is plenty of time to dream.
— Lynda Sossamon, Sylva mayor
More than 100 people attended an Aug. 23 celebration of the creation of Waterrock Knob Park (top). Vistas from the Waterrock area include Cherokee, Sylva and, pictured in the middle image, Maggie Valley. Parkway Ranger Chuck Hester (bottom) leads a group to the top of Waterrock Knob following the Aug. 23 event. Holly Kays photos.
Telethon for the Smokies
Friends of the Smokies raised $205,562 at its 22nd annual Friends Across the Mountains Telethon last week, with the hundreds of callers, online donations and sponsors bringing the telethon’s lifetime fundraising total to $3.5 million since its inception in 1995.
“I am overwhelmed with gratitude, once again, by the support of individuals and organizations throughout the region that help us care for the Smokies,” said Cassius Cash, superintendent of Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Emerald ash borer found in the Pisgah
An infestation of destructive emerald ash borers has been confirmed in the Appalachian Ranger District of the Pisgah
The money goes to support needs in America’s most-visited national park that aren’t covered through federal funding, with this year’s telethon proceeds added to the new “Bill Williams Smokies Greatest Needs Fund.” Friends of the Smokies’ board of directors established the fund this summer in honor of Bill Williams, who has volunteered as telethon co-host for 22 years. Board members made an initial gift of more than $10,000 to jumpstart the fund. Donations can still be made online at www.friendsofthesmokies.org/donate.
trees’ inner bark, that disrupt the ash’s ability to transport water and nutrients.
The tree typically dies within a year or two of infestation, and dead trees quickly become brittle and subject to falling or breaking.
National Forest and on private lands along the French Broad River, extending from Marshall to the Tennessee state line.
First found in the United States in 2002 near Detroit, emerald ash borers have been spreading across the country, devastating ash tree populations. While the adult beetles do nibble on ash leaves, they cause little damage — it’s the larvae, which eat the
Fall color forecast a waiting game
September temperatures will make or break fall color quality this year, according to Western Carolina University’s new fall foliage forecaster Beverly Collins.
“If our warmer-than-normal weather continues into fall, the colors will be later, more subdued and spottier,” Collins said.
Globally, July was the 15th consecutive record warmest month, according to the Asheville office of the National Centers for Environmental Information. Since mid-February, average temperatures at the Asheville Regional Airport have ranged from slightly above normal to nearly seven degrees above normal.
Along with the heat, summer months have been drier than normal throughout much of the mountain region. While dry weather in the spring and summer typically produces bright fall weathers, that’s only true if fall weather follows the normal trend of increasingly colder days and nights, Collins said. Some long-range forecasters are predicting a cold snap in midOctober, which would be good for producing
colorful leaves, but it’s hard to say how that prediction will pan out.
Fall colors emerge as the green chlorophyll in leaves breaks down to reveal yellow, orange and red pigments that had been masked by the green. The diversity of tree species and elevations in the mountains results in a long and showy color display. Colors at elevations over 4,000 feet will likely peak the weekend of Oct. 15-16; elevations at 2,500 to 4,000 feet will
The U.S. Forest Service will work to remove dead ash trees in developed recreation areas like campgrounds and picnic areas to prevent injury and damage when they fall, but visitors should be cautious along roads and trails, where dangerous trees may not be removed.
Help prevent the spread of harmful insects like the emerald ash borer by refraining from bringing your own firewood with you to forested areas — instead get it from the forest where you’re camping or a nearby vendor. Burn all firewood before leaving.
Landowners with emerald ash borer infestation on their property should call their local Cooperative Extension office. www.emeraldashborer.info.
likely peak Oct. 22-23; and the remainder of October will be the best time to view lower elevations, Collins said.
Collins, a professor in WCU’s Department of Biology, is taking over leaf forecasting duties from Kathy Mathews, a biology faculty member who has been evaluating leaf color potential for 11 years.
Fall color bursts over Western Carolina University’s campus. WCU photo
This year’s Friends Across the Mountains Telethon raised $205,562. Brent McDaniel photo
Emerald ash borer. Donated photo
Help clean the Little Tennessee
A crowd will descend on the Little Tennessee River to rid it of litter 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 10, in Franklin.
Sponsored by Mainspring Conservation Trust, the Little Tennessee River BigSweep will launch in the lower parking area of Big Bear Park. Volunteers will be assigned locations throughout the floodplain, riverbanks and in the water itself. Canoes and boats are helpful but not necessary to participate.
BigSweep Coordinator Guy Gooder has been organizing these cleanups since 2005 and believes a clean river creates a better environment for everyone.
“When you live in a litter free community you feel a sense of pride,” he said, “and that translates into a better quality of life for all of us.”
Gloves, bags and a pizza lunch will be provided.
Guy Gooder, 828.349.4097.
De-litter Lake J
Lake Junaluska will get a once-over with a stream cleanup at 4 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 31. Spearheaded by the Haywood County Board of Realtors, the group will meet at the parking lot just past the chapel, concentrating efforts around Stuart Auditorium. Sign up at http://bit.ly/2bMUkr9.
Efforts to impart ecological understanding to Western North Carolina kids will be the focus of the final Zahner Conservation Lecture of the season, 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 8, at the Highlands Biological Station.
“Watershed Moments: Exploring Science and Math in Cullowhee Creek,” will be delivered by Karen Kandl, former associate director of the Highlands Biological Station, and Patricia Bricker, associate director and associate professor at Western Carolina University.
Appalachian headwater streams are increasingly at risk of impairment, but the Watershed Moments program combats that threat by engaging students in place-based learning centered around stream ecology, hydrology and environmental issues. They connect the local to the global as they examine authentic environmental issues of streams and think about potential solutions.
The program, a partnership of the Highlands Biological Station and Foundation and WCU, is funded through a
Tie a real knot
grant from the Burroughs Wellcome Fund. Free and sponsored by Robert and Corbin Tucker, Linda Barlow and Penny
Classes coming up in Jackson County will teach how to tie all the knots you’ll need to survive outdoors.
■ 6-8 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 1, at the Cullowhee Recreation Center.
■ 6-8 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 7, at the Cashiers Recreation Center.
■ 6-8 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 29, at the Cullowhee Recreation Center.
Free, with registration to one of the recreation centers requested by the close of business the day of the event. Cullowhee Recreation Center, 828.293.3053 or Cashiers Recreation Center, 828.631.2020.
Churn like a homesteader
Connerley.
828.526.2221 or www.highlandsbiological.org/foundation.
Craft the perfect fly
A fly tying clinic will give anglers a chance to learn how to tie their favorite patterns at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 6, at the United Community Bank in Sylva.
Webster anglers Willie Cope and Carl Davis will lead the clinic, which will follow a dinner and meeting of the Tuckaseigee River Chapter of Trout Unlimited.
$5 for dinner. www.tuckaseigee.tu.org.
A workshop on making butter and yogurt will teach participants how to handle dairy like homesteaders at 11 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 10, at the Waynesville Public Library.
Celebrating the library’s 125th birthday, local author and homesteader Ashley English will lead the class, taking the group back to a time when such skills were commonplace rather than an anomaly.
Free, with sign-up required with Kathy Olsen, 828.356.2507 or kolsen@haywoodnc.net.
Refreshments and door prizes included. Made possible by the N.C. Humanities Council and Friends of the Haywood County Library.
hands-on learning in Cullowhee Creek. Donated photo
Earn a view from Mt. Cammerer
A strenuous trek will pay off with a panoramic view when Friends of the Smokies hikes to Mt. Cammerer in the Cosby area of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park Tuesday, Sept. 13.
The 11.4-mile hike ascends 3,000 feet, finishing up at the historic fire tower overlooking the Great Smoky Mountains.
Outdoor enthusiast and author Danny Bernstein will lead the excursion, discussing
Hike the Parkway
the unique history of fire towers in the park, the founding of Friends of the Smokies, and the organization’s first project: renovating the Mt. Cammerer fire tower.
$20 for Friends of the Smokies members; $35 for non-members with one-year membership included. Donations benefit trail rehabilitation in the park through the Smokies Trails Forever Program. www.hike.friendsofthesmokies.org.
A hike from the Big Ridge Overlook will invite participants to consider where wildlife is headed as the not-too-distant winter approaches, beginning 10 a.m. Friday, Sept. 2.
The moderate, 2.2-mile hike will be guided by a Blue Ridge Parkway ranger, who will discuss which animals migrate and what compels them to do so.
Free. Meet at milepost 403.6 of the Parkway with hiking shoes, water and clothing for changeable weather.
828.298.5220, ext. 304.
Learn how to ski walk
Training in how to get the most exercise value from your miles will be offered with an upcoming ski walking school this fall.
■ A ski walking demonstration will be held 6-8 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 6, at the Jackson County Extension Center in Sylva.
Participants will learn about the benefits of ski walking and also get the chance to try it out for themselves, complete with hiking poles.
■ A ski walking and stone workout with an incorporated smart eating school will be offered 5:30-7 p.m. Thursdays, Sept. 8 through Nov. 10, at the Deep Creek Pavilion in Bryson City.
ries than regular walking.
“Great cross-training, really helps upper body strength and overall fitness,” Bryson
Ski walking is suitable for anyone from a high-level athlete to those just beginning to exercise. It’s a technique that increases circulation, upper-body strength and overall endurance, with the poles ski walkers use supporting the lower joints for balance on rough terrain. Ski walking burns 20 to 40 percent more calo-
City ski walker Julie Richards said of the exercise.
Free and offered through Swain/Jackson Cooperative Extension. Register with Rob Hawk, 828.488.3848 or robert_hawk@ncsu.edu.
Julie Richards ski-walks through Swain County with canine companion Scoutie. Donated photo
Mt. Cammerer historic fire tower. Bob Carr photo
Growing “Great Smiles” Closer to Home
Fee hike proposed for Parkway campgrounds
Fees could rise at Blue Ridge Parkway campgrounds if a proposal now out for public comment is adopted.
Under the proposed fee schedule, Parkway campgrounds that currently cost $16 a night would rise to $20 a night, while the existing $30 group camping fee would increase to $35. In addition, non-campers would be subject to two new fees — $3 for campground showers and $5 for dropping trash at campground dump facilities.
Senior and Access Pass discounts would still apply to the per-night camping fee, resulting a $2 increase to $10 per night. Passes would not be accepted for noncamper shower and dump fees, or for group camping reservations.
Lounge with llamas
“We are committed to keeping the Parkway camping opportunities affordable and to provide visitors with the best possible experience,” said Blue Ridge Parkway Superintendent Mark Woods. “The money from camping fees is used to maintain and improve existing campground infrastructure such as picnic tables, tent pads and visitor facilities.”
The fee increase would help offset larger infrastructure improvements such as paving, shower facilities and utility upgrades.
Comments can be submitted through Sept. 15 at http://parkplanning.nps.gov/blrifeeincrease.
Enjoy afternoon tea with llamas during a 2-mile walk offered at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 10, at the Cradle of Forestry in America.
The program will cover the special adaptations llamas have for life on the trail and let participants take turns leading the llamas as they carry lunch and snacks toward a great picnic spot. $5 for ages 16 and up and free for youth, with America the Beautiful and Golden Age passports accepted. Participants should bring their own food, but iced tea will be provided.
The Cradle of Forestry is located along U.S. 276, about 35 miles south of Waynesville. 828.877.3130 or www.cradleofforestry.org.
Input wanted on Needmore Game Lands
A plan to govern management of the Needmore Game Lands in Macon and Swain Counties for the next 10 years has been drafted, and the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission will accept comments on the draft through Sept. 30.
The 150-page plan covers a variety of background information on the 4,800-acre area and outlines future actions such as various forest management activities, road improvements and recreation needs.
The plan, along with five others for game lands in further east in North Carolina, was completed after a series of public meetings in 2014 to gather input on game land management.
Drafts of all six plans are online at
www.ncwildlife.org/gamelandplans. Email comments to gamelandplan@ncwildlife.org with the name of the specific game land typed in the subject line.
management
A seminar on the what, how and why of landowner forest management plans will be offered at 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 8, at the Swain Senior Center in Bryson City. John McCall of the N.C. Forest Service will present an overview of forest management plans, and Amanda Buchanan of the Natural Resources Conservation Service will discuss financial assistance available for them. Free, with refreshments provided. Supported by the NCADFP Trust Fund. Cayle Aldridge, 828.488.8803, ext. 3105.
Camping
COMMUNITY EVENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS
• Limited edition prints of the “Golden Threads” Shindig mural, which is outside Pack Square Park in Asheville, are available for sale with a “Stories of Mountain Folk” CD. Proceeds benefit Shindig on the Green and the Catch the Spirit of Appalachian Scholarship program facilitated through Southwestern Community College. 293.2239.
• Lamar Marshall, cultural heritage director for Wild South, will present “The Ancient Lines” and the White Settlement of the Tuckasegee Watershed at 6:30 p.m. on Sept. 1 at a meeting of the Swain County Genealogical and Historical Society in Bryson City.
• The Darnell Farms Corn Maze will be open from Sept. 3 through Nov. 1 on U.S. 19 at the Tuckasegee River Bridge in Bryson City. Besides the maze, there will also be a pumpkin patch, picnic area, farm fresh products, hayrides, and other activities. 488.2376.
• A celebration of the Haywood County Library’s 125th birthday is scheduled for 1-3 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 6, at the Waynesville Library.
• America’s Home Place is hosting a Hometown Heroes Open House from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 10, at 335 NP&L Loop in Franklin. Model home tour, barbecue, inflatables, pet adoption. A three percent discount available for active and retired military, law enforcement, fire and EMS personnel. A $500 donation will be made in the customer’s name to the 9/11 memorial to be constructed at Southwestern Community College’s Public Safety Training Center. 349.0990 or americashomeplace.com.
• A “Missing Man Ceremony” will be held in observation of National Patriots Day at 6 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 11, at Riverfront Park in Bryson City. Live music, face painting, cookout and other activities. To volunteer, contact Mike Clampitt at 736.6222 or mike6222@live.com.
• A celebration of the Haywood County Library’s 125th birthday is scheduled for 10:30 a.m.-1 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 13, at the Canton Library.
• Macon County Fair Sept. 14-17. Macon.ces.ncsu.edu.
B USINESS & E DUCATION
• A seminar entitled “A Small Business’ Guide to The Final Rule regarding Salary Levels for Exempt Employees” will be offered by the Small Business Center at Haywood Community College from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. on Sept. 8 at the HCC Regional High Technology Center Auditorium. Info and to register: SBC.Haywood.edu or 627.4512.
• A “Relevant Resumes for the New Economy” program is scheduled for 10 a.m.-noon on Monday, Sept. 12, at the Haywood County Public Library in Waynesville. Signup required: 356.2507.
• One-on-one computer lessons are offered weekly at the Waynesville and Canton branches of the Haywood County Public Library. Lesson slots are available from 10 a.m.-noon on Tuesdays and Thursdays in Canton and from 3-5 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays at the Waynesville Library. Sign up at the front desk of either library or call 356.2507 for the Waynesville Library or 648.2924 for the Canton Library.
• Hunter Safety courses will be offered by Haywood Community College and the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission from 6-9 p.m. on Sept. 19-20, Oct. 17-18 and Nov. 14-15 at HCC’s Campus, Building 3300, Room 3322, in Clyde. Pre-registration required: www.ncwildlife.org.
FUNDRAISERSAND B ENEFITS
• A Softball Tournament to benefit Travis Watkins is scheduled for Sept. 2-3 at the Old Macon County Rec
All phone numbers area code 828 unless otherwise noted.
Park. All money raised goes to help with medical costs. $200 per team. Sign up for get more info: 508.3409.
• PAWS will hold its 13th Annual Wine Tasting fundraiser from 6:30-8:30 p.m. on Sept. 3 at Land’s Creek Cabins Harmony Hall. Tickets are $20 in advance or $25 at the door. pawsbrysoncity@yahoo.com or 488.0418.
• Submissions are being accepted through Sept. 2 for the inaugural Cat Photo Contest, which is a fundraiser for Feline Urgent Rescue. $10 fee per entry. A “Catty Arty Party” will feature the cat photo contest and other items from 5-8 p.m. on Sept. 23.
• Haywood County Tourism Development Authority is now offering smaller, single replicas quilt trail blocks for purchase. A portion of the cost of each block will go to the Friends of the Haywood County Animal Shelter to construct a new, much needed animal shelter. 944.0761 or stop by 1110 Soco Road in Maggie Valley.
• An Open Door Meal & Sing featuring the Carolina Crossmen is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 31, at First United Methodist Church of Sylva. 586.2358.
• The Cashiers Rotary Arts and Crafts Fair will be from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sept. 3-4 at the Village Green in Cashiers. All proceeds benefit local Rotary programs and community service efforts. Admission is free, with donations accepted. www.cashiersrotary.org.
• The “Taste of Local” event will be held from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 8, at the Waynesville Recreation Center Gym. The evening will showcase an array of local restaurants, a silent auction, door prizes, and more. The event will benefit Medical Patient Modesty. Advance tickets are $20. www.tasteoflocalfood.com/waynesville.
• Tickets are on sale for the Haywood Community College Foundation’s Shine & Dine Gala, which is from 6-8:30 p.m. on Sept. 16 at the Laurel Ridge Country Club in Waynesville. Event includes buffet dinner, jazz music by Juan Benavides, student Timbersports demonstration and a silent auction. Sponsorships range from $250-$5,000. Tickets are $75 per person. Sponsorship info: pahardin@haywood.edu or 627.4544. Tickets: 627.4522 or stop by the HCC Foundation Office.
H EALTH MATTERS
• “The Power of Words” workshop will be held from 2 to 3 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 1, at the Waynesville Public Library. Free, but signup required. 356.2507.
• Acupuncture clinic for Haywood County veterans are scheduled for 7:15 p.m. on Sept. 7, 14 and 28 at Blue Ridge Natural Health in Waynesville. First come, first served. 356.5577 or www.blueridgenaturalhealth.com.
• “The Truth About Diets” program is from 1-2 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 7, at Waynesville Library.
• A Caregiver Education Class on “Anxiety Disorders with Medication Component is scheduled for 10 a.m.noon on Friday, Sept. 9, through the Haywood County Senior Center. Register: 356.2800 or stop by the center.
• The American Red Cross will have a blood drive from 10:30 a.m.-3 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 9, at First United Methodist Church in Sylva. Schedule an appointment: 800.733.2767 or redcrossblood.org. Info: 586.2358.
• A Blood Connection blood drive is scheduled for 11 a.m.-3 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 10, at 335 NP&L Loop in Franklin.
• A Rally For Recovery is scheduled for 10 a.m.-2 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 10, in the open-air gym at Lake Junaluska. www.facebook.com/WesternRegionalRecoveryRally.
• Participants are being sought for a clinical trial for those overweight with knee pain. Directed by Dr. Kate Queen of Mountain Medical Associates. wecan@wfu.edu or 558.0208.
• A support group for anyone with Multiple Sclerosis, family and friends meets at 2 p.m. on the second Tuesday of each month in the Heritage Room at the Jackson County Senior Center in Sylva. Sponsored by Greater Carolinas Chapter of National MS Society. Info: 293.2503. Offered in cooperation with the Southwestern Commission Agency on Aging.
• A monthly grief support group sponsored by The Meditation Center meets at 7 p.m. on the first Wednesday of each month at The Meditation Center at 894 East Main Street in Sylva. Info: www.meditatewnc.org or 356.1105.
• Inner Guidance from an Open Heart will meet from 68 p.m. on the second Wednesday of each month at The Meditation Center at 894 East Main Street in Sylva. Info: www.meditate-wnc.org or 356.1105.
• A Men’s Night Out will take place at 6:30 p.m. on the third floor of the hospital.
on the first Wednesday of each month at The Meditation Center at 894 E. Main St. in Sylva. www.meditatewnc.org or 356.1105.
R ECREATIONAND FITNESS
• Sign-ups are underway through Sept. 2 for a church volleyball league that will play on Tuesday nights at the Cullowhee Recreation Center. $175. Sign up at the rec center.
• An organizational meeting for a fall adult coed volleyball league is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 7, at the Waynesville Recreation Center. The league is open to player 18 and older as of Oct. 1; it runs from Oct. 5-Dec. 14. Fee will be based on the number of teams at the organizational meeting and is due by 9 p.m. on Sept. 21. 456.2030 or dhummel@waynesvillenc.gov.
P OLITICAL
• The Swain County Democratic Party Whittier-Cherokee Precinct meeting is at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 1, at Birdtown Gym in Cherokee.
• The Libertarian Party of Haywood County meets on the second Tuesday of each month at Bearwaters Brewing in Waynesville. chair@haywood.lpnc.org.
• The Democratic candidates for Council of State (attorney general, secretary of state, commissioners of agriculture, insurance and labor, superintendent of education, auditor, treasurer and lieutenant governor) will participate in a forum at 4 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 10, in the Burrell Building Conference Room at Southwestern Community College in Sylva.
• A lunch-and-discussion group will be held by the League of Women Voters at noon on the second Thursday of each month at Tartan Hall of the First Presbyterian Church in Franklin. RSVP for lunch: lwvmacon@wild-dog-mountain.info or 524.8369.
AUTHORSAND B OOKS
• The Theme Team Book Club will be presented by the Waynesville Library from 2-4 p.m. on the first Friday of each month. Pick any book from a chosen them; each participant gets a chance to discuss his/her book. Signup required: 356.2507 or kolsen@haywoodnc.net.
• Cookin’ the Books will be held at noon Wednesday, Aug. 31, at the Waynesville Public Library. A book club focused on cookbooks. All
Visit www.smokymountainnews.com and click on Calendar for:
■ Complete listings of local music scene
■ Regional festivals
■ Art gallery events and openings
■ Complete listings of recreational offerings at regional health and fitness centers
■ Civic and social club gatherings
members choose a recipe from the book and bring it to share. The group will discuss the good and bad aspects of the chosen cookbook. This book club meets on the last Wednesday of each month. 356.2507.
• Ann Hite will present her new novel Sleeping Above Chaos at 3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 3, at City Lights Bookstore in Sylva. 586.9499
• Author RF Wilson will present “The Rick Ryder Mystery series” at 3 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 3, at Blue Ridge Books in Waynesville. 456.6000 or blueridgebooks@ymail.com.
• Authors RF Wilson and Richard Von der Veen will each hold discussions at Blue Ridge Books in Waynesville. Wilson will present his Rick Ryder mystery series at 3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 3. Von der Veen will pose the question “Where does it all begin?” from his book of poetry at 3 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 4. 828.456.6000.
• Danny Johnson will read from and sign his debut novel The Last Road Home at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 8, at City Lights Bookstore in Sylva. 586.9499
• Poet, novelist and Canton native Fred Chappell will discuss his memories of Haywood County during a presentation at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 8, at the Colonial Theatre in Canton.
• Ron Rash will read from and discuss his new novel “The Risen” at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 10, at Blue Ridge Books in Waynesville. Two reserved seats available with advance purchase of his new book. 456.6000 or blueridgebooks@ymail.com.
• Author Lawrence Thackstone will sign his mysteries from 1-4 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 10, at Blue Ridge Books in Waynesville. 456.6000 or blueridgebooks@ymail.com.
S ENIORACTIVITIES
• The Mexican Train Dominoes Group seeks new players to join games at 1:30 p.m. each Tuesday at the Senior Resource Center in Waynesville. 926.6567.
• An iPhone/iPad user group meets from 2-4:30 p.m. on Sept. 6 and Sept. 20 at the Senior Resource Center in Waynesville. 356.2800 or haywoodseniors.org.
K IDS & FAMILIES
• A Tuesday Library Club for ages 5-12 meets at 4 p.m. each Tuesday (except for the fifth Tuesday on months that occurs) at the Canton Library. Hands-on activities like exercise, cooking, LEGOs, science experiments and crafts. 648.2924 or kpunch@haywoodnc.net.
• Kids Fishing Day for ages 5-15 is scheduled for Sept. 3 at the Jackson County Recreation Center in Cullowhee. Catch and release. $5. 293.3053, 631.2020 or www.facebook.com/jacksonrecreationandparks.
• A “Nature Nuts: Coyotes” program will be offered for ages 4-7 from 9-11 a.m. on Sept. 3 and 13 at the Pisgah Center for Wildlife Education in Brevard. Register: www.ncwildlife.org/Learning/EducationCenters/Pisgah/E ventRegistration.aspx.
• An “Eco-Explorers: Raising Trout” program will be offered for ages 8-12 from 1-3 p.m. on Sept. 3 and 13 at the Pisgah Center for Wildlife Education in Brevard. Register: www.ncwildlife.org/Learning/EducationCenters/Pisgah /EventRegistration.aspx.
• The Junior Appalachian Musicians (JAM) now has space available for new students. Registration is due by Sept. 5. The JAM program enables students in grades 4-12 to learn to play fiddle, banjo, and guitar in Appalachian styles from well-known musician teachers. The JAM sessions are held at Canton Middle School from 3:30 to 5 p.m. each Tuesday from Sept. 20 through April 18. There is a $150 yearly fee per student, with siblings discounted to $50 each. www.haywoodarts.org. 452.0593 or info@haywoodarts.org. Registration deadline is Sept. 5.
• HART Youth Drama Program is being started on Sept. 10. HART will offer a series of seven acting classes on Saturdays through Oct. 22 aimed at young people. Two separate classes are being offered under the direction of Shelia Sumpter. A class for students from grades 3-5 will begin at 9:45 a.m. and a class for middle and high school students will be offered at 11 a.m. Each class will be one hour and the cost is $70. Anyone interested can get more information or register at the HART Box Office at 250 Pigeon Street in Waynesville. www.harttheatre.org.
ONGOINGKIDSACTIVITIES ANDCLUBS
• Kindergarten Readiness Storytime is from 10-10:30 a.m. on Fridays throughout July at the Macon County Public Library in Franklin. 524.3600.
• Stories, songs and a craft are offered for ages zerosix (and caregivers) at 10:30 a.m. each Tuesday at the Canton Library. 648.2924.
• A program called “Imagine”, an art program for children 8-12 meets at 2 p.m. on Tuesdays at the Jackson County Public Library. Program contains art, writing, and drama. 586.2016.
• Rompin’ Stompin’, an hourlong storytime with music, movement and books, is held at 10:30 a.m. on Thursdays and at 11 a.m. on Fridays at Canton Library. For ages zero to six. 648.2924.
• Crafternoons are at 2:30 p.m. on the second Tuesday of every month at Hudson Library in Highlands.
• Library Olympics will be held at 2 p.m. on Fridays at Jackson County Public Library. Children age 5 and up get active through relay races, bingo, mini golf. 586.2016.
• Get Moving, a program for children ages 5-12 to encourage children to live a healthy life through exercise and healthy eating, will be held on the first Tuesday of the month at 4 p.m. at the Canton Public Library. 648.2924
• Full STEAM Ahead, a program for children ages 5-12 to allow them to explore science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics through fun hands-on activities. Program open to the first 15 participants, at 4 p.m. on the third Tuesday of the month at Canton Public Library. 648.2924.
• Family Story Time is held on Tuesdays at 10:30 a.m. at the Canton Public Library. Ages 0-6. Stories, songs, dance and crafting. 648.2924.
• Rompin’ Stompin’ Story Time is held on Thursdays at 10:30 a.m. and Fridays 11 a.m. at the Canton Public Library. Ages 0-6. An hour long story time full of music and movement. 648.2924.
• Storytimes are held at 10 and 10:40 a.m. every Thursday at Hudson Library in Highlands.
• After-School Art Adventure will be on from 3:30 to 4:45 p.m. on Tuesdays at The Bascom in Highlands. For ages 5 to 10, Art Adventure is a class that explores the creative process of drawing, painting,
printmaking, clay, sculpture, fiber art, and crafts by utilizing a variety of media. The students will investigate some of the most popular techniques and theories in art history and will be exposed to contemporary as well as folk art traditions. Tuition is $40 for a fourclass package. www.thebascom.org.
• Wednesdays in the Stacks, “WITS”, a new program for children in grades 3-6, on the third Wednesdays of the month from 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. at Macon County Library. WITS will include lots of fun games, prizes, and hands-on activities. This club replaces book club previous held on the third Thursdays of the month. 526.3600.
• Fun Friday, everything science, is held at 4 p.m. on Fridays at Jackson County Public Library. 586.2016.
• Teen Coffeehouse is at 4:30 p.m. on the first, third, and fourth Tuesday at Jackson County Public Library. Spend time with other teens talking and sharing. 12 and up. 586.2016.
• Youth Outright meets every Sunday from 4 p.m. -6 p.m. at First Congregational United Church of Christ in Asheville for ages 14-20. Youth Outright is a youth advocacy and leadership program for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) youth in 18 counties in Western North Carolina. www.youthoutright.org.
• Youth Outright meets the third Saturday of the month from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at First Congregational United Church of Christ in Asheville for ages 11-13. Youth Outright is a youth advocacy and leadership program for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) youth in 18 counties in Western North Carolina. www.youthoutright.org.
• Rock and Read is at 11 a.m. on Tuesdays at Jackson County Public Library. 586-2016.
• WNC Martial Arts will hold karate classes from 67:30 p.m. on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays at the Old Armory in Waynesville. For more info, contact Margaret Williams at 301.0649 or mvwilliams39@gmail.com.
• “Plug in and Read,” a digital story time designed to help preschoolers (ages 3-6) learn early literacy skills, is held at 10:30 a.m. on the second Friday or fourth Monday of each month at Haywood County Public Library. Visit www.haywoodlibrary.org or call 452.5169 or 648.2924.
• Book Buddies for ages 0-3 is from 9:30-10:15 a.m. on Tuesday at Blue Ridge Books in Waynesville.
• Page Pals for ages 3-5 is from 10:30-11:15 a.m. on Tuesday at Blue Ridge Books in Waynesville.
• Story time and kids can make their own piece of art from 10 a.m.-noon every Saturday during the Family Art event sponsored by the Jackson County Arts Council at the Jackson County Farmers Market located at the Community Table, downtown Sylva. On the first Saturday of each month, there is a scavenger hunt with prizes. 399.0290 or www.jacksoncountyfarmermarket.org.
• A Teen Advisory Group meets at 4 p.m. on the first Wednesday of each month to discuss YA books and teen program events. http://haywoodlibrary.libguides.com/teen or 648.2924.
• Tennis lessons for ages 5-8 (5:30-6:15 on Tuesdays) and 9-13 (9:30-10:15 a.m. on Saturdays) are offered through the Jackson County Recreation Center. $45. 293.3053.
• Michael’s Kids Club will be held for ages 3-and-up from 10 a.m.-noon on Saturdays at Michael’s in Waynesville. $2 per child for 30 minutes of creative crafts. 452.7680.
• A Lowe’s Build and Grow session for ages 3-and-up is scheduled from 10-11 a.m. on Saturdays at the Sylva (586.1170) and Waynesville (456.9999) Lowe’s stores. Free.
• Art classes are available for kids 10 and older from 4:15-5:30 p.m. on Wednesdays at the Bascom in
Highlands. $15 per class. 787.2865 or www.thebascom.org.
• Art Adventure classes are taught for ages 5-10 from 3:30-4:45 p.m. on Wednesdays at the Bascom in Highlands. Theme: metal. Instructor: Bonnie Abbott. $20 per month. 787.2865.
• Free, weekly, after-school enrichment classes are offered by the Bascom and MCAA from 3-5 p.m. on Thursdays at Macon Middle School through a grant from the Jim McRae Endowment for the Visual Arts. To register, contact Bonnie Abbott at 743.0200.
•A Lego club will meet at 4 p.m. every fourth Thursday of the month, at Marianna Black Library in Bryson City. Library provides Legos and Duplos for ages 3 and up. Free. 488.3030.
•A community breastfeeding information and support group meets from 10:30 am.-noon on the first Saturday of each month in the main lobby of the Smoky Mountain OB/GYN Office in Sylva. Free; refreshments provided. For information, contact Brandi Nations (770.519.2903), Stephanie Faulkner (506.1185 or www.birthnaturalwnc), or Teresa Bryant (587-8223).
• Science Club is held at 3:30 p.m. to 4:15 p.m. on the fourth Thursday of each month for grades K-6 at the Macon County Public Library. 524.3600.
• Macon County 4-H Needlers club, a group of youth learning the art and expression of knitting and crochet crafts, meets on the second Tuesday of each month. For information, call 349.2046.
• A Franklin Kids’ Creation Station is held from 10 a.m.-noon on Saturdays at uptown Gallery in Franklin. Snacks provided. $20 tuition. 743.0200.
• SafeKids USA Blue Dragon Tae Kwon Do School offers defense training with after-school classes Monday through Friday and Saturday mornings. 627.3949 or www.bluedragontkd.net.
• A Lego Club meets on the third Tuesday of each month from 3:30-5 p.m. at Waynesville Library. 452.5169.
• A Lego Club meets the second Thursday of the month at 4 p.m.- 5:30 p.m. at the Macon County Public Library. 526.3600.
• A Lego Club meets the fourth Thursday of the month at 4:30 p.m. at Jackson County Public Library. 5862016.
• A Lego Club meet the second Wednesday of the month at 5 p.m. at Cashiers Community Library. 743.0215.
• A Lego Club meets at 4 p.m. on the fourth Thursday of the month at Marianna Black Library in Bryson City. Legos and Duplos provided for ages three and up. 488.3030.
• Smoky Mountain Model Railroaders holds public viewing session from 2 to 4 p.m. the second Sunday of the month, 130 Frazier St. off Russ Avenue in Waynesville. The group runs Lionel-type 3 rail O gauge trains. smokymountainmodelrailroaders.wordpress.com.
• Teen time 3:30-4:30 p.m. Thursdays at Waynesville Library. A program for teens and tweens held each week. Each week is different, snacks provided. 3562511
• Homework Help, 3 to 5 p.m. Mondays for students in grades 2 through 6, Canton Branch Library. Former schoolteacher turned Youth Services Librarian Katy Punch offers homework help on a first-come, firstserved basis. Katy, 648.2924.
•Teen Advisory Group, first Wednesday of each month at 4 p.m. For ages 13-18. Teens can enjoy snacks while discussing popular young adult books, help plan events and displays for children and teens at the library, and participate in community service projects. Canton Library, 648.2924.
• The American Girls Club meets at City Lights Bookstore in Sylva. The club meets one Saturday a
month, call for details. Club is based on a book series about historical women. Club members read and do activities. Free. 586.9499.
• Teen Time, first, third, and fourth Tuesdays at 4 p.m. for ages 12 and up. Spend time with other teens talking about and sharing with each other. Jackson County Public Library. 586.2016.
• Adventure Club on Tuesdays 3:30 p.m. - 4:15 p.m. for grades K-2 at the Macon County Public Library. 524.3600.
• Culture Club on the second Wednesday of the month, 1 to 2 p.m. for K-6 graders. Guest speakers, books, photos, crafts and food from different countries and cultures. Macon County Public Library. 524.3600.
• Children’s craft time, fourth Wednesday, 3:45 p.m. at Cashiers Community Library. 743.0215
• The Wee Naturalist program, which is for children ages 2-5 (with a parent or guardian), is held from 1011:30 a.m. on Mondays and Tuesdays at the North Carolina Arboretum. Age-appropriate activities such as nature walks, garden exploration, stories, crafts and visits from classroom animals $7 cost per child; $3 more for each additional child in a family. Register at: www.ncarboretum.org/education-programs/youthfamily-programs/wee-naturalist
K IDSMOVIES
• A family movie will be shown at 10:30 a.m. every Friday at Hudson Library in Highlands.
• Mad Batter Food & Film (Sylva) will screen “The Jungle Book” (Sept. 2-3 and Sept. 9). 6:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Fridays; and 2 p.m., 6:30 p.m. and 9 p.m. Saturdays. www.madbatterfoodfilm.com.
• A family movie will be shown at 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 6, at Marianna Black Library in Bryson City. Movie is about Babe, who wins a sheepherding contest then comes home to realize that Farmer and Mrs. Hoggett may lose their land. 488.3030.
• Second Tuesday Movie Club meets at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 13, at the Waynesville Library. 356.2507 or kolsen@haywoodnc.net.
• Family Friendly movie is at 9:45 a.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 14, at the Waynesville Library. 356.2507.
• A family movie will be shown 1 p.m. on Mondays during the summer at Jackson County Public Library. 586.2016.
• Family story time for ages zero to six years old is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. each Tuesday at the Canton Library. 648.2924.
FESTIVALSAND S PECIAL EVENTS
• MountainTrue’s Wild & Scenic Film Festival is from 7-10 p.m. on Sept. 1 on the grounds of Sierra Nevada’s Mills River Brewery in Asheville. A selection of films from the annual festival in Nevada City, Calif., will be shown. http://tinyurl.com/zwjhpyr
• Art After Dark will continue from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, Sept. 2, in downtown Waynesville. www.downtownwaynesville.com or www.waynesvillegalleryassociation.com.
• The Smoky Mountain Folk Festival is Friday and Saturday, Sept. 2-3, at the Lake Junaluska Conference & Retreat Center. Traditional music and dance of the Southern Appalachian Region. Free open tent show
from 5-6 p.m. each evening; auditorium stage performances are from 6:30-11 p.m. Advance tickets are $10 or $12 at the door. Tickets available daily at the Lake Junaluska Bethea Welcome Center from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. www.LakeJunaluska.com/sm-folk-festival or 452.2881.
• A Harley Rally is Sept. 9-10 in Cherokee. angehern@nc-cherokee.com or 356.6473.
• The 14th annual Thunder in the Smokies fall rally will be Sept. 9-11 at the Maggie Valley Festival Grounds. Live music, vendors, bike games, and more. $20 for a weekend pass, $8 for a weekend pass under age 12. www.handlebarcorral.com.
• The Dazzling Dahlia Festival will be from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 10, at the Highlands Recreation Park and Civic Center. The event, benefiting the Highlands Historical Society, will showcase local enthusiasts’ prize-winning dahlias. www.highlandschamber.org.
F OOD & D RINK
• The next “Way Back When” trout dinner will be at 5:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 2, at the Cataloochee Ranch in Maggie Valley. $39.95 per person, plus tax and gratuity. The dinner will also be held Sept. 16. To RSVP, call 828.926.1401 or 800.868.1401 or www.cataloocheeranch.com.
• There will be a “Secret Wine Bar Night” from 6 to 10 p.m. Friday, Sept. 2 and 9 (both drop in), at Bosu’s Wine Shop in Waynesville. The Secret Wine Bar at Bosu’s will host the “Taste of Grapes of Spain” with Javier Baquero from 4 to 6 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 7 (5 for $5, drop in) and Chef Jackie’s “BYOB Dinner” at 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 8 ($50, by reservation). www.waynesvillewine.com or 452.0120.
ON STAGE & I N CONCERT
• The 2016-17 Galaxy of Stars Series has begun at the John W. Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee. Series subscriptions for all six shows are $100 for WCU faculty and staff; $125 for others. $45 for students and children. www.bardoartscenter.wcu.edu or 227.2479.
• The production of “One Slight Hitch” will hit the stage at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 1-3, 8-10, and at 2 p.m. Sept. 4 and 11 at the Haywood Arts Regional Theatre in Waynesville. For tickets, call 456.6322 or click on www.harttheatre.org.
• Jim Curry, the world’s top John Denver tribute performer, will perform at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 3, at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts in Franklin.
Tickets are $18. www.greatmountainmusic.com or call 866.273.4615.
• Legendary Rock and Roll Hall of Fame act Lynyrd Skynyrd will perform at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 3, at Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort. www.harrahscherokee.com.
• The comedy production of “Don’t Dress for Dinner” will hit the stage at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 1-3 and 2:30 p.m. Sept. 4 at the Highlands Performing Arts Center. For tickets, call 526.8084.
• Storyteller Vicky Town will perform at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 6, at the Canton Library as part of the Haywood County Public Library’s 125th anniversary celebration: “Haywood Heritage: Honoring the Past, Heralding the Future.” 648.2924.
• Western Carolina University (Cullowhee) will host a faculty showcase at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 6 in the Recital Hall of the Coulter Building. Rudy Currence will also perform at 8 p.m. Sept. 7 at the UC Illusions. www.wcu.edu.
• Kentucky native and standup legend Etta May, often called the “Polyester Princess,” is making a stop on her comedy tour at 8 p.m. Friday, Sept. 9, at The Strand at 38 Main in Waynesville. PG-13. Tickets are
$25. www.38main.com.
• Classic pianist Michael Stevens will perform at 3 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 10, at the Waynesville Library.
• The Overlook Theatre Company’s 20th anniversary celebration will be held at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 10, at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts in Franklin. 524.1598 or www.greatmountainmusic.com.
• Award-winning organist Tate Addis will perform at 4 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 11, in the sanctuary of the First United Methodist Church of Waynesville. Donations accepted. All proceeds benefit Haywood Gleaners, which harvests leftover crops and delivers them to the hungry throughout Haywood County. 456.9475.
• Season subscriptions and individual tickets to the 2016-17 Mainstage theatre season, presented by Western Carolina University’s School of Stage and Screen, are on sale at the John W. Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center box office. The season begins with “Resident Alien,” a musical written by WCU assistant professor Katya Stanislavskaya. Performances will be at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 22, through Saturday, Sept. 24, and at 3 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 25, at Hoey Auditorium. bardoartscenter.wcu.edu or 227.2479.
OUTDOORMUSIC
• The 7th annual “Concerts on the Creek” series will close out the season with Erica Nicole (country) Sept. 2 at the Bridge Park Pavilion in Sylva. Concert is free, with donations accepted. www.mountainlovers.com or 586.2155.
• The “Groovin’ on the Green” concert series will host Hurricane Creek (rock/blues) Sept. 2 while closing out the season at The Village Green in Cashiers. Show are free and open to the public. www.villagegreencashiersnc.com.
• The Nantahala Outdoor Center (Bryson City) will host Heidi Holton (blues/folk) Sept. 2, Dirty Bourbon River Show (Americana/jam) Sept. 3 and Somebody’s Child (Americana) Sept. 4. All shows are free and begin at 6 p.m. www.noc.com.
• The “Friday Night Live” concert series at the Town Square in Highlands will host Southern Highlands (Americana/bluegrass) Sept. 2. Show is free and begin at 6 p.m. www.highlandschamber.org.
• The “Saturday’s on the Pine” concert series at Kelsey Hutchinson Park in Highlands will host The Freeway Revival (jam/rock) Sept. 3. Show is free and begin at 6 p.m. www.highlandschamber.org.
• The “Pickin’ On The Square” (Franklin) concert series will continue with Charley Horse (country/swing) Sept. 3. Show is free and begins at 7:30 p.m. A community jam begins at 6:30 p.m. www.franklinnc.com or 524.2516.
• The Music in the Mountains (Bryson City) concert series will host The Caribbean Cowboys (pop/rock) Sept. 3 and Lois Hornbostel & Ehukai Teves (Celtic/World) Sept. 10. All shows begin at 6:30 p.m. www.greatsmokies.com.
CLASSESAND PROGRAMS
• A “Knot Tying 101” class will be offered Sept. 1 and 29 at the Jackson County Recreation Center in Cullowhee. 293.3053, 631.2020 or www.facebook.com/jacksonrecreationandparks.
• A Summer Craft Show is set for 9 a.m.-3 p.m. on Sept. 3 at the Balsam Fire Department. A portion of entry fees benefits the fire department.
• The Labor Day Craft Show will be from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sept. 3-4 at the Maggie Valley Festival Grounds. Artisan vendors of all mediums. live demonstrations and more. Admission and parking are both free. www.maggievalley.org or 926.1686.
• A “Cooking with Herbs” class is scheduled for 9:30
a.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 6 at the Community Kitchen in Canton. Registration required: 648.2924.
• There will be an array of upcoming ceramic activities at The Bascom in Highlands. The Resident Artist Series will be from 10 a.m. to noon Sept. 6 and 8. Students can either throw or hand-build their pieces. The classes will hold discussions. Tuition is $80, which includes 12 pounds of clay. Open Studio for $125. Dates include Sept. 3-5, 7, 9 and 10-17. Includes 25 pounds of clay. www.thebascom.org or 787.2892.
• A “Writing From the Heart” personal enrichment class will be offered from 6-8 p.m. on Tuesdays starting Sept. 6 at Southwestern Community College’s Jackson Campus. Led by author Amy Ammons Garza, the class meets for seven consecutive Tuesdays. 339.4497.
• A Knot Tying 101 class will be offered Sept. 7 at the Jackson County Recreation Center in Cashiers. Register: 631.2020. www.facebook.com/jacksonrecreationandparks.
• An “Appalachian Homemaking Skills: DIY Butter and Yogurt” workshop is scheduled for 11 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 10, at the Waynesville Library. Sign-up is required: 356.2507 or kolsen@haywoodnc.net.
• Application deadline is Sept. 12 for Grassroots Arts Program Grants for organizations. http://haywoodarts.org/grassroots-arts-program.
ARTSHOWINGSAND GALLERIES
• A touring exhibition of work by artist Wendy Maruyama is on display at the Penland Gallery in Penland. www.penland.org.
• Haywood County Arts Council will host several artists from the WNC Design Guide from Sept. 2 to Oct. 2. The WNC Design Guide is an exclusive collection of curated artists from the Western North Carolina region whose work focuses primarily on creating fine craft and fine art pieces for homeowners who enjoy elegant mountain living.
• A folk art display and reception is scheduled for 5:30-7 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 8, in the Macon County Public Library Meeting Room in Franklin.
• The work of 50 Cherokee artists is on view in “Of Land & Spirit: Contemporary Art Today” at The Bascom Center in Highlands through September 18.
• The “Photography of Bayard Wootten” exhibit is on display through Nov. 23 in the Mountain Heritage Center at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee.
• An exhibition entitled “This is a Photograph: Exploring Contemporary Applications of Photographic Chemistry” is on display at Penland School of Crafts near Spruce Pine. 765.6211 or penland.org/gallery.
• New artist and medium will be featured every month at the Haywood County Senior Resource Center in Waynesville. 356.2800.
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Outdoors
• A seminar on lure techniques is offered at 7 p.m. every Tuesday at Dream Catchers Fishing Supply at 21 Steeple Road in Sylva. 443.890.5014.
• Comments are now being accepted through Oct. 14 by the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission on proposed elk depredation rule changes. A public hearing on the amendment is at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 8 at Haywood Community College. The proposed amendment requires landowners who take a depredating elk without a Commission-issued depredation permit to report the take to the Commission within 24 hours of the kill. Proposed amendment is available at www.ncwildlife.org/Proposed-Regulations. Send comments to: regulations@nc-wildlife.org or Kate Pipkin, N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, 1701 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-1701.
• A bird walk along the greenway is scheduled for 8 a.m. on Aug. 31 in Franklin. Meet at Salali Lane. Franklinbirdclub.com or 524.5234.
• A bird walk along the greenway is scheduled for 8 a.m. on Aug. 31 in Franklin. Meet at Big Bear Shelter parking area. Franklinbirdclub.com or 524.5234.
• An Adopt-A-Stream cleanup is scheduled for 4 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 31, at Lake Junaluska. Register: http://tinyurl.com/jtuap7j.
• A Zahner Lecture on “What Threatens Birds Today? An Exploration of Contemporary Conservation Challenges and Solutions” will be presented at 6:30 p.m. on Sept. 1 at the Highlands Nature Center in Highlands. www.highlandsbiological.org/foundation or 526.2221.
• Registration is open through Sept. 2 for the Great Smoky Mountains Association’s membership weekend, which is Sept. 15-18 in Cherokee. Programs include a fly-fishing seminar, medicinal plant walks, museum tours and hikes. $80 for GSMA members; nonmembers must pay membership fee of $15. www.smokiesinformation.org/info/annual-membership-weekend.
• The Seven Clans Rodeo will be held Sept. 2-3 at the intersection of U.S. 19/441 in Cherokee. Gates open at
6 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 12:30 p.m. Sunday. Rodeos begin at 8 p.m.
• A Wildlife Photo Hunt Competition is scheduled for 9 a.m.-noon on Sept. 3 at the Pisgah Center for Wildlife Education in Brevard. Open to all ages; teams can range from 1-5 members; one camera per team. Register: www.ncwildlife.org/Learning/EducationCenters/Pisgah/E ventRegistration.aspx.
• The Qualla Country Trout Tourney is Sept. 2-4 in Cherokee. angehern@nc-cherokee.com or 359.6473.
• A Wilderness First Responder class will be offered through Landmark Learning on Sept. 5-13. Comprehensive medial course; national standard for outdoor trip leaders. A recertification option is also available. 293.5384 or main@landmarklearning.edu.
• A SkiWalking demonstration is scheduled for 6-8 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 6, at the Jackson County Extension Center in Sylva. Try out hiking poles and SkiWalking. Register or get more info: 488.3848, 586.4009 or Robert_hawk@ncsu.edu.
• A SkiWalking, Stone & Eating Smart School meets from 5:30-7 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 8, and every Thursday through Nov. 10 at Deep Creek Pavilion in Bryson City. Register or get more info: 488.3848, 586.4009 or Robert_hawk@ncsu.edu.
• A Forest Management Plan Seminar will be presented by Swain Soil & Water Conservation District and the N.C. ADFP Trust Fund at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 8, at the Swain Senior Center in Bryson City. John McCall of NCFS will present “What, How & Why” off Forest Management Plans, and Amanda Buchanan of NRCS will present on Financial Assistance Available. 488.8803, ext. 3105.
• A Zahner Lecture on “Watershed Moments: Exploring Science and Math in Cullowhee Creek” will be presented, at 6:30 p.m. on Sept. 8 at the Highlands Nature Center in Highlands. www.highlandsbiological.org/foundation or 526.2221.
• Mainspring Conservation Trust will host a Little Tennessee River BigSweep from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 10. 349.4097.
• Registration deadline is Sept. 12 for the Haywood Waterways Association’s second annual Leaders in the Creek Workshop, which is scheduled for 2:30-5 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 15, at Canton Recreational Park. Info or RSVP: 476.4667 or info@haywoodwaterways.org.
FARMAND GARDEN
• A class on “Safely Preserving Food at Home” will be presented from 9:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 31, at the Macon County Extension Office in Franklin. $10 per person. To register, call 349.2046 or write julie_sawyer@ncsu.edu.
FARMERS MARKET
• A community tailgate market for local growers is
open from 3-7 p.m. every Wednesday at The Village Green Commons in Cashiers. 734.3434, info@villagegreencashiersnc.com or www.villagegreencashiersnc.com.
• Haywood Historic Farmers Market is held from 8 a.m.-noon on Wednesdays and Saturdays in the parking lot of HART Theatre in Waynesville. 280.1381 or haywoodfarmersmarket@gmail.com or waynesvillefarmersmarket.com
• The Original Waynesville Tailgate Market is from 8 a.m.-noon on Wednesdays and Saturdays at 171 Legion Drive in Waynesville (behind Bogart’s). 456.1830 or vrogers12@att.net.
• The Jackson County Farmers Market will be on Saturdays from 9 a.m.-noon at Bridge Park located in Sylva. Info: 393.5236. jacksoncountyfarmersmarket@gmail.com or website jacksoncountyfarmersmarket.org.
• The ‘Whee Farmer’s Market is open from 4 p.m. to dusk every Tuesday at the corner of the N. Country Club Drive and Stadium View Drive in Cullowhee, behind the entrance to the Village of Forest Hills off Highway 107 across from Western Carolina University. 476.0334.
• Franklin Tailgate Market is from 8 a.m.-noon every Saturday at 203 E. Palmer Street in Franklin. Info: collins230@frontier.com.
• The Cashiers Tailgate market is open from 1 p.m.- 5 p.m. on Wednesdays at the United Community Bank on N.C. 107 South. 226.9988 or blueridgefarmers@gmail.com.
• The Franklin Farmers Tailgate Market is from 8 a.m.noon on Saturdays on East Palmer Street across from Drake Software in Franklin. 349.2049 or alan_durden@ncsu.edu.
• Cowee Farmers Market is open from 3:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesdays starting May 24 at Old Cowee School located at 51 Cowee School Drive. ediescookies@mail.com or www.coweefarmersmarket.com
• Swain County Farmers Market will be open from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. on Fridays through Oct. at the barn on Island Street in Bryson City. 488.3848 or Christine_bredenkamp@ncsu.edu.
COMPETITIVE E DGE
• A “Couch to 5K” program is held at 6 p.m. every Thursday to help prepare runners for their first 5K (3.1mile) race: the Power of Pink 5K on Sept. 24. 452.8080 or www.MyHaywoodRegional.com/c25K.
H IKING CLUBS
• Carolina Mountain Club will have an eight-mile hike with a 1,700-foot ascent on Aug. 31 at Panthertown Prowl. For info and reservations, contact leader Steve Pierce at 724.4999, 442.8482 or stevepierce50@gmail.com.
MarketPlace information:
The Smoky Mountain News Marketplace has a distribution of 16,000 every week to over 500 locations across in Haywood, Jackson, Macon, and Swain counties along with the Qualla Boundary and west Buncombe County. For a link to our MarketPlace Web site, which also contains a link to all of our MarketPlace display advertisers’ Web sites, visit www.smokymountainnews.com.
Rates:
■ Free — Lost or found pet ads.
■ $5 — Residential yard sale ads,
■ $5 — Non-business items that sell for less than $150.
■ $15 — Classified ads that are 50 words or less; each additional line is $2. If your ad is 10 words or less, it will be displayed with a larger type.
■ $3 — Border around ad and $5 — Picture with ad or colored background.
■ $50 — Non-business items, 25 words or less. 3 month or till sold.
■ $300 — Statewide classifieds run in 117 participating newspapers with 1.6 million circulation. Up to 25 words.
■ All classified ads must be pre-paid.
Classified Advertising:
Scott Collier, phone 828.452.4251; fax 828.452.3585 classads@smokymountainnews.com
HAYWOOD CO. FAIRGROUNDS
Get Your Bargains From the ‘B’ Building (Lower Level) This Saturday 7:00a.m. - Til. Antiques, Furniture, Toys, Tools & Everything In Between! Rain or Shine, See You There! Presented by Frog Pond Estate Sales & Downsizing
HABITAT FOR HUMANITY
Macon/Jackson, NC is Looking for Families Interested in Owning a Habitat Home in the Following Counties: Swain, Graham, Clay and Cherokee. If You are Interested in Owning a Habitat Home, Please Join us at the First United Methodist Church of Murphy on Tuesday Sept. 7th at 7:00p.m. or Call 828.369.3716
HELP! AUTHOR NEEDS EXPERTISE With Cherokee Language - Words & Phrases, in a Children’s Story. Can Meet You Here (Seneca, SC) or there (Cherokee, NC) or Anywhere in between. Contact Jay Aye at 867.972.5129 or via email: jakscar9@gmail.com
TRUCKLOAD MATTRESS SALE
50-80% Off Retail, ALL NEW & NC MADE, Financing & Delivery Available. Call or Text 828.552.0955
13.7+/- acres offered in 3 tracts located in Carroll County, Virginia. Frontage on Highway 58 in Woodlawn, VA. VDOT traffic count is 16,000. Water and Sewer available. Auction Held Saturday, October 1 at Crossroads Institute, Galax VA. Open Houses September 11 & 18 from 2 to 4 PM. Contact Russell Seneff 540.765.7733. Woltz & Associates, Inc. Real Estate Brokers & Auctioneers. (VA #321) 800.551.3588. woltz.com
AUCTION
ESTATE AUCTION
Mon. Sept. 5, 2016, 11a.m. - Til
Personal Property of June Winger, Living. Location: #3 Kee Kee Run, Sylva, NC. Auctioneer: Dodie Allen Blaschik NCAL# 3410 & NC
Personal Property will be Sold W/Out Reserve. 10% Buyer Premium will be Applicable on all Purchases, Cash/Check (Proper ID) the Day of Sale. Partial Picture Layout: www.dodieallen.com Call Dodie 828.586.3634(dodi)
SPECIAL: Real Estate Property will be Offered for Sale w/ Buyer Confirmation. Bill Holands of Apple Realty will be on Premise to Assist w/ Real Estate Showing and Purchase. 10% Down and Balance in 45 Days. Bring Your Own Chair - Refreshments Available! 828.586.3634
ABSOLUTE AUCTION -
2 Big Days: Huge Business Liquidation. On site 9/13 & 9/20. Vehicles, Metal Fab/Machine, Tools, Gens, more. Mike Harper 843.729.4996 (SCAL 3728) www.HarperAuctionAndRealty.com
ROLLING STOCK AUCTION City of Charlotte & Mecklenburg Co. Trucks, Vehicles, & More! Sept 17th, 10AM 5550 Wilkinson Blvd. Bldg A., Charlotte, NC 336.789.2926 RogersAuctionGroup.com NCAL#685
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
ENJOY YOUR OWN Therapeutic walk-in luxury bath. Get a free in-home consultation and receive $1,750
EMPLOYMENT
HEAD START/NC PRE-K TEACHER-HAYWOOD COUNTY
Must have a Birth-K or BS related field with course work, and teaching license.This position also requires computer skills, the ability to work with diverse population/community partners, good judgment/problem solving skills, lead role in classroom and time management skills. Candidate will be responsible for classroom/paperwork. 2 yrs. experience in Pre-K classroom preferred. Full-time with benefits.EOE/AA.
Please apply at: Mountain Projects, Inc 2251 Old Balsam Rd, Waynesville, NC 28786 or www.mountainprojects.org EOE/AA
B.H. GRANING LANDSCAPES, INC
Now hiring for the position of crew member - the grass is growing and so is our businesscome join our team. Full-time year round work, competitive wages, good work environment. Please call 828.586.8303 for more info or email resume to: roger.murajda@bhlandscapes. com
DRIVER TRAINEES -
Paid CDL Training! Stevens Transport will cover all costs! No Experience Needed! Earn $800 per week! Local CDL Training!
1.888.748.4137 drive4stevens.com
AVAILABLE POSITIONS • ADULT SERVICES
Meridian Behavioral Health is currently recruiting for the following positions in Adult Services: • Psychiatric NursesandClinicians for ACTT Services (Assertive Community Treatment Team)• Employment Support Professionals for Supported Employment Services• Clinicians and Peer Support Specialists for REC Services (Recovery Education Center)
EMPLOYMENT
FTCC
Fayetteville Technical Community College is now accepting applications for the following positions:
EMPLOYMENT
HEAD START DIRECTOR
HVAC INSTALLER NEEDED
Assistant Director of Student Financial Aid Services Biology Instructor (10-month contract) Certified Nursing Assistant InstructorContinuing Education Collision Repair & Refinishing Instructor Director of Financial Aid Program Coordinator/Instructor of Law Enforcement Certification Respiratory Therapy Instructor For detailed information and to apply, please visit our employment portal at: https://faytechcc.peopleadmin.com Human Resources Office Phone: 910.678.7342 Internet: http://www.faytechcc.edu An Equal Opportunity Employer
• Peer Support Specialists for PACE (Peers Assisting in Community Engagement) • Peer Support Specialist for Early Recovery Team • Clinician for Integrated Care • Clinician/Team Leader for CST (Community Support Team)• Community Partner Clinician • Clinician for Early Recovery Team (ERT)
Mountain Projects is seeking applications for Head Start/Early Head Start Director for Haywood and Jackson Counties. Applicant must have a bachelor degree in related field but a Master’s degree is preferred. A minimum of three years’, management experience is required including supervision and budget management. Knowledge of early childhood education is preferred. Applicant must be able to travel locally and out of the area, work a flexible work schedule, and work with diverse populations. Strong written and oral skill is necessary. Applications will be accepted through the summer. Resumes submitted without completed applications will not be considered.
Installing Residential and Commercial HVAC Equipment. Must be Familiar with Heat Pumps, AC Units, Furnaces and Ductless Splits. Candidate will be Working as Part of a Team. Minimum 2yrs Experience as an HVAC Installer. Willing to Work Overtime and Weekends if Needed. Must be able to Read and Understand Blueprints/Architectual Drawings Must be able to Pass a Background Check & Drug Test. Must have Excellent Communication Skills. Must Have Valid DL. Must be 18yrs of Age or Older. Contact Haywood Heating and Air Conditioning, Inc. 828.452.2235 or send resumes to: haywoodheating@bellsouth.net or PO Box 57, Waynesville, NC 28786
Please visit the employment section of our website for further information about any positions listed and apply directly by submitting an application and resume.
www.meridianbhs.org
AVAILABLE POSITIONS •
CHILD SERVICES
Jackson County Psychological Services is now partnered with Meridian Behavioral Health Services.We are currently recruiting for the following positions in Child Services: Clinicians for Outpatient Services • Clinicians for Day Treatment Services • Clinicians for Intensive In-Home Services
• Clinicians for DJJ population
• Qualified Professionals for Intensive In-Home Services
Please visit the employment section of our website for further information about any positions listed and apply directly by submitting an application and resume.
www.meridianbhs.org
MEDICAL BILLING TRAINEES NEED!
Doctors & Hospitals need Medical Office Staff! No Experience Needed! Online Training gets you job ready! HS Diploma/GED & Computer needed. Careertechnical.edu/nc. 1.888.512.7122.
REGIONAL/OTR, CONCORD, NC
Area, Class A CDL, 18 months exp, .42-.45/mile, excellent benefits, weekly home time. Apply: www.bahexpress.com, 800.RUN.4BAH, Willie ext 143
TRAIN AT HOME
For a new career as an accounting assistant! Call for more info about our online training program! Learn to process Payroll, Invoices & more! Job placement assistance when completed. HS Diploma/GED required. 1.888.407.7063.
HAYWOOD
COUNTY Employment Support Professional (ESP) – IPS Supported Employment
The ESP functions as part of a team that implements employment services based on the SE-IPS model. The team’s goal is to support individuals with MH/SUD obtain and maintain competitive employment. The ESP is responsible for collaborating with clients on creating and achieving their personal employment goals. They will also develop relationships with potential employers in the community in order to create employment opportunities for clients. Applicants must have a valid driver’s license with no restrictions and a bachelor’s degree or higher. Preference will be given to Qualified Professionals and Certified Employment Support Professionals. Please visit the employment section of our website for further information and apply directly by submitting an application and resume. www.meridianbhs.org
HIGH-TECH CAREER
With U.S. Navy. Elite tech training w/great pay, benefits, vacation, $ for school. HS grads ages 17-34. Call Mon-Fri 800.662.7419.
AVIATION GRADS
Work with JetBlue, Boeing, Delta and others- start here with hands on training for FAA certification. Financial aid if qualified. Call Aviation Institute of Maintenance 866.724.5403 SAPA
Mountain Projects, Inc 2251 Old Balsam Rd, Waynesville, NC 28786.
www.mountainprojects.org
EOE/AA
ADVERTISE YOUR Job Opening, Event, Items For Sale, Auction etc. in this newspaper plus 100 other newspapers across the state for only $375. For more information, contact the classified department of this newspaper or call NCPS 919.516.8018, email: ads@ncpress.com
BRIAN CENTER HEALTH AND REHABILITATION WAYNESVILLE
Is under New Management and Hiring for CNA’s (RCS), LPN’s and RN’s. $1,000 CNA and $2,000 Nurse Sign On Bonuses Available Now. To apply visit: www.savacareers.com or call us 828.452.3154. We look forward to meeting you!
PETS
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:
Tuesday-Friday, 12 Noon - 6 pm 182 Richland Street, Waynesville
CUBBY - HE IS ABOUT FOUR YEARS OLD. SADLY, HIS OWNER HAD TO SURRENDER HIM BECAUSE OF HER HEALTH ISSUES, SO HE IS A LITTLE STRESSED WITH THE SUDDEN CHANGE IN HIS LIFE. HE HAS HAD GREAT CARE ALL HIS LIFE. HE HAS ADJUSTED WELL TO HIS FOSTER HOME, SO WE'RECONFIDENT HE'LL DO WELL IN HIS NEW ADOPTIVE HOME AS WELL.
WAFFLE - THE LARGEST OF HIS LITTER OF THREE KITTENS. THEY WERE BROUGHT TO US AT ABOUT TWO WEEKS OF AGE. HE IS VERY OUTGOING AND LOVING, PLAYFUL AND LIKE MOST KITTENS, IS SOMETIMES WIDE OPEN. HE IS ABOUT 3 MONTHS OLD AND READY TO MOVE INTO HIS FOREVER HOME.
BEWARE OF LOAN FRAUD.
Please check with the Better Business Bureau or Consumer Protection Agency before sending any money to any loan company. SAPA
SELL YOUR STRUCTURED
Settlement or annuity payments for CASH NOW. You don't have to wait for your future payments any longer! Call 1.800.316.0271.
SOCIAL SECURITY
Disability Benefits. Unable to work? Denied benefits? We Can Help! WIN or Pay Nothing! Contact Bill Gordon & Associates at 1.800.670.4805 to start your application today! SAPA
FURNITURE
COMPARE QUALITY & PRICE
Shop Tupelo’s, 828.926.8778.
HAYWOOD BEDDING, INC.
The best bedding at the best price! 533 Hazelwood Ave. Waynesville 828.456.4240
MOBILE HOMES FOR
PUBLISHER’S NOTICE
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
Service Realtor, Locally Owned and Operated mcgovernpropertymgt@gmail.com McGovern Property Management 828.283.2112.
WANTED TO RENT
RETIRED COUPLE LOOKING TO Rent Long-Term. 2 or 3 Bedroom House in Waynesville, Canton, Clyde Area. Carport/Porch a Bonus! Please give us a call at 828.371.9923 or 828.371.1371
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HAYWOOD CO. FAIRGROUNDS
The naturalist’s corner
BY DON H ENDERSHOT
Can’t see the forest for the webs
From what I gather from Facebook and overhear in the checkout line, the view I encounter every morning on my daily trip from Balsam Gap to Tuscola High School is pretty much standard across Western North Carolina and, according to a Google search across much of the country –places like Michigan, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Missouri, and others. That view is one of roadside trees full of what looks like dirty gray-brown plastic bags.
Those bags are home to the fall webworm, Hyphantria cunea, and it seems to be a banner year. The fall webworm is the caterpillar stage of the — wait for it — fall webworm moth. The moth is white and/or white with dark spots on the wings. It has a wingspan of around an inch to an inch-anda-half. There are two races. The northern caterpillars have black heads and yellow/green bodies with a dark dorsal stripe and whitish hairs protruding from orange tubercles along the sides. The southern race has reddish/orange heads, yellow to tan bodies with brownish hairs protruding
from reddish tubercles. The caterpillars are around an inch long.
The fall webworm is common across most of North America from Canada to Mexico and is an invasive exotic across Europe and northern China and North Korea. There are often two broods of fall webworms across the southern part of their range.
Dr. James Costa, professor of biology at Western Carolina University, research associate in entomology at Harvard’s Museum of Comparative Zoology and author of The Other Insect Societies, noted, “The common name ‘fall’ webworm is something of a misnomer, since in fact the colonies get going in late spring/early summer when the adult moth lays a clutch of eggs on a leaf of the host tree. It’s just that people typically don’t begin to notice them until late summer or fall, when the nests are large.”
The webworms take about six weeks to mature. They then leave the web and make it down to the ground where they will pupate and overwinter in the bark and/or leaf litter at the base of the tree. Adult moths appear around mid-June and the cycle starts again. Costa said that while this year is certainly a banner year for fall webworms, “five years
ago you’d have been hard pressed to find a single colony in our area.”
According to Costa, “… this is a classic case of cyclic populations that go through boom and bust cycles. The reason(s) behind the cycling are still discussed and debated by ecologists — the crashes are usually due to some combination of factors that hit simultaneously, like buildup of parasites and pathogens plus a bout of really bad weather that kills off loads of them in early stages. So, chances are our population will crash within the next year or two.”
ing their leaves soon in any case.” However, he cautioned that if the infestation was longlived and trees were defoliated year after year it could cause problems.
These bugs are different from the other local web builder in our area, the eastern tent caterpillar. Eastern tent caterpillars generally appear in early spring. They build their nests in the crotches (axis) of branches and they leave their nest to forage and then return to rest. The fall webworm builds its nest in the leaves at the ends of branches. The caterpillars feed on the leaves inside the web. When they run out of food, they enlarge the web to include new foliage. This is why some of their webs grow extremely large.
The infected trees may look in dire shape, but Costa said he didn’t think they were in imminent danger. “These host trees have co-evolved with herbivores like the FWW (fall webworm) over deep time, and they bounce back readily — in most cases they are losing foliage late in the season, so they’ve had lots of time to photosynthesize etc. during the season, and they will be los-
Most of the “damage” created by fall webworms is aesthetic — they are unsightly and that can be a drag in people’s landscape. Unfortunately landscape conditions — open areas — are where they do best. While they can and do occur in the forest interior, Costa said, “…they do well in full sun, since they can benefit from the warmth to more efficiently digest and grow.”
It will be interesting to see what kind of infestation occurs next year. In the meantime I guess I will have to get used to graybrown bags on my morning school-taxi route.
(Don Hendershot is a writer and naturalist. He can be reached a ddihen1@bellsouth.net.)
