Smoky Mountain News | December 18, 2019

Page 4 Escaped inmate prompts Macon to install sally port Page 10

On the Cover:

Millions of Americans struggle with PTSD while simultaneously struggling with addiction. Finding themselves on edge, scared and sad, they can resort to abusing substances in order to regain control of their lives, but major cuts to mental health funding and the stigmas surrounding mental health continue to make getting the help sufferers need more difficult. (Page 6) More than 5 million Americans resort to addiction due to past trauma. Taylor Sexton photo illustration

News

Realtor association merger to benefit affordable housing ......................................3 Town to form homelessness task force ........................................................................4

Waynesville board becomes more diverse ..................................................................5

Escaped inmate prompts Macon to install sally port ............................................10 WNC Entegra branches to close during merger ....................................................11 Tribal employees to see 7 percent raise ....................................................................12 Pool planning moves forward in Jackson

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Realtor association merger will help with affordable housing

The Haywood Realtor Association’s North Main Street building in Waynesville is now for sale.

BY C ORY VAILLANCOURT STAFF W RITER

Local Realtors are about to experience a change most of them will barely notice, but the merger of the Haywood County and Charlotte-based trade associations that govern them could have a noticeable effect on the regional affordable housing crisis.

“I’ve always been impressed with the Haywood County Realtors leadership,” said Anne Marie DeCatsye, CEO of Charlottebased Canopy Realtor Association and Canopy MLS. “They’ve always been forwardthinking and very progressive, and the fact that they reached out to us and want to forge a partnership going into the future is very exciting. I think it makes sense from an economies of scale perspective and we just really look forward to our new partnership with them, being part of us.”

The National Association of Realtors is the nation’s largest trade group and represents more than a million members. North Carolina’s branch is called NC Realtors and is further divided into a number of regional and county-level units.

The Haywood Realtor Association has just over 300 members, including several nonRealtors, like lenders, attorneys and other real estate-related professionals.

The HRA used to have its own for-profit multiple listing service — the MLS, as it’s known, is the master online platform where subscribing Realtors can upload photos and property data so its member firms and the public can shop and compare.

A few years ago, HRA merged its MLS with Asheville, Hendersonville, Buncombe, Henderson and Transylvania counties to

form the North Carolina Mountains MLS.

“Our association executive who was running that organization was retiring, so the board at the time went to Charlotte and said, ‘Hey, let us just subscribe. We’re not joining you. We just want to subscribe to your MLS service,’” said Tom Mallette, president of the Haywood Realtor Association and a Realtor with Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Heritage in Maggie Valley. “That’s what we did for a couple of years, and then the logical progression is that it’s working out really well, so why don’t we just do a full-fledged merger?”

Haywood was still billing its individual member firms and agents, and then paying the Charlotte Regional Realtors Association for MLS use, which seemed a bit more complicated and duplicative than it needed to be.

Last month, the governing boards of the HRA and the CRRA approved the merger of the two, effective Jan. 1, 2020.

As the Charlotte group expands into more than a dozen regional counties from the mountains down into upstate South Carolina, it found itself in need of a new nonspecific name, and chose “Canopy.”

“We actually have a larger voice now within the state,” said Mallette. “We’re a very small county, so when I go to a state board meeting, maybe I’m the only voice for Haywood County. Now that we’re joining Canopy we have 20 times that, basically.”

Other than increased educational opportunities and greater influence, the average Realtor on the street won’t notice much difference in the new association — except for a slight reduction in dues and a new billing address in Charlotte — but Mallette hopes the consolidation produces a cost savings

institutional organizations like builders and developers, but he won’t rule out the possibility of aiding individual buyers.

“I don’t know, it’s wide open,” he said. “It’s really what the committee comes up with, which you know, the committee hasn’t even formed yet. Once they form and they start to brainstorm on how to best use the money, the focus will be on affordable housing.”

The committee’s members will come from a diverse field of professional disciplines.

“It’s not going to be all Realtors,” said Mallette. “They’re going to go out into the community and get folks from nonprofits, government, people that have a background in investing in those types of things that can really give some different angles than just the real estate angle.”

Mallette and that small committee needn’t look far to see how other organizations perform in such a role.

Canopy and its predecessor organizations have been around for decades, as has its own charitable foundation. DeCatsye said her group has strong ties to the nonprofit community in and around the Charlotte metropolitan area and hosts several different fundraising and community service events each year, resulting in millions of dollars in donations.

that will free up existing HRA resources to benefit the community.

“Affordability is a huge issue in Haywood County as it is in all the western counties,” he said. “If we can come up with programs that can maybe incentivize builders, developers and landowners to allow some affordable building, that’s going to benefit folks that need that.”

The HRA’s building on North Main Street is now for sale, listed at $325,000. Once it’s sold, the proceeds from that sale will end up in a foundation managed by Canopy, as will HRA’s other existing assets. Mallette declined to provide HRA’s cash balance, but did say it’s substantial.

Although Canopy will handle the funds, they’re earmarked only for Haywood County and the western region of North Carolina and are intended to alleviate the ongoing affordable housing crisis.

“We have a large amount of assets that have been saved through the years, and we could have dipped into that to cover increased costs due to lack of MLS dues,” Mallette said. “But some of the membership was like, ‘Hey, why can’t we take that and use it for good within the community?’”

A small board or committee will be formed, according to Mallette, and will decide where, exactly, to focus those funds.

“It’ll be up to that committee to say, ‘All right, we’re going to loan this organization this much money, or we’re going to donate,’ or whatever that may be,” he said. “And then that money will go to those organizations and the committee will kind of manage that.”

Mallette mentioned that the money could be disbursed as loans, grants or donations to

“I’m really proud about Charlotte because we care about everything from homelessness to home ownership,” she said. “We have a 5K race that raises funds. The last three years, everything raised has gone to a nonprofit. This year, the 5K race alone raised $25,000 and it went straight to an organization called The Relatives. They take care of homeless youth that don’t have a parent here in Mecklenburg County and they used it to buy a van.”

There’s also a major event called Realtors Care Day where donated time and materials help homeowners maintain their property year in, year out.

“Between cash and in kind, I would say we’d probably give back a quarter of a million dollars,” said DeCatsye. “It’s kind of hard to quantify the in-kind contributions that are made on Realtor’s Care Day but I think we have estimated that over the 11 years that we’ve been doing Realtors Care Day, we’ve had over a million dollar impact in the community.”

In addition to helping the homeless and sprucing up existing structures, DeCatsye said that there’s also a community grants program and a habitat grant program. If real estate markets continue on in 2020 as they have this year, local and regional Realtors shouldn’t have much trouble raising money to support those programs.

“It’s been a fantastic year,” Mallette said Dec. 13. “We’ve already surpassed last year’s numbers with about three weeks to go. We continue to be in a sellers market. Inventory continues to be tight, although we did have some nice growth this year on the inventory side — not as much as we would like to see — so pricing is back up. I’m not sure we’re quite back to 2006 numbers, and that’s not a bad thing because some bad things happened when we ramped up that high, but we have a very, very healthy real estate market in Haywood County right now.”

Town to form homelessness task force

Calling it a campaign promise kept, newly-minted Waynesville Mayor Gary Caldwell announced during the first few moments of his term the creation of a homelessness task force.

“I’m not rushing this into order, but I’m asking for your support to get the wheels in motion and get this going,” Caldwell told the Waynesville Board of Aldermen just after being sworn in on Dec. 10.

Caldwell’s already asked more than a half a dozen of the usual suspects to serve on the task force, including Alderman Anthony Sutton, former Waynesville police chief and current N.C. Police Chiefs Association Executive Director Bill Hollingsed, Mountain Projects Executive Director Patsy Davis, Haywood Pathways Center Executive Director Mandy Haithcox, Waynesville Police Lt. Tyler Trantham and Frog Level property owner Jim Pierce as well as representatives from Haywood County Sheriff Greg Christopher’s office, the Haywood County Board of Commissioners and Long’s Chapel since the church operates Open Door Ministries.

Waynesville’s newly-constituted Board of Alderman consisting of (from left) Chuck Dickson, Julia Boyd Freeman, Gary Caldwell, Jon Feichter and Anthony Sutton prepares to consider the homelessness task force. Cory Vaillancourt photo

Be heard

Applications are currently being accepted from persons wishing to serve on the Town of Waynesville’s homelessness task force. Visit www.waynesvillenc.gov/currentvacancies or email eward@waynesvillenc.gov to apply before Jan. 2. According to the town’s website, the number of positions available still hasn’t been determined, and the question of where one must reside — inside town limits, or not — hasn’t yet been settled either.

But that doesn’t mean everyone’s happy with the size or the staffing of the task force.

“The issue of homelessness in Waynesville is a serious problem and deserves our full attention. Indeed, coming out of the November election, my two main focus areas are the homeless problem and affordable housing,” said Alderman Jon Feichter during the meeting.

Feichter had just been sworn in for his second term on the board and like other candidates participated in a forum in Frog Level just prior to the election that, if anything, demonstrated the level of public interest in the homelessness issue.

“That these two issues have risen to the top is not a coincidence because they are inextricably linked,” he said. “That being said, the way this process is unfolding so far feels a bit rushed to me.”

Feichter then took Caldwell to task on the composition of the task force.

“We know drug abuse and addiction are prime drivers of homelessness, yet there are no experts on these subjects included on the

panel. There are no private citizens represented. There are no business owners from Hazelwood represented. There are no first responders represented,” he said. “There are no officials from any of the other Haywood County municipalities represented.”

During the campaign, candidates talked about what such a task force would look like, with much disagreement over whether it would include officials from outlying municipalities Canton, Clyde and Maggie Valley.

“While I understand we don’t want the task force to become so large as to become unwieldy, I also worry that there may be subject matter experts living here that could provide insight and assistance we might miss,”

Feichter continued, urging postponement of the task force’s formation. “I suggest that we allow interested parties to apply to serve on the committee much like we did with the cemetery committee … the most important thing is that we get it right, as opposed to get it right now.”

Caldwell cautioned against allowing the group to become too big, and thus too unpro-

“While I understand we

don’t want the task force to become so large as to become unwieldy, I also worry that there may be subject matter experts living here that could provide insight and assistance we might miss.”

— Jon Feichter, Waynesville alderman

ductive, but did add that there was probably enough “wiggle room” to add another two to four people.

Alderman and Mayor Pro Tem Julia Boyd Freeman also had issues with Caldwell’s initial proposal.

“I agree that the urgency is there, but I also think that Jon has a very valid point. Just as [with] the cemetery committee, we need individuals to come to us and offer the opportunity where they’ve filled out and asked to be on that committee. You’ve got a great list and you’ve got the players, but there are outlying players as Jon has mentioned that might be very viable and have great insights for that committee,” Freeman said. “So as long as we’re not actually naming names and appointing people at this point, if we’re just going through … to develop the committee, I support the development of the committee but not naming specific individuals. They can fill out an application like the cemetery individuals did. I think that would be the process to move forward.”

Chuck Dickson, sitting in on his first meeting as an elected alderman, asked for some clarification on what the qualifications might be for potential task force members.

“I think we need to provide the structure, too. I think there needs to be a bit more board input, perhaps. I’m hearing different things about whether this is a county task force, or a town task force. In my opinion, we’re the Town of Waynesville, I think we need to be concentrating on Waynesville,” said Dickson. “I don’t think there’s a problem with having a county representative, but the problems that have come to light are in Waynesville. I’m not hearing anything else in the rest of the county. The homelessness problem in the rest of the county is more hidden. I’m sure there are

Waynesville board becomes more diverse

BY C ORY VAILLANCOURT

STAFF W RITER

The town of Waynesville swore in Haywood County’s first openly gay elected official — Biltmore Farms Director of Information Systems Anthony Sutton — last week, but the real story may be the retirement of a once-controversial and divisive issue in American politics.

“I think it’s a moot point,” said Sutton, of his sexuality. “Voters looked at my qualifications, what have I accomplished and what I can accomplish.”

Sutton’s been married to small business owner and Navy veteran Joey Del Bosque since 2014, but they’ve been together for 11 years.

“He’s been very supportive of my public endeavors but as with many political spouses, he doesn’t want to know the day-to-day nitty-gritty of what I do,” Sutton said. “He doesn’t want to be in the limelight.”

Area residents didn’t seem to put the issue in the limelight, either. Sutton said that no media outlets asked him about it during the campaign, and maybe two or

homeless people in Maggie, Clyde and Canton, but we are the ones that have the problem. It’s my opinion that the task force really ought to focus on Waynesville and perhaps if we are successful, we could be a model program.”

Dickson mentioned that there was a $25,000 grant available from the Dogwood Health Trust with a deadline of Jan. 15 that could help fund the group.

Despite the disagreement about the constitution of the group, Anthony Sutton — also in his first meeting as a newly-elected alderman — made a pair of motions to get

three voters asked if he was married.

“No one asked me about my sexuality because I’ve always been open about it,” he said. “I had a few people ask me if I was married, and told them I’m married to my husband Joey.”

Sutton’s marital status didn’t seem to impact him at the polls, either; he eked out a victory for the last of four available seats on Waynesville’s Board of Aldermen with exactly 1,000 votes.

“I’m the first person in Biltmore Farms’ 120-year history to be an elected official, and that seems to be a bigger deal than being openly gay,” he said.

The same night Sutton was sworn in, Alderman Julia Boyd Freeman was also sworn in for her third term, and nominated by Mayor Gary Caldwell to serve as his mayor pro tem.

In essence, the mayor pro tem serves as a regular alderman unless the mayor can’t be present, for whatever reason.

Although there was some speculation by newly elected Mayor Gary Caldwell that Freeman might be Waynesville’s first female mayor pro tem, she’s not — she’s just the first in a long while.

On Nov. 23, 1999, Alderman Libba Feichter — mother of current Alderman Jon Feichter — was sworn in for the first of her three terms, and was nominated to serve under Mayor Henry Foy as the town’s first female mayor pro tem. Feichter was nominated for the position by then-alderman Gary Caldwell.

things moving.

The first motion, seconded by Freeman, was to approve the development of the homeless task force. The second was to authorize town staff to apply for the grant even though the task force hadn’t been fully established, but was underway. Both motions passed unanimously.

Caldwell said he’d hoped the task force could begin meeting sometime in January.

Applications for those wishing to serve on the task force are due by Jan. 2, 2020. The Waynesville Board of Aldermen will next meet on Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2020.

Studies show correlation between PTSD and substance abuse

“Imagine running as fast as you can, as hard as you can up a hill, and suddenly you get a chance to stop and breathe. That’s the feeling that a trauma-based person gets when they use. Then, when the drug wears off, they’re back to the high anxiety, the fear, the hate.”

the drug wears off, they’re back to the high anxiety, the fear, the hate.”

BY TAYLOR S EXTON

S PECIAL TO SMN

Emma Jordan lives in Hatteras, North Carolina, where she spends her days working hard, soaking in the sun’s rays, and struggling with PTSD and substance abuse.

“My whole deal was to bottle it up, leave it somewhere buried deep down inside,” Jordan said. “Somewhere you can’t think about it.” Jordan has suffered from environmental trauma, including what she describes as the absence and neglect of her biological father and the sudden passing of her father figure. Struggling with an eating disorder since she was 12, she feels her entire life’s been spent feeling gaslighted about her emotions and traumas.

“Everybody within the picture has tried to tell me that it’s not as bad as I think it is, and then everybody from the outside of the picture has been like ‘Holy shit, that’s a horrible painting,” Jordan said.

Three months after she turned 17, Jordan alleges, she was molested by her cousin’s 29year-old roommate. She said her brother and cousin were also in the house, unaware.

“This was the first year I actually told my brother about it, and he was horrified,” said

Jordan. “For the past four years, I’ve had a really hard time just being around my brother and being around my cousin and being around everybody that was at the house, because those are the people that are supposed to protect you. But when they’ve made you feel uncomfortable addressing those types of situations in the first place, you freeze up.”

Jordan said that same night, she had gone to see her favorite band, and although she said it was the best concert of her life, she hasn’t been able to listen to them since.

Not long after the assault, Jordan found herself in a three-month-long relationship with someone who she says spent a monthand-a-half of it raping her.

“Because of him, I can’t go to the bathroom in public settings,” she said. “I can’t go to parties. I can’t comfortably fall asleep in someone’s house if there’s unknown people, like if there’s people I don’t know.”

Due to these traumas, Jordan said she’s found herself struggling to allow people to be anywhere near her physically.

According to the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network, there are an average of 321,500 rapes and sexual assaults commited in the U.S. each year. To put it in perspective,

every 92 seconds, an American is sexually assaulted.

One out of every six women have been a victim of an attempted or completed rape in her lifetime, and one out of every 33 men is a victim of an attempted or completed rape in his lifetime.

As of 2016, the rate of sexual assaults in the U.S. has fallen 63 percent since 1993, going from approximately 625,000 sexual assaults per year to 321,500, according to RAINN.

There are approximately 8 million Americans living with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, according to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America. Of those 8 million, 50 to 66 percent of those who struggle with PTSD are simultaneously struggling with addiction.

“Imagine running as fast as you can, as hard as you can up a hill, and suddenly you get a chance to stop and breathe,” said Bob Cummings, who works with those who struggle with addiction and trauma as the recruitment, training and prevention manager at Red Oak Recovery, a rehab center in Asheville. “That’s the feeling that a traumabased person gets when they use. Then, when

Trauma has been around as long as mankind has, but it was not until the last 40 years that trauma began to be understood, said psychiatrist Derek Rutter, program director at Red Oak.

“I think the big shift is that as you start to unpack what we know trauma is now, it’s best conceptualized as an injury to the nervous system,” Rutter said. “This is really significant because it’s often in the past been thought of like a mental or a psychiatric issue or conceptualized as a shortcoming in someone’s character or their personality.”

Rutter explained trauma as a physiological issue, rather than a psychological issue. The understanding of trauma being a physiological issue has led to the contemporary understanding of what trauma is and the stigmas originally surrounding it.

When someone breaks a bone or endures any other type of physical injury, they receive sympathy and understanding. When someone suffers from trauma, they are often met with judgment or questioned about their moral integrity. In reality, when someone suffers from trauma, they are also suffering from physiological effects and should be met with the same compassion, according to Rutter.

“Our response to threat, whatever that might be, is something that happens on an autonomic level,” he said. “Which is to say that below the level of our conscious awareness before we are making decisions or choosing, we’re actually using something called neuroception and neuroception is the way in which we are scanning the environment on a deeply instinctual level and understanding whether it’s safe or dangerous.”

Taylor Sexton at five years old, found happiness in dogs despite the trauma she was going through at the time. Now at 21 years old (right), Sexton still manages to find happiness in the little things, such as being with dogs. Donated photos

Running through life with PTSD

BY TAYLOR S EXTON CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Iwas 5 years old when I watched my father’s fist fly into the wall next to my mother’s head. I remember how the little bear figurines on the wall crashed to the floor with the shelf that held them. I remember picking up the broken pieces from the white carpet with my mother and staring into her pained, tear-stained face.

It’s one of the earliest memories I have, but I only just recently remembered it. It was locked away deep within my subconscious, so imagine my surprise when the scene popped back up 13 years later in the form of nightmares, haunting me night after night.

I’d struggled with anxiety and depression since I was 10, but the nightmares, memories and constant fear I felt were entirely new to me. It took the psychiatrist less than an hour to diagnose me with post-traumatic stress disorder.

My heart plummeted to my stomach when she said the words. My hands froze, no longer picking at the beige couch sitting across from her large wooden desk. Everything began to fall into place; why nobody could touch me, why I couldn’t have a normal relationship, why I found myself constantly searching for an exit, why I wanted to vomit whenever men got just a tad too close to me, even if it wasn’t on purpose. Why I had gotten no more than three hours of sleep a night for the last year. Those words were an answer and a curse wrapped up in a pretty orange prescription bottle and white pill.

I felt as if the lavender essential oils in the small, tan office were going to choke me. I couldn’t help but wonder how I had managed to find myself in this situation.

My parents separated shortly after the incident, and things only got worse. Changing locks to their once shared home didn’t keep my father from trifling around the property. My mother decided the best thing to do for herself and me was to pack us up and move six hours away from his cold grip.

The courts ruled I had to see him every other weekend. I had always been a calm, quiet child. But when it was time to go see him, I would scream and cry for hours. My mom later told me how she cried the whole way home after leaving me with him. When I came back to her, she said, it took me days to go back to the happy-go-lucky, carefree child I truly was. The child I should have always been.

I don’t remember the tantrums, but I do remember the dark apartment I would be trapped in for two days, twice a month. I had no friends in our neighborhood, because he wouldn’t let me leave the house. I was under his control, and if I did one thing out of line, I was met with an onslaught of cold, calculated verbal abuse. He only stopped when I was shaking and sobbing to the point I couldn’t breathe. I was a 6-yearold having panic attacks.

Sometimes I would think those moments were a dream, because he would be so nice

I never know what will set me off. Sometimes it’s someone’s tone of voice, the way they speak to me, or their appearance, reminding me of my father or ex-stepfamily. Even a simple, accidental bump from a student rushing to class can cause my brain to scatter.

to me for the rest of the day. I was convinced I had imagined it, but the exhaustion that clung to my tiny, still-growing bones, was my reminder. That and the beer bottles littering the counters.

The bi-monthly visits stopped when I was 15, and he caged me against the wall like he had done to my mother 10 years before, slamming his fist next to my face. My mom came that same day to pick me up for the last time.

When I was 8, my mother remarried. I thought he was a nice man, and he had two daughters, which meant I would finally have older sisters, something I had always wanted. I thought this was the turning point, that I wouldn’t be so alone anymore.

Boy, was I wrong.

My stepsisters did their best to reduce me to nothing, telling me that my Southern accent made me no better than trailer park trash, that I was nothing more than another mouth to feed and would never amount to anything. They got rough with me, shoving or tripping me as I walked down the stairs or holding my head underwater when we played in the pool. My stepdad just turned a blind eye.

Thankfully, my mother divorced that horrible man, but the damage was done. It wasn’t until junior year of high school, when I found myself clutching an orange prescription bottle in one hand and an entire handful of Zoloft in the other with tears in my eyes, that I realized I needed help.

I went to therapy, got on a better medication and was accepted to my first-choice college. Life seemed to be turning around.

Until freshman year of college. I met a young man who looked at me like I put the stars in the sky, or so I thought. In reality, he saw me as an object. No matter how hard I tried to steer the conversation in a different direction, or distract him with a movie, I found myself where I didn’t want to be. I eventually broke up with him, but even now, three years later, I still want to crawl out of my body when I see him, or think I see him. After the breakup, I smoked a lot of weed and drank a lot of cheap vodka nearly every night. I just wanted some sleep and peace. So what if I found it at the bottom of a bottle

Rutter described autonomic responses as our fight-or-flight response. When our autonomic response activates, that’s when we feel we are in a dangerous situation, and the only way we can feel safe again is by allowing ourselves to go through an entire mobilization cycle.

“What happens with trauma is that that cycle essentially gets interrupted somewhere in the process, and what that means is that on the level of our nervous system, it’s like our being does not know that that threat has now ended, so our nervous system and our whole autonomic response then kind of persistently stays in that place of activation or collapse depending on where in the process it got interrupted,” he said. “Then this manifests the many symptoms of PTSD.”

When it comes to PTSD, there are two categories in regard to trauma, said Rutter. The first, called “big T” trauma, happens when there is one, singular event that was traumatic, such as a life-threatening incident or personal assault.

The second, called “small t” trauma, happens when there is a cumulative experience of events, such as living in an abusive household or being exposed to regular dangers or hardships over a period of time.

According to the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network, there are an average of 321,500 rapes and sexual assaults commited in the U.S. each year. To put it in perspective, every 92 seconds, an American is sexually assaulted.

“What you’re looking for is something that will help you feel OK. And when you encounter substances which are very powerful, potent molecules, chemicals that will elicit really strong dopaminergic responses, which is this process of releasing dopamine and endorphins into our system, that’s common to all substances of abuse,” he said. When suffering from trauma, the part of the brain that registers whether things are good or bad is constantly telling sufferers they are feeling bad. When finding something that can counteract this constant feeling of bad, such as drugs or alcohol, those who suffer from these negative feelings will find themselves abusing substances to normalize, said Rutter.

“You can imagine then, if your regular experience following trauma or living with trauma is feeling anxious, feeling not well, feeling not right, feeling like you’re broken or somehow your life has lost its quality of goodness or stability or being OK and then you encounter something that pretty reliably and predictably counteracts that, it’s not even a

question,” he said. “On a physiological level that quickly becomes something that’s registering as survival, like, ‘I need this in order to feel OK.’”

Cummings described PTSD as the mind and body’s way of coming up with coping and protective mechanisms to deal with trauma.

Bringing drugs into the mix of trauma becomes a potent and dangerous combination. Sufferers of trauma already find themselves not feeling OK, and now that they’ve found a potential antidote to their pain, they’re really not OK, according to Rutter.

“There is just this deep physiological impetus to want to keep pursuing that so that a person can feel OK,” said Rutter. “And then as you know, as someone continues to reach for that ‘solution’ to feeling OK, the natural processes of addiction also began to take hold. And so it becomes this kind of double whammy.”

In an attempt to cope with her traumas, Jordan found herself attempting to constantly stay busy through work when she wasn’t in school.

“I would work from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m., have a 30-minute to about four-hour break then go back to work, mostly to avoid downtime. If I have time to stop and think about everything, everything catches up,” she said. “For the past few years, it’s been go, go, go, go, go.”

Jordan said it became harder and harder for her to relax when she did have downtime, affecting her overall work. At 15, she said, her brother introduced her to marijuana to help her take an actual break instead of remembering.

“While I was in high school and had to worry about getting drug-tested, it was still on the minor side of things because I was playing sports and whatnot,” Jordan said. “And then as things got worse but life got less busy, I started smoking more to be able to deal with that more.”

As a freshman in college, Jordan said, she began abusing alcohol. It was her first time being on her own, seven-and-a-half hours away from home and coping with her recent traumas.

Jordan said she was not a social drinker and quickly found herself drinking the way an alcoholic would. The people who surrounded her that first year only worsened the situation.

“They weren’t people that actually cared. They were people that were like ‘Oh, she’s good at making drinks, let’s keep her around,’” Jordan said. “It wasn’t a good environment, and I knew it wasn’t a good environment. Which is why I was able to step out of it once I got home and worked 70 hours a week that summer. But, I mean to trade it off, drinking for working 70 hours a week, that’s not much better.”

Although Jordan managed to quit drinking, she said she still smokes marijuana in order to help her cope.

“Everyone has at least one vice, and if smoking is the worst thing I do as a whole, well then that’s fine,” she said. “Everybody needs some type of escape or fantasy.”

On top of self-medicating through marijuana, Jordan has been prescribed sleeping medication to help her actually go to sleep

“Because of him, I can’t go to the bathroom in public settings. I can’t go to parties. I can’t comfortably fall asleep in someone’s house if there’s unknown people, like if there’s people I don’t know.”

— Emma Jordan

and stay asleep, something she’s struggled with due to her traumatic memories.

“Sometimes they’re vivid dreams, sometimes they’re just black, so it just kind of depends on the situation. Like, for a lot of the time when I was in high school and stuff I was incredibly lethargic and all I wanted to do was sleep. But that’s another ‘avoiding it’ mechanism,” Jordan said. “Like, if I’m having a high-anxiety day, the dreams will be more vivid and it kind of ramps some stuff up, but some days, most of the time it’s just kind of black.”

Jordan said the reason she avoided confronting her trauma for so long was that she didn’t want to acknowledge that she was a trauma case.

“I’ve never really been an ‘ask for help’ type of person,’ she said. “I never wanted somebody to sit down and know all of the dark and nitty-gritty.”

Jordan said it wasn’t until last year, when she was surrounded by strong people her senior year of college, that she began to acknowledge her trauma, using the knowledge she gained from her friends to sort through the memories.

“It takes so much energy to not think about everything,” Jordan said, “that if you think about it once, write it down maybe, but have it somewhere stored where if you feel the need to feel it again you can go back and look at it but not have to spend your life actively ignoring it to hide from it.”

Vaya Health, a public managed care organization that provides state funding for mental health services to 22 counties in Western North Carolina, has suffered from more than $50 million in budget

cuts since 2017 and is predicted to continue its steady decline.

“I have consistently observed cuts, decreases, to mental health funding. I don’t remember ever hearing about increases,” said Jackson County Commission Chairman Brian McMahan.

Vaya Health provides mental health, substance use and intellectual and developmental disabilities funding to a number of local providers through the management of state, federal, local, Medicare and Medicaid funding.

Since the 2017-18 budget year, Vaya Health has lost $50,338,840, which comes out to be an approximate 11.4 percent decrease to its funding as of the 2019-2020 budget year.

“Every year there’s been cuts, and the cuts have been absorbed somewhat through fund balances, the savings in layman’s terms, but the cuts are now to a point where they’re jeopardizing services,” McMahan said.

Don Buckner, CEO and medical director for Meridian Behavioral Health Services, a comprehensive behavioral health agency that provides behavioral health services to children, families and adults in nine WNC counties and is also funded by Vaya Health, said he has only seen decreases in funding since he started working there in 1999.

“The legislature has voted to decrease funding to Vaya for the past several years. In speaking with a state senator yesterday, there is the sense that LME-MCOs like Vaya have a lot of money in the bank that they could choose to use to offset these reductions. Vaya says that they are required to have financial reserves by the state and therefore cannot use those monies,” Buckner wrote in an email.

Vaya Health took a 5.7 percent decrease in budget from the 2017-18 to 2018-19 budget year and will expect to take another 6 percent decrease from the 2018-19 to 2019-20 budget year.

“These recent decreases will affect people who do not have insurance, folks we call state-funded, as Vaya receives money to provide behavioral health and substance use services to them and this is what is being reduced,” Buckner said. “Meridian will likely have to provide a less intense service to those affected, but we will not deny them care.”

The budget cuts, Buckner said, led to lower salaries for behavioral health providers and difficulty hiring and retaining employees. This creates an issue, because these are the people who are serving those who are covered by Medicaid or without health insurance.

“We have been forced to look for other funding sources such as foundations and pri-

support system and continue having access to the services they may need, no matter if they continue staying with Haywood Pathways Center or not, Haithcox said.

Meridian provides transportation from Haywood Pathways to Meridian, and so long as clients attend at least one class or appointment during the day, Meridian will bring them back to Haywood Pathways later in the afternoon. This proves to be extremely helpful in aiding those in need get the proper services, she said.

“We have a Vaya kiosk in our dining hall that people can use. So if someone comes in and they want to access services, especially for those who come in for dinner who aren’t residents and don’t have a case manager, they can go over there and they can hit the touch screen, take a very simple assessment and you can call and make an appointment from the kiosk right at that time if you want to,” Haithcox said.

Vaya Health helps fund many of the mental health services facilities such as Haywood Pathways use, so a cut to Vaya’s budget would be unfortunate, Haithcox said.

“There’s probably other priorities of the folks who are in control of the money and even when we talk about addiction and things, the trauma that people have experienced that has induced the addiction is not really discussed,” Haithcox said. “Preventive care is not always valued as much as responding to a crisis, so if a crisis happens, you’ve gotta respond to it. But we could also do a whole lot of work on the preventive side to mitigate the crisis, but that’s not really where the funds are. Ever.”

Haithcox said there are more people who don’t have insurance and need the services state funding provides.

Jackson County helps residents who struggle with mental health on the basic health side, said McMahan. The Department of Public Health helps diagnose residents who seek help, offers limited services the county does have and then refers them to other agencies, such as Vaya Health and Meridian.

I

know I’ll never be normal, but I do know I can

be happy. I feel happiness and peace when I’m surrounded by my friends who truly care about me and want the best for me.

R UNNING, CONTINUED FROM 7

or rolled up in pretty pink paper stuffed with green? It was fine.

Until it wasn’t. I never hated myself more than in those moments between intoxicated consciousness and sleep, so I went back to my therapist when I got home for the summer. I didn’t bring up what had happened to me freshman year, but it’s as if she could read my mind, because she looked at me with soft eyes — not pity, just understanding.

“What happened to you isn’t your fault,” she said. “You deserve to get better. You deserve happiness.”

She’s right. I did. I do.

vate donors in order to continue providing high-quality services to these most vulnerable individuals,” Buckner said.

Meridian provides psychiatric services, therapy services and several higher-intensity outpatient services to approximately 1,300 people a week.

Haywood Pathways Center is one of many places that depend on Meridian to help those they serve. Pathways provides emergency shelter and short-term housing for those in Haywood County, with Meridian assisting those who come to Pathways with mental health or substance abuse problems.

“We ask folks when they come in and do an intake what their reason for this instance of homelessness is, and we ended up with 65 percent or so identifies themselves as because of addiction, mental health dual-diagnosis, release from incarceration or unemployment,” said Executive Director Mandy Haithcox.

Haywood Pathways Center connects individuals with resources within the community. This way, individuals will continue having a

The county is currently working on instating a health care program in its jail, since many inmates struggle with mental health issues.

“A lot of those people who have mental health issues end up making bad decisions that caused them to be incarcerated,” McMahan said. “If they had had proper medication and proper treatment, they may not commit a crime, or might not be a problem for society if they had been treated.”

McMahan said the county relies heavily on the work Vaya Health and many of their other partners do for them, and it remains imperative they be funded.

“There is this attempt to try to separate mental health from regular health, and the brain is an organ in our body that’s no different than your heart or your stomach or any other organ,” McMahan said. “If you have a stomach ache, then you can go to the doctor and the doctor will see you through a health plan and provide you with coverage, but when we’ve talked about mental health, there’s this stigma and people don’t think that it’s a real illness.”

I’ve been living with PTSD for a large portion of my life, though I’ve only had the diagnosis for a year.

I don’t really know how to explain what it’s like living with PTSD.

Imagine running up a mountain with all your might, your body aching for rest and lungs gasping for air. You’re so tired, but you can’t stop because there’s a darkness chasing you, and all you know is that you cannot allow it to catch up. You know once you get to the top, the darkness can’t get you anymore because that’s where the sun is, and you can finally take a breath and rest. You’re so close to the top of the mountain, you can almost feel the sun on your skin, but all of a sudden the peak moves further away from you. You mourn, but have no choice but to keep going.

That’s what PTSD feels like.

I never know what will set me off. Sometimes it’s someone’s tone of voice, the way they speak to me, or their appearance, reminding me of my father or exstepfamily. Even a simple, accidental bump from a student rushing to class can

cause my brain to scatter, and I’m left sitting on the pink-tiled bathroom floor for an hour trying to pull it together.

I’m always on edge when I’m in public, and I don’t allow a lot of people into my life. Although I’m definitely functioning better than before I was diagnosed, I can’t get rid of the tenseness drilled into my shoulders, except for when I’m at home.

I know I’ll never be normal, but I do know I can be happy. I feel happiness and peace when I’m surrounded by my friends who truly care about me and want the best for me. I feel it when I’m writing an article I’m really passionate about, or when I’m laying out the school newspaper on Sunday with the people I care about. I feel it when my little cousin looks up at me with her hopeful, bright blue eyes and tells me she loves me. I feel it when my mom pulls me into her embrace and ruffles my hair, the smell of her perfume engulfing me and putting my racing heart at ease. I feel it when the smell of my grandmother’s cooking fills the room. I feel it in little moments too, like seeing a dog on the street or reading a book or drinking coffee in the morning or the smell after the rain.

I think the moments where I don’t feel afraid are the ones that keep me going. They are the ones I keep living for. I refuse to let the demons of my past to haunt me forever. If there’s one thing I know for certain, it’s that I am a stubborn woman, and once I put my mind to something, I will do anything to get to the end goal. I am resilient, and I will keep trying, no matter how many times I fail.

Taylor Sexton is a senior journalism student at the University of North Carolina Asheville. Editor-in-chief of UNCA’s student newspaper, The Blue Banner, Sexton completed these articles as part of a capstone enterprise reporting class.

Macon inmate captured after fleeing custody Commissioners to install sally port at courthouse

BY J ESSI STONE N EWS E DITOR

Macon County Sheriff Robbie Holland told commissioners last week that he tries his best not to ask for more money in the middle of the budget year, but after an inmate recently escaped from the courthouse, he said the lack of security at the facility must be addressed sooner rather than later.

On Nov. 19, Kaitlin Fitzgibbons, 28, appeared in court on felony larceny charges and was sentenced by Superior Court Judge Bill Coward to four months in jail. Holland said she was then taken into custody by a female deputy.

“Because we have to go down stairwells, we handcuffed her in the front. As they got to the back of the courthouse, she took off running and the deputy was unable to catch her,” he said. “We started a massive hunt for her that night.”

For two months, the sheriff’s office was planning “Operation Zero Tolerance.” It was

to get underway on Nov. 20 and involved multiple agencies, including the sheriff’s office, DPS Probation, N.C. State Bureau of Investigation and Department of Homeland Security. The operation targeted certain people who had been involved in the sales and/or distribution of narcotics and

“We made it a point to look for her during the operation and we got lots of information from people who were taken into custody and rolled on where she may be,” Holland said. “We were able to locate her the next day and take her into custody.”

Courthouse security has been an issue in

“Because we have to go down stairwells, we handcuffed her in the front. As they got to the back of the courthouse, she took off running and the deputy was unable to catch her. We started a massive hunt for her that night.

— Robbie Holland, Macon County Sheriff

detention center into one complex, a project estimated to cost $77.3 million.

With any kind of large infrastructure project years down the road, Holland said the county needed to put some additional safety measures in place immediately, including constructing a secured, controlled entryway — known as a sally port — at the courthouse.

“I hate coming in mid-stride to ask for money, but it’s become a public safety issue,” he said.

absconding fugitives and involved the search of residences, traffic stops and executing search and arrest warrants.

Because the people of interest targeted during the operation were the same folks Fitzgibbons has been known to associate with, Holland said, deputies sought information on her whereabouts while conducting interviews. The operation resulted in 19 arrests for narcotics-related offenses and/or outstanding warrants.

Macon for a number of years, and Judge Coward has been pushing for needed upgrades. The county has made small improvements in the last couple of years, but the building still presents challenges. Commissioners hired an architecture firm last year to complete a space needs analysis. Results were released last month and it was no surprise that the justice center made the top of the needs list. The recommendation was to consolidate the courthouse and the

Macon amends contract for jail medical services

Third party to handle involuntary commitment transports

BY J ESSI STONE

N EWS E DITOR

Macon County commissioners approved two amended contracts that will hopefully keep costs down at the detention center.

The first contract was for medical services for inmates at the jail. Macon County currently contracts with Dr. Jason Creel and his staff for services for about $60,000 a year. The amendment to the contract would add the services of a registered nurse to the contract for an additional $3,000 a month, bringing the contract up to about $96,000 a year.

“We’re continually trying to improve upon the medical services at the jail and trying to reduce the medical responsibilities on (the sheriff’s) staff — this amendment to the contract will take giant steps in accomplishing each of those things,” said County Manager Derek Roland. Roland said the county had previously looked at a number of outside companies that could come in to provide medical services in the jail, but none of the proposals from large-scale providers were under $260,000 a year.

“And even at that level, we’d never have the luxury of having a medical doctor on call and available 24/7 365 days a year. We’re blessed to have that here,” Roland told commissioners.

Commissioner Ronnie Beale also pointed out that having a doctor and/or nurse available at the jail reduces liability issues for the county when it comes to detention center staff having to administer medications. The additional cost of the contract will be paid for out of the sheriff’s 2019-20 budget.

The cost of covering medical expenses for inmates continues to rise as the local jail population and average stays continue to climb. The sheriff has been budgeting more than $400,000 a year

Sheriff Robbie Holland said that many other county detention centers do use those large-scale providers, but the problem is the provider usually isn’t a physician and the sheriff’s staff never really knows who will be coming when they call upon them for assistance.

“This saves us money — still paying under $100,000 annually — and we have a good relationship with the doctor and the nurse,” he said.

for medical expenses, but it’s a moving target depending on the jail population.

Another sheriff’s department cost that has been on the rise is transport services associated with people who are involuntarily committed. Involuntary commitment is a legal process in which a judge will mandate emergency medical care for someone dealing with behavioral health issues. When that ruling is made, a law

Holland got four proposals from different fencing companies. He received quotes for the job ranging from $37,000 up to $50,000 and recommended commissioners approve the lowest bid of $37,567 from Franklin Fence. The fencing, which will be black chain link, will be located at the back entrance of the courthouse so deputies can safely transport inmates in and out of the courtroom.

Commissioners unanimously approved the lowest bid (Commissioners Jim Tate and Karl Gillespie were absent) and expect construction to begin immediately. Holland said it might take a couple of weeks to be completed. Commissioner Beale said the onetime expense would be paid out of the county’s fund balance.

enforcement officer is required to get that person to a facility to be evaluated and if necessary, committed to a treatment facility. People often have to wait in the emergency room for an evaluation and then have to wait there for hours or days until a behavioral health bed opens up somewhere in the state.

With the limited mental health and addiction resources in Western North Carolina, behavioral health beds are few and far between. Law enforcement might have to drive hours to transport people to where they need to go. And then they have to return days later to pick the person back up and bring them back to Macon County. Every transport can take two deputies off the roads of Macon County for several hours at a time and costs the county a lot of money.

Back in September, Roland said counties were required to submit their involuntary commitment transport process to the state. Since that time, Macon has been evaluating its process and decided hiring a third-party transport company would be the best option for keeping deputies on patrol locally and making the costs more predictable.

The commissioners voted to contract with Mountain Area Transportation Services to transport involuntary commitments. Roland said he spent six months negotiating a contract that wouldn’t cost the county any more money than it’s currently paying for transportation costs. In 2014 alone, Macon County Sheriff’s Office spent 8,299 hours and $253,625 on 247 involuntary committals.

Roland said the contract can also be terminated with 30 days notice, but Mountain Area Transportation Services has already been vetted and utilized by the county’s Department of Social Services and is already approved to accept Medicaid reimbursement.

County Attorney Chester Jones said the towns of Franklin and Bryson City would need to sign off on the amended contract for transport services before the new agreement could be put into place. The Smoky Mountain News requested a copy of the contract but did not receive it before press time. The contract was not included in the backup documents provided to the media before the Dec. 10 meeting.

Macon County Commissioner Ronnie Beale (far left) presents a painting to Miles Gregory (center) in honor of his 25 years of service as the chairman of the Macon County Airport Authority. Screenshot

Airport authority chairman retires after 25 years

Macon County commissioners recently recognized Miles Gregory for his many years of service to the county, including his 25 years as the chairman of the Macon County Airport Authority.

Commissioner Ronnie Beale presented Gregory with a landscape painting during the board’s Dec. 10 meeting to show the board’s appreciation for his years of leadership. Gregory, who also served as a county commissioner in Macon until 1985, has been the chairman of the airport authority since its inception and has seen the airport through a number of important projects and expansions throughout the years.

“Without him, we wouldn’t have one of the nicest airports in this area,” Beale said. Gregory said it was an honor to serve with a board that worked well together and kept pushing through even when times were tough and funding was tight.

“We didn’t know what no meant, so we kept pushing and sometimes it wasn’t easy,” he said. “And we couldn’t have done it without the help from the county. We’ve been able to accomplish a heck of a lot. For the size of our county, we’ve got the best airport you’ll find in the Southeast.”

Macon County Airport has been undergoing many changes in the last few years, including coming under new management in 2018. Under the new subsidiary Macon Air LLC, Drake Enterprises assumed

responsibility for airport operations as of Oct. 1, 2018, after its former management entity — Franklin Aviation, led by Neil Hoppe and Peggy Milton — decided to retire. Hoppe and Milton had managed the airport for 20 years under a contract with the county.

The airport is also preparing for another runway expansion, a Department of Transportation project Beale said is on track for 2021. The project will expand the runway from 5,000 feet to 6,000 feet to increase safety measures for larger aircraft flying into Macon. DOT approved $4.5 million for the expansion project.

Airport authority member Jack Horton said the board has had brief discussions about the process of replacing the chairman — a process the board has never had to go through before.

“We decided we’ll take it up at the first of the year. We have some applications from when previous positions on the board were open, so we’re checking with those folks to see if anyone is still interested in serving and we’ll probably take some new applications as well,” Horton said.

According to the authority’s rules and regulations, Horton said the board will make two recommendations to the board of commissioners who will then make the final chairman appointment.

— Jessi Stone, News Editor

Two plead guilty to trafficking

Samantha Casey Green, 27, of Franklin, entered a guilty plea to one count of trafficking opiates as a result of a search of her person conducted by Macon County Probation & Parole Officers in August 2018 leading to the seizure of more than 4 grams of loosely packaged prescription pain medicines confirmed to be Oxycodone, a Schedule II Opiate under the North Carolina Controlled Substances Act. She will serve a minimum of 70 months in the Division of Adult Corrections and pay a $50,000 fine for her involvement in the trafficking of controlled substances in Macon County.

Christopher Allen Wikstrom, 47, of Franklin, entered a guilty plea to one count of trafficking methamphetamine stemming from a January 2019 traffic stop on the Georgia Road by Macon County Sheriff’s deputies. Upon stopping the vehicle being operated by Wikstrom, officers conducted a search recovering several baggies of what the North Carolina Crime Lab confirmed to be methamphetamine. He will serve a minimum of 70 months and up to 93 months in the Division of Adult Corrections and will be required to pay a fine of $50,000.

Tribal employees to see 7 percent raise

Cyber attack will not affect implementation schedule

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER

Christmas will be extra sweet this year for tribal employees following Tribal Council’s vote to enact a 7 percent cost-of-living raise retroactive to the start of the fiscal year Oct. 1. Employees will start receiving their new salary as well as retroactive pay at the next payday Dec. 20.

Council originally passed a 5 percent cost-of-living raise during Annual Council Oct. 31, but Principal Chief Richard Sneed vetoed that resolution based on a technicality — it didn’t include an effective date, making it difficult for the executive office to carry out. Instead of submitting a materially identical replacement resolution, Sneed evaluated the tribe’s finances and decided to recommend a larger increase.

“After further analysis by our finance department, it was determined because of the fact that we’ve saved $85 million because of the budgets that have been submitted over the last two years where we have continued a downward trend on spending, this is basically rewarding that and bringing that up to 7 percent,” he told Tribal Council Dec. 5.

The tribal workforce has done more with fewer employees in recent years, and the tribe now carries more than 100 vacant positions, Sneed wrote in a Nov. 14 Facebook post explaining the reasons for his veto. It makes sense to reward the employees who have made that possible, he said.

“We have made great strides in improving the efficiency of our workforce, delivering services on conservative budgets, and saving more than ever before. The finan-

cial position of the EBCI is strong and growing, and that is because of our workforce,” he said.

Tribal employees have not seen a cost-ofliving raise since fiscal year 2016, according to the resolution Sneed submitted with his veto of the original legislation. Since that time, federal wages have risen by 6.4 percent, making a 7 percent raise a fair adjustment for tribal workers.

The tribe will be able to fund the increase due to a revised gaming projection from the Tribal Casino Gaming Enterprise, which raised its projection 9.57 percent, from $316.1 million to $346.35 million, the resolution said. That additional revenue will go mainly toward salary increases and additional contributions to the tribal employee pension fund. Any remaining monies will go to the EBCI general fund.

The cost-of-living increase is a one-time event, as outlined in the resolution. However, Finance Secretary Cory Blankenship told Council, his office is examining the need for a more uniform salary structure.

“That salary structure, I think we’ve outgrown it somewhat, so we’re looking into a step process similar to the federal system,” he said.

That analysis will pertain only to regular tribal employees, not to elected officials or appointees. It will not pertain to board members either. In response to a question from Councilmember Tommeye Saunooke, of Painttown, Blankenship acknowledged that his office does “need to do some work on council and board salaries.”

“We do need to address the boards and the commissioners,” Saunooke agreed.

“Thank you.”

Prior to the final vote, Vice Chief Alan “B” Ensley stepped up to the mic to say that he’s glad Sneed caught the technical error with the earlier version and decided to increase the pay raise percentage.

The cost-of-living increase is a one-time event, as outlined in the resolution. However, Finance Secretary Cory Blankenship told Council, his office is examining the need for a more uniform salary structure.

“They are the backbone of this tribe,” he said of the employees.

The resolution passed unanimously. Employees will begin receiving their increased salaries, together with pay retroactive to Oct. 1, at the next payday Dec. 20.

Payout will not be affected by the aftermath of the Dec. 7 cyber attack on the tribal network, which allegedly occurred when a tribal employee loaded ransomware onto the tribal system. The attack resulted in a lockdown of tribal systems.

“I’m happy to report that prior to this unfortunate attack our treasury division worked with our IT department and software providers to back up our financial information outside of our tribal network,” said Sneed in a video update posted Dec. 12.

“This backup prevented any loss of data, and after establishing a temporary connection our treasury division expects to be able to continue providing their services as usual, including payroll, payments to high-priority vendors and Christmas checks.”

The tribe does not yet have an expected timeframe for complete restoration, though critical functions such as police, fire, EMS, finance and public health are back up and running, with additional departments placed on a priority list depending on need.

“The cyber attack has slowed the productivity of several programs, but tribal departments have worked to find creative ways to service customers in spite of the issues we are facing,” said Ashleigh Stephens, public relations officer for the tribe.

Pool planning moves forward in Jackson

Commissioners

endorse two-pool concept for Cullowhee

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER

The Jackson County commissioners got their first look last week at what a new aquatics facility in Cullowhee might entail.

Following months of research and meetings with stakeholder groups, Ashevillebased architecture firm Clark Nexsen put forward a concept for a 31,000-square-foot facility that would include two pools — a six-lane competition pool and a leisure pool with a splash pad — as well as locker rooms, a competition seating deck, party room spaces, offices and support spaces.

“We had a lot of conversations about one individual pool versus two pools,” Chad Roberson, principal and architect with Clark Nexsen, told commissioners during their Dec. 10 work session. “The challenge with creating a competition pool and a leisure pool is the temperatures are different in each one of those facilities. They tend not to do very well when you have just one.”

By separating the functions out into two separate pools, he said, those needs would be much better met.

Commissioner Gayle Woody expressed some surprise at the two-pool proposal.

“Does the fact that we’re looking at two pools double the cost?” she asked.

Roberson replied that there is “some increased cost associated with it.” However, there are no numbers attached to the proposal as of yet. On Dec. 10, Roberson presented commissioners with a pair of concept options, asking them to endorse one of the two so he could move on to the next step — bringing in an estimated budget for the approved concept. Next steps also include completing an operational study, concept images and a concept floor plan.

The two concepts were identical in terms of amenities included in the actual facility, differing mainly in where they would be situated in relation to the existing Cullowhee Recreation Center. That physical orientation would inform impacts to parking and existing outdoor amenities, as well as the location of the facility’s entrance.

One option would place the pool to the south of the existing facility; the other, to the north. On the advice of Recreation Director Rusty Ellis, commissioners endorsed the northern option.

The ability to create a dual point of entry for the two facilities — aquatics and the existing recreation building — was a key selling point for that option. Placing the aquatics building on the north side would make it easy to operate the facilities inde-

pendently, letting people into the pool area while the rest of the rec center is closed, or vice versa.

In addition, said Ellis, building the pool on the south side would cause the building to butt up right against the existing basketball court and take out a picnic shelter. The picnic shelter was constructed with grant money, so it would have to be relocated elsewhere, he said.

However, Chairman Brian McMahan pointed out, building the pool on the north side would make the construction phase more complicated.

“One of the negatives I would see to this is I think this has much more of an impact on your existing operation during construction,” he said.

The concept would place the aquatic center’s footprint partly on an area now occupied by the rec center’s 210-space parking lot, taking out about 75 of those spaces. The plan calls for construction of 60 new spaces along the east side of the existing rec building, with the option to build another new parking area to the south, containing about 105 spaces. The county could also recoup some of the displaced spaces by restriping the existing parking lot.

“The spaces are very, very large,” said Roberson.

However, said McMahan, if the northern option is built, it would be important to build any new parking before starting facility construction.

If built, the aquatics facility will be funded through a voter-approved bond and corresponding property tax increase. Commissioners have been discussing the question since 2017, fueled by repeated findings that an indoor pool is the county’s top recreation need. However, building one would cost millions, and maintaining it would be expensive too. A survey conducted as part of a 2013 update to the county’s recreation master plan showed overwhelming support for a pool, with 86.4 percent of 638 respondents saying that having a centrally located indoor pool was “important” or “extremely important.” But it was unclear whether they would be willing to pay higher taxes to have one.

Commissioners discussed putting a pool funding referendum question on the 2018 ballot but ultimately decided not to, saying that the question needed more study than that timeframe would have allotted. They revisited the issue this year with the intention of putting the question on the 2020 ballot. A nonscientific survey conducted this summer indicated the public’s willingness to increase their tax burden in order to have an indoor pool — of the 1,709 respondents, 93.7 percent said they supported building an indoor pool and 68.1 percent said they would support a property tax increase to get it done. In July, commissioners approved a

The chosen concept would place a new aquatics facility to the north of the existing Cullowhee Recreation Center. Clark Nexser rendering

$38,000 contract with Clark Nexsen for a pool master plan and estimated budget.

July 1, 2020, is the absolute deadline to have the referendum question complete and submitted to the Board of Elections, but in reality the question should be finalized before that. The county will need approval for the referendum from the Local Government Commission as well as plenty of time to present the issue to voters ahead of Election Day. County Manager Don Adams said in July that he aims to have a schematic as well as estimated costs for construction and operations in hand by April

2020. That would give commissioners the information they need to approve the final language of the referendum question and allow the county to get voter education efforts underway. Due to state law, the word “pool” cannot be in the actual referendum question. Instead, voters will be asked to support a bond of a certain dollar amount. The purpose of the bond would be to pay for the pool, but the question would not say that explicitly. Thus, the county will need time to help voters understand what they’re really being asked.

WCU trustees approve increases for fee, room and meal rates

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER

The cost of attendance at Western Carolina University will rise 3.27 percent next year following the WCU Board of Trustees’ vote to approve a schedule of increases to fees and room rates, as well as changes to existing meal plans.

In 2020-21, an undergraduate student from North Carolina living on-campus in a standard double-occupancy room with a lowend meal plan will pay $13,609 per year, up from this year’s total annual cost of $13,178. Very little of that cost goes to actual tuition — thanks to the N.C. Promise tuition reduction program, in-state undergraduates pay only $500 per semester to attend WCU, with the state budget filling in the gap.

In fact, approved changes included a 3 percent increase in the cost of undergraduate tuition, but due to N.C. Promise, students and parents won’t see a change in their tuition bills. The N.C. General Assembly will continue to cover tuition costs over $500 per semester for in-state undergraduates and $2,500 per semester for out-of-state undergrads.

Trustees voted on recommendations brought to them by a campus tuition and fee committee, whose outreach included two open campus discussions, a meeting of the Student Government Association Senate and an interactive live video-streamed session hosted on the university’s social media platforms, as well as an online survey that garnered 3,236 responses.

Students were overwhelmingly against the proposed increase. That’s often the case when fees are proposed, but not always, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Sam Miller told trustees during a Finance and Audit Committee meeting Dec. 5.

“Year-to-year I think it depends on the issues and the perception students have of what we’re planning to do,” he said.

The N.C. General Assembly will continue to cover tuition costs over $500 per semester for in-state undergraduates and $2,500 per semester for out-ofstate undergrads.

Student opposition was reflected in that David Rode, who as the Student Government Association president is the sole student representative on the Board of Trustees, cast the sole nay vote on the fee increases.

Much of the increase is due to a 2.24 percent hike in room rates, with annual costs for on-campus housing during the 2020-21 school year ranging from $5,140 for a standard double-occupancy room to $7,896 for a private room in Balsam and Blue Ridge resi-

Beer and wine sales approved for WCU athletics

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER

Beer and wine could join hot dogs and sodas as common concessions at Western Carolina University athletic events following a unanimous vote from the WCU Board of Trustees this month.

The board voted during its Dec. 6 meeting to approve a resolution authorizing beer and wine sales at campus athletic events pending development of an implementation plan to be presented at the board’s March meeting.

and intentional learning partnerships in the Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center.

While the fee shows up on paper as a blanket increase to the student activities fee, a particular goal is to ensure there’s funding to support arts programs on campus. The reason it’s not broken out as a separate arts-specific fee, Vice Chancellor for Administration and Finance Mike Byers told the finance committee, is that the UNC Board of Governors has stated that it will not approve any new fee categories.

“There was more student support on keeping it separate, and that broke down into students who want to make sure the arts get the support they need and also seemed to have a little bit of support from students who don’t necessarily want to fund the arts but want to be able to identify that and complain about it later in some way,” said Miller.

The mandatory fee increase also includes a $24 hike in the athletics fee, from $782 to $806 a year, which will help cover facilities needs identified in an athletics department master plan the board requested earlier this year. Student fees to support health services, education and technology projects, sustainability efforts and existing debt service will not change in the coming academic year.

The book rental fee will see an increase too, rising $8 from $298 to $306 per year.

The new school year will also see changes to meal plans offerings.

“The meal plans are being repackaged in significant ways, and that is in part due to the input we’ve gotten from students who are concerned about food insecurity issues and making sure we have affordable plans that will address the nutritional needs,” Miller told the committee.

dence halls. Rates currently range from $5,028 to $6,702.

Mandatory fees will rise by 2.4 percent, a total of $68 per year. They include a $44 increase in the student activity fee, from $632 a year to $676. The increase aims to fund future facilities projects, including renovation projects at A.K. Hinds University Center, improvements to intramural fields, equipment replacement in the Campus Recreation Center and student-focused programming

The recommendation came as the result of three months of study from a 17-member special committee assembled in August to examine the pros and cons of having alcoholic beverages available at sporting events. Board members represented legal, law enforcement, alumni, staff, faculty, student and athletic interests.

The group conducted interviews with trustees, administration and athletics staff at peer institutions, as well as members of WCU’s Catamount Club, university alumni, community residents, law enforcement personnel and faculty, staff and students at WCU and other institutions. Schools the committee contacted during its review were Appalachian State, UNC Charlotte, UNC Asheville, UNC Chapel Hill, the Citadel, North Carolina A&T, East Carolina and UNC Greensboro.

“With such a diverse group on our committee, we leveraged their broad perspectives in making our recommendation to the Board of Trustees,” said Tim Haskett, Board of Trustees member and chair of the special committee.

The group found strong support for the proposal from

The restructured meal plans will offer a shift from the traditional emphasis on “declining balance” plans and increase the number of “exchange meals” in an effort to ensure students get a nutritious, filling meal when they dine with their meal plan. In 202021, meal plans will range from $749 per year for the commuter “low plan” to $2,514.50 per year for the first-year residential “high plan.”

Currently, the least expensive commuter meal plan is $695.50 and the most expensive residential plan is $2,447.09.

The changes still require approval from the UNC Board of Governors to become final.

those interviewed, said Haskett, with most interviewees saying beer and wine sales would enhance the fan experience.

The discussion was instigated by a state law enacted in June, which authorized public colleges and universities to allow alcohol sales at stadiums, athletic facilities and arenas on school property.

The legislation stated that, for alcohol sales to be allowed, the school’s board of trustees must vote to allow permits to be issued and provide written notice to the N.C. Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission that it has voted to allow those permits. The provision does not apply to community colleges, and it does not allow the sale of mixed drinks when the facility in question is being used for school-sponsored sporting events.

In the coming months, university administration will work on an implementation plan for introducing alcohol sales, considering the logistical, business and legal issues at play. Trustees will review the proposed implementation plan at their meeting in March.

Gilchrist named Regional Teacher of the Year

Jackson County Public Schools announced that Dawn Gilchrist has been selected as the Western Region Teacher of the Year.

Gilchrist, a 33-year veteran educator, is a high school English and Language Arts teacher at Jackson Community School in Sylva. She received the award after competing with other outstanding educators representing the 14 public school districts of Western North Carolina.

Amy Laughter, regional education facilitator for the N.C. Department of Public Instruction, was on the selection committee and believes Gilchrist’s heart for kids made the difference.

“Dawn was selected because of the genuine, caring and compassionate way she works with students. Her passion for students and her subject matter is evident in all she does,” said Laughter.

Jackson Community School

Principal Angela Lunsford is amazed by Gilchrist’s ability to engage and connect with students.

“Our kids think she’s a rock star,” said Lunsford. “She always keeps what is best for them at the forefront.”

Gilchrist has a history of being a beloved and highly respected classroom teacher.

“She sees us for what we are; not what we have been,” said one current student. “One of the most influential teachers of my life,” a former student commented in a recent social media post.

The award was announced on Friday, Dec. 13, at a surprise reception attended by state and local officials, including the current state and regional teachers of the year. Also in attendance were county commissioners, school board members, district office staff and members of Gilchrist’s family.

Gilchrist will compete with representatives from the other seven regions in North Carolina as well as the NC Charter School Teacher of the Year for the title of “Burroughs-Wellcome NC Teacher of the Year” which will be announced at a ceremony in April.

Waynesville offices to move Dec. 18

The Town of Waynesville Administrative Offices will be moving on Dec. 18 to a temporary location in the Haywood Community College West Waynesville building (old Dayco Union Hall) located at 23 Hendrix Street, Waynesville.

The estimated timeframe for being at this location is six months. The town manager, assistant town manager, town clerk and human resource specialist will be relocating for several months while repairs and renovations to the Municipal Building occurs.

Office hours will remain the same, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. All means of contact via telephone or email will not change.

All required postings related to meetings and public hearings will be posted at the Town Hall Building, 9 South Main Street, Waynesville (where the meetings occur), on the website, published in the newspaper and on social media pages.

Apply for Maggie Valley alderman

The Maggie Valley Board of Aldermen has a vacancy and is accepting applications.

Since former Alderman Mike Eveland was elected as mayor last month, the board is looking to fill his unexpired two-year term.

The applications are due to the clerk’s office no later than 5 p.m. Monday, Jan. 6, at town hall.

To complete the application, visit https://maggievalleync.gov/town-news/application-for-appointment-to-the-board-of-aldermen.

Candidate signups continue in WNC

STAFF R EPORTS

There will be a primary election for the Jackson County Board of Commissioners

District 3 seat following Susan Bogardus’ decision to file as the second Democrat seeking the seat.

Currently held by Republican Ron Mau, the seat will be wide open in 2020 due to Mau’s decision to run for the N.C. House District 119 seat that Waynesville Democrat Joe Sam Queen now occupies. Democrat Brad Stillwell signed up to run for the seat on the second day of filing, Dec. 3, with Bogardus following suit Dec. 13. No Republicans had signed up to run as of press time Dec. 17.

Voters will also choose a District 4 representative in 2020, and so far Republican Mark Letson is the only candidate. Incumbent Commissioner Mickey Luker has not replied to questions about his intention to seek re-election, but his candidacy is seen as unlikely due to widespread criticism stemming from his absence at county meetings in recent months. Luker has not attended a county meeting in person since July, though he has often attended via speakerphone.

Two seats are open on the Jackson County School Board, and so far incumbent Wesley Jamison is the only person to file. The seat currently held by Elizabeth Cooper is up for election as well. The office of Soil and Water Conservation District Officer will be on the 2020 ballot as well, but filing for that contest

doesn’t start until June.

Swain County’s board of commissioners has two seats up for re-election. Incumbents

Roger Parsons, a Democrat, and Kenneth Parton, a Republican, have signed up for a second term. Phillip Carson, a Democrat, has also signed up to run for a seat on the board after losing his chairmanship on the board to Ben Bushyhead during the last election.

running for county office since he’s running for state representative, but Higdon has signed up for another term.

Terry Bradley and Don Willis Jr. both signed up to run for the District 2 seat on the county board, but Willis has since withdrawn his candidacy because of other professional obligations.

Haywood County didn’t have any new candidates sign up since last week. Two commission seats are up for election — that of Chairman Kevin Ensley and Brandon Rogers. They’ve both filed for re-election, and are joined by two other Republicans, Jennifer Best and Terry Ramey.

Haywood County Commissioner Mark Pless, a Republican serving his first term in office, has already announced his intention to run for State Representative for District 118. Rep. Michele Presnell, R-Yancey, announced earlier this month she would not be seeking re-election and endorsed Pless as her successor.

The only newcomer to sign up so far has been Republican H. Robert Lowe. Swain commissioner seats are not divided by districts — candidates run at large and the top vote-getters are elected to four-year terms.

In Macon County, a District 2 seat currently held by Republican Karl Gillespie and District 3 seat held by Republican Paul Higdon are up for election. Gillespie won’t be

Two Macon County lawyers have thrown their hats into the ring for the 30th District Court Judgeship — Justin Greene has signed up on the Democrat ticket while Rich Cassidy has signed up to run as a Republican. The Republicans are joined in that race by Hayesville attorney Mitch Brewer and Haywood County attorneys Jim Moore and Kaleb Wingate.

Candidates still have until noon on Friday, Dec. 20, to file for office. For more information, contact your local county board of elections office, or visit the North Carolina State Board of Elections at www.ncsbe.gov.

WNC Entegra branches to close during merger

Amerger between Macon County-based Entegra Bank and First-Citizens Bank is moving forward, but under the condition that Entegra will sell off three of its branches in Western North Carolina.

On Dec. 2, First-Citizens and Entegra Bank entered into a letter of agreement with the Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division regarding the merger. In obtaining clearance for the transaction, the letter of agreement requires that the parties divest the Entegra Bank branches in Franklin, Highlands and Sylva and enter into a sale agreement for the divestiture branches with a buyer approved by the DOJ before the merger is complete.

According to a press release, the parties may not exclude any customer relationships from the divestiture unless expressly agreed upon with the DOJ. The parties must work to preserve the operation of the divested branches and not do anything to impede the operations of the three branches, including not taking any action that would cause a decrease in the number of customers at the branches prior to divestiture, the release stated.

“The Parties and the DOJ want all employees at the Divestiture Branches to stay with their branch and continue to serve customers as usual through the consummation of the Divestiture,” the release stated. “In fact, the LOA prohibits the Parties from transferring employees such as branch managers, assistant branch managers, or loan officers away from any Divestiture Branch.”

In accordance with the letter of agreement, Entegra and First Citizens will provide information to help facilitate the transition of employees at the three said branches to the divestiture buyer, and the parties hope that all branch employees will be employed by the future buyer.

Entegra and First Citizens are seeking approvals from the federal and state bank regulatory agencies and hope to identify an approved divestiture buyer and close the merger as soon as practicable. Following closure of the merger, the three divested

branches will continue to be operated as they are currently being operated until the divestiture transaction is complete, which must occur within 180 days after the closing of the merger.

Entegra announced the merger with Raleigh-based First Citizens back in May, but originally had plans to merge with SmartFinancial out of Knoxville. On Jan. 15, Entegra announced it had entered into a definitive agreement to merge with SmartFinancial in a strategic merger of equals. However, First Citizens approached Entegra and its advisors with a significantly better offer after the announcement was made. According to a press release, under the agreement with SmartFinancial, Entegra’s Board of Directors exercised its right to enter into discussions with First Citizens and ultimately determined that the cash consideration offer of $30.18 per share was a superior proposal to the agreement with SmartFinancial for $22.36 per share.

Under the terms of the First Citizens Bank agreement with Entegra, First Citizens will pay a termination fee of $6.4 million to SmartFinancial on behalf of Entegra, which Entegra was obligated to pay under its agreement.

First Citizens has over $35 billion in assets and more than 550 branches in 19 states. As of Dec. 31, 2018, Entegra reported $1.6 billion in consolidated assets, $1.2 billion in deposits and $1.1 billion in loans.

Entegra Bank opened in 1922 under the name Macon Bank and is a state-chartered, full-service commercial bank with 18 offices and two loan production offices throughout Western North Carolina, Upstate South Carolina and North Georgia. As the bank grew outside of Macon County and throughout the region, it changed its name to Entegra Bank in 2015. Around the same time, Entegra acquired locally-owned Old Town Bank in Waynesville to the tune of $13.5 million.

Questions or concerns regarding the letter of agreement between Entegra and First Citizens may be directed to 828.524.7000, x.2327) or rscaggs@entegrabank.com.

WCU sets holiday hours for year-end giving

While most Western Carolina University offices will be closed during the Christmas and New Year’s holiday period, WCU’s Advancement office will be open for special hours on two days to assist donors with yearend giving.

Almost all university offices will be closed from 5 p.m. Friday, Dec. 20, until 8 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 2, with the exception being the Advancement unit on the Cullowhee campus. Advancement staffers will be on duty from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on both Monday, Dec. 30, and Tuesday, Dec. 31, to assist potential donors via phone at 828.227.7124 or 800.492.8496 or by email at advancement@wcu.edu. Online giving also is available by visiting wegivewcu.edu.

Tuesday, Dec. 31, is the deadline for gifts to the university to be counted as charitable gifts in calendar year 2019. Mailed checks must be postmarked and online gifts time-stamped prior to midnight on the evening of Dec. 31. That requirement also applies to charitable distributions from an IRA.

Dec. 31 also is the deadline for stock gifts to be transferred and in the WCU Foundation account for the donor to receive charitable gift credit. Most stock gifts take a minimum of three business days to process.

Free QuickBooks Summit at HCC

The Haywood Community College Small Business Center will offer a free QuickBooks Summit from 8 a.m. until 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 9, with speaker Alicia Sisk-Morris.

The summit is designed for the current and prospective small business owner including information about QuickBooks Online, Desktop and QuickBooks Payroll. Participants can register for any or all of the sessions.

Seating is limited and pre-registration is encouraged. All seminars will be held on the college campus in building 200, room 203. Visit sbc.haywood.edu or call 828.627.4512 for additional information or to register.

Grant available for aspiring journalists

Student scholarship platform Bold.org has just announced a new grant for local journalism.

The grant will award $1,000 to current students to cover the costs of a local journalism project they’d like to pursue. Current students in high school or in any undergraduate or graduate program are eligible to apply. Students with any field of study or GPA will be considered.

The application deadline is coming up on Jan. 31, 2020, so start getting your submissions ready. Don’t be afraid to think big. What news do you think our community finds most

SCC celebrates new class of grads

Dressed in a royal blue cap and gown, with a glowing Christmas tree behind her and a smile from ear to ear, Emma Hull received one of her greatest gifts of the year — new opportunity.

A Cherokee native who is part of the Mother Town Healing Program offered through the Tribal Employment Rights Office, Hull walked across the stage on Thursday, Dec. 5, at Southwestern Community College to finally have the moment she has been waiting on for so many years. Along with several of her peers, she received her High School Equivalency Diploma.

With her parents, four children and fiance cheering her on from the crowd, Hull became one of the many graduates who have found success since SCC’s College and

important? Propose a project for it. Learn more about the Bold.org Local Journalism Grant at https://bold.org/scholarship/boldlocal-journalism-grant/.

SCC Project SEARCH grads thriving

The Project SEARCH program does not waste time worrying about the disabilities of individuals like Matthew Jenkins and Ryan Key. The program instead focuses on their abilities. Thanks to that perspective — and the nurturing, encouragement and education Key and Jenkins received through Project SEARCH — both young men are now gainfully employed in fulfilling roles at Lowe’s of Franklin.

A national nonprofit program, Project SEARCH partners with businesses to create internships for young adults with disabilities. Participants ranging in age from 18 to 30 gain marketable and transferrable employability skills through the implementation of hands-on work experience during a series of three separate, 10-week internships matched to their

Career Readiness (CCR) program began offering High School Equivalency Boot Camps this past summer.

Each semester, CCR hosts classes that allow participants to earn their high school equivalency diploma in an accelerated program.

“It’s not as hard as I thought it would be, but you definitely have to stay committed, and you can’t let yourself get overwhelmed,” said Hull. “I took it day by day, test by test.”

Hull credits her instructor, Robin Weber, with helping her stay on track and always being prepared for the next step.

For more information on SCC’s High School Equivalency program, contact Kay Wolf at k_wolf@southwesterncc.edu or 828.339.4262.

individual interests, strengths and abilities.

At Lowe’s Jenkins and Key are responsible for retrieving shopping carts from the parking lot. They also help lift heavier items into customers’ vehicles. Jenkins was part of SCC’s first class of Project SEARCH graduates in 2015, and he’s been employed by Lowe’s for almost two years. Jenkins has been supervising Key, who was hired in October.

To learn more about the program, contact devonnej@southwesterncc.edu or 828.339.4486.

WCU recognized as ‘Green College’

Western Carolina University has been listed by The Princeton Review as one of the most environmentally responsible colleges in North America for the ninth consecutive year.

WCU is included in the 2019 edition of the education services company’s “Guide to Green Colleges.” The guide profiles 413 higher education institutions that were found to have strong commitments to green practices and programs

during the company’s survey of nearly 700 schools. Criteria for making the guide included the schools’ academic offerings and initiatives, campus policies and practices, and green career preparation for students.

For more information about WCU’s sustainability efforts, contact 828.227.3562 or lbishop@wcu.edu.

Robotics event held in Cullowhee

Hundreds of fourth through eighth-grade students gathered at Cullowhee Valley School on Dec. 7 to compete in the western region’s FIRST Lego League robotics challenge.

The event was hosted for the first time by Jackson County Public Schools and featured 28 teams from as far away as Charlotte. This year’s theme “City Shapers” challenged participants to solve a real world problem and build a sustainable future.

JCPS FIRST Robotics Coordinator Larissa Miller was named Regional Coach of the Year and the team from Scotts Creek School received the Core Values Inspiration Award. Smoky Mountain High School student Cody Miller received the Youth Mentor Award. In addition to grant funding, teams receive financial support from the school district and from several individual and business donors.

Endowment created to honor Dr. Parker

Dr. Barbara Parker, outgoing president of Haywood Community College, has lived her life believing that “education changes everything” and has dedicated 38 years to a successful career in public education in Western North Carolina. For the past six years, Parker has served as president of Haywood Community College. She will retire effective Dec. 31.

To extend her outstanding legacy into the College’s future, the HCC Foundation board of directors has established an endowment in Dr. Parker’s honor. Through this sustainable funding source, her life-long commitment to education will benefit HCC students for generations to come.

It is the intent of Barbara and Greg Parker that the earnings of the endowment be used to directly impact students with specialized circumstances. The Parkers’ entrust the leadership of the college to determine gaps where funding from this endowment will benefit students and assist them in overcoming special situations including but not limited to mental and physical health, as well as accommodation needs of students with permanent disabilities.

To become a part of Dr. Parker’s legacy at HCC, donations can be made to the endowment through the College’s Foundation.

Call 828.627.4544 or email pahardin@haywood.edu.

Time to face reality regarding the Smokies

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park — for all its grandeur — is facing serious challenges, and it’s going to take those who cherish it the most to protect this acclaimed natural and cultural resource for future generations. If that means instituting entrance fees, then we’ll support taking the necessary steps to make that happen.

A story by SMN Outdoors Writer Holly Kays in the Dec. 11 edition revealed that a long-standing belief among many in this region is simply not true — the GSMNP isn’t barred from charging entrance fees and there is no wording in the enabling legislation that created the park in 1934 that says as much. (www.smokymountainnews.com/news/item/28111). This claim has attained urban legend status, but it simply isn’t accurate. And with a deferred maintenance backlog approaching $237 million, perhaps it’s time to seriously consider what a nominal entrance fee could mean to the park and its users.

First the history, which most in this region know all too well. When the park was established, land was bought from residents who had already lived there for generations. Schools, graveyards, homesteads and more were transferred to the federal government and residents told to move out. There was animosity from many who at the time did not see the need to preserve and protect wilderness, who did not understand how creating a park would eventually help pull this region out of the Great Depression and be an important cog in turning the Smokies into one of the country’s most visited tourist areas.

One agreement the federal government did make was to provide access to cemeteries, but most interpret this as providing physical access to those who need it. And there’s no reason why families visiting cemeteries could not be immune to any fee.

Children in poverty face many challenges

To the Editor:

Did you know that 44.1 percent of children are living in poor or low-income homes in Jackson County?

When children are living in poverty, it can affect their success in school. Research has shown that living in poverty can affect children academically, behaviorally, physically, cognitively and emotionally. This can be caused by children not getting the proper nutrition they need or from not having the same parental support at home because of parents working all the time.

Programs should be implemented to help children in poverty so that they can be successful in school. I have been in schools that have programs such as sponsorships where adults will give money to the school so that they can buy supplies for the children. There are also programs where you can donate time to go and be a mentor for a child, be someone they can talk to, such as Big Brothers Big Sisters. This is one of many programs. Sometimes having someone to talk to and make connections with makes a big impact on a child’s life.

When children are living in poverty, studies have seen that they often get less time to

When Tennessee transferred Little River Road and Newfound Gap Road to the federal government in 1951, its state legislature said “no toll or license fee shall ever by imposed by the United States” for the use of said roads. Before an entrance fee could be enacted, most agree that it would take action from the Tennessee legislature to re-word or simply revoke this legislation.

When North Carolina turned over its portion of Newfound Gap Road, it referenced a 1936 letter from the then — National Park Service Director Arno Cammerer that said it was not the Park Service’s intent to charge a fee. A GSMNP spokesperson said if fees ever came under serious consideration, the Park Service would seek some kind of approval of the concept from North Carolina officials.

A separate federal law, passed in 1992, makes it illegal to charge entrance fees on roads other than Newfound Gap and Little River Road — like into Cataloochee or Cades Cove — unless “fees are charged for entrance into the park on main highways and thoroughfares.”

Taken together, the actions taken by Tennessee, North Carolina and the federal government certainly discourage any attempt at developing plans for an entrance fee. But to be clear, they don’t prohibit such fees.

One could make the argument, though, that none of those early advocates of the park could have foreseen the pressures the it is facing today. First among these is the lack of federal funding. As mentioned earlier, this park has $237 million in deferred maintenance needs, but its budget allocation in 2018 was $19.4 million from the feds and $2.5 million in fees from

LETTERS

spend with their parents after school and work, so they are missing this connection. So, what are you doing to help children in need, whether it be donating money, time, or being an advocate for these children? There is always something that you can do.

Lindsey Cloer Cullowhee Elementary Education student

Make America great by dumping Trump

To the Editor:

George Washington led Americans in the Revolutionary War defeating a tyrant, King George III, and giving birth to democracy. Washington presided over the Constitutional Convention creating a new system of government, separating power into legislative, executive and judicial branches. Each branch checks the others to prevent abuse of power. The legislature is given power to impeach and remove corrupt government officials. Asked to be our first president, Washington postponed desired retirement to serve his country again.

In WWII, President Franklin Roosevelt joined Allied nations to defeat aggressive Axis

camping permits and such. Catching up, at that rate, is simply impossible. Add to that it attracts 11 million visitors a year — more than twice as many as any other park unit — and its perilous position comes into sharper focus. Visitor services, resource protection and other needs are simply being ignored due to lack of funding.

By comparison, Grand Canyon had a budget of $21.6 million from the feds and $8.4 million in fees while notching 6.4 million visitors in 2018. Nearly every other national park in the country charges entrance fees. We are the outlier. In fact, the per-visitor funding for GSMNP is $1.92, compared to $5.94 per visitor at the Grand Canyon National Park, which is the second-most visited park in the country.

Look, no one wants to charge a fee that makes it cost-prohibitive for locals and others to continue to visit. But even a minimal charge could mean tens of millions of dollars each year. And much has changed since those early days when North Carolina and Tennessee discouraged enacting entrance fees. We no longer have a rural farm economy where many survived almost entirely on what they grew, hunted, built and crafted and had little cash. In those days people depended on easy and free access to the park.

Change is the only constant in this world. Protecting and preserving this special place won’t just happen, it’s going to take hard work and planning and a smart allocation of limited resources. Every other large national park has an advantage on the Smokies because they take in millions of dollars we don’t. I think the day has come for the Smokies to seriously consider implementing some type of entrance fee, and the surrounding communities should help build public support for it. If not, the crown jewel of Western North Carolina may one day soon be tarnished beyond recognition.

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

dictators. Although crippled by polio, he joined world leaders coordinating strategies to achieve victory and create lasting peace. Roosevelt inspired creation of the United Nations to promote peaceful solutions to world problems. This reflects his last full measure of devotion. He died just before its first meeting.

In 1962, Soviet dictator Nikita Khrushchev began building missile bases in Cuba, threatening the United States. President John Kennedy ordered a naval blockade around Cuba stopping Soviet ships carrying missile materials. The threat of war ended when the Soviets dismantled the missiles. Russia also attempted to spread its influence in Western Europe. It occupied East Berlin and acted to gain control of West Berlin. Khrushchev backed down after Kennedy increased our military presence in West Berlin. Kennedy halted Soviet threats, facing down an aggressive dictator.

Donald Trump embraces dictators like Russia’s Vladimir Putin, abandoning our democratic allies. He weakens our standing as leader of free world democracies, reducing our support of NATO and the United Nations. Presidential candidate Trump voiced acceptance of Russia’s seizure of Crimea from Ukraine. Not surprising, some of Ukraine’s diplomats spoke out against Trump. Ukraine’s

government took no position in our 2016 presidential election. Trump and his Republican supporters are promoting the fiction that Ukraine, not Russia, interfered in this election.

This narrative was created by Russia, currently under sanctions for interfering in our 2016 election. Sanctions are hurting Russia’s economy. Putin and Russia’s oligarchs hope to have sanctions lifted by blaming Ukraine. Our entire intelligence community concluded Russia, not Ukraine, interfered in 2016. Russia has invaded Ukraine. Trump sought to withhold legally authorized military aid to Ukraine it desperately needs to fight Russia’s aggression. Trump conditioned releasing this aid on Ukraine’s president announcing an investigation into Trump’s political rival. This is bribery.

Trump has committed impeachable acts, violating our Constitution. Patriotic Americas fought and died to protect and defend our democracy. Republicans protect and defend Donald Trump, betraying their sworn allegiance to the Constitution. Previous presidents fought dictators, Trump falls in love with them. Is King George III Trump’s role model? Is this what “Make America Great Again” means? “Do we have a monarchy or a Republic?” Margery Abel Franklin

Downsizing Christmas, meaningful memories

It seems a lot of folks are downsizing Christmas this year, me included. My reasoning is specific to my life and emotions, but nonetheless, there appears to be a general theme: Experience over consumerism.

Let’s consider the Tim Allen and Jamie Lee Curtis film, “Christmas with the Kranks.” Allen’s character realizes he spent over $6,000 the previous year on Christmas. That, coupled with the fact their daughter is away with the Peace Corps, leads the couple to skip Christmas and go on a cruise. The entire town ridicules and throws stones at Allen and Curtis for ignoring Christmas. To their friends, it sounds absurd to not embrace the festive shenanigans to which they’ve all grown accustomed. In the end, their daughter decides to surprise them. They throw everything together at the last minute to make sure their child has the magical experience she longs for. The movie highlights the persuasive nature of holiday expectations.

could feel something had shifted within me. On the first Sunday of Advent, we lit one purple candle in the wreath. We prayed for hope, peace, joy and love during the holiday season. Each Advent Sunday thereafter, we’ve lit subsequent candles. The boys love this tradition, sitting in the quiet watching the flames while allowing those everlasting traits to permeate our hearts.

I’ve added new surprises this year. Instead of waiting until Christmas for the boys to open presents, I’ve given them small gifts along the way. LEGO came out with a Harry Potter Advent calendar. We put all of the pieces together and assembled the calendar. Each day, a piece is pulled out and tells part of the story.

In the past, I’ve gifted the boys a special ornament and Christmas pajamas on Christmas Eve. Since they won’t be with me on Christmas Eve, I gave them these presents early so they could enjoy them all month. We’ve created gingerbread houses with friends, visited Biltmore and made their teachers handmade Christmas gifts. All of it has felt very special and much less hectic than running around trying to find the best deal on this toy or that gadget.

When my two boys were little, my mom and I made long lists detailing who was buying what for which child. We would peruse catalogs and circle toys we thought the boys would like. I was also a traditional Black Friday shopper, going to bed at 7 p.m. and rising at 3 a.m. to get in line at Belk or Target. My friends and I would bat around stocking stuffer ideas, sending one another screen shots from Amazon. I unashamedly had a lot of fun doing all of this. There was an adrenaline rush to the madness.

It all led to that magical moment on Christmas morning and the expression on my boys’ faces.

After my mom passed away, my holiday spirit dampened, but I found the energy and willpower to keep the wonder alive for the boys. I didn’t want them to feel like Christmas had changed because their grandmother died. A year after that, their dad and I separated which severed my spirit further. But again, I kept up the pace so they wouldn’t feel their lives were altered.

This year is the fourth Christmas without my mom. It’s also the first Christmas Eve/Christmas morning they’ll spend away from me and with their dad.

From the start of this holiday season, I

My partner, Matthew, and I are both divorced with five amazing kids between us. We’ve learned that being with people we love and offering our children experiences are more important than buying things and accumulating stuff. This year we are taking the kids to New York City as their big gift. My parents took me during the holiday season and I’ve never forgotten it. There is an unparalleled magic to NYC during the holidays, and we want our kids to feel that. Memories are a gift that last a lifetime.

Granted, I’ve bought my boys some Christmas gifts but have downsized significantly when compared to years past. Further, my extended family has scaled back also, focusing on time together or drawing names to decrease consumption.

Since I was a young girl, Christmas has been my favorite time of year. It took darkness to show me the holidays aren’t about spending and gift giving. They are about settling into a season of respite and joy, about being with those you love, and celebrating the beauty and complexity of this one and only life.

(Susanna Shetley is an editor, writer and marketing specialist with The Smoky Mountain News, Smoky Mountain Living and Mountain South Media. susanna.b@smokymountainnews.com)

tasteTHE mountains

Taste the Mountains is an ever-evolving paid section of places to dine in

Award of Excellence from Wine Spectator Magazine. Set in a distinguished atmosphere with an exceptional menu. Extensive selection of wine and beer. Reservations honored.

nights on Monday and Tuesday 5 to 9 p.m. with large cheese pizzas for $9.95.

FIREFLY TAPS & GRILL

128 N. Main St., Waynesville

CHURCH STREET DEPOT

BLUE ROOSTER SOUTHERN GRILL

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

facebook.com/ChurchStreetDepot, twitter.com/ChurchStDepot.

CITY LIGHTS CAFE

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

BOOJUM BREWING COMPANY

50 N Main Street, Waynesville. 828.246.0350. Taproom Open Monday, Wednesday and Thursday 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday & Saturday 11:30 a.m. to 12 p.m., Sunday 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Gem Bar

Open Tuesday through Sunday 5 p.m. to 12 a.m. Enjoy lunch, dinner or drinks at Boojum’s Downtown Waynesville restaurant & bar. Choose from 16 taps of our fresh, delicious & ever rotating Boojum Beer plus cider, wine & craft cocktails. The taproom features seasonal pub faire including tasty burgers, sandwiches, shareables and daily specials that pair perfectly with our beer. Cozy up inside or take in the mountain air on our back deck."

BOURBON BARREL BEEF & ALE

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

CHEF’S TABLE

30 Church St., Waynesville. 828.452.6210

From 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday dinner starting at 5 p.m. “Best of”

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

THE CLASSIC WINESELLER

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

COUNTRY VITTLES: FAMILY STYLE RESTAURANT

3589 Soco Rd, Maggie Valley.

828.926.1820 Winter hours: Wednesday through Sunday 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Family Style at Country Vittles is not a buffet. Instead our waitresses will bring your food piping hot from the kitchen right to your table and as many refills as you want. So if you have a big appetite, but sure to ask your waitress about our family style service.

FERRARA PIZZA & PASTA

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

www.smokymountainnews.com

828.454.5400. Simple, delicious food. A must experience in WNC. Located in downtown Waynesville with an atmosphere that will warm your heart and your belly! Local and regional beers on tap. Full bar, vegetarian options, kids menu, and more. Reservations accepted. Daily specials. Live music every Saturday from 7 to 10 p.m. Open Mon.-Sat. 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday brunch from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

FROGS LEAP PUBLIC HOUSE

44 Church St., Downtown Waynesville 828.456.1930 Serving dinner 5 to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday. 5 to 9:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Closed Sunday and Monday. Frogs Leap is a farm to table restaurant focused on local, sustainable, natural and organic products prepared in modern regional dishes. Seasonal menu focuses on Southern comfort foods with upscale flavors. Reservations accepted.

HARMON’S DEN BISTRO

250 Pigeon St., Waynesville

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

HAZELWOOD FARMACY & SODA FOUNTAIN

429 Hazelwood Avenue, Waynesville. 828.246.6996. Open six days a week, closed Wednesday. 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday; 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday brunch 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Breakfast until noon, old-fashioned luncheonette and diner comfort food. Historic full service soda fountain.

J. ARTHUR’S RESTAURANT AT MAGGIE VALLEY

U.S. 19 in Maggie Valley. 828.926.1817 Open for dinner at 4:30 Tuesday through Sunday. World-famous prime rib, steaks,

tasteTHE mountains

fresh seafood, gorgonzola cheese and salads. All ABC permits and open year-round. Children always welcome. Take-out menu. Excellent service and hospitality. Reservations appreciated.

JOEY'S PANCAKE HOUSE

4309 Soco Rd Maggie Valley.

828.926.0212. Open seven days a week! 7 a.m. to 12 p.m. Joey’s is a family-friendly restaurant that has been serving breakfast to locals and visitors of Western North Carolina for decades. Featuring a large variety of tempting pancakes, golden waffles, country style cured ham and seasonal specials spiked with flavor, Joey's is sure to please all appetites. Join us for what has become a tradition in these parts, breakfast at Joey’s.

JUKEBOX JUNCTION

U.S. 276 and N.C. 110 intersection, Bethel. 828.648.4193. 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday; Sunday 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Serving breakfast, lunch, nd dinner.

KANINI’S

1196 N. Main St., Waynesville.

828.452.5187. Lunch Monday-Saturday from 10:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m., eat in or carry out. Closed Sunday. A made-from-scratch kitchen using fresh ingredients. Offering a variety of meals to go from frozen meals to be stored and cooked later to “Dinners to Go” that are made fresh and ready to enjoyed that day. We also specialize in catering any event from from corporate lunches to weddings. kaninis.com

MAD BATTER FOOD & FILM

617 W. Main Street Downtown Sylva. 828.586.3555. Open Monday through Saturday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. with Sunday Brunch from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Hand-tossed pizza, house-ground burgers, steak sandwiches & fresh salmon all from scratch. Casual family friendly atmosphere. Craft beer and interesting wine. Free movies Thursday through Saturday. Visit madbatterfoodfilm.com for this week’s shows & events.

MAGGIE VALLEY CLUB

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

MAGGIE VALLEY RESTAURANT

2804 Soco Road, Maggie Valley.

828.926.0425. 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily. Daily specials including soups, sandwiches and southern dishes along with featured dishes such as fresh fried chicken, rainbow trout, country ham, pork chops and more. Breakfast all day including omelets, pancakes, biscuits & gravy. facebook.com/carversmvr; instagram @carvers_mvr.

MOUNTAIN PERKS ESPRESSO BAR & CAFÉ

9 Depot St., Bryson City. 828.488.9561. Open Monday through Thursday, 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Friday 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturday 8 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. With music at the Depot. Sunday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Life is too short for bad coffee. We feature wonderful breakfast and lunch selections. Bagels, wraps, soups, sandwiches, salads

and quiche with a variety of specialty coffees, teas and smoothies. Various desserts.

PIGEON RIVER GRILLE

101 Park St., Canton.

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

RENDEZVOUS RESTAURANT AND BAR

Maggie Valley Inn and Conference Center

70 Soco Road, Maggie Valley

828.926.0201 Home of the Maggie Valley Pizzeria. We deliver after 4 p.m. daily to all of Maggie Valley, J-Creek area, and Lake Junaluska. Monday through Wednesday: 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Thursday: 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. country buffet and salad bar from 5 to 9 p.m. $11.95 with Steve Whiddon on piano. Friday and Saturday: 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m.; Sunday 11:30 to 8 p.m. 11:30 to 3 p.m. family style, fried chicken, ham, fried fish, salad bar, along with all the fixings, $11.95. Check out our events and menu at rendezvousmaggievalley.com

SAGEBRUSH STEAKHOUSE

1941 Champion Drive, Canton

828.646.3750 895 Russ Ave., Waynesville

828.452.5822. Sunday through Thursday

11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Carry out available. Sagebrush features hand carved steaks, chicken and award winning BBQ ribs. We have fresh salads, seasonal vegetables and scrumptious deserts.

SPEEDY’S PIZZA

285 Main Street, Sylva. 828.586.3800

Open seven days a week. Monday-Friday 11 a.m.-10 p.m., Saturday 3 p.m.-11 p.m., Sunday 4 p.m.-10 p.m. Family-owned for 30 years. Serving hand-tossed pizza made to order, pasta, subs, gourmet salads, calzones and seafood.

TAP ROOM BAR & GRILL

176 Country Club Drive, Waynesville.

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

WAYNESVILLE PIZZA COMPANY

32 Felmet Street, Waynesville.

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

SOUP

Sherry Lobster Bisque

COLD ITEMS & SALADS

Smoked Norwegian Salmon

Peel & Eat Shrimp with Housemade Cocktail Sauce

Fresh Fruit & Assorted Cheese Display

Seasonal Greens Salad

CARVING STATION

Black Angus Top Sirloin with Mushroom au Poivre Grilled New Zealand Rack of Lamb

Prices Include Coffee, Tea, Water & Fountain Drinks. 18% Service Charge Added to Tables of 6 or More

HOT ITEMS

Sea Bass with Blood

Orange Sage Beurre Blanc

Honey & Brown Sugar

Glazed Baby Carrots

Grilled Tuscan Broccolini

Saffron & Leek Rice Pilaf

Roasted Fingerling Potatoes

Raspberry Cream Cheese

French Toast Casserole

Buttermilk Biscuits & Local Annie’s Rolls

DESSERTS

Bourbon Pecan Pie

Peppermint Bark

Red Velvet Cupcakes

Christmas Rice Krispy Treats

Gingerbread Muffins

Santa’s Sugar Cookies

Assorted Cheesecakes

Litmus test of a community

Viva Arts Studio becomes creative hot spot in Sylva

BY GARRET K. WOODWARD STAFF W RITER

Standing in a two-bay garage in downtown Sylva last Friday afternoon, Victoria Shufelt was putting the final touches on a pop-up art gallery event.

“For such a small town, I’ve always been blown away by the amount of creative folks here,” Shufelt said. “And this space is a totally blank canvas to come together and create in Sylva.”

That blank canvas is the Viva Arts Studio. What was formerly a cold, empty building has now become a beehive for a wide range of artistic mediums over the last year, all with Shufelt and her husband, Aaron Shufelt, at the helm of this endeavor.

“I wanted something that’s not just a business venture, but also a service to the community, one where little kids all the way up to senior citizens can participate in affordable art projects,” Victoria said. “We also work with several nonprofits and community organizations to be able to bring art to every aspect of the area.”

Following graduation from Western Carolina University in 2017 (with degrees in

fine arts and Spanish), Victoria didn’t want to leave the mountains and head back to her native Winston-Salem. It was around this point she found herself as an intern at the Jackson County Green Energy Park in Dillsboro, only to meet Aaron there, who is a resident glassblower at the JCGEP.

“I could have gone to other towns and cities, but there really is something about the people here in Sylva and Western North Carolina,” Victoria said. “There are so many genuine people here, and I haven’t encountered that in many other places — it definitely led me to stay here and put roots down.”

Victoria points to her childhood of being homeschooled as a big factor in her pursuit of access to artistic and creative endeavors in small communities that may otherwise not have the resources or outlets to do so.

“I’m coming from a background where I was fortunate enough to do art every day with a very open teaching approach. All of that made me appreciate art at a young age more so than maybe other people,” she said. “And being a Spanish major in college, I was able to study abroad in Spain and see how art is so much more part of the European education curriculum in the school systems.”

And when she isn’t offering classes and workshops in the studio, Victoria is also taking

Want to go?

The Viva Arts Studio in Sylva currently offers several weekly and monthly pottery and painting classes alongside other artisan mediums.

For a full calendar of classes and more information on the studio, visit www.vivaartsschool.com, call 828.506.6067 or simply take a gander at the full schedule posted on the large garage door of the studio at 456 West Main Street.

For more information on the Sylva Art + Design Committee, go to Facebook and search: “Sylva Public Art.”

her passions on the road, offering pottery and painting classes at local senior centers and breweries in Jackson County.

“We had a pottery class recently at the Innovation Station taproom [in Dillsboro] and it was completely sold out — it was a wonderful experience,” Victoria said. “You’re running your own business like this, you’re being vulnerable, you’re sharing your art and you’re teaching art. There’s a lot of risk in putting yourself out there, and to see such community appreciation for art means so much to me.”

With the recent pop-up gallery at the studio, Viva teamed up with the newly formed Sylva Art + Design Committee, of which Victoria is a member alongside several local business owners and artisans aiming to be a catalyst for the arts in the region.

“SADC has definitely done a lot to encourage artistic growth in Sylva — the mural on Ward Heating & Plumbing, small paintings around downtown, pop-up galleries,” she said. “And that says a lot about the town because you might not find that everywhere. All of this just goes to show how art is valued in the mountains.”

Cleaning up the studio in preparation for the pop up gallery, Victoria still finds herself in awe of seeing her dream of art education coming to fruition, the studio proof positive that what she has — and will — offer is something vital to the culture and societal interactions of Sylva and greater Jackson County.

“I wanted a place where people — regardless of background, age or whatever — can come to a space and create freely, and can grow artistically,” she said. “Sometimes we don’t recognize how much art is implemented into these different areas of our lives, but art grows us as human beings. It’s been a wonderful journey so far with the studio and I can’t wait to see where it goes from here.”

This must be the place

BY GARRET K. WOODWARD

Roads that we abandon and others that we take

As the decade comes to a close, I sip this cup o’joe in a quiet coffee shop in a small town in the mountains of Western North Carolina. I think of December 2009 and how incredibly different life was.

At 24 years old, the economy had tanked a year earlier. Living back in my native Upstate New York (in my parent’s farmhouse), I had left the west in 2008 following my first journalism gig at a tiny paper in Eastern Idaho.

HOT PICKS

1

A special live music event, “Holiday Cheer with Newberry & Verch” will be held at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 21, at The Strand at 38 Main in Waynesville.

2

Another installment of “Comedy Night” at 9 p.m. Monday, Dec. 23, at Mad Anthony’s Taproom & Restaurant in Waynesville.

3

A special holiday stage production of the classic “Miracle on 34th Street” will be held at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 20-21 and at 4 p.m. Dec. 22 at the Smoky Mountain Community Theatre in Bryson City.

4

Kids at HART, the youth drama group at the Haywood Arts Regional Theatre, will present “Holly Jolly Christmas” at 2 p.m. Dec. 21-22 at HART in Waynesville.

5

The “Singing Christmas Card” show will be presented by the Overlook Theatre Company at 7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 19, at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts in Franklin.

The exact day I headed east (thinking I could find better work), Sept. 15, 2008, I turned on a TV in a cheap motel room in Miles City, Montana, with breaking news flashing across the screen: Lehman Brothers had collapsed and Wall Street was beginning to crumble.

In December 2009, I was madly in love with a woman I thought I’d marry someday. Finding myself splitting time between her abode in the Adirondack Mountains and my humble space back down the hill in Plattsburgh, I (happily) figured this would be my existence moving forward next to her.

The term “struggling writer” was genuinely true in my case back then. It was articles at $45 apiece for the local newspaper, my income supplemented by stints as a substitute teacher in my old middle and high school.

Frozen mornings at some school along the Canadian Border for a paycheck to get

how ridiculous I was being at not giving into the ole 9-to-5: “Don’t you want a steady job and normal life?”

And in the summer of 2009, I found myself in Asheville, North Carolina, for the first time, trying to get a ticket to see Phish at the Civic Center. My photographer and I had just completed our coverage of the Wakarusa music festival in rural Arkansas.

Onward to Memphis, Nashville, Knoxville, Asheville (all first-time visits). Unable to get a reasonably priced ticket for the Civic Center, we sat atop a parking garage next door with a tallboy in-hand and listened to the muffled show, only to wander down to the now long gone Emerald Lounge, stumbling upon The Bridge mid-set in all its melodic glory.

Even then, I remember thinking, “What a cool city,” not knowing three years later I’d pack it all up back in New York and call Western North Carolina home, simply taking a chance at The Smoky Mountain News, never once having stepped foot in Haywood County prior (my home for the last seven or so years).

It was Christmas 2009 and a candlelit dinner with this girl I adored. The meal and drinks were expensive for a young couple, but worth it — a cheers of our wine glasses to the blossoming relationship and hopes for 2010.

She worked at a brewery in nearby Lake Placid, and was behind the counter on New Year’s Eve. Roaming around the cozy taproom, I was surrounded by all kinds of characters and new friends in my life, most of which I haven’t talked to or crossed paths with since.

When the clocked struck midnight, she emerged from the back and we kissed to the end of 2009. I went outside to smoke a celebratory cigar. Alone, I stood in the frigid cold, puffing away, only to look up into the night sky, exhaling all cares in the world. I was 24 and life was just beginning.

Now, some 10 years later, I look in the bathroom mirror and see lots of grey on my head and in my beard, plenty of well-earned wrinkles from endless laughter and lack of sleep in an effort to not miss any of the universe’s great adventures.

through another week of uncertainty, just enough money for gas and amenities to go see my girlfriend each weekend. I played the role of history and English teacher, gym teacher, special education teacher, and so on.

There were a few music magazines I was also writing for, all of which are now gone from the scene. Sporadic work and small checks of $50 here and there. Sometimes I even wrote articles for free, seeing as I was desperate for fresh work to put on resumes in hopes of future full-time employment. It was hard to find work in this industry — and still is in many respects — but I wanted to be a writer, even in the face of family gatherings, where someone would pull me aside and say, “You know, Garret, if this writing thing doesn’t work out...” I was even getting chastised by old friends about

The 2009 version of myself wouldn’t recognize my Waynesville apartment or my Toyota pickup truck, let alone all the wild times in pursuit of the written word around the southeast and beyond.

My old self wouldn’t know where to start with all these incredible friends (now family) I’ve made below the Mason-Dixon Lines, faces where I’ve turned to at some point in the midst of a magical happenstance and said, “I’m supposed to know you.” And, conversely, how sad it would be to learn of lost friendships through the decade, and also those who are tragically now six feet under.

But, that’s the crazy thing about time and space — it’s always in motion, always expanding, and ready to surprise you at a moment’s notice. Onward to 2020 and whatever organized chaos it may contain. I’ll be ready and roaring, chasing after the mysterious light on the horizon, as per usual.

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

What is the Orthodox Christian Church? On the beat

Simply, it is the Church founded by Jesus Christ, established by the Apostles, and handed down through the centuries to today.

Holy Resurrection Orthodox Church is a canonical mission Church meeting in Waynesville. Our services are in English, all are welcomed to worship with us, and we have a special outreach to the poor and the lost, and to those who seek to love God by loving others

Interested? Contact us at 828-775-9122 or Orthodoxwaynesville.org

Nov. 30st through Dec. 21st

Brothers Gillespie holiday jam

Popular Haywood County Americana/rock act The Brothers Gillespie will host its “Eve, Eve, Eve Jam” celebration at 9 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 21, in The Gem downstairs taproom at Boojum Brewing in Waynesville.

Comprised of three Gillespie siblings — Davis (singer/rhythm guitar), Clay (drums), Aaron (lead guitar) — and longtime friend Zack Edwards (bass), the quartet is currently touring its debut full-length album, “Love & Death.”

Captured by producers Garrett Derhofer and Tom Osmunson at Studio412 in Candler, the record is a seamless blend of Americana, psychedelic rock and honky-tonk stylings, gliding across the musical spectrum, all while making additional stops in the realms of country and folk music.

It’s an impressive release from a young band, one that pushes The Brothers Gillespie across the threshold between

Sylva First Methodist holiday services

weekend warriors playing the real-time soundtrack to another wild Saturday night and an actual touring act with the potential to genuinely go the distance.

The First United Methodist Church of Sylva will hold two Candlelight Services on Christmas Eve, Tuesday, Dec. 24. At the 6 p.m. service, music will be led by the church’s Praise

Admission is $5 at the door. For more information about The Brothers Gillespie and the “Love & Death” album, visit www.brothersgillespie.com.

Band. There will be a nursery available for babies and toddlers. At the 11 p.m. service, music will be led by the church’s Cancel Choir. Since this service will end after midnight, it will provide an opportunity to be the first to greet Christmas day. Communion will be offered at both services.

First United Methodist Church is located at 77 Jackson Street in downtown Sylva. For more information, call 828.586.2358.

Americana act celebrates the holidays

A special musical event, “Holiday Cheer with Newberry & Verch” will be held at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 21, at The Strand at 38 Main in Waynesville.

Growing up, musicians Joe Newberry and April Verch absorbed traditions of home and hearth — in his Missouri Ozarks and her Ottawa Valley of Canada.

The holidays have always been a special time of year for both, with the lure of family and friends, festive decorations, gifts under the tree, and always music.

So now, each year the duo sets out in a modern-day sleigh (with four-wheel drive) to perform their eagerly anticipated holiday tour.

Original songs join timeless hymns. Stories warm the heart and give a twinkle to the eye. Lively fiddle and banjo numbers combine with traditional dance steps to illustrate happy times when people made their own fun at the holidays, and all year long.

Tickets are $18 per person. For more information and/or to purchase tickets, visit www.38main.com.

April Verch and Joe Newberry.

Americana, folk at Frog Level

Longtime Western North Carolina singer-songwriter Chris Minick will perform at 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 20, at Frog Level Brewing in Waynesville.

Some 36 years later after he moved to Waynesville, Minick has released his debut album. A collection his own material, “A Place to Go” (recorded by Ray Lyon at Balsam Pillow Studio in Waynesville) is simply a man, his guitar, a harmonica and some melodies to offer to any and all who lend an ear.

The show is free and open to the public. If you’d like to stream and/or purchase “A Place to Go” by Chris Minick, you can go to chrisminick.hearnow.com. www.chrisminickmusic.com.

• Andrews Brewing Company (Andrews) will host the “Lounge Series” at its Calaboose location with The Trailer Hippies Dec. 21, Scott Stambaugh 4 p.m. Dec. 22, Robert Ferguson Dec. 23, Andrew Chastain Dec. 26, Wyatt & Blue Dec. 27, Scott Streible Dec. 28 and The Sunday Thing 4 p.m. Dec. 29. All shows are free and begin at 6 p.m. unless otherwise noted. www.andrewsbrewing.com.

• Blue Ridge Beer Hub (Waynesville) will host an acoustic jam with Main St. NoTones from 6 to 9 p.m. Dec. 19 and 26. Free and open to the public. www.blueridgebeerhub.com.

• Boojum Brewing Company (Waynesville) will host a bluegrass open mic every Wednesday, an all-genres open mic every Thursday and The Brothers Gillespie holiday jam (Americana/rock, $5 at the door) Dec. 21. All shows begin at 9 p.m. unless otherwise noted. www.boojumbrewing.com.

• Frog Level Brewing (Waynesville) will host Chris Minick (singer-songwriter) Dec. 20, Geoff McBride & Scott Baker Dec. 21 and DJ Kountry Dec. 28. All shows begin at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. www.froglevelbrewing.com.

• Innovation Brewing (Sylva) will have an Open Mic night Dec. 18 and 25, a jazz night with the Kittle/Collings Duo Dec. 19 and 26, Jazzy Christmas Party 7 p.m. Dec. 19 and Shane Meade 5 p.m. Dec. 22. All events are free and begin at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. www.innovation-brewing.com.

• Innovation Station (Dillsboro) will host Circle Verse Dec. 21. All events are free and begin at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted. www.innovation-brewing.com.

• Nantahala Brewing (Sylva) will host Captain Midnight Band (rock/soul) 8 p.m. Jan. 10. All shows begin at 7:30 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. www.nantahalabrewing.com.

• Pub 319 (Waynesville) will host an open mic night from 8 to 11 p.m. every Wednesday. Free and open to the public. www.pub319socialhouse.com.

• Rathskeller Coffee Haus & Pub (Franklin) will host Dirty Dave Dec. 20, George James Dec. 21, Blue Jazz Dec. 27 and Mike Chaet Dec. 28. Shows begin at 8 p.m. Free and open to the public. www.rathskellerfranklin.com.

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

7 p.m. Dec. 21. An eight-piece, all-star band of musicians for a new take on timeless holiday masterpieces. Tickets start at $17. 866.273.4615 or www.greatmountainmusic.com.

• The Strand at 38 Main (Waynesville) will host an “Open Mic” night from 7 to 9 p.m. on Saturdays. There will also be the “Holiday Cheer with Joe Newberry & April Verch” 7:30 p.m. Dec. 21, with tickets available for $18. 828.283.0079 or www.38main.com.

• The Ugly Dog Pub (Cashiers) will host Bluegrass Thursdays w/Benny Queen at 6:30 p.m. and Hustle Souls 9 p.m. Dec. 31.

• The Ugly Dog Pub (Highlands) will host Bluegrass w/Nitrograss Wednesdays at 7 p.m. and The UpBeats 9:30 Dec. 20.

• Isis Music Hall (West Asheville) will host Haegtessa (singer-songwriter) 7 p.m. Dec. 18, EJ & Frances (Celtic) 7 p.m. Dec. 19, The Nouveaux Honkies (Americana) 7 p.m. Dec. 20, Pretty Little Goat & Giri w/Uma Peters (Americana/old-time) 8:30 p.m. Dec. 20, Rev. Billy Wirtz (blues/storyteller) 7 p.m. Dec. 21, Kat Williams & The Richard Shulman Trio (blues/soul) 8:30 p.m. Dec. 21, Warm December Jazz w/Amanda Horton & Daniel Keller (jazz/swing) 6 p.m. Dec. 22 and Russ Wilson’s “Have Yourself A Swingin’ Little Christmas” (jazz/swing) 7:30 p.m. Dec. 22. www.isisasheville.com.

• Lazy Hiker Brewing (Franklin) will host an open mic night at 6:30 p.m. every Thursday and Natti Love Joys Dec. 21. All shows begin at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. www.lazyhikerbrewing.com.

• Lazy Hiker Brewing (Sylva) will host Jelly Beet Connection Dec. 20, Robert Ferguson Dec. 21 and STIG (funk) Dec. 28. All shows begin at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. www.lazyhikerbrewing.com.

• Legends Sports Grill (Maggie Valley) will host music semi-regularly on weekends. 828.926.9464 or www.facebook.com/legendssportsgrillmaggievalley.

• Mad Anthony’s Taproom & Restaurant (Waynesville) will host “Music Bingo” 7 p.m. Dec. 26. 828.246.9249.

• Mountain Layers Brewing (Bryson City) will host the “Stone Soup” open mic night every Tuesday, Aly Jordan (singer-songwriter) Dec. 20, Somebody’s Child (Americana) Dec. 21, Woolybooger & The Loon Dec. 27 and Frank & Allie Lee Dec. 28. All shows are free and begin at 7 p.m. www.mountainlayersbrewingcompany.com.

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

• Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts (Franklin) will host Scott Thompson & Brent McDonald “Christmas Back Home” at

• The Water’n Hole Bar & Grill (Waynesville) will host an “Open Mic Night” on Mondays, karaoke on Thursdays and semi-regular music on Fridays and Saturdays. All events at 9:30 p.m. unless otherwise noted. 828.456.4750.

• Whiteside Brewing (Cashiers) will host Doug Ramsay 5:30 p.m. Dec. 20. Free and open to the public. 828.743.6000 or www.whitesidebrewing.com.

On the table

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Webster Christmas outreach dinner

I noticed “soy lecithin” on a list of ingredients. What is it?

Soy lecithin is made from soybeans by “.. mixing soybean oil & hot water & spinning the mixture to separate the lecithin.” It’s used to help bond oils to other ingredients and ensures liquid foods, such as salad dressing, stay mixed. Soy lecithin also enhances the elasticity & quality of baking dough, and it can an be substituted for certain fats in foods.

Source: www.foodingredientfacts.org/facts-on-foodingredients/sources-of-food-ingredients/soy-lecithin/

The annual Webster Baptist Church community Christmas outreach dinner will be held from noon to 2 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 25, at the church’s Fellowship Hall at 1955 Webster Road in Sylva.

The dinner is provided to those who are homebound, in financial distress, in nursing homes without family, and those in critical jobs having to work on Christmas Day. The church will deliver over 300 meals and take gift bags to nursing home residents. They also bake and deliver Christmas cookies for inmates in our local detention center.

Dinner will include smoked turkey, ham, green beans, stuffing, sweet potatoes, corn and dessert.

The outreach dinner was started by Kenneth and Katherina DeRico 11 years ago in memory of Ken’s grandparents. Albert and Jackie DeRico always cooked meal for anyone who needed one. Often they would send Italian dishes to the local vacation bible schools to feed the children and helpers.

Being retired, Albert and Jackie had time on their hands and it would help attract more participants and the parents would not

Bosu’s tastings, small plates

Bosu’s Wine Shop in Waynesville will host an array of wine tastings and small plates throughout the week.

• Mondays: Free tastings and discounts on select styles of wine that changes weekly.

• Thursdays: Five for $5 wine tasting, with small plates available for purchase from Chef Bryan’s gourmet cuisine in The Secret Wine Bar.

• Wednesday-Saturday: The Secret Wine Bar will be open for lunch from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

• Fridays: The Secret Wine Bar will be open for drinks and small plates from 5 to 9 p.m.

• Saturdays: Champagne cocktails from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The Secret Wine Bar will be

have to cook. They cooked for churches they were not members of. This instilled a sense of duty to serving those who are in need to their family.

Why not help those who are alone on Christmas? Jackson County is full of valleys and hollers with people who are alone 365 days a year. Christmas should the one day of the year with hope and love. Instead it is of no special importance: another day of loneliness and isolation. Why not cook and deliver meals to those lonely folks?

Many area businesses have been involved in making this event a success: Harold’s Supermarket, Changes Hair Salon, Bradley’s General Store, United Christian Ministries, Squeaky Queen Cleaning Service, Great Smoky Mountain Kettle Corn Co., Food Lion and countless volunteers have made this event possible.

There are always areas for folks who wish to volunteer or make donations. Anyone wanting to help, please contact the church office.

If anyone wants a hot meal or visit, call Webster Baptist Church at 828.586.4459 to make reservations.

open for lunch from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. There will also be a free wine tasting from 1 to 5 p.m. 828.452.0120 or email info@waynesvillewine.com.

• A free wine tasting will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. Dec. 19 and 26, and 2 to 5 p.m. Dec. 21 and 28 at The Wine Bar & Cellar in Sylva. 828.631.3075.

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

On the street

Folkmoot’s ‘Cultural Crash Course’

The next installment of Folkmoot’s Cultural Crash Course series, titled “Cli-Fi: The New Genre of Climate Change Fiction,” will feature Dr. Laura Wright. The lecture will be held from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 18, at the Folkmoot Friendship Center in Waynesville.

Join local experts with featured lectures on a variety of current cultural issues, including global politics, race, immigration, gender, climate change, technology and multiculturalism. Content will be presented as a 45minute community lecture followed by questions, answers and discussion.

Dan Bloom coined the term “cli-fi” in 2008 to define a genre of fictional works that grapple with issues related to climate change and the role that humans are playing in creating an increasingly unstable and volatile environment.

The emergence and popularity of works of fiction with a focus on human-made climate change is unsurprising given our growing awareness of the ways that our actions are impacting the planet and given the increase in speculative fiction about the possible end results of unchecked human activity.

In this talk, Wright will discuss the ways that some of these works of fiction engage with climate science, possible worst case scenarios, and potential modes of salvation.

Wright, an English professor at Western Carolina University, specializes in postcolonial literatures and theory, ecocriticism, and animal studies.

Her monographs include Writing Out of All the Camps: J. M. Coetzee’s Narratives of Displacement (Routledge, 2006 and 2009) and Wilderness into Civilized Shapes: Reading the Postcolonial Environment (U of Georgia P, 2010).

She is lead editor (with Jane Poyner and Elleke Boehmer) of Approaches to Teaching Coetzee’s Disgrace and Other Works (MLA, 2014). Her monograph The Vegan Studies Project: Food, Animals, and Gender in the Age of Terror was published by the University of Georgia Press in fall of 2015.

Cultural Crash Courses are sponsored by Western Carolina University and the Town of Waynesville. Tickets for Cultural Crash Courses are $10. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. and the lecture begins at 6 p.m.

Limited seating is available. Please purchase Cultural Crash Course tickets in advance by calling 828.452.2997 or purchasing electronically at www.folkmoot.org. Parking is available in the back of the Folkmoot building for year-round events.

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

Modern-day Smoky Mountain People” with

PEACE LOVE NEW YEAR’S

‘It’s a Small, Small Work’ exhibit

The Haywood County Arts Council annual show, “It’s a Small, Small Work,” will be held through Jan. 4 in HCAC Gallery & Gifts in Waynesville.

The 2019 exhibit will feature 60 artists and almost 240 individual works of art for sale. The show provides a unique opportunity for budding artists to exhibit their work, as well as the opportunity for more seasoned artists to test their boundaries.

All pieces submitted are exactly 12” or smaller in every dimension, including base, matting, and frame. All artwork is for sale,

• “Fiber Sunday” will take place from 2 to 5 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 22, at Cowee Textiles in Room 104 at The Cowee School Heritage Center in Franklin. Bring a textile project you are working on from spinning, knitting, weaving, rug hooking, baskets etc. If you have any questions, call or email Teresa Bouchonnet at 828.349.3878 or bouchonnet@coweetextiles.com.

priced at $300 or less, and must have been created in the last two years. Commission will be the gallery’s usual 60 percent (artist) to 40 percent (HCAC) split.

The Haywood County Arts Council’s small work show was launched in 2008 to demonstrate that original artwork is affordable and fun. Most businesses, homes and apartments can accommodate smaller works of art — and the show promotes buying local and regional work to help support artists in Western North Carolina. www.haywoodarts.org or 828.452.0593.

• A showing of new works and a series of prints by Jenean Hornbuckle is currently on display at the Rotunda Gallery in the Sylva library. The show will be up through Jan. 7. The gallery is open library hours, Monday through Saturday. For more information about the event or the Rotunda Gallery space, contact the Jackson County Arts Council at info@jacksoncountyarts.org or 828.507.9820.

• Stonehouse Pottery (Waynesville) will be doing an Open Studio Tour and Sale the first Sunday of each month to help support our local nonprofits. Each month highlights a different artist and that artists chooses his or her nonprofit. Stonehouse Pottery and the artist then give a portion of the proceeds as a donation to that nonprofit.

• The Weekly Open Studio art classes will be held from 2 to 4 p.m. on Wednesdays at the Haywood County Arts Council in Waynesville, Instructor will be Betina Morgan. Open to all artists, at any stage of development, and in the medium of your choice. Cost is $25 per class. There will also be a Youth Art Class from 4:15 to 5:15 p.m. on Wednesdays. Cost is $15 per class. Contact Morgan at 828.550.6190 or email bmk.morgan@yahoo.com.

• The Museum of the Cherokee Indian’s exhibit, “People of the Clay: Contemporary Cherokee Potters,” features more than 60 potters from the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and Cherokee Nation, and more than one hundred works from 1900 to the present. The exhibit will run through April.

• A “Beginner Step-By-Step” adult painting class will be held at 6:30 p.m. on Thursdays at Frog Level Brewing in Waynesville. There is also a class at 6:30 p.m. on the last Wednesday of the month at Balsam Fall Brewing in Sylva. Cost is $25 with all supplies provided. For more information on paint dates and/or to RSVP, contact Robin Arramae at 828.400.9560 or wncpaintevents@gmail.com.

‘Comedy Night’ at Mad Anthony’s

There will be another installment of “Comedy Night” at 9 p.m. Monday, Dec. 23, at Mad Anthony’s Taproom & Restaurant in Waynesville.

Comedians include Becca Steinhoff, Peter Smith McDowell, Jess Cooley, Hilliary Begley, Alex Joyce and Jake Koll. Hosted by Josh Merrell. Admission is $5 at the door. Proceeds from the show will go to REACH of Haywood County. For more information, call 828.246.9249.

‘Holly Jolly Christmas’

Kids at HART, the youth drama group at the Haywood Arts Regional Theatre, will present “Holly Jolly Christmas” at 2 p.m. Dec. 21-22 at HART in Waynesville. Celebrate the holidays with Kids at HART. You will definitely leave in the spirit of Christmas. Joining the Kids will be Master of Ceremonies Glenn Arnette and performers Stephen Gonya, Jerri Harris and James Bice. Let the magic of the season surround you with song and excitement.

To make reservations go to www.harttheatre.org or call 828.456.6322.

‘Miracle on 34th Street’

A special holiday stage production of the classic “Miracle on 34th Street” will be held at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 20-21 and at 4 p.m. Dec. 22 at the Smoky Mountain Community Theatre in Bryson City.

By chance, Kris Kringle, an old man in a retirement home, gets a job working as Santa for Macy’s. Kris unleashes waves of good will with Macy’s customers and the commercial world of New York City by referring parents to other stores to find exactly the toy their child has asked for.

Seen as deluded and dangerous by Macy’s vocational counselor, who plots to

have Kris shanghaied to Bellevue Psychiatric Hospital, Kris ends up in a court competency hearing. Especially at stake is one little girl’s belief in Santa. In a dramatic decision, the court confirms Kris as the true Santa, allowing Susan and countless other children to experience the joy of childhood fantasy. Box office opens one-hour before show time. Only cash is accepted at the door. There will be a 15-minute intermission with locally made goodies. All concessions are $1. For more information, visit www.smctheatre.com.

Admission is $14 for adults, $8 for children under 17. For advance tickets, click on smctheatre.eventbrite.com.

ALSO:

• The “Singing Christmas Card” show will be presented by the Overlook Theatre Company at 7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 19, at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts in Franklin. Tickets are $10. www.greatmountainmusic.com or call 828.524.1598.

• There is free comedy improv class from 7 to 9 p.m. every Thursday at Frog Level Brewing in Waynesville. No experience necessary, just come to watch or join in the fun. Improv teacher Wayne Porter studied at Sak Comedy Lab in Orlando, Florida, and performed improvisation with several groups. Join Improv WNC on Facebook or just call 828.316.8761.

HPAC ‘Live via Satellite’

The Highlands Performing Arts Center will present an encore screening of the MET Opera’s Holiday Classic that is Mozart’s “The Magic Flute” at 1 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 21. Julie Taymor’s (of “The Lion King” fame) kaleidoscopic production returns this holiday season. The winning ensemble includes tenor Matthew Polenzani, baritone Nathan Gunn, and bass René Pape in this abridged, English-language version of Mozart’s classic fable. Bring the whole family and create a new holiday tradition, there is no charge for children accompanied by an adult. Taymor’s fanciful sets, costumes and puppets won rave reviews.

Like most fairy tales the magic flute is a mysterious story of good and evil. Naturally, Ms. Taymor’s production makes the opera’s monsters quite charming, like the puppet bears who are enchanted by Tamino’s magic flute.

Tickets are available online at www.highlandspac.org, www.highlandsperformingarts.com or at the door.

‘The Magic Flute.’

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Last-minute holiday ideas for the literary

You’re down to the wire. It’s only a few days until Christmas, and you have yet to get that book lover in your life a gift. Maybe it’s your husband who nightly reads military history. Maybe your 9-year-old can’t get enough of the Hardy Boys. Maybe your teenage niece is reading anything she can get her hands on.

You could buy these loved ones books, of course, but giving a book is risky unless you know the specific title desired. All bibliophiles love books, but not just any book, and those of us who regard books as one of the three chief pleasures of civilization, the other two being coffee and hot showers, can be picky about what we read. Besides, what if that person has already read or owns the book? No — buying a book for an inveterate reader is as touchand-go as investing in the “Jeff Minick Bermuda Fund.” (Donations may be sent to this newspaper c/o the editor.)

Here I will make one exception of genre: Books about books generally delight readers, because these volumes send those readers off to the bookshop or library to track down recommended titles. By these, I mean books like James Mustich’s 1,000 Books To Read Before You Die, 501 Must-Read Books, a compilation put together by editor Emma Beare, or Michael Dirda’s Book by Book: Notes on Life and Reading, which is a delightful amalgam of this great critic’s thoughts on living and literature.

Now let’s consider some ideas for both gifts and stocking stuffers.

First, go to your local bookstore if you are lucky enough to have one in your town. (If you want to keep that bookshop in your town, you need to shop there.) Poke around. You might find some of the stocking stuffers mentioned below, a book that could delight even

the fussiest of readers, or some other unexpected surprise.

No luck? No problem. Because the one gift that always delights any reader is a store gift

great-great-grandchild may treasure the list her own ancestor created so long ago. Including a good pen with the journal would be a nice touch.

card. Give them that, and they receive the pleasures of browsing the shelves, selecting the book they want, and carrying it home to read.

But let’s say you want to give something more personal in addition to, or in lieu of, the gift card. Here are just a few ideas.

First, especially for heavy-lifting bookies, consider a nice notebook or journal, not for recording the daily events but for setting down the titles of books read, the authors, and a few comments. Remind the recipient that George Vanderbilt of Biltmore House fame recorded the books he read from the age of 12 until his death and that someday some

Book chronicles Smokies

characters, history

Journalist and author Holly Kays will host a book reading for her new work, Trailblazers & Traditionalists: Modern-day Smoky Mountain People, from 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 21, at Blue Ridge Books in Waynesville.

Trailblazers & Traditionalists is a compilation of 33 feature stories written previously published in the weekly newsmagazine The Smoky Mountain News, where Kays works as a journalist. The book offers an intimate look into the lives of some of the diverse

Next up are the stocking-stuffers with themes from literature: coffee mugs with quotes emblazoned on them, T-shirts and socks, stationary, magnets for the refrigerator, tote bags, games, pictures, even wallpaper and umbrellas. Again, shop at your local bookshop, and if you can’t find your heart’s desire there, then hit the Internet. You can browse sites like Amazon or explore others like The Literary Gift Company.

To illustrate the wide range of such gifts available to you, let’s turn to Turtle Point Press and their release of what they call The Divining Poets Series. These are packets of quotable cards from Rumi and Emily

and fascinating people who call this mountainous region home. Kays is a journalist and author who makes her home in the mountains of Western North Carolina. In 2017, she published her debut title, a novel called Shadows of Flowers

Having earned 30 state and national awards during her journalism career thus far, Kays covers a range of topics for the regional newsmagazine The Smoky Mountain News and is a regular contributor to Smoky Mountain Living Magazine. Originally from Williamsport, Maryland, she is a graduate of Virginia Tech’s creative writing and natural resources programs.

Trailblazers & Traditionalists retails for $15.95, with $19.95 covering shipping, fees and taxes. It is published by The Smoky

Dickinson. They may be used to inspire, to provoke the reader into thought, or for memorization. The sets include a small stand so that owners may display a particular quote in a special place.

Want to up the stocking-stuffer idea into a major gift? Buy a large Christmas bag meant for gifts, throw in some of the stocking stuffers, add tea or special coffee, edible treats of all kind, some holiday candy, and if appropriate, a bottle of wine or spirits. Top it off with a Dickensian card and that gift card to the bookshop, and you just made your booklover’s Christmas morning.

Another idea, without spending a penny: Institute a read-aloud as your gift. Set aside a certain time, daily or weekly, and promise to read with your lit-lover. Lots of poetry is better when given voice. Go back and find some old authors, and give them a try: the works of Stephen Vincent Benet, whose “The Devil and Daniel Webster” brings both American history and entertainment to the family; the rollicking verse of Rudyard Kipling, or his “Just So Stories;” some of the short stories of O’Henry; the essays of E.B. White or Joseph Mitchell of Down In The Old Hotel fame. Read with élan, even stories like Winnie-the-Pooh or The Wind in the Willows can bring smiles and pleasure to adults and children alike.

A friend of mine has written a book, and to help her edit it, she reads it aloud to me by phone twice a week while we both look at a copy of the text. She reads 45 minutes or so, stopping when I have a question or she wishes to make a change, and this reading over the last month or so has become one of the highlights of my week. It slows me down, the text delivered by her voice delights because both are so perfectly matched, and having to focus my attention on this one project somehow relaxes me.

Here’s to a grand holiday season to all you readers out there and to those you love! Best wishes and blessings to all of you.

(Jeff Minick is a writer and teacher. minick0301@gmail.com.)

Mountain News. Order the book from Kays’ Facebook page, www.facebook.com/hollykaysauthor, send $19.95 to paypal.me/hollykays or mail a check made out to “Holly Kays Writing” to 144 Montgomery Street, Waynesville, NC.

• Monthly Poetry Reading at Panacea Coffeehouse in Waynesville. Last Saturdays every month at 2 p.m. Bring your poetry, essays and writings to share. Be sure to order drinks and snacks and tip the staff of Panacea. For more information, contact Morella Poe at poevampyre@gmail.com.

LEAVE ONLY FOOTPRINTS

Panthertown chosen for Leave No Trace awareness program

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER

Panthertown Valley’s popularity is increasing, and advocates for the backcountry area — located near Cashiers in the Nantahala National Forest — hope its newfound designation as a Leave No Trace Hot Spot will help head off some of the lessthan-pleasant effects of that popularity.

There’s no up-to-date visitation estimate for Panthertown, said Charly Aurelia, trail stewardship coordinator for Friends of Panthertown, but the last count put it at 25,000 visits per year.

“That use has been increasing over past years,” said Aurelia. “We just jointly helped create a parking area at the Salt Rock Gap entrance, and it’s full across the summer.”

Human-bear encounters are frequent, and hikers venturing off the official trails have over time peppered the 10,000-acre area with a network of user-created routes, said Aurelia. These impacts, coupled with the likelihood that more will follow as visitation continues to increase, drove Aurelia to nominate Panthertown as a Leave No Trace Hot Spot, and Panthertown was chosen as one of 14 areas accepted to the program this winter.

“We try to select a diverse array of places, whether it’s urban parks, city parks, big national parks or specific sites in national

forests,” said Mitch Warnick, Leave No Trace In Every Park program manager with the Colorado-based Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics. “This one fit the bill in the more dispersed areas. It’s not a wilderness area, but it’s not near a major population center and there’s not a visitor center. It’s this dispersed national forest site that doesn’t have a lot of active management. Being on a national forest, there’s not a ton of staff dedicated to just that location.”

The Hot Spot program, launched in 2012, aims to identify areas that are in danger of being “loved to death” but can thrive again through improved observance of Leave No Trace principles. Leave No Trace advocates for responsible use of the outdoors through adherence to seven rules designed to ensure current visitors don’t take away from the experiences of future ones. Those principles are: plan ahead and prepare; travel and camp on durable surfaces; dispose of waste properly; leave what you find; minimize campfire impacts; respect wildlife; and be considerate of other visitors.

GETTING THE MESSAGE OUT

Every year, traveling trainers with the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics conduct 600 educational programs, but participants in the Hot Spot program receive a week of focused attention from one of these two-person teams. Panthertown will host the trainers during a five-day event Aug. 21-25, 2020. However, the process will begin well before August, with planning starting in late winter. Leave No Trace will coordinate with various stakeholders to determine what impacts they most want to address and what their goals are for building up their stewardship efforts. During the actual event, the Leave No Trace trainers will begin with a tour of the area to get an on-the-ground sense of what issues are at play, followed by various community workshops aimed at spurring awareness of Leave No Trace principles and best practices for communicating those principles to Panthertown visitors.

“It’s trying to explain why. Why are these rules in place?” said Warnick. “What impacts do your actions have, and in particular trying to highlight in many of these places cumulative impacts. It sometimes takes an explanation for people to understand it may just be you walking off-trail in your mind, but if you and 100,000 other people do that, those interactions are going to add up.”

It’s incredibly helpful to future users for the stakeholders — in this case including Friends of Panthertown, the U.S. Forest Service, trail volunteers and tourism organizations, for starters — to have an opportunity to sit down together and decide on a unified, consistent message, said Warnick.

“If visitors do the research and go out on a hike and then they see a tourism organization saying this versus the agency saying that versus another friends group saying another thing that’s all inconsistent,

Wildlife commission proposes rule changes

Public comment is now open for proposed changes to N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission rules, with a public hearing planned for 7 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 14, at Southwestern Community College’s Myers Auditorium.

Proposed changes include:

n Prohibiting possession or use of any material containing or purported to contain any bodily fluid from a live cervid — the family includes deer and elk —for the purposes of hunting, attracting or scouting wildlife. The proposal seeks to reduce the risk of human-caused introduction of chronic wasting disease in North Carolina.

n Prohibiting target shooting on Sandy Mush Game Land.

n Decreasing the general statewide daily creel limit for Kokanee salmon from seven to four. There is evidence of significant declines in the Lake Nantahala fishery, the only Kokanee salmon fishery in the Southeastern United States.

n Specifying the impounded waters of power reservoirs and municipally owned water supply reservoirs that are open to the public for fishing when Hatchery Supported Trout Waters are closed. These reservoirs are Bear Creek Lake, Buckeye Creek Reservoir, Calderwood Reservoir, Cedar Cliff Lake, Cheoah Reservoir, Cliffside Lake, Tanassee Creek Lake, Queens Creek Lake and Wolf Lake. These reservoirs are already open for fishing when other Hatchery Supported Trout Waters are closed, but this fact is not clear in the existing rule.

n Creating a designation of “Sensitive Habitat Zone” that can be applied to portions of game lands. Areas designated as Sensitive Habitat Zones would be closed to

that’s setting the visitor up for failure because they don’t know what’s right, and they may just ignore all of it,” said Warnick.

Trainers will work with stakeholders to ensure that doesn’t happen.

The event will also include service projects that aim to get community members out on the trails with stewardship groups, hopefully realizing how much work there is to do, why it’s important — and that it can be fun.

The week will conclude with a wrap-up meeting to debrief the event and talk about what comes next.

“We discuss what went well and why it went well, what could have been done better and why, and what the next steps are,” said Warnick. “We really try to get them to line out some short term, long term and midterm goals.”

The overall result should be deep integration of Leave No Trace principles into management decisions, volunteer programs and visitor programs, said Warnick.

Over the past eight years, Leave No Trace has conducted just under 100 Hot Spot programs in 35 states, including at Linville Gorge in 2015 and Ellicott Rock in

the general public during the dates specified on the sign, with entry for any purpose prohibited without written approval from an authorized agent of the Wildlife Commission. The proposal is the result of a recent increase in the number of people

n Adding blue catfish to the list of species for which no permit shall be issued to stock inland fishing waters. The change is due to the fish’s status as an invasive species.

n Adding redtail catfish to the list of species that is unlawful to transport, purchase, possess, sell or stock in public or private waters. The change is due to the fish’s status as an exotic species.

traveling to sensitive habitat areas at Sandhills Game Land, degrading the habitat and threatening the population of plants and animals there.

n Creating definitions for “artificial fly” and “single hook fly” as it relates to Public Mountain Trout Waters in order to provide clarity for anglers regarding the long-standing requirement to use artificial lures, artificial flies and single hooks in these waters. The proposed changes would also add about 0.3 miles of Hatchery Supported and Delayed Harvest Trout Waters while removing 0.6 miles of Hatchery Supported Trout Waters.

2019. Those programs have done a lot to improve the messaging and community buy-in surrounding Leave No Trace principles, said Warnick, and the mere process of hosting the trainers has been transformational as well.

“Consistent positive feedback from our Hot Spots over the years is a lot of community work, community understanding and growth has occurred just through hosting a Hot Spot, regardless of the individual recommendations or individual programs,” said Warnick. “That’s a pretty consistent theme.”

ONGOING EFFORTS

Aurelia, himself a Leave No Trace master educator, said he’s looking forward to the trainers’ visit in August but that Panthertown is already working on changes to help alleviate some of the issues it’s facing, especially regarding bears.

n Adding Alabama bass to the list of inland game fishes. The species has been introduced by anglers over the past 20 years and is indistinguishable from the spotted bass, which is already listed as an inland game fish. A separate amendment will establish a statewide regulation of no minimum size limit or creel limit for either Alabama or spotted bass.

The comment period will be open through Friday, Jan. 31. Email comments to regulations@ncwildlife.org — emails must include a name, phone number and mailing address — or mail them to Rule-Making Coordinator, N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, 1701 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, N.C. 27699.

TUESDAY THRU SUNDAY FROM 5PM UNTIL... SUNDAY BRUNCH 10AM TO 2PM AVAILABLE FOR PRIVATE EVENTS 743 HAYWOOD RD • WEST

828.575.2737

View the proposed changes at www.ncwildlife.org/proposed-regulations. 12 EASY

“We have bears that are learning, ‘This is where we get food,’” said Aurelia. “They’re learning and they’re passing it on to each generation.”

Nationwide, he said, bears are figuring out how to get into bags that are hung from a tree, the traditional way of keeping food safe. It’s not really working anymore.

The U.S. Forest Service “strongly recommends” that backcountry campers in Panthertown use bear-resistant canisters to store their food and carry a readily available can of bear spray, but not everyone follows those guidelines. Friends of Panthertown is currently working with Boy Scout Troop No. 701, in Brevard, on an Eagle Scout project to install a bear box in one of the areas that’s often used as a campsite and plans to have five such boxes installed by summertime.

“We’re already moving in that direction,” Aurelia said. “We’re already taking action to minimize impacts, but that relationship where the bears learn this is where we can come find food — we need to stop that connection.”

Panthertown is a black bear haven, designated by the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission as part of the PanthertownBonas Defeat Bear Sanctuary. The large number of bears that live there, coupled with the increasing number of human visitors, has resulted in a significant number of bear encounters.

Including all of your pet's healthy pet care needs for one year! This is not insurance but is a plan tailored to fit your pet and can include spay, neuter or dental cleaning. Hospital: 828-452-5211

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Smokies facility chief wins regional honor

Trailer Center

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The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is home to the winner of this year’s Facility Manager of the Year for the National Park Service’s South Atlantic Gulf Region.

Facility Management Division Chief Alan Sumeriski, who has led the park’s facility management workforce since 2007, received this year’s award. It’s not the first time he’s been recognized for his efforts, taking home the park’s Employee of the Year award in 2010.

“Alan consistently provides excellence in leadership for the management of one of the most complex park maintenance operations in the National Park Service, allowing us to serve over 11 million visitors on our roadways, trails, campgrounds and picnic areas each year,” said Superintendent Cassius Cash. “He is most deserving of this honor and I’m proud to serve with him in the Smokies.”

Sumeriski oversees 150 permanent and seasonal staff who care for 384 miles of roads, 146 bridges, 152 historic cemeteries, 27 water and sewer systems, 10 campgrounds, 11 picnic areas, 848 miles of trails and more than 100 historic structures and landscapes. He has also led major projects such as completion of the Foothills Parkway Missing Link in 2018, construction of the Oconaluftee Visitor Center and Collections Preservation Center and $100 million worth of infrastructure improvements through 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds. Next year, he will lead projects such as rehabilitation of park headquarters and safety improvements to the Foothills Parkway Spur. Sumeriski lives in Sevierville, Tennessee, with his wife Kim. There they raised their two daughters, Kasey and Alicia.

FSA election winners announced in Haywood

William “Danny” Hyatt of Waynesville has been elected to represent his local administrative area during the Farm Service Agency’s recent county committee election.

Linda Boyd, also of Waynesville, will serve as the first alternate.

“County Committee members are a critical component of the day-to-day operations of FSA,” said Paula Edwards, county executive director. “They help deliver programs at the county level and work to serve the needs of local producers.”

Newly elected members will take office in January 2020 and join the existing committee. Every FSA office is served by a county committee made up of local farmers, rangers and foresters who are elected by local producers. Nearly 7,800 people serve on FSA committees nationwide. Members serve three-year terms. www.fsa.usda.gov/elections.

Burnsville woman wins national park writing residency

Sue Wasserman of Burnsville has been chosen as the winner of the second annual Steve Kemp Writer’s Residency, funded by the Great Smoky Mountains Association.

Wasserman will live in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park from April 1 to May 15 as part of this program that seeks to connect writers with the Smokies in order to inspire some of their best work. It is named in honor of 30-year GSMA veteran Steve Kemp, who retired in 2017 and will spend time guiding Wasserman in her experience of iconic park places. Wasserman was selected from among eight finalists by a committee comprised of 13 GSMA authors, past and present board members and retired GSMA and park employees.

“While spending time with the artists, I made time to wander along some of the national park trails,” she wrote in her residency application. “One morning in Greenbrier, a young family was walking alongside me, their tiny tot a crying hot mess. She wanted to go home even though they had just started their journey. I called her over, telling her the woods were filled with magic and tiny flowers. I pointed one out and told her if she looked carefully, she would see countless more. The mom was as grateful as she was surprised. She had never thought to look down and had never noticed the flowers before. A few hours later when we encountered each other again, their tiny tot was still happily engaged in the magic.”

Wasserman is a GSMA member who has recently written two articles for Smokies Life magazine focused on artists and artisans of the Great Smoky Arts sand Crafts Community. She has also been published in The New York Times, Southern Living, American Style and the Atlanta Journal Constitution, among others. She has also self-published two books, A Moment’s Notice and Walk with Me: Exploring Nature’s Wisdom.

Sue Wasserman. Donated photo

Changes proposed to sochan agreement

A proposed amendment to an agreement that allows Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians members to gather sochan in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is open for public comment through Sunday, Jan. 12.

The park and the EBCI signed an agreement on March 29 to allow up to 36 permitted members of the tribe to gather and remove portions of the spring leaves of sochan plants — also known as green-headed coneflower — using traditional means. After reviewing 2019’s gathering activities, the parties have identified three possible amendments to improve the agreement: n Allow permitted tribal members the choice of gathering the part of the sochan leaf known as the turkey foot or gathering whole sochan leaves. n Clarify text regarding gathering activities near visitor centers, trailheads, campgrounds and picnic areas.

n Establish sochan research areas that would be off-limits for gathering.

Find the proposed amendment at https://parkplanning.nps.gov/grsm by following the link titled “Sochan Gathering for Traditional Purposes-General Agreement Amendment 1.” Submit comments through the online portal or mail them to Great Smoky Mountains National Park, ATTN: Environmental Planning and Compliance, 107 Park Headquarters Road, Gatlinburg, TN 37738.

Read about the initial sochan gathering agreement at https://bit.ly/2rwl2hJ.

Count the birds

Birders across the globe are gearing up to celebrate the season with the 120th annual Christmas Bird Count, and the Smokies region is no exception.

Each Christmas Bird Count circle is 15 miles in diameter, and participants are

and Jan. 5. Data gleaned from the yearly count goes into what is now a massive citizen science database.

Planned counts are:

A group of birders covers the Franklin area during a previous Christmas Bird Count. File photo

n Friday, Dec. 20, in Highlands. Led by the Highlands Plateau Audubon Society, this count will convene at 7:30 a.m. at Kelly Hutchinson Park. Groups will disburse and search for birds until about 1 p.m. RSVP to Brock Hutchins at 404.295.0663. n Saturday, Dec. 21, in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park near Gatlinburg. Routes will vary depending on weather-related closures of some roads or trails. RSVP to Warren Bielenberg at 865.681.7884.

Most routes contain a mix of driving and walking. No expertise in bird identification is needed, as counts are conducted in groups led by experienced birders.

tasked with finding as many bird species in that area as possible during the single-day count. All counts are held between Dec. 14

Plan a winter hike

More information, including an interactive map showing circles in locations ranging from Argentina to Alaska, is available at www.audubon.org/conservation/joinchristmas-bird-count.

Get the scoop on the best winter hikes and waterfalls in Western North Carolina with a session to be held 7 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 2, at REI in Asheville.

REI staff will share their favorite trails for winter hiking in WNC, covering everything from planning and logistics to safety precautions and local resources. Learn why staff recommend these trails over others, which trails might be good for you and what to bring.

Free, with registration required at www.rei.com/events. The class will be repeated at the same time on Thursday, Feb. 20.

Explore Panthertown waterfalls

A 4.5-mile hike exploring the northeast corner of Panthertown Valley will be offered at 10 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 21, in Jackson County.

Mike and Susan Kettles of the Nantahala Hiking Club will lead this excursion to Rhapsody and Aunt Sally Falls. The route will include several creek crossings to an 80-foot fall, with a steep 200foot climb to the base of the falls. Aunt Sally Falls is another one-eighth mile off a spur trail.

The group will meet in Cashiers and carpool to the trailhead. Visitors welcome, but no dogs. RSVP to the Kettles at 828.743.1079.

Jog into 2020

Get 2020 up and running with the Run in 2020 5K beginning at 11 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 1, at the Cullowhee Recreation Center in Jackson County.

Early 5K registration is $20. The fun run is free, with kids 12 and under getting a free participation ribbon. The first 100 runners will receive a shirt. Awards will be given for overall male and female winners, as well as to the top three in each age group category.

Race day signup and packet pickup will be held 9:45 to 10:45 a.m., with an untimed half-mile fun run starting at 11:45 a.m.

Hit the pool

The event will be canceled in case of inclement or threatening weather. Sign up at www.runsignup.com.

An aqua fitness class will be held 5:30 to 6:15 p.m. Monday through Thursday at Reid Gym Pool on Western Carolina University’s campus, beginning Jan. 13 and running through the end of the semester.

Participants will enjoy a variety of aqua exercises designed to increase cardiovascular endurance. Water aerobics exercise every muscle and joint in the body simultaneously, with less strain and stress than other forms of exercise.

A non-refundable $65 registration fee covers the entire semester. Register at swim.wcu.edu or call 828.227.7397.

WNC Calendar

COMMUNITY EVENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS

• The Jackson County Planning Board will hold a public hearing at 6 p.m. on Dec. 19 at the Department on Aging, Heritage room, in Sylva. Regarding text amendments to Article IV, Section 4.3.5; Article V, Section 5.3; Article X, Section 10.3; Article XI, Section 11.2.

• The Juvenile Crime Prevention Council will hold a regular meeting at noon on Jan. 9 at the Justice & Administration Building, 401 Grindstaff Cove Rd., Room A227, in Sylva.

• Bingo Night is at 6 p.m. on the second Saturday at the Fines Creek Community Center. 25 cents per game. Info: www.fb.me/finescreekorg or 593.7042.

• Jackson County Planning Board: 6 p.m. second Thursday of the month. Heritage room at the Department of Aging, 100 County Services Park in Sylva. 631.2261.

• Cat adoption hours are from noon-5 p.m. on Fridays and noon-4 p.m. on Saturdays at 453 Jones Cove Road in Clyde. Adoption fee: $10 for cats one-year and older. Check out available cats at www.petharbor.com. 452.1329 or 550.3662.

• Fontana Regional Library now offers anyone with a library card free access to eMagazines, for reading on any mobile device or computer. This new service joins our popular eBooks and digital audiobook`s selection — all available 24/7 from the library’s digital collection. To get started enjoying digital magazines as well as eBooks and audiobooks, visit e-inc.overdrive.com or download the Libby reading app. www.fontanalib.org.

B USINESS & E DUCATION

• Registration is underway for a Quickbooks Summit that will be offered through Haywood Community College’s Small Business Center from 8 a.m.-6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 9, in Building 200, Room 203 in Clyde. For info or to register: 627.4512 or SBC.Haywood.edu.

• Registration is underway for the spring semester at Haywood Community College in Clyde. www.haywood.edu, hcc-advising@haywood.edu or 627.2821.

• Haywood Community College’s Workforce Continuing Education Department is offering a wide variety of courses. For a complete listing: www.haywood.edu. Info: 627.4669 or rgmassie@haywood.edu.

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

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

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

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

FUNDRAISERS AND B ENEFITS

• Waynesville Pizza Company is holding a basket raffle through Dec. 20 to benefit Haywood County Animal Shelter. Tickets are $5 for 1 or $20 for 5 and can be

All phone numbers area code 828 unless otherwise noted.

purchased at Waynesville Pizza. Basket value is more than $500 and includes donations from local businesses and artisans.

• Stonehouse Pottery (Waynesville) will be doing an Open Studio Tour and Sale the first Sunday of each month to help support our local nonprofits. Each month highlights a different artist and that artists chooses his or her nonprofit. Stonehouse Pottery and the artist then give a portion of the proceeds as a donation to that nonprofit.

H EALTH MATTERS

• Buti Yoga + Bubbles is set for 6:30-7:30 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 20, at Waynesville Yoga Center. Cost: $15. Info and reservations: 246.6570 or WaynesvilleYogaCenter.com.

• Yoga for Back Care is set for noon-1 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 21, at Waynesville Yoga Center. Cost: $15. Info and reservations: 246.6570 or WaynesvilleYogaCenter.com.

• Wheels of Life: Deep Dive Into the Chakra System will be offered from 2-3:30 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 21, at Waynesville Yoga Center. Cost: $15. Info and reservations: 246.6570 or WaynesvilleYogaCenter.com.

• Yoga for Back Care is set for noon-1 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 28, at Waynesville Yoga Center. Cost: $15. Info and reservations: 246.6570 or WaynesvilleYogaCenter.com.

• Group Breathwork Healing is set for 5:30-6:45 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 28, at Waynesville Yoga Center. Cost: $15. Info and reservations: 246.6570 or WaynesvilleYogaCenter.com.

• A monthly grief support group will meet from noon1:30 p.m. on the first Friday of each month, with complimentary lunch provided, at Haywood Hospice Office, 43 Bowman Dr., in Waynesville. 452.5039 or Melanie.seeger@lhcgroup.com.

• Al-Anon, a confidential support group for friends and family members of alcoholics, meets at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesdays at Grace Episcopal Church in Waynesville. 440.724.5994.

• Haywood County Health & Human Services Agency will hold a monthly night clinic from 4:30-6 p.m. on the second Thursday of each month at 157 Paragon Parkway in Clyde next to Tractor Supply. Annual exams, birth control, child health, lab testing, immunizations, STI/STD exams and counseling. Appointments: 452.6675.

• Co-Dependents Anonymous, a support group for those wishing to create more fulfilling relationships with themselves and others, will meet from 5:30-6:30 p.m. on Fridays at the Friendship House, 566 S. Haywood St., in Waynesville. http://coda.org.

• The Haywood Chapter of Survivors of Suicide Loss meets from 6:30-8 p.m. on the first Monday of each month at the Fellowship Hall of Hazelwood Presbyterian Church in Waynesville. Info: 910.528.0169.

• The WNC Ostomy Support Group will meet from 6-7 p.m. every second Monday at the Jackson County Center Cooperative Extension’s Meeting Room, 876 Skyland Dr., Suite 6, in Sylva. Group is for people living with a urostomy, ileostomy, colostomy or a continent diversion. Facilitated by Certified Ostomy Nurses.

• Gentle Yoga for Cancer is offered from 1:30-2:30 p.m. on Fridays at the Haywood Breast Center in Waynesville. Info: MyHaywoodRegional.com/YogaforCancer or 452.8691.

• “Nourishing You” – an introductory “Yoga for Cancer” class, is offered from 1:30-2:30 p.m. on Fridays at the Haywood Breast Center in Waynesville. Taught by Kim Mulholland, Mindful Yoga for Cancer Duke Integrative Medicine Trainer. Info: 452.8691 or MyHaywoodRegional.com/YogaforCancer.

• A Community Acupuncture Clinic is held on the third weekend of each month at 461 Moody Farm Road in Maggie Valley. Hours are 10 a.m.-5 p.m. on Saturday and 1-4 p.m. on Sunday. Sliding scale cost is $35-$55. Offered by Barbara Dennis, a Licensed Acupuncturist and Registered Nurse.

• Jackson County Department of Public Health is offering diabetes self-management education as well as medical nutrition therapy. Info: 587.8240 or http://health.jacksonnc.org/wic.

• The Haywood County Senior Resource Center holds a dementia caregivers support group from 4:30-6 p.m. on the fourth Tuesday each month in Waynesville. 356.2800 or www.haywoodseniors.org.

• “Riding the Waves of Cancer” meets from 2:30-4 p.m. on Thursdays at the Haywood Regional Health & Fitness Center. Physician referral from an oncologist or cancer doctor is required: Myhaywoodregional.com/yogaforcancer. 452.8691.

• Codependents Anonymous (CoDA) meets at 5:30 p.m. on Fridays at the Friendship House on Academy Street, behind and adjoining the First United Methodist Church of Waynesville. Group of persons desiring healthy and fulfilling relationships. 775.2782 or www.coda.org.

• The Haywood County Dementia Caregivers' Support Group meets at the Haywood Senior Resource Center (81 Elmwood Way, Waynesville). The meetings are scheduled from 4:30 PM until 6:00 PM on the fourth Tuesday. 926.0018.

• Community First Aid and CPR classes are offered from 6-10 p.m. on the first Tuesday of each month at Haywood Community College in Clyde. Info: 564.5133 or HCC-CPRraining@haywood.edu.

• Nutrition counseling and diabetes education are offered through Macon County Public Health in Franklin. 349.2455.

• National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) holds a support group for family, friends, and those dealing with mental illness on the 1st Thursday of each month in the 2nd floor classroom at Haywood Regional Medical Center at 6:30 p.m.

• HIV and syphilis testing will is offered during normal business hours at Jackson County Health Department.

• Adult Children of Alcoholics and Dysfunctional Families (ACA) meets at noon on Saturdays at the First United Methodist Church Outreach Center at 171 Main St. in Franklin. 407.758.6433 or adultchildren.org.

• The Jackson County Department of Public Health will offer a general clinic from 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. 587.8225.

• A Food Addicts Anonymous Twelve-Step fellowship group meets at 5:30 p.m. on Mondays at Grace Church in the Mountains in Waynesville. www.foodaddictsanonymous.org.

• Big Brother/Big Sister, a one-evening preparation class for children who are about to greet a new baby into their family, is offered for children ages 3-10 at Haywood Regional Medical Center. 452.8440 or MyHaywoodRegional.com/ParentClasses.

• Mothers Connection, an ongoing social gathering for mothers and their babies, meets from 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. on Thursdays excluding holidays at Haywood Regional Medical Center. 452.8440 or MyHaywoodRegional.com/ParentClasses.

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

■ Complete listings of local music scene

■ Regional festivals

■ Art gallery events and openings

■ Complete listings of recreational offerings at regional health and fitness centers

■ Civic and social club gatherings

• A support group meeting for those with Parkinsons Disease and their caregivers will be held at 2 p.m. on the last Wednesday of the month at the Haywood County Senior Resource Center in Waynesville. 356.2800.

• Free childbirth and breastfeeding classes are available at Harris Regional Hospital in Sylva. Classes are offered bimonthly on an ongoing basis. Register or get more info: 586.7907.

• A free weekly grief support group is open to the public from 12:30-2 p.m. on Thursdays at SECU Hospice House in Franklin. Hosted by Four Seasons Compassion for Life Bereavement Team. 692.6178 or mlee@fourseasonscfl.org.

• “ECA on the Move!” – a walking program organized by Jackson County Extension and Community Association – meets from 9-10 a.m. on Mondays through Thursdays. It’s an effort to meet the American Heart Association’s recommendation of 10,000 steps per day. 586.4009.

• A Tuesday Meditation Group meets at 6:30 p.m. on the second and fourth Tuesdays of each month at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Franklin.

R ECREATION AND FITNESS

• Sylva Yoga will hold an Open House and Winter Solstice Celebration from 5-8 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 21, in Sylva. Refreshments and live music.

• Sunrise Flow + Ground is set for 7-8:15 a.m. on Monday, Dec. 23, at Waynesville Yoga Center. Cost: $15. Info and reservations: 246.6570 or WaynesvilleYogaCenter.com.

• Sunrise Flow + Ground is set for 7-8:15 a.m. on Monday, Dec. 30, at Waynesville Yoga Center. Cost: $15. Info and reservations: 246.6570 or WaynesvilleYogaCenter.com.

• Registration is underway for Aqua Fitness that will be offered from 5:30-6:15 p.m. on Mondays through Thursdays during the spring semester, starting Jan. 13, at Reid Gym Pool on Western Carolina University’s campus in Cullowhee. Registration fee: $65 for the semester. Info or to register: swim.wcu.edu or 227.7397.

• An hour yoga class is offered at 9 a.m. on Wednesdays at the Maggie Valley Wellness Center. $15 for a single class, or $55 for a package of four classes. 944.0288 or maggievalleywellness.com.

S PIRITUAL

• First United Methodist Church of Sylva will hold candlelight services at 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. on Christmas Eve, Dec. 24, at 77 Jackson St. in downtown Sylva. 586.2358.

P OLITICAL

• Tickets and corporate table reservations are available for the Annual Awards Banquet and Franklin Chamber of Commerce annual meeting, which are at 6:30 p.m.

on Jan. 16, at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts in Franklin. Info and reservations: 524.3161.

• Tickets are on sale now for the 27th annual Charles Taylor Holiday Dinner, which will be held at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 21, at the Expo Center at the Crowne Plaza Resort in Asheville. Hosted by Charles Taylor and family. Taylor is the longest-serving Republican Congressman in Western North Carolina history. Hear from national speakers and meet federal, state and local candidates. Tickets: $65 per person. 243.2187 or tasmothers@yahoo.com. Send checks to Taylor, P.O. Box 7587, Asheville, NC 28802.

• The December Membership Meeting of the Jackson County NAACP starts at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 21, at Liberty Baptist Church in Sylva. At 11 a.m., program is presented by President Enrique: “The State of the Branch.” Potluck lunch afterward.

• The Jackson County NAACP meets at 10 a.m. on the third Saturday each month at Liberty Baptist Church in Sylva.

• Down Home Haywood holds its monthly community meetings at 2:30 p.m. on the third Saturday of each month at Canton Presbyterian Church. Tackling issues like healthcare, wages, housing and more. chelsea@downhomenc.org.

AUTHORS AND B OOKS

• Author and Smoky Mountain News reporter Holly Kays will hold a signing for her new book, “Trailblazers & Traditionalists: Modern-day Smoky Mountain People” from 2-4 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 21, at Blue Ridge Books in Waynesville. Book is a compilation of 33 feature stories previously published in the Smoky Mountain News. Price: $19.95. www.facebook.com/hollykaysauthor or 240.520.9757.

• A poetry reading is held at 2 p.m. on the last Saturday of each month at Panacea in Waynesville. Bring poetry, essays and writings. poevampyre@gmail.com.

• Waynesville Book Club at 5:30 p.m. on the first Monday of each month at Waynesville Library Meet to discuss books, which are chosen by each member (taking turns) and provided by the library. New members are welcome. For more information, 356.2507.

S ENIOR ACTIVITIES

• Western North Carolina Cribbage Club meets at 6:30 p.m. every Monday. Info: 926.3978.

• The Mexican Train Dominoes Group seeks new players to join games at 1 p.m. on Tuesdays at the Haywood County Senior Resource Center in Waynesville. 356.2800.

• Book Club is held at 2 p.m. on the third Wednesday of the month at the Haywood County Senior Resource Center in Waynesville. 356.2800

• A Hand & Foot card game is held at 1 p.m. on Thursdays at Haywood County Senior Resource Center in Waynesville. 356.2800.

• Pinochle game is played at 1 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays at Haywood County Senior Resource Center in Waynesville. 356.2800.

• Mah Jongg is played at 1 p.m. on Wednesdays at Haywood County Senior Resource Center in Waynesville. 356.2800.

• A Canasta card game is set for 1 p.m. on Mondays at the Haywood County Senior Resource Center in Waynesville. 356.2800.

K IDS & FAMILIES

• Kids’ Night Out for ages 4-14 is set for 6-8 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 20, at Waynesville Art School, 303 N. Haywood St., in Waynesville. WaynesvilleArtSchool.com or 246.9869.

• Family Art Making Circle is set for 11 a.m.-noon on Saturday, Dec. 21, at Waynesville Art School, 303 N. Haywood St., in Waynesville. Whimsical Christmas Decorations. WaynesvilleArtSchool.com or 246.9869.

• Kids’ Night Out for ages 4-14 is set for 6-8 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 27, at Waynesville Art School, 303 N. Haywood St., in Waynesville. WaynesvilleArtSchool.com or 246.9869.

• Registration is underway for a pair of basketball camps that will be offered this winter at Waynesville Recreation Center. led by former Appalachian State head coach Kevin Cantwell. Camps are held from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. on Dec. 30-31 and Jan. 2-3. $100 per camper, or attend both camps for $175. Applications available at Waynesville Recreation Center; make checks payable to Cantwell. Info: academy7@live.com or www.kevincantwellbasketball.com.

• Registration is underway for the 2020 Region 8 Western Regional Science fair, which is set for Thursday and Friday, Feb. 13-14, in the Ramsey Regional Activity Center at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee. Thursday’s event is for grades 3-5; Friday is for grades 6-12. Info: sciencefair.wcu.edu or 227.7397.

• The “Polar Express” will depart on select times through Dec. 31 from the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad depot. www.gsmr.com.

• Sign-ups are underway for “Mardi Gras in the Mountains,” a children’s costume contest, pet costume contest and pantomime music parade that will be held on Feb. 22. Proceeds benefit Appalachian Animal Rescue Center in Franklin. For details on participation, sponsorships and volunteers: 369.0092.

• Mother Goose On the Loose early childhood curriculum will be featured in a Reading Adventures Storytime program that’s offered at 1:30 p.m. on Wednesdays at Marianna Black Library in Bryson City. Blends rhyming with movement, storytelling, simple songs, music and sensory play. 488.3030.

Helping Seniors

With Their Needs

We can handle your day to day financial transactions, including assistance with check writing, payment of monthly bills and coordination of other services. Ifyouhavelimitedmobility, contact us about an in-home visit.

• Waynesville Art School offers the Young Artist Program in the afternoons for 5-6 year old, 7-8 year old, 9-12 year old. Intro to Printmaking and Evening studies in arts is offered for 13-19 year old. Waynesville Art School is located at 303 N. Haywood Street. Info: 246.9869, info@waynesvilleartschool.com or visit WaynesvilleArtSchool.com for schedule and to register.

• Mountain Wildlife offers wildlife education programs for schools and organizations in Western North Carolina, free of charge. If you are interested in having them visit your group contact them at blackbears66@gmail.com, 743.9648 or visit the website at www.mountainwildlifedays.com.

ONGOING KIDS ACTIVITIES AND CLUBS

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

• “Art Beats for Kids” will be held from 4 to 5 p.m. on Thursdays at the Charles Heath Gallery in Bryson City. A new project every week. $20 per child, with includes lesson, materials and snack. To register, call 828.538.2054.

• A program called “Imagine,” an art program for children 8-12 meets at 2 p.m. on Tuesdays at the Jackson County Public Library. Program contains art, writing, and drama. 586.2016.

• Rompin’ Stompin’, an hourlong storytime with music, movement and books, is held at 11 a.m. on Fridays at the Canton Library. For ages zero to six. 648.2924.

• Crafternoons are at 2:30 p.m. on the second Tuesday of every month at Hudson Library in Highlands.

• Library Olympics will be held at 2 p.m. on Fridays at Jackson County Public Library. Children age 5 and up get active through relay races, bingo, mini golf. 586.2016.

• Family Story Time is held on Tuesdays at 10:30 a.m. at the Canton Public Library. Ages 0-6. Stories, songs, dance and crafting. 648.2924.

• Storytimes are held at 10 and 10:40 a.m. every Thursday at Hudson Library in Highlands.

• After-School Art Adventure will be on from 3:30 to 4:45 p.m. on Tuesdays at The Bascom in Highlands. For ages 5 to 10, Art Adventure is a class that explores the creative process of drawing, painting, printmaking, clay, sculpture, fiber art, and crafts by utilizing a variety of media. The students will investigate some of the most popular techniques and theories in art history and will be exposed to contemporary as well as folk art traditions. Tuition is $40 for a fourclass package. www.thebascom.org.

• Fun Friday, everything science, is held at 4 p.m. on Fridays at Jackson County Public Library. 586.2016.

• Teen Coffeehouse is at 4:30 p.m. on the first, third, and fourth Tuesday at Jackson County Public Library. Spend time with other teens talking and sharing. 12 and up. 586.2016.

• Rock and Read is at 11 a.m. on Tuesdays at Jackson County Public Library. 586-2016.

• WNC Martial Arts will hold karate classes from 67:30 p.m. on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays at the Old Armory in Waynesville. For more info, contact Margaret Williams at 301.0649 or mvwilliams39@gmail.com.

• Michael’s Kids Club will be held for ages 3-and-up from 10 a.m.-noon on Saturdays at Michael’s in Waynesville. $2 per child for 30 minutes of creative crafts. 452.7680.

• A Lowe’s Build and Grow session for ages 3-and-up is scheduled from 10-11 a.m. on Saturdays at the Sylva (586.1170) and Waynesville (456.9999) Lowe’s stores. Free.

• Art classes are available for kids 10 and older from 4:15-5:30 p.m. on Wednesdays at the Bascom in Highlands. $15 per class. 787.2865 or www.thebascom.org.

• Art Adventure classes are taught for ages 5-10 from 3:30-4:45 p.m. on Wednesdays at the Bascom in Highlands. Theme: metal. Instructor: Bonnie Abbott. $20 per month. 787.2865.

• Free, weekly, after-school enrichment classes are offered by the Bascom and MCAA from 3-5 p.m. on Thursdays at Macon Middle School through a grant from the Jim McRae Endowment for the Visual Arts. To register, contact Bonnie Abbott at 743.0200.

•A community breastfeeding information and support group meets from 10:30 am.-noon on the first Saturday of each month in the main lobby of the Smoky Mountain OB/GYN Office in Sylva. Free; refreshments provided. For information, contact Brandi Nations (770.519.2903), Stephanie Faulkner (506.1185 or www.birthnaturalwnc), or Teresa Bryant (587-8223).

• Macon County 4-H Needlers club, a group of youth learning the art and expression of knitting and crochet crafts, meets on the second Tuesday of each month. For information, call 349.2046.

• A Franklin Kids’ Creation Station is held from 10 a.m.-noon on Saturdays at uptown Gallery in Franklin. Snacks provided. $20 tuition. 743.0200.

• SafeKids USA Blue Dragon Tae Kwon Do School offers defense training with after-school classes Monday through Friday and Saturday mornings. 627.3949 or www.bluedragontkd.net.

• A Lego Club meet the second Wednesday of the month at 5 p.m. at Cashiers Community Library. 743.0215.

Puzzles can be found on page 46

These are only the answers.

• Teen time 3:30-4:30 p.m. Thursdays at Waynesville Library. A program for teens and tweens held each week. Each week is different, snacks provided. 356.2511.

• The American Girls Club meets at City Lights Bookstore in Sylva. The club meets one Saturday a month, call for details. Club is based on a book series about historical women. Club members read and do activities. Free. 586.9499.

• Crazy 8 Math Adventure Club on Tuesdays 3:30 p.m.

- 4:15 p.m. for grades K-2 at the Macon County Public Library. 524.3600.

• Culture Club on the second Wednesday of the month, 1 to 2 p.m. for K-6 graders. Guest speakers, books, photos, crafts and food from different countries and cultures. Macon County Public Library. 524.3600.

• The Wee Naturalist program, which is for children ages 2-5 (with a parent or guardian), is held from 1011:30 a.m. on Mondays and Tuesdays at the North Carolina Arboretum. Age-appropriate activities such as nature walks, garden exploration, stories, crafts and visits from classroom animals $7 cost per child; $3 more for each additional child in a family. Register at: www.ncarboretum.org/education-programs/youthfamily-programs/wee-naturalist

K IDS FILMS

• “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood”, will be showing through Dec. 19 at The Strand on Main in Waynesville. 38main.com.

• “Frozen II”, is showing through Dec. 19 at Smoky Mountain Cinema in Waynesville Plaza. Visit www.fandango.com or http://smokymountaincinema.com/ for showtimes, pricing & tickets. Info. on Facebook or 246.0588.

• “Jumanji: The Next Level”, will be showing through Jan. 2 at Smoky Mountain Cinema in Waynesville Plaza. Visit www.fandango.com or http://smokymountaincinema.com/ for showtimes, pricing & tickets. Info. on Facebook or 246.0588.

• “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker”, will be showing Dec. 19-Jan 2 at Smoky Mountain Cinema in Waynesville Plaza. Visit www.fandango.com or http://smokymountaincinema.com/ for showtimes, pricing & tickets. Info. on Facebook or 246.0588.

• “Frozen II”, will be showing on Dec. 20-26 at The Strand on Main in Waynesville. 38main.com.

• “The Polar Express”, will be showing at 11 a.m. on Dec. 24 at The Strand on Main in Waynesville. 38main.com.

• “Spies in Disguise”, will be showing from Dec. 27Jan. 2 at Smoky Mountain Cinema in Waynesville Plaza. Visit www.fandango.com or http://smokymountaincinema.com/ for showtimes, pricing & tickets. Info. on Facebook or 246.0588.

• The Highlands Biological Foundation will offer a series of nature-themed films and documentaries shown at 6:30 p.m. on the second and fourth Thursday of March in Highlands. For info on each show, call 526.2221.

• A family movie will be shown at 10:30 a.m. every Friday at Hudson Library in Highlands.

ing, mainstream and levels. 706.746.5426, 787.2324, 332.0001 or 727.599.1440.

• Volunteers will wrap gifts for donations to Sarge’s Animal Rescue Foundation from through Dec. 24 at Mast General Store in Waynesville. Volunteers are being sought: https://tinyurl.com/w4s6bv6. Info on Sarge’s: 246.9050 or www.sargeanimals.org.

• The Macon County Public Health’s Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program will sponsor “Cookies with Santa” from 4-6 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 19, at 1830 Lakeside Drive in Franklin. Cookies and mile provided; bring your camera for photos with Santa. Parents can apply for or renew WIC benefits or get help from the breastfeeding peer counselor. 349.2448 or 349.2453 (Espanol).

F OOD & D RINK

• The “Uncorked: Wine & Rail Pairing Experience” will be held from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec 31 at the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad in Bryson City. Full service all-adult first-class car. Wine pairings with a meal and more. 800.872.4681 or www.gsmr.com.

• Bosu’s Wine Shop in Waynesville is offering lunch on Saturdays, “Lunch with us” from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. featuring fresh seasonal menu with outdoor seating weather preminting. 452.0120 or www.waynesvillewine.com.

• Bryson City Wine Market offers flights from 4-7 p.m. on Fridays and from 2-5 p.m. on Saturdays. Flight of four wines for $5.

• Bosu’s Wine Shop in Waynesville will host five for $5 Wine Tasting from 5 to 9 p.m. on Thursdays. Come taste five magnificent wines and dine on Chef Bryan’s gourmet cuisine. 452.0120 or www.waynesvillewine.com.

• Secret Wine Bar is hosted by Bosu’s in Waynesville on Fridays from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Contact for more information and make reservations. 452.1020.

• A free wine tasting will be held from 1-5 p.m. on Saturdays from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. at Bosu Wine Shop in Waynesville. 452.0120 or www.waynesvillewine.com.

Bosu’s will host a Cocktails & Lunch on Saturday’s. Serving house-made champagne cocktails from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. www.waynesvillewine.com

• A free wine tasting will be held from 2-5 p.m. on Saturdays at Papou’s Wine Shop in Sylva. www.papouswineshop.com or 631.3075.

• “Brown Bag at the Depot” – an opportunity to gather with neighbors – is at noon every Friday at Sylva’s newest park at the corner of Spring and Mill Street along Railroad Ave. For info, contact Paige Dowling at townmanager@townofsylva.org.

• Graceann’s Amazing Breakfast is 8-10 a.m. every Tuesday in the Sapphire Room at the Sapphire Valley Community Center. $8.50 for adults; $5 for children. Includes coffee and orange juice. 743.7663.

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

• A game day will occur from 2-9 p.m. every third Saturday of the month at Papou’s Wine Shop & Bar in Sylva. Bring dice, cards or board games. 586.6300.

• A wine tasting will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. on Wednesdays The Classic Wineseller in Waynesville. Free with dinner ($15 minimum). 452.6000.

H OLIDAY

• The High Mountain Squares will host their Christmas Dance from 6:15-8:45 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 20, at the Robert C. Carpenter Community Building on Georgia Road in Franklin. Western-style square danc-

• A special holiday stage production of the classic “Miracle on 34th Street” will be held at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 20-21 and at 4 p.m. Dec. 22 at the Smoky Mountain Community Theatre in Bryson City. Box office opens one-hour before show time. Only cash is accepted at the door. There will be a 15-minute intermission with locally made goodies. All concessions are $1. www.smctheatre.com. Admission is $14 for adults, $8 for children under 17. smctheatre.eventbrite.com.

• The “Singing Christmas Card” show will be presented by the Overlook Theatre Company at 7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 19, at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts in Franklin. Tickets are $10. www.greatmountainmusic.com or 524.1598.

• The Highlands Performing Arts Center will present an encore screening of the MET Opera’s Holiday Classic that is Mozart’s “The Magic Flute” at 1 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 21. Tickets are available online at www.highlandspac.org, www.highlandsperformingarts.com or at the door.

• The Strand at 38 Main (Waynesville) will host “Holiday Cheer with Joe Newberry & April Verch” 7:30 p.m. Dec. 21, with tickets available for $18. 283.0079 or www.38main.com.

• “Comedy Night” at 9 p.m. Monday, Dec. 23, at Mad Anthony’s Taproom & Restaurant in Waynesville. Comedians include Becca Steinhoff, Peter Smith McDowell, Jess Cooley, Hilliary Begley, Alex Joyce and Jake Koll. Hosted by Josh Merrell. Admission is $5 at the door. Proceeds from the show will go to REACH of Haywood County. 246.9249.

• The Brothers Gillespie will host its “Eve, Eve, Eve Jam” celebration at 9 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 21, in The Gem downstairs taproom at Boojum Brewing in Waynesville. Admission is $5 at the door. For more information about The Brothers Gillespie and the “Love & Death” album, click on www.brothersgillespie.com.

• Tickets are available now for a performance by the Fisk Jubilee Singers, which is set for 7 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 13, in the University Center at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee. Tickets: $5 for WCU students, $10 for non-WCU students and WCU faculty and staff and $15 for general admission. Available at bardoartscenter.wcu.edu or 227.2479.

• Lazy Hiker Brewing (Franklin) will host an open mic night at 6:30 p.m. every Thursday. www.lazyhikerbrewing.com.

• Pub 319 (Waynesville) will host an open mic night from 8-11 p.m. every Wednesday. Free and open to the public. www.pub319socialhouse.com.

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

• Satulah Mountain Brewing (Highlands) will host “Hoppy Hour” and an open mic at 6 p.m. on Thursdays and live music on Friday evenings. 482.9794 or www.satulahmountainbrewing.com.

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

• Boojum Brewing Company (Waynesville) will host a bluegrass open mic every Wednesday and an all-genres open mic every Thursday. All shows are free and begin at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. www.boojumbrewing.com.

• The Strand at 38 Main (Waynesville) will host an “Open Mic” night from 7 to 9 p.m. on Saturdays. 283.0079 or www.38main.com.

• The Classic Wineseller (Waynesville) will host live music on Fridays and Saturdays. All shows are free and begin at 7:15 p.m. 828.452.6000 or www.classicwineseller.com.

ON STAGE & I N CONCERT

• Kids at HART, the youth drama group at the Haywood Arts Regional Theatre, will present “Holly Jolly Christmas” at 2 p.m. Dec. 21-22 at HART in Waynesville. www.harttheatre.org or 456.6322.

• Boojum Brewing Company (Waynesville) will host a bluegrass open mic every Wednesday and an all-genres open mic every Thursday. All shows are free and begin at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. www.boojumbrewing.com.

• The Water’n Hole Bar & Grill (Waynesville) will host an “Open Mic Night” on Mondays and karaoke on Thursdays. All events at 10 p.m. unless otherwise noted. 828.456.4750.

• Haywood Arts Regional Theatre is opened up its bistro Harmons’ Den for karaoke performance on Saturday nights. It is also open mic night at 8 p.m.. On nights when there’s a theater performance in the Fangmeyer Theater, karaoke begins after the show is over. www.harttheatre.org.

• Guadalupe Café (Sylva) will host Folks’ Songs (world/fusion) from 7 to 9 p.m. on Fridays.

• Open Mic Night is from 7-9 p.m. on Saturdays at The Strand on 38 Main in Waynesville. 283.0079 or www.38main.com.

CLASSES AND PROGRAMS

• Western North Carolina Cribbage Club meets at 6:30 p.m. every Monday. Info: 926.3978.

• The Weekly Open Studio art classes will be held from 2 to 4 p.m. on Wednesdays at the Haywood County Arts Council in Waynesville, Instructor will be Betina Morgan. Open to all artists, at any stage of development, and in the medium of your choice. Cost is $25 per class. There will also be a Youth Art Class from 4:15 to 5:15 p.m. on Wednesdays. Cost is $15 per class. Contact Morgan at 550.6190 or email bmk.morgan@yahoo.com.

• Painting Night for adults is set for 7-9 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 19, at Waynesville Art School, 303 N. Haywood St., in Waynesville. WaynesvilleArtSchool.com or 246.9869.

• Encouraging art classes for beginning through advanced adults are offered by the Inspired Art Ministry at the following times and dates: Drawing classes from 1-4 p.m. on Mondays; painting classes from 1-4 p.m. on Tuesdays. Info: 456.9197, charspaintings@msn.com or www.iamclasses.wbs.com.

• Waynesville Art School offers “The Joy of Drawing”, Still Life in Color: Acrylic & Pastel and “Relief Printmaking” classes for adults at 303 N. Haywood Street. Info: 246.9869, info@waynesvilleartschool.com or WaynesvilleArtSchool.com.

• Uptown Gallery will offer free open studio times from 6:30-8:30 p.m. on Tuesdays and from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. on Thursdays at 30 E. Main Street in Franklin. 349.4607, franklinuptowngallery@gmail.com or www.franklinuptowngallery.com. required: 631.0271. Info: www.JCGEP.org.

• Open Studio Wednesdays are from 6-10 p.m. at Waynesville Art School, 303 N. Haywood Street. $15 per session. Embrace your creativity while making art alongside other artists. Registration required: 246.9869 or WaynesvilleArtSchool.com.

• Jackson County Public Library in Sylva is hosting craft therapy. This get-together will be the first Tuesday of each month from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. It will take place in the Atrium at the library. Craft therapy is an evening of up-cycle crafting at the library. Drop in for the whole session or as long as you would like. Each month will have a different theme the library will supply tools and materials that you may need to create something within that theme. If you have anything craft/art related to donate, please bring it by the library or call them at 586.2016, dduffy@fontanalib.org and www.fontanalib.org.

• A variety of dance classes ranging from foxtrot and waltz to rumba and cha cha – as well as East Coast Swing and Salsa – are taught at multiple times and days weekly at Folkmoot Center and Waynesville Wellness. $10 per activity per person. No partner or

experience necessary. For dates and times, and to RSVP, 316.1344 or dancetonightwaynesville@gmail.com.

• The Dave Drake Studio Barn offers a variety of ceramic and raku classes by appointment as well as weekly drawing, writers and community knitters groups. Info: 787.2865.

• Second Saturday Markets take place from 6-8 p.m. at Folkmoot in Waynesville. A gathering place for friends of all ages, markets feature vendors, live music, ballroom dance lessons for $5, and a homemade meal for $10. Beer and wine are available for purchase and tables will be set up for participants to play board and card games that they bring from home. Info: 452.2997 or info@folkmoot.org.

• The Haywood County Public Library is offering online lifelong learning courses in over 30 subject areas, many of which offer continuing education units, through Universal Class. Free for library cardholders. www.haywoodlibrary.org or 452.5169.

• A “Beginner Step-By-Step” painting class will be held at 7 p.m. on Thursdays at Frog Level Brewing in Waynesville. Cost is $25 with all supplies provided. For more information on paint dates and/or to RSVP, contact Robin Arramae at 400.9560 or paintnitewaynesville@gmail.com.

• A comedy improvisation class will be offered from 7-9 p.m. on Tuesdays at Frog Level Brewing in Haywood County. Led by improv teacher Wayne Porter, who studied at Sak Comedy Lab in Orlando and performed improv with several groups. To RSVP and get directions, call 316.8761.

• Western North Carolina Woodturners Club will meet at 10 a.m. on the second Saturday every month at the Bascom in Highlands.

ART SHOWINGS AND GALLERIES

• Jenean Hornbuckle, a landscape painter, is currently showing her works, at the Rotunda Gallery in the Sylva library. info@jacksoncountyarts.org or 507.9820.

• Acrylic and watercolor painter Linda Blount and acrylic painter Jason Woodard will have their works showing in the auditorium of the Waynesville branch library through January 2020. The showcase is provided by the Haywood County Arts Council/Haywood County Public Library through the collaborative “Art Works @ The Library” program.

• Cherokee Indian Hospital is issuing a “Call to Artists” for the new Analenisgi Inpatient Unit. The mission is to create community pride and ownership using a variety of culturally significant, healing art mediums. Enrolled EBCI members will be given preference. Mediums can include, but are not limited to, paintings (oil, acrylic, pastels, watercolor) photography, fiber arts, metal, mixed media and sculpture. Please email legendweaverstudios@gmail.com if you want the formal “Call to Artists” application and information.

• The Haywood County Arts Council annual show, “It’s a Small, Small Work,” will be held through Jan. 4 in HCAC Gallery & Gifts in Waynesville. The 2019 exhibit will feature 60 artists and almost 240 individual works of art for sale. www.haywoodarts.org or 452.0593.

• Applications are being accepted for artists who want their work included in monthly gallery exhibits or retail spaces through the Haywood County Arts Council. HaywoodArts.org or GalleryGifts@HaywoodArts.org.

• The Museum of the Cherokee Indian has recently opened a major new exhibit, “People of the Clay: Contemporary Cherokee Potters.” It features more than 60 potters from the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and Cherokee Nation, and more than one hundred works from 1900 to the present. The exhibit will run through April 2020.

• New artist and medium will be featured every month at the Haywood County Senior Resource Center in Waynesville. 356.2800.

FILM & S CREEN

• “Knives Out”, is showing through Dec. 19 at Smoky Mountain Cinema in Waynesville Plaza. Visit www.fandango.com or http://smokymountaincinema.com/ for showtimes, pricing & tickets. Info. on Facebook or 246.0588.

• The Second Tuesday Movie Group meets at 2 p.m. in the Waynesville Library Auditorium. For info, including movie title: 452.5169.

Outdoors

• Landmark Learning will offer courses in Wilderness First Responder Registration is also underway for Jan. 14-12 class in Asheville, Jan. 18-26 in Brevard and Feb. 8-16, March 7-15 and March 14-22 in Cullowhee. Info: www.landmarklearning.org.

• A public hearing to take comments on a draft permit for Duke Energy Progress is set for 6 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 19, at Asheville-Buncombe Technical College in Asheville. Permit is for Duke Energy Progress to build and operate an industrial landfill at its Asheville Steam Electric Plant. Written comments accepted through Friday, Jan. 10. Permit application at https://tinyurl.com/w9wefks. Send written comments to Ed Mussler, N.C. Div. of Waste Management, Solid Waste Section, 1646 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-1646 or publiccomments@ncdenr.gov.

• A recertification class for commercial and private pesticide applicators will be offered from 3-5 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 19, at the Macon County Extension Office in Franklin. Info: 349.2046 or https://tinyurl.com/85x9x8c.

• An Early Christmas Bird Count will be held at 7:30 a.m. on Friday, Dec. 20, in Highlands. Groups disburse and look for birds until about 1 p.m. RSVP: 404.295.0663.

• Great Smoky Mountains National Park will host a holiday homecoming starting at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 21, at the Oconaluftee Visitor Center near Cherokee. Hands-on crafts and activities from 10 a.m.-noon and old-time musical jam session from 1-3 p.m. Info: 497.1904.

• Landmark Learning is offering several options to take a Wilderness First Responder Recertification class, starting with a Jan. 10-12 in Brevard. Registration is also underway for courses on Feb. 28 in Cullowhee and March 1 in Brevard. www.landmarklearning.org.

• Registration is underway for several options to take a Wilderness Emergency Medical Technician program through Landmark Learning, starting with a class from Jan. 4-31 in Cullowhee. Other options include May 23-June 19, July 11-Aug. 7 and Oct. 3-30. www.landmarklearning.org.

• Public Comment is now open for proposed changes to N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission rules with a public hearing planned for 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 14, at Southwestern Community College’s Myers Auditorium in Sylva. View proposed changes: www.ncwildlife.org/Proposed-Regulations. Send comments to regulations@ncwildlife.org or Rule-Making Coordinator, N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, 1701 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, N.C. 27699.

• An opportunity to learn about winter hikes and waterfalls in Western North Carolina will be offered from 7-8:30 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 2, at REI in Asheville. Registration required: www.rei.com/events. Class repeats at the same time on Thursday, Feb. 20.

• Registration is underway for the Landmark Outdoor Educator Semester, which is offered May 14-June 30, through Landmark Learning. www.landmarklearning.org.

• The Asheville Winter Bike League will offer structured group rides at 10 a.m. every Saturday through Jan. 25. $5 donation requested. Sign up required: https://tinyurl.com/yx5byb8h.

• Sons of the American Legion will present a Turkey Shoot at 9 a.m. every Saturday through April at 171 Legion Dr. in Waynesville. $2 per round; refreshments provided. Weather permitting. 456.8691.

• The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission Hatchery Supported Trout Waters is open from 7 a.m. until onehalf-hour after sunset until last day of February. Info: https://tinyurl.com/yae8ffqn.

COMPETITIVE E DGE

• Run in 2020 5K will start at 11 a.m. on Thursday, Jan. 1, at the Cullowhee Recreation Center in Jackson County. Signup and packet pickup from 9:45-10:45 a.m.; half-mile fun run starts at 11:45 a.m. Early registration is $20: www.runsignup.com.

FARM AND GARDEN

• Garden workdays are held from 3 p.m. until dusk every Wednesday at Cullowhee Community Garden, 65 S. Painter Road. Weeding, mulching, general garden maintenance. 587.8212.

• Local farmers can stop by the Cooperative Extension Office on Acquoni Road from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. every fourth Friday to learn about USDA Farm Service Agency programs in the 2014 Farm Bill. Info: 488.2684, ext. 2 (Wednesday through Friday) or 524.3175, ext. 2 (Monday through Wednesday).

• The Macon County Poultry Club of Franklin meets at 7 p.m. on the third Tuesday of each month at the Cooperative Extension Office on Thomas Heights Rd, Open to the public. 369.3916.

H IKING CLUBS

• Nantahala Hiking Club will take a moderate, 4.5mile hike with a 300-foot ascent on Saturday, Dec. 21, at Rhapsody and Aunt Sally Falls in Panthertown Valley. Info and reservations: 743.1079.

• A 4.5-mile hike exploring the northeast corner of Panthertown Valley will be offered at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 21, in Jackson County. Led by Mike and Susan Kettles of the Nantahala Hiking Club. RSVP: 743.1079.

• Nantahala Hiking Club holds monthly trail maintenance days from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. on every fourth Saturday at 173 Carl Slagle Road in Franklin. Info and to register: 369.1983.

• Hike of the Week is at 10 a.m. every Friday at varying locations along the parkway. Led by National Park Service rangers. www.nps.gov/blri or 298.5330, ext. 304.

• Friends of the Smokies hikes are offered on the second Tuesday of each month. www.friendsofthesmokies.org/hikes.html.

• Nantahala Hiking Club based in Macon County holds weekly Saturday hikes in the Nantahala National Forest and beyond. www.nantahalahikingclub.org

• High Country Hikers, based out of Hendersonville but hiking throughout Western North Carolina, plans hikes every Monday and Thursday. Schedules, meeting places and more information are available on their website, www.highcountryhikers.org.

• Carolina Mountain Club hosts more than 150 hikes a year, including options for full days on weekends, full days on Wednesdays and half days on Sundays. Non-members contact event leaders. www.carolinamountainclub.org

Market PLACE WNC

Announcements

MarketPlace information:

The Smoky Mountain News Marketplace has a distribution of 16,000 every week to over 500 locations across in Haywood, Jackson, Macon, and Swain counties along with the Qualla Boundary and west Buncombe County. For a link to our MarketPlace Web site, which also contains a link to all of our MarketPlace display advertisers’ Web sites, visit www.smokymountainnews.com.

Rates:

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• Free — Lost or found pet ads.

• $6 — Residential yard sale ads.

• $1 — Yard Sale Rain Insurance (if a yard sale is rained out the advertiser must contact SMN by 10 a.m. Monday for their ad to run again for free)

• Legal Notices — 25¢ per word

• $375 — Statewide classifieds run in 170 participating newspapers with

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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 .

PUBLIC

NOTICE

Mountain Projects Inc. is planning to submit a proposal to the North

Economic Opportunity for a one-year grant under the Community Services Block Grant program. Public input is requested to utilize funding. The public hearings will be held in Haywood County at 11:00 am on Monday December 23, 2019 at Mountain Proj-

2177 Asheville Road, Waynesville, NC 28786 and in Jackson County at 1:30 pm on Monday December 23, 2019 at Mountain Projects Schulman St. Sylva, NC 28779.

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Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate- Heritage

• Carolyn Lauter - carolyn@bhgheritage.com

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SUPER CROSSWORD

FAMOUS FOODIES

ACROSS

1Withdraw

7Second-rate

13Mexican meat dishes

20Pro speaker

21Start of a pirate chant

22Minimal cash

23Actor Kevin from Quebec?

25Marsh gas, mainly

26William who created Shrek

27Lettuce type

28Fierce wind

30At any point

31Willed gift

33Astronaut Alan clearing hurdles?

36It's scanned in a store, for short

39"Blasted!"

40Discontinued iPods

41Restitution

42"The Taking of -- One Two Three" (1974 film)

44Tie-ons for messy food

45See 64-Across

46Irate novelist Anne?

49Lull comedian John to sleep?

55Vast span

56Per piece

57City on Interstate 80

58Original "Star Trek" captain

59French artist Jean

60Rye husk

62Kagan on the Supreme Court

64With 45-Across, the 1980s, politically

66Gene stuff

67Bewilder justice Warren?

70Med. service

71Sniff out

73French artist Dufy

74Healing balm

75Fancy shooting marble

76Slips a cog

77Outfielder Ty

78Author Sarah -- Jewett

80Key on a PC

81Honor essayist Charles with jesting insults?

84Singer Fiona behaving very badly?

88Pilfer from 89Fruit such as a pear

90Enthusiastic French assent

91Long, thin cigar

95Even trades

97Blast noise

99Airer of "Conan"

100Newswoman Ann being a coward?

102Special Arctic light

104One-named "Smooth Operator" singer

105Met highlight

106"It's --!" ("That's evil!")

107Take on the role of

111Thick-skinned fruits

114Baseballer Mike with chicken pox?

117Turned-up facial feature

118United, with "up"

119South Dakota city

120Form-fitting swimwear

121Litters about 122Pants part

DOWN

1Birds of fable

2Part of QED

3Support stick

4Virtual sales

5Longtime pickup model

6"-- tu" (Verdi 105-Across)

7Jaded sorts

8Foyer

9Moby Dick's hunter

10Pt. of SPCA

11Japanese chiefs of old

12Longtime cleanser brand

13Actress Marisa

14Hex ender?

15Ran into 16"Arrow of God" novelist Chinua --

17Yeast, e.g.

18Set of nine

19Boat backs

24Blind as --

29Old hi-fi buys

32Tennis unit

33Be in sync

34Stoolie, to Brits

35Former car-financing co.

36Happy times

37Grammy-winning jazz/pop pianist

38Nile queen

40Heineken alternative

43Solo in sci-fi

44Paper Mate alternative

45Prefix with chic

47Heedless

48Fled

49Contact lens care brand

50Sounding off

51Alias letters

52Disco, e.g.

53School theater group

54"Catch my drift?"

57Flowers again

59Deadly viper

60U.K. media giant

61Tire catcher

63"-- Grant"

64Classic auto

65'Fore

68Common rhyme scheme

69Exultant joy

72-ette relative

77Hack's auto

79Blvd., e.g.

80Prefix with dermis

82Small band

83MGM mogul Marcus

84Long, strong and fibrous

85Taboo

86Baked with a cheese topping

87"-- for Evidence" (Sue Grafton book)

89Rampart part

91PC admin people

92Get misty-eyed

93"Ripe" period

94Actress Headly

95South, in Lima

96Bracelet holders

97Assembles

98Composer Thomas

101Cartons

102Cockeyed

103Ranch units

106Tiptop

108Ripped

109Halo, for one

110Flower part

112Ares, for one

113That, in Lima

115Spike of corn

116Print quality abbr.

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Branding and other once-popular punishments

Editor’s note: This article by George Ellison first appeared in a December 2003 issue of The Smoky Mountain News.

TBACK THEN

made use of two other penalties.

he interrogation of Saddam Hussein is taking place as I write this. I just learned on a TV broadcast that one of his favorite methods of torturing prisoners was with a branding iron. A prisoner he had branded exhibited a red scar seared into the palm of his right hand. The announcer observed that this was not only effective as physical torture but also served to permanently mark the person branded as an enemy of Saddam’s empire. A legal expert subsequently noted that the practice of instructing a witness in court to raise his right hand has its roots in the desire to see if the witness has been branded as a criminal and, if so, what kind.

This legal expert also discussed the history of branding criminals. The method was widespread by the time of the Roman Empire and was employed extensively during the Middle Ages. Aside from capital punishment, the French during the 18th century

The worst punishment was to be sentenced to galley service. Galleys were large fighting ships powered by a combination of sails and oars. The oars were manned by the convicts, who were chained into position and whipped when more speed was required. It was in a sea battle that they suffered the most, often being lashed to death. Due to exposure to novels, movies, and TV programs, all of us are aware that human branding was still being practiced on the American frontier as recently a century or so ago. But did you know that branding was also alive and well here in Western North Carolina until just after the Civil War? The whipping-post, ear-cropping, and branding iron were accepted as forms of legally rendered punishment until 1868, when they were officially abolished by the state.

I’ve never encountered a written description of an ear-cropping that took place here, but there are several accounts of public floggings. One of these took place in Sylva, where a man was given 39 lashes — the maximum that could be issued — by the county sheriff for stealing hams from a smokehouse. The curious thing about this case was that the man was apparently sneaking the hams out of his own smokehouse; and furthermore, it

was his wife who called the law. Just recently, I happened upon a rather vivid description of a court-ordered branding that took place in Asheville about 1855. The original eye-witness account appeared in a book by Dr. J.S.T. Baird titled Reminiscences, which was published about 1840. I’ve never seen a copy of Baird’s book, but several of his reminiscences were reprinted in the Asheville Saturday Register in 1905 and subsequently included in John Preston Arthur’s History of North Carolina (Asheville, 1913). Here is the one having to do with branding, which Arthur reprinted under the lurid heading “‘M’ FOR MANSLAUGHTER:”

“In that day the penalty for manslaughter was branding in the palm of the right hand with a red hot iron shaped to the letter M. I saw one fellow taken through this barbarous process and this was enough for me. He was convicted and ordered to be branded. The sheriff went to the tinner’s shop and procured a little hand stove filled with good live coals and brought it into the court room and, putting his branding iron into it, soon had it to a white heat. In the meantime the prisoner’s hand and arm were securely strapped to the railing of the bar, and then things were ready. During the branding the prisoner was to repeat three times the words: ‘God save the state,’and the duration the branding was limited by the time in which he could repeat these words. In this case

the prisoner’s counsel, Gen. B. M. Edney, who was a rapid talker, had gotten the consent of the judge, inasmuch as the prisoner was much agitated and slow spoken anyway, for him to repeat the words for his client. When the hot iron was applied, for some reason, the general got tangled and his mouth did not go off well, but the iron was doing its work and the fellow was writhing and groaning all the same. At this juncture the general sprang forward, and knocking the iron aside, said: ‘Mr. Sheriff, you have burnt him enough.’ The judge then taking his hands from over his face, heaved a sigh of relief, and ordered the prisoner turned loose.”

Back to Saddam. I, of course, don’t know what his fate will be. It seems probable that he will be executed in some manner. A more terrible fate, from his point of view, might be to sentence him to life and place him in a small cell in downtown Baghdad furnished with a tiny peephole through which he could observe a free Iraq going about its business. Each day relatives of the victims he slaughtered or the actual people he branded or otherwise mutilated would be allowed to visit his cell and tell him what they think. And if I learned that the large letter “M” had mysteriously appeared in the palm of Saddam’s right hand, I wouldn’t shed a tear.

(George Ellison is a writer and naturalist who lives in Bryson City. info@georgeellison.com)