Smoky Mountain News | October 18, 2023

ELECTION COVERAGE INSIDE

NORTH CAROLINA BREAST AND CERVICAL CANCER CONTROL PROGRAM (NC BCCCP)

The Jackson County Department of Public Health is a proud provider of the NC BCCCP program.

BCCCP provides free or low-cost breast and cervical cancer screenings and follow-up to eligible women in North Carolina.

Services may include:

* Cervical cancer screenings (Pap tests, HPV tests)

* Clinical breast exams

* Screening mammograms

* Diagnostic procedures, as indicated (diagnostic mammograms, ultrasounds, colposcopies, breast and cervical biopsies)

* Medical consultations

Please call Chanta Ashe at 828-587-8213 to find out if you qualify for any of the *above* services.

Independent Insurance Means More Options

Early Detection Saves Lives

AREA’S BEST BURGER

Ingles Nutrition N FUELING FOR TRIPS

Notes

written by Ingles Dietitian Leah

h McGrath

Whether you’re going for a short or long hike or on a day road trip; planning on taking snacks with you can save money and also make it easier to fuel yourself and your family might not be close to your local Ingles store.

• W Waashable water bottles

• Portable fruits and vegetables. Some fruits and vegetables ots ar apples and carrro re e good for travel and also work w with dips and sprreeads like nut butter and hummus raisins and dates arre e also a good choice.

• T Trrail mix

• Granola or meal r reeplacement bars

• Beef or trroout jerky

Dried cer

• Cerreeal. reeal can be a good snack. packets.

What are some of your favorite portable snacks?

day or multin save money y when you getables like well to have Dried fruit like s?

Leah McGrath, RDN, LDN

Ingles Market Corporate Dietitian @InglesDietitian Leah McGrath - Dietitian

Ingles Markets… caring about your health

Experience a Casual, Relaxing Atmosphere

to

groups to ladies who

pride ourselves on using fresh ingredients from our gardens and supporting local farmers. e details are priority.

CONTENTS

On the Cover:

Missing for decades after the F-4 Phantom jet he was in went down in a Vietnamese jungle, Fred Hall finally returned home to Waynesville, where he was laid to rest. (Page 8) Cory Vaillancourt photo

News

Summit Charter School asks county for loan..............................................................6

Jackson joins Foster Care Reinvestment program....................................................7

Former Council candidate seeks compensation for 2017 election..................10

Five compete for Highlands Commission..................................................................12

Cherokee cannabis funding decision expected soon............................................13

Pivotal election in Waynesville this year......................................................................15

Maggie Valley candidates talk growth, leadership..................................................20

Incident at Shining Rock results in student injury ..................................................23 Education briefs..................................................................................................................25

Opinion

Law officers ignore meeting, and that’s good..........................................................26

Sometimes ‘the system’ all seems so unfair..............................................................17

A&E

Cherokee museum rebrands for inclusive future......................................................28

Catch ‘Death of a Salesman’ at HART........................................................................33

Outdoors

Dam removal project frees Beaverdam watershed................................................38

Notes From a Plant Nerd: I see ghost flowers..........................................................42

STAFF

E DITOR /PUBLISHER: Scott McLeod.

ADVERTISING D IRECTOR: Greg Boothroyd.

ART D IRECTOR: Micah McClure.

D ESIGN & PRODUCTION: Jessica Murray.

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ADVERTISING SALES: Susanna Shetley.

Amanda Bradley.

Sophia Burleigh.

C LASSIFIEDS: Scott Collier.

N EWS E DITOR: Kyle Perrotti.

WRITING: Holly Kays.

Hannah McLeod.

Cory Vaillancourt.

Garret K. Woodward.

ACCOUNTING & O FFICE MANAGER: Jamie Cogdill.

D ISTRIBUTION: Scott Collier.

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C ONTRIBUTING: Jeff Minick (writing), Chris Cox (writing), Don Hendershot (writing), Thomas Crowe (writing)

Summit Charter School asks county for loan

BY HANNAH MCLEOD STAFF WRITER

This year, the North Carolina General Assembly passed legislation that allows charter schools to request capital funding from their local board of commissioners. Summit Charter School is now taking advantage of that legal change and asking for a $2.5 million loan from the Jackson County Commission.

“Recent state legislation now enables charter schools to request funding for capital purposes from their county governments,” said Head of Summit Charter School Kurt Pusch. “The purpose of our funding request is to request a loan in the amount of $2.5 million that would help bridge our cash flow through the construction project with our full intent to repay the loan and carry the full cost of the construction.”

$4.8 million.

“Summit Charter School Foundation is debt-free; it’s our intention to stay debt-free. But we do see a loan from the county would help bridge the cash flow through this project,” said Pusch.

Pusch said he expects the foundation to be able to repay the loan within three years and that the foundation would pay interest on the loan. Depending on the contract that is decided upon, and the frequency of payments, the interest would make the county around $200,000 over three years.

County Manager Don Adams noted that to recoup all the money the county would spend lending this loan, the Summit Foundation would need to eventually cover closing costs, as well as the interest that the county currently makes on its savings, which is about 5.5%.

this compare to requests coming from our public school system and our community college system?”

Adams noted that while it was important for the board to consider all education funding requests in the county, Summit is requesting a loan, versus asking for funding flat out.

“If Summit Charter was asking for $2.5 million then what I would be sitting here recommending to this board would be, you need to prioritize this along with the other needs that are about to come to you,” Adams told the board. “What makes this a little bit different is it’s a loan request and I do think that potentially allows you as a board to separate this from those other priorities for the simple fact that it’s different. The school board isn’t coming in asking you for a loan and neither is SCC, they’re asking for a grant.”

The loan would be secured with a deed of trust and a promissory note put on the school property, which will be released when the loan is repaid in full. Adams said that the biggest risk to the county would be if the school defaulted on the loan.

Pusch came before the Board of Commissioners during an Oct. 10 work session to formally request the loan.

Commission Chairman Mark Letson recused himself from the discussion because he also serves on Summit’s Board of Trustees.

Summit broke ground on phase II of its high school expansion in August. The whole project will cost the school an estimated $6.5 million. Fundraising efforts for the expansion have been led by the Summit Charter School Foundation, a 501(c)3 that raises private funding for the school. The foundation has raised $4.8 million toward the total goal, with $2 million of that money in hand and the remainder in pledges that are committed over the next several years. According to Pusch, it took about 14 months to raise the

“If the goal is to just make this where the county is completely whole, then that’s the type of interest we’d be discussing,” said Adams. “That 5.5% is just basically based upon the return we’re getting on our investments right now. If we don’t get that in interest, then ultimately, we’re obviously losing funds.”

During the Oct. 10 work session, Commissioner Todd Bryson asked County Manager Don Adams if it were dangerous for the commission to fund the request and get into a contract with the charter school based on legislation that is so new.

“It’s absolutely new,” said Adams, and offered a couple things for the board to consider. “One is education as a whole. How do we view this request in regard to, how does

“I’m being as honest as I can,” Adams said. “Nobody wants to work on trying to foreclose any [public school].”

Before the General Assembly passed new legislation this year that drastically changed the laws affecting charter schools, a charter school could not make a request for capital funding from its local board of commissioners. While capital funding for public k-12 schools come from local tax dollars, as well as occasional state grants, charter schools were required to raise their own money for capital projects.

Charter schools have always received state and local funding, as per pupil funding level from state and local sources follows each student who enrolls in a charter school.

The new legislation now allows counties to “provide funds to charter schools by direct appropriation” for the purposes of acquiring real property; acquisition, construction, reconstruction, enlargement, renovation or replacement of buildings and other structures; and acquisition or replacement of furniture and furnishings, instructional apparatus, technology, data processing equipment, business machines and similar items.

In April of this year, both Macon and Jackson County boards of education signed letters opposing the legislation which expanded the ways in which charter schools have access to locally-appropriated public school funding. Rep. Mike Clampitt (RSwain), who represents Jackson County, served as a co-sponsor for the bill.

“They’ve toyed with that over the years, and commissioners have not wanted to entertain that because they know they will be approached and begged for charter school funding to build buildings for them,” Macon County School Board Attorney John Henning told board members in a presentation on the legislation. “That’s also your funding for buildings. The way the bill was written, it would be very difficult to overcome it.”

Summit Charter School was founded in 1997 and serves students predominantly from Jackson County, but also Macon, Transylvania and Swain counties.

“We are in the midst of significant enrollment growth,” Pusch told commissioners.

Over the last four years, the school has seen a roughly 28% increase in enrollment, which precipitated the planned expansion. After adding one high school grade each year, Summit graduated its first class of high school seniors in the spring of 2022. This year, it enrolled a total of 311 students, including 52 new students, with eight of its now 13 grades at full capacity.

The new high school building is expected to be operational for the start of the 2024-25 school year. It will be an entirely new space of about 15,000 square feet and will include traditional classrooms, a science lab, a learning kitchen, rooms for individualized education, an outdoor courtyard, admin offices and a large commons area. Once the building is complete, Summit will have a capacity of 468 students.

Summit Charter Foundation hired JDavis Construction of Anderson, South Carolina as general contractor for the construction project and has a contracted guaranteed maximum price of $5,835,425.

“The only other thing, if the board wishes to consider this is, do we have $2.5 million to loan?” Adams asked the board of commissioners.

Adams recommended that if the board wished to move forward it should explore the conversation further.

“I would recommend this not be taken or considered out of sales tax discussions,” Adams said.

Articles 40 and 42 allocate a half-cent sales tax that is dedicated for funding public schools, while revenues from article 46, the quarter-cent sales tax, are dedicated to Southwestern Community College and public education. According to Adams, the total amount that will be requested for public education in the coming year will allow the county to create a five-year plan for the school system, as well as SCC.

“I believe if we inserted the $2.5 million into that conversation, even though it’s a loan, it could impact some timelines there,” said Adams. “So I would more than likely recommend that the board look at our overall general fund balance in this discussion versus the sales tax fund balance if we wish to move forward and not impact other education priorities.”

The board agreed to put Summit Charter School’s loan request on the agenda for its Oct. 17 meeting.

Jackson joins Foster Care Reinvestment program

BY HANNAH MCLEOD STAFF WRITER

Jackson County will soon join four other North Carolina counties taking part in a pilot program that aims to support its foster care program through direct financial assistance.

This comes as the Jackson County Department of Social Services itself has had to provide an unprecedented rate of residential foster care services for children in the county.

DSS Director Chris Weatherford and Western Region Community Relations Representative Shelly Foreman came before the Jackson County Board of Commissioners on Oct. 10 to present information on the Foster Care Reinvestment program.

In November 2020, Cardinal Innovations, which has now merged with Vaya Health, launched a program aimed at supporting children in the custody of social services departments across their region. The plan included a $30 million investment to fund a monthly payment, referred to as the child welfare enhancement fund, for every Medicaid-eligible child in foster care.

“Essentially all foster care children are going to be Medicaid-eligible,” said Weatherford.

Jackson County will join Alamance, Chatham, Rowan and Stokes counties in the reinvestment program, which has been active for two years. Each month, participating counties receive a portion of the per member per month capitation payment that Vaya receives for every Medicaid-eligible child in foster care. Funding comes through the federal Department of Health and Human Services.

In order to continue the program past its initial term of June 2023, Vaya worked with counties to develop a tracking mechanism for spending in several key areas identified by DSS and Vaya. These include custody prevention, reducing the number of children in residential care, reducing the length of time in DSS custody, reducing placement disruptions, interim support between placements, supporting kinship licensure, increasing family engagement and access to nonMedicaid funded supports.

After gathering the data and conducting a cost analysis, Vaya approved the continuation and expansion of the project to two additional counties.

According to Weatherford, interim support between placements will be important for Jackson County.

“Children that are in between placements, which means they’ve had to leave their previous placement and we don’t have another placement identified, they’re either in our office or we could pay someone else to help take care of them, whether they’re licensed or not,” Weatherford explained. “We’re really limited on what we can do with that right now. So this may help set up some supports in place so that we can maybe keep some of these children out of our office or put them in a better place until their next

placement is identified.”

Due to the high number of children without foster care placement, DSS staff has had to provide 24/7 care at the DSS headquarters. When the Board of Commissioners approved an additional payment plan in July for employees providing that care, County Manager Don Adams estimated that in just the first five months of the year, there were about 75 days during which county staff were providing care for children.

The money will help DSS pay for things that Medicaid cannot reimburse. This can include smoke detectors, fire extinguishers, fences, door alarms and anything else that DSS identifies during investigations with families that would help keep children safer.

need, then perhaps they don’t need a higher level of care and they won’t need to leave our area, they can stay in their foster homes here,” Weatherford said. “There’s just various ways we could spend funding to do that and help folks out.”

New legislation passed by the North Carolina General Assembly this year will change the way DSS is required to compensate kinship providers — family members that provide foster care to a child. Currently, non-kinship foster parents receive just under $1,000 per month and now kinship providers will receive between $300 and $400 per month. The reinvestment program will be able to help pay for that increase in funding demand.

“If there’s a funding source we can go out and do that,” said Weatherford. “We just can’t do that for all the families we need with only county funds. So this will be a potential game changer in that regard.”

The program will also help pay for services that should reduce the need for residential care by connecting and providing children and families with local health services.

“If we can provide support to children that are having behavioral, mental health issues, if we can provide them what they

inspections and jump through other hoops in order to foster a child.

“I don’t think I realized how challenging it was for kinship placements,” said Foreman. “If you want a family member, a loved one in the family to be able to keep that child until the child or children can either be returned home or become a permanent placement, they don’t get funded the same way that a foster family gets funded.”

The family member has to take on costs for things like child care, after school care, food, creating a bedroom space and more. Foreman said taking care of these expenses for families has been a valuable use of funds.

“A lot of times, you have grandparents taking care of grandchildren that are struggling, going paycheck to paycheck,” said Commissioner Todd Bryson. “I’m happy this [program] came along. I know so many struggling elderly that’s taking care of their grandchildren and I hope some of these funds go towards helping some of those folks.”

Both Jackson and Alexander counties will join the program in the coming months. Now, it will be up to the county to receive the funds and DSS to account for expenditures and report to Vaya on a quarterly basis about how it is utilizing the money.

“I’m happy this [program] came along. I know so many struggling elderly that’s taking care of their grandchildren and I hope some of these funds go towards helping some of those folks.”

— Commissioner Todd Bryson

“One of the reasons we really wanted Jackson County to participate is we want a DSS director who comes to the table, not just to talk about problems, because we all know that the system is very challenging right now, but to have someone who talks about solutions, and Chris always comes to us and we talk about what we can do differently,” said Foreman. “One of our limitations is sometimes having the funding to do it, so we’re really excited that Jackson can participate.”

“Next month, we’ll be required to pay half of a board payment to a kinship provider that is in the process of becoming a foster parent,” said Weatherford. “That’s something we’ve never had to do; it’s not something we budgeted for this year. It was just kind of introduced and passed and now we’re going to do it. The state’s actually picking up a quarter of that payment and the county will pick up a quarter of that payment.”

In order for family members to get licensed, they must undergo training sessions, housing

Payments to the county for the new program will be about $30,000 per month. Once DSS puts together a budget for the program the board of commissioners will have to vote on that budget amendment. Vaya is currently working on developing a contract template to help tailor the program to the county’s accounting practices. Weatherford and Foreman expect to have the program ready for the county to begin receiving payments by the first of the year.

“It’s exciting news,” said Adams. “Hopefully it just allows DSS and DSS partners to try to come up with creative ways to serve foster children.”

Home at last, Capt. Fred Hall is now at rest

BY C ORY VAILLANCOURT P OLITICS E DITOR

The four of them lumbered along the logging road before finally reaching the old fox hunting cabin about a mile below the crest of Big Stomp Mountain, an unassuming woody knob sloping gently toward the heavens from the floor of Ratcliff Cove.

Adventurous young men no more than 15 years old, Bill, David, Donald and Fred would often camp out there for several days, doing all the things teenagers did in the late 1950s — wandering through the woods, playing poker by the warm glow of a kerosene lamp, cooking in the stone fireplace, drinking from the clean, cold spring that rose up through the mountain just behind the cabin.

One crisp fall night, they decided to hike to the top of Big Stomp to see what they could see. When they peered out, they saw a modest mountain valley sparkling with light.

“What do you think we’re looking at?” David asked.

Pointing, Fred started with his family

laughed. “They don’t need lights over there.”

He continued to trace his way through the streets they’d all plodded many times before, locating the drive-in, the cars at Charlie’s, even their own houses.

Fred looked at Bill and David and Donald, then looked down, then posed a question.

“Do you know what that’s called right there?”

“Waynesville,” one of them said.

“No, not just that. I mean, all of it,” said Fred. “That’s called home.”

The four of them went their separate ways after high school.

Bill McInvaille was an English teacher for years in Florida before he passed away in 2003. David Morgan became a Presbyterian minister before his passing in 2018. Fred Hall graduated from the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill and enlisted in the Air Force. Donald Davis went to Davidson College and Duke Divinity School, and became a minister and a renowned storyteller.

Davis delivered Hall’s eulogy, including the powerful camping anecdote, at Waynesville’s First Presbyterian Church on Tuesday, Oct. 10.

Waynesville by motorcade, following his arrival at Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport.

It was the first time his wife, Julia Hall Coffey, had been close to him in more than half a century, but it wasn’t the first time since then that she’d felt his presence; after their tragic parting, Julia spent no small measure of energy reliving the all-too-brief period they shared at the Spartan Arms on North Alvernon Way in Tucson — the apartment complex where they’d first met, fallen in love and eventually settled.

When the service at First Presbyterian concluded, eight pallbearers cloaked in the droning tones of a kilted bagpiper hauled Hall’s flag-draped casket out the front door to a waiting caisson.

Pulled by two big black horses, it followed the same route Fred pointed out from Big Stomp all those years ago.

The old Winn-Dixie is now Badcock Furniture. The Town House, the gas station and the Hotel Lefaine are gone. The arch over the roadway was removed in 1972. The light at Miller Street is no more. The post office has become the Town of Waynesville’s administrative headquarters. Joe Scruggs’ Texaco is an Edward Jones financial services office. Clyde Ray’s flower shop is a parking lot.

church, First Presbyterian, awash in the subtle radiance of the Winn-Dixie grocery store at the head of Walnut Street.

Navigating his way south on the Main Street they all knew so well, Fred called out the Town House restaurant and the gentle curve in the road where Hotel Lefaine stood. Down the way, the old Haywood courthouse. Farther down, the famous arch over the roadway, proudly proclaiming Waynesville the symbolic gateway to the Smokies.

The blinking light at Miller Street drew Fred’s finger further south, past the Park Theater and the traffic signal at the post office. Still further, there’s First Baptist on the right. Joe Scruggs’ Texaco is on the left. Passing the Oak Park Inn, Main Street flattens out near Clyde Ray’s flower shop before disappearing along a well-worn, mossstreaked cobblestone wall towards Hazelwood and Balsam.

“What’s that big dark place up there?” asked Bill, pointing across the street.

“That’s Green Hill Cemetery,” Fred

“It should have been no surprise to us when, about 10 years later, Fred came home from training to tell us he was being trained to be a navigator,” Davis said over chuckles from mourners gathered in the church. “We already knew that.”

Hall, along with his pilot, Col. Ernest DeSoto, was killed in Vietnam when their F-4 Phantom failed to return from a mission on April 12, 1969. Both were declared missing in action until their remains were identified earlier this year.

On Sunday, Oct. 8, Hall was returned to

One thing, however, remains largely the same as it was that dark night on Big Stomp.

Near the entrance to Green Hill Cemetery, hundreds of people had gathered beneath a huge American flag to welcome Hall home. Waving flags of their own, some saluted his casket. Some cried. Some held their hands to their heart. Some showed up two hours before the service even began.

“It’s the least we could do to honor somebody that’s actually gave their life and been missing for over 50 years,” said Ed Shelton, a door gunner on an F

Army helicopter in Vietnam. “That’s the least we can do. Two hours ain’t much of nothin’.”

Hall’s procession, led by state, county and local law enforcement, crept toward the entrance to Green Hill Cemetery, snaking its way along the tranquil pathways up to the top of the hill and then down the back side.

A riderless horse with a saber fastened to the saddle and boots backwards in the stirrups — longstanding military tradition for the fallen — followed along as the procession was greeted by veterans groups, motorcyclists who’d accompanied Hall’s remains from the airport and the Air Force honor guard that had tended to him there.

triangle before giving it to Julia. She clutched it tightly to her chest, as though it were Fred himself.

Listed as missing in action for more than 54 years, Capt. Fred Hall, a native of Waynesville, was laid to rest in historic Green Hill Cemetery Oct. 10.

Per Julia’s wishes, Hall was buried near the resting place of his parents. When she’s called to join him, she’ll be there, too.

“It’s the least we could do to honor somebody that’s actually gave their life and been missing for over 50 years.”

— Ed Shelton

They delivered Hall to his final resting place, removing the flag that had adorned his casket and folding it precisely into a taut

After the somber strains of “Taps” were blown by a lone bugler, a pair of F-15 fighter jets roared through the sky from the north, screaming southbound, drawing the crowd’s gaze from down on Hall’s grave up toward the heavens — just where he would have wanted it to be.

“He’ll be looking down watching today,” Davis had said earlier, at First Presbyterian. “And as they look out of the windows of heaven, if anyone in that great cloud of witnesses says, ‘What are we looking at?’ Fred will point once again, and simply say, ‘It’s called home.’”

Former Tribal Council candidate seeks compensation for 2017 election outcome

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF W RITER

Aformer Tribal Council candidate is seeking $800,000 from the tribe in compensation for “physical, mental and financial despair” allegedly inflicted on her and her family in the aftermath of the 2017 election.

During the heated 2017 election season that followed the controversial impeachment of former Principal Chief Patrick Lambert, Ashley Sessions ran for a seat on Tribal Council representing Birdtown, a win that would have made her the first woman in over half a century to hold that seat. Election Day results showed her 12 votes behind Albert Rose, barely losing her bid for office. But she called for a recount, and the results reversed their positions — both candidates gained votes, but Sessions gained more, edging Rose by five votes.

However, Sessions was never seated. The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Board of Elections determined that the recount “has not determined the accurate vote count” and ordered a runoff — but only between Sessions and Rose, despite every Tribal Council candidate that year seeing their vote total change after the Board of Elections ordered that all ballots be recounted. The runoff consisted of a single day of in-person voting, with no absentee or early voting opportunities, and Sessions lost.

But that wasn’t the end of the story. Tribal Council funded an investigation into an alleged break-in and ballot tampering between the General Election and the recount, offering a $100,000 reward for information leading to a conviction. The voting machine company attributed the dis-

crepancy in vote totals to unreadable ballots — due both to early voters using red ink pens and to the Election Board, after running out of early voting ballots, manually marking some absentee ballots as early voting ballots. However, in an audit of the voting process, Arizona-based Veriti Consulting LLC charged that early ballots in which a voter had selected only one of a maximum two Tribal Council candidates were deliberately tampered with. While recount results for Birdtown included an additional 86 ballots compared to Election Day, Veriti found 76 fewer undervoted ballots after the recount than the number stated on the Election Day voting machine report.

The tribe paid nearly half a million to investigator Corporate Security Solutions Inc. to get to the bottom of the issue, Sessions wrote in the resolution accompanying her $800,000 request, but the company gave only one public update and a final report dated Dec. 10, 2019, that did not offer a conclusion.

Sessions told Tribal Council that she formulated her request for compensation after receiving an upsetting phone call from an FBI agent earlier this year. She said the agent called to let her know that she was “fine,” a statement that confused Sessions.

“He said, ‘Did you not know the men that the tribe hired were trying to get you indict-

ed and charge you with tampering with that election?’” Sessions told Council. “And I said, ‘No, I did not. And he told me that there was absolutely no evidence that anything had occurred. They were not going to do any charges on anybody.”

As of press time, the FBI had not responded to a request for comment on this matter.

Sessions said that former Principal Chief Richard Sneed had suggested she submit a resolution to Tribal Council asking to be indemnified. The resolution, first submitted for the Sept. 7 Tribal Council session, would direct the tribe to pay Sessions $800,000 from its general endowment fund within five days of ratification. In return, Sessions would “fully and completely release, acquit and forever discharge” the tribe, various officials within it and CSSI “from any and all claims, action, causes of action and demands.”

Tribal Council, however, was hesitant to act.

“This is a clear court case, for what you’re asking,” said Painttown Rep. Dike Sneed. “When a decision’s handed down by the court, we’re bound to do what the decision says.”

Sessions pointed out that there is precedent for the tribe paying damages absent a court order. In 2017, Sneed agreed to pay seven employees who were fired under Lambert’s administration just under $100,000 apiece. That decision was not approved by Tribal Council and came after the employees filed a lawsuit in tribal court — but the payouts were not court-ordered and in fact were adjusted upward after a smaller settlement had already been signed.

Suing the tribe for compensation is not a simple matter for tribal members, because the tribe can easily strike down such claims using sovereign immunity as a defense.

“If you guys are insisting her [Sessions] to go to court when

there’s cases that’s been handled already by this body, by our tribe, are y’uns going to give her a waiver of sovereignty?” asked Big Cove resident Lori Taylor. “Like, today. Are y’uns going to give that to her today?”

Taylor’s question was met by eight seconds of silence.

Birdtown Rep. Boyd Owle broke the silence by saying Sessions had asked that question already during a separate conversation that included about five Council members.

“I don’t think we ever gave her an answer,” he said. “I think it may be determined that we would not.”

Sessions contradicted that assessment.

“You all absolutely agreed that you would support waiving immunity, and I do have it recorded on my phone,” she said.

In an email, Sessions declined to provide that recording “at the moment” but said it was about 90 minutes long.

Taylor told Council that any waiver of immunity should extend well beyond Sessions, saying that the election disenfranchised Birdtown voters as well.

“I also think a waiver of sovereignty should go to those voters, and those voters should be able to file a lawsuit as well,” she said.

Tribal Council voted unanimously to table the resolution for a work session.

HRMC announces Lunch and Learn for October

Join Haywood Regional Medical Center for a Lunch and Learn this Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Guests will learn about options for diagnosis and treatment at HRMC, including mammograms, genetic testing and reconstructive surgery. The talk will be held at noon on Wednesday, Oct. 18, at the Haywood Health & Fitness Center. This month’s speaker is general surgeon Allison Johnson.

Johnson received her doctor of medicine degree from the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, South Carolina. She then went on to complete her general surgery residency and critical care fellowship at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson, Mississippi.

Guests will enjoy a complimentary lunch. Space is limited, and guests must RSVP to guarantee a reserved lunch. To RSVP, please register online at MyHaywoodRegional.com/lunchandlearn or call 828.452.8828. Visit MyHaywoodRegional.com/LunchAndLearn for the latest information.

Great Smokies Health Foundation Announces 2023 Grants

The Board of Directors of the Great Smokies Health Foundation has awarded $539,235 to 24 organizations for a variety of health, wellness and prevention initiatives across Graham, Jackson, Macon and Swain counties.

Brian Huskey, the Foundation’s Executive Director said, “We received 51 funding applications this year, with a total of $934,712 in funding requests. It broke last year’s records both in number of applications received as well as the total amount requested.”

“There were some new things in our funding mix this year,” Huskey explained. “Our Board completed a strategic plan last May, so we narrowed the focus of our grant making a bit and increased the limit for Community Grants from $5,000 to $7,500.”

The Foundation’s Board of Directors also created two new funding opportunities in addition to its existing Community Grants program. Mr. Huskey stated, “The Targeted Health Impact Grants and High Impact Health Initiatives are very “outcomesdriven” — they’re intended to produce objectively measurable health benefits. They also prioritize the Foundation’s strategic plan Social Determinant of Health core objectives: increasing access to primary and dental care; addressing child and adolescent mental health issues; and reducing hunger and food insecurity.”

Shifting to a two-year funding cycle in 2023 was also new for the Great Smokies Health Foundation, although some agencies applied for single-year funding.

Huskey said, “During our strategic planning process, we heard from several of our grantees

that funding two-year awards would reduce their administrative and reporting burden. For small organizations with limited staff capacity, even something that simple can really make a difference in their workload. And the Foundation works hard to remain ‘user-friendly’ and communityfocused, so we took that input to heart this year.”

Grants amounts awarded by the Great Smokies Health Foundation this year ranged from $2,050 to $118,835.

Agencies awarded in the Community Grant category included: AWAKE Children’s Advocacy Center; Center for Domestic Peace; Child Medical Collaborative; East Carolina University School of Dental of Dental Medicine; Sylva Community Service Learning Center; Fontana Regional Library/Jackson County Public Library (“Access.Period” project and “Hydration Station Refill” project); the Giving Spoon; Graham County Health Department Dental Clinic; Jackson County Department of Public Health (Elevate828 Wellness Program, Safe Kids Jackson County, and Cullowhee Community Garden); Hands On Jackson; HERE in Jackson County; Jackson County Fire & Life Safety; Jackson Neighbors in Need; Macon County Care Network; Rolling Start NC; Swain/Qualla SAFE; Sylva Police Department Community Care Program; United Christian Ministries; and Vecinos.

Agencies awarded in the Targeted Health Impact category included: Blue Ridge Free Dental Clinic; The Community Table; HIGHTS, Inc.; Jackson County Department of Public Health (Women’s Health Services); Swain County Health Department; Uncomplicated Kitchen; and Vecinos.

The Graham County Health Department received the Foundation’s first High Impact Health Initiative Award. The Great Smokies Health Foundation provided salary support for the Health Department’s primary care clinic nurse practitioner, enabling the clinic to be fully staffed five days per week.

Five compete for Highlands Commission

BY HANNAH MCLEOD STAFF W RITER

Highlands will have at least one new member on its Board of Commissioners after Election Day this November.

Three seats on the board are up this cycle, and one incumbent, Marc Hehn, is not running for reelection. Two other incumbents, John Dotson and Brian Stiehler, are running to regain their seats and are challenged by Kay Craig, Rachel Wilson and Jess Weller.

Overton Tucker Chambers had originally filed to run for the board as well, but in August, Derek Taylor, representing Highlands for Good Government, brought a challenge against Chambers. Taylor alleged that Chambers’ primary residency was not within city limits and that he had used his commercial business address to file. A panel assembled by the North Carolina State Board of Elections unanimously upheld the challenge against Chambers and he was disqualified from the race.

JOHN DOTSON

DOB: Aug. 29, 1953

Place of birth: Landstuhl, Germany

Occupation: Real Estate Broker

John Dotson has been living in Highlands since 1986 and has served on the board of commissioners since 2007. He has also served on both the zoning board and planning board for the town of Highlands.

“I’ve done it for 16 years,” said Dotson. “People keep electing me. Folks have talked about term limits and in Highlands, we’ve usually got four or 500 people that vote. So, one vote is a term limit.”

If elected for another term, Dotson’s priorities include expanding municipal services such as water, sewer and sidewalks, including the completion of the sidewalk project on 106.

“Sewer is a very tenuous situation in Highlands,” said Dotson. “It gets extraordinarily expensive to put in sewer line. If at all possible and I’d like to see expanded sewer availability inside the town.”

Dotson also wants to see the town continue to be fiscally conservative and maintain a healthy fund balance for emergencies.

“I think we certainly need to take a good long look at tourism and what we’re able to cope with,” said Dotson. “Certain organizations in town have promoted Highlands extensively so we’re seeing the benefits and repercussions of a lot of people coming to town and the town infrastructure is strained with that.”

JEFF WELLER

DOB: Feb. 13, 1970

Place of Birth: Pennsylvania

Occupation: Project Manager/Partner of Summit Architecture PA

Jeff Weller has lived in Highlands for 30 years and currently serves on the Macon County Recreation Commission, the planning board, playground committee and scholarship committee, and has previously served on the parking/ street committee as well as the Unified Development Ordinance Advisory Committee. This is Weller’s first time running for an elected office.

After graduating from Clemson University with a degree in Design-Architecture, Weller has had a career in architecture, planning and construction.

the drinking water for the town of Highlands should be a top priority,” said Weller. “Being involved in the construction industry, I fully understand the complicated nature of the expansion of sewer to some areas, but our environment is too important to not come up with possible solutions.”

RACHEL WILSON

DOB: Sept. 30, 1983

Place of Birth: Macon County

Occupation: Director of Accounting at Old Edwards Hospitality Group

Highlands for 35 years and feel that it is important to help and contribute to your community,” said Craig.

If elected to the Highlands Board of Commissioners, Craig’s top three priorities include recreation, infrastructure and sidewalks for residents and visitors, as well as working together with business owners to keep the town vibrant.

BRIAN J. STIEHLER

DOB: June 9, 1978

Place of Birth: Reading, Pennsylvania

Occupation: Golf Course Superintendent at Highlands Country Club

“My professional career and my community service has allowed me to work closely with both the town of Highlands government and administration, as well as the Macon County Commissioners and county sub-committees,” said Weller. “In my professional career as a project manager for both residential and commercial projects, I spend significant time managing the design process as well as representing the owners during the duration of construction. At all times that involves problem solving and coordinating between [multiple parties].”

Weller has seen several divisive issues come through the Highlands Commission in recent years and said he felt the time was right to get fresh ideas and views on the board.

Additionally, Weller wants to see more community engagement in town decisions and believes he is the candidate to make that happen.

“My professional experience and community service have prepared me to have a positive impact if elected to the Town of Highlands Board of Commissioners,” said Weller.

His top four priorities if elected to the commission include responsible growth, improving infrastructure, supporting business and community engagement. When it comes to growth, Weller wants to see it managed “to maintain our sense of community and our natural environment. At the same time, that managed growth needs to take into account the needs of full-time residents, part-time residents and our business community.”

To improve infrastructure, Weller would like to see the town expand sewer services to the most environmentally sensitive areas, including properties along the waterways throughout Highlands city limits.

“The preservation of our environment and

Rachel Wilson was born and raised in Macon County and moved with her family to Highlands five years ago to be closer to her work. She has never held elected office but serves as treasurer for the Highlands School Athletic Booster Club and the Shelby Place HOA.

“The skills I have built throughout my career provide me tools necessary to serve the town well as a commissioner,” said Wilson. “I have learned the importance of working with others and taking the time to understand different perspectives even if we don’t agree … My strong financial background is a skill set unique from any other candidate or board member and can help ensure transparency and the best use of taxpayer funds.”

If elected to the commission, Wilson’s top three priorities for the Town of Highlands include fiscal responsibility, better collaboration and managed growth.

“The Town of Highlands is ready for new perspectives and fresh ideas,” said Wilson. “If given the opportunity, I will work hard to ensure what we love about our community is protected as we navigate growth and other trials the future may bring.”

KAY CRAIG

DOB: 1964

Place of Birth: Jackson, Mississippi

Occupation: Owner of the Ugly Dog Pub and Highlands Dive

Kay Craig has lived in Highlands since she moved here with her husband in 1988. She has served on several boards in Highlands including the Chamber of Commerce, The Bascom, Friends of Founders Park, Highlands Community Child Development Center and The Literacy Council.

Together, Craig and her husband started the Saturday on Pine, Music in the Park.

“I have worked in and owned businesses in

Brian Stiehler moved to Highlands in 2000 for a position at Highlands Country Club and was first elected to the Highlands Commission in 2011. He has served on multiple community boards including Rotary Club of Highlands, Literacy Council, Leadership Highlands and the Chamber of Commerce, among others.

“I’m confident that my previous town board experience is a great representation of my character,” said Stiehler.

There are several projects that Stiehler would like to see through as a member of the commission, including fundraising for a new playground that is currently in the design phase and the first Town of Highlands Scholarship Fund.

“This fund allows graduates of the Highlands School to pursue post-secondary education with financial help from the town,” he said. “There is no other fund like this in the country because municipalities are typically not permitted to maintain investment funds. In the last 13 years that I’ve been involved, over $200,000 has been added to the scholarship fund through the golf tournament alone.”

If elected to the Highlands Commission, Stiehler’s top priorities include protecting the quality experience in Highlands, which he says requires input from several different people and entities; continued planning efforts to be sure Highlands infrastructure can support the future growth of the area — not only physical planning but also planning to adequately fill leadership roles with several long-standing employees nearing retirement; and increasing childcare opportunities in Highlands.

“The job of being a great commissioner goes so far beyond what the public sees at the monthly meetings, and it takes someone who has the time, the passion and the energy to fulfill its duties. I would be honored to continue to serve the community as one of your five commissioners.”

Cannabis funding decision expected soon

Cherokee issues first medical ID cards; tribe continues to work on product transport plan

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER

In comments made during Tribal Council’s most recent meeting on Oct. 16, Principal Chief Michell Hicks said he hopes to have legislation delivering critical funding to the tribe’s cannabis enterprise ready for a vote within the next week.

“As soon as we advance that at a level that the Finance Office is comfortable with, we can bring that back to the table,” he said. “I know it’s a big decision, and I understand where employees are, but again, we’re trying to figure it out to make sure the tribe stays whole first in regards to this decision.”

So far, the tribe has appropriated $31 million to the project, a large sum that still falls short of the additional $53 million the company had asked for when it made its request to Tribal Council last December. Despite having $30 million worth of inventory in storage, the company is still not bringing in revenue because marijuana’s continued status as an illegal drug in North Carolina is preventing transport from the farm on Cooper’s Creek to the dispensary in Cherokee.

Without more funding soon, Qualla Enterprises will not be able to make payroll.

Also at issue, however, is the tribe’s financial position — an issue that was key to the 2023 tribal elections that seated Hicks in place of former Principal Chief Richard Sneed. During that campaign, Hicks said the tribe had overcommitted itself financially and tied its own hands by collateralizing its cash. On Oct. 16, Hicks said his administration was still working to understand the tribe’s financial status sufficiently to chart a path forward for Qualla Enterprises.

Medical cannabis cards come in three colors — green for patients, blue for agents and red for Cannabis Control Board members. Holly Kays photo

North Carolina — any N.C. resident is eligible to apply for a card.

Following a September election in which voters overwhelmingly endorsed legalizing recreational use, Qualla Enterprises’ consumer base is poised to grow even more. If Tribal Council passes laws in line with voters’ wishes, in the future any person 21 or older could legally buy cannabis products in Cherokee.

If, that is, Qualla can navigate the challenges before it now.

So far, the tribe has appropriated $31 million to the project, a large sum that still falls short of the additional $53 million the company had asked for when it made its request to Tribal Council last December.

First, the funding. In December 2022, Qualla Enterprises told Tribal Council it needed $64 million to pay for staffing and development of indoor grow and retail facilities as it prepared for its first year of sales. But it received only $10 million of that amount due to federal guidance discouraging tribes from funding cannabis operations using gambling proceeds. Tribal leaders couldn’t come up with enough non-gambling money to meet Qualla Enterprises’ requests.

In a report shared with The Cherokee One Feather in May, Qualla Enterprises said it had hired 54 employees but expected to have 477 employees at full capacity. The company currently has 66 employees, Qualla Enterprises board member Marty Stamey said during an Oct. 12 work session.

said it is aiming for a grand opening in late 2023.

Hicks proposed a solution to the funding aspect of Qualla Enterprises’ conundrum with a resolution submitted Monday, Oct. 9, that would have given Qualla Enterprises $19 million — but as a loan to be paid back with interest. At that time, he said he thought the resolution was headed in the “right direction” but asked that Tribal Council table the measure so he could gather additional information first.

This crossroads comes just as, in other ways, the stage is being set for success. Last week, the Cannabis Control Board issued its first patient cards, which entitle their holders to purchase cannabis from the tribal dispensary or grow the plants themselves — so long as the garden is located on tribal land. So far, the board has received 1,005 applications for patient cards, CCB Executive Director Neil Denman told the Cherokee Police Commission Oct. 12, of which 817 were approved. There were 129 incomplete applications, and 59 were denied because the applicant didn’t have a qualifying diagnosis. While medical cannabis is legal on tribal land only — not on state-controlled land in

In the Oct. 12 Cherokee Police Commission meeting, CCB Inspector Brian Parker said the enterprise is still lagging on infrastructure, too. Of the 69 hoop houses it plans to use, 42 have been installed — each hoop house can hold 2,040 plants — and Qualla Enterprises is still working to get phase three power out to the site. Currently, the farm is working on generators.

“They’re having to rent those generators monthly, and then the cost of diesel fuel every month to run the generators, it’s a big added expense,” Denman said.

Meanwhile, the company remains without a source of revenue because it has yet to find a legal way to transport cannabis from

the farm to the dispensary. The farm is on tribal trust land, but driving to the main Qualla Boundary from that site requires traveling a short distance through Swain County land, where marijuana is still illegal. In a September interview, Cody White, associate counsel for the EBCI Attorney General’s Office assigned to the Cherokee Indian Police Department, said the tribe is still working on a solution that will allow Qualla Enterprises to operate without breaking any local, state or federal laws.

White said no further updates are available on that effort, but Qualla Enterprises appears to anticipate a resolution is forthcoming. In a Sept. 14 Facebook post, the company

The issue was likely discussed during an Oct. 12 work session attended by Tribal Council, Hicks, the Qualla Enterprises board of directors and attorneys for Qualla Enterprises and its vendor Sovereign Solutions Carolina. However, very little of that meeting was public. It began with about 13 minutes of introductions and opening discussion, followed by an hour and 15 minutes of discussion that was open to tribal members in the chamber but not broadcast online. Chairman Mike Parker then came back into open session long enough to inform the public that Council would go into executive session.

“We’re going to be protecting the confidentiality of some of the information we’re going to be discussing,” he said. “Again, we’re not trying to hide anything or anything like that from the public, but due to the sensitive nature of what we’re going to be talking about, we’re going to go off the air.”

Re-ElectJulia Boyd Freeman

Council Member, Town of Waynesville “Committed to community, dedicated to progress”

I will continue to support viable and sustainable growth while preserving our small town heritage and building a stronger town.

I will continue to make decisions in the best interest of the town, its citizens and the environment.

I will continue to work at nding positive solutions to issues facing Waynesville while promoting the best long-term interest of the town and its taxpayers.

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Pivotal election in Waynesville this year

BY C ORY VAILLANCOURT

P OLITICS E DITOR

Voters in Waynesville are preparing for a contentious election that offers very different visions for the future of the town the candidates want to lead.

All four members of the Waynesville Town Council, along with the mayor, are up for reelection in November, but it’s the last time that will ever happen in Waynesville. This year, the two candidates with the most votes will win four-year terms, while the next two candidates will win two-year terms. After that, two council members will be up for reelection every two years, setting up staggered terms. The move to staggered terms brings Waynesville in line with other Haywood County municipalities and ensures that an entire loss of institutional knowledge can never occur.

Waynesville’s incumbents — Mayor Gary Caldwell and Council Members Chuck Dickson, Jon Feichter, Julia Freeman and Anthony Sutton — are all running to keep their seats.

Retired DEA agent and Waynesville native Joey Reece, who just missed being elected to Council in 2019, is running for mayor against Caldwell. Another mayoral candidate didn’t respond to multiple requests from The Smoky Mountain News to participate in a campaign interview.

Four other candidates are running for seats on Council, three of them with Reece as a group calling itself “Team Waynesville.”

Ken Hollifield, a town employee who says he’s not part of the slate but sides with them on most issues, was the only non-incumbent Council candidate to respond to SMN’s offer to participate in campaign interviews.

The Housing Crisis

Perhaps the most pressing issue facing

the town, the county, the state and even the nation may be the affordable housing crisis. Housing costs in Western North Carolina border on the obscene. According to Canopy MLS, the average home sale price in the county for August was more than $444,000, up 14% year over year.

That’s creating real problems for entrylevel teachers, first responders and service industry employees that power the local economy. Without them, everything grinds to a halt.

“I think we’ve done all that we can do, based on the restrictions that we have,” Sutton said. “We have implemented some things that will help with affordable housing. Is there a lot more that we can do? Absolutely. Have we fallen behind as a region? Absolutely. But are we headed in the right direction? Yes.”

Since 2018, the Council has pushed to include housing for low- to moderateincome residents as the town grows, and even declared a blighted zone where additional incentives become available to investors or developers.

“We have a very good policy of offering incentives and helping folks,” said Dickson. “I think some people maybe think that the town of Waynesville is responsible for housing for Haywood County. But we have revamped the Waynesville Housing Authority Board and we’ve appointed good members to that board. But again, it takes money.”

Four major housing development projects have been or will be approved, with each of them taking incentives to provide at least some affordable housing in each development. Mountain Creek apartments (the old BiLo) and Balsam Edge (on Howell Mill Road) are both in varying stages of construction, with Hazelwood Bluff (off Locust Drive) awaiting state tax credits.

Caldwell said he’s most proud of the

rehab at the old Haywood Hospital, which is reserved exclusively for seniors and veterans and was also reliant on tax credits.

“We’re always pushing for more affordable housing, but contractors just can’t do that for the cost of what labor and materials are today,” he said.

Freeman said the town fought for the inclusion of affordable housing units at Mountain Creek.

“I believe it’s going to be 20-some units that will be affordable housing for the next 10 years,” she said. “We’re very proud of that. Looking forward, there’ll be, from what we understand, some elderly housing units going in Howell Mill Road in the future.”

Feichter wants to see the town go even further by offering low- or no-interest loans to developers to help supplement financing. He added that he thinks those loans could even extend to homebuyers at some point in the future.

Hollifield wants rental housing to cost around $600-$750 a month — still a far cry from market rents the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development says are at least $890 for a one-bedroom.

“If something isn’t done, the people that were raised here, they’re not going to be able to afford to live here,” he said.

Counterintuitively, Hollifield also thinks that there’s been too much development.

“In my opinion, building all these apartments, the local government has overpopulated the town of Waynesville,” he said. “I hope that the townspeople will come out say it’s time for a change.”

Reece is largely in agreement with Hollifield.

“I have walked a good portion of the town, probably spoken with I guess close to a thousand people,” he said. “You don’t even get out of your mouth, ‘What is your main concern?’ and it’s ‘I’m tired of this

overbuilding.’”

Council members have pushed back against the “overbuilding” sentiment advanced by Team Waynesville. Even during times of low or no inflation, costs rise every year. Employees like cops, mechanics and administrators need regular raises or they’ll go work somewhere else. Utility monopolies raise prices at will to support lavish salaries for CEOs. Fuel prices are largely determined by foreign cartels. Without growth, municipalities, states and nations die.

“That’s just basic economics,” Freeman said. “If you do not grow, you have to raise taxes, or you have to cut services. No one wants either one of those two scenarios to take place.”

Dickson, who along with Feichter has consistently opposed tax increases since his election to Council in 2019, said that without expanding the tax base at a reasonable rate, one of those two scenarios would have to take place.

A tax increase, Feichter said, would affect the most vulnerable citizens.

“The poverty rate in Waynesville is significantly higher than the North Carolina average, as well as Haywood County in general,” he explained. “A high percentage of our population is seniors living on fixed incomes. Anything that we can do to help limit the impact of our tax rates on those individuals is of paramount concern for me.”

An added bonus for the town’s bottom line in the fight against raising taxes, according to Feichter, is that new developments approved by the town will be on the town’s electric system, recapturing revenue that could have been lost to outside entities.

Hollifield stated that the people in apartments don’t pay property taxes; while they don’t directly, landlords don’t pay property

S EE P IVOTAL , PAGE 16

taxes out-of-pocket but instead price their property tax payments into their rents, which are paid by renters.

“If you don’t have this growth, then you’re going to end up having to fall back on the citizens to raise taxes, or you’re going to have to cut back on your police department or your fire department, which you can’t do,” Caldwell said. “You’ve got to have some growth.”

The final component to housing affordability — and availability — involves shortterm rental properties. In a tourism-driven market, those properties bring tourists to town while effectively making it difficult for those who serve them, like bartenders, cooks, cops and retail employees, to find affordable rental accommodations.

from the Pactiv Evergreen paper mill won’t impact Waynesville as much as it will Canton, it’s still a blow for the county as a whole and for some laid-off workers residing in Waynesville.

Underscoring the urgency of the housing crisis is the fact that some elected officials and candidates think it’s affecting the job market.

“We’re always pushing for more affordable housing, but contractors just can’t do that for the cost of what labor and materials are today.”

and a commercial solar electric rate policy provides value to businesses.

Team Waynesville

Even though Reece is a member of “Team Waynesville,” he doesn’t claim to speak for all of them, nor do they all speak for him. They refused to speak for themselves by failing to return calls and emails asking them to interview for this story.

The team did, however, put out a “mission statement” outlining what the candidates say are major complaints about the town — most or all of which are based on misinformation.

They say the town has fallen under the “control and influence of outside forces.”

Every elected member of the Council would like to know who, exactly, those outside forces are.

In 2021, the nonprofit Dogwood Health Trust released the results of a housing needs assessment, which showed Haywood County with a deficit of 1,459 homes. Coincidentally, recent data from the Haywood County Tourism Development Authority shows approximately 1,700 shortterm rentals in the county as of May.

There are a couple of caveats to those numbers. Not every short-term rental tracked by the TDA is within the town limits of Waynesville. In fact, most of them aren’t. And, many of them are million-dollar mountaintop mansions not suitable or affordable for long-term rental.

Along those lines, Freeman holds a different view than her fellow Council members on regulating short-term rentals.

— Mayor Gary Caldwell

“My hope is that having these apartments come online, you will start to see these help wanted signs go out the window,” Caldwell said.

Reece doesn’t think the incumbents have done enough to attract higher-paying jobs to town, and noted that the dominance of the service industry means low local demand for skilled workers.

“We’ve priced housing [so] people can’t move here,” Reece said. “I mean, they’ve got to have a great job to move here and afford these houses.”

Hollifield called the town’s record on job creation “terrible.”

“The people are making the decisions, and those decisions are informed by the people of Waynesville. Period,” Feichter said.

“There are certainly no outside influences influencing my decisions. I’ve worked hard to solicit input from the citizens of Waynesville, so from my perspective, the only people that are influencing my decisions are folks that live right here in Waynesville. I feel very strongly that the same thing would apply to my fellow council members.”

The team also wants to “restore and preserve our small-town values,” but it doesn’t offer any specifics as to what those values are.

Sutton, however, believes that a recent decline in demand for short-term rentals may alleviate some of the problem, but he supports some form of regulation for shortterm rentals even though he owns and operates one. Dickson pointed out that the legislative and legal landscape of short-term rental regulation in North Carolina is fluid right now. Feichter and Hollifield both feel the issue needs more study, with Feichter saying it “definitely” impacts housing costs locally.

“All they want to do is apartments. That brings jobs in for a little while, but once those apartments get built the people that’s building them, the contractors or whatever, they move off,” Hollifield said. “I just don’t think the town board brought any business in. Small business, maybe. Restaurants. Fast food. But I don’t see anything else coming in.”

“I think small-town values means that you take care of people in your community, you consider everyone equal in your community and you’re supportive of the people in your community, regardless of race, religion, sexual orientation or economic status,” Sutton said.

The team of candidates also complained of so-called “special treatment” for some. Sutton thinks that’s directed at him because he’s the first openly gay member of Waynesville’s governing board.

Caldwell would like to the see town’s planning board continue to research possible options, putting him somewhat in agreement with his challenger Reece.

Through economic development incentives and a comparatively low property tax rate over the past few years, Waynesville has seen a $14.8 million expansion of Premiere Magnesia (known locally as Giles Chemical), a $2.6 million expansion by Sonoco Plastics bringing 60 jobs and a new facility established by Macon County-based Drake Software employing up to 60 people. Harbor Freight, mentioned by Hollifield, employs around 20 people and helps replace the jobs lost when the Kmart closed.

“That’s another dog whistle term,” Sutton said. “When people spoke against equality for African Americans and LGBT people, saying that we were asking for special rights, that’s been disproven. Everyone’s just asking for equal rights.”

“I would look at it,” Reece said. “Because you have to have to be realistic. The places that we do have that would be good full-time rental properties, many of them are being used as Airbnbs. Now, I’m also a property rights guy. I don’t think we ought to be able to tell people what they can do, but you can also generate some revenue from that.”

Economic Development and Jobs

Along with population growth, job growth is another key economic metric that must go up every single year to avoid stagnation. People that work and live in town tend to spend their money in town, which ripples through the economy from top to bottom.

Although the loss of nearly 1,000 jobs

“I think that the town of Waynesville has, over the last four or five years, changed its perception of being against business to being open for business, and that we are helpful to businesses,” Sutton said. “I’m proud of our development team for doing that.”

Maintaining an infrastructure that can support new businesses is also critical. Since 2017, the town has constructed public restrooms in Hazelwood and gussied up the parking lot there, as well as the parking lot in Frog Level. A new parking lot at the corner of Haywood and Church streets makes downtown more accessible, while decorative lighting there and in Frog Level makes it more appealing. Electric vehicle chargers attract both travelers and eco-minded locals,

Case in point, a recent incident with at the Waynesville Recreation Center, where allegedly transgender individuals were accused of acting indecently in changing rooms. A town investigation determined there was no wrongdoing, despite the inaccurate claims.

“There was a lot of false information presented within the community on social media and in various outlets that was just absolutely not true,” Freeman said. “I support our law enforcement’s investigation, and I don’t second guess their findings.”

All members of Council echoed Freeman’s sentiments about the investigation.

“The police department, they’re probably one of the best police departments in North Carolina,” Caldwell said. “We all were scared when [longtime chief] Bill [Hollingsed] left,

S EE P IVOTAL, PAGE 19

Despite Hollifield being a former law enforcement officer — he declined to elaborate on a “bad decision” he says he made that cost him his job — he’s not confident in the results of the investigation.

Reece said it was handled poorly from the beginning, and that the town shouldn’t have initiated a parallel investigation from the administrative side.

Another claim made in the team’s manifesto, repeated by Hollifield, is about the quality of the town’s infrastructure.

“My concern is infrastructure,” Hollifield said. “Let’s see, they’ve not talked about that. But now that it’s an election year, ‘Oh, let’s get this done. Let’s get this done.’ They have not done anything for four years. They’ve not done anything in eight years.”

The past eight years have been a period of growth in the town, signifying the end of its long, slow recovery from the Great Recession of 2008. Over that time, the town has renovated the public works complex, the administration building, the office space inside the police department, the Hazelwood finance office and the fire department.

It’s replaced the Chelsea Street bridge, relaid water and sewer lines along Pigeon Street and resurfaced it, replaced 5,500 feet of sewer line and rebuilt water tanks at Big Cove and Chestnut Grove.

It’s also procured a $19.5 million, nointerest loan over 26 years for the replacement of the wastewater treatment plant, a long-awaited, badly-needed project that has moved slowly due to COVID-19, supply chain issues, inflation and just about every other hang-up a project of this scale can experience. Of late, the town scored a $4.8 million grant to cover cost overages that have appeared during the lead up to groundbreaking.

In total, the town counts more than $27 million in grants and loans that have paid for things like a stormwater master plan, two greenway bridges, a greenway section near Mountain Creek Apartments, Richland Creek streambank restoration, the Sulfur Springs springhouse restoration and a historic preservation plan for downtown.

All without a tax increase.

The most dubious claim made in the team’s manifesto, that “substance abuse, homelessness and crime are skyrocketing,” is so outrageous that even Reece acknowledges that it’s not true.

“When I am wrong, I acknowledge it,” he said. “[I] will never be so happy as to acknowledge that the stats are good. Hell of a lot more important than winning an argument.”

Substance abuse rates are difficult to measure and aren’t really a town issue, although towns across the country deal with the effects. Homelessness is similar, but anecdotal reports suggest it’s down for a number of reasons. The crime stats, though, don’t lie.

According to the annual summary of uniform crime reporting data recently issued by the North Carolina State Bureau of

Investigation, crime is not “skyrocketing.” In fact, it’s down. Way down.

From 2021 to 2022, the crime index rate in Haywood County dropped a whopping 38%. Violent crime was down 22%. Property crime was down 40%. From 2019 to 2022, the overall index rate dropped 37%.

Feichter said Chief Adams told him Waynesville’s numbers are in line with the county numbers presented in the SBI report. Most Council members openly wondered how the “team” could be so divorced from reality in their statements about crime.

“These individuals are cherry picking crime statistics,” Freeman said. “I have spoken extensively with law enforcement about this. The fact that they bring up larceny and things like that, well when you deal with a large store such as WalMart, there is a tremendous amount of shoplifting and things that go on in that facility. If you take that large store out of the crime statistics we are in a very low [crime] tier in the state of North Carolina.”

Dickson didn’t hesitate to elaborate on why he thinks the team shouldn’t be elected.

“Tre Franklin has never been to a town board meeting and has not served on any boards or commissions. Stephanie Sutton participated in the events at the Capitol on Jan. 6, a violent attempt to overthrow the peaceful transfer of power,” Dickson said.

Stephanie Sutton, along with husband Heath, is also listed as an officer of a defunct company called Mountaineer Complete Care. That entity still owes $568 in property taxes dating back to 2016.

Dickson also mentioned planning board member Peggy Hannah, who “by her actions, has shown that she doesn’t welcome everyone to our community.”

He’s talking about a team campaign event at Fuhrman’s Burger Bar, where Hannah allegedly tore up a photo of Sutton. She didn’t, says Tanya Beckner, who attended the event. But per Beckner, she did call Sutton “perverted” and said something to the effect of “not in my town.”

“I’ve received many threats over the last four years, as you’re well aware of,” Sutton said. “Is that considered a threat? Absolutely, yes, it is considered a threat.”

Sutton, along with Freeman, gave a victim impact statement during the sentencing of Darris Moody, a sovereign citizen convicted of communicating threats to elected officials.

It was important, Freeman said, to provide that statement to combat misinformation of the type peddled by the team.

“This is the downward spiral with politicians and what’s happening currently in our nation,” Freeman said. “It’s not only scary for the politician, but it’s also very frightening and very concerning for our family and friends. The disrespectful nature of the physical threats and to put bounties on people’s heads, and offer kidnapping, that’s disheartening.”

Sutton said that’s exactly what Waynesville’s citizens are asking for with a vote for the team.

“You’re asking for disinformation, misinformation, for intimidation,” he said. “And not for the rule of law.”

Maggie Valley candidates talk growth, leadership

BY KYLE P ERROTTI

N EWS E DITOR

With more contentious development on the horizon, residents of the small town of Maggie Valley have plenty to consider at the ballot box this year.

Running for two open alderman seats are incumbent Phillip Wight, Allen Alsbrooks and Tim Wise. Running for mayor are incumbent Mike Eveland and Janet Banks.

The information in this story came from a candidate forum The Smoky Mountain News hosted with the Maggie Valley Chamber of Commerce earlier this month, as well as a follow-up interview with each candidate on Oct. 16. Here’s what the candidates said.

Phillip Wight

Phillip Wight owns the Clarketon Motel, as well as a heating and cooling business. Although he’s from the Enka area, he and his family have lived in Maggie Valley for over two decades.

During his opening statement at the forum, Wight voiced his frustration with Mayor Eveland as well as aldermen John Hinton and Jim Owens, who typically vote with Eveland on development-related issues, leaving Wight in the minority.

“The current regime refused to recognize that … town councils should never hold their personal feelings against anyone in the community that comes before them,” Wight said, although he didn’t elaborate on a specific incident.

Wight is well-acquainted with the tourist industry and said Maggie Valley must continue to attract visitors by offering more attractions to keep vacationing families in the area.

“It’s not like our town needs a Six Flags,” he said. “Just one little spark.”

One item that emerged as a hot-button issue since the forum is the approval of a satellite annexation of a 42-acre tract in the Jonathan Creek area. The annexation was requested by the property owner, and the plan is to hook town sewer and water up for a relatively large residential development. While Wight generally has been against that kind of development that he says doesn’t offer working-class families reasonably priced homes, he had a specific complaint regarding the annexation.

“I voted against every bit of it because I don’t agree that we have to satellite annex it,” Wight said. “We can give them an out-oftown sewer rate.”

Another item that has caused a stir in recent months is the installation of concrete

medians as part of a greater pedestrian safety project. While the project isn’t done yet, photos of cars crashing into the construction areas have caused some backlash on social media. Wight has been a vocal opponent of the current plan and also opposed a DOT plan several years ago that would have reduced Soco Road from five lanes to three. He talked about how some of the medians will block the ability for some vehicles to turn left onto Soco Road, including near the festival grounds, an area that typically sees high traffic.

“I don’t want to be called a dumbass for the next 25 years,” Wight said.

Allen Alsbrooks

Allen Alsbrooks moved to Maggie Valley 15 years ago after serving in the Air Force. He owns the Hearth and Home Inn motel. He also ran for alderman in 2017 and 2019 but lost both times. He served on the planning board before joining the zoning board of adjustment, but he was kicked off that board in 2022, something he mentioned during the forum.

“I was set up and unceremoniously thrown off of the Zoning Board of Adjustment because someone decided I wasn’t fit to serve based on my spectacular record of being fair and independent,” Alsbrooks said. “I’ve let it be known that since the last mayoral election that I was not happy with the direction this town is headed in, and I’m here to help change it.”

Like Wight, Alsbrooks believes more attractions should be added in Maggie Valley, even if something simpler like Canton’s new splashpad.

“What we offer families to do outside of the natural resources is dwindling,” he said. “We used to have go karts; we used to have waterslides. We used to have a zoo, a bunch of other things that would keep families here when they came to visit.”

the way the infrastructure costs are increasing, you cannot build affordable housing,” he said.

While the current board has split down the same 3-2 lines on several high-profile votes, including many addressing development, residents have expressed concern over the board’s lack of compromise on some issues. Alsbrooks said part of the solution to that problem is breaking up the current majority and then approaching issues with an open mind.

“You can’t come to a meeting with a predetermined notion of what’s going to happen,” he said. “You’d have to listen to all of the evidence, all of the opinions, and you have to listen to the public’s input. That’s the way I operate.”

Tim Wise

Tim Wise is originally from Central Kentucky but moved to Haywood County to become the band director at Tuscola High School, a post he held for 29 years before retiring.

“I was enjoying retirement, and then I started looking around,” he said. “I always loved Maggie. My general nature is to try to help folks as a schoolteacher, and I had people ask if I’d thought about it. The more I thought about it the more I thought well I’d like to get in there and see what I can do.”

Wise said that as a band director in charge of dozens of kids, while also working with parents, he had to learn about compromise and navigating internal politics; sometimes, he said, disagreement is inevitable.

Mike Eveland

Mike Eveland has served as mayor for the last four years and was an alderman for six years before that. During his opening statement, Eveland touted his record, from executing the popular Fourth of July fireworks show to lowering the tax rate while keeping vital services up and running during the pandemic.

“I will continue to balance the needs of our commercial partners and our residents,” he added. “With your vote, I will continue to show interest in community improvement. I have not nor will I ever support personal interests above the well-being of this community.”

At the forum, Eveland was asked about “smart growth,” a term that is often thrown around by leaders across the country and roughly refers to a principle directed at building sustainable communities through redevelopment of residential areas rather than the typical rural development seen in Western North Carolina for centuries.

Eveland did note the town is in the process of working with developers on four residential neighborhoods to alleviate the housing crunch — something he’s supported — but in his answer, he also lamented the lack of business development.

“Commercial, in the last 10 years, has not grown, while the residential has grown substantially,” he said.

On the periphery of the affordable housing conversation has been a discussion about how short-term rentals affect the market. Some places, like Highlands, have even moved to regulate their proliferation. However, Alsbrooks doesn’t believe it’s the town’s business to regulate what people do with their property.

“Let’s leave that to the homeowners associations,” he said.

Alsbrooks noted that one of the biggest barriers to developing affordable housing in Maggie Valley is that the current zoning ordinance allows for too few homes per acre, which passes a higher cost onto the buyer.

“The way the land prices are these days,

When it comes to development, Wise said it’s important to be guided by reason and not the emotion that can sometimes come with the strong sense of nostalgia folks feel toward Maggie Valley. He said people must consider that some visitors may stay in the valley and spend money while using it as a hub from which to venture out to surrounding attractions.

Wise noted that while the whole region is growing, Maggie Valley’s growth has been exceptional, and leaders must be proactive in finding solutions to keep up while not sacrificing the town’s character.

“I believe in a balanced growth plan,” he said, adding that leaders must also listen to all points of view to make sure nothing is off the table.

When asked about the potential for commercial development or even a tourist attraction in the Jonathan Creek corridor, Wise said he was open to the idea and that it’s vital to do everything the town can to ensure development is regulated by a “balanced” growth plan.

“I believe in having a growth plan that is balanced. And looking toward the future of all the things that we need to do, we’re going to have to start thinking outside the box. But I think we are in in a good position to do those kinds of things.”

An ongoing question for Maggie Valley’s government has been how to prioritize the opinions of business owners who reside outside town limits and therefore can’t vote. Eveland said he believes the Maggie Valley Chamber of Commerce has been a good liaison between business owners and the town.

“I believe that the commercial side needs to be heard,” he said but added that he ultimately answers to voters and that is his highest priority.

Eveland addressed complaints about the pedestrian islands in the medians on Soco Road. His message was simple: wait until the project is completed before trying to change things.

“What’s next is they have to put power in to be able to hook up signs (to warn drivers of a pedestrian crossing), so we should see in the next few weeks someone drilling into the asphalt to put those signs in,” he said.

Eveland also addressed the satellite annexation.

“This started because the owners of the property decided they would sell that land. They came to Maggie Valley to ask for an annexation,” Eveland said, adding that he

plans to continue evaluating each development in consideration of

Janet Banks

Janet Banks is no stranger to anyone who’s followed Maggie Valley town government.

Banks and her husband moved to the area over 16 years ago from Texas, where she’d worked in higher education, specializing in teaching nurses how to deal with issues specific to children and families. She served as an alderman from 2013-2019 and was the Mayor Pro Tem those last four years.

She lost to Eveland by 47 votes during her 2019 bid for mayor.

“I learned a whole lot about that race, and I feel that I have a pretty good chance this time around,” she said.

Banks said she believes in giving back to the community and used her work in the community garden as an example, noting that volunteers have harvested 1,700 pounds of food to distribute in the area. She said that focus on the community would be a cornerstone of her time as mayor and that she would incorporate stakeholders at all levels in her decision making. Specifically, while Banks said she’d value input from residents, she also made a strong statement about prioritizing the opinions of non-resident business owners. Although she agreed that the chamber of commerce has been excellent at giving businesses a voice, she said she would ask the state legislature to pass a law enfranchising business owners who reside outside town limits.

“One of the things that has bothered me the most is that business owners feel they don’t have a voice. A lot of them can’t vote, yet they pay taxes into the town of Maggie Valley,” she said. “It’s kind of unfair.”

Banks said that while she doesn’t want to allow a sense of nostalgia to turn the town toward decision making based on emotion, she does think its unique heritage can bolster residents’ sense of pride while also attracting visitors. She said the best way to do that may be a museum that would proudly display items that convey that special history

While Banks voiced displeasure with the median situation, she went further by saying the town needs to do a better job of enhancing overall safety on Soco Road.

“If I’m mayor and [Maggie Valley Police Chief Matthew Boger] moves into community policing model, I’d like to see a visible police presence on Soco,” she said. “Just their presence will slow people down.

Early voting begins Oct. 19 and Election Day is Nov. 7.

According to a police report, the SRO responded to a report of a disorderly student at Shining Rock Classical Academy when he broke that student’s wrist. File photo

Incident at Shining Rock results in student injury

BY HANNAH MCLEOD STAFF W RITER

Adisciplinary incident at Shining Rock Classical Academy last month resulted in a fractured wrist for one student.

According to a police report, just after 10 a.m. on Monday, Sept. 25, School Resource Officer Bryan Reeves responded to a report of a disorderly student in the hall.

“The teachers were trying to get the student where they needed to be. Officer Reeves went there, as that’s part of his job, whenever the teachers called,” said Head of School Joshua Morgan. “The student began to push into the teacher and became more physical in that regard. He basically at that point escorted the student down the hallway to the office area.”

The event took place on the second floor and Reeves escorted the student down the stairway in order to reach the office suite on the first floor of the school.

“Student gets picked up from school, we wind up getting notified that evening from the parent that the student was injured,” said Morgan. “I reported that to Officer Reeves, he reported that to his supervisors, Waynesville PD came out and did a review of all of our video footage on the 26th and we met with the parents as well and we also developed a plan in conjunction with the parents with the student moving forward.”

According to the incident report, the student allegedly disrupted the school day and

assaulted two teachers but caused no injuries and had no weapon.

The student's parents later confirmed that their child’s wrist was fractured after the incident at Shining Rock Classical Academy.

The family filed a complaint with the police department the day after the event occurred.

“We have an attorney at this point and are looking at any and all rights on behalf of our son,” said Amber Kevlin.

This is not the first time that complaints have arisen around disciplinary tactics used at Shining Rock Classical Academy, nor the first time those complaints have included the school resource officer. Last year a parent at SRCA filed an official complaint about discipline at the school with the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction.

“The parent alleges that inappropriate discipline procedures have taken place and that the grievance process has not been followed, among other issues,” Ashley Baquero, director of the Office of Charter Schools at DPI told The Smoky Mountain News at the time.

The complaint that surfaced as part of the investigation with the Office of Charter Schools involved the School Resource Officer, Bryan Reeves, who locked a student in a police car as part of a separate disciplinary incident. The parents of that student also pursued legal action, as well as a grievance process through the school, but ultimately withdrew their child.

I-40 lane closing for repair in Buncombe County

A contractor for the N.C. Department of Transportation began a project to repair the left lane of I40 West between the I-26/I-240 interchange and Smoky Park Highway (Exit 44) with a full-time lane closure now in effect.

WCU to honor individuals as part of Homecoming

Members of the Western Carolina University family will come together to recognize three prominent alumni for their career accomplishments and to honor a longtime proponent of economic development across Western North Carolina as part of the university’s celebration of Homecoming 2023.

The foursome is scheduled to receive awards during the annual Chancellor’s Brunch and Alumni Awards Ceremony to be held from 9-10:30 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 28, in the Grandroom of A.K. Hinds University Center.

WCU Chancellor Kelli R. Brown will present the university’s Distinguished Service Award to Asheville banking executive Robert “Bob” Roberts, regional executive vice president for First Citizens Bank with 39 years of experience in banking and financial services. A member of the WCU Board of Trustees, Roberts stepped down earlier this year as board chair after serving in that role for the maximum allowable two terms. He has an extensive record of community service to organizations across the region, including higher education and health care organizations.

Four individuals will be given awards during the annual Chancellor’s Brunch during WCU’s Homecoming

Allison Hinson, president of the WCU Alumni Association and a 2002 graduate, will present awards to three WCU graduates. They are:

• The Professional Achievement Award to Chicago resident Debbie K. Wright, a 1977 graduate of WCU with a bachelor's degree in biology who went on to have a distinguished 40-year career as an attorney specializing in the areas of patents, intellectual property and technology transfer. Wright has been hailed as a pioneer who has broken ground and shattered ceilings for women and African Americans alike. She retired from Kraft Foods Group Inc. in 2013, capping a 22-year tenure with the multinational food and beverage conglomerate.

• The Academic Achievement Award to Brenda Walker Gorsuch, an award-winning teacher of English and journalism for nearly 35 years who helped establish the West Henderson High School journalism program as among the tops in the nation. A resident of Mills River, Gorsuch earned her bachelor’s degree in English in 1977 and her master’s degree in secondary English education in 1980, both from WCU. She has helped hone the writing and critical thinking skills of thousands of high school students in her classrooms and through her work with student newspaper and yearbook staffs.

• The Young Alumnus Award to Raleigh resident Jonah Slentz, who received his bachelor’s degree in chemistry from WCU in 2021 and has quickly made a mark in the pharmaceutical industry. Slentz is a pharmaceutical scientist at Catalent Pharma Solutions, a multinational corporation that is a global provider of delivery technologies, medical development, drug manufacturing, biologics, gene therapies and consumer health products. In his role, he helps to ensure the quality of medicines before they continue on to clinical trials or to manufacturers. Alumni and friends are invited to attend the awards brunch and ceremony. The cost of the brunch is $15 per person. Business attire is requested. RSVP by Oct. 20, at bit.ly/wcualumniawards23.

SCC student places first at annual symposium

Every year, the North Carolina Society for Respiratory Care (NCSRC) is held in WinstonSalem, where students from all over the state compete in a “Tournament of Scholars.”

The competition had over 25 contestants, three of which were Southwestern Community College respiratory therapy students — Amber Brown, Adrian Aguilera and Kiyah Collins.

All three made it to the second round.

“I could not be more proud of our students,” said Respiratory Therapy Program Director Gretchen Guelcher. “They excelled in the competition.”

By the end of the day, Brown was named the winner, with Aguilera and Collins close behind in third and fourth place respectively.

“This year’s symposium was full of information, amazing professionals and knowledgeable students who had a blast at the competition,”

SCC receives funding for expansion projects

As part of the state budget passed earlier this month, the N.C. Legislature provided Southwestern Community College with $20 million to address several pressing community and institutional needs.

$10 million will be used to construct an indoor firing range at Southwestern’s Public Safety Training Center (PSTC) in Franklin. That facility will serve local, regional, statewide and federal law enforcement officers and recruits.

The outdoor range will remain operational, allowing recruits and officers to get essential training in the elements that they’ll also face while working in the field.

The remaining $10 million will be used for expansion and renovation projects at SCC’s Jackson Campus in Sylva, starting with an addition to Oaks Hall.

That will allow Holt Library to move to the center of campus. Holt Library is currently at the northeastern end of campus, so the move will make the library’s resources and services more accessible for students between classes.

Another project on the Jackson Campus involves renovating the existing library building to become a dedicated space for Workforce Continuing Education classrooms.

An official timeline has not yet been set for the projects, but Dr. Tomas said college officials have already started the planning process and will follow state construction guidelines.

WCU receives funding for engineering building, program expansion

Western Carolina University was successful in its request for funds for a new engineering facility and program expansion from the North Carolina General Assembly, for the recently approved 20232025 biennial state budget.

said Brown. “This program and my future as a respiratory therapist mean everything to me. I am so proud to have won first place, not only for myself and SCC, but also for my son who has cystic fibrosis.”

Brown credits Guelcher and other instructors for this achievement, hoping the win shows how hard her instructors work for their students.

Mars Hill University secures $2M grant to boost student success

Mars Hill University has been awarded a grant of nearly $2 million as part of the Strengthening Institutions Program of the U.S. Department of Education.

The SIP program supports colleges and universities that are committed to serving a socio-economically diverse student body. To be implemented over five years, the MHU program is intended to

further the university's strategic commitment to equitable opportunities for student success and is called Project RISE (Realizing Inclusion, Success and Empowerment).

It will include an academic success coaching initiative providing personalized coaching for students with high potential to benefit. Grant funding will allow the university to partner with InsideTrack, a higher education leader in student success initiatives, to launch its coaching program. By the end of the grant period, Mars Hill will have added a team of on-site academic success coaches to support its students.

The grant will also support MHU's Center for Engaged Teaching and Learning in its initiatives to provide faculty development in success-oriented instructional design.

Additional funding will support expansion of the Men of Distinction program, founded by Roderica Williams, associate vice president for student success, as well as faculty development and resources related to promising practices in academic advising.

Earlier this year, WCU identified expansion of its engineering programs as its top legislative priority, an effort backed by the University of North Carolina system.

WCU received funding for the replacement of the current engineering building. The total amount authorized for this project is $95.3 million, with $2 million of that total allocated in fiscal year 202425 for advance planning.

The budget also allocated funds to expand WCU’s College of Engineering and Technology programming to support robotics, energy, controls and automation concentrations. The amount allocated is $3.5 million recurring funds.

The new engineering facility and funding will enable expansion for programs and laboratories in high demand areas, enabling WCU to adapt to evolving technology and industry needs.

WCU is the only university with an engineering college west of I-77 in North Carolina. The university also received funding for other institutional priorities including athletics and salary increases for faculty and staff to combat inflation and market pressures.

Law officers ignore meeting, and that’s good

Sometimes a quiet no-show can be a really loud statement.

A few weeks ago, Cherokee County Sheriff Dustin Smith hosted a meeting of the controversial Constitutional Sheriff and Peace Officers Association. No sheriffs or law enforcement officers from Western North Carolina showed up except representatives from Smith’s department, and that’s a great showing for this region’s law enforcement officers. That should make this region’s citizens proud. This group does not deserve support of legitimate and serious law enforcement officers.

This association believes that sheriffs, as the highest law enforcement officer in a county, should be able to ignore federal authorities. Although it’s not clear on what specific issues they should be able to ignore, it seems most of them have to do with far-right theories about guns and the 2020 election and past COVID mandates.

It’s OK for folks to have their own personal beliefs. That’s what is great about this country, and it’s why we elect leaders at all levels to make federal laws, to pass state statutes and to enact local ordinances. But it’s a sheriff’s duty to uphold these laws, not randomly decide that certain laws are wrong and therefore declare the power to not enforce them. That’s not how it works.

Unfortunately, Rep. Chuck Edwards R-Hendersonville had one of his representative show up at this meeting and offer its founder, Richard Mack, a citation. That’s not a good look for Edwards.

Again, we are all entitled to our beliefs, but none of us are above the law. This group and its supporters seem to

Former agents endorse Reece for mayor

To the Editor:

We are writing to express our enthusiastic support for the candidacy of Joel “Joey” Reece for the position of mayor in the city of Waynesville. Each of the signees of this endorsement is a retired executive of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).

We have known Joey as both friend and colleague for more than 25 years, serving our nation alongside him to stop the deadly flow of illegal drugs into our communities. Though the signees of this letter are retired DEA executives, they have had second careers holding leadership positions with Fortune 500 companies and local law enforcement. Some have also created consulting groups and other successful businesses.

From our professional and personal experiences, we each know Joey can be counted on to provide an articulate, direct and clear voice on important issues, always unafraid to provide leadership and vision when called upon to serve. Joey’s experience as a leader has taught him to be a great listener. He displays an intellectual curiosity regarding unfamiliar issues, and he is always willing to study, learn and cooperate to achieve the best outcome to challenging problems.

Joey has important experience in the development and execution of public policy

think otherwise.

Town council and mayoral candidates in Franklin, Webster, Village of Forest Hills and Bryson City will all run unopposed in the upcoming Nov. 7 municipal elections.

Is that a result of voter apathy, lack of desire to serve, or are citizens just happy with status quo? That’s a question that’s tough to answer, but I personally hope it’s primarily due to the last of those three options.

Franklin Mayor Jack Horton offered that opinion when asked about the lack of candidates in the Macon County town that he leads. Horton, probably one of the most qualified mayors to serve Western North Carolina — he spent his career in local government, including stints as county manager in Haywood and Macon counties — said his decision to run for office is based on his desire to give back to his community.

“If you really have at heart, ‘what can I do for my community to benefit them with the talents and the training and the experience that I have, then I need to use that to benefit my community.’ So, this is a way of giving back. I think most people in Franklin like a lot of the things that the town council has been working on. Hopefully we’ll continue to do that.”

When one looks around the country, particularly at the

LETTERS

and carefully managing taxpayer funds. He has also successfully worked with diverse groups and dissenting voices for common cause.

Joey possesses the attributes necessary to provide the foundation and effectiveness of an outstanding public servant who will listen to the ideas of his constituents while applying experienced judgement to each decision. We believe Joey is a proven, humble and transcendent leader who is clearly well-prepared to serve the city he loves, providing Waynesville a trusted representative for all voters.

Early voting begins October 19, and we ask you to consider this hometown, experienced leader as you cast your vote for mayor of Waynesville.

W. Michael Furgason

R. Keith Brown

Derek Maltz

Marshall Fisher

Reality still eludes Trump’s base

To the Editor:

This is a reply to the September 20 letter to the editor titled, “Rule of law proven a farce amid corruption.”

The writer starts by saying that the Jan. 6 insurrection was, “... a legitimate protest of a

federal level and the often asinine politics that are commonplace in D.C., it’s refreshing to see local leaders tirelessly working for those who pay taxes and not for themselves. •••

Jackson County Commissioner John Smith’s comments regarding the LGBQT+ community are, well, extremely disappointing to say the least.

Regarding a pageant organized by Sylva Pride a few weeks ago, Smith posted on a Facebook forum that the LGBQT+ community was the “perverted one percent.”

Really, are there elected leaders still grappling with the fact that people may have different sexual preferences and beliefs than they may have? Are there still people that can’t accept this reality?

Hopefully, despite his beliefs, Smith can find it in his heart to represent all the citizens of Jackson County, even those different from him. That is, after all, what he was elected to do.

Had an email from an old friend this morning, someone I hadn’t heard from in years. He was an enthusiastic influencer in Haywood politics for a few years and one of the smartest people I’ve ever known. He sent this very relevant quote from George Bernard Shaw, a writer and thinker whose words are worth reading: “Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance.”

Indeed.

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

very unusual appearing election, to say the least ….”

Mr. Trump and his allies lost over 60 court cases in claiming the election of 2020 was rigged. Most were dismissed due to lack of evidence. Homeland Security swore there was no election malfeasance. Sixteen federal prosecutors who monitored the election concluded there were no widespread irregularities. Election deniers were repeatedly asked for evidence to back up their claims over the next two years and never presented any.

By this time, most people would have slunk away in acute embarrassment. Not his true believers. They were practicing the art of repetition learned at the knee of their glorious leader, who learned at the knee of dirty trickster Roy Cohn, Esquire, in the belief that repetition of a lie would beat the truth any day of the week. Straight out of the autocrat’s guidebook.

When Trump called on his supporters to march to the Capitol and “fight like hell” on Jan. 6, a line was crossed from legitimate protest to insurrection, which has torn our country asunder.

Legitimate protest doesn’t include breaking into a restricted government area to stop a critical transition of power, loss of life, destruction of property and murderous violence against law enforcement officers who were guarding the Capitol. Legitimate protest implies reasoned debate, including bringing cases to courts (which they had already done).

In a civilized society, that’s when it was time to wrap it up and go home. Simply “complaining” as you claim was all they were doing would have been fine. People would have called you all sore losers, but heh, nobody would have been facing long jail sentences. But bullies, sociopaths, and those who think the rules don’t apply to them just don’t want to take “no” for an answer. The former president acted like an overgrown 4-year-old child and that looked so tempting to his supporters that they gleefully followed his example.

This poster also claimed that, “Nancy Pelosi and others engineered a trap for the J6 protesters by refusing President Trump’s request for National Guard troops and by keeping the Capitol Police in the dark by not sharing relevant information.”

Au contraire, Speaker Pelosi spent much of that terrifying afternoon frantically calling any official who should have been there protecting our congressional members. The sordid details of that monumental fail by Trump’s hand-picked and unconfirmed “acting” government officials has yet to be fully explained. Perhaps, during one of Trump’s many trials, the truth will be revealed and those traitors will receive justice.

I look forward to a time when the lies and hate are far behind us and we can return to building a just, equitable and peaceful world.

Caryl Brt Waynesville

Sometimes ‘the system’ all seems so unfair

Many years ago, one of the students in my English composition course approached me after class one day as other students were filing out, hesitating for just a moment until the last couple of them trickled into the hallway, leaving just the two of us.

“I’ve got a topic for my narrative essay,” he said. “But I don’t really want anyone to see it but you.”

He had just recently been released from prison after serving several years for drug trafficking. He had been “in the life” for several years and was a user himself. He had a family and a legit job, but it was all slipping away and he knew it. His relationship with the drugs and the life that went with had all but consumed him.

Prison changed his life. He got clean. He started reading — lots of time to read — and he became interested in getting a real education. He reconnected with his family. He committed to a different path. When he was released he became a part of our student body and pursued his degree with the vigor we see in our best students.

His narrative was about the traffic stop that changed his life. I was the only person in the class to read it. I’ve never forgotten his story, and so many others like it, written by students who have endured hardships — sometimes of their own making, sometimes not — and found their way through it into a clearing, into the light.

Maybe you’ve read about a kid named Zachary Blake Trull. He’s 18 now, but I still think of him as a kid because he is a childhood friend of my son. How many sleepovers? How many birthday parties? In high school, they drifted into different cliques as kids often do, but they remained friends.

I still think of Blake as a kid because when he and my son talk, their conversations are peppered with “bruhs” and “dawgs” and a blind optimism in a future each of them is trying desperately to will themselves to believe in.

I still think of him as a kid because I remember myself when I was 18, when I thought I knew everything but a quarter-inch beneath the surface of that was not much more than doubt and impulse and a constant craving to find my place in the world.

Eighteen is a weird age. As Alice Cooper sang in his great song, ”I’m a boy and I’m a man/I’m eighteen/I get confused every day.”

The culture is just as confused. When you are 18, you are allowed to vote, but not to drink alcohol. You are allowed to join the military, but not to frequent bars. You tell me. We all know that 18 looks different on different people.

Blake was barely two months past his eigh-

teenth birthday when he was charged with two counts of drug trafficking, along with various related charges. He has been in jail for nearly six months awaiting trial. He has a court-appointed attorney he has barely seen. He has been outside once. Think of that. In nearly six months, he has seen the sky one time. Otherwise, his days are spent inside doing one of the three things: reading, working out or sleeping.

There is nothing else, other than the occasional visit from friends or family, which is conducted via a phone and a video screen. When time is up, the screen goes blank and the phone goes dead — no warnings, no goodbyes. He is allowed two visits per week. Some weeks he has visitors, some weeks not. If he has money in his account he can call loved ones for $4 for 15 minutes.

It turns out that prison is like a weird arcade, where everything costs money. You pay for emails. You pay for phone calls. For some people, for some families, this can be prohibitive. There have been times when Blake has gone for weeks with no outside contact at all.

Read, work out, sleep. Do it again. Then again. Try to remain hopeful. Try to believe there will be something else. Day after day. Wait for people to show up sometimes. Wait for something to happen. Wait.

All things considered, he looks good. The haircut suits him. He seems to be eating OK. The working out is apparent in his arms and shoulders. He smiles some, jokes around a little. But it isn’t easy being in here. There have been some cellmate issues. It doesn’t always seem real to him. The uncertainty of everything.

Spend just a short time chatting with him and it becomes hard to imagine that a long prison sentence is the answer, or that what worked for my former student would work just as well for him. Their situations are completely different. He’s in a completely different place in his life, which is only beginning, if he is given a chance to begin it.

He wants to complete his GED when he can. Beyond that, he’s thinking about something to do with film or photography, but right now that feels more like a dream about having a dream. Right now, it is hard to see anything more than what is right in front of him from moment to moment. Right now, that means deciding what to read next, and that’s if somebody will buy it for him through Amazon, which is the only way he can receive books to read.

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He says he is open to suggestions — “I’m indecisive,” he says — although he has started the Harry Potter series and likes it. Harry Potter.

“I’m hyped for that second book,” he says. Maybe it helps to live in other worlds. Maybe it helps to believe in magic.

Right now, there’s a kid sitting in jail who needs to believe in something.

(Chris Cox is a writer and teacher who lives in Haywood County. jchriscox@live.com.)

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Word from the Smokies

A traditional Cherokee firepot holds a flame in front of what is now the newly rebranded Museum of the

palette is usually very muddy and boring: terra cotta, orange, turquoise, beige, brown, murky greens and yellow.

For me, the flora and fauna I see here in the Great Smoky Mountains are vibrant pink, red, yellow and green. The Blue Ridge Parkway and the Great Smoky Mountains are known for having a blue hue. This new palette represents a different way to portray earth tones that is an actual representation of this area and makes them look more contemporary.

The museum’s logo has been a direct copy of a shell gorget carving from the Mississippian period. With the rebrand in mind, I knew I wanted to honor the water spider and where it came from, but in a contemporary way. I took inspiration from real water spiders that I always saw growing up in the river that flows through the Qualla Boundary.

I was inspired by a mountain peak design I saw on an 18th-century Cherokee bandolier bag and this was the inspiration for the feelers on the water spider’s legs. Traditionally, bandolier bags were used to represent status and keep important items within reach. I knew this was the visual representation the museum needed to reflect our dedication to protecting our tribe’s cultural objects.

Cherokee museum rebrands for inclusive future

BY T YRA MANEY

S PECIAL TO SMN

Nestled within the Smokies is one of the country’s oldest tribal museums. Located on the Qualla Boundary in Cherokee, the tribal museum of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians has a new, vibrant look.

While this fresh branding may feel ultra-modern, its inspiration is anything but. These colors have existed in flora and fauna used by Cherokee people for thousands of years here among these mountains.

As the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI), we are fortunate to be on our ancestral homelands and the museum is centrally located within the Great Smoky Mountains. For a lot of Cherokee people, sense of place and connection to the land is important because we’re from this area — we’ve lived here for thousands of years, lived off this land and came from it.

We have a special connection to this place. There is something that I enjoy from each time of year here: the magenta of the rhododendron, fall when the leaves are changing, seeing snow and the evergreen trees in wintertime.

I have worked at the museum for 10 years in various positions. It was exciting when Shana Bushyhead Condill (Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians), the museum’s executive director, announced that the museum was creating a designer position. I went to school for graphic communications and I was already helping with photography and design work for two exhibitions, “Many Faces: A Cherokee Mask Exhibit” and “A Living Language: Cherokee Syllabary in Contemporary Art.” I got into design because I never felt accurately represented. There wasn’t a lot of design, or even art, about Native life or if there was, it was usually very stereotypical or outdated. There are so many elements of our culture — and of this place — that I thought could translate into design that could be a modern representation of Cherokee people.

When I applied and got the job as the Museum of the Cherokee Indian’s Designer in October 2021, Shana shared the museum’s plans to update the main exhibit. This plan included a new name that better reflects its commitment to

our tribal community: the Museum of the Cherokee People. In changing the name by adding a more encompassing and inclusionary word, we are honoring the museum’s 75-year legacy — it’s right there in our mission, “to preserve and perpetuate the history, culture and stories of the Cherokee people.” “People” connects the past, present and future.

We envisioned a museum that shares the story of a living people and serves as a resource and place of inspiration for our tribal community. We started talking about a rebrand and this inspired me to create the initial design concept

The final product is a clean, sleek and contemporary brand that showcases the museum’s direction and future. The Museum of the Cherokee People wants to be an example and a leader, not only among tribal museums, but in the museum world as a whole.

We want to redefine what people think of when they think of museums and reestablish what a museum can be. We want the Museum of the Cherokee People to be a place for a community and a place where visitors can come in and hear our story from Cherokee voices.

For visitors to Cherokee and the Great Smoky Mountains, I hope these new colors catch their eyes and they see a contemporary, living, current museum. I want them to see and understand that, as Cherokee people, we are still here. We’re still honoring the past while creating a new future for us — our culture is ever-evolving.

I hope our tribal citizens are excited and proud of this new era as we celebrate our 75th anniversary. I hope that the meaning and thought process behind the updated spider and color palette are things they can appreciate as Cherokee people: it reflects our mission, vision, values, and new direction. I hope,

The new logo for the Museum of the Cherokee People brings a contemporary edge and palette to the museum’s water spider icon originally taken from a Mississippian-period shell gorget carving.

over a couple of weeks.

In the beginning, I imagined red and blue hues since historically red and blue were two of the most common colors Cherokee people traded for and used. My mind started jumping around and I thought about how before — and even after — trade, we were dyeing things with natural colors and pigments.

I started to think about “natural” and what that word means in the context of color palettes. When you look at design work about or for Native people, the “natural” color

seven generations from now, they can see what we’re doing now at the museum, take the work we’ve done and make it better. (Tyra Maney [Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, Diné] is a designer at the Museum of the Cherokee People in Cherokee. She served as Miss Cherokee from 2021 to 2022 running on a platform of cultural revitalization. This guest column is supported by Great Smoky Mountains Association; learn more at smokiesinformation.org. Reach the author at tyra.maney@mci.org.)

This must be the place

BY GARRET K. WOODWARD

‘The universe begins immediately to your left’

It was an otherwise quiet Tuesday evening when my girlfriend started in on me once again that it was high time to get rid of the old couch in our apartment in downtown Waynesville. By last count, it was probably the fifth or sixth time she’d said that this year.

“Well, I want to get rid of it, too,” I replied, never once taking my eyes off the Netflix documentary we were watching while sitting on said old couch. “If you go on Facebook marketplace and find one that’s newer and better, then so be it and we’ll toss this one on the curb.”

It was only a moment after those fateful words echoed out of my mouth and throughout the one-bedroom humble abode when Sarah gazed around the rest of the apartment, her eyes eventually landing on the nearby closet, filled to the brim with my clothes, books and mementos, most of which forgotten in haste amid a writer’s life.

“We should also clean out that closet,” she said. “I mean, I could use more space for my shoes and things. I don’t have enough in the back bedroom. You think we could clean it out at some point soon?”

I paused Netflix and put down my lukewarm half-full beer on the coffee table. Without saying a word or stating my intent, I stood up and walked over to the overflowing closet. The first thing within reach was a stack of books almost as tall as me. I began pulling the books out and placing them on the floor of the living room.

Sarah asked what I was doing. All I said was, “It’s time.” Time to clean out the closet. Time to dust off the bookshelves. Time to change out the window blinds and shower curtain. Time to toss out any and all things deemed unnecessary and unused. And time to toss the couch.

signs and countless concert posters yellowed with age. More books. Boxes of winter jackets and flannel. Boxes of CDs now deemed obsolete in the era of Spotify. Boxes of photos and other trinkets from youth and adolescence.

With the closet now empty and vacuumed, come Wednesday the focus turned to the rest of the apartment — living room, kitchen, bedroom and bathroom. And the front porch, which included a musty ole porch couch, soon to be added to the curb alongside a couple of ragged chairs — the hope being to, eventually, procure adequate outdoor furniture for porch guitar pickin’ and sippin’.

By Thursday afternoon, we had entered the “home stretch.” The kitchen was spotless with a slew of pint glasses from numerous craft beer tastings around our region over the years now given away. The bedroom was transformed with a new comforter, sheets and pillows. The bathroom scrubbed with some elbow grease to a fine shine. Alas, all which remained was the living

HOT PICKS

1

A special presentation of the iconic play “Death of a Salesman” will hit the stage at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 20-21, 26-28 and 2 p.m. Oct. 22 and 29 at the Haywood Arts Regional Theatre in Waynesville.

2

Appalachian/indie singersongwriter Jackson Grimm & The Bull Moose Party will perform at 6 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 21, at Frog Level Brewing in Waynesville.

3

The 27th annual PumpkinFest will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 21, in downtown Franklin.

4

A special presentation of “Willy Wonka Jr.” will be showcased by “Kids at HART” at 10 a.m. Oct. 21, 28; 2 p.m. Oct. 21, 28 and 1 p.m. Oct. 22, 29 at the Haywood Arts Regional Theatre in Waynesville.

5

A community jam will be held from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 19, at the Marianna Black Library in Bryson City.

I’d like to say that the two of us completed the deep clean of the apartment — whether physically or existentially — that evening. But, it would another two days at about six hours per day before the endeavor of stubborn persistence and sheer determination would culminate in victory of one’s intended house and home.

Once the books were removed from the closet, the remaining items in the seemingly never-ending space were revealed. A pair of Rossingnol skis, boots and poles. Old beer

room. The gravitational center of any home cleansing jaunt down the rabbit hole of pillaging your past in hopes of dumping the weights of its contents, whether literally or spiritually — the intrinsic value of such outweighing any sense of sentimentality over old receipts, notes and ticket stubs.

While Sarah was busy tracking down a couch on Facebook marketplace, I sat at my writing desk looking out on a bustling Russ Avenue. The desk was filled with endless

papers, files and whatever else I deemed worthy to toss in the drawers late at night when emptying my jean pockets following another wild night on the town.

When it came to the desk drawers, I found myself wandering along Memory Lane. Old photographs from high school ski trips and cross-country races over 20 years ago back up in my native North Country. Christmas cards from my parents. For some reason, my college acceptance letter from 2003 to Quinnipiac University was in the drawer. As was my actual birth certificate, an item I’d lost track of when I arrived in Haywood County in August 2012.

Marveling at these newly-rediscovered tokens of my life, an unidentified truck pulled up in front of the apartment building. It was the new couch Sarah had purchased. A mid-century modern six-footer, which ideally transitioned the living room from postcollegiate hangout to actual 30-something dwelling of style and grace.

Sarah hopped onto the couch with a big grin. She was happy with her purchase and her ongoing place in my life. I was, too. Although I’ve lived in the apartment for more than a decade, this was, honestly, the first time the place felt like a home and not just somewhere I left my guitars, flannel shirts, books and vinyl records. I thanked her.

Dumping out the final desk drawer into the garbage can, I noticed a bottle cap from a Magic Hat #9 craft ale. The company was well-known for its fortune cookie sayings under the caps. I hadn’t seen one of these caps in many moons and here was one right in the palm of my hand. I turned it over. It stated, “The universe begins immediately to your left.” To my left was Sarah. I smiled in gratitude. Onward.

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

On the beat

Frog Level welcomes Jackson Grimm

Appalachian/indie singer-songwriter Jackson Grimm & The Bull Moose Party will perform at 6 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 21, at Frog Level Brewing in Waynesville.

Grimm marries folk/pop melodies with the lonesome sound of traditional Appalachian music. In a region with a strong music culture, it is no surprise that Grimm’s songwriting is representative of his musical birthplace: Asheville.

His songs run the gambit from an homage to a traditional country waltz in “If Not For You,” an unrequited love song driven by a Beatles-esque melody in “I’d Hold You (But I Don’t Wanna Hold You),” to a drunken party-grass song à la Old Crow Medicine Show in “Last Train Home.”

The show is free and open to the public. 828.454.5664 or froglevelbrewing.com.

Smoky Mountain Bluegrass Festival

Hosted by the Haywood County Arts Council, the annual Smoky Mountain Bluegrass Festival will return from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 28, at the Maggie Valley Festival Grounds. Taking the stage will be Haywood County bluegrass legends Balsam Range, Appalachian Roadshow and Wildfire. Since its inception in 2007, Balsam Range has become one of the most decorated and award-winning acts in the wide world of bluegrass music.

The band has taken home the following International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) honors: “Entertainer of the Year” (2014, 2018), “Album of the Year” (2013, 2017), “Song of the Year” (2011, 2015) and “Vocal Group of the Year” (2014, 2015), with Melton named “Male Vocalist of the Year” (2014, 2018) and Tim Surrett “Bass Player of the Year” (2018).

The annual HCAC fundraiser, the festival brings all of the organization’s programs and artists together for a truly one-ofa-kind music-themed experience. The event will also include music-themed vendors, raffles, artist member demonstrations/artwork, a child and adult playground and local food/drinks.

Advance tickets are $55 per person. Children ages 12 and under are admitted free. For more information and/or to purchase tickets, go to haywoodarts.org or call 828.452.0593.

Bryson City community jam

A community jam will be held from 6-7:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 19, at the Marianna Black Library in Bryson City.

Anyone with a guitar, banjo, mandolin, fiddle, dulcimer or anything unplugged is invited to join. Singers are also welcomed to join in or you can just stop by and listen. The jam is facilitated by Larry Barnett of the Sawmill Creek Porch Band.

The community jams offer a chance for musicians of all ages and levels of ability to share music they have learned over the years or learn old-time mountain songs. The music jams are offered to the public each first and third Thursday of the month — spring, summer, fall.

This program received support from the North Carolina Arts Council, an agency funded by the State of North Carolina and the National Endowment of the Arts. 828.488.3030.

• Altered Frequencies (Franklin) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. 828.342.8014 or alteredfrequencies.net.

• Angry Elk Brewing (Whittier) will host semiregular live music on the weekends. All shows are free and open to the public. 828.497.1015 or facebook.com/angryelkbrewingco.

• Balsam Falls Brewing (Sylva) will host an open mic from 8-10 p.m. every Thursday. Free and open to the public. 828.631.1987 or balsamfallsbrewing.com.

• Blue Ridge Beer Hub (Waynesville) will host a semi-regular acoustic jam with the Main Street NoTones from 7-9 p.m. every first and third Thursday of the month. Free and open to the public. For more information, go to blueridgebeerhub.com.

• Blue Stage (Andrews) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. 828.361.2534 or gm@thebluestage.com.

• Boojum Brewing (Waynesville) will host music bingo 7 p.m. Mondays, karaoke at 8:30 p.m. Wednesdays, trivia at 7 p.m., Imij Of Soul (rock/soul) Oct. 21 and Carolina Drifters Oct. 28. All shows begin at 9 p.m. unless otherwise noted. 828.246.0350 or boojumbrewing.com.

• Cowee School Arts & Heritage Center (Franklin) will host Branded Bluegrass (Americana/bluegrass) 6 p.m. Oct. 21. Tickets are $15 for adults, $7.50 for children. For more information and/or to purchase tickets, go to coweeschool.org/music.

• Currahee Brewing (Franklin) will host “Music Bingo” 7 p.m. Thursdays and Scott Clark (singer-songwriter) Oct. 21. All shows begin at 7 p.m. Free and open to the public. 828.634.0078 or curraheebrew.com.

• Farm At Old Edwards (Highlands) will host the “Fireside at the Farm” sessions on select weekends. For more information, go to oldedwardshospitality.com.

• Folkmoot Friendship Center (Waynesville) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. For a full schedule of events and/or to purchase tickets, go to folkmoot.org.

• Fontana Village Resort Wildwood Grill will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. Free and open to the public. 800.849.2258 or fontanavillage.com.

• Frog Level Brewing (Waynesville) will host its weekly “Tuesday Jazz Series” at 5:30 p.m., Simple Folk Trio (Americana) 5:30 p.m. Oct. 18, The Mug Band 6 p.m. Oct. 20, Jackson Grimm & The Bull Moose Party (Americana/indie) 6 p.m. Oct. 21, Tricia Ann Band (country/rock) 6 p.m. Oct. 27 and Muddier Guthrie 6 p.m. Oct. 28. Free and

On the beat

open to the public. 828.454.5664 or froglevelbrewing.com.

• Frog Quarters (Franklin) will host live music from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays. Free and open to the public. Located at 573 East Main St. littletennessee.org or 828.369.8488.

• Happ’s Place (Glenville) will host Jake Matthew (singer-songwriter) Oct. 19, Macon County Line (bluegrass) Oct. 20, Blue Jazz Band Oct. 27 and Rock Holler Oct. 28. All shows begin at 6 p.m. Free and open to the public. happsplace.com or 828.742.5700.

• Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort (Cherokee) will host 3 Doors Down (rock) 7 p.m. Oct. 21 and Buddy Guy (blues/rock) 7:30 p.m. Oct. 28. For a full schedule of events and/or to buy tickets, caesars.com/harrahs-cherokee.

ALSO:

• Highlander Mountain House (Highlands) will host a Sunday Bluegrass Residency noon to 2:30 p.m. and semi-regular live music on the weekends. Tickets are $35 per person. For more information and/or to purchase tickets, go to highlandermountainhouse.com.

• Highlands Performing Arts Center will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. For tickets, go to highlandsperformingarts.com.

• Innovation Brewing (Sylva) will host “Trivia Night w/Kirk” from 7-9 p.m. every Monday, Open Mic Night every Wednesday and David Cheatham (singer-songwriter) Oct. 21. All shows begin at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. innovation-brewing.com.

• Innovation Station (Dillsboro) will host “Music Bingo” on Wednesdays and semiregular live music on the weekends. All events begin at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. innovation-brewing.com.

• Lazy Hiker Brewing (Sylva) will host trivia 6:30 p.m. Wednesdays, an Old Time Jam 6:30 p.m. Thursdays and semi-regular live music on the weekends. All shows begin at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.349.2337 or lazyhikerbrewing.com.

• Lineside at Frog Level Brewing (Waynesville) will host Ajeva (rock/jam) Nov. 10. Admission is $10 in advance, $12 at the door. For more information and/or to purchase tickets, go to froglevelbrewing.com.

• Meadowlark Motel (Maggie Valley) will host Trivia Thursdays 6:30 p.m., Mountain Gypsy (Americana/folk) Oct. 20, Pigeon River Messengers (Americana/indie) Oct. 21, Smoky Blue Rain (rock/folk) Oct. 27 and Andrew Wakefield (singer-songwriter) Oct. 28. All shows begin at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted. For more information and/or to purchase tickets, go to meadowlarkmotel.com or 828.926.1717.

• Mountain Layers Brewing (Bryson City) will host an “Open Mic w/Frank Lee” Wednesdays, Zip Robertson (singer-songwriter) Oct. 20, Jacob’s Well (Americana) Oct. 21, Wyatt Espalin (singer-songwriter) 5 p.m. Oct. 22, Granny’s Mason Jar (Americana) Oct. 27, Ron Neill (singer-songwriter) Oct. 28 and Terry Haughton (singer-songwriter) 5 p.m. Oct. 29. All shows begin at 6 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.538.0115 or mountainlayersbrewingcompany.com.

• Nantahala Brewing Outpost (Sylva) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. All shows begin at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.641.9797 or nantahalabrewing.com.

• Orchard Coffee (Waynesville) will host semiregular live music on the weekends. 828.246.9264 or orchardcoffeeroasters.com.

• Quirky Birds Treehouse & Bistro (Dillsboro) will host Open Mic Night at 7 p.m. Tuesdays and semi-regular live music on the week-

• Lazy Hiker Brewing (Franklin) will host “Music Bingo” 6 p.m. Tuesdays, trivia 6:30 p.m. Wednesdays, Open Mic 6:30 p.m. Thursdays and semi-regular live music on the weekends. All shows begin at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.349.2337 or lazyhikerbrewing.com.

ends. Free and open to the public. 828.586.1717 or facebook.com/quirkybirdstreehouse.

• Rathskeller Coffee Haus & Pub (Franklin) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. Shows begin at 8 p.m. Free and open to the public. 828.369.6796.

• Salty Dog’s Seafood & Grill (Maggie Valley) will host “Karaoke w/Russell” every Monday and semi-regular live music on the weekends. Free and open to the public. 828.926.9105.

• Santé Wine Bar (Sylva) will host Ethan Johnson (singer-songwriter) Oct. 22 and What The Cat Dragged In (drag show) Oct. 29. All shows begin at 3 p.m. Free and open to the public. 828.631.3075 or facebook.com/thewinebarandcellar.

• Satulah Mountain Brewing (Highlands) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. 828.482.9794 or satulahmountainbrewing.com.

• Sauced (Waynesville) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. Free and open to the public. 828.246.9585 or saucedwnc.com.

• The Scotsman (Waynesville) will host a “Celtic Jam” 2-5 p.m. Sundays, TrancEnd (rock/pop) 9 p.m. Oct. 20, Savanna Woods (rock/folk) 7:30 p.m. Oct. 21, Andrew Rickman (country/rock) Oct. 26, Spiro Nicolopoulous (blues/rock) Oct. 27 and Celtic Road Jam 4 p.m. Oct. 28. All shows begin at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.246.6292 or scotsmanpublic.com.

• SlopeSide Tavern (Sapphire) will host semiregular live music on the weekends. All shows begin at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.743.8655 or slopesidetavern.com.

• Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts (Franklin) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. All shows begin at 7:30 p.m. unless otherwise noted. For more information and/or to purchase tickets, go to smokymountainarts.com or 828.524.1598.

• Stecoah Valley Center (Robbinsville) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. All shows begin at 7:30 p.m. unless otherwise noted. For more information and/or to purchase tickets, call 828.479.3364 or go to stecoahvalleycenter.com.

• The Ugly Dog Pub (Cashiers) will host semiregular live music on the weekends. 828.743.3000 or theuglydogpub.com.

• The Ugly Dog Pub (Highlands) will host “Bluegrass Wednesday” at 6:30 p.m. each week. 828.526.8364 or theuglydogpub.com.

• Unplugged Pub (Bryson City) will host Karaoke with Lori Oct. 19, Rock Holler ($5 cover) Oct. 20, Macon County Line ($5 cover) Oct. 21, Cliff Williamson (singersongwriter) Oct. 25, Mountain Gypsy (Americana) Oct. 26, Outlaw Whiskey ($5 cover) Oct. 27 and Tricia Ann Band ($5 cover) Oct. 28. All shows are free and begin at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. 828.538.2488.

• Valley Cigar & Wine Co. (Waynesville) will host Amos Jackson (singer-songwriter) 6 p.m. Oct. 20 and Second Chance (Americana) 6 p.m. Oct. 27. Free and open to the public. 828.944.0686 or valleycigarandwineco.com.

• Valley Tavern (Maggie Valley) will host semiregular live music on the weekends. All shows begin at 6 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.926.7440 or valley-tavern.com.

• Water’n Hole Bar & Grill (Waynesville) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. All shows begin at 9:30 p.m. 828.456.4750 or facebook.com/waternhole.bar.

• Whiteside Brewing (Cashiers) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. All shows begin at 6 p.m. unless otherwise noted. 828.743.6000 or whitesidebrewing.com.

• Yonder Community Market (Franklin) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. For more information and/or to purchase tickets, go to eatrealfoodinc.com.

Americana, indie at Meadowlark

Appalachian folk act Pigeon River Messengers will perform at 7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 21, in the Speakeasy at the Meadowlark Motel in Maggie Valley.

A duo based in the Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina, Zach & Lori met over their common love for Gillian Welch & Dave Rawlings and folk music as a whole.

A Knoxville native who later moved to Nashville, Zach is heavily influenced by a wide range of musical genres. From the high, lonesome sounds of Bill Monroe to the funky syncopated rhythms of James

Brown, his musical style reflects a unique blend of old and new.

Lori is a North Carolina singer-songwriter who grew up listening to Appalachian ballads and attending bluegrass festivals with her musical family. A fourthgeneration ballad singer, she embraces the old songs, all while eager to share her own, which includes many of the songs from her late Uncle Bobby McMillon. The show is free and open to the public. For more information and/or to purchase tickets, go to meadowlarkmotel.com or call 828.926.1717.

‘Kids at HART’ presents ‘Willy Wonka Jr.’

“A special presentation of “Willy Wonka Jr.” will be showcased by “Kids at HART” at 10 a.m. Oct. 21, 28; 2 p.m. Oct. 21, 28 and 1 p.m. Oct. 22, 29 at the Haywood Arts Regional Theatre in Waynesville.

Based on Roald Dahl’s timeless masterpiece, “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” “Willy Wonka Jr.” captures the essence of childhood dreams and the magic of Willy Wonka’s extraordinary chocolate factory. Audiences will be transported into a world where chocolate rivers flow and everlasting gobstoppers exist, all while the oompa-loompas add a touch of whimsy to every scene.

Join Charlie Bucket and a colorful cast of characters as they journey through the eccentric Willy Wonka’s world of confectionary marvels. From the iconic golden tickets to the mischievous antics of Augustus Gloop, Violet Beauregarde, Veruca Salt, Mike Teavee and the heartwarming Grandpa Joe, “Willy Wonka Jr.” is a spellbinding adventure that celebrates the power of imagination and the importance of kindness.

Tickets are $20 for adults, $10 for students. To make ticket reservations, call the HART Box Office at 828.456.6322 or go to harttheatre.org to make reservations online. HART Box Office hours are noon to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday.

• “The Wizard of Oz” will hit the stage at 7 p.m. Oct. 27-28 at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts in Franklin. Follow the yellow brick road in this delightful stage adaptation of L. Frank Baum’s beloved tale, featuring the iconic musical score and characters from the classic MGM film. The show is a full two-act production presented by the Overlook Theatre Company. Tickets are $18 for adults, $13 for students. For more information and/or to purchase tickets, go to smokymountainarts.com or 828.524.1598.

‘Death of a Salesman’ at HART

A special presentation of the iconic play

“Death of a Salesman” will hit the stage at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 20-21, 26-28 and 2 p.m. Oct. 22 and 29 at the Haywood Arts Regional Theatre in Waynesville.

Since its premier in 1949, Arthur Miller’s epic drama about the American Dream has been relevant to our history and truly our own interpretation of life and our ideas about success and failure.

The Loman family presents a darker truth of both human nature and the societal limitations we find ourselves stuck in.

“Death of a Salesman” holds “the mirror up to nature” as we identify — possibly deny — and then accept the internal and external struggles of the characters onstage, and how those struggles relate or reflect upon us.

This theatrical experience transcends the boundaries of the stage, immersing spectators in a deeply relatable narrative.

To make ticket reservations, call the HART Box Office at 828.456.6322 or go to harttheatre.org to make reservations online. HART Box Office hours are noon to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday.

Ready for Apple Harvest Festival?

The Haywood County Apple Harvest Festival will be held 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 21, in downtown Waynesville.

Hailed as one of the “10 Best Fall Harvest Festivals in the Nation,” the annual festival is a celebration of the autumn harvest and Haywood County’s agricultural heritage, attracting upwards of 20,000 attendees throughout the day.

The event features handmade arts and crafts, locally grown apples and apple products for sale. In addition, the festival will feature food vendors, educational and information booths, authentic mountain music, dance groups and children’s fun area.

Put on by the Haywood County Chamber of Commerce, the festival is free and open to the public. For more information, go to haywoodchamber.com and click on the “Events” tab.

Cherokee Bonfire & Storytelling

The Cherokee Bonfire & Storytelling will be held from 7-9 p.m. Sundays, Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays through Oct. 31 at the Oconaluftee Islands Park in Cherokee.

Sit by a bonfire, alongside a river, and listen to some of Cherokee’s best storytellers. The bonfire is free and open to the public.

For more information, call 800.438.1601 or go to visitcherokeenc.com.

Fall into Darnell Farms

The annual corn maze and pumpkin patch will return through Oct. 31 at Darnell Farms in Bryson City. Visit the farm for some old-fashioned fun. Walk through the corn maze ($12 admission), enjoy a hayride ($18 admission), partake in an array of Halloween activities and/or visit the huge six-acre pumpkin patch, where you and your family choose your perfect Jack O’ Lantern. Prices vary by size. There will also be food trucks, farm stands, apples and fall decor onsite. For more information, go to darnellfarms.com.

PumpkinFest rolls into Franklin

The 27th annual PumpkinFest will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 21, in downtown Franklin.

The centerpiece event of PumpkinFest is the “World Famous PumpkinRoll.” Who can roll a pumpkin the greatest distance down Phillips Street and vying for bragging rights? One past winner rolled 1,021 feet.

Sign up for the “Pumpkin Roll” is from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. with the actual “roll” from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Pumpkins will be available for purchase at the event or bring

ALSO:

your own.

Other highlights of the day include a costume parade and contest, pumpkin pie eating contest, along with dozens of vendors featuring arts and crafts, festival food and more.

PumpkinFest is sponsored by the Town of Franklin. For more information on the festivities visit us online at townoffranklinnc.com, on Facebook at facebook.com/pumpkinfestfranklin or call Franklin Town Hall at 828.524.2516.

• H&H Haunted Corn Maze will be held from 7:30-11 p.m. Oct. 2728 at H&H Farms, located at 4402 Murphy Road in Franklin. For more information, search “H&H Farmstand” on Facebook.

On the table

• “Flights & Bites” will be held starting at 4 p.m. on Thursdays and Fridays at Bosu’s Wine Shop in downtown Waynesville. For more information on upcoming events, wine tastings and special dinners, go to waynesvillewine.com.

• “Take A Flight” with four new wines every Friday and Saturdays at the Bryson City Wine Market. Select from a gourmet selection of charcuterie to enjoy with your wines. Educational classes and other events are also available. For more information, call 828.538.0420.

• “Uncorked: Wine & Rail Pairing Experience” will be held from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on select dates at the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad in Bryson City. Full service all-adult first class car. Wine pairings with a meal, and more. There will also be a special “Beer Train” on select dates. For more information and/or to register, call 800.872.4681 or go to gsmr.com.

Library to showcase Macon art

Members of the Macon County Art Association’s Uptown Gallery are exhibiting artwork through Oct. 31 at the Macon County Public Library in Franklin.

The showcase will display a variety of mediums, styles and themes. Library hours are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Hours for the exhibition may vary due to activities in the Meeting Room, therefore it is recommended that the library be called at 828.524.3600 to ensure the room is open.

For more information and/or to purchase a piece, call the Uptown Gallery at 828.349.4607.

Leaf Lookers Gemboree

The annual Leaf Lookers Gemboree will be held from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Oct. 20-21 and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Oct. 22 at the Macon County Community Building just south of Franklin along U.S. 441.

Gem and mineral dealers from across the country will be on hand displaying and selling their products against the backdrop of spectacular fall color.

The Gemboree will feature a wide variety of items including fine finished jewelry, rough and cut gems, lapidary equipment, minerals, fossils and collectibles. Dealers will also be available to custom make pieces.

Admission is $2 and those under 12 will be admitted free.

For more information, contact the Franklin Chamber of Commerce at 828.524.3161 or go to franklinchamber.com.

• Friends of the Greenway will host its annual arts and crafts fundraising event, FROG Fair, which will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 28, at FROG Quarters, located at 573 East Main St. in Franklin. Live music and food vendors will be onsite. For more information, email frog28734@gmail.com or go to littletennessee.org.

IT’S TIME TO THROW IN A TOWEL...

ALSO:

• “Art After Dark” will take place from 6-9 p.m. each first Friday of the month (MayDecember) in downtown Waynesville. Main Street transforms into an evening of art, live music, finger foods, beverages and shopping as artisan studios and galleries keep their doors open later for residents and visitors alike. The event is free and open to the public. For more information, go to downtownwaynesville.com.

• “Spark of the Eagle Dancer: The Collecting Legacy of Lambert Wilson” will be showcased through Dec. 8 in the Fine Art Museum at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee. The exhibit features over 140 works of contemporary Native American art from the collection of one of Western North Carolina’s most notable art enthusiasts, the late Lambert Wilson. To learn more about the exhibition, please go to arts.wcu.edu/spark. The Fine Art Museum is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday.

• “What’s New?” exhibit will showcase new works by members of the Haywood County Arts Council through Nov. 13 at the HCAC in Waynesville. The presentation will focus on new techniques, materials and themes from local and regional artisans. Free and open to the public. haywoodarts.org.

• Gallery Zella (Bryson City) will be hosting an array of artist receptions, exhibits and showcases. The gallery is open from noon to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday. For more information, go to galleryzella.com or call 517.881.0959.

• Waynesville Photography Club meets at 7 p.m. every third Monday each month on the second floor of the Haywood Regional Health & Fitness Center in Clyde. The club is a nonprofit organization that exists for the enjoyment of photography and the improvement of one’s skills. They welcome photographers of all skill levels to share ideas and images at the monthly meetings. For more information, email waynesvillephotoclub@charter.net or follow them on Facebook: Waynesville Photography Club.

• Farmer’s Market (with artisans) will be held from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays through October at 117 Island St. in Bryson City. Stop by the old barn by the river for local, homegrown produce, as well as baked goods, jellies and preserves, authentic crafts and more. Food truck, picnic tables and live music. Leashed pets are welcome. Outdoor event. 828.488.7857.

• Haywood County Arts Council (Waynesville) will offer a wide range of classes, events and activities for artisans, locals and visitors. The HCAC gallery is open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sundays. For more information and a full schedule, go to haywoodarts.org.

• Jackson County Green Energy Park (Dillsboro) will be offering a slew of classes, events and activities for artisans, locals and visitors. For more information and a full schedule, go to jcgep.org.

• Southwestern Community College Swain Arts Center (Bryson City) will host an array of workshops for adults and kids. For more information on the upcoming classes and/or to sign-up, go to southwesterncc.edu/scclocations/swain-center.

• Dogwood Crafters in Dillsboro will offer a selection of upcoming art classes and workshops. For more information and a full schedule of activities, go to dogwoodcrafters.com/classes.html or call 828.586.2248.

Book suggests pathways to a better life

Every once in a while, readers come across a book that by itself constitutes a small library. Anthologies of history, art, children’s stories, poetry: open up those hefty tomes, some of which might serve as doorstops or as weights for light lifting, and you’ve got a smorgasbord of information at your fingertips.

‘Tis the set of the soul, That determines the goal, And not the calm or the strife.

advice given is aimed at these realities.

Rarely will we who own these hefty collections consume them from beginning to end. Instead, we graze them like diners at a buffet, nibbling a page here, chowing down on a chapter there, looking for some tasty dish, some passage that might amuse or edify us.

And so it is with “Compass of Hope: User Manual for the Human Condition” (InnerEnergyMatrix Press, 2023, 421 pages). Inside this guide with its washable glossy covers — always appreciated by those of us who frequently spill our coffee or who read while eating a sticky bun — Western North Carolina writer Cynthia Clayton along with 45 other “consciousness-activists” share their advice on becoming happier in our daily lives and finding peace of mind. Chapter titles like “Practical Metaphysics for Self-Mastery,” “Reprogram Your Mind for Positive Thinking” and “Unlock the Power of Your Heart” immediately give readers the gist of this program.

Those three lines set the tone for “Compass of Hope.” How we face the joys and the sorrows of life, the easy seas and the storms, depends on our situation, yes, but even more on how we set our sail, how we direct the interior thoughts and emotions by which we choose to live.

Each chapter gives us different tools to help us lead fuller, healthier and more satisfying lives. “The Art of Retraining the Brain,” for instance, opens with inspirational quotations by thinkers like Confucius, Marcus Aurelius and Mike Dooley. Clayton then encourages readers to pause, go to YouTube and watch “Bob Newhart-Stop It,” a humorous clip from the old “Bob Newhart Show.” Then come examples of negative and positive “automatic thoughts,” followed by advice from Yanni Maniates, who proposes starting the day with a “to be” list rather than a “to do” list. We then meet Eric Butterworth, a leader in the field of “practical mysticism,” and learn his take on “Thinking,” a lecture which readers can also watch online.

The chapter ends with an exercise and more suggestions on how to break the power of negative thinking.

Psychologist Kim Conrad, for instance, asks “Could It Be My Cell Phone?” directing us to look at that device as the cause of some of our ills. Conrad points out that overuse of cell phones can produce anxiety, ruin our sleep at night and shatter our focus while we’re awake, and even cause depression. As in the other parts of the book, where the authors provide experiments designed to help us understand our interior selves, the exercises teach us how often we reach for the phone every day and how to do without it.

“The more panicked or unable you are to be without your phone,” writes Conrad, “is directly related to how much it’s running your life, how much you are addicted to it.”

Wise advice, particularly if we’re looking for peace of mind.

Given the many voices in this book — it’s sometimes difficult to distinguish Clayton’s comments from those of the other participants — some readers will likely disagree with some of the ideas in “Compass of Hope.” The book is largely devoted, for example, to self-improvement, particularly in the realm of personal happiness, and little is said about the joy we receive in giving of ourselves to others. The philosophy seems to be, and perhaps justifiably so, that if we are happy and emotionally healthy, then we’ll be sharing that inner joy with others.

My objection came at the very end of the book. There the authors write that the global COVID pandemic “triggered ‘a giant leap for mankind’ such as when we landed on the moon….” They go on to declare, “This new paradigm and story reshape our social and collective development, merging reason with intuition in an awakening process of remembering our wholeness and oneness with the spirit of love and compassion.”

This vague scenario seems far from unlikely. Too many negatives — out-of-control governments, the unanswered questions about vaccines and policies, the present distrust of all our institutions, wars and rumors of wars and economic hard times — remain at play.

In the first pages, Clayton informs us that “Compass of Hope” is intended as a “catalyst enabling you to create a life you love to live.” To help illustrate that point, and to tell us straightaway that “we always have the choice to determine the nature of existence,” Clayton includes part of a poem, Ella Wheeler Wilcox’s “Tis the Set of the Sail,” which ends:

‘The Act of Contrition’

Like these tools, many of the other discussions and tips throughout the “Compass of Hope” are grounded in the nitty-gritty of our day-to-day lives. We see this emphasis especially in “Chapter 16: Two Practical Inquiries.” Here Clayton shines a light on two key components of our daily lives: money and cell phones. As she notes, many of us worry about money, and many of us are worried by our cell phones, and the

Otherwise, “Compass of Hope” fulfills its promises to readers. It offers a myriad of ways to free yourself from stress, turmoil and self-doubt, and to find happiness and resilience in your personal life.

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

Award-winning North Carolina writer Joseph Bathanti will present his new collection of short fiction at 3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 21, at City Lights Bookstore in Sylva.

A series of linked stories and one novella, “The Act of Contrition” continues the adventures of Fritz Sweeney and his outrageously memorable parents, Travis and Rita, that began in Bathanti’s earlier award-winning volume of stories, “The High Heart.” Spanning the mid-1950s to the mid-1970s in an Italian American working-class neighborhood in Pittsburgh, “The Act of Contrition” celebrates and complicates the operatic glories and tragedies of an offbeat family that fashions from the vault of explosive ancestral secrets its own incendiary mythology. To reserve copies, please call the bookstore at 828.586.9499.

Clearing the creek

removal. Other partnerships were also key to the project, with Haywood Waterways Association, the Town of Canton and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service all collaborating to make it happen.

“It took a few years to get all the permits and permissions finalized, but eventually everything was set,” Stanback said.

A JOINT EFFORT

Dam removal projects are never simple, even when there’s no controversy and the impoundments are small.

“Despite how small the project is, it is deceptively complicated,” McCombs said.

A sewer line runs along the erstwhile impoundment, and regulators had to be certain removal efforts would not damage that infrastructure or cause contamination of the stream. Public safety is also a key consideration when conducting dam removal projects — and fundraising is always a challenge.

“That was something that took a really long time,” McCombs said.

Dam removal project frees Beaverdam watershed

BY HOLLY KAYS OUTDOORS E DITOR

Beaverdam Creek is easy to miss. Treelined banks shield the small, shallow stream from view as it runs toward the Pigeon River in Canton, and until their leaves fall in winter, the trees also hide the dam blocking the creek’s flow just above the confluence.

Or, at least, they did. Now, for the first time in a century, Beaverdam Creek flows free.

A FORGOTTEN DAM

The story started in 2015, when Brad Stanback, a N.C. Wildlife Resources Commissioner and conservation philanthropist who lives at the top of the Beaverdam Creek watershed, first noticed the dam near the corner of Champion Drive and Beaverdam Street.

“I just happened to look out the window in Canton as I was driving home and saw this dam that disconnected my own watershed,” he said. “I stopped and took a photo and sent it to American Rivers.”

American Rivers, a national nonprofit with an office in Asheville, has vast experience with supporting dam removal efforts. Not all dams are good candidates for removal — some are important for electric generation or water supply, for example — but in many cases dam removal can help the environment

while reducing risks for human communities downstream.

The Beaverdam Creek dam fell into the latter category.

There’s hardly any written information about the structure, said Erin McCombs, southeast conservation director for American Rivers. But from conversations with locals, she learned that the dam was built in the early 1900s. A general store operated on the adjacent property, along with a grist mill powered using water from the dam. People would bring their grain and have it milled into flour.

Today, the mill wheel is long gone, leaving only a small dam as a testament to times gone by.

“This thing has not been functioning for many, many decades, not been serving a purpose for a really long time,” McCombs said.

“So at this point, not only is it blocking fish passage, but [it’s a] public safety hazard.”

Doing a controlled removal, American Rivers decided, was a much better solution than waiting for the aging structure to fail on its own. The landowner agreed, granting the nonprofit access to his property to pursue the

The project cost about $400,000, with funding from Brad and Shelli Stanback, the Community Foundation of Western North Carolina’s Pigeon River Fund and the N.C. Division of Water Resources helping make it happen. However, the bulk of the funding came from the FWS’ National Fish Passage Program.

The FWS has been prioritizing dam removal projects “for a long time,” McCombs said, and available funding for such projects is at an all-time high — notably through the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which appropriated $800 million for dam removal efforts.

“That with other funding as well has done a lot to advance the capacity and momentum for us being able to reconnect streams,” McCombs said.

While FWS funding for the Beaverdam Creek project was allocated prior to the Infrastructure Act’s passage, American Rivers is working on “over a dozen” dam removal projects in the region, many of which are made possible through that funding. None of those projects have reached a stage where American Rivers is able to discuss them publicly, McCombs said.

“I think in the passing of [the Infrastructure Act], it shows that the federal government is recognizing the importance of the natural infrastructure of connected streams for public safety, for climate change and biodiversity protection,” McCombs said.

FINALE STILL TO COME

If the removal of the Beaverdam Creek Dam is a five-act play, the first act was Stanback’s initial glimpse of the structure in 2015, and the second was the arduous process of gathering support, funding and a plan of action. The third happened on Sept. 26, when crews cut a notch in the center of the F

dam.

Cutting the notch allowed water to start flowing through the natural streambed, carving a path through the feet of built-up sediment behind the wall. Mimicking the natural pulses of large storm events, the water carries the dirt away bit by bit, beginning to restore the original contours of the streambank.

“We had the luxury of time a little bit here that we could do multiple phases, and so it also helps with costs, as well, so you don’t have to do a whole lot of dredging,” McCombs said. “And then there’s less impact on the system when you let this approach happen.”

Less than three weeks after the notch was cut, the pond that once lay behind the dam had shrunk down to a slender creek meandering along the bottom of deep, sandy embankments topped with dried mud and newly unearthed debris. Crews cleared significant amounts of trash from the site after the notch was cut, McCombs said, but the longer things settle, the more is revealed.

For now, American Rivers is just keep-

ing an eye on the site, watching to see how the earth shifts and shapes. But this winter — likely sometime between December and February — crews will for return the fourth act of the dam removal effort. This will involve removing the remaining concrete from the defunct dam, installing protection for the nearby sewer line and putting in grid control structures upstream from the dam site to keep the streambank stable.

The result, McCombs said, will be the liberation of 30 miles of stream — the fifth act. Fish and other aquatic species will be able to move freely between the creek and the Pigeon River, bolstering biodiversity and contributing to the remarkable rebound the Pigeon has already seen following the recent closure of Canton’s paper mill.

“It’s pretty exciting that now there’s this entire watershed that will be open and allow fish and other aquatic organisms to have so much more habitat,” McCombs said. “And we know that in the face of climate change, and with so much biodiversity loss that we’re already seeing, that having more habitat is a good thing.”

Snow falls in the mountains

The first snow of the season has fallen in the Southern Appalachians.

LeConte Lodge in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park reported a dinnertime dusting Sunday, Oct. 15. Overnight, snow and ice combined for a solid inch on the ground, making walking surfaces crunchy and then slick in places where multiple footsteps had already trod-

den.

As of Monday morning, the temperature was 26 degrees with light winds. The lodge sits at 6,360 feet above sea level, just below the 6,593-foot summit of Mount Le Conte, the park’s third-highest peak. Local Yokel Weather reported 2 inches of snow at the Waterrock Knob Visitor Center on the Blue Ridge Parkway on Monday morning, an elevation of 5,830 feet.

On Tuesday, Oct. 17, the snow was 4 inches deep at Mount Le Conte, the National Weather Service reported.

Help available for failing septic systems

Funding is available to help homeowners fix failing septic systems, preventing both financial and environmental hardship.

The funds, offered through Haywood Waterways Association, will pay 75% of total

repair costs, with eligibility determined by severity of failure, proximity to a waterway and financial need. The average repair costs $8,315, and thus far the program has helped 192 homeowners and prevented as many as 69,120 gallons of untreated human waste from flowing into Haywood County streams each day. Funding is available for any eligible Haywood homeowner.

Film night to focus on roads, wildlife and safe passage

Spend a night at the movies with the Safe Passage Fund Coalition 5-9 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 26, at Pleb Urban Winery in Asheville as Safe Passage screens short films that highlight road ecology in Southern Appalachia and beyond.

“The Crossing” will feature emcee Jeff Hunter of National Parks Conservation Association and guest speaker Ted Grudowski, award-winning conservation filmmaker and director/producer of two of the films. The event will start with a social hour and short winery tour 5-6 p.m., followed by three hours of film. Guests can also enjoy live music from Asheville-based band Sun Goblin, drinks from a cash bar and meals from local food trucks.

“Cascades Crossroads” and its follow-up “Critter Crossing in the Cascades” will be the featured films, diving into a project along Interstate 90 in Washington where bridges

Celebrate native plants

The seventh annual North Carolina Native Plants Week is underway, running Oct. 16-22, and Audubon North Carolina is encouraging people to celebrate by planting native species in their own yards or gardens. Plants require less water this time of year, but they also still have enough time to establish before colder winter weather.

A failing septic system may produce foul odors outside or in the house, slow drainage in sinks and toilets, soggy soil, liquid waste on the surface of the drain field or excessive grass growth around the system.

The program is a partnership with the Haywood County Health Department and funded through the N.C. Department of

Environmental Quality Section 319 Grant Program and the Pigeon River Fund of the Community Foundation of Western North Carolina.

For more information, contact Haywood Waterways at 828.476.4667 or info@haywoodwaterways.org, or the Haywood County Environmental Health Department at 828.452.6675.

Speak with Smokies writers

“Writing the Appalachians,” a public forum featuring renowned authors who will speak about their experiences writing about the region’s beauty, culture and challenges, will take place at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 28, at the Clayton Center of Maryville College in Maryville, Tennessee. Speakers will include Pulitzer Prize-winning author Richard Powers together with authors Annette Saunooke Clapsaddle, Janet McCue and Frank X Walker. The intimate conversation will offer opportunity for audience questions. The forum is part of the inaugural Tremont Writers Conference taking place Oct. 25-29 on the campus of the Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont in Townsend. Chosen from over 200 applicants, 20 participants will participate in daily workshops, one-on-one conferences with workshop leaders and guided naturalist explorations. Tickets are $20 per person and can be purchased through the Clayton Center box office at claytonartscenter.com. Host Committee tickets, which include a pre-show dinner with Tremont Writers Conference participants and reserved VIP seating, are $125. Both the conference and the forum are hosted by Tremont in partnership with the Great Smoky Mountains Association.

are being built for wildlife to cross. The event will also include several other short films on road ecology in Southern Appalachia.

“The importance of wildlife connectivity can’t be overstated,” said Grudowski, director of the two “Cascades” films. “Wildlife passages allow for animal movement to happen as they need it to, allowing for genetic flow in animal populations of countless species. It also saves human lives by reducing animal–vehicle collisions, as well as the cost of the vehicle and the life of an animal. It feels good knowing that your region is doing the right thing by the natural world.”

Since 2017, 20-some regional organizations have been collaborating to make Interstate 40 between Asheville and Knoxville safer for people and wildlife. This partnership ultimately led to the creation of Safe Passage: The I-40 Pigeon River Gorge Wildlife Crossing Project.

Free, but limited to the first 230 people to register at safepassageoct26.eventbrite.com. Learn more about Safe Passage at smokiessafepassage.org.

species depend on to feed their young. Fewer native plants mean fewer insects, which in turn means fewer bird babies growing to adulthood.

“It’s a simple equation: more native plants mean more of the bird and pollinator species that depend on them,” said Curtis Smalling, interim executive director for Audubon North Carolina.

Native plants offer food for wildlife species that have adapted to depend on them, such as the insects that most bird

This year has seen substantial victories for native plants in North Carolina, including a new state law that requires native plants to be used in landscaping and habitat work on state parks and historical sites.

Celebrate Halloween the natural way

The annual Enchanted Forest Halloween bash will take over the Highlands Nature Center and Highlands Botanical Garden 5:30-7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 24.

Kids will go trick-or-treating through the garden’s forest trails, with a bonfire, hot drinks and face painting by Macon Faces waiting at the end. Costumes are encouraged.

The event is free but weather-dependent, with no reservation required. Meet in the amphitheater behind the Highlands Nature Center. Call 828.586.2623 for more information.

Swoop into Bat Week

Bat Week is coming up Oct. 24-30 — and there’s an opportunity to celebrate with “Bats and Brews,” an event slated for 5:30-8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 26, at Sierra Nevada Brewing Company in Mills River.

Trivia, a screening of the documentary “In Echo All About: A Documentary About Big Battles for Little Bats,” discussions with biologists and hands-on demonstrations will allow attendees to learn about bats and experience how scientists study them, working to understand where bats live, in what numbers and how mounting threats like disease, climate change and habitat loss affect those populations.

The event is organized by the National Park Service, U.S.

Race Chestnut Mountain

Geological Survey, USDA Forest Service, Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, University of North Carolina and the North American Bat Monitoring Program. Tickets range from $5 to $8 and are available at sierranevada.com/event/bats-n-brews. For more information, contact Antoine Fletcher at antoine_fletcher@nps.gov

to the finish line.

Run the trails of Chestnut Mountain Nature Park in Canton during the Chestnut Chase, a 10K race slated for 9 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 12.

The course begins with a rough 600-foot gain in the first 2 miles up Papertown Express, followed by rolling hills through the brand new Old Timer Trail. Amazing fall views will greet runners as they scream through the downhill return

There will be one aid station at the intersection of the lollipop course, which runners will pass at miles 1.5 and 4.6. Water, light snacks and backcountry medical support will be provided, with Bearwaters Brewing Company offering post-race refreshments.

Registration is $30 at ultrasignup.com and closes at midnight Nov. 11. Leashed dogs are welcome. Proceeds will support the Chestnut Mountain Foundation and North Carolina Mountain Trail Runners.

Friends of Panthertown plans open house

Friends of Panthertown will celebrate the grand opening of its first ever official headquarters and office space during a drop-in event noon to 6 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 25, at 116 Central St. in Sylva. The event will include a ribbon-cutting, snacks, campfire (complete with s’mores) and a chance to meet the organization’s board and staff — and learn about Friends of Panthertown’s work.

Friends of Panthertown is a nonprofit that works in partnership with the U.S. Forest Service to conserve the Panthertown Valley Backcountry Recreation Area in the Nantahala National Forest and to enable sustainable conservation there. Staff and volunteers maintain 30 miles of public trails. Learn more or RSVP at panthertown.org/events.

Maps are released every Thursday based on data collected as of the previous Tuesday. U.S. Drought Monitor of N.C. map

Drought conditions grow

Drought is strengthening in southwestern North Carolina, with 14 counties now in moderate drought and an additional 58 labeled abnormally dry.

Counties experiencing moderate drought include Jackson, Macon, Transylvania and Henderson. Over the past 30 days, areas such as Hickory and Morganton have had less than 1 inch of rain. The City of Hendersonville has advised customers to reduce water use by 20%, including limits on car washing and irrigation.

These drought designations are based on a U.S. Drought Monitor of N.C. map released Oct. 12 using data collected as of 8 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 10.

Women’s Pedal Fest returns to NOC

An empowering festival for female mountain bikers will come to the Nantahala Outdoor Center Nov. 10-12.

The second annual Women’s Pedal Fest will feature organized rides and clinics at Fire

Mountain Trails and Tsali Recreation Area, with riders of all levels encouraged to come out for a weekend of improving skills and creating community. Lodging, meals and more will take place on the NOC campus in Swain County. Registration is $135 and includes an event T-shirt, rides, meals and bonfire, with additional costs for clinics and lodging.

Learn more or sign up at noc.com/events.

Excitement high about Pisgah View State Park

About 185 people attended a Sept. 26 public input session to chart the future of Pisgah View State Park, and an online survey remains open through Oct. 20.

According to N.C. State Parks, the overall public sentiment was excitement about the new park. Some residents in close proximity to the park expressed concerns over the impacts of additional traffic on rural roadways and the potential for overuse of the park. Most people are looking forward to the opportunity to visit and recreate on both the frontcountry spaces and easily accessible flat areas with public facilities, as well as the backcountry trail system.

Pisgah View State Park is the newest unit of the state park system and sits on land previously known as Pisgah View Ranch, located mostly in Buncombe County but partially in Haywood County. To learn more or to access the survey, visit ncparks.gov/state-parks/pisgahview-state-park.

Notes from a Plant Nerd

BY ADAM B IGELOW

I see ghost flowers

This time of year, as the wind rustles the leaves and the shadows begin to elongate as the sun lingers lower on the horizon, the veil between the worlds seems to grow thinner and thinner. Spooks, haunts, haints and ghouls begin appearing in the shadows, on the edges of the forest and as costumes on store shelves or features on TV commercials.

There are also ghosts on the forest floor. So-called parasitic plants whose white, pink or purple colors hide their flowering nature and seedy antics. Appearing more like fungi, ghost pipes (Monotropa uniflora) hide in the duff and fool many a hiker into asking, “What kind of mushroom is this?” on forums and mushroom identification pages across social media. But they are not mushrooms.

describing these types of plants. “Parasite” is filled with negative connotations and may cause people to consider them harmful or detrimental to the trees they are connected with, and this is not the case. In fact, there are way more mutualistic relationships in and under the forest than there are competitive, “nature tooth and claw” types of relationships. Our modern culture of humanity could learn a lot about how to get along by studying the interconnected, multi-species relationships that exist in nature.

Puzzles can be found on page 46

These are only the answers.

Like plants wearing a Halloween costume pretending to be a fungus, the ghost-pipes, also known as Indian pipes, corpse plant or Indian ghost pipe, contain no chlorophyll and are therefore not green like most plants are. While dressing up in the costume modeled after indigenous Native American regalia and ceremonial dress is inappropriate and offensive, ghost pipes can pretend to be fungi with no repercussions. They are linked by their roots to fungi in the soil, which connect them to tree roots that supply food and nutrients to these dependent flowering plants.

The scientific Latin name of ghost pipe, Monotropa uniflora, is useful in identifying this spooky plant. Uniflora translates to “one flower, ” as this plant has a single flower on each stalk. Monotropa translates to “one turn” and refers to how the flower of ghost-pipe nods downward while it is in bloom, in an attempt to attract low-flying and crawling insects for pollination. Once they have been pollinated, the solitary flower head then turns to face towards the sky. This helps raise the height of the ripe seed head to aid in spreading its seeds farther than if it remained nodding downward.

Because ghost pipes don’t perform photosynthesis, they rely on relationships with nearby fungi for food.

Generally known as parasitic plants, ghost pipes are more accurately called myco-heterotrophs. The prefix “myco-” means fungal, “hetero-” means different, and the suffix “troph-“ means food. So, a myco-heterotroph is a plant that does not produce its own food through photosynthesis. Rather, it links its roots in an evolutionarily derived relationship with fungal mycorrhizae, the tiny white threads under the soil that often produce mushrooms above the ground. These mycorrhizae are connected to the roots of trees that the ghost-pipe grows under, often but not limited to beech trees (Fagus grandifolia). These trees share their products of photosynthesis — sugar and carbohydrates — with the fungi, who also then share this excess with the ghost-pipe to which they are connected.

This sharing of energy and nutrients is why I don’t like the term “parasite” when

Adam Bigelow photo

There are other related and similar plants that use this fungal energy transport system to obtain food and are therefore also not green in color. The closely related Appalachian pygmy pipes (Monotropsis odorata) are purple in color and emerge in the forest duff and leaf litter at this time of year, waiting to rise up and flower in late winter/early spring. And there is the pine-sap (Hypopitys lanuginosa), which are a deep pink and have multiple flower heads on a single stalk. Both of these species can be differentiated from ghost pipe by having more than one flower per stalk.

At this time of year, most of the ghost pipes have dispersed their seeds, and shortly afterwards turned black and mushy as they die back to the ground, going dormant for the winter season. You can still spot some of the plants on the forest floor, standing as gravestones for the flowers that were. Spooky plants for the spooky season, but there is no reason to fear the ghost pipes.

(Adam Bigelow lives in Cullowhee. He leads weekly wildflower walks most Fridays and offers consultations and private group tours through Bigelow’s Botanical Excursions. bigelownc@gmail.com.)

WNC Calendar

COMMUNITY EVENTS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS

• The Jackson County Farmers Market meets every Saturday November through March 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and April through October 9 a.m. to noon at Bridge Park in Sylva, 110 Railroad St. Special events listed on Facebook and Instagram.

• The Jackson Arts Market takes place from 1-5 p.m. every Saturday at 533 West Main St. in Sylva with live music and an array of local artists.

• Cowee School Farmer’s Market is held Wednesdays from 3-6 p.m., at 51 Cowee School Drive in Franklin. The market has produce, plant starts, eggs, baked goods, flowers, food trucks and music. For more information or for an application, visit www.coweeschool.org or call 828.369.4080.

• There will be a Community Food Pantry event 1-3 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 19, at the Brasstown Community Center. There is no sign-up or income requirement. Drive up to the outdoor pavilion and volunteers will hand out bags of food. To volunteer call 828.360.5058.

B USINESS & E DUCATION

• Jackson County Public Schools is hosting national speaker, Officer Jermaine Galloway, 6-7:30 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 5, at the auditorium at Smoky Mountain High School. He will speak to the community about substance abuse among youth.

H EALTH AND WELLNESS

• Mountain Area pregnancy Services and the WIC Breastfeeding Peer Counselor work together to provide a casual support group for prenatal and breastfeeding individuals from 1-2 p.m. on Tuesdays at Mountain Area Pregnancy Services, 177 N Main St. in Waynesville. All are welcome, registration is recommended. For more information, please call 828.558.4550.

CLUBS AND M EETINGS

• The Western Carolina Cribbage Club meets every Monday at 6 p.m. An eclectic group of young and old, male and female. The group supplies boards, cards, pegs and are always willing to help those still learning the finer points of the game. Contact kei3ph@bellsouth.net for more information.

• Chess 101 takes place 3:30-4:30 p.m. every Friday at the Canton Branch of the Haywood County Library. For more information, email Ashlyn Godleski at ashlyn.godleski@haywoodcountync.gov or call 828.356.2567.

• The Canton Branch of the Haywood County Public Library Creative Writing Group meets 10:30 a.m. to noon on the second and fourth Tuesday of the month. For more information, email Jennifer at jennifer.stuart@haywoodcountync.gov or call 828.356.2561.

• Knit Night takes place at 5:30-7:30 p.m. every second Tuesday of the month at The Stecoah Valley Center. The event is free and open to the public. RSVP is recommended: 828.479.3364 or amber@stecoahvalleycenter.com.

• Sylva Writers Group meets Wednesday mornings at City Lights Books. If interested contact sylvawriters@gmail.com.

• A Novel Escape Book Club takes place at 6:30 p.m. on the first Tuesday of every month at the Novel Escape Bookstore (60 E Main St, Franklin). Every other month one book is selected for discussion. On alternate

n All phone numbers area code 828 unless otherwise noted.

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

months the meeting is round-table discussion in which participants share what they’ve read lately. For more information call the bookstore at 828.369.9059 or visit anovelescapefranklin.wordpress.com.

K IDS AND FAMILIES

• The Arts Council of Macon County and the Macon County Library are partnering to offer Cherokee Dance with Bill Dyar at 3:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 9, at the Macon County Library. For more information call 828.524.3600 or visit fontanalib.org.

• The Jackson County Public Library in Sylva will host a kids’ program about moon exploration on Wednesdays at 3 p.m. Randi Neff will lead these activities focused on NASA’s Artemis program, with aims to one day establish a base on the Moon. Co-sponsored by Friends of the Jackson County Public Library. For more information call 828.586.2016.

• Creative Writing Club will take place at 3:30 p.m. on the fourth Wednesday of every month at the Macon County Public Library. The writing club is intended for ages 8-12. For more information visit fontanalib.org or call 828.524.3600.

• Move and Groove Storytime takes place 10:30-11 a.m. every Thursday, at the Canton branch of the Haywood County Public Library. Exciting, interactive music and movement story time ideal for children 2-6 years old. For more information contact Ashlyn at ashlyn.godleski@haywoodcountync.gov or at 828.356.2567.

• Mother Goose Storytime takes place 10:30-11 a.m. every Wednesday at the Waynesville branch of the Haywood County Public Library. Ideal for children from birth to 2 years old. For more information, contact Lisa at lisa.hartzell@haywoodcountync.gov or call 828.356.2511.

• Wiggle Worms Storytime takes place 10:30-11 a.m. every Tuesday, at the Waynesville branch of the Haywood County Public Library. Ideal for children 2-6 years old. For more information contact Lisa at lisa.hartzell@haywoodcountync.gov or call 828.356.2511.

• Next Chapter Book Club Haywood is a fun, energetic and highly interactive book club, ideal for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The group meets every second and fourth Monday of the month. For more information, email Jennifer at jennifer.stuart@haywoodcountync.gov or call 828.356.2561.

• Storytime takes place at 10 a.m. every Tuesday at the Macon County Library. For more information visit fontanalib.org or call 828.524.3600.

• Toddler’s Rock takes place at 10 a.m. every Monday at the Macon County Library. Get ready to rock with songs, books, rhymes and playing with instruments. For more information visit fontanalib.org or call 828.524.3600.

• Culture Talk takes place at 2 p.m. on the first Wednesday of every month at the Macon County Public Library. Travel the world from inside your library. This event features guest speakers and food sampling from the location being discussed. For more information visit fontanalib.org or call 828.524.3600.

• Art afternoon takes place at 3:30 p.m. on the first Thursday of each month at the Macon County Public Library. For more information visit fontanalib.org or call 828.524.3600.

A&E

• Stecoah’s annual Harvest Festival will take place 6-8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 20, and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 21. The festival celebrates all things fall with music, food, art and crafts vendors, country fair, quilt show, artisan demonstrations and more. For more information visit stecoahvalleycenter.com.

• Trivia Night is hosted 6:30-8:30 p.m. every Thursday evening at the Meadowlark Motel in Maggie Valley. For more information visit meadowlarkmotel.com.

• Paint and Sip at Waynesville Art School will be held every Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 7-9:30 p.m. To learn more and register call 828.246.9869 or visit PaintAndSipWaynesville.com/upcoming-events. Registration is required, $45.

• Mountain Makers Craft Market will be held from noon to 4 p.m. the first Sunday of each month at 308 North Haywood St. in Waynesville. Over two dozen artisans selling handmade and vintage goods. Special events will be held when scheduled. mountainmakersmarket.com.

• Smoky Mountain Event Center presents Bingo Night with doors opening at 4:30 p.m. and games starting at 6 p.m. on the second Tuesday and fourth Monday of the month. For more information visit smokymountaineventcenter.com.

F OOD AND D RINK

• “Flights & Bites” will be held starting at 4 p.m. on Thursdays and Fridays at Bosu’s Wine Shop in downtown Waynesville. For more information on upcoming events, wine tastings and special dinners, click on waynesvillewine.com.

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

• Take a trip around the world with four different wines every Friday 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Saturday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Bryson City Wine Market. Pick from artisan Charcuterie Foods to enjoy with wines. 828.538.0420

• Cooking classes take place at the McKinley Edwards Inn from 6-8:30 p.m. on Thursday nights. To reserve your spot call 828.488.9626.

CLASSES AND PROGRAMS

• A glassblowing glass to make Christmas ornaments will take place starting at 10 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 4, at the Green Energy Park in Jackson County. To register for a class, contact GEP at 828.631.0271.

• Chess 101 takes place from 3:30-4:30 p.m. every Friday in the Canton Branch of the Haywood County Public Library. No registration required, for more information call 828.648.2924.

• Uptown Gallery, 30 East Main St. Franklin, will be offering Children’s Art Classes Wednesdays afternoons. Adult workshops in watercolor, acrylic paint pouring, encaustic and glass fusing are also offered. Free painting is available 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. every Monday in the classroom. A membership meeting takes place on the second Sunday of the month at 3 p.m. All are welcome. Call 828.349.4607 for more information.

ART SHOWINGS AND GALLERIES

• “Thursday Painters” group will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Thursdays at The Uptown Gallery in

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

n Complete listings of local music scene

n Regional festivals

n Art gallery events and openings

n Complete listings of recreational offerings at health and fitness centers

n Civic and social club gatherings

Franklin. Free and open to the public. All skill levels and mediums are welcome. Participants are responsible for their own project and a bag lunch. 828.349.4607 or pm14034@yahoo.com.

Outdoors

• Take a free guided tour of fall leaves at the Highlands Nature Center in Highlands at 4 p.m. any Friday or Saturday throughout October. No registration necessary. Tours are weather-dependent. For more information visit highlandsbiological.org.

• Learn the art of Southern Appalachian fly tying with an eight-week course taught by local expert Tommy Thomas. Class will be held 6-8 p.m. Wednesdays Oct. 18 through Dec. 13 at the Folkmoot Center in Waynesville. Offered through Haywood County Recreation, the course costs $30 for instruction, supplies and equipment. Sign up at haywoodcountync.gov/recreation.

• Middle school students are invited to try some hiking and fly fishing, with events planned Oct. 19 and 24. This month, a hike will be offered Tuesday, Oct. 14, and fly fishing Thursday, Oct. 19. For more information, contact FUMC at 828.456.9475, ext. 302.

• Learn how to stay safe in the woods with a course 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 19, at Standing Rock Overlook on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Search and rescue trainer Steve Kuni will teach what hikers should always have in their pack and what to do to keep yourself safe and alive when you find yourself out in the woods after dark. The course will include a hands-on outdoor portion. Register at haywoodcountync.gov/recreation.

• The Hemlock Restoration Initiative will lead a hike at the N.C. Arboretum in Asheville Saturday, Oct. 21. Leaders will discuss the importance of native hemlocks and the threat they face from the invasive hemlock wooly adelgid, as well as treatment methods and precautions to be used near streams. Sign up at savehemlocksnc.org/arboretum-hike-oct-2023.

• Celebrate the inaugural Great Trails State Day in North Carolina by giving Panthertown some love Saturday, Oct. 21. The group will meet at the Salt Rock Gap Trailhead near Cashiers for a volunteer work day running 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Learn more or sign up at panthertown.org/volunteer.

• Hike Pinnacle Park in Sylva during an excursion starting 9 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 21, offered through the Jackson County Parks and Recreation Department. Cost is $7. Register at jcprd.recdesk.com/community/program. Contact trevorbrown@jacksonnc.org with questions.

• A gathering of women who love the outdoors will take place Saturday, Nov. 4, at Vogel State Park in Georgia. Breakfast and registration begin at 8 a.m. and programming at 8:45. Registration required at womenstrailsummit.com.

MarketPlace information:

The Smoky Mountain News Marketplace has a distribution of 16,000 copies across 500 locations in Haywood, Jackson, Macon and Swain counties, including the Qualla Boundary and west Buncombe County. Visit www.wncmarketplace.com to place your ad!

Rates:

• $15 — Classified ads that are 25 words, 25¢ per word after.

• Free — Lost or found pet ads.

• $6 — Residential yard sale ads.*

• $1 — Yard Sale Rain Insurance Yard sale rained out? Call us by 10a.m. Monday for your ad to run again FREE

• $375 — Statewide classifieds run in 170 participating newspapers with 1.1+ million circulation. (Limit 25 words or less)

• Boost Online — Have your ad featured at top of category online $4

• Boost in Print

• Add Photo $6

• Bold ad $2

• Yellow, Green, Pink or Blue Highlight $4

• Border $4

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

Note: Yard sale ads require an address. This location will be displayed on a map on www.wncmarketplace.com

p: 828.452.4251 · f:828.452.3585 classads@smokymountainnews.com www.wncmarketplace.com

PLACE WNC

Legals

NOTICE OF ADMINISTRATION

Case No.23E613

Sherry G Dewees, having Hester Irene Shuler before Jan 04 2024, or Fiduciary 137 Morgan Street Waynesville NC 28786

NOTICE OF ADMINISTRATION

Case No.2023 E 000622 of Barbara Ann Newell

This the 4th day of October 2023. Laurin

before Jan 11 2024, or Co-Executor 109 Spinnaker Court Lexington, SC 29072

NOTICE TO CREDITORS STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA COUNTY OF HAYWOOD

Anita Jeanette Laurin

SUDOKU

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