Smoky Mountain News | November 22, 2023

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On the Cover:

WCU’s Digali’i Native American Student Organization, which includes members of several different state and federally recognized tribes, gathered to display pride in their indigenous heritage during a Rock Your Mocs Walk planned as part of WCU’s celebration of Native American Heritage Month. (Page 10) Holly Kays photo

News

Macon recommends changes to Fontana Regional Library agreement..............8

Estridge in, Guiney out for Sylva Town Council..........................................................9

Haywood sheriff talks data, details from his first year............................................12

Haywood and Waynesville look to stay ahead of cryptocurrency mining ......14

Watershed restoration underway after 2021 flooding..........................................15

Wildfires burn as rain reaches WNC..........................................................................16 Lake Santeetlah back to business after election wins............................................17

Macon commissioners approve premium pay..........................................................19

Opinion

Simple, meaningful stories often overlooked............................................................20 Human gratitude runs deep in our DNA....................................................................21

A&E

Waynesville’s Singletree restaurant a ‘must try’ culinary destination................22 Franklin Christmas Parade..............................................................................................26

Outdoors

What we can learn from wild turkeys..........................................................................30 Meet the hellbender..........................................................................................................33

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

CONTACT

S UBSCRIPTIONS

The benefits of shopping local

Millions of people enjoy shopping for gifts and loved ones each holiday season. The spirit of giving is alive and well each December, and that can extend to giving back to one’s own community.

In addition to supporting local charities when making donations during the holiday season, shoppers can patronize small local businesses over big box retailers and national chains. The decision to do so can benefit communities in myriad ways.

n Small businesses inspire young entrepreneurs. The United States Department of Commerce reports that nearly half of all small business owners in the U.S. in 2018 were 54 or younger. Six

percent of those owners were 34 and under. Young entrepreneurs at the helm of thriving local businesses provide inspiration to the

next generation of innovators.

n Thriving small business owners can send a positive message to traditionally

underrepresented groups. The National Women’s Business Council Annual Report for 2022 indicated women-owned employer firms increased by nearly 17 percent between 2012 and 2019. Similarly, the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2021 Annual Business Survey found that there were more Hispanicowned and minority-owned businesses in various sectors than a decade earlier. The success of women- and minority-owned businesses sends a positive message to young entrepreneurs and locals who are part of groups that have traditionally been underrepresented in business. That can help to create a more diverse and inclusive Main Street, the success of which depends heavily on locals’ willingness to patronize locallyowned businesses.

n Shopping local supports many small business owners. Family meals and social gatherings with friends and coworkers are a big part of the holiday season, and it’s not uncommon to break bread and share a few drinks during a night on the town. Choosing to gather at a locally owned restaurant or tavern instead of a chain restaurant can have a ripple effect on an assortment of local businesses. Local restaurants often source their ingredients from local farms. A family meal at such a restaurant benefits both the restaurant owner and the hardworking local suppliers of the food that ends up on the plate. Local restaurants also are more likely to list locally produced wines and craft beers on their menus than national chains. That adds to the ripple effect of celebrating the holidays at a locally owned restaurant.

Festive films that make for a perfect family movie night

Afamily movie night makes for a great way for families to bond and enjoy some relaxing time together. Such nights are a tradition in households across the globe, and they can even become a fun way for extended families to celebrate the holiday days together. When hosting overnight guests this holiday season, hosts can plan a family movie night and line up any of these family-friendly holiday movies.

n “A Christmas Story” (1983): This beloved classic based on the writings of author Jean Shepherd focuses on young Ralphie Parker and his humorous family. That family includes his father, played to much laughs by legendary actor Darren McGavin. All Ralphie wants for Christmas is a coveted Red Ryder air rifle, and generations of fans have enjoyed watching this film to see if Ralphie’s dream comes true.

n “Home Alone” (1990): Not unlike “A Christmas Story,” this instant classic devotes much of its story to a young boy. Eight-year-old Kevin McAllister (Macaulay Culkin) awakens to an empty house after his parents forgetfully leave him behind as they depart on a holiday trip to Paris with their extended family. That proves to be bad news for bungling burglars Harry (Joe Pesci) and Marv (Daniel Stern), who are outwitted by Kevin at every turn. n Elf (2003): Middle-aged Buddy (Will

BLACK FRIDAY SALE:

Ferrell) grew up in the North Pole believing he is an elf, despite being significantly larger than the kind-hearted elves who raised him. Upon learning he is not an actual elf, Buddy is determined to reunite with the father (James Caan) he’s never known. Hilarity ensues as the innocent Buddy ends up in the big city in search of his father.

n “It’s a Wonderful Life” (1946): Among the most beloved holiday movies ever made, this classic stars Jimmy Stewart as George Bailey, a devoted family man who set aside his own big-city dreams to save the family business and, ultimately, his small hometown of Bedford Falls. Lamenting some bad luck that leaves him on the cusp of financial ruin, George wishes he’d never been born, only to be shown by an especially kind and patient angel-in-training (Henry Travers) how much worse off Bedford Falls and its residents might have been had George Bailey never existed.

n “Jingle All the Way” (1996): Featuring a future Governor of California in the lead role, this hijinks-filled holiday classic follows the efforts of Howard Langston (Arnold Schwarzenegger) as he tries to secure the must-have gift of the season for his son, Jamie (Jake Lloyd). Howard soon finds himself competing against a father (Sinbad) who’s equally devoted to find the coveted Turbo-Man action figure.

he natural world is a wonder to behold, with awe-inspiring vistas and wildlife. Spending time in nature has been studied and reported on by a number of medical professionals. The general takeaway is that enjoying time in the great outdoors has been linked to everything from improved mood to reduced risk of disease. Just a little bit of time in fresh air and sunlight can improve well-being by a significant margin, which is perhaps why nature has inspired so many devotees.

If there is a nature lover in your family, use that interest as inspiration when holiday shopping this year. Here are some nature-related gift ideas.

n Binoculars: Bird watchers or other animal observers understand that wild animals can become skittish around people. It’s best to view them from afar, and a good set of binoculars makes it easier to do so.

n Mounted camera: When the GoPro camera came on the scene many years ago, it revolutionized the way amateur filmmakers could document their adventures. The GoPro and its model evolutions continue to enable people to capture photos and videos both on land and underwater. With a headmounting strap and some additional accessories, adventurers will be unencumbered by the camera. Similar mounting devices may be available for Android- and Applebased phones and cameras as well.

n Waterproof hiking boots/shoes: Taking

the road less traveled often means going on foot. Trailblazing is made easier with durable, waterproof footwear that can go from the trail to the mountainside.

n Motion-capture trail camera: Another way to watch wildlife is to do so from a motion-capture trail camera that can be set up by a nesting area or along a path frequented by local wildlife.

n First aid kit: It’s always important to keep safety in mind when enjoying nature. A well-stocked first aid kit is a great way to give the gift of good health and safety.

n Camping gear: When sleeping out under the stars or at a campsite, a tent, ground cover, sleeping bag, backpack, camp stove, and other gear can make the experience all the better.

Great gifts for the foodie

Food features prominently throughout the holiday season. Family meals around the holiday dinner table are a cherished tradition in millions of households, and food also plays a central role during seasonal gatherings with friends and colleagues. Food also can feature prominently throughout Chanukah and on Christmas Day, particularly if a loved one qualifies as a full-fledged foodie. Many families feature at least one foodie. Foodies always know the best place in town to grab a bite or when a trendy new restaurant will open its doors. But such individuals also enjoy making meals at home, and the following gift ideas can make this holiday season more flavorful for the family foodie.

n Tabletop firepit: Shoppers who want to impress their food-loving loved one with something truly unique can give a tabletop firepit. Safe for indoor use, tabletop firepits enable s’mores-loving foodies to indulge in a traditionally summertime favorite allyear-round. Tabletop firepits are small enough to be stored on a kitchen countertop or in a cabinet. When in use, the s’mores-friendly accessory is smokeless, removing perhaps the lone disadvantage to making this beloved treat.

n Club subscription: Monthly subscriptions are a gift that can keep on giving all the way until next holiday season. Sweets lovers will undoubtedly appreciate receiving a box of fresh chocolates each month, while those with more unique tastes may anxiously await the day their monthly shipment of pickles arrives at their doorstep. The options are endless, ensuring there’s a monthly subscription out there to tickle every foodie’s fancy.

n Sauce sampler: Amateur sauciers may find inspiration in a sauce sampler set.

Sampler set options abound, so shoppers can find something for foodies who love a spicy sauce, something more sweet or even in between. Of course, sampler sets also provide a range of sauces, making them ideal for foodies who want something spicy tonight before pivoting to a sweeter dish tomorrow. Flavored olive oil sampler sets also can be a great gift for cooks who love to

experiment with new flavors.

n Charcuterie board and knife set: Foodies who love to host their fellow food fanatics will no doubt fall in love with a new charcuterie board and knife set. A 2023 report from Kroger revealed that the supermarket chain expected charcuterie boards to remain popular over the course of the year. That popularity makes sense, as anything from meat to cheese to fruit to crackers has a home on a charcuterie board, making the item especially appealing to foodies who routinely share their homes and love of food with friends and family.

n Espresso maker: Of course, foodies aren’t just about food. Beverages also figure prominently in many foodies’ lives. A highend espresso maker can ground fresh beans and brew multiple cups in no time at all, making it an ideal addition to any foodie’s culinary arsenal.

Buck the system

Macon recommends changes to Fontana Regional Library agreement

BY HANNAH MCLEOD STAFF WRITER

With the 10-year Fontana Regional Library agreement up for review, commissions in all three counties are considering changes to the document. Last week, the Macon County Commission unanimously passed a resolution to amend the Fontana Regional Library agreement per a set of agreed upon changes.

“We’ve been doing this since January, this has not been an easy process, it’s been a very difficult process,” said Commissioner Danny Antoine

At this point the recommendations are only that — recommendations. They will now be forwarded to Jackson and Swain counties for review. All three counties will have to agree on any of the proposed changes before they make it into a final version of the Fontana Regional Library Agreement.

small number of books in the Macon County library, almost all of which are intended for younger audiences and contain LGBTQ+ content. Commissioner Danny Antoine has repeatedly referred to these books as “pornographic material.”

In February, a group of Macon County residents and library patrons attended a library board meeting to air a plethora of concerns. Chief among them were that the library is promoting a sexual agenda to minors and the library’s affiliation with the American Library Association and the Fontana Regional Library System. While this group did not argue for banning any books from the library, many did propose sequestering books with LGBTQ+ content in some way.

From that point, the discussion turned into an effort to pull the Macon County Library out of the Fontana Regional Library system altogether. Commissioner Danny

HISTORY

Fontana Regional Library formed in 1944 when the Tennessee Valley Authority sponsored a regional bookmobile to visit the most remote areas of Jackson, Macon and Swain counties.

Today, the system offers full library services to rural counties that might not otherwise be able to fund them. By combining cataloging, human resources, finance departments and information technology services for libraries in the three counties, it is cheaper for each county than if they were to provide for each of those departments individually. The regional agreement is renewed every 10 years and can be dissolved or withdrawn from at any time.

The current issue regarding the library system erupted around the discussion of a

remain the property of FRL, not Macon County — Macon County ultimately decided to remain in the system. However, commissioners did request that county managers in Macon, Jackson and Swain counties meet to review the FRL agreement.

“...they

The review by county managers resulted in one proposed change to the system, being that commissioners would have direct appointment power over the Fontana Regional Library system’s Board of Trustees. Previously, commissioners appointed members to the local library boards, who then appointed someone from among their own board to serve on the FRL board.

want to be able to appoint, replace and remove board members at the whim of the commissioner board when those board members don’t agree with the extremist new board of commissioners.”

comment. “The proposed changes are redundant and unnecessary. So why do they feel the need to increase their control over this public institution? They will claim it is because of taxpayer funding on the part of the library’s budget. But I venture to suggest that it is because they want to be able to appoint, replace and remove board members at the whim of the commissioner board when those board members don’t agree with the extremist new board of commissioners.”

— Heather Johnson

Antoine quickly became a leader in the push for removal.

“For those of you who have stated about pulling out of the Fontana Regional System, believe me, I’m completely on board with that,” Antoine said during a March 14 commissioner meeting. “It’s not a simple process. It is a hard process that we’re definitely working super hard on, trying to figure out how to do this the best way because you can’t just pull out of that system and leave the library hanging by itself. We have to have a system in place to be able to make sure that the library is functioning correctly.”

Due in part to the complicated nature of the move and the costs associated with removing itself from the Fontana Regional Library — under the current agreement, any assets that were purchased by FRL would

Now, each county commission is reviewing the agreement and proposing any changes they see fit.

PROPOSED CHANGES

Macon commissioners are proposing several changes to the FRL document. The first change adds the words “in a socially and politically neutral manner” to the end of the purpose statement, which otherwise describes the purpose of providing “excellent library services” to residents in all three counties.

Several changes have to do with membership on the Fontana Regional Library Board of Trustees. One proposed change states that all nine members “shall be full-time, yearround residents of the county from which they are appointed.” Those members would also serve four-year terms instead of the current six-year terms. The Fontana Regional Library members were previously appointed from the membership of each respective county. The county is recommending they be appointed by the county commissioners, who may select from recommendations made by the county library board or the community at large.

Similarly, vacancies on the Fontana Regional Library Board of Trustees would no longer be filled by the appropriate local library advisory board, but by appointment from the county commissioners.

The last addition to the rules about membership on the FRL board reads, “any time that a majority of the commissioners determine that a library trustee from their county has failed to abide by the library’s bylaws and policies, they may be removed by the commissioners from that county.”

“The county commissioners already appoint the local Macon County public library board which then in turn selects from those board members whom they would like to the FRL board. So, truly, the board of county commissioners already has the power to appoint the members of the FRL board who represent Macon County,” said Heather Johnson, of Otto, during public

The proposed changes also outline rules for open meetings, public records and public comment. All library board meetings have to be conducted in accordance with the North Carolina Open Meetings laws, must be videotaped, archived on the library’s website and accessible by the public at all times.

Community members have complained about the lack of spoken public comments at all library board meetings. Changes to the rules would require a public comment period before each library board meeting with no less than three minutes allowed per speaker. The comment period will be limited to 45 minutes, but the board may allow for additional time. The proposed change also says, “the public shall be permitted to ask questions for clarification directly through the chair, who shall attempt to answer to the best of his or her ability.”

Other proposed changes include drafting a resolution of intent to consider amendments to by-laws prior to passing them to make time for a public hearing on any proposed amendments; posting the Fontana Regional Library director’s job description to the website, posting the approved FRL budget to the website as well as the proposed budget for 30 days prior to approval; and posting all audits to FRL’s website.

Previously, if a local library decided to withdraw from the FRL, assets purchased by the FRL collectively would remain assets of the FRL. The proposed change states “should that participating local governmental unit fully withdraw, assets located in the local library facility will remain the assets of the withdrawing library.”

In his comments, Commissioner Josh Young advocated for this portion of the document because it is Macon County taxpayers that support the FRL system.

“We just went through that with volunteer fire department contracts where all the assets purchased in the department stay in that community,” said Young. “I feel like this is similar. The taxpayers of Macon County purchased the assets.”

The county also recommended changes to the provisions for termination of the agreement, which previously said the agreement could be terminated “if reasonable cause is presented in writing by any member

Estridge in, Guiney out for Sylva Town Council

After canvassing, the vote count is official, with Brad Waldrop, Mark Jones and Blitz Estridge winning seats on the Sylva Town Council, in addition to incoming Mayor Johnny Phillips.

After Election Day, Blitz Estridge and Ben Guiney were unofficially tied for third place with 204 votes each, or 16.8% of the vote. In the case of a tie persisting following canvass, the race is settled with a coin flip or a draw.

Incumbent Council Member Guiney also tied for third place during the 2019 election, after which he won a seat following a coin flip.

However, there were 10 provisional ballots for the Board of Elections to consider on canvass day. Of those ballots, eight were counted, and Estridge came away in the lead, meaning

of the FRL to other members of the FRL.” With the proposed changes that “reasonable cause” would no longer be required for withdrawal.

“We

should remember that equal representation in literature helps us understand reality, helps us discover other cultures and their way of thinking and hopefully empathy.”

— Sarah Johnson

PUBLIC COMMENT

While the issue surrounding the Fontana Regional Library system and Macon County’s participation in that system has been going on for some time now, often via contentious debate, seven people took to the pulpit to voice their concerns during the Nov. 14 meeting of the county commission. Of those, five people argued for minimizing the changes to a system they see as working efficiently for the county, and two spoke in favor of the proposed changes.

“The FRL system works perfectly without anyone trying to overhaul the system,” said Missy Baste.

All five people speaking against the proposed changes expressed a similar sentiment.

“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. And the Macon County library system along with the Fontana Regional Library system work wonderfully for the communities they serve over three counties,” said Johnston. “But the Macon County Board of Commissioners are attempting to usurp the Macon County library board and the Fontana Regional Library board because some county commissioners, along with religious extremists in the area have failed to shove their extremism down the throats of Macon County through legal means.”

Another Otto resident spoke to what she sees as the importance of diverse representation in literature.

there was no tie breaker necessary.

Estridge is originally from South Florida and has lived in Sylva since moving here while in high school. He has a degree in electrical fundamentals and owns Catamount Electric in Dillsboro.

In addition to Guiney, Commissioner Greg McPherson and Mayor David Nestler will no longer have seats on the board. This will leave Natalie Newman and Mary Gelbaugh as the lone incumbents on the board when new members are seated later this year.

Nestler has been serving as mayor since February of this year when Mayor Lynda Sossamon resigned, but he decided not to run for reelection. Greg McPherson came in fourth place for a seat on the board with 188 votes or 15.5% of the vote.

Guiney, an emergency room doctor, has lived in Sylva since 2014 and has been serving on the board since his election in 2019, following three years on the town’s planning board.

“Never have I felt unwelcome or threatened by any display or book which seem to be at the root of this new change,” said Sarah Johnson. “We should remember that equal representation in literature helps us understand reality, helps us discover other cultures and their way of thinking and hopefully empathy. It creates a team environment where ideas are diverse, perspectives varied, and everyone feels valued.”

Johnson said that the free services and programs offered through Fontana Regional Library are “a boon to homeschooling mother’s like me.”

Jim Gaston and one other man spoke in favor of the proposed changes to the FRL board.

“Just as any bureaucracy or government department will become self-serving if given the chance, it’s perfectly reasonable to rein in agreements with third parties to ensure accountability,” said Gaston. “As you know libraries across the entire country, not just Macon County, suddenly went off the rails nearly three years ago because activist members of the ALA began targeting minors with DEI and sexual propaganda.”

“Just as any bureaucracy or government department will become self-serving if given the chance, it’s perfectly reasonable to rein in agreements with third parties to ensure accountability.”

— Jim Gaston

library and insisted that all proposed changes to the FRL agreement are for the benefit and protection of children.

“With this agreement, a lot of things have been blown out of proportion. The reasons why we even went through this have been completely overlooked. All of this in my mindset, in my thought process started out with the fact that pornographic books are being distributed to kids through the library,” said Antoine. “This is about protecting kids, from my standpoint. Anybody has any questions, please come and ask me, come have a conversation. I get that we may not all agree, I understand that. But that doesn’t mean that everything has to turn into a circus

Gaston went on to say that if the FRL system rejects changes proposed by the county commissioners, “it proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that Fontana was never willing to compromise for the good of the community and leaders were following the divisive American Library Association.”

Antoine again repeated his claims that there are pornographic materials in the

where everything is about hate. Stop listening to the media with all that nonsense. I’ll say it again, stop listening to the media with all that nonsense. We have common sense; use it.”

After a brief shouting match between a member of the public and Commissioner Antoine, Commissioner Josh Young offered more even-tempered input.

“When I saw Ms. Lampkin, she made the comment, ‘if this was in good faith, this is a good document,’ and for me, it’s in good faith.” said Young. “I think this contract is healthy for Macon County. Mr. Ridenhour did a fantastic job and I think this is fair. And I just want to go on record and say it’s in good faith on my behalf.”

Climate Control Storage

Living culture

WCU undertakes project showcasing Cherokee heritage on campus

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER

At mid-morning on Wednesday, Nov. 15, the fountain at the heart of Western Carolina University’s campus is a thoroughfare. People come and go through the concrete courtyard, hurrying toward their next destination. But as the 11 o’clock hour draws closer, a small group begins to gather along the edge. They wear ribbon skirts, ribbon shirts, beaded jewelry and an array of leather moccasins alongside conventional Western apparel like jeans and zip-up fleece — a bright contrast against the drab November sky.

“We come together today to show campus that we are still here as indigenous people, and we’re not just a thing of the past or for history,” said Seth Penn, chairman of WCU’s Digali’i Native American Student Organization.

“We’re here in the present as well.”

The group, which includes members of several different state and federally recognized tribes, has gathered to display pride in their indigenous heritage during a Rock Your Mocs Walk planned as part of WCU’s celebration of Native American Heritage Month. The walk steps off following the arrival of Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians members Jimmy Harlan and Jarrett Wildcatt, who have volunteered to lead the group of 20 students, faculty, staff, community members and EBCI pageant royalty from the fountain down toward the sidewalk rimming the H.F. Robinson Administration Building and back again. Harlan, wearing feathers in his hair and beaded moccasins on his feet, beats a drum. Wildcatt, wearing the Cherokee style of footwear known as the center-seam pucker toe moccasin, shakes a rattle and sings in the Cherokee language — the Friendship Dance, the Horse Dance and the Wood Gathering Dance.

“Having a good time, thanking the Creator for everything that’s been bestowed upon us, that’s usually what our songs are for,” said Wildcatt. “Some are for celebration. Some are for prayer. Some are for honoring something or someone. And so they all

have a purpose. Everything has a purpose.”

That purpose is intimately connected to the land that now holds WCU’s campus. It’s a place of rich history for the Cherokee people, the site of an ancient town called Tali Tsisgwayahi. In translation, “Two Sparrows Town.” This history is largely invisible to the casual observer, but WCU hopes to shine a spotlight on it through a new project that will showcase Cherokee presence and culture on campus — both historic and modern-day.

“The Cherokee were here before we got here, and I think it’s important for us to not only just acknowledge that but to celebrate that, and to remind ourselves of the Cherokee way of life if we’re going to share this space,” said WCU Interim Associate Provost Carmen Huffman. “And so I think as an educational institution, it’s part of our obligation to teach not only our students but the community about history and heritage and culture of the places and spaces that we occupy.”

The project

Huffman was a bit surprised to find herself leading the charge. Her academic background is in chemistry, not anthropology, and she’s originally from New Hampshire, coming to WCU in 2005 as a lecturer in the Department of Chemistry and Physics. But then she became involved with conversations about design choices for the Apodaca Science Building, which opened in 2021, and observed the conscientious efforts made to pay homage to Cherokee heritage within that design. When the building opened, she’d make sure to point those features out while giving tours.

“Several people and I were talking about how it’s not documented what those design elements are, and so we need some signs or something to draw attention to that,” she said. “And when I gathered people together, particularly folks from our Cherokee Studies Program, it turns out there had been lots of conversation about how we showcase the Cherokee her-

itage on campus already.”

Huffman took on the role of organizer. The group originally intended to start small, focusing solely on design elements within the Apodaca Building. But when they approached the Cherokee Preservation Foundation about a grant to fund a master planning process, they were met with enthusiasm for a campus-wide project.

“That’s how it kind of blossomed out from just being one little part of campus where we have very interesting design elements to something where we really wrap our arms around all of the things that are related to Cherokee that happened here,” Huffman said.

This spring, WCU landed a $40,000 grant from the Cherokee Preservation Foundation, which the university used to hire the South Carolina-based design firm HW Exhibits to develop a master plan for the project. Huffman expects the project to kick off in January, with stakeholder meetings and a site visit in the spring. The final design plan, to include priorities and phasing for implementation, is expected to be complete in the summer.

From there, it will be up to WCU to find funding to implement the plan. The project will likely involve a mixture of signs, interpretive exhibits, audio tours and artwork that not only highlight Cherokee history and associated design elements on campus but also show what Cherokee culture means today.

“We’ve talked to students, particularly stu-

dents who have some indigenous relation or are actually tribal members,” Huffman said. “They really want us to focus on the living culture that is what is Cherokee right now.”

Two Sparrows Town

Before WCU was founded in 1889, the land that would eventually form its 600-acre campus was a collection of fields that settlers had farmed for about 70 years after the Cherokee Nation ceded the land in 1819.

Before that, it was Tali Tsisgwayahi, “Two Sparrows Town.”

“We have limited information because this community, the town itself, does not show up in European records,” said Brett Riggs, Sequoyah Distinguished Professor of Cherokee Studies at WCU.

But research has shown that the town was an important one for the Cherokee people. In the 1820s, Assistant Principal Chief Charles Hicks wrote a letter in English detailing oral history, as he had heard it recited in the 1770s, discussing the migrations of the Cherokee people. In that letter, he pointed to Two Sparrows Place as what Riggs paraphrased as “the starting point for the current configuration” of the Cherokee people.

“There was another testimony given by a Cherokee elder in the 1830s that it was a place where the hills that surrounded the town were great cities of the immortal beings,” he said.

They viewed the towering mountains as giant versions of the councilhouses that were the center of religious, community and political life in Cherokee towns. Built atop large mounds of dirt, the councilhouses were themselves covered with earth once complete, looking much like miniature versions of the surrounding mountains.

One such councilhouse once stood on WCU’s campus, a prominent presence on the landscape. Between 40 and 50 feet in diameter, the councilhouse was likely about half as tall as it was wide and stood on a mound that was 12 feet tall as of the earliest available

record. The entire construction would have risen more than 30 feet above the rest of the town, which Riggs said was a closeknit community that likely included 120-400 people.

“It’s not the way we think of a town in our western brain,” he said. “We think of a town as a structure where people come and go. In the Cherokee sense, the town, that is the people.”

For decades after the United States government forced the Cherokee people west, the mound stood in a farm field known as “townhouse field,” Riggs said. Then, in 1956, it was bulldozed to make way for construction of central campus. The site is currently buried under Killian Building.

“Central campus is built on top of this ancient community,” Riggs said.

In many places, that original surface is buried under fill dirt, so whenever new construction takes place, archeological work commences. In digs conducted in preparation for construction of intermural fields near Norton Residence Hall, Riggs said, WCU archeology students found a fortified town that was probably about 1,000 years old and evidence for individual houses dating to the late 1500s or early 1600s, including an entire house that had burned, collapsed and been preserved in the earth, complete with a dozen ceramic vessels that were crushed when the building burned.

“We’re regularly encountering evidence of the ancient historical Cherokee presence here on campus in the form of archaeological remains that we see with practically any construction that goes on in the more level parts of the campus,” Riggs said.

Recovered materials go to the university’s curation facility, which in 2019 was renamed Two Sparrows Town Archeological Collections Curation Facility in honor of the community that once thrived there.

Living culture

But Cherokee history is not a static thing — it’s still being written. Tribal members hope to see WCU’s new project shine a spotlight on the tribe’s continued existence, putting forth a simple message: “we are still here.”

“I don’t want them to be stereotypical, watching what they see on Hollywood in the form of an Indian,” Harlan said of the impact he hopes the project has on the Cullowhee community. “I want them to know that we’re still here, that we still thrive. And that we still have a purpose.”

Many institutions, including universities, have begun emphasizing Native ties to the land through land acknowledgements read at official gatherings. But those acknowledgements tend to focus on the past.

“I’ve had a few professors acknowledge the current setting, and those of us who are here on campus, but the majority don’t think to do that,” said Penn, who is a member of the state-recognized Cherokee Tribe of Northeast Alabama. “So I would like to see more of the acknowledgement of the present, and the fact that the indigenous people, and especially the indigenous students here at Western, we’re going to be in the classrooms with you … we’re trying to get along and live in community with everyone the best we can, but we very much hold to our culture, our traditions, our languages and even for some of us, our religious beliefs.”

Penn added that, in his opinion, WCU does a better job than most in this department — it offers a Cherokee studies program, funds a Cherokee Center on the Qualla Boundary and works to foster a relationship with the EBCI. But still, emphasis on action remains important.

“While it’s all nice and good to acknowledge, ‘Oh, yes, this is the land of the Cherokee people. This is called Tali Tsisgwayahi, Two Sparrows Town,’ — yes, that’s

in November.

“It would be cool to be more tied in, if that makes sense, more robustly represented, because we have a huge population,” he said.

Roughly half of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians’ 16,000 enrolled members live on the Qualla Boundary, about 30 minutes away from WCU, and many more are scattered throughout the tribe’s five-county service area of Haywood, Jackson, Swain, Cherokee and Graham counties. The tribe has a program in place to foot the bill for any tribal member who wishes to go to college, so that’s a potentially large market for WCU to tap into, Huskey said.

great and all,” Wildcatt said, “but what actions are you taking to either give the land back in some way, or what are you trying to do to incorporate Cherokees into where you’re at?”

Elias Huskey, administrative support associate for WCU’s Cherokee Center, said he’d like to see the project result in some physical changes on campus to underscore Cherokee presence, such as displaying Cherokee syllabary translations of roadsigns. Such an effort is already in progress, he said, and he looks forward to seeing it come to fruition. He’d also like to see more events and general recognition of Cherokee heritage throughout the year — not just on Indigenous People’s Day in October and Native American Heritage Month

But thus far, Native American students make up a small subset of WCU’s 11,628 students. This fall, 87 of the school’s undergraduate students and seven of its graduate students self-identified as American Indian or Alaska Native, with an additional 227 students self-identifying as two or more races including American Indian or Alaska Native. WCU’s records don’t specify how many of those students are EBCI members, but it’s likely that most of the 76 students who selfidentified as at least partially Native American or Alaska Native and reside in the tribe’s five-county service area are associated with the EBCI.

Asking for reasons why so few EBCI members attend WCU yields a variety of speculative answers — WCU is too close to home for students looking to get out and see the world, many potential students aren’t aware of what WCU has to offer, young people often face other life circumstances that prevent them from going to college, for example — but some hope that better showcasing Cherokee heritage on campus could encourage more Native students to feel at home there.

“I’m not sure we’re trying to use this as a way to bolster enrollment of EBCI members, but I do think it’s important for us to take an active role in ensuring that they feel like they belong here,” said Huffman. “Our campus theme this year is community and belongingness, and so I really love the idea that this is something that potentially would make those students feel like WCU is an extension of their Qualla Boundary home.”

in defense of six- to 12-year-old kids, shoot that person dead,” he told commissioners at the time.

Overall, Wilke said, turnover in the office has slowed. Right now, he has two vacancies in the jail, two in operations, two in the crime scene unit and one in criminal investigations. Wilke was “cautiously optimistic” that the office would be at full strength by June. With the numbers his office has been logging, he’ll need every position staffed.

For a 304-day period from Jan. 1 through Oct. 31 of this year, the sheriff’s office logged 24,322 calls for service, almost exactly 80 per day or 3.3 every hour. Suspicious vehicles accounted for 648 of them, 723 were for suspicious persons, 794 we for domestic disturbances, 913 were for welfare checks and 1,327 were for extra patrols.

When services were dispatched, 54% were law enforcement officers, 24% were EMS and 22% were firefighters.

A lot the of credit for handling the calls goes to 911 Dispatch Manager Chanda Morgan, who in May was recognized as North Carolina’s communications director of the year.

More than 3,600 calls taken during the period mentioned by Wilke were about civil process service, with 2,150 sets of papers served.

The criminal investigation division was also busy, issuing 80 arrest warrants, 35 of which were search warrants resulting in the recovery of more than $870,000 in stolen property.

HCSO’s K-9 program expanded from four to six dogs, who searched 57 vehicles and went through almost 500 hours of training with handlers.

“We have a dog accessible 24/7, and it’s vital to our interdiction efforts,” Wilke said. And Wilke’s drug interdiction efforts have indeed garnered notice.

“I appreciate you continuing the faith-based programs, because they work.”

— Commission Chairman Kevin Ensley

On April 28, deputies with the narcotics and interdiction unit conducted an investigation that resulted in the pursuit and arrest of an Asheville man on charges of fleeing, trafficking and possession of a firearm by a felon. Seized during the arrest was 497 grams of methamphetamine and what’s likely the largest fentanyl bust in recent county history, almost 300 grams.

The state of the sheriff’s office

Haywood’s top cop drops data, details from his first year

BY CORY VAILLANCOURT POLITICS E DITOR

It’s been just under a year since Bill Wilke became Haywood County’s sheriff, after longtime popular incumbent, Greg Christopher, decided to call it a career. Now that Wilke’s got some time under his belt, he’s touting the accomplishments of his office in quantitative and qualitative ways that will set the baseline for next year.

“I just wanted to give you an overview of what we’re doing with county resources,” he told Haywood County commissioners on Nov. 20.

One of the biggest achievements since Wilke’s been in office — although not strictly his alone — was the expansion of the county’s school resource officer program. Last year, there were only seven SROs rotating between the county’s 15 public schools,

leaving a critical gap in protection and a better than 50/50 chance that a school shooter wouldn’t encounter an armed law enforcement officer on school grounds.

But SROs aren’t free, and Haywood County residents don’t like tax increases, so that’s where the issue remained for nearly a decade until Wilke showed up at a commission meeting on May 15 to sell the idea of a 1.5-cent property tax increase to fund eight additional SROs. In context, the tax increase meant that a homeowner with a $250,000 property paid an additional $37.50 on top of their annual $1,337.50 tax bill.

Commissioners incorporated the $1.48 million request into the county’s annual budget, while generally expressing disdain for the tax increase but enthusiastically supporting the reason behind it. Even

Commissioner Terry Ramey, who has a long history of unpaid property taxes and still owes the county nearly $2,000, voted for it.

Wilke not only had to sell the idea, he also had to staff the positions.

“We need someone that’s capable of responding to a shooting incident and being willing to look at another human being and,

Throughout the 2022 campaign, Wilke and his Primary and General Election opponents all talked about the importance of civil process service — an overlooked but vital part of the job.

For deputies, Wilke’s office has stressed training, much of it collaborative in nature. This year, HCSO has conducted or participated in active shooter training with EMS at Tuscola High School, SWAT training with the Waynesville Police Department and drone operations with EMS and the SRT.

The combined drone program was first used earlier this year during an active shooter standoff on Prevost Street. Wilke said that two drones were deployed continuously, watching the suspect through the window of the building he occupied.

Wilke also said that every deputy has completed or would soon complete crisis intervention training.

“In a word, it’s de-escalation,” he said. “What that is really is a commitment on our part to ensure that those who are suffering a mental health crisis, when they encounter the police, our first commitment is to take the time and to take the resources to first address their needs.”

He also lauded a reintegration programs manager hired in May, Bob Cummings. Cummings’ main job is to provide support for inmates who are less likely to become recidivists. The local faith community has also played a significant role in Cummings’ success.

Commission Chairman Kevin Ensley asked Wilke if he needed more people like Cummings, whose work Wilke described as “promising.” Wilke said the role is still evolving, but that it was likely he would.

“I appreciate you continuing the faithbased programs, because they work,” Ensley said.

“There is no way to estimate the number lives that keeping this amount of suspected fentanyl and methamphetamine from reaching our county has saved,” Wilke said in a Facebook video the next day. “If you haven’t heard me before, hear me now — if you sell, transport or deliver drugs, your freedom to operate in Haywood County is over. We will find you, we will charge you and ensure that you spend as much time behind bars as possible. That’s a promise.”

The bust contributed to the substantial amount of drugs seized during the first nine months of the year, including 43 grams of crack cocaine, 241 grams of cocaine, 315 grams of cannabis, 56 units (usually pills) of morphine, 27 grams and 100 units of opium, 20 grams of heroin, 3,270 grams of meth, 88 units of barbiturates and a smattering of other controlled substances.

Wilke’s office also seized a whopping 963.4 grams of fentanyl — more than two pounds and enough to kill nearly every single person from Asheville to Murphy. The numbers are all the more staggering considering they’re only from a rural county of 60,000 people.

“I have a tough guy sheriff’s approach and I mean every word of that,” Wilke said. “And some folks are getting the message.” Commissioners Tommy Long and Brandon Rogers asked Wilke if he had data for previous years to compare, but Wilke said it wouldn’t be a fair comparison, because he has a different team and a different focus — more on trafficking, while previous efforts were directed at the user level.

Wilke did say that he believes that by the end of the year, numbers will be significantly higher than last year, and that this was only the beginning of his efforts.

“My plan is to have that data for you next year,” Wilke said.

Haywood County and Waynesville look to stay ahead of cryptocurrency mining

BY CORY VAILLANCOURT POLITICS E DITOR

It’s novel, it’s trendy and it’s a great way to become fabulously wealthy — or lose everything you have — but the nuisances associated with the production of cryptocurrency are prompting local governments to regulate them before it’s too late.

Cryptocurrency started off as a mathematical theory back in the mid-1980s, promising a decentralized, untraceable digital currency that, by its very nature, was considered unhackable and resistant to restrictions issued by governments and traditional financial regulatory authorities.

Cryptographers, mathematicians and programmers helped to make it real when, on Jan. 9, 2009, Bitcoin was launched, in turn prompting the creation of hundreds if not thousands of similar currencies, called “coins” or “tokens.”

Creating the currency is called “mining” but doesn’t involve excavation, or holes in the ground.

Instead, powerful computers incessantly perform complex mathematical calculations verifying the chain of transactions that ensure the provenance of the coins. In return for the work performed by the computers, miners are rewarded with some fraction or multiple of a particular coin. The more work the computers perform, the better the chances of earning a reward.

Currently, cryptocurrency can be used just like money; however, it’s not widely accepted commercially and experiences volatile fluctuations in value that make budgeting difficult, if not impossible. That’s because coins are traded on a number of digital apps that function like exchanges and allow users to buy, sell or trade coins instantly, albeit with sometimes drastic swings in price.

amount of electricity needed, the amount of heat produced by the machines and the amount of noise produced outside the building by climate control systems designed to keep it all cool.

It’s like “a small jet that never leaves,” Mike Lugiewicz told CNN this past January, about a cryptocurrency mining operation that set up shop near his Cherokee County home.

But by that point, it was too late for Cherokee County to attempt to regulate such establishments.

Haywood County Commissioner Tommy Long said that around then, he’d had conversations with Cal Stiles, chair of the Cherokee County Board of Commissioners, who told Long that another problem was the tremendous amount of electricity they consume.

On. Nov. 14, Waynesville followed suit by adding two new categories to the table of permitted uses in the town’s land development standards, defining them and then severely restricting where the uses are permitted, or prohibiting them altogether.

The first category is for cryptocurrency mining facilities, defined in the table as, “a facility that exists for the purpose of operating computer equipment in order to mine or store cryptocurrencies or the data associated with mining or storing of cryptocurrencies.”

Specifically exempt from this definition are personal computers operated by individuals who use them to engage in cryptocurrency mining.

According to the table, cryptocurrency mining facilities are prohibited from locating in all town zoning categories.

The second category, for data center facilities, was created due to concerns voiced by Council members Anthony Sutton and Julia Freeman back on Oct. 10. As then construed, the town’s attempt to regulate cryptocurrency mining facilities could have led to unanticipated consequences by inadvertently prohibiting data centers.

In April 2021, a single Bitcoin would have been enough to purchase a new, fully-loaded Chevy Silverado; two months later, that same Bitcoin would have only been enough for a used Toyota Prius.

Right now, cryptocurrency is seen less as a currency and more as an investment, albeit an exceptionally risky one.

Mining can be performed on cheap, commercially available desktops and laptops at home; however, mining at that scale is inefficient and hideously unprofitable when compared to the amount of energy it takes to keep a computer operating at such levels around the clock.

Scaling the process up with more computers and more efficient computers can help miners carve out profit, depending on the instant value of the coins they mine, but with that scale comes several major challenges — the

“The one in downtown Murphy actually uses twice as much power as the whole town,” Long said during a presentation by the county’s development services coordinator earlier this year.

Long was also concerned that such operations don’t typically provide many local jobs.

On Nov. 6, Long and fellow commissioners approved changes to the county’s high-impact development ordinance originally passed in 2016.

The aim of the ordinance is to protect vulnerable populations, including those at assisted living facilities, childcare facilities, correctional institutions, hospitals, nursing or retirement homes and schools from nearby developments that deal in asphalt and chemicals or other explosives, along with landfills, traditional mines and quarries.

Now, data centers and cryptocurrency mining facilities can only locate on parcels under county jurisdiction where a 750-foot setback from property lines must be observed.

“It sounds like they’re lumped together under what we’re being presented here tonight,” Freeman said.

Data centers are largely the same as cryptocurrency mining facilities, utilizing the same hardware but different software to perform different tasks, like sharing cloud-based applications, storing files or serving data to users across the globe. Many entities, like private businesses or the state courts, utilize some sort of data center as part of their ongoing operations.

Data centers incidental to entities operating under another permitted use are often smaller than full-fledged standalone crypto mines — which must work at scale to be profitable — and are sometimes just a small room inside a larger office building. Per Council’s final definition, such data centers would be exempt from the designation.

Standalone data centers, which “exist for the sole purpose of storing, processing or sharing data or applications,” are now permitted only in the town’s commercial-industrial zoning designation.

Haywood’s other municipalities are currently in different stages of considering the issue, or not considering the issue, as the case may be.

Clyde’s Town Administrator, Joy Garland, said there hadn’t yet been any official discussions about regulation there.

The Town of Canton hasn’t discussed the issue either, according to Mayor Zeb Smathers.

In Maggie Valley, Town Planner Sam Cullen said the planning board had discussed the issue and was waiting to see what the county might do. Now that the county has weighed in, it’s possible that Maggie’s board would entertain further discussion on the issue.

Watershed restoration underway after 2021 flooding

BY CORY VAILLANCOURT

More than two years after flooding along the Pigeon River and its tributaries killed half a dozen people and destroyed businesses, cars and homes from its headwaters near the Blue Ridge Parkway on down through the towns of Canton and Clyde, contractors are set to begin some of the most intensive debris removal operations in Haywood County since the floods of 2004.

Phase one of the project is underway. To date, contractors have identified 121 debris removal sites, coordinated right-of-entry, classified those sites into eight distinct groups and awarded them to three contractors, all with the aim of removing vegetative and man-made debris from those sites.

Mark Cathey, vice president and regional manager of Asheville-based McGill Associates, said during an informational meeting attended by around 40 people at Crestview Baptist Church on Nov. 7 that the total length of the projects is more than 74,000 linear feet, or about 14 miles.

All along the way, contractors and engineers will pay particular attention to the needs of endangered species.

Khiya Armstrong, a project engineer with McGill, said the company had met with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to discuss the “big list” of endangered species they may encounter, but two stuck out in her memory.

The Appalachian elktoe mussel has been listed as endangered since 1994. There were only two populations known in the world at the time, according to the Fish and Wildlife Service, but since then more have been located throughout the region.

“They’re endemic here, they’re very unique to this area,” Anderson said. “We’ve been looking into if we’re going to be working in areas that are going to be impacting them. That was one of the biggest things that we were trying to pay attention to.”

The other was the northern long-eared bat. Although the bats are found in a majority of U.S. states and Canadian provinces, disease and habitat loss have a major impact on the species. During the year, the bats spend a lot of their time in forests, usually giving birth between May and July. Over the winter, the bats hibernate in caves, making them less likely to be disturbed by workers.

All work on phase one groups should be complete by March 7, 2024, according to Cathey’s presentation.

Work on group 8, performed by Southern Disaster Recovery, was scheduled to begin on Nov. 8 along the East Fork between Hungry Creek Road and Camp Hope.

Group 9, handled by Rock Creek Grading, starts just south of Camp Hope and proceeds south to the sweeping westward curve on Cruso Road. Work there was scheduled for Nov. 13-27.

On Nov. 27, work by Grillot Construction is set to begin on group 2, along Hominy Creek near Asheville Highway just east of Canton.

The East Fork of the Pigeon River on the afternoon of Aug. 17, a few hours before the river roared over its banks to cause deadly and destructive flooding.

That same day, SDR will also begin work on groups, 5,6,7 and 10. Those sites begin just south of Laurel Bank Campground, where three people were killed, and progress north to just south of Springdale Resort. There’s an additional group of sites to the east, along Pisgah Creek.

The final phase one operations will also be conducted by SDR, in group 3, beginning Dec. 4. Work areas include sites west of Springdale, along the East Fork, up to the southern outskirts of Canton.

Cathey said the right-of-access process hasn’t been overly challenging, and that in five of the eight groups, they’ve had 100% cooperation. In the other three groups, it’s 70% to 85%.

“Most people understand that this is funding that’s available for the county, and they certainly want to maximize the use of it,” Cathey said.

Much of the work being performed in the phase one groups will be what’s called stream stabilization, which differs from stream restoration.

Stream restoration will be performed along with debris and sediment removal during phase two of the project, which is slated to take place from April 2024 through

Questions about flood cleanup?

Efforts to restore Haywood County’s watershed by performing stream stabilization, restoration and debris removal in the aftermath of flooding two years ago will be an ongoing effort, likely through 2025. Work will be conducted at 121 sites, from Maggie Valley to Cruso, along 74,000 linear feet of streams and rivers — nearly 14 miles. If you have questions about flood cleanup on your property, email the Haywood County Soil and Water Conservation District at haywoodswcd@haywoodcountync.gov or call 828.452.2741, ext. 3.

February 2025.

“In restoration, you develop the crosssection of the stream back to the pre-storm cross-section. In stabilization, lots of times you have to stabilize a stream bank in place without moving all of the debris that has shifted,” Cathey said. “Therefore, the crosssection of the river may be different after the work is done, whereas after [2004 flooding] a lot of that restoration occurred and we

were able to develop the stream cross-section back to the original cross-section.”

The biggest challenge, Cathey said, will be in managing the project efficiently, to maximize results.

“With the stabilization efforts, relative to the 2005 funding, there was a lot more money available per foot of stream,” he said. “This time, there’s not restoration money as much as there is stabilization money.”

Wildfires burn as rain reaches WNC

BY HOLLY KAYS OUTDOORS E DITOR

Asteady rain arrived in Western North Carolina Tuesday, Nov. 21, marking the first precipitation of that magnitude the region has seen in two months — but it won’t be enough to end the wildfire season for good.

“The weather we are receiving is helping to moderate or slow fire activity and growth on the current fires,” said Adrianne Rubiaco, fire public affairs specialist for the U.S. Forest Service. “However, it is not a season-ending event. Rather, it’s more of a slowing event. It’s slowing the pace of fire activity and growth.”

Multiple new fires have broken out over the past week even as firefighters work to contain existing blazes that have been burning for weeks. On Thursday, Nov. 16, a tractor-trailer accident on Interstate 40, 3 miles from the Tennessee state line, sparked a fire that grew rapidly, spreading uphill north of the highway. The fire prompted the Forest Service to issue a closure notice that will remain in effect through Dec. 31 or until rescinded.

The closure area includes the A.T. from I-40 to Brown Gap including Groundhog Creek Shelter, the Pisgah National Forest west of Cold Springs Creek Road and Browns Gap Road, south of the A.T. and north of I-40 to the state line, and the Cherokee National Forest north of I-40 to Carmichael Tract Road and south of Carmichael Tract Road, Snowbird Road and Brown Gap Road to the state line. Violation is punishable by a fine of up to $5,000 for an individual or $10,000 for an organization, up to six months in prison or both.

As of press time, the Black Bear Fire covered 1,888 acres and was 42% contained, with 195 people assigned to fight it. Other large fires have also seen significant gains in containment. The Collett Ridge Fire in Cherokee and Clay counties, which started Oct. 23 following a lightning strike, is now 80% contained at 5,505 acres, and the Poplar Drive Fire in Henderson County, determined to be due to a debris fire, is 100% contained at 434 acres.

Even as the promised rain drew closer, land managers continued working to prevent the next large wildfire from starting. In total, there are about 460 people assigned to fires or fire support for the National Forests in North Carolina, including the Collett Ridge and Black Bear fires, and those staged in

case a new fire starts.

Due to drought and high winds ahead of the expected rain clouds, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park evacuated two of its campgrounds, closed most key roads and urged visitors to leave the park the afternoon of Nov. 20. As of press time, park officials were beginning to assess roads, campgrounds and facilities for any damages sustained from the storm, with an update on the status of park roads expected the evening of Nov. 21.

On Sunday, Nov. 19, firefighters from Blount County, Tennessee, put out a small brush fire at Look Rock in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, a fire whose cause is still under investigation. The next day, a woman was arrested after members of a construction crew working on Lakeview Drive near Bryson City allegedly saw her set two fires to grass and brush on the road shoulder. The fires were extinguished before they could grow, and the woman was arrested. State and federal charges are pending, the park says. Hours later, the park was responding to a new fire, this one near Rich Mountain Road just north of Cades Cove. Late at night Nov. 20, the fire was mapped at less than 2 acres but had grown to 6 acres by 2 a.m. Nov. 21, fueled by winds from

the south. Blount County coordinated an early-morning voluntary evacuation of homes near the park boundary.

At least an inch of rain is expected in most places in Western North Carolina by the time the system passes through Wednesday morning, and while that’s the most rain many places have seen at one time since mid-September, it’s far from enough to recover from the drought plaguing the region. Currently, nine counties are experiencing extreme drought, a designation not seen in North Carolina since March 2017. An additional 30 counties are in severe drought and 40 counties in moderate drought.

There is no guarantee that this rain will usher in the end of wildfire season.

“That will also depend on what happens over the next few weeks,” said Corey Davis, assistant state climatologist for the N.C. State Climate Office. “If we were to get back into a warm and dry pattern, then this rain could be only temporary relief, and some of the same areas could dry out again and see another spell of late-season fire activity. Fortunately, the outlook for the next 8-14 days is showing cooler temperatures likely for North Carolina with slightly better chances of above-normal precipitation, so that risk of conditions drying out again should be lower.”

Currently, soils are dry 5-7 inches below the surface, so hot spots could continue burning and smoldering even after the rain passes. However, the rain will almost certainly help contain fires that are already burning. Even less than half an inch of rain a couple weeks ago helped push the Collett Ridge Fire from 5% containment to more than 50%,

The winds remain a wildcard. Areas along the Tennessee border could see gusts of more than 30 miles an hour. Especially if rainfall totals in those areas end up being less than expected, these winds could help existing fires spread further.

Burn bans remain in effect for North Carolina’s 30 westernmost counties, 16 counties in eastern Tennessee, the Qualla Boundary, the Pisgah and Nantahala national forests, the Blue Ridge Parkway and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Despite the sustained rain Nov. 21, a red flag warning remained in effect for eastern Tennessee and Cherokee and Clay counties in North Carolina throughout the day.

Lake Santeetlah back to business after election wins

BY CORY VAILLANCOURT POLITICS E DITOR

New town leadership is looking forward to getting things moving again in the tiny Graham County municipality of Lake Santeetlah, after a pair of incumbents and a pair of former Town Council members won resounding victories repudiating actions taken by the town’s elected leaders over the past two years.

“We’ve got five new council members that get along great,” said Jim Hager, Lake Santeetlah’s former mayor. “We plan to maintain a positive and pleasant atmosphere.”

The results come after an unexpectedly chaotic municipal election in 2021, when a group of write-in candidates swept three incumbents — Roger Carlton, Kevin Haag and Keith Predmore — out of office, from out of nowhere.

Council members Hager and Diana Simon survived, but found themselves in the minority on Council as Tina Emerson, Constance Gross and Ralph Mitchell won seats on the board.

Lake Santeetlah’s Town Council elects its own mayor from among its ranks, and selected Gross over the opposition of Hager and Simon.

are reviewed and investigated by the State Board’s investigations division, as warranted by the evidence and the law.”

Although the NCSBE didn’t resolve the Hutsells’ residency issue in time for the 2023 election, Simon is hopeful they’ll do so prior to the 2025 election.

The other two people accused of fraudulent registration, Council member Emerson and her husband John, heard the Graham County Board of Elections find probable cause in July 2022 to suspect that they’d registered fraudulently at Lake Santeetlah.

Three months later, the Emersons were cleared of wrongdoing after the Board declared that their “intent” to reside in a particular place was sufficient to establish residency, at least for the purposes of voting. Simon appealed the ruling to Superior Court, but the case hasn’t gone anywhere since then.

The Gross-Emerson-Mitchell faction then proceeded to take, or attempted to take, a number of actions opposed by the majority of

on marketing, but the other third is somewhat less encumbered; recently, the TDA funded $15,000 in improvements to the town’s front entrance — money that didn’t have to come out of the town’s general fund, or even from its residents.

Simon thinks the move cost the town even more, as visitation numbers in Western North Carolina exploded during the Coronavirus Pandemic, likely from remote workers and urbanites seeking to escape crowded big cities.

Issues aside, Town Council meetings were contentious, and Simon said Gross, Emerson and Mitchell kept them in the dark on many agenda items. They found out about town business, Simon said, like everyone else — when the agenda was published.

“The so-called transparent council of Gross … was not,” Simon said.

Making matters more complicated, the elderly Mitchell hasn’t been to a meeting in person in at least a year according to Hager, who said Mitchell now resides in an assisted living facility somewhere in Ohio. That left the board deadlocked on some matters, with Gross and Emerson countered by Simon and Hager.

Despite his absence, Mitchell still voted in the Nov. 7, 2023, municipal election by mail, presumably because of his continuing “intent” to reside at Lake Santeetlah at some undetermined point in the future.

“I’m looking forward to being a part of a Council that will work together towards our goals of continued improvements to infrastructure.”

— Diana Simon

Allegations of voter fraud were subsequently leveled by Simon against eight voters Simon claimed did not reside at the lake and should not have been allowed to vote. The alleged fraud was substantial, because in the small community of Lake Santeetlah, 11 votes was enough to win a seat on the town council that year.

Claims against six of the eight, all members of the Hutsell family, weren’t pursued after each of the six changed their registrations from Graham County to Buncombe County, where patriarch Dean Hutsell owns a sprawling home.

The Hutsells’ house in Lake Santeetlah burned to the ground in 2019 and did not have a certificate of occupancy when they registered and voted from there in 2021. The Hutsells voted in Buncombe County in 2022.

Recently, several members of the Hutsell family including Dean and wife Linda re-registered in Graham County, after the State Board of Elections failed to resolve the question of their residency in time for this year’s election.

Records from the North Carolina State Board of Elections indicate six members of the Hutsell family voted in the 2023 election in Lake Santeetlah. Simon filed challenges against the Hutsells again this year, but ultimately withdrew them.

On Aug. 3, NCSBE General Counsel Paul Cox told The Smoky Mountain News that “the State Board can confirm that it considers the information … complaints of criminal violations. All complaints of criminal violations

voters.

“I felt that our previous Council before the 2021 election was a very effective Council,” Simon said. “We really initiated a lot of things, like updating water systems and locating water lines in the streets, but [they] undid a lot of things. The town’s counsel, which was experienced in municipal and zoning law, was quickly replaced with a firm better suited to their goals, but without experience representing municipalities.”

They also attempted to defund the town’s zoning administrator, who later resigned, and then attempted to repeal — not replace — the town’s zoning ordinance.

“The whole town rose up against repealing it,” Simon said.

According to Simon, Emerson led the effort to defund the town’s Tourism Development Authority, which like many other municipalities in North Carolina collects a room occupancy tax on visitors.

At the time, Emerson owned, and still owns, a short-term rental at the lake, so her efforts would appear to be a blatant conflict of interest with a direct financial benefit to her.

Simon was, and is, the TDA’s chair.

While Emerson couldn’t dissolve the TDA, she was successful in changing the TDA’s tax rate from 3% to zero.

“We’ve been working without any revenue for two years,” Simon said.

Under normal circumstances, the lake’s TDA would collect around $25,000 per year, a tidy sum in light of the town’s current $385,000 budget.

Two-thirds of TDA revenue must be spent

This year, Haag led the ticket with 32 votes, although Graham County reported 53 write-ins. A majority of those votes, 30, went to Predmore. Simon tied Haag with 32 votes, followed by Hager and new Council member Ralph Strunk, both with 31. Far behind were incumbent Council member Tina Emerson and Mayor Connie Gross, with 23 votes each.

“It just shows how upset people were with the previous council,” Hager said.

Hager told The Smoky Mountain News that he would support electing Simon as mayor, with Haag as vice mayor, and that he’d like to serve as the town’s finance officer.

“Every council member is going to have a duty and a responsibility,” he said. “Not like [Mitchell].”

Simon said that in addition to finding a new town attorney and reinstating the room occupancy tax, likely back to 3%, she wanted to work on a nuisance ordinance and on zoning enforcement.

“These were items put on hold for two years, since the majority of council was antizoning,” she said.

But that era of Lake Santeetlah’s town government, brief as it was, is now over, says Simon.

“I’m looking forward to being a part of a Council that will work together towards our goals of continued improvements to infrastructure,” she said. “Other important goals are safety, security and property values. I’ll strive to keep the strong zoning ordinance and land use plan that is supported by a large majority of property owners. This Council, and our town, expects future development to be responsible.”

12 p.m. to 12 a.m. Sneezy 10:30-12+ Get Right Band 8:45-10:15 Andrew Scotchie 7-8:30 Pink Beds 5:15-6:45 Billingsley 3:30-5 Arnold Hill 1:45-3:15 Human Nip 12-1:30

1 p.m. to 9 p.m. J. Rex & High Mountain Pals 8-9:30 Raspbillys 6:15-7:45 Christina Chandler 4:30-6 Shane Meade & The Sound Trio 2:45-4:15 Will Elliot 1-2:30 Food Trucks & Vendors Onsite

Mayhem in Macon

Commissioners approve premium pay, Shearl calls for county manager’s resignation

BY HANNAH MCLEOD STAFF WRITER

In a public meeting that lasted more than five hours, Macon County Commissioners approved premium pay for county employees, 3-2. However, the debate was heated, and Commissioner John Shearl called for County Manager Derek Roland’s resignation.

“It’s my position as County Manager to give these department heads the tools they need to do their job and to stay out of the way,” said County Manager Derek Roland. “In a public sector organization, there is no greater tool than a public servant. And as county manager, if I’m not always advocating for an environment in which they can successfully recruit and retain highly qualified public servants, or the greatest tool that they can possibly have, then I’m failing to do my job as county manager.”

Roland presented the recruitment and retention pay policy during the meeting. The policy is a continuation of the “Premium Pay Policy for Essential Work” which ended in April and would fund three retention pay periods through October of next year, using American Rescue Plan funds totaling almost $7 million.

In May, it was announced that American Rescue Plan funding could no longer be used for premium pay. However, it had been Macon

County’s intent all along to use the money for this purpose.

“I’m happy to say that administration, working alongside our finance office, our human resources office, the pay plan committee, the North Carolina School of Government and the North Carolina Association of County Commissioners, I’m pleased to say that we found a solution and I’m happy to be here presenting that to you tonight,” Roland said.

In October, 2021, commissioners unanimously approved using the $6.9 million of ARPA funds Macon County received for premium pay. The primary purpose was to provide additional compensation for those employees that provided services throughout the pandemic while also leading COVID mitigation efforts. The Board is now having to vote on the measure again because of changes made through the Department of Treasury about how the funds could be expended.

While the money for premium pay will run out by Dec. 24, Roland said he believes that if the economy continues on its current trajectory, the county will have the increased revenue needed to continue paying its employees at a competitive rate. If, on the other hand, the economy takes a turn for the worse, then competition would level off and “public sector nationally becomes more attractive in a declining economy,” Roland said.

The county manager emphasized that

because the county is able to pay for the pay plan through ARPA funds, the operating budget will not be affected at all.

“Regardless of the future, we can’t lose sight of what is important today,” Roland said. “And as for today, across the board, demand for services in Macon County continues to grow.”

Both Shearl and Commissioner Paul Higdon spoke and voted against the pay plan. Higdon railed against what he sees as the county’s inability to pay employees competitively without the infusion of outside funds after completing a salary study, and said that ARPA money should have been used for capital improvements.

“I’m not saying the county employees don’t deserve this money; if they’re not being paid a competitive salary when we did that salary review study, somebody’s not doing their job, that’s just the bottom line,” said Higdon. “It’s not my responsibility, or this board, to decide what the salaries are, that’s why we have people that do this work.”

Shearl complained about the rules that govern how ARPA funds can be used, claiming that premium pay was not a legal use of the funds. However, funds can be used for revenue replacement, a tactic that has been vetted by the school of government and the North Carolina Association of County Commissioners.

“That policy was approved, that policy is legal, what we’re doing now with these funds, proposing revenue replacement, we’re not the only county that’s done it,” said Roland. “It’s perfectly legal what we’re doing with these funds.”

Shearl also disagreed with the fundamentals of the plan that would make county employment competitive saying “the govern-

ment is being competitive on the taxpayers back,” and complained about the increase in the Macon County budget over the course of the last eight years. Macon County currently maintains the lowest tax rate in the state of North Carolina.

From there, the discussion between Shearl and Roland got personal with Shearl claiming that Roland had previously told him the county was 50% over-staffed, which Roland denied.

“You have called me a liar four times in open session, so tonight, I ask for your resignation,” said Shearl.

Roland denied the accusations and members of the public shouted that Shearl was wrong.

“I’m

not saying the county employees don’t deserve this money; if they’re not being paid a competitive salary when we did that salary review study, somebody’s not doing their job...”

— Paul Higdon

“If you don’t like the job I’m doing, or you think that poorly of who I am, or you question my character and you can get two more commissioners to vote with you, you can have my resignation,” said Roland.

No other commissioners spoke out against Roland or seconded any action against him. The pay plan passed 3-2 with Higdon and Shearl voting against the plan.

Macon tables partisan school board discussion

HANNAH MCLEOD STAFF WRITER

After contentious debate over the decision to make the Macon County Board of Education partisan-elected, county commissioners tabled the issue to get input from school board members and the public.

“You’re getting hung up on a political issue that has to do with labeling other elected bodies. That’s national politics you’re driving into this community to divide us,”

Commissioner Josh Young said of Commissioner John Shearl, who’d introduced the resolution supporting the identification of party affiliation for candidates for Board of Education at the Nov. 14 commissioners meeting.

The board is elected as non-partisan, meaning candidates do not run for office on any party affiliation but simply as a candidate for school board and resident of Macon County.

The resolution cites three reasons for supporting the switch to a partisan-elected board. First, that “the Macon County Board of Commissioners believes that identification of candidates’ party and/or ideological affiliation will provide voters with more information on the policies and positions such candidates support.”

Second, that “approximately one half of the other school districts in North Carolina currently identify their Board of Education candidates by party affiliation.”

Last, that “election clarity and transparency are of utmost importance to insure [sic] voters a basis for their decisions.”

However, Macon County alone does not have the power to change the format of that election. The change would have to be

made through the General Assembly. The resolution requests the legislature establish that “henceforth the party affiliation of candidates for the Macon County Board of Education be identified on any/all primary and general election ballots.”

The document requests that the change not affect the terms of current school board members and go into effect in the next election cycle for school board in 2025.

Rep. Mark Pless (R-Haywood) recently succeeded in passing a bill to make municipal elections partisan in Madison County. Pless had tried to incorporate Haywood County in that bill, including its school board, but ultimately Haywood was removed from the bill.

Opponents cite heightened partisanship and division, as well as lack of input from the school board regarding the resolution as the main reasons to keep the school board elected nonpartisan.

“Candidates for the school board should be elected based on their knowledge of the schools, their commitment to the students, their creativity that they have in addressing problems that the schools face and creating the best possible educational environment for the students,” said Macon resident Rebecca Sexton during public comment at the Nov. 14 meeting. “This is what the candidates should be running on. Not what their political party affiliation is.”

Shearl claims his request is the result of an election issue in which people were confused about how to vote because of the lack of party delineation on the ballot.

“I had some emails come in and said that the school system should not be considered a political arena. I’m sorry, but everything that we encounter every day is driven by politics,” said

Shearl. “This is not to change the face of the board or anything like that, I just simply think the school board candidates should be partisan and they should be primaried.”

“In my situation, I would say the opposite,” said Commissioner Gary Shields, previous school board member and Macon County Schools administrator. “Having been a board of education member for four years, party politics was not an issue because we didn’t allow it to get to that. Politics is nasty. I think the Board of Education is different. They’re elected and they’re on the Board and they have a different responsibility because it’s education. When you put politics in there it gets to be a little muddy.”

Shields added that he opposed the resolution in part because of the lack of opportunity to discuss the change with current school board members and garner their input.

Both commissioners Paul Higdon and Danny Antoine sided with Shearl in supporting the resolution. However, Antoine seconded Shields’ view that the commission should table it until the school board could provide input.

Young said he had not seen this document prior to its inclusion on the agenda for last week’s meeting and decried the lack of opportunity for public input, as well as for input from the school board.

“Where’s the public discussion? Where’s the public hearings? Where’s all the public involvement? We’re ruling with an iron fist right here. We talk about government overreach; well it happens on both sides. John [Shearl] talks about the will of the people, let’s put it out for the will of the people,” said Young. “Who am I to make another board label themselves? Put it on a referendum.”

Simple, meaningful stories often overlooked

Ionce wrote a story about a couple in Jackson County who had been living off the grid for decades. They were collegeeducated professionals who made a choice to live intentionally.

They had very old, but still working, solar panels and a room dedicated to big, waist-high batteries and an inverter. In addition to a well for drinking water, they had a cistern that collected gravity-piped water, from a spring above their home that was used for toilets and washing clothes and watering plants. They had a tiny super-insulated refrigerator and a springhouse. Since they were vegetarians, the springhouse didn’t store meat but jars of vegetables from their garden. They weren’t completely self-sufficient, but they lived a life much closer to nature than the great majority of modern people.

Their kindness blew me away. Before I could get my notebook out of my pocket, they had invited me to sit down in their cozy cabin. A fire was blazing in the woodstove and I was served a hot cup of tea and some homemade cookies. That interview was more than 20 years ago, back when I was The Smoky Mountain News’ only full-time writer. Those days I hustled to collect a week’s worth of stories, but during that interview time seemed to flatten out and I had a hard time saying goodbye.

I was reminded of my time spent interviewing that couple — who remained acquaintances and a source on homesteading for years — when considering what I was thankful for as the holiday season bears down upon us. Those folks warmly invited me into their home, shared their food and lifestyle, and after talking to them for a few hours, let me tell

Burning bush has a high price

To the Editor:

A recent letter gave some very good advice: get outside and enjoy the outdoors. Nature has so much to offer when you experience it first-hand, up close and personal. I commend her for taking the time to submit the letter, but would like to recommend one action that she might disagree with: get rid of all burning bush (euonymus). It is a nonnative invasive and is very detrimental to the environment. It is now banned in some states, but unfortunately is still for sale in North Carolina. Yes, it is beautiful, but like many decorative plants that can be purchased locally, it comes with a high environmental price.

What is the problem? It tends to colonize. It takes over areas to the detriment of native plants. Since it is not a native plant, it does not fit into the ecosystem by providing food for animals, including insects. Nothing eats it because animals don’t recognize it as food. Every year it produces a large crop of beautiful berries, which then go on to produce lots

their story to strangers.

The same happens for all of the writers who work at this newspaper and other media outlets. People allow journalists to gain a measure of intimacy in order to tell their stories. They are trusting that we won’t sensationalize or over-hype, and we don’t take that trust lightly. It’s a necessity in order for us to do our jobs well, so we treat it as something valuable that is kept protected.

Because we get involved in people’s lives, we get both fan mail and hate mail. We have a wall in our office kitchen dedicated to both, a constant reminder that we must take care with how we tell stories and report the news.

Last week, an email came to writer Garret K. Woodward that blew me away. Seems an elderly woman loves Garret’s slice-of-life column, “This must be the place,” detailing his endless adventures galivanting around Western North Carolina and the entire country as he covers arts and entertainment for The Smoky Mountain News and music for Rolling Stone magazine.

The letter to Garret came from this woman’s adult son. I’ll post a couple of paragraphs so you’ll get the gist:

Prior to her blindness, she would tell me of reading your articles in the SMN. She would tell me of your adventures traveling across the country or to local venues and the interesting tidbits you included in your column. She talked about your exploits as though

LETTERS

more burning bush. This is not so much of a problem in urban areas where yards are mowed. The bushes don’t get much of a chance to spread, but on a wooded lot where neighbors have burning bush, it requires constant effort to remove the seedlings.

They spread, not only by seed, but also by roots. I have pulled seedlings by the hundreds, along with Bradford pear and other beautiful ornamentals that people have planted, totally unaware of the problems they cause. It took a while for the message to get out that Bradford pear was a problem, but they are no being planted as ornamentals and you seldom see one, except in the wild where they have escaped. I hope the message about burning bush will soon be as widespread and people will begin to remove them.

If you have time to watch a 15-minute video, this one shows exactly what the problems with burning bush are: youtube.com/watch?v=wksJ1VFWFw0. The end of the video explains why they are still for sale.

If you truly love nature, do us all a favor and plant only native ornamentals. They are

you were one of her children. She always wanted to see where you were heading and if you had a girlfriend yet. On occasion, I would pick up the SMN and read your article myself just to get a sense of what she was talking about.

Since becoming blind, I have had the privilege of reading to her…. So, for the past year “we” have been going on your adventures with you. She was so excited that you finally acquired a girlfriend and for a few weeks wondered what her name was. When you mentioned “Sarah” the first time, she was genuinely happy for you! We were with you when you headed out west to do your reporting for [Rolling Stone], when you made a trip up to near the Canadian border’ to visit your family, swinging by Sarah’s childhood home, and all the local trips around the Haywood County/WNC area covering festivals, couch hunting, and the local music scene.

To close, I just want to say THANK YOU for what you do. You bring joy to my mom in a world of darkness. Your weekly article helps to keep her going. It gives her something to look forward to every Wednesday evening. (as long as I remember to stop by and grab a SMN) Thank you for sharing your adventures with “us”!

Amid the divisiveness of politics and culture wars, in between the important reports about affordable housing and education, don’t forget to enjoy the simple beauty in stories about the normal-but-meaningful lives most of us lead and the connections we try to make along the way. That, after all, is what we’re here for.

Happy Thanksgiving.

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

hardy and

The local Extension Service and their Master Gardeners can help you choose the ones that will meet

Human gratitude runs deep in our DNA

Over 10 years ago, I was part of a cohort at Long’s Chapel who read a book called “A Simple Act of Gratitude” by John Kralik. After the study, Kralik visited the church as a guest speaker. I met and interviewed him for a newspaper article and he was just as charismatic in person as in the book. I never forgot the main lesson I learned during this experience, which was the more gratitude we give away the more it comes back to us.

Chuck Wilson was the pastor at Long’s Chapel during that time, and something he did masterfully was to have us read books that weren’t spiritual in the traditional sense but left the reader feeling full of divine love and hope in humanity. I’ll always be grateful to Pastor Chuck for introducing this particular book into my life. Kralik tells the story of hitting rock bottom in 2007 after a series of personal and professional setbacks. Thirty years after graduating from a prestigious law school, Kralik was twice-divorced and suffocating under a mountain of personal and professional debt. His law firm was struggling and he was forced to move into a cramped, dingy apartment where he was embarrassed to have his young daughter stay during his custody time. He was unhealthy and unmotivated, and in addition to all that, the lovely woman he’d been dating broke up with him right before Christmas.

On New Year’s Day 2008, Kralik was in a dark place emotionally and decided to go on a hike in the hills of Pasadena. While walking, a voice from within encouraged him to be grateful for the good in his life instead of dwelling on the negative. He was also inspired by a “thank you” note his ex-girlfriend had given him. There was also a sense of urgency to act on his intuition.

Over the next 15 months, Kralik wrote 365 thank you notes. The list of recipients spanned the gamut from family and friends to co-workers, store clerks, doctors, neighbors and even the barista at his favorite Starbucks. The experience was life-changing for him. Focusing on the good people in his life created a domino effect where his physical health improved dramatically, he found love, reconnected with his kids and became a successful attorney again. In 2009, former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzeneger appointed Kralik as a judge for the Los Angeles County Superior Court, a position he still holds today.

I read recently that gratitude is an adaptation of evolutionary altruism and that reciprocity and paying-it-forward have been

shown among human tribes and groups throughout time. This is why it feels so natural and joyful to help others and know that we matter. Research links gratitude with a wide range of physical and mental health benefits such as boosting your immune system, improving sleep patterns, feeling less lonely, experiencing more joy, bolstering optimism and being more helpful and generous.

Over the past several years the concept of gratitude has become a bit commercialized and something of a trendy topic. Gratitude journals and T-shirts are all the rage on social media, but the true meaning of gratitude runs much deeper than retail items and Instagram posts. And while yes, we can be grateful for things and experiences, there is something much richer about the gratitude we feel for the people in our lives, whether we know them very well or not. Lately I’ve been so very grateful for my children’s athletic coaches and for other parents who can help out with transportation when I just can’t figure out the constant game of calendar Tetris. I’m grateful for bosses who don’t micromanage me and for a brilliant acupuncturist who I stumbled upon but who has enhanced my life tremendously. I’m grateful for neighbors willing to walk and feed our dog while we’re out of town or even a very knowledgeable customer service person who makes a potentially annoying phone call short and easy.

I also learned that grateful people tend to smile more and not take everything so seriously. Studies on the facial feedback hypothesis suggest that our facial expressions can potentially affect our subjective experience of the world. To me that says that while how we feel on the inside is often what makes us smile, sometimes if we simply smile first we remind our inner selves to be grateful and appreciative.

With John Kralik on my mind, I googled him to see what he’s been up to lately. He has an active blog page where he still writes wonderful stories. I found one from a year ago where he wrote of his late mother who had passed earlier that year at the age of 95. In her belongings, he found notes for a speech she was writing and in it, she said, “We all seem to be so caught up in the affairs of daily life that we never look at each other with wonder and appreciation, the wonder that is every human being’s heritage, their birthright.”

As we go into this holiday season, let’s look at those in our lives a little differently. Let’s appreciate them more acutely. Let’s allow our minds to move away from expectations and judgment and move toward wonder and love.

(Susanna Shetley is writer, editor and digital media specialist for The Smoky Mountain News. susanna.b@smokymountainnews.com.)

Happiness through food, service

Waynesville restaurant a ‘must try’ culinary destination

BY G ARRET K. WOODWARD

A RTS & E NTERTAINMENT E DITOR

It was just about four years ago when Josh Weeks and his wife, McRae Davis, were at the stoplight on the corner of Depot Street and Branner Avenue in downtown Waynesville when Davis pointed over at the former Walker Service Station.

“She said, ‘Wouldn’t that be a fun place to have a restaurant?’” Weeks reminisced with a smile. “She knew I was

Want to go?

Singletree Heritage Kitchen is located at 136 Depot Street in Waynesville. Open for lunch and dinner, you can make reservations by going to singletreekitchen.com or calling 828.246.9760. Walkins are welcome.

looking for something else, that it was time for a change in my life — she’s a big part of the catalyst of the motivation for this place.”

That something eventually blossomed into Singletree Heritage Kitchen. Open in July 2022, the restaurant has quickly become a “must try” culinary destination for not only Waynesville and Haywood County, but also Western North Carolina and greater Southern Appalachia.

“The vision I had for here is where we are now — a

With a farm-to-table business ethos, Singletree combines a love of southern-style cuisine fused with an ode to French aesthetics with its ingredients, flavor content and presentation. File photos

restaurant that serves as a community hub,” Weeks said. “It’s about being local-centric, this chef-inspired independent restaurant, one where people can bring their friends, family, host a business meeting or come for a party.”

A native of Eastern North Carolina, Weeks has held seemingly every position in the kitchen, either back of house or front. From a young age, he worked his way up the ladder of the culinary world — each rung a learning experience he continues to hold close in his current and ongoing endeavors of food and fellowship.

“I’ve been in the restaurant business for over 30 years,” the 45-year-old noted. “I’ve helped open and operate [several] restaurants. I also ran a catering company. And I was fulltilt [as a head chef and small business owner]. I was just ready for something new — a sole project of my own that I could sink my teeth into.”

Taking all of the duo’s extensive background and knowledge from inside the kitchen and behind the bar, Weeks and Davis felt Waynesville was the ideal spot to execute their

“The vision I had for here is where we are now — a restaurant that serves as a community hub.”

dream restaurant scenario — this literal and figurative intersection of food, culture and hospitality, all wrapped in a cozy aesthetic of dark wood, candlelight and laughter.

“Waynesville is a self-sufficient small mountain town that’s got a lot of art and culture, a lot of great individuals and businesses,” Weeks said. “And there’s still a lot of room here for restaurants — room for growth, room to try new things with food and drink.”

At the heart of the menu, Singletree is a farm-to-table establishment. Within that, Weeks’ love of French culinary presentation and aesthetic fuses with a slew of fresh regional ingredients, all amid a keen sense of southern cooking where he “really appreciates that balance.”

“It’s all about transparency — it’s who we are,” Weeks said. “And we not only want to say what we’re about, we want to deliver and stand behind it. We buy the finest ingredients we can from as close to home as possible. We make

S EE HAPPINESS, PAGE 24

This must be the place

BY GARRET K. WOODWARD

‘Night after sleepless night, I walk the floor and I want to know’

And so, we enter the whirlwind holiday season once again. Honestly, it feels like I was just in Knoxville, Tennessee, leaning against the bar on the second floor of the Preservation Pub in Market Square on New Year’s Eve when the clock struck midnight.

While the rest of the country was watching the ball drop in Times Square on TV, the die-hard Volunteer college football faithful were watching Georgia take down Ohio State 42-41 in the Peach Bowl. It was an SEC win over the Big 10, which seemingly mattered more than watching some illuminated disco ball in Manhattan signaling the need for a new wall calendar in your kitchen.

Earlier that day, I had awakened at a hotel room on the outskirts of Nashville. On assignment covering a gig at the Ryman Auditorium the night before, the room was dark and silent. Opening the curtains, it was late morning. Bright sunshine. Hotel parking lot. Bustling Interstate 40 nearby. Pack up and try to make it back to Asheville for the ball drop.

Initially, I was tempted to stay another night in Music City. Some friends had sporadic plans for NYE. Maybe throw the dice and see where it lands, eh? But, then I thought of how much money another night at the Holiday Inn would cost, let alone Uber and dinner, onward to cold suds and cheeseburgers in the midnight hour at Robert’s Western World on Broadway.

Back on I-40, I stopped at a Logan’s Roadhouse in Cookeville for a late lunch. Flying solo, as was the norm for me for several years, either emotionally or in transit, it was a filet mignon medium rare with mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli. Being NYE, the place was empty, the young bartender nice. She asked what my plans were for NYE. I said I had none. She smiled with a slight chuckle and went back to tending the bar. I finished my meal and hit the road for Carolina.

Surrounded by football freaks all adorned in nice clothing to ensure their significant others were pleased with their attire on this night of nights where one must spruce themselves up in hopes of a midnight smooch in the arms of a beautiful woman.

Being the random single guy in the throngs of anonymous faces, I found myself in a sea of couples. I didn’t see the ball drop, but did catch the field goal that sealed the deal for Georgia to go on to win another national title. By 1 a.m. I had located the rest of the group of folks I wandered in with. Get the Uber. Head back to their house. A nightcap and some hearty conversation, onward to a peaceful slumber as 2023 was now here.

HOT PICKS

1

Rising Americana/bluegrass act Appalachian Road Show will hit the stage at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 25, on the Grand Stage at the Stecoah Valley Cultural Arts Center in Robbinsville.

2

Popular regional Americana/ bluegrass act Jeremy Rilko will perform at 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 24, in the SpeakEasy Bar at the Meadowlark Motel in Maggie Valley.

3

The 36th annual “Hard Candy Christmas” arts and crafts show will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Nov. 24-25 inside the Ramsey Center at Western Carolina University.

4

Award-winning violinist Andrew Finn Magill will play a program of holiday music at 4 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 28, at the First Presbyterian Sanctuary in Highlands.

5

The annual “Stecoah Arts & Crafts Drive-About Tour” will be from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Nov. 2425 at featured studios in Bryson City, Stecoah and Robbinsville.

whether it be a live show, afternoon hike, gut-busting meal or simply waking up and deciding who’ll make the coffee and where we should go for breakfast.

Skip ahead to this past Sunday afternoon. The air is oddly warm for this time of year, although a slight crisp resides, a sign winter will overtake our mountainous landscape soon enough. I sit at the new midmodern desk in my apartment. Finally caved and go rid of the shabby old hand-me-down desk. Now? Dark wood and continued inspiration.

Jan. 1. The early afternoon drive back to my humble abode in downtown Waynesville. A contemplative hour-and-a-half journey. Some Crosby, Stills & Nash on the stereo. I remember that trek and how I wished the next holiday go-round would be different. Most of the holidays of my adult life have been spent either alone or solo in my personal endeavors.

My apartment has transitioned from the longtime bachelor pad of my wanderings and ponderings to now a cozy place of respite. And that is thanks to the kind, genuine soul of a woman, Sarah, who seemingly appeared from nowhere on fateful Thursday night in January, not long after that contemplative hour-and-a-half journey on New Year’s Day from Knoxville to Waynesville.

Nearing Knoxville, I decided to call my best buddy and see what he and his wife were up to for the final day of 2022. The sun was falling quickly behind me as I headed back into Eastern Standard Time. They had found a babysitter for their young daughter and were just going to bounce around Old City and Market Square. With Carolina so much further beyond the horizon, I said I’d be in their driveway soon.

Several hours later, there I was, on the second floor of the Preservation Pub.

I wished that by next Thanksgiving the void in my heart and soul would be somehow fulfilled by the company of a kind, genuine soul, this woman I’d yet to meet and could cross paths with at some point in the near future. It wasn’t that I couldn’t handle being alone, I was just bored of being alone.

Sure, I enjoy my solitude and chase after it, either in the depths of Mother Nature or on a backroads sunset cruise. But, truth-betold, life is so much more fun and inviting and memorable when you have someone to share those special moments with —

As I type, Sarah’s at work and will be back to our apartment around 6 p.m. Plans are being made for dinner this evening. We might wander into Asheville and catch up with some friends for a beverage and some banter before the holiday season careens across our field of vision. To note, we’ll be heading to her father’s in Goldsboro for Thanksgiving.

I think of leaning against that bar counter in Knoxville. I think of the ball dropping once again in Manhattan and how I was once again on my own, haphazardly meandering about in the grand scheme of things. But, all of those feelings and emotions dissolve when my phone dings on my desk. It’s a text from Sarah: “Let’s pick out a tree when we get back from Thanksgiving.” Life is beautiful, grasp for it, y’all.

everything from scratch. It’s all about quality.”

Scrolling the intricate menu, you’ll find starters ranging from cornmeal crusted N.C. shrimp to prosciutto wrapped quail, blue crab fritters to ricotta and pepperoni pierogies. Entrees run the gamut from lemon thyme roast airline chicken to seared East Coast halibut, Heritage Breed bonein pork chop to mustard seared Sunburst trout.

“I grew up near the [Atlantic] Coast and I spent a lot of time on the coast — fresh seafood is everything,” Weeks said. “And I grew up cooking in my grandparents’ kitchen. It was always about hosting family events and doing that from a young age — everything from scratch, everything made with love.”

Explaining the method to his culinary madness, for Weeks it’s the idea of simplicity and letting the food speak for itself. If you already have fresh, delicious ingredients, then conjure the beauty of said ingredients with a presentation that as artistic as it is scrumptious.

“We build our dishes based on a protein, a starch and a vegetable, where the sauce brings it all together — it’s textural components that are visually pleasing,” Weeks said. “And we like to counterbalance all of our dishes, where if we have a French-inspired dish, then we’ll also

On the beat

offer a southern-inspired dish — we’ve got a little something for everybody.”

Sitting at one of the main dining room tables one recent morning, Weeks gazes around the space for a moment or two. He thinks of the impending lunch and dinner rush, made up of Singletree die-hards and the curious alike, only to circle back to the question posed — what does it mean to see your dream come to fruition?

“We want to create this full-circle experience for people,” Weeks said. “It’s a nice experience when they come in and when they leave. They remember the food and what they felt. And they come back — that’s always been the vision.”

Jingle Jam returns Dec. 2

Presented by REACH of Haywood County and Adamas Entertainment, the second annual “Jingle Jam” will be held from noon to midnight on Saturday, Dec. 2, at The Lineside, the new indoor music venue at Frog Level Brewing Company in Waynesville.

Featuring 12 bands and 12 hours of live music, the lineup includes rising Chicago-based funk/soul ensemble Sneezy and an array of Asheville and regional talent: indie/soul trio The Get Right Band, blues rocker Andrew Scotchie, psychedelic group Pink Beds, jam-rock outfit Arnold Hill and much more.

All proceeds from the event will benefit REACH of Haywood County, a cherished 501c3 nonprofit aimed at helping and empowering victims and survivors of domestic violence, teen sexual abuse, sexual assault, elder abuse and human-trafficking.

A special “Jingle Jam” kickoff event party will be held from 8-11 p.m. Friday, Dec. 1, at The Scotsman in Waynesville. The event will be headlined by Asheville indie/rockers Cloud Circuit.

Sponsors include The Smoky Mountain News, Frog Level Brewing and Singletree Heritage Kitchen. Sponsorships are still available for local businesses and residents alike. For more information, a full schedule of bands and/or to purchase tickets, go to reachofhaywood.org.

Stecoah welcomes Appalachian Road Show

Rising Americana/bluegrass act Appalachian Road Show will hit the stage at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 25, on the Grand Stage at the Stecoah Valley Cultural Arts Center in Robbinsville.

Appalachian Road Show combines the award-winning talents of lead singer/banjoist Barry Abernathy, tenor singer/mandolinist extraordinaire Darrell Webb and Grammy award winning fiddler/producer Jim Van Cleve. And on guitar is Zeb Snyder, a young phenom overtaking the bluegrass scene.

The group seeks to honor the music, traditions and history of the Appalachian people and regions, as much as it does to forge its own fresh musical and entertainment trails. Each endeavor is infused with an authenticity and vitality borne of their Appalachian roots.

The ensemble’s latest album, “Jubilation,” is introduced and narrated by none other than Dolly Parton.

The performance is open to the public. For more information and/or to purchase tickets, go to stecoahvalleycenter.com or call 828.479.3364.

Christmas with fiddle virtuoso

Award-winning violinist Andrew Finn Magill will play a program of holiday music at 4 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 28, at the First Presbyterian Sanctuary in Highlands.

Along with beloved Christmas tunes, the concert includes selections with a distinct Celtic flavor. Magill grew up studying Irish, oldtime and bluegrass music with some of the world’s best fiddlers at Asheville’s Swannanoa Gathering. He has been performing it worldwide ever since.

An All-Ireland Fiddle finalist, Magill has performed on NPR, TEDx and MTV-U, played concert halls around the world and was a Fulbright Fellow and North Carolina Arts Council Fellow. As well, he has taught traditional and old-time music at fiddle camps across the United States and abroad.

Admission is free. Donations will be accepted. First Presbyterian Church also has handicapped accessible entrances on Church Street and Fifth Street.

This event is produced by the Arts Council of Macon County. For information, call 828.524.ARTS or email arts4all@dnet.net.

To learn more about Magill, go to andrewfinnmagill.com.

• 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.

ALSO:

• Boojum Brewing (Waynesville) will host music bingo 7 p.m. Mondays, karaoke at 8:30 p.m. Wednesdays, trivia at 7 p.m. and Smooth Goose (rock/indie) Nov. 25. All shows begin at 9 p.m. unless otherwise noted. 828.246.0350 or boojumbrewing.com.

• Currahee Brewing (Franklin) will host “Music Bingo” 7 p.m. Thursdays, Woolybooger (blues/folk) Nov. 24 and Scott Clark (singersongwriter) Nov. 25. 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.

• Frog Level Brewing (Waynesville) will host its weekly “Tuesday Jazz Series” at 5:30 p.m. and “Jingle Jam” (12 bands/12

On the beat

hours/$12) w/Sneezy, The Get Right Band, Andrew Scotchie, Pink Beds and more from noon to midnight Dec. 2 (at The Lineside). Free and open to the public. 828.454.5664 or froglevelbrewing.com.

• Happ’s Place (Glenville) will host Jake Matthew Nov. 24, Rock Holler Nov. 25, Whitewater Heathens Dec. 1 and Doug Ramsey (singer-songwriter) Dec. 2. 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 Spice Wannabe (Spice Girls Tribute) Nov. 25. All shows begin at 7:30 p.m. For a full schedule of events and/or to buy tickets, caesars.com/harrahs-cherokee.

• Highlander Mountain House (Highlands) will host a Sunday Bluegrass Residency noon to 2:30 p.m. and semi-regular live music on the weekends. 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 and Tina Collins (singer-songwriter) Nov. 25. 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 semi-regular 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 (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.

• 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 “Jingle Jam” (12 bands/12 hours/$12) w/Sneezy, The Get Right Band, Andrew Scotchie, Pink Beds and more from noon to midnight Dec. 2. For more information and/or to purchase tickets, go to froglevelbrewing.com.

• Meadowlark Motel (Maggie Valley) will host Trivia Thursdays 6:30 p.m., Jeremy Rilko (Americana/bluegrass) Nov. 24, Woolybooger Nov. 25 and Stomper Kitty Dec. 2. 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 and semi-regular live music on the weekends. All shows begin at 6 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.538.0115 or mountainlayersbrewingcompany.com.

• Quirky Birds Treehouse & Bistro (Dillsboro) will host Open Mic Night at 7 p.m. Tuesdays and semi-regular live music on the weekends. Free and open to the public. 828.586.1717 or facebook.com/quirkybirdstreehouse.

• 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 Patrick French (singer-songwriter) Nov. 26 and Bird In Hand (Americana/indie) Dec. 3. All shows begin at 3 p.m. Free and open to the public. 828.631.3075 or facebook.com/thewinebarandcellar.

• 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, 5000lb Tractor (southern rock/funk) Nov. 24, Celtic Road Jam 4 p.m. Nov. 25 and Andrew Wakefield (singer-songwriter) Nov. 30. All shows begin at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.246.6292 or scotsmanpublic.com.

• Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts (Franklin) will host Sarah Evans (country) 7 p.m. Dec. 2. 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 Appalachian Road Show (Americana/bluegrass) Nov. 25. 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 Tammy & The Tune Twisters Nov. 24 ($5 cover), Jon Cox (country/rock) Nov. 25 ($5 cover) and Mountain Gypsy (Americana) Nov. 30. All shows are free and begin at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. 828.538.2488.

Rilko makes Meadowlark debut

Popular regional Americana/bluegrass act Jeremy Rilko will perform at 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 24, in the SpeakEasy Bar at the Meadowlark Motel in Maggie Valley.

Hailing from Saginaw, Michigan, Rilko is a banjo player living in Asheville. After serving four years in the Air Force, he attended Western Michigan University. This is where he was introduced to bluegrass music.

Early on in his playing days, Rilko was exposed to the likes of fellow Michigan natives Billy Strings and Greensky Bluegrass, as well as Bela Fleck and John Hartford. After completing college, he threw everything in his car and moved to Asheville and began to cut his teeth at the local bluegrass jams.

Rilko has been a member of Michigan-based Who Hit John and Supper Break. He’s currently a member of The Well Drinkers and The Asheville Cats.

As a performer, Rilko has had the privilege of sharing the stage with Vince Herman, Lindsay Lou, Molly Tuttle, Ketch Secor, Darren Nicholson and members of Town Mountain and Fireside Collective.

Rilko has performed at The Woodford Folk Festival (Australia) and MerleFest. He’s also on the verge of releasing a full-length album of original music in April.

For more information and/or to purchase tickets, go to meadowlarkmotel.com or 828.926.1717.

• Valley Cigar & Wine Co. (Waynesville) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. 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 semiregular 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.

WCU students hold exhibition

The Western Carolina University Fine Art Museum will host its annual “Bachelor of Fine Art Portfolio Exhibition” through Dec. 8 at the Fine Arts Museum on campus in Cullowhee.

This exhibition gives graduating students in the WCU School of Art and Design the opportunity to share their work with the wider community. Thirteen studio art majors will share their capstone projects in the fall 2023 semester.

Their art portfolios, which include paintings, sculpture, ceramics, installation art and other mediums, explore a wide range of topics from gun violence and vulnerability to gender expectations and perceptions of disabilities. Graphic design majors will hold a separate BFA Portfolio Exhibition during the spring 2024 semester.

The BFA program of the WCU School of Art and Design prepares emerging artists for a career or post-graduate study in art, design, or related disciplines. BFA students gain a foundation in observational drawing, 2D design, 3D design and art history, then select a studio emphasis to focus their area of study.

Studio art majors choose an emphasis in painting and drawing, ceramics, pho-

• “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.

• Gallery Zella (Bryson City) will host an array

tography, sculpture or print/book arts. Graphic Design majors explore communication design, interactive media, typography and motion design, all the while developing

WCU will showcase student work through early December. File photo

professional production skills.

During their final year in the program, BFA students enroll in the BFA Portfolio course, which focuses on professional development. Studio art majors work with the instructor to develop a resume or CV and learn about career options in the art field.

Students come away from the course with practical skills for writing artist statements, developing an Internet presence for their work and speaking publicly about their studio practice. Each student presents a final body of work for exhibition at the WCU Fine Art Museum inspired by their research or lived experiences.

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.

ALSO:

• 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.

• 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 offer a slew of classes, events and activities for artisans, locals

A reception for the exhibit will be held from 5-7 p.m. Dec. 7 at the Fine Arts Museum. Complimentary hors d’oeuvres and beverages will be available at the reception. Free parking is available at the Bardo Arts Center parking lot at 199 Centennial Drive. Visit arts.wcu.edu/bfa2023 to learn more about the exhibition and reception. To see BAC’s full calendar of events, please visit arts.wcu.edu/explore or call 828.227.ARTS. The Fine Arts Museum is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday.

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.

On the wall

Waynesville art walk, live music

A cherished gathering of locals and visitors alike, “Art After Dark” will take place from 6-9 p.m. Friday, Dec. 1, in downtown Waynesville.

Each first Friday of the month (May-December), 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 local residents and visitors alike.

The event is free and open to the public. For more information, go to downtownwaynesville.com.

‘Hard Candy’ holiday craft show Nov. 24-25

The 36th annual “Hard Candy Christmas” arts and crafts show will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Nov. 24-25 inside the Ramsey Center at Western Carolina University.

This mountain tradition started in 1987 in Franklin with eight local artists. It has grown to over 100 regional artisans who sell their work at great prices. Expect a dazzling display of fine hand-crafted creations such as Father Christmas dolls, fresh mountain greenery, and folk dolls. The ornament collectors always find new additions for the tree.

Admission is $5 for a two-day pass. Children under 12 are free. Parking is also free. For more information, go to mountainartisans.net or call 828.524.3405.

On the street

Franklin Christmas Parade

With a theme of “Christmas Together,” the annual Franklin Christmas Parade will be held at 3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 26, in downtown.

The Grand Marshall will honor all essential workers. The floats will line up on Church Street, entering Main Street through the Town Hall parking lot. The parade will continue down Main Street, turning left onto Porter Street at the Lazy Hiker. Turning left again onto Palmer Street at the red light and ending the Highlands Road intersection.

The Franklin Christmas Parade will be Nov. 26. File photo

The parade will feature fire trucks, EMS, police cars, floats, trucks, cars and walkers. For more information, contact the Franklin Chamber at 828.524.3161.

On the street

Dillsboro’s ‘Lights & Luminaries’

The 40th annual “Lights & Luminaries” will return from 5-9 p.m. Dec. 1-2 and 8-9 in the streets of downtown Dillsboro.

Experience the magic as the entire town is transformed into a winter wonderland of lights, candles, laughter, and song. Over 2,500 luminaries light your way to shops and studios.

‘Lights

Each night, shops will stay open way into the night providing free refreshments, musicians and singers performing in individual shops. The sound of hooves will echo through the night with old-fashioned horse and buggy rides.

With retail shops offering a variety of quality arts and crafts, unique gifts, clothing, gourmet foods and wine, and specialty Christmas items, the festival also provides a unique holiday shopping experience.

Shopkeepers and restaurants are open late. See Santa and Mrs. Claus as they ride through town in their pickup truck. Write a letter to Santa and drop it off at his special mailbox. Live music will also be held on Front Street.

In celebration of its 40th anniversary, the festival is excited to introduce live musical performances to enhance the festive atmosphere. Grammynominated and bluegrass legend Darren Nicholson is set to perform Dec. 9, while the White Triplets will serenade festivalgoers on all four nights. For more information, call 828.586.1439 or go to dillsboronc.info.

• The 48th annual Bryson City Christmas Parade will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 2, on Everett Street in downtown Bryson City. Floats, marching bands, fire trucks, Santa & Mrs. Claus and much more. 828.488.3681 or greatsmokies.com.

ALSO:

• “Cowee Christmas” will begin at 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 2, at the Historic Cowee School Arts & Heritage Center in Franklin. Holiday music, activities, and much more. For a schedule of events, go to coweeschool.org.

• “Winter Wonderland Nights” will be held Nov. 25 and Dec. 2 in Franklin. Downtown will feature living window displays of the holidays, live sounds of the season outdoors at the gazebo and inside stores, free holiday attractions (weather permitting), refreshments, hot cider, great sales from local merchants, and much more. The celebration will continue throughout the holidays in December. For more information, go to franklin-chamber.com.

• “Polar Express” train ride will resume rides on select dates from the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad depot in downtown Bryson City. For a complete listing of departure dates and times, call 800.872.4681 or go to gsmr.com.

Stecoah Drive-About Tour Nov. 24-25

The annual “Stecoah Arts & Crafts Drive-About Tour” will be from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Nov. 24-25 at featured studios in Bryson City, Stecoah and Robbinsville.

With their studios open to the public, the self-guided driving tour highlights artisans who have built a livelihood with their creative talents. Media include pottery, beeswax lanterns and pillar candles, original paintings/drawings, fiber, quilts, photography, artisan cheeses and more.

The tour includes: Wehrloom Honey, Hunting Boy Wood Carving, Marie’s Lavender Farm, The Shed Gallery, Junk N’ Style, The Ceramics Art Club, Local Handmade Pottery and Gallery Zella. For more information, go to stecoahvalleycenter.com.

Rash takes care of business in ‘The Caretaker’

Ron Rash’s new novel “The Caretaker” (Doubleday, 2023, 252 pgs.) is much different than his previous novels. The classic Rash literary style is there and the characters are well developed and the descriptive passages are vividly enticing. But ... there is a difference in the tone. In intention. In the consciousness. In the amount of light he sheds on his characters and their actions. Or, as he writes about one of the book’s main characters Blackburn

Gant: “Blackburn imagines fields asleep beneath a veil of snow. Awaiting spring, awaiting him too, because he will be there, standing firm on broken ground to witness life rising into the light.”

In his earlier years and books, Rash was known for his dramatic and even unexpected violent endings — such as in “The Cove” and in “Serena.” But he’s mellowed in his elder years and so what we get in “The Caretaker” is a love story embedded in a family drama.

“... Shouldn’t this life have its share of joy too? Or was that just more childishness? Lila was wrong about Naomi only glimpsing love. The heart’s full knowing came only with loss. Lila didn’t understand that. If she was lucky, she might never have to,” writes Rash, referring to one of the main plotlines — that of Naomi’s young husband Jacob having been sent to Korea to fight in the Korean War. The majority of this book is set in Watauga County, and in particular, Blowing Rock, a place that Rash knows well from his youth. From early on, we get heartbreak and headache as Jacob is presumed dead and Naomi is sent packing to Tennessee by Jacob’s manipulating and disapproving parents.

So, the plotline develops from a ruse by the parents to separate Jacob from his new bride, who has become pregnant with child while Jacob is away fighting the war. In a brilliant bit of back and forth by Rash, the ruse turns into reality and, as they say, the plot thickens — with both Jacob and Naomi thinking that the other is dead, as the parents plot to annul the marriage any way they can working to apparent perfection.

But Rash has tricks up his sleeve, which soon come to the fore in the person of Blackburn Gant, Jacob’s longtime and loyal friend, who, as time passes along the

roadmap of this story, is the caretaker of the local cemetery as he morphs into the book’s main character. But Rash isn’t a one-trick pony or a one-pitch pitcher. He’s got a curveball that comes unexpected and that no one, no reader, can hit. Unlike his “sinker,” this curve takes us out of the dark alleys of the human mind and into the sunlight. To creeks, lakes and ridgetop vistas in north-

parked at the Brown Mountain overlook. Boys liked to take girls there because people claimed you could see the lanterns of ghosts searching for a woman murdered long ago. A place to get a girl to snuggle close.”

With Blackburn “pitching” and a full count with 3 balls and 2 strikes on Jacob, Rash’s curveball misses the plate and Jacob gets a walk to first base. It’s the ninth inning and Blackburn’s arm is getting tired, but before we know it there are two outs and Jacob is standing on third base. And who should come to bat, but Naomi, whom everyone thought has died in childbirth and was done for the season. The whole game is riding on her at-bat. Can she get a hit so Jacob can score and they’ll win the game?

western North Carolina that are familial and familiar to Rash and that he writes about with accurate detail and perceivable passion:

“On the night before Naomi was to take the bus back to Tennessee, she and Jacob had

Medical thriller author reads at Blue Ridge Books

his friend’s

game or give away any spoilers.

You’ll have to tune in to see, as Rash isn’t going to take himself out of the

(Thomas Crowe is a regular contributor to The Smoky Mountain News and author of the multi-award-winning non-fiction nature memoir “Zoro’s Field: My Life in the Appalachian Woods.”)

risk it all as he races to save other victims before countless other lives are destroyed. The event is free and open to the public. For more information and/or to order copies of “Treatment Plan,” call

or click on blueridgebooksnc.com.

Word from the Smokies

What we can learn from wild turkeys

Both male and female turkeys maintain pecking orders in which a dominant bird holds sway over subordinates.

BY FRANCES FIGART CONTRIBUTING WRITER

If you plan to travel around Western North Carolina or East Tennessee to visit friends or family and eat turkey for the coming Thanksgiving holiday, there is a good chance you’ll spot a few wild turkeys along the way. Although sometimes we humans may call one another “turkey” as a lighthearted insult, our species can actually learn a lot from the big bird known as Meleagris gallopavo. Evidence suggests the first turkeys existed as early as 20 million years ago. The modern turkey is related to other game birds like pheasants, quail, grouse and partridges. There are five subspecies of turkey, each differing in plumage and range. Wild turkeys have keen eyesight, are born with innate knowledge of predators and landscape, and are talkative, gregarious animals. They maintain a strong family or “clan” mentality and are superb communicators and collaborators.

“The

Of particular interest to Chamberlain are the social hierarchies that influence how individual turkeys behave throughout their lives. Male and female wild turkeys spend much of the year together in a flock.

“Pecking orders introduce structure into the flocks we observe,” said Chamberlain. “This structure is something we do not fully understand, but it clearly influences how they behave and interact throughout the year.”

Both males and females maintain pecking orders in which a dominate bird holds sway over subordinates. These pecking orders begin to form when birds are only a few days old, but they are also fluid and ever-changing.

“Turkeys constantly test these pecking orders by fighting, pecking at each other, chasing each other and so forth, seeking to challenge the dominant bird and move up in the hierarchy,” Chamberlain said.

restoration of this iconic species is considered one of the greatest conservation success stories in the world, yet turkeys face ongoing challenges that have resulted in population declines in some areas.”

“When given the opportunity to study them in graduate school, I realized turkeys were a fascinating species,” said Michael J. Chamberlain, a professor of wildlife ecology with the University of Georgia, who grew up hunting turkeys and now studies their behavior all over the Southeast. “Turkeys communicate in various ways from vocalizations to appearance. It is believed that turkeys primarily recognize each other through these vocalizations and the appearance of their heads.”

— Michael J. Chamberlain, professor of wildlife ecology, UGA

“These pecking orders dictate access to resources and breeding opportunities in the spring.”

As spring arrives, males begin their “lek” or group-based breeding rituals. Females will lay an egg each day for 14 days and then incubate the eggs for 28 days until they all have hatched. The young poults are raised by their mother without any fraternal care. The male poults, or jakes, will generally be kicked out of the group the following spring by dominant gobblers.

Wild turkeys were plentiful when European colonists first came to Southern Appalachia. By the early

1900s, however, only a few were left, a decline that continued into the mid-century due to unregulated hunting, rapid deforestation and habitat destruction.

Thankfully, biologists in the 1950s began to capture surviving individuals in various places and relocate them to suitable habitat with the help of an innovative trap known as a rocket net. These relocation efforts continue today, with birds still being moved to areas in the South where populations have not done as well.

“The restoration of this iconic species is considered one of the greatest conservation success stories in the world,” Chamberlain said, “yet turkeys face ongoing challenges that have resulted in population declines in some areas.”

and healthy,” he said, “and seems to be growing every year based on the number of surviving poults seen along roadways.”

But over the past several years, Williamson and other park wildlife managers have begun to observe some human conflicts with turkeys.

“In the park, where humans are not a predator of turkeys, we are seeing an increase in the number of animals that are habituated to people and getting easy meals from visitors,” he explained. “Most animals that have been fed by humans appear to lose their natural fear of people and learn to approach them for food, which most humans find threatening. These turkeys can be aggressive towards humans to acquire food, especially during the springtime when

The male eastern wild turkey has dark plumage with striking bronze, copper and green iridescent colors. Warren Lynn photo

Turkey researchers in Southern Appalachia are focused on ensuring that we have sustainable populations of wild turkeys in the future. Seeming to have a preternatural cognition of their near extinction in the not-so-distant past, the birds exhibit a keen understanding of the constant threat of predators, including humans.

“During spring the males will gobble to announce their presence on the landscape and hens will call or ‘yelp’ to let males know that they are present in an area,” said Ryan Williamson, a wildlife technician with the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. “But they will reduce their spring gobbling to near silence to elude hunting pressure. So, they are aware of the presence of predators and adjust accordingly to survive.”

It is estimated that more than 500 wild turkeys live in the park, but Williamson says the exact number is unknown.

“The population does appear to be stable

Where are the turkeys?

they are naturally aggressive towards each other and will fight to establish dominance.”

Wild turkeys thrive in areas with abundant grasses and shrubby vegetation that grows low to the ground. These plants harbor abundant insects and seeds, which dominate turkey diets. The habitats where wild turkeys thrive are also critically important to other species, such as elk and black bears, which share their requirement for hard mast like acorns in the winter. Ultimately, managing parks and forest lands to ensure turkeys can thrive should mean success for many other important species.

(Frances Figart is the editor of “Smokies Life” journal and the creative director for the 29,000-member Great Smoky Mountains Association, an educational nonprofit partner of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Learn more at smokiesinformation.org and reach the author at frances@gsmassoc.org.)

In the Smokies, some of the best places for viewing turkeys are in the relatively open fields of Cades Cove, Cataloochee and Oconaluftee, along forest edges and in open woodlands and forest clearings. Early morning is typically an ideal time for birding. More information about turkeys and other birds in the Smokies is available in the newly revised Birds of the Smokies field guide by Fred J. Alsop III, for sale at any visitor center bookstore in Great Smoky Mountains National Park or online at smokiesinformation.org.

Elk volunteers wanted

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is looking for volunteers to expand its Elk Volunteer-in-Park Program in 2024.

At elk viewing sites, volunteers help manage traffic, provide information to park visitors and educate visitors about the park’s natural and cultural resources. The goal is to keep people and elk safe. The park’s law enforce-

ment staff supervise volunteers and work closely with them.

Volunteers must attend an in-person training, to be held near Cherokee in April 2024, with the exact date to be announced in early 2024. They must commit to filling at least one four-hour shift per week from May through mid-November next year.

For more information, contact Ranger Lauren LaRocca at lauren_larocca@nps.gov.

Make your own wreath

The Haywood County Master Gardeners will hold their annual wreath-making event Saturday, Dec. 9, providing an incredible selection of fresh greenery, natural embellishments and knowledgeable Master Gardeners to teach the ropes. Sessions will be held 9:30 a.m. to noon and 1-3:30 p.m. at the Cooperative Extension Office in Waynesville. Space is limited, and payment must be received by Monday, Nov. 27.

Cost is $40 for one 16-inch wreath and $25 for each additional wreath. Participants should bring their own pruners and gloves and may bring their own frame. Bows will be available for sale. Proceeds fund horticultural projects and grants in Haywood County.

Space is limited. To reserve a spot, send a check for $40 payable to “Haywood County Cooperative Extension Service” to “ExtensionWreath Workshop, 589 Raccoon Road Suite 118, Waynesville, NC 28786. Include name, phone,

email address and desired session, as well as the size of any frame you wish to bring. Contact mgarticles@charter.net or 828.456.3575 with questions. A wreath-maker shows off her creation.

Dine with Haywood Waterways

Celebrate the Pigeon River Watershed during Haywood Waterways Association’s annual membership meeting and holiday dinner 6-8:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 6, at the Lambuth Inn at Lake Junaluska.

The evening will include a year-in-review presentation highlighting projects, programs and accomplishments from 2023, a sneak peak of what 2024 will bring and a ceremony recognizing three deserving Watershed Heroes. Additionally, a silent auction will offer an opportunity to search out some unique Christmas presents.

Dinner is $30 per person, with payment accepted at the door or online at haywoodwaterways.org. Haywood Waterways is looking for donations of auction items valued at $25 or more.

RSVPs required by Tuesday, Nov. 28, to 828.476.4667, ext. 1, or christine@haywoodwaterways.org. To donate an auction item, contact mackenzie@haywoodwaterways.org.

Meet the hellbender

See a live hellbender during a program at 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 30, at the Jackson County Public Library in Sylva.

Lori Williams of the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission will lead this educational program, geared toward adults, about North America’s largest salamander. She will discuss hellbender life history, ecology, habitat use, threats and current conservation efforts. The talk will wrap up with underwater video clips of these fascinating creatures and introduction of resident species ambassador Rocky the hellbender.

The hellbender is one of only three giant salamanders found in the

Free and cosponsored by Balsam Mountain Trust and Friends of the Jackson County Public Library. For more information, contact 828.586.2016 or JCPL-Adults@fontanalib.org.

Air quality report reveals good news for N.C.

North Carolinians continue to breathe the cleanest air in decades as emissions of harmful air pollutants like nitrogen oxides and particulate matter reach historic lows, according to the latest update of the “Air Quality Trends in North Carolina” report published by the N.C. Division of Air Quality.

The report attributes the decline in air pollution to efforts from state leaders, regulatory agencies, electric utilities, industry and the public to address air quality concerns.

“Getting to this point was no accident. There’s been more than 50 years of hard work by our dedicated staff and a wide variety of stakeholders that have led to this success,” said Mike Abraczinskas, director of the Division of Air Quality. “This comes even as the state’s population and economic activity grew, showing that environmental stewardship and economic growth work hand-in-hand.”

Between 1990 and 2020, sulfur dioxide emissions fell 94%, carbon monoxide 73%, oxides of nitrogen 72%, volatile organic compounds 68% and fine particulate matter 49%.

Declines in energy production are a major contributor to these declines. More power is coming from sources such as utility-scale solar development, buildings are becoming more energy-efficient and new automobiles emit far less pollution than older vehicles did.

This new report is an update to a previous report published in October 2020. North Carolina has been in attainment with every federal National Ambient Air Quality Standard since August 2015. To read the full report, visit deq.nc.gov/media/41781/open.

Tons of trout coming to WNC

More than 67,000 pounds of trout will be stocked in the mountain and piedmont regions of North Carolina between Nov. 29 and Dec. 21, including locations in Jackson, Macon, Buncombe and Transylvania counties.

The fish were raised in the Bobby N. Setzer and Armstrong state fish hatcheries and include brook, brown and rainbow trout at least 10 inches long. Anglers can harvest up to seven per day in impoundments with no bait restrictions or minimum size limits. A stocking schedule is available at bit.ly/49BHNkh and subject to change.

Santa to visit Chimney Rock

Old Saint Nick will visit Chimney Rock State Park in Rutherford County Saturdays, Dec. 2 and 9, for the 26th year running to practice his chimney-climbing game on the iconic rock as Christmas festivities abound.

Between rappel trips down the chimney, to take place on the hour each hour from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Santa will take a break to meet visiting children with Mrs. Claus. The day will include breakfast with the elves from 8-11 a.m., Santa photos, craft stations and live Christmas music.

Elves will host guided hikes to Hickory Nut Falls, and guests can join naturalists on the Outcroppings Deck to meet the park’s animal ambassadors. The event is free with park admission.

NOC welcomes Santa

Meet Santa at the Nantahala Outdoor Center in Swain County at one of three events coming up next month.

• From 9-11 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 2, families can join NOC at Rivers End Restaurant for a magical breakfast buffet with Santa Claus. Attendees can dress up in their favorite paja-

Practice your shot

No Man’s Land Film Festival returns to WNC

The No Man’s Land Film Festival, the premier all-woman adventure film festival, will screen at New Belgium Brewing’s Liquid Center in Asheville at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 28, and it will also stream online.

Hosted by MountainTrue, films will feature jaw-dropping stories of women capable of amazing athletic feats, and the stories of those who have risen above stereotype or disability to reclaim agency over their own lives.

Free, with donations to MountainTrue encouraged. Register for the virtual event at mountaintrue.org/nmlff2023. No signup required for in-person attendees.

“The Mirnavator” is a film that played at a previous No Man’s Land Film Festival. Donated photo

mas for a morning filled with fun and festivity. Reservations required.

• The Merry Market with Santa will take place 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays, Dec. 9 and 16, giving guests a chance to shop for treasures made by local artisans. Santa will make an appearance at both events. Learn more or register for breakfast at noc.com/events.

A turkey shoot will be held 9 a.m. Saturdays at the American Legion in Waynesville, continuing weekly through mid-April 2024. Breakfast food will be available for sale, with cash prizes offered. The event is weather-dependent. The American Legion is located on 171 Legion Drive in Waynesville.

Tree discounts available for military members, veterans

During the month of November, military members and veterans can receive a discount on tree seedling orders from the N.C. Forest Service.

Nantahala Hiking Club to celebrate year of stewardship

The Nantahala Hiking Club will recognize outstanding volunteers during its annual awards banquet 5-8 p.m. Saturday,

The 20% discount is open to active, honorably discharged or retired military personnel, and it applies to the first $500 of all orders, up to $100. Proof of service — valid military ID, Department of Defense Form 214/215 or National Guard Bureau Form 22/22A — is required to obtain the discount. Standard shipping rates apply. Order seedlings at buynctrees.com or call 1.888.NCTREES.

Dec. 2, at First Presbyterian Church in Franklin.

The event will showcase outstanding stewardship for Appalachian Trail Maintenance and community outreach. It’s restricted to NHC members, with annual membership available for $20 at bit.ly/47nf6q0. RSVP by Saturday, Nov. 25, to president@nantahalahikingclub.org.

OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

• Sunday - Wednesday 11am - 5pm

Bar open until 6pm

• Thursday - Saturday 11am - 8pm

Dinner Menu begins at 5:00 pm

Experience a Casual, Relaxing Atmosphere

perfect for all walks of life, from families to golf groups to ladies who lunch.We pride ourselves on using fresh ingredients from our gardens and supporting local farmers. The details are priority.

Lakeview Drive reopens

Lakeview Drive in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park near Bryson City is now open, but rehabilitation work on the road is still ongoing.

The road has been closed since summer as crews work on a complete reconstruction of the 6.5-mile road, made possible using $15.7 million of federal Great American Outdoor Act Funding. While the road is now open, temporary single-lane closures and periodic closures of some parking areas will

continue as crews work to rehabilitate parking areas, guardrails and headwalls. The project will wrap up in the spring when crews place the final layer of asphalt on top, providing a smoother ride.

Hikers and visitors will be able to access the Noland Creek Trail, Lakeshore Trail, Goldmine Loop Trail, Benton MacKaye Trail and Lakeview Drive Tunnel but may not be able to park at the closest parking lot to the trailhead. Visitors should expect to see machinery and equipment in the area until the project is complete.

Workforce grants available for ag employers

Through Nov. 28 agricultural employers can apply for grants through a pilot program designed to improve the resilience of the food and agricultural supply chain by addressing workforce challenges farmers and ranchers face. Up to $65 million is available through the Farm Labor Stabilization and Protection Pilot Program.

The program aims to address workforce needs, expand legal pathways for foreign workers in agriculture and improve working conditions for farmworkers. The grant program offers awards ranging from $25,000 to $200,000, with award amounts based on the projected number of full-time equivalent employees, desired award level and the competitive nature of the application. Producers can use grant funds over the course of two agricultural production seasons.

Learn more or submit an application at ams.usda.gov/flsp.

Forest Service advisory group seeks new members

The committee responsible for advising on U.S. Forest Service recreation fees is looking for new members.

Nominations are sought for 11 positions on the Southern Region Recreation Resource Advisory Committee and due Friday, Dec. 1. The committee meets once or twice a year and offers recommendations on recreation fees for national forests and grasslands in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and Puerto Rico.

Candidates should represent one of the following recreation interests: camping, motorized recreation, non-motorized recreation, wildlife and nature viewing, visiting interpretive sites, hunting and fishing, environmental groups, outfitters and guides, state tourism, Native tribes or local government. Committee members serve two or three-year terms. Positions are not paid, but reimbursement is offered for food, travel and lodging to attend meetings.

Successful candidates will be recommended to the Regional Forester for appointment based on: what interest groups they represent and how they are qualified to represent that group; experience working with underserved populations, including people of color; why they want to serve on the committee and what they can contribute; and their experience in working successfully as part of a collaborative group.

For more information, visit fs.usda.gov/main/r8/recreation/racs or contact Tiffany Williams at 404.347.2769 or sm.fs.r8_rrac@usda.gov.

WNC Calendar

COMMUNITY EVENTS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS

• “The Biggest Little Christmas Parade in the Smokies” will take place at 2 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 2, in downtown Bryson City. For more information visit greatsmokies.com.

• Sylva Christmas Parade will take place at 3 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 3, in downtown Sylva.

• The Canton Holiday Tour of Homes will take place 1-5 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 3. Tickets are $10, free for children under 12. For more information contact Laura Simmons at lauracmsimmons@gmail.com.

n All phone numbers area code 828 unless otherwise noted.

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

arts playshop, “Prayer Flags for the Soul” 5-7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 29, at the Folkmoot Friendship Center. For more information visit thepollinatorsfoundation.org or contact Marga Fripp at margacfripp@gmail.com 828.424.1398.

• 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.

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

second Sunday of the month at 3 p.m. All are welcome. Call 828.349.4607 for more information.

VOLUNTEERS

• REACH of Haywood County has rescheduled their Volunteer Training Day for 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday, Dec. 1, at the REACH office in Waynesville, 627 N. Main St. Register by Nov. 29. For more information or to donate to REACH, their website is reachofhaywood.org, or look for them on Facebook.

H EALTH AND WELLNESS

• The Pollinators Foundation offers weekly Mindful Movement Qigong classes for all ages to reduce stress and improve health and well-being. Classes take place 11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. on Wednesdays at the Folkmoot Center in Waynesville. For more information visit thepollinatorsfoundation.org or contact Marga Fripp at margacfripp@gmail.com 828.4224.1398.

• The Pollinators Foundation and The Share Project host weekly Happy Hour Walks 5-6:15 p.m. on Tuesdays at Lake Junaluska. The group meets at the Labyrinth. For more information visit thepollinatorsfoundation.org or contact Marga Fripp at margacfripp@gmail.com 828.4224.1398.

• 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. Waynesville, NC. 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.

K IDS AND FAMILIES

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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 downtown 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

• See a live hellbender during a program on North America’s largest salamander at 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 30, at the Jackson County Public Library in Sylva. For more information, contact 828.586.2016 or JCPLAdults@fontanalib.org.

• The Haywood County Master Gardeners will hold their annual wreath-making event Saturday, Dec. 9. Sessions will be held 9:30 a.m. to noon and 1-3:30 p.m. at the Cooperative Extension Office in Waynesville. Space is limited, and payment must be received by Monday, Nov. 27. Cost is $40 for one 16-inch wreath and $25 for each additional wreath. Contact mgarticles@charter.net or 828.456.3575 with questions.

• 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.

ART SHOWINGS AND GALLERIES

• The first annual holiday open studio will take place Saturday, Dec. 16, at Hazelwood Pottery in Waynesville. Joe Frank Mckeee will be demonstrating horsehair and alcohol raku firing with his portable kiln, Neal Howard will bring her hand dyed and woven silks and Laure Faye Dean will be demoing wheel throwing. The afternoon will end with a Community Christmas Carol singalong. For more information contact Dean at 828.226.4170.

Outdoors

• A turkey shoot will be held 9 a.m. Saturdays at the American Legion in Waynesville, continuing weekly through mid-April 2024. Breakfast food will be available for sale, with cash prizes offered. The event is weather-dependent. The American Legion is located on 171 Legion Drive in Waynesville.

• Indoor pickup soccer starts Wednesday, Nov. 22, at Folkmoot Gym in Waynesville. Games will be played weekly 6-8 p.m. through March 13. Cost to play is $3, or $20 for a pass covering the entire season.

• The Nantahala Hiking Club will recognize outstanding volunteers during its annual awards banquet 5-8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 2, at First Presbyterian Church in Franklin. It’s restricted to NHC members, with annual membership available for $20 at bit.ly/47nf6q0. RSVP by Saturday, Nov. 25 to president@nantahalahikingclub.org.

• Santa will be at the Nantahala Outdoor Center in Swain County from 9-11 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 2, at Rivers End Restaurant. There will be a breakfast buffet, reservations required. Learn more or register for breakfast at noc.com/events.

• Old Saint Nick will visit Chimney Rock State Park in Rutherford County Saturdays, Dec. 2 and 9, for the 26th year running to practice his chimney-climbing game on the iconic rock as Christmas festivities abound. The event is free with park admission.

• There will be a glassblowing class “Flower or Rose” held starting at 10 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 2, at the Jackson County Green Energy Park. With the assistance of a glass artist, participants will gather molten glass, add colors and shape. The process takes about 30 minutes. No experience necessary. Pre-registration is required. Contact GEP at 828.631.0271.

• The Pollinators Foundations will host an expressive

• Wired Wednesday, one-on-one technology help is available at 3-5 p.m. every Wednesday at the Canton Branch of the Haywood County Library. For more information or to register, 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

• Celebrate the Pigeon River Watershed during Haywood Waterways Association’s annual membership meeting and holiday dinner 6-8:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 6, at the Lambuth Inn at Lake Junaluska. Dinner is $30 per person, with payment accepted at the door or online at haywoodwaterways.org. RSVPs required by Tuesday, Nov. 28, to 828.476.4667, ext. 1, or christine@haywoodwaterways.org. To donate an auction item, contact mackenzie@haywoodwaterways.org.

• The Merry Market with Santa will take place 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays, Dec. 9 and 16, giving guests a chance to shop for treasures made by local artisans. Santa will make an appearance at both events. Learn more or register for breakfast at noc.com/events.

Market PLACE WNC

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

Legals

NOTICE OF ADMINISTRATION

Case No.2023 E 000679 Robert Reed Moody,

James Carroll Moody of Haywood County, Feb 08 2024 notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. immediate payment. Executor Moody 95 Depot Street Waynesville, NC 28786

NOTICE OF ADMINISTRATION

Case No.2023 E. 000672 KIMBERLY BOWEN,

ADMINISTRATOR of the PERRY LEE BUCHANAN of Haywood County, North Carolina, before Feb 01 2024, or in bar of their recovery.

immediate payment.

ADMINISTRATOR 971 LAUREL RIDGE DR WAYNESVILLE, NC 28786

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