Smoky Mountain News | May 27, 2026

Haywood hosts Cold Mountain Music Festival Page 22

CONTENTS

On the Cover:

The work to build back the stretch of I-40 in Haywood County near the Tennessee border following Hurricane Helene in September 2024 has begun. The $1.8 billion project is set to be the biggest in NCDOT history, and engineers have touted techniques new to the state that will help the vulnerable stretch of highway be more resilient in the face of future storms. The Smoky Mountain News has the details inside. (Page 6) Kyle Perrotti photo

News

Bryson City wastewater plant breaks ground..............................................................4 Jackson County commissioners review appropriations, budget............................7 Tension dominates May 19 Swain County commissioners’ meeting................10 WCU celebrates first physics-focused graduate in 25 years..............................12 Community briefs..............................................................................................................13

Opinion

Life lessons learned while shopping............................................................................14 Voting Rights Act redo is shameful..............................................................................14

A&E

Six strings of serenity: A conversation with Bryan Sutton....................................16 Haywood hosts Cold Mountain Music Festival........................................................22

Outdoors

When weeds threaten an iconic trail, this ‘strike team’ fights back....................24 Up Moses Creek: No Ode to Dejection....................................................................26

STAFF

E DITOR /PUBLISHER: Scott McLeod. .

ADVERTISING D IRECTOR: Greg Boothroyd.

ART D IRECTOR: Micah McClure.

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D IGITAL MARKETING S PECIALIST Tyler Auffhammer.

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amanda.b@smokymountainnews.com Maddie Woodard.

C LASSIFIEDS: Jamie Cogdill.

N EWS E DITOR: Kyle Perrotti.

WRITING: Lily Levin.

Cory Vaillancourt.

Garret K. Woodward.

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C ONTRIBUTING: Jeff Minick (writing), Susanna Shetley (writing), Adam Bigelow (writing), Thomas Crowe (writing)

CONTACT

WAYNESVILLE | 144 Montgomery, Waynesville, NC 28786 SYLVA | 629 West Main Street, Sylva, NC 28779

S UBSCRIPTIONS

EVENT HIGHLIGHTS

Parade Kickoff June 19, 6pm

Opening Ceremony June 20, 9am

50+ Vendors – No Admission Fee

Chikomo Marimba –FREE LIVE CONCERT

Closing Ceremony June 20, 6pm-9pm

Gourmet Food & Beverages

All-welcoming Festival with many FREE offerings.

Axis Yoga Host Studio & Presenting Sponsor

contact@smokymountainyogafest.com

THREE

• 38 classes & workshops

• FREE Makers & Healers Bazaar, live music & children’s creative play area

FRIDAY 5PM-9PM & SATURDAY 9AM-9PM Folkmoot Campus, 112 Virginia Ave., Waynesville, NC

SUNDAY AM-2PM Outdoor Yoga, Hiking & Forest Bathing at Elk & Embers

SCHEDULE & TICKETS AVAILABLE ONLINE AT SMOKYMOUNTAINYOGAFEST.COM

Bryson City wastewater plant breaks ground

BY LILY LEVIN STAFF WRITER

The new Bryson City wastewater treatment plant broke ground on May 19 in a public ceremony, but town Director of Engineering and Public Works Nate Bowe anticipates far less recognition during the next phase of the project.

“In the utility world, there’s not a lot that’s typically visible, except during construction, when we’re in everybody’s way, and we’re making a mess,” he said, adding that “public feedback is not usually positive.”

Lack of awareness often means the systems are working as usual. Most people don’t think too hard about their drinking water when it flows cleanly and freely from the tap.

“The best thing that can happen is that nobody knows; there’s no effect to anybody’s service,” said Bowe.

But while residents go about their days, a litany of operations — most importantly, the new sewage plant — are occurring behind the scenes to make the town more livable.

The future facility will have a capacity of 900,000 gallons per day, a significant increase from the current plant’s 600,000.

McGill Senior Project Manager Mike Waresak said it’ll be more modern and produce cleaner discharge through environmentally friendly methods like ultraviolet disinfection. Despite just breaking ground this month, the plan is over eight years in the making. Fourterm Bryson City Mayor Tom Sutton on May 19 put that number into perspective — the project, he told the audience, has been in the planning stage since his second term in office.

Given the already sweltering temperature and harsh 11 a.m. sunlight, each speaker talked only briefly, recognizing important individuals on the project. Sutton was no exception, expressing gratitude for key players like Bowe, veteran wastewater plant operator Greg Passmore, former Bryson City manager Regina Mathis and current town manager Sam Patillo.

Project engineers expect to complete the facility by the end of 2027.

“We’ve gone back and forth with the state repeatedly and through our design process trying to dial this in to reduce as much as possible the debt service, and also allow us to build our project,” said Bowe.

But recently the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality sent out a notice that ARPA fund disbursement had surpassed a certain threshold, enabling the state to take on all unappropriated money and allocate it without a deadline.

“They came through for us in a big way,” he told SMN. Bowe surmised a motivating factor behind this decision to be that other municipalities also had undistributed funding. Projects like these take time, he said. He asserted that because ARPA funding was so generous — over $8 billion to North Carolina and $1.9 trillion nationwide — infrastructure projects were pursued at a rate that outsized those available to implement them.

“It’s had a kind of a weird effect in that you’re not getting as many bids as you would hope for because the contractors are so busy. They’re not taking the time to bid on these other things, because they don’t have the people to actually complete those jobs,” he said.

But while that stage is over, uncertainty remains a part of the job.

than Bowe anticipated, forcing him to seek out other funding sources. The town applied for a second CWSRF loan and received $9.2 million toward the project in summer 2025. The first loan had come with $500,000 of forgiveness, and the second with $3 million, bringing what Bowe described as “free money” to a total of $18.5 million.

The public works director still anticipates having to pull $1 - $2 million from the loan to complete the project, especially if future price hikes — due to other geopolitical issues like the Iran war — were to also occur. But in order to borrow CSWRF money, public works must prove a financial capacity to take on and eventually repay the debt to other local officials. “We have to be very sensitive about the debt service that the town takes on, because we’re limited with a small number of customers,” he said.

OTHER IMPROVEMENTS

Bryson City has long had problems with its water and sewer infrastructure. SMN in 2022 covered an NCDEQ moratorium on large-scale developments in the town requiring sewer connections due to various flow limit violations. Bowe chalked it up to “deferred maintenance.”

“Much of [the piping] was put in in the 1960s, and so a lot of it, also smaller extensions over the years, were undersized,” he said, adding that the mindset looked like solving immediate problems rather than preparing for the future.

Funding availability constituted the other half of the equation. Such utilities upgrades are multi-year projects.

“A lot of the funding programs — really all of them — have certain priorities that they want to fund,” he said, adding that the grantee must fulfill these priorities.

Bowe admitted he hadn’t prepared a speech, but like Sutton, he thanked someone who’d been instrumental to the process.

“[Waresak] took over a project that was a bit in flux, and we value-engineered this thing multiple times to get it down to a level where we could meet our funding and to not put the town over a barrel in terms of any kind of loan money that would be difficult for us to repay,” said Bowe.

The “in flux” nature of the project, Bowe explained to The Smoky Mountain News, had to do with the unpredictable nature of its cost. Most town funding for the project — $15 million — was appropriated through the American Rescue Plan Act, former President Joe Biden’s massive COVID-19 stimulus package. But that money is set to expire Dec. 31 of this year, which Bowe said raised major concerns.

At first, construction plus “soft costs” totaled just under $17 million, which Bryson City Public Works expected to fully fund through the ARPA grant and an initial $2 million NCDEQ Clean Water State Revolving Fund loan.

But then the town faced skyrocketing costs. For example, Bowe recounted that a major equipment vendor raised equipment prices by 40% in response to Trump administration tariffs, forcing the town to reduce the scope of the project.

“Currently, we run waste loads through a belt press, which de-waters it, and then that gets transported to a landfill down in Georgia,” he said, adding that the town must pay for that service.

Engineers wanted to implement a processor that would treat sludge and convert it to fertilizer, which could then be used to landscape or maintain roadside areas. “Unfortunately, we had to cut that to save costs,” he said.

Nonetheless, the plant would end up more expensive

A few years ago, Bryson City scouted out — and eventually turned down — a U.S. Department of Agriculture funding opportunity. But before an offer was made, the town generated and coordinated engineering reports in conjunction with the agency. The USDA determined inflow and infiltration to be the town’s most severe infrastructure problem and encouraged engineers to proceed in that direction prior to the wastewater project.

Inflow involves “surface water that finds its way into the water system,” explained Bowe. Whenever a storm hit the area, rain would seep into the piping through a poorly constructed manhole, creating a spike in volume.

The plant “had the hydraulic capacity to receive and treat that stuff,” Bowe said, but its permit was based on average daily flow.

Such an influx would often violate those provisions, hence the moratorium.

Infiltration, on the other hand, means that groundwater has entered the system, typically due to cracked, inadequately sealed pipes or manholes.

Bowe and other town staff were able to curb inflow and infiltration. But that didn’t change the more widespread problem: the sewer main has a diameter of four inches, half of the state minimum design criteria. So, when an individual seeks permission to build a home or business, “a lot of times it’s a real struggle to make that determination, whether or not we can allow someone to connect to the system,” he said. Such a process often involves extending undersized four-inch pipes, some of which are made of clay.

And public health can become compromised when too many houses or businesses are hooked onto inadequate piping.

“We end up with sewer spilling out on the road,” he explained.

Another issue the town has confronted is infrastructure that crosses private property, the terms of which were agreed to in the 1960s through, say, a handshake, rather than an easement.

In such an instance, if a pipe were to break on one private property, no repair could happen without the owner’s agreement — even if the line were shared by several residents. Bowe recounted a situation in which an owner refused the town permission and a neighbor was forced to install septic.

But those jurisdictional issues notwithstanding, the engineer has pursued important upgrades to the town’s water and sewer systems, many of which have been financed by a post-Hurricane Helene state funding initiative. Bryson City received nearly $10 million “to upgrade and strengthen specific components of our water distribution and

sewer collection systems,” Bowe wrote in an email to town officials.

“Our average dailies at our wastewater plant are now in the 300,000 gallon a day range, so we got relieved of the moratorium,” he said.

With assistance from Southwestern Commission, public works also secured a grant through the North Carolina Department of Commerce’s SmBIZ Fund to restore a second waterline.

Helene took out a pipe along the bottom of the Tuckasegee River, so currently, only a single pipe along the Everett Street Bridge delivers drinking water to half of Bryson City residents. If, during the storm, he said, “[the water] had raised another foot or so, we may have lost that other pipe, which would have totally eliminated service to half our customers.”

With the grant funding, Bowe and his team directional-drilled a new pipe about 30 feet below the river. It’s sitting underground right now, he said, adding that the crew is “probably 75% finished” hooking the line into the main system.

“That’s an installation that’s going to be, for all intents and purposes, flood-proof,” he explained.

Even after the second pipe is online, Bowe doesn’t plan to halt the infrastructure improvements. If funding is secured, up next will be a replication of the previous project: another river bore to install another water line.

“Our only goal here is just to make sure that we’re providing a reliable, safe service to all the customers,” he said.

The roller compacted concrete is being layered along the embankment to stabilize the highway.

Officials offer update on massive I-40 repairs

BY KYLE PERROTTI NEWS EDITOR

The project to repair the eastbound lanes of I-40 washed away in Haywood County during Hurricane Helene is progressing on-time, but the heavy lift has really just begun. When Helene tore through Western North Carolina in 2024, it inundated the embankment supporting the highway so vital to interstate commerce, washing away about a million cubic yards of rock and dropping the eastbound lanes into the water below. It was a miracle no lives were lost on that stretch during Helene, but it did leave the state with a lengthy, expensive repair that would require innovative techniques never deployed in a state highway project.

When determining the best design for what has become the biggest project in NCDOT history, hydrologists performed a detailed analysis of not only how high the river peaked but also its flow rate. The magnitude of the flow is the concern in this case and not how high the water goes.

For the first phase of repairs, Wright Brothers Construction and GeoStabilization International shored up what was left of the eastbound lanes and created the temporary safe passage motorists are using now. To stabilize the land under the road, crews installed 128,000 square feet of soilnail walls anchoring the slopes and are covered with a thick layer of shotcrete. Sensors were installed in the 10 affected areas to detect soil movement under the road. If there’s even the slightest shift, an engineer is alerted via text message and email, and the severity of the problem and whether there are any imminent safety hazards is assessed.

slow-going, narrow lane in each direction through the gorge.

One of the techniques new to NCDOT is the use of roller compacted concrete. The first step in producing roller compacted concrete is to source the rock. In this case, materials are blasted and drawn from a site just across the river in National Forest Service land and transported across temporary bridges. Project Manager Blake Sobiesky with the contractor RS&H said that using rock just across the river instead of at sites several miles away is saving taxpayers about 30%.

Last June, NCDOT announced that out of seven potential spots to dig into the earth, it had selected a 33-acre site from which to draw the rock and a nearby 11.5-acre site where overburden material will be stored. The overburden material — rocks, sand and dirt hauled out of the construction site during the project — can be stored and reused in other phases later on. Soblesky noted that the project is also using a large portion of the 1 million cubic yards of material that fell from the highway and embankment into the river during Helene. These moves mitigate the overall impact of the project on surrounding national forest land.

During a media tour of the construction site near the Tennessee state line last week, state officials and project supervisors said the project is scheduled to be completed — or at least close enough to fully open both the eastbound and westbound lanes — by fall 2028. It is expected to come in at about $1.8 billion, 90% of which should be reimbursed by the federal government. Until that point, motorists will see one

The rock sourced from the borrow site, mostly granite and gneiss, is transported via the specially constructed sixmile causeway below the highway to a nearby area replete with heavy machinery affectionately referred to as “rock crusher city.” The rock is processed into a fine material that is turned into the concrete, which is applied and compacted using heavy-duty rollers.

“Depending on the stockpile and how fast you need the material, the rocks can go from the borrow site to the project as final concrete and a day, or it could be stockpiled for continuous use,” Soblesky said.

The process of applying the roller compacted concrete began in February. As of now, about 4%, or 31,000 cubic yards, enough to fill 10 Olympic-size swimming pools, has been used. The roller compacted concrete is laid in 12-inch slabs that will make up sections up to 30 feet thick and 70 feet high. To ensure structural integrity, those sections are installed in 4-foot-tall steps, meaning the embankment will look something like large concrete steps. Once the roller compacted concrete is installed, voids between those structures and the existing embankment will be filled with additional rock from the borrow site.

“That material was used to make our causeway to give us access to the whole project, and some of that material will be used to repair the borrow site when we’re finished, to fill it back in,” Soblesky said. “Additionally, we have around 300,000 cubic yards of overburden soils, loose rocks that aren’t competent and have stripped from the borrow site and stockpiled. That material will then go back in to help reforest, build back the borrow site and build back the slopes.”

The advantage of roller compacted concrete is that it’s dense and bonded, meaning unlike the previous rocks — some as big as boulders — that made up the embankment, it won’t be subject to erosion during heavy flow events.

According to NCDOT Construction Engineer Josh Deyton, the next step is to begin installing interlocking pipe piles, which will further shore up steeper embankments. That should begin next month. Deyton noted that the use of roller compacted concrete and interlocking pipe piles are new territory for the state.

“The amount of roller compacted concrete that we’re using on this project is one of the largest roller compacted concrete projects in the US,” he said.

Education funding falls short of requests

Jackson Schools, SCC won’t get amounts they say are needed

BY LILY LEVIN STAFF WRITER

Immediately after Jackson County Public Schools Associate Superintendent Jake Buchanan and Southwestern Community College President Don Tomas proposed their respective departmental appropriations for fiscal year 2026-27, Jackson County Manager Kevin King presented commissioners with a May 19 draft county budget that left both requests unfulfilled.

to the North Carolina General Assembly, 62% of public schools surveyed noted that teacher supplements had impacted retention and recruitment.

Other factors driving JCPS’ expenditures include purchased services, professional development, supplies and materials — Buchanan mentioned that teachers sometimes must buy classroom supplies on their own dime — as well as maintenance, transportation, utilities and insurance.

The district requested an operational budget of $12,763,530, not including the county-wide free Community Eligibility Provision free meal program and JROTC, both of which are funded through different departments.

Buchanan presented at last week’s meeting instead of Superintendent Dana Ayers, explaining that “she was unavoidably unable to attend tonight.”

He stressed something educators throughout North Carolina have reiterated: as the state cuts back on public school funding, districts must solicit extra financial support from the county.

There’s also the impact of inflation, which outpaced wage growth from 20202025. In the 12-month period leading up to April 2026, consumer price index increased 3.8%, the highest rate since May 2023.

“The money that we receive from our local tax dollars, more and more of that does not go as far as it should,” said Buchanan.

He also expressed the need to raise teacher supplements, which can decrease educator turnover. In an April 2026 report

The proposed county budget allotted $11,249,965 to public education, which amounted to a shortfall of $1.5 million.

Public School Forum reported that in 2023-24, Jackson ranked second highest among all 100 counties when comparing tax base per average daily membership. ADM represents a district’s average daily student attendance in the first 20 days of the prior academic year. A large tax base per ADM means district real estate wealth has the capacity to adequately fund every publicschool student.

But a county’s capacity to fund does not always mean that it will. Indeed, Jackson ranked 96 of 100 for relative funding effort in 2023-24, when public school appropriations made up about 10.7% of total expendi-

tures. JCPS funding accounts for 10.3% of the proposed budget for the upcoming fiscal year.

WRAL in 2024 investigated how five counties fund school operational expenses as a proportion of annual budget. Wake County, at 33%, appropriated the highest percentage. Hoke County, at 14%, appropriated the lowest.

Jackson County has, however, put its money into facilities upgrades and improvements, having taken on $27 million in new debt as of Feb. 17 for county and school capital projects.

On the ADM side, the district is seeing a downward trend in student enrollment — at least at its non-charter institutions. The school system’s ADM peaked in 2017, with 3,787 traditional public and 236 charter school students. In 2026, traditional public and charter ADM totaled, respectively, 3,201 and 420.

While a county’s tax base per ADM might rise with fewer students, no district is advantaged by lower enrollment. The legislature, in addition to its recent public-school cutbacks, penalizes drops in ADM through its funding formula. Shrinking districts are allotted fewer teacher positions, sometimes resulting in school closure or classroom consolidation.

After Buchanan spoke, Tomas approached commissioners about SCC — the community college serving the Qualla Boundary and Jackson, Macon and Swain

counties — funding, noting that 90% of SCC graduates stay within the college’s service area.

The college was requesting $3,335,633 in county appropriations, and Tomas was clear that number represented necessary operational funding.

“We don’t come in with anything that I believe is more than what we need, and I don’t want to play the game of want, and then settle for what we need,” he said, adding later that “operation is what keeps the lights on.”

would receive $985,000 in capital and $3,070,646 in operational appropriations, each of which were $300,000 below Thomas’ proposal.

Commissioners didn’t have many questions after the SCC president spoke — nor did they comment much after Buchanan presented the funding proposal for JCPS — perhaps because King was about to present the budget.

King told The Smoky Mountain News that scheduling conflicts had informed this year’s timeline.

“The money that we receive from our local tax dollars, more and more of that does not go as far as it should.”

— Associate Superintendent Jake Buchanan

As for capital expenditures, the college had budgeted about $1.2 million, half of which would go toward replacing old HVAC units.

The rest, he told commissioners, was about “keeping our buildings up and keeping them nice,” as well as maintaining the fleet of SCC vehicles.

Thomas ended by implying funding the college wasn’t so much an expense as an investment.

This is demonstrated by what he said were “the number of graduates we got out taking jobs, paying taxes, coming back to us, to you, and then enhancing our community for opportunity and access.”

In the proposed county budget, SCC

“The board did not see the request before the draft budget was recommended on May 19. The board was given all capital outlay, non-profits and personnel on April 21, 2026. We did not receive the requested amount from the school until April 20, 2026,” wrote King in response to an SMN inquiry as to whether commissioners had a chance to review the appropriations requests from SCC and JCPS.

Typically, appropriations are requested at least one meeting prior to the county manager’s presentation so departments can influence their funding.

For example, Haywood County Superintendent Trevor Putnam presented the requested district budget in late April,

well before a proposal was drafted by the county manager.

Last year, Ayers approached commissioners May 6, two weeks before King released the proposed budget. However, the board didn’t hear from SCC or Tomas that day nor on May 20.

The SCC president first presented on June 6, 2025, though the meeting minutes do not mention FY 2025-26 requested appropriations, only what the county allotted.

The document does, however, include a line about additional funding.

“Four years ago, the Commissioners provided SCC with a contingency fund. The line item was mistakenly left out of the FY202526 budget request. He requested consideration to expand the budget an additional $83,000 to continue with the contingency,” the document reads.

That line item was added to the final budget.

THE LIBRARY

King on May 19 also informed commissioners that the two Jackson County Public Library locations will cost $1,859,019 to operate in the upcoming year, compared to last year’s total of $1,516,000.

Friends of the Library and state aid, among other sources, will expend $243,000, pushing the county’s expenditures down to $1,616,019. Still, JCPL requires annual appropriations $343,000 greater than its 2025-26 budget, prior to F

breaking from the Fontana Regional Library system.

Commissioners’ final discussion on May 19 concerned JCPL — in particular, a May 5 document explaining the duties and framework of the new library board. Nine volunteer members were outlined in the original proposal, with seven voting and two nonvoting participants. The latter group would be nominated by the Friends of the Library.

While public commenter Antoinette MacWatt felt the FOL members should have the ability to vote, Commissioner John Smith wanted them entirely off the board.

“If the non-voting members, they can’t vote, could they not still make comments to the board via public comment? If that’s the case, then why have them on there as nonvoting?” he asked.

“Well, I think their input is more than just a public comment kind of input, especially considering the fact that these are the ‘Friends of’ individuals; they’re on site more often,” responded Chair Mark Letson.

Smith brought up a seven-month-old message discussed at the prior meeting which he did not attend.

“Also, remember the threatening email that we got back in the fall of last year, that they threatened to pull funding if we didn’t decide to get back into the FRL?” he said.

The email was concerned that if Jackson County pulled out of FRL, FOL couldn’t adequately fund it.

“Membership is down because patrons won’t contribute to the Friends if the Library is going to be run by the County,” wrote Cashiers FOL president Cathy Maddock.

This year’s budget includes two FOL contributions totaling $93,000.

”I just don’t see why we can’t keep the same board we have now to have a smooth transition with Grace coming in,” said Commissioner Jenny Lynn Hooper.

Commissioner Michael Jennings asked her to clarify — did she mean the regional

FRL board or the Jackson County advisory board?

Hooper indicated she’d meant the former.

“From the regional board, there’s three from Jackson County,” said Smith.

Hooper reiterated Smith’s point about axing the two non-voting participants.

“I’m kind of with John on, why should the [FOL] — I mean, if they want to come to the meetings, they can come and give their input. I think we only need five [members], don’t need to have seven,” she said.

Letson clarified that according to the document, the board would be made up of nine individuals.

Commissioner Todd Bryson pushed back on Hooper’s comment, arguing that Powell has a strong relationship with FOL and the board should trust her judgement.

“Well, I trust her too, but I just don’t want it to go to back to where it was, because those people are pretty devious and mean — not Friends of the Library — I’m just talking about the people in general that were against [leaving FRL],” said Hooper.

Letson asked commissioners if they’d like the board to comprise of seven individuals, and to that, if there would be five or seven voting members.

Bryson thought five would be a bit easier to maintain a “quorum.”

“This is an advisory role,” Letson clarified. “If there’s a legal question, they’re going to be contacting legal counsel.”

Smith brought the conversation back to FOL. “Somebody from the Friends of the Library could be one of the voting members, anyway. There’s nothing to prevent them from applying and becoming a voting member.”

The meeting adjourned even as commissioners couldn’t come to a consensus about the preferred number of board members.

A budget public hearing will be held at 6:25 p.m. June 2.

Tension dominates Swain County commissioners’ meeting

BY LILY LEVIN STAFF WRITER

Swain County Commission meetings have become increasingly heated over the past couple of months.

One side consists of several vocal constituents and Commissioner David Loftis, sick of what they categorize as unlawful decisions and a general lack of transparency on behalf of the board. The board’s remaining four commissioners make up the other, frustrated by what they see as disrespectful conduct and some public commenters’ refusal to hear them out.

At the beginning of the May 19 meeting, Chair Jay Kirkland read a statement about conduct that seemed to provoke some in the audience.

“All audience members are asked to remain respectful and avoid interruptions, outburst defending, and other disruptive behavior will not be permitted. The chair is responsible for maintaining order and may call anyone out of order if necessary. Failure to comply will result in being removed from this meeting,” he said.

This rule is not Swain County-specific; many bodies have implemented something similar. North Carolina General Statute

allows the chair to remove an attendee who “willfully interrupts, disturbs, or disrupts an official meeting.” Willful refusal to leave on behalf of said attendee is a Class 2 misdemeanor.

about the constitutionality of prohibiting disrespectful behavior such as crude language or personal insults.

Some counties have enacted bans on such attacks, which critics have decried as anti-

problem wasn’t disrespect but disruption.

As Kirkland continued reading the statement, resident Courtney Dills interrupted with a quip about “county business.”

Ed Mercer, approaching the board to confront members directly, recounted speaking to an attorney who told him because county business constituted an “open meeting,” he had a constitutional right to talk. Sheriff Brian Kirkland patted Mercer’s back and directed him back to his seat, with a comment from Mercer that he “respects the uniform.”

“The state open meetings law provides additional authority for the presiding officer of a public body to remove any person from a meeting if the person is interrupting or disrupting the meeting,” noted the UNC School of Government.

There is, nonetheless, some disagreement

free-speech and “draconian.” And these critics seem to have been vindicated by the recent State vs. Barthel court of appeals decision categorizing such remarks as “impermissible viewpoint-discrimination,” for which a ban would be unconstitutional.

Though on May 19 in Swain County, the

A board meeting is not a public forum in that an attendee has no immediate legal right to speak except during a designated public hearing or public comment session.

Loftis, reviving Dills’ concerns about county business, brought up the empty chair typically occupied

by outgoing County Manager Lottie Barker. (Commissioners at the end of the meeting unanimously appointed Swain County Schools Facilities and Maintenance Chief of Operations Tommy Dills to the position starting July 1.)

“Well, is [Barker] not supposed to be here at every meeting?” Loftis asked, noting that “states have bylaws.”

Indeed, attendance is one of the key responsibilities of this position, as outlined by state law, which says that the county manager “shall attend all meetings of the board of commissioners and recommend any measures that he [or she] considers expedient.”

But Dills expressed further concerns during public comment, like what she claimed was the board’s decision to temporarily suspend attendees’ primary method of engagement.

“I do appreciate the restoration of public comment tonight after months without it,” she told Swain commissioners.

According to state law, public comment must be held at least once per month during regular session. But the board has not recently violated that law. May 19 was a regular session; the prior regular session, in which public comment was also held, was April 21. The same was the case for February and March.

“Every regular session we have, there will always be public comment,” a frustrated-looking Kirkland later explained to the audience.

Dills also brought up unaddressed questions about the May 5 meeting YouTube recording.

“It appears to be incomplete,” she said. “Sections that have either been edited or they were not included in the original video.”

In fact, the video begins mid-sentence during what looks to be a formal presentation to the board. In it, Loftis later references “them [sic] statues [Dills] was mentioning to us,” adding, “I think we want to look into them,” even though Dills is absent from the footage.

Mountain News submitted a public records request on May 20 but has yet to receive the unaltered video.

The first caveat has to do with the nature of the deletion. Documented interactions between government officials and constituents are public record with some exceptions. Public records must be retained in one location and in accordance with a strict schedule dictated by the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. Unlawfully destroying or removing these materials is a Class 3 misdemeanor.

County administration would likely be in the clear given a properly stored, full-length version of the video.

Dills submitted a public records request in early May for the unedited recording, which has also not been fulfilled.

The state requires an agency respond to a public records request “as promptly as possible,” though a timeframe for “prompt” is not provided and often becomes a matter of individual discretion. However, any email sent to the public records address Barker announced during the May 5 meeting bounces back as undeliverable.

The second thing to consider about Barker’s request is the nature of the missing content. The May 5 video qualifies as one type of meeting minutes, which can be written or recorded. Minutes are required for official meetings on a “full and accurate” basis, according to state law.

According to state law, public comment must be held at least once per month during regular session. But the board has not recently violated that law. May 19 was a regular session; the prior regular session, in which public comment was also held, was April 21. The same was the case for February and March.

According to the UNC School of Government, the “full and accurate” requirement does not include what was “said,” only what was “done,” so the erasure could be permissible if commissioners did not take any distinct actions during the missing section, especially since the board also approves written minutes, albeit on a delayed timeline.

Celia Baker criticized this chronic tardiness during public comment.

“Well, I can tell you this, David, until you can do it respectfully, I’m not paying attention to anything … There’s, a right way and a wrong way to do something, and the way it was presented tonight is not the right [way],” said Kirkland.

It was another statement uncontextualized by the uploaded recording.

At the May 19 meeting, Loftis urged an information technology staff member to reveal the cause of this discrepancy, and the man eventually disclosed part of the video had been deleted at the request of Barker.

While such a query might feel questionable or suspicious, it isn’t necessarily a violation of statute depending on two distinct factors. Both remain unknown; The Smoky

“Without rewatching hours of recordings, it is almost impossible to know if an issue, example, Everett Street, is actually a dead issue,” she told commissioners, adding that accountability concerns arise when the public can’t easily access important information.

And as this year’s meetings have shown, doubts that start out as questions, if unanswered, can intensify into allegations of collusion, conspiracy and corruption.

Baker gave commissioners a word of advice about solving this problem.

“I think if you can improve the communication and the information and the transparency of what’s going on, you’re going to cut out a lot of this other mess that’s been escalating with shout-outs and accusations and formal requests and things like that,” she said.

Ingles Nutrition N

Notes

WCU celebrates first physicsfocused graduate in 25 years

Western Carolina University is celebrating a milestone achievement that underscores its commitment to student success, interdisciplinary learning and hands-on research. This spring, Asratun Sarmin Anjum, an international student from Bangladesh, became the first WCU graduate in 25 years to earn a degree rooted in physics — an accomplishment made possible through a customized, interdisciplinary academic pathway.

Anjum’s journey to graduation reflects the kind of personalized, student-centered education that defines WCU. After arriving in Cullowhee in 2024, she discovered the university did not offer a traditional physics major. Rather than limiting her ambitions, faculty worked alongside her to design a degree that integrated her previous coursework with new opportunities in engineering and applied physics.

Anjum ultimately earned a Bachelor of Science in electrical and computer engineering technology with an interdisciplinary studies focus spanning engineering and applied particle physics, working closely with physics Associate Professor Enrique Gomez and the College of Engineering and Technology.

Her academic experience included a highimpact research project in which she helped design, deploy and retrieve a high-altitude balloon equipped to test an energetic particle detector — an opportunity that reflects WCU’s emphasis on undergraduate research and experiential learning.

After arriving in Cullowhee in 2024, Anjum (left) discovered the university did not offer a traditional physics major. WCU photo

Faculty say Anjum’s persistence and independence exemplify the qualities WCU aims to cultivate in its students.

“She maintained her dedication and focus,” Gomez said. “A lot of this research requires selfmotivation and resilience, and she demonstrated both at a very high level.”

Anjum’s achievements were recognized with the College of Engineering and Technology’s Trailblazer Award, celebrating her innovation and determination.

Her story also reflects WCU’s broader impact — supporting students from diverse backgrounds and preparing them to contribute to advancing fields such as robotics, engineering and scientific research. After graduation, Anjum plans to pursue a career that blends physics and engineering in areas such as research and development.

writtenbyInglesDietitianLeahM

written by Ingles Dietitian Leah M

McGrath

WHAAT T CAN YOU DO WITH.... Sweetpotatoes?

DYK that North Carolina is the top the sweetpotato (and yes growing state in the US?

Sweetpotatoes are a good source of beta carotene and com

Here are 5 things to do with sweetpotatoes:

• Scrub and slice into wedges or rounds, drizzle with olive o and seasonings of your choice and roast in a hot oven.

• Use in soups, stews, casseroles or chili in place of white p make slightly sweeter versions of a recipe.

• Boil and mash sweetpotatoes and use in pancakes or to m breads.

• Make a smoothie - Boil (or microwave) and puree sweetpo make into a smoothie by adding milk (or non-dairy milk), van powderr, , vanilla extract maple syrup, cinnamon.

s, it’s one word!) mplex oil or canola oil potatoes to make sweet otatoes and nilla protein

Leah McGrath, RDN Ingles Market Corporate

“I felt like I couldn’t have something, then it just happened,” Anjum said. “Nobody had it in the last 25 years — and now I do.”

WCU to launch engineering master’s program in fall 2026

Western Carolina University will launch a new Master of Science in engineering program in fall 2026, expanding graduate opportunities and responding to growing regional demand for engineers with advanced credentials.

The in-person program, based at WCU’s Cullowhee campus, blends advanced coursework with applied research and interdisciplinary collaboration. Students can specialize in electrical, mechanical, civil or industrial engineering while building technical communication and research skills valued by employers and doctoral programs.

The launch marks a continued expansion of WCU’s engineering offerings and reflects workforce needs across Western North Carolina and beyond, university officials said.

The program also includes an accelerated bachelor’s-to-master’s pathway, allowing qualified WCU engineering students to begin graduate-level coursework in their senior year and complete both degrees in as little as one additional year.

With small class sizes and close faculty men-

torship, the program emphasizes applied research and real-world problem-solving. Graduates will be prepared for advanced engineering roles, research and development careers, leadership positions or doctoral study.

Yang Zhang, an associate professor in the College of Engineering and Technology, has been named program director for the new degree. Zhang also oversees the university’s Master of Science in Engineering Technology.

“Our goal is to create a rigorous, supportive graduate experience that connects advanced engineering knowledge to real-world impact,” Zhang said.

Jeff Lawson, dean of the Graduate School and Research, said the new program complements WCU’s more than 50 graduate degree and certificate offerings.

“This program strengthens Western North Carolina’s capacity for innovation, problemsolving and economic growth,” Lawson said.

More information is available at engr.wcu.edu/mse or engr.wcu.edu/abm or by contacting Yang Zhang at yzhang@wcu.edu.

Community Almanac

Lecture focuses on proud North Carolina son Daniel Boone

Learn about Daniel Boone at an event held at the Western Waters Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution.

The lecture, delivered by award-winning author Randell Jones will discuss the exciting episodes of America’s pioneer hero during the tumultuous, eventful years of the United States’ Founding Era.

The presentation will begin at 10 a.m. on May 30 at the Haywood County Public Library in Waynesville.

Daniel Boone is an honored son of North Carolina. Donated photo

Local hospitals host community picnic

Harris Regional Hospital and Swain Community hospitals invite the community to come together for a free community picnic on from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday, June 5, at Bridge Park, located at 76 Railroad Avenue in Sylva.

Designed as a fun, family-friendly event, the picnic will feature free food, live music from Summer Brooke, community connection and opportunities to meet local healthcare providers from Harris Regional and Swain Community Hospitals. Guests of all ages are encouraged to attend and enjoy an afternoon focused on fellowship, wellness and strengthening community relationships.

Families can enjoy a relaxed afternoon in downtown Sylva while learning more about local healthcare services and meeting members of the care teams who serve the region every day.

The event is free and open to the public. No registration is required. For more information, contact Lilly Ferguson at 828.508.0109 or lillian.ferguson@lifepointhealth.net.

Swain hosts discussion on the Edenton Tea Party

The Edenton Tea Party is the topic and title of the presentation at the June 4 meeting of the Swain County Genealogical and Historical Society; this event is a collaborative activity with the Swain County America 250 celebration.

In the fall of 1774, 51 women in Edenton, North Carolina, undertook a revolutionary act, signing a resolution in protest of British taxation policies and boycotted British goods. Later remembered as the Edenton Tea Party, this event was the first time a

His presentation is titled “Excitement Comes to Kinston: The U.S.S. Underwriter Expedition and the Officers of the C.S.S. Neuse.” In early 1864, Confederate naval personnel undertook a daring raid on the Neuse River to capture a Union vessel. While this expedition initially served to break the cycle of boredom among sailors stationed in Kinston, it also had far-reaching impacts for the crew of the ironclad C.S.S. Neuse and the conduct of the war in eastern North Carolina.

Stonewood Cottage Coworking named Best of North Carolina winner

Stonewood Cottage Coworking by David Alexander Properties is a 2026 Best of North Carolina winner in Guide to North Carolina’s annual readers’ poll.

Guide to North Carolina readers and editors have weighed in on the best of everything in North Carolina, honoring thousands of businesses and organizations in more than 25 broad business and community sectors.

“In whose image were we created?” and “How are we called to live that image in the world?”

The guest speaker will be the Rev. Dr. Michael Adam Beck, currently a pastor, professor, author and thought leader in the Fresh Expressions movement. Beck, a popular youth speaker, recently spoke at IGNITE 2025: A Celebration of Creativity & Connection, the youth conference for New Jersey and New York United Methodist Church in Wildwood, New Jersey.

Both ENCOUNTER retreats offer two- and three-night options with a Sunday ski or snowboard add-on at an additional cost. The two-night option is $193 per person and includes lodging, meals and programming. The three-night option is $273 and includes lodging, meals and programming.

Groups that pay their deposit by Nov. 1 will receive one free chaperone sleeping room for every 10 youth reservations.

For more information or to register online, visit lakejunaluska.com/winteryouth or call 828.454.6650.

group of women came together in a written political protest in all the 13 original colonies.

The speaker, Katie Hatton, will explore what the Edenton Resolves were, why women came together to sign the document, and what happened to some of the women during and after the Revolutionary War that followed.

The event is made possible by the Swain County America 250 N.C. Committee and hosted by the Swain County Genealogical and Historical Society as its regular monthly meeting. The purpose of the Swain County America 250 is to organize local celebrations for the nation’s 250th anniversary. County commissioners formally approved a resolution, spearheaded by Cynthia Womble, to participate in the statewide initiative, which aims to plan historical, cultural and community events.

The presentation will begin 6:30 p.m. at the Swain County Regional Business Education and Training Center, 45 East Ridge Drive in Bryson City Conversation and refreshments will follow the presentation. This event is free and open to the public.

Excitement Comes

to Kinston: The U.S.S. Underwriter expedition

The Western North Carolina Civil War Roundtable continues its 2026 series of programs with Andrew Duppstadt, who will speak about the Civil War in 1864 and what happened along the Neuse River in eastern North Carolina. This program will take place at the Haywood County Public Library in Waynesville at 7 p.m. June 8. It is free and open to the public.

Andrew Duppstadt is the education & interpretation supervisor for the North Carolina Division of State Historic Sites.

The process starts with a nomination on the Best of North Carolina website. Voting remains open throughout the year, with hundreds of thousands of votes ultimately received. The process culminates with the publishing of the Best of North Carolina Keepsake Annual along with a statewide publicity campaign.

Best of North Carolina winners and nominees are chosen by a combination of readers’ votes and editors’ input and are vetted through several ranking sites, Better Business Bureau complaint reports and voting pattern analysis reports.

“We are truly honored to be recognized by Best of North Carolina for our beautiful coworking space,” said David A. Netzer, founder and president of David Alexander Properties. “This recognition is especially meaningful as it reflects the hard work that went into transforming this longvacant historic property into a newly repurposed space — one that offers a unique workspace for both locals and tourists alike. The team at Stonewood Cottage looks forward to continuing to support Waynesville, Haywood County and the WNC region.”

Register now for Lake J

ENCOUNTER winter youth retreats

Registration is open for Lake Junaluska’s 2027 ENCOUNTER Winter Youth Retreats, where youth groups grow closer to God and each other in the mountains of Western North Carolina.

The two ENCOUNTER weekends will be held Jan. 15-18 and Feb. 12-15 and offer youth groups programming, dynamic speakers, live music, powerful worship, real talk sessions, games and more, plus opportunities to ski and snowboard.

The theme for 2027 is #NoFilter, based on Psalm 139. Participants will consider three questions: “What images are we paying attention to?”,

Cantrell receives Haywood Regional’s highest employee honor

Haywood Regional Medical Center recently announced that Casey Cantrell, charge nurse in the hospital’s emergency department, has been named its 2026 Mercy Award winner.

The Mercy Award recognizes one employee from each Lifepoint Health facility who profoundly touches the lives of others and best reflects the spirit and values on which the company was founded. At the local level, the award serves as the hospital’s highest annual employee recognition, honoring one team member whose work, character and service stand out among their peers.

Cantrell was selected for the honor in recognition of her exceptional clinical skill, steady leadership and deep compassion for patients, families, colleagues and the broader community. As a charge nurse in one of the hospital’s most demanding care environments, Cantrell is known for leading by example and advocating for patients whose needs extend far beyond the bedside.

“At Haywood Regional Medical Center, the Mercy Award is especially meaningful because it honors the kind of compassion that cannot be taught from a checklist,” said CEO Sue Shugart. “Casey sees people fully, whether they are patients, families, coworkers or neighbors in need. She brings clinical strength, steady leadership and a generous heart to everything she does. We are incredibly proud to recognize her with this honor.”

Her leadership is felt throughout the department. Colleagues describe Cantrell as a nurse others turn to for guidance, clinical judgment and support. She covers extra shifts, stays late so coworkers can attend family events, helps fellow nurses care for their patients and continues to manage the flow of the department with focus and calm.

Life lessons learned while shopping

One can learn a lot by shopping at Trader Joe’s, and I’m not talking about the difference between tofu and tempeh or which seasonal items are in stock. I’m referring to life skills and reminders of humanity that shine brightly at this gem of an establishment. Though I live in Haywood County, I’m in Asheville a couple of times each week and on at least one of those occasions, I visit Trader Joe’s.

During my last trip, I’d been perseverating on or worrying about something during the 30-minute drive. We moms tend to do that often, but I noticed after my trip to Trader Joe’s, I felt lighter and happier — my woes from an hour earlier significantly diminished. This experience led me to think about why Trader Joe’s always serves as an antidote to my angst.

First of all, there are no self-checkouts. As a society, we’re isolating ourselves more and more, retreating into shells or attaching to devices, and moving away from a sense of community. At big box or chain grocery stores, the self-checkout kiosks are expanding instead of shrinking, but at Trader Joe’s, no such thing exists. The company prides itself on excellent customer service, so whether you’re in the mood or not, you will be chitchatting with your cashier.

Before so much technology and human-assisted contraptions, like self-checkout kiosks, we had no choice but to move through a line and interact with actual human beings to purchase our groceries. I remember back in the day I would have talk in length with the person next to me in line, and other

Voting Rights Act redo is shameful

To the Editor:

I remember proudly going to register to vote when I turned 18 in my hometown of Rome, Georgia. After filling out the forms, I noticed a jar of beans sitting on a shelf. With my usual curiosity, I asked about the jar. The clerk told me very calmly, “If a N-word wants to register to vote, they have to guess the correct number of beans in the jar.” In shock I said, “You didn’t ask me to guess the number of beans in the jar.” Quickly, the clerk said, “Of course not. You are not a N-word.”

Maybe I shouldn’t have been surprised since the department store across the street had two water fountains — “White” and “Colored” — and one was never washed. The Greyhound bus station had a separate Colored waiting room. I also remember the Black doctor in town being arrested and having cigarettes put out on his back because he attempted to eat at the same lunch counter where I sat as an 11-year-old.

The good news is we saw this unfairness fade through the efforts of many brave Black and some moral white people supporting equality. Then there was the Voting Rights act of 1965 which enforced the 15th Amendment. Among the Black leaders to give his all was Congressman John Lewis. I was fortunate enough to hear him speak during a Diversity Celebration at Saint Mark United Methodist Church in Atlanta, when I was the Senior Minister there. His example and challenge to get involved in “Good Trouble” touched legions of us.

times, I would browse a magazine from cover to cover before it was my turn to check out and then think to myself,“I didn’t even have to buy that and I read the entire thing.” Now, that was a fun silver lining to waiting in a long line. Whether it’s the sense of nostalgia or the fact that the cashiers are kind and energetic, I love the fact that Trader Joe’s fosters interaction among people instead of supporting the individualistic, self-sufficient nature of most grocery stores.

Secondly, Trader Joe’s helps us practice patience — a virtue that’s rapidly fading in modern culture. In addition to waiting in lines to buy your goods, all Trader Joe’s parking lots are small, and often full upon arrival, especially during peak hours such as lunchtime or around 5 p.m. One must sit and wait until the next parking spot becomes available. It’s not that I enjoy this per se, but it does make me plan accordingly and schedule ample time for my Trader Joe’s runs, and it helps me embrace patience, something I’ve struggled with since girlhood.

Additionally, Trader Joe’s requires you to be creative. I’ve heard people jokingly say that Trader Joe’s “has everything but nothing at the same time.” To that point, they have a unique array of items, much different from the brands one

LETTERS

Then, April 29, 2026, became a day of shame and a reminder of the Jim Crow era from the late 19th century to the mid-1960s. (A part of our history where persons of color had fewer rights, like voting, which were enforced by strict legal and violent means.) Almost instantly, southern states began redrawing voting districts with the clear purpose of neutralizing the votes of Black people. This obvious prejudice occurred with joy and full intention. The votes of Black citizens that make up 20-30% of some states are being gerrymandered away. This is not a political or party issue. This is about what is right, ethical and fair.

I don’t have an immediate answer for this injustice unless it sensitizes us to vote in large numbers to undo an embarrassing tragedy. In the meantime, I say again, vote, and seek some good trouble.

Dr. Mike Cordle United Methodist Minister, retired Highlands

Trump is indeed ‘stupid on stilts’

To the Editor:

Congratulations to North Carolina Republican Sen. Tom Tillis, who said on May 21 that this “anti-weaponization” fund of $1,776,000,000 is “stupid on stilts.”

Unfortunately there are pretty good people all across this country who keep their head in the dirt by refusing to watch any news, or worse yet, refuse to watch anything but the

typically sees in an Ingles or Walmart, but once you get the hang of it, you realize they mostly have everything you can want, especially incredible staples items like grains, pasta, bread, dairy, snack items and produce.

Trader Joe’s intentionally stays small. I read that most stores are between 10,000 and 15,000 square feet, compared to big stores, which are 50,000+ square feet. By staying small, they can maintain the neighborhood vibe and save money on operating costs which trickles down to lower prices on groceries. Not only do I like saving money, but my husband will tell you that I’m a small-batch grocery shopper. It’s an ongoing joke in our household. I do not like buying more groceries than that which can fit in one of the small carts or preferably a basket. While I recognize this requires me to visit the grocery store more often, I’d rather do that than spend hours at a time filling up a cart, which I find overwhelming. Trader Joe’s is inherently small batch shopping at its finest — more like a European market than an American grocery store.

I was introduced to Trader Joe’s decades ago when my sister lived in San Diego, and I’ve been a fan ever since. It’s truly one of my favorite places to shop. When I walk into a big box store, I can feel my spirit deflate, but when I enter the doors of Trader Joe’s, undoubtedly full of fresh flowers and smiling faces, my mood improves and my soul whispers “Thank you.”  (Susanna Shetley is a writer and editor who lives in Haywood County. susanna.b@smokymountainnews.com.)

lying Fox propaganda channel.

So they may not even know that their favorite corrupt orange cult leader is proposing to reward his fellow January 6 insurrectionist partners (including the ones who beat up policemen) with almost $2 billion of our money. Of course, that would help the nothing but corrupt felon (who is stealing our country blind just as fast as he can) insure that these insurrectionists would show up to help him, as he will surely try to overthrow our republic this coming November. It also helps him hide the fact that he wants the IRS to assure him that he, his entire family, as well as his many business tax returns will never be audited.

There is not enough space in this paper to explain the damage this greedy liar has done not only to this country, but also to this world. Hopefully the dishonorable congressmen who have been enabling Putin’s little puppet will soon realize that they too are “stupid on stilts.”

Mike Clark Cullowhee

The grift goes on for Donny & Co.

To the Editor:

Of course the grift goes on, as GOP actions are steadily ever more unhinged and more difficult to understand unless Trump Derangement Syndrome has one believing the manbaby Trump is truly heaven-sent.

Believers, you got what you voted for: war, racism, greed, the destruction of democracy and government of the many by the few

who are completely lacking in any semblance of morality. Who could not see this coming, after Trump's incitement to riot after the 2020 election and all his other travesties?

Trump's acting attorney general, Todd Blanche, is the current poster boy for these people, having put $1.8 billion at the disposal of the manbaby. What, you say?

There is no way this ends well. Democracy is bringing a knife to a nuclear conflagration. The Grifter-in-Chief has delightedly, continually shown us how available the levers of power are to those sorts of people who believe so firmly in their own reality and who are so firmly bound to their own pathology.

The founders set up this scenario we find ourselves in today. The "electoral college” farce, the lack of term limits and the ability to negate “we the people” was built into the system devised by them. (over the past 200 years, more than 700 proposals have been introduced in Congress to reform or eliminate the Electoral College.

To where is the United States seemingly supersonically speeding? It sure looks like democracy is rapidly receding in the rearview mirror, and "we the people" are the pavement of the highway. Mid-term elections, when the Trump army deploys, will tell all about U.S. citizens' ability to shape our country. I'm not hopeful, because I'm sick every morning to wake up and read what Republicans are doing to re-make our country to conform to their belief that power is the only power.

Six strings of serenity

A conversation with Bryan Sutton

BY GARRET K. WOODWARD ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR

Hailing from Asheville, Bryan Sutton is one of the most intricately talented acoustic guitar players of the modern era. He’s also an A-list, in-demand session musician and collaborator in Nashville, Tennessee.

Sutton first appeared on the national bluegrass scene when, in 1995, he was named lead guitarist for Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder, a position he held for three years. Since 2002, he’s been a member of legendary group Hot Rize. For his session work, he’s been on albums by Dolly Parton, Taylor Swift, Garth Brooks and hundreds of others.

A 10-time International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) “Guitar Player of the Year,” Sutton also took home the Grammy for “Best Country Instrumental Performance” for “Whiskey Before Breakfast” with Watson in 2007. In 2024, he teamed up with six-string ace Billy Strings for a storied performance at American Legion Post 82 in Music City, the recording itself becoming the acclaimed “Live at the Legion” album.

And yet, for Sutton, his greatest passion might just be sharing his love for the guitar with others, as seen by his Blue Ridge Guitar Camp. Held every May at the Brevard Music Center, the annual gathering has become a crossroads of some of the greatest pickers on the planet, all of whom engage with eager students wanting to learn as much as they can from their heroes. Each camp culminates with a special concert open to the public, the North Carolina Guitar Celebration, which will be held on May 30.

Smoky Mountain News: How did the Blue Ridge Guitar Camp come about, and what was the initial thought as to what it is or could be?

Bryan Sutton: The initial idea came from Woody Platt, who had worked with Béla Fleck and the Blue Ridge Banjo Camp for a couple years. Woody floated the idea of a guitar camp to me and invited me to hang out at Béla’s camp in 2019. I was so

impressed with Brevard Music Center and the general feel of the space and knew that hosting a camp there was definitely for me.

Woody and I started working to plan the Blue Ridge Guitar Camp and the North Carolina Guitar Celebration. I knew there were things about Béla’s camp I wanted to maintain but had some ideas of my own. The original vision to have a welcoming and supportive learning environment has been the overarching intent from day one.

We came up with the idea of making the Saturday night show more of a collaborative “festival-in-aday” spirit. We aim to present a unique musical event with outside artists playing with instructors and campers. Having the performers as guest speakers is also great for the camp.

SMN: You’ve had so many incredible artists teach and take the stage at BRGC. How do you design each camp? Where does the inspiration and vision come from, the ethos behind it all?

BS: My goal for camp instructors is to present a kind of well-rounded team. I want to be able to cover topics important to bluegrass guitarists but also keep some open doors as far as connections to other related styles. We have had players more associated with traditional jazz playing and improvisation. Here in 2026, I’m excited to have John Doyle, a master of Irish rhythm playing as an instructor.

days, but if we can leave campers feeling inspired and refueled to take their learning to the next level, we’ve done a good job. The vibe or ethos I hope to create, is found in a community of instructors, campers and other industry pros all sharing equally. We go deep and support each other with guitar-playing specifics, learning to be a better learner and the very human experience of accepting vulnerabilities and risks when sharing music with others. I hope that players see the BRGC as a destination. Not elitist or exclusive, but yet something to work for.

Want to go?

Presented by Mountain Songs Productions, the fifth annual North Carolina Guitar Celebration will be held at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, May 30, at the Brevard Music Center.

Hosted by Bryan Sutton, the event will showcase marquee names like Rosanne Cash, John Leventhal, Darrell Scott, Shawn Camp and Daniel Kimbro, as well as Tray Wellington, Cody Kilby, Jake Eddy and others.

For more information and/or to purchase tickets, visit blueridgeguitarcamp.com/concert.

I pay attention to players who have shown a passion for teaching. It’s important to find folks who are recognized masters of their craft and who can also clearly articulate what they do, how they’ve learned and how they continue to learn. I know that a camper’s playing is not going to change in a few

SMN: When you think about the BRGC, what memories and moments immediately come to mind? What’s the sentiment you feel and hear and see when reflecting on just makes that event so special and magical each year?

BS: The memories or moments of the BRGC that come to mind for me revolve around campers who’ve been able to trust the support of the community and try something they thought they couldn’t do or would’ve just avoided previously. Maybe it’s taking a solo or singing in a jam. Those are scary things. To see people elated, inspired, and encouraged to grow beyond their perceived limitations is rewarding for me.

Beyond that, it’s scenes of a guy like Billy Strings just hanging out and playing tunes with some kids. The fact that he can sell out an arena just fades away in the groove of a fiddle tune and he’s just one more part of the community. There’s always a special moment or two in the show. It’s like a chemistry experiment where you put some different elements together and stand back to watch what happens — it’s so much fun.

This must be the place

BY GARRET K. WOODWARD

Ode to those weird kids who love history, ode to being kind

The other day, while scrolling through Instagram, I came across a post from an old college friend. Although we hadn’t seen each other since graduation some 19 years ago from Quinnipiac University in Connecticut, we’d still kept in touch via social media as most of us millennials tend to do.

The post was about her nine-year-old son, Chase, and how he was being teased at school, and not really having any luck making friends in second grade. A young kid who, according to his mom, is big into history and has a great heart. And yet, the cruelty of youth rears its ugly head once again. And I really liked what she wrote: “A gentle reminder to chat with your kids about being bucket fillers instead of bucket dippers. Feeling sad sending your child to school because other kids aren’t kind to him should never be something any parent or kid has to carry. Kindness matters. Inclusion matters. The little things our kids say and do matter more than we realize. Raising children who make others feel welcome is just as important as anything else we teach them.”

While reading the post, a flood of memories entered my field-of-vision, images and moments of my own childhood, and how I went through the same exact thing as a kid growing up in the 1990s. I felt a deep sense of solidarity with what he was going through, the alienation of trying to make friends right out of the starting gate of life. Heck, making friends at any age can be tough.

So, I reached out to my friend and sent her a message. I told her I knew all-too-well that feeling of sadness and loneliness her son was going through. I also asked her if I could send him a letter to cheer him up. Can’t hurt, right? I mean, I remember those gloomy days in elementary school, this frustration of feeling misunderstood and not finding a way to break through to others.

“Dear Chase, You don’t know me, but we’re kindred spirits. We probably have more in common than either of us realizes at this juncture, but that’s beside the point.

To preface, your mother is a friend of mine. I’ve known her for 23 years actually, all the way back to the ancient times of young millennial life when we were teenagers and freshman at Quinnipiac University. That said, she always made me feel welcome and always carried a smile on her face, something I bet you also inherited from her coming into this world some nine years ago.

So, let’s get this out of the way immediately: being weird is cool, loving history is cool, being yourself is cool, and being someone who walks this earth at their own rhythm is, well, the absolute coolest.

All of that last paragraph leads to my main point: always be YOU, and always know that what makes you unique and stand out from others is your calling card in life. It’ll serve you well in the long run, you don’t know it yet, but it’ll emerge within you, and in due time. You see, I was once in second grade. It was at a now long-gone Catholic school on the Canadian Border in rural Upstate New York. Lots of cornfields and emptiness, but also enough wide open spaces to wander and explore.

HOT PICKS

1

Bear Shadow Music Festival will take place May 29-31 in Highlands.

2

Cold Mountain Music Festival will be held May 29-30 at the Lake Logan Retreat Center in Canton.

3

Haywood Arts Regional Theatre (Waynesville) will host a special stage production of “Golden Age: New Voices” at 7:30 p.m. May 28-30 and 2 p.m. May 31.

4

Concerts On The Creek (Sylva) will host TLQ+2 (rock/oldies) at 7 p.m. Friday, May 29, at Bridge Park.

5

Wells Events & Reception Center (Waynesville) will host Parking Space Comedy Improv at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, May 30.

birthday parties or to go swimming, and teased unmercifully whenever I would ride my bike by their homes wondering where everyone was.

I’m not going to lie to you, it hurt my feelings and I got very upset. I remember even crying sometimes, questioning just why nobody wanted to be my friend and why they were so mean to me.

But, I never let any of that stop me from doing what I loved, my head held high and a genuine smile of gratitude on my face. I kept building tree forts. I kept hitting golf balls. I kept reading books in the hammock. And I kept riding my bike around. I had my own fun and I knew someday that things would change. And they did.

Sheesh, even as I’m writing this to you readers out there, I just felt this full-circle kind of thing washing across my heart and soul, one where “nothing’s the same, everything’s the same.” Adults are just big kids, in essence, and for good or ill. But, just like I tell Chase in the letter below, “kindness breeds kindness.” Y’all be nice out there, yah hear?

And I did, seemingly every single day that I didn’t have to go to school. I used to build tree forts in the big field behind my parents’ farmhouse, the same field I’d hit endless golf balls into in an effort to practice my swing. Elsewhere on the property, I’d read history books from the local library in the hammock on the side yard or I’d hop on my bike and cruise around town.

Truth be told, I did all those things alone. All the other kids on my street went to the local public school and bonded for years before we entered middle school together later on. So, I got left out and left behind. Never invited to their

And I want to tell you this, especially as someone way down the line from where you currently stand — it gets better. I can promise you that. It gets better, trust me. Repeat this to yourself whenever you need to: ‘It gets better.’ Oh, and one more thing to always remember — kindness breeds kindness.

Eventually, those things that make you stand apart from others will be the exact things that pull people towards you, almost like a magnet, where they want to get to know that unique and special person that is you. And they will. And you will smile and accept them with open arms because that’s what unique and special people do — they’re welcoming and compassionate towards others, no matter what the universe throws at them.

In closing, remember what I’ve said to you above. Keep those words in your figurative back pocket as you continue to wander and explore this great big world of ours. For someone like myself, who has been lucky enough to extensively wander around the world for years now, it’s a pretty beautiful planet we call home, and one filled with all kinds of people ready to meet you.”

HCAC gets ‘Weird & Wacky’

• “Farmers & Artisans Market” will be every Friday morning (May-October) at 117 Island St. in Bryson City. Stop by the old barn along the river for local, homegrown produce, as well as baked goods, jellies/preserves, authentic crafts and more. Picnic tables onsite. There will also be live music. Leashed pets are welcome. This is an outdoor event. Free and open to the public. 828.488.7857.

• Bosu’s Wine Shop (Waynesville) will host “Paint Rocks & Sip” at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 26. 828.452.0120 / waynesvillewine.com.

• WNC Paint Events will host painting sessions throughout the region on select dates. For more information and/or to sign up, visit wncpaint.events.

‘Cherokee People and the American Revolution’

On the stage

The latest exhibit from the Haywood County Arts Council (HCAC), “Weird & Wacky” is currently on display at HCAC’s Haywood Handmade Gallery in downtown Waynesville.

This imaginative and playful exhibition will be on display through June 1, inviting visitors to explore art that celebrates the unusual, the quirky and the wonderfully unexpected. The showcase is free and open to the public. For more information, visit haywoodarts.org or call 828.452.0593.

A work by Julie Kessinger. Donated photo

• Marianna Black Library (Bryson City) will host “ArtWorks” at 1 p.m. every second Thursday of the month. Come create your own masterpiece. The materials for art works are supplied and participants are welcome to bring ideas and supplies to share with each other. Ages 16 and up. Space limited to 10 participants. Free and open to the public. 828.488.3030 / vroberson@fontanalib.org.

• CRE828 (Waynesville) will offer a selection of art classes and workshops at its studio located at 1283 Asheville Road. Workshops will include art journaling, watercoloring, mixed media, acrylic painting and more. 828.283.0523 / cre828.com.

• Gallery Zella (Bryson City) will be hosting an array of artist receptions, exhibits and showcases. The gallery is open from noon to 5

• Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts (Franklin) will host semi-regular stage productions on the weekends. 866.273.4615 / smokymountainarts.com.

• Haywood Arts Regional Theatre (Waynesville) will host a special stage production of “Golden Age: New Voices” at 7:30 p.m. May 28-30 and 2 p.m. May 31. There will also be a performance of “Peter & The Starcatcher” on select dates and times June 5-28.

A first-of-its-kind exhibition centering Native voices, perspectives and creativity in response to the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States, the exhibition “Unrelenting: Cherokee People and the American Revolution” is currently being showcased at the Museum of the Cherokee People (MotCP) in Cherokee.

On view through Dec. 30, the exhibition features historic objects in conversation with works by Cherokee artists, merging cultural heritage, military history and contemporary art for a nuanced examination of a pivotal moment in Cherokee and American history.

With research beginning in 2022, the exhibition’s curators — MotCP Director of

p.m. Wednesday through Saturday. 517.881.0959 / galleryzella.com.

• Haywood County Arts Council (Waynesville) will offer a wide range of classes, events and activities for artisans, locals and visitors. HCAC’s Haywood Handmade Gallery is open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sundays. 828.452.0593 / haywoodarts.org.

• Jackson County Green Energy Park (Dillsboro) will be offering a slew of classes, events and activities for artisans, locals and visitors. 828.631.0271 / jcgep.org.

• Stecoah Valley Cultural Arts Center (Robbinsville) will host an array of workshops for adults and kids. 828.479.3364 / stecoahvalleycenter.com.

Tickets are now available. 828.456.6322 / harttheatre.org.

• Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort (Cherokee) will host comedian Matt Mathews 9 p.m. Friday, June 5. For tickets, visit caesars.com/harrahs-cherokee.

• Peacock Performing Arts Center (Hayesville) will host semiregular stage productions on the weekends. 828.389.ARTS / thepeacocknc.org.

Education Dakota Brown (Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians), MotCP Director of Collections and Exhibitions Evan Mathis and guest curator Brandon Dillard (Cherokee Nation), director of Historic Interpretation and Audience Engagement at Monticello — sought Cherokee accounts of the American Revolution (1775-1783) and the Cherokee American War (1776-1794), highlighting the complexities of memory and commemoration.

As the nation commemorates the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the curators of the exhibition aspire to spark conversation about American identity and sovereignty among visitors of all walks of life, sharing new research in the first exhibit about Cherokees in the American Revolution by Cherokee scholars.

General admission tickets are $15 for adults, $8 for children ages 6-12 and free for children ages 5 and under. MotCP offers free admission to members of federally recognized tribes and museum members. Student, educator, senior and military rates available. Admission to all changing exhibitions is included in the general admission ticket price.

For more information, visit motcp.org.

• Southwestern Community College Swain Arts Center (Bryson City) will host an array of workshops for adults and kids. 828.339.4000 / southwesterncc.edu/scclocations/swain-center.

• Dogwood Crafters (Dillsboro) will offer a selection of upcoming art classes and workshops. 828.586.2248 / dogwoodcrafters.com.

• Cowee School Arts & Heritage Center (Franklin) will host semi-regular arts and crafts workshops. 828.369.4080 / coweeschool.org.

• Folkmoot Friendship Center (Waynesville) will host semi-regular artist gatherings and workshops. 828.452.2997 / folkmoot.org.

• Swain Arts Center (Bryson City) will host semi-regular stage productions on the weekends. 828.488.7843 / swainartscenter.com.

• Highlands Performing Arts Center (Highlands) will host semiregular stage productions on the weekends. 828.526.9047 / mountaintheatre.com.

• Wells Events & Reception Center (Waynesville) will host Parking Space Comedy Improv at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, May 30. Tickets are $10 per person. 828.476.5070 / wellseventcenter.simpletix.com.

On the street

Waynesville’s ‘Shop, Sip, Stroll’

The monthly “Waynesville First Friday: Shop, Sip, Stroll” will take place from 5-8 p.m. Friday, June 5, in downtown.

The downtown merchant corridor transforms into a lively celebration of local art, music and community. Stroll the streets, explore galleries, meet artists, enjoy live music and discover local shops and delicious restaurants. Free and open to the public. For more information, visit facebook.com/waynesvillefirstfriday.

On

the table

Ready for dinner ‘Under the Stars’?

The popular “Under the Stars, On the Rocks” culinary series is currently underway at the Oak Steakhouse at the Skyline Lodge in Highlands.

The events feature renowned chefs from around the Southeast on select dates through the fall: June 9, July 7, Aug. 11, Sept. 8 and Oct. 13. Each four-course meal in the series is unique and personal to the guest chef,

offering a one-ofa-kind outdoor dining experience. Dinners are $175 per person (including beverage pairings). Reservations required. Guests can also purchase a “season pass” to the series.

For more information and/or to make reservations, call 828.526.4008 or visit skylinelodge.com.

• Cataloochee Ranch (Maggie Valley) will host semi-regular culinary events and workshops throughout the week. For a full schedule of upcoming activities, tickets and reservations, visit cataloocheeranch.com/ranchevent.

• Balsam Mountain Inn (Balsam) will host “Wind Down Wine Flights” 6 p.m. Thursdays. 828.283.0145 / thebalsammountaininn.com.

• Classic Wineseller (Waynesville) will have the wine bar open from 4-8 p.m. Fridays/Saturdays and host semi-regular tastings on the weekends. 828.452.6000 / classicwineseller.com.

• Blue Ridge Beer Hub (Waynesville) will host semi-regular tap-takeovers from local and regional breweries on the weekends. Free and open to the public. 828.246.9320 / blueridgebeerhub.com.

• “Flights & Bites” will be held at 4 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays at Bosu’s Wine Shop in downtown Waynesville. There will also be a special summer wine dinner at 6 p.m. Tuesday, June 16. 828.452.0120 / waynesvillewine.com.

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

• “Uncorked: Wine & Rail Pairing Experience” will be held on select dates at the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad in Bryson City. Full service all-adult first class car. Wine pairings with a meal and more. There will also be a special “Carolina Moonshine” train on select dates. 800.872.4681 / gsmr.com.

On the beat

• Balsam Falls Brewing (Sylva) will host “Open Mic” 8-10 p.m. Thursdays. Free and open to the public. 828.631.1987 / balsamfallsbrewing.com.

• Balsam Mountain Inn (Balsam) will host “Picking on the Porch” (open community jam) 6 p.m. Tuesdays, “Trivia Night” 7 p.m. Wednesdays and semi-regular live music on the weekends. 828.283.0145 / thebalsammountaininn.com.

• Blue Ridge Beer Hub (Waynesville) will host “Music Bingo Night” 6:30 p.m. Tuesdays, The Blue Mountaineers (Americana/bluegrass) Thursdays and live music on Fridays and Saturdays. All music starts at 5 p.m. Free and open to the public. 828.246.9320 / facebook.com/brbeerhub.

• Boojum Brewing (Waynesville) will host “Karaoke Night” 9 p.m. Wednesdays, “Trivia” 7 p.m. Thursdays, “Open Jam” 10 p.m. Thursdays and semi-regular live music on the weekends. All shows are located in The Gem downstairs taproom and begin at 9 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.246.0350 / boojumbrewing.com.

• Breadheads Tiki Shak (Sylva) will host “Tiki Trivia” at 7 p.m. every other Thursday of the month and a special “Brunch Show” with Marshall Ballew (singer-songwriter) 1 p.m. May 30. 828.307.2160 /

breadheadstikishak.com.

• Bryson City Brewing (Bryson City) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. All

Marc & Anita Pruitt (Americana/bluegrass) May 27, Darren Nicholson Band (Americana/bluegrass) June 3 and A. Lee Edwards (indie/folk) June 7. All shows begin at 5 p.m. and admission is $25 per person unless otherwise noted. For tickets and reservations, visit cataloocheeranch.com/ranch-event.

Bear Shadow Music Festival

The fifth installment of the Bear Shadow Music Festival will take place May 29-31 in Highlands.

Featuring some of the biggest artists on the scene today, this year’s event will host performances by Mavis Staples, Charley Crockett, Margo Price, Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue, The Infamous Stringdusters, Kashus Culpepper, Pony Bradshaw, Marc Broussard and J & The Causeways.

organization, has donated nearly $100,000 to local organizations, including the HighlandsCashiers Land Trust, Sky Valley/Scaly Mountain

Volunteer Fire Department and Highlands Biological Station.

• Concerts On The Creek (Sylva) will host TLQ+2 (rock/oldies) May 29 and The V8s (rock/soul) June 5. All shows are at Bridge Park and begin at 7 p.m. Everyone is encouraged to bring a chair or blanket. These events are free, but donations are encouraged. 828.586.2155 / mountainlovers.com/concerts-on-the-creek.

• Cowee School Arts & Heritage Center (Franklin) will host “Open Mic” at 6 p.m. every second Friday of the month and Paper Wings (Americana) 5 p.m. June 27 ($15 adults, $7.50 kids). 828.369.4080 / coweeschool.org/concert-series.

• Cut Cocktail Lounge (Sylva) will host Fuzzy Peppers (indie/folk) 8 p.m. June 13. Free and open to the public. 828.631.4795 / thecutcocktaillounge.com.

• Dancing On The Square (Robbinsville) will host Bill Pruett May 29 and Robert Running Wolf June 5. All events begin at 7:30 p.m. Free and open to the public.

Since 2021, Bear Shadow, a nonprofit

shows begin at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.538.0085 / brysoncitybrewing.com.

• Cataloochee Ranch (Maggie Valley) will host

Weekend general admission is $300 per person, with VIP upgrades and single-day passes also available. For more information and/or to purchase tickets, visit bearshadowwnc.com.

• Classic Wineseller (Waynesville) will host Bob Zullo (guitar/vocals) 6 p.m. June 5. Reservations highly recommended ($10 cover). The kitchen and wine bar open at 4 p.m. 828.452.6000 or classicwineseller.com.

• Farm At Old Edwards (Highlands) will host the “Orchard Sessions” with Andrew Wooten (Americana/alt-country) June 17. All shows begin at 6 p.m. Admission is $50 per person, with discounts rates available for hotel guests and members. 866.526.8008 / oldedwardshospitality.com.

• Friday Night Live Concert Series (Highlands) will host Andrew Wakefield & Friends (Americana/folk) May 29 and Johnny Webb Band (country/rock)

Great Smoky Mountains Music Train

The inaugural Great Smoky Mountains Music Train will leave the station June 5-6 from the Bryson City Depot.

Step aboard a historic steam-powered train for an unforgettable musical journey along the stunning Nantahala River and Fontana Lake. Experience six live performances, each set in its own vintage coach. Wander freely between cars, grab a seat in one of four comfortable coaches or head to the two open cars designed for dancing. Take in scenic views, enjoy nonstop music and soak up a one-of-a-kind evening on the rails.

The Great Smoky Mountains Railroad #1702 locomotive. File photo

The lineup will include Colby T. Helms & The Virginia Creepers, Dr. Bacon, Martha Spencer & Wonderland Band, Andrew Scotchie, Ashley Heath and Alex Ball Duo.

Tickets are $159 per person. Ages 21 and over only. Boarding begins at 6:30 p.m. with departure at 7 p.m. Return will be at approximately 10 p.m.

For more information and/or to purchase tickets, visit greatsmokymountainsmusictrain.com.

June 5. All shows begin at 6 p.m. Free and open to the public. highlandschamber.org.

• Frog Level Brewing (Waynesville) will host “Jazz On The Level” 5:30 p.m. Tuesdays, Kevin Dolan & Paul Koptak (Americana) 5:30 p.m. May 27, PhunXue May 29, Highway Companions May 30 and Brown Mountain Lightning Bugs (Americana) 3 p.m. May 31. All shows begin at 6 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.454.5664 / froglevelbrewing.com.

• Groovin’ on the Green (Cashiers) will host Dylan Armour May 29. Shows begin at 6 p.m. Free and open to the public. Donations encouraged. villagegreencashiersnc.com/concerts.

• Happ’s Place (Glenville) will host “Karaoke” with Doug Ramsey Mondays, Blue Jazz (blues/jazz) May 29, James Gang May 30, Zac Kellum June 5 and Rock Holler June 6. All shows begin at 6 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.742.5700 / happsplace.com.

• Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort (Cherokee) will host Jodeci (R&B/soul) 9 p.m. May 29. For tickets, visit caesars.com/harrahs-cherokee.

• Highlander Mountain House (Highlands) will host “Blues & Brews” with Scott Low 6-9 p.m. Thursdays, Zorki (singer-songwriter) 1-3 p.m. Saturdays, “Bluegrass Brunch” 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sundays, the “Salon Series” on select dates and “Bear Shadow After Party” with Jeremy Ivey (Americana/indie-folk) 9:30 p.m. May 30 (free). Reservations encouraged for all performances. 828.526.2590 / highlandermountainhouse.com.

• Highlands Performing Arts Center will host The Texas Tenors (pop/classical) 7:30 p.m. May 30. 828.526.9047 / highlandsperformingarts.com.

• Lazy Hiker Brewing (Sylva) will host “Music Bingo” 7 p.m. Mondays, “Trivia Night” 6:30 p.m. Tuesdays, “Old Time Jam” 6:30 p.m. Thursdays and Tim Akins (classic rock) May

29. All shows begin at 7 p.m. Free and open to the public unless otherwise noted. 828.349.2337 / lazyhikerbrewing.com.

• Macon County Public Library (Franklin) will host The Vagabonds (Americana) at 2 p.m. the first and third Monday and a “Song Circle” open jam from 3-6 p.m. the first Tuesday each month. Free and open to the public. 828.524.3600 or fontanalib.org/franklin.

• Mountain Layers Brewing (Bryson City) will host “Open Mic Night” with Frank Lee every Thursday, Bird In Hand (Americana/indie-folk) May 29 and Shane Meade (indie/soul) May 30. All shows begin at 6 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.538.0115 / mountainlayersbrewingcompany.com.

• Music By The River (Cherokee) on the Kanunohi Park Stage will feature Kayla McKinney May 29-30. Music runs 6-9 p.m. Free and open to the public. visitcherokeenc.com.

• Nantahala Outdoor Center (Nantahala Gorge) will host “Music Bingo” 5 p.m. May 28 (at Big Wesser), Tuck-aseegee 5 p.m. May 29, Laura Thurston 1 p.m. May 30, Rudy’s Bluegrass Revue 5 p.m. May 30, Andy Ferrell 2 p.m. May 31, “Music Bingo” 5 p.m. June 4 (at Big Wesser), Phibian 5 p.m. June 5, Dick Dickerson 1 pm. June 6, Beer & Loathing 5 p.m. June 6 and “Blues With Blue” 2 p.m. June 7. Free and open to the public. 828.785.5082 / noc.com/events/2026-summer-music-series.

• Peacock Performing Arts Center (Hayesville) will host “Johnny Folsom 4” (Johnny Cash tribute) May 30 and Tell Me Lies (Fleetwood Mac tribute) June 6. All shows begin at 7:30 p.m. unless otherwise noted. For tickets, 828.389.ARTS / thepeacocknc.org.

• Pickin’ In The Park (Canton) will host Red Bird Roots Band (Americana) and Southern Appalachian Cloggers 6 p.m. June 5. Free and

open to the public.

• Pickin’ On The Square (Franklin) will host Jason Passmore (country/southern rock) June 13. All shows begin at 6 p.m. at the Gazebo in downtown. Free and open to the public. franklinnc.com/pickin-on-the-square.html.

• Salty Dog’s Seafood & Grill (Maggie Valley) will host “Karaoke with Russell” Mondays, Bridget Gossett (singer-songwriter) May 29, Ginny McAfee (singer-songwriter) May 30, “Music Bingo” June 2, Rene Russell (singersongwriter) June 5 and Trisha Ann (singersongwriter) June 6. All shows begin at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.926.9105 / facebook.com/saltydogs2005.

• Saturdays On Pine Concert Series (Highlands) will host Snap (funk/pop) May 30 and The American Flyers June 6. All shows begin at 6 p.m. Free and open to the public. highlandschamber.org.

• Scotsman (Waynesville) will host “Open Mic” 7 p.m. Mondays, Tim Akins (classic rock) May 28, Celtic Road 4 p.m. (Celtic/world) May 30, Laurel River Connection (Americana/rock) May 30 and Holler & Crow (Celtic/folk) 3 p.m. May 31. All shows begin at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.246.6292 / scotsmanpublic.com.

• Slanted Window Tasting Station (Franklin) will host Adam & Joe (Americana) 6 p.m. May 29, Alton Lane Band (classic rock/country gold) 5 p.m. May 30, Ray Ferrara (singer-songwriter) 4 p.m. May 31, Harvest String Duo

(Americana) 6 p.m. June 5 and Diana Nouveau (singer-songwriter) 4 p.m. June 7. 828.276.9463 / slantedwindow.com.

• Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts (Franklin) will host Gretchen Wilson (country/rock) 7:30 p.m. May 29 and Dailey & Vincent (Americana/bluegrass) 7:30 p.m. June 4. Tickets now available, with seating upgrades offered. 866.273.4615 / smokymountainarts.com.

• Smoky Mountain Dog Bar (Waynesville) will host “Open Mic Night” 5-7 p.m. Fridays. Free and open to the public. 828.246.0726 / smokymountaindogbakery.com.

• Stecoah Valley Center (Robbinsville) will host a Community Jam 5:30-7:30 p.m. every third Thursday of the month (free). 828.479.3364 / stecoahvalleycenter.com.

• Stubborn Bull (Highlands) will host semi-regular “Live Music Mondays” with Mowgli Giannitti (singer-songwriter) June 1 and L.C. Branch (singer-songwriter) June 8. All shows begin at 5:30 p.m. Free and open to the public. 828.200.0813 / the-stubborn-bull.com.

• Twisted Spoke Food & Tap (Maggie Valley) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. Free and open to the public. 828.926.1730 / facebook.com/twistedspokerestaurant.

• Ugly Dog Pub (Highlands) will host “Bluegrass Music” with Nitrograss 6 p.m. Wednesdays, “Karaoke” 9:30 p.m. Fridays, “Music Bingo” 7 p.m. Sundays and semi-regular live music on the weekends. 828.526.8364 / theuglydogpub.com.

Cold Mountain Music Festival

The annual Cold Mountain Music Festival will be held May 29-30 at the Lake Logan Retreat Center in Canton.

Artists to appear onstage include JD Clayton, Mason Via, Amanda Anne Platt & The Honeycutters, Shedhouse Trio (featuring Darren Nicholson), Vaden Lander, Kelly & The Cowboys, Queen Bee & The Honey Lovers and more.

There will be an array of food and beverage vendors onsite. As well, there will be plenty of outdoor recreation activities offered at Lake Logan. Several lodging options are also available.

For more information, a full schedule of performers and/or to purchase tickets, visit coldmountainmusic.org.

• Valley Cigar & Wine Company (Waynesville) will host Shane Meade (indie/soul) 5 p.m. May 29, Alma Russ (Americana/folk) 2 p.m. May 31 and Rene Russell (singer-songwriter) 2 p.m. June 7. Free and open to the public. 828.944.0686 / valleycigarandwineco.com.

• Valley Tavern (Maggie Valley) will host “Trivia With Tom” Wednesdays, “Music Bingo” Saturdays and The Brue (classic rock) June 5. All shows and events begin at 6 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.926.7440 / valley-tavern.com.

• Vineyard At High Holly (Scaly Mountain) will host Lucas J. Smith 3 p.m. May 29, Jordan Denton (singer-songwriter) May 31, Umphy 3 p.m. June 5 and Monica Spears (singer-songwriter) June 7. All shows begin at 2 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.482.5573 / thevineyardathighholly.com.

• Western Carolina Brew & Wine (Highlands) will host David Crisp (singer-songwriter) 1 p.m. June 6. Free and open to the public. 828.342.6707 / wcbrewandwine.com.

• Whiteside Brewing (Cashiers) will host Jason Lyles (singer-songwriter) May 29, Amplitude May 30, Shortoff Mountain Boys June 5 and Spare Parts noon June 6. All shows begin at 6 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.743.6000 / whitesidebrewing.com.

• Yonder Community Market (Franklin) will host “First Friday Classic Country: Jim Austin & Friends” (Americana/country) 6 p.m. each month (June 5, July 3, Aug. 7, Sept. 4, Oct. 2)

Bluegrass legend at Cataloochee Ranch

Darren Nicholson will play Maggie Valley June. File photo

An acclaimed Americana/bluegrass act, the Darren Nicholson Band will hit the stage for an intimate performance at 5 p.m. Wednesday, June 3, at the Cataloochee Ranch in Maggie Valley.

A Grammy-nominee and winner of 13 International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) awards, Nicholson has taken his own brand of mountain music around the world.

A regular for years on the Grand Ole Opry and a founding member of acclaimed bluegrass group Balsam Range, Nicholson now spends his time recording, writing new songs and performing as a solo act. Admission is $25 per person. For tickets and reservations, visit cataloocheeranch.com/ranch-event.

and the “On the Lawn at Yonder” live music series with Kenny Roby (singer-songwriter) 4 p.m. June 21 (admission by donation). Family/dog friendly. 828.200.2169 / eatrealfoodinc.com.

Meade returns to Bryson City

Florida-based indie/soul singer-songwriter Shane Meade will perform at 6 p.m. Saturday, May 30, at Mountain Layers Brewing Company in Bryson City.

Hailing from Elkins, West Virginia, Meade is a self-taught late bloomer who borrowed an old guitar from his father. He began playing and writing songs in the summer of 2000 before relocating to Florida, eventually leaving the corporate world and pursuing music full-time in 2005.

The event is free and open to the public. For more information, call 828.538.0115 or visit mountainlayersbrewingcompany.com.

Humanity and kindness in the face of change

“In the new science, the new worldviews, we are not nouns, we are verbs.”

Rsome of our old evolutionary grandeur when we recognize our species not as lords but as partners,” she writes.

“Behind every ending is another beginning, another story,” she proclaims. And we get many stories both past and present related to people who are the connectors in this march toward wholeness and unity. Names such as Greta Thunberg, Rachel Carson, Gloria Steinham, Robin Wall Kimmerer,

ebecca Solnit’s book “The Beginning Comes After the End: Notes on a World of Change” (Haymarket Books, 2026, 149 pages) is something of a scholarly study and a personal prophesy. Is Solnit’s title for her book right that there may be a new beginning following a time of cataclysm, or are we at the beginning of the “end times” as prophesied in the Bible? No matter which of these predictions may be true, her book is a tour-deforce of research, observation and contemplation on profound shifts since 1960 that should be taken seriously and paid attention to.

In short, Solnit’s title tells it all, yet she expands on this metaphor in a variety of ways. Or as the front matter quote by Martin Luther King Jr. states: “We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.” These themes are also mirrored in the book’s Table of Contents in metaphorical chapter headings such as “Swimming Upstream,” “Shadows of the Past,” “Winged Seeds” and “The River Widens.”

After stating that “the beginning — the next era — comes after the end of the last one, and in between comes a lot of falling apart,” Solnit starts, early on, speaking of Indigenous peoples, their histories and cultural values and the idea of interconnectedness. “These ideas of interconnection emerge from many sources, from new economic models and new scientific ideas about biology and psychology, from Buddhist and Indigenous worldviews,” she writes, leading up later to the statement that “after all the hoopla and celebration by the colonial governments are over, the Native voice will prevail. Many Indigenous Peoples and local communities around the world have views, structures, and practices aligned with generating a just and sustainable world.” All this comes after citing the disconnectors of “brutal politics,” “conservative values,” “business dominance” “industrial agriculture” and “climate denial.”

But in the end, amid all the “disconnectors” and warnings about global capitalism, Solnit continues with her march toward a more hopeful and positive outcome. “Amidst a possible future of scarcity, fear and greed, also emerges the possibilities of non-violence and integration,” she says. She writes of “a beloved community” which she describes as a community-based love, a public love, an inclusive love and ultimately a divine love without limits. “We can rescue for ourselves

going on to emphasize the importance of the word “kindness” in the words of a Native American elder who states, “We are fighting for a world in which everyone matters.”

Arundhati Roy, Joanna Macy (do we see an obvious feminine pattern here?) appear throughout the book to support her theories on a communal evolution. There is also a vibrant list of male voices throughout the book in support of the feminine perspective, such as Barry Commoner, Thich Nhat Hanh, Bill McKibben and Martin Luther King Jr. These voices of process, progress and positivism reverberate throughout the book, balancing and maybe even superseding the notion of divisiveness and separation, turmoil and possible earth-based tragedy.

Solnit, in the chapter called “Shadows of the Past,” brings up the topic of films and how many films in the past were about the invasion of Indigenous homelands or the conquest of nature and about domination and control as key elements of masculinity. But then she balances these negatives by

But just as things collapse, the river widens. In Solnit’s chapter “The River Widens” we get her version of how this will happen and is happening. In this final section of the book, she talks at length about forests and ecosystems and about Asian and American Indigenous cultures appearing in increments and subtle shifts. This subtle process is creating a kind of redirection for a humanity that one might call “new natives” (my term) — replacing the mindset of the past and “organized forgetting” with an entirely different way of living and being with the world. Here, she talks about “how we do things, or don’t do them, when it comes to the destruction of nature,

species, places, the climate, through greed, heedlessness, and indifference. She writes about “how we replace these with a practiced process called “processual biology” as a process of forever flowing and changing and thereby exchanging with each other and changing into each other.”

“Change is constant,” she writes. “We have our work cut out for us. It’s good work, and it’s everyone’s work. Countless people are doing it with whatever love, devotion and brilliance they bring to the task; it needs more of us and more from us. The beginning will come after the end. We face the past to remember, we face the future to dream.”

(Thomas Rain Crowe is the author of more than 30 books, including the award-winning nature memoir “Zoro’s Field: My Life in the Appalachian Woods,” and is a longtime resident of Jackson County.)

Trail under threat

At first glance, garlic mustard blends into the forest floor, but its ability to outcompete native plants makes it a quiet threat along the

When invasive plants jeopardize the AT, this ‘strike team’ fights back

BY CORY VAILLANCOURT POLITICS EDITOR

During the sunny mid-morning hours on the Tennessee border in Pisgah National Forest, a small group of volunteers at the Appalachian Trail’s rugged, remote Lemon Gap trailhead prepare for battle — not with litterbugs, poachers or vandals but instead with one of the many invasive plant species that threaten the region’s delicate natural ecosystems.

They came armed with gloves, garbage bags and a practiced eye, fanning out along the trail corridor in search of a plant that, at first glance, hardly seems like an enemy at all. Emily Powell, the Appalachian Trail Conservancy’s non-native invasive species program coordinator for the southern region, knows better.

“We’re out here hand-pulling garlic mustard, an invasive plant that is a biennial,” Powell said. “In the second year, it bolts up, and that’s when it flowers, and we are pulling it before it goes to seed.”

Garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolate) was probably first introduced to the United States in the 1860s by settlers on Long Island, New York, for medicinal and culinary utilization. It’s a member of the Brassicaceae family, commonly known as the mustard family, which includes a wide range of familiar and delicious crops such as broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, kale, mustard greens, radishes and turnips.

In its first year, it forms a low basal rosette of kidney- to heart-shaped leaves with scalloped margins and long petioles. In its second

year, it bolts, producing an erect stem that can reach 3 feet in height, bearing alternate, triangular leaves with coarsely toothed edges. The plant produces small, four-petaled white flowers arranged in terminal clusters, typical of the family, followed by slender, upright seed pods known as siliques.

It’s edible and predictably packed with vitamins A, C and E but not widely consumed. Roots can substitute for horseradish.

“If you crush up the leaves, it smells like garlic,” Powell said. “You can make a pesto out of it, but in my opinion, it’s nothing to write home about.”

The plant spread rapidly and now presents a number of challenges across the country, from Georgia to Washington and nearly everywhere in between.

What makes garlic mustard particularly dangerous to local ecosystems isn’t just its ability to spread, but how it reshapes the space around it. Native wildflowers, especially delicate spring ephemerals, rely on a narrow window of sunlight before the forest canopy filters the sun’s rays. Garlic mustard competes directly for that light while also waging a quieter, more insidious form of insurgency. The plant is allelopathic, meaning it releases chemicals into the soil that inhibit the growth of surrounding species. In dense patches, it can create a monoculture, choking out biodiversity and altering the composition of the forest floor. Pollinators lose habitat. Native plants fail to germinate. The disruption cascades outward. The imperiled West Virginia White butterfly faces increased risk when their larvae mistake garlic mustard for a similar-looking host plant, only to be poisoned.

The problem isn’t isolated, Powell said. To date, ATC has pulled over 30,000 pounds of garlic mustard trail-wide. That number reflects years of sustained effort and the scale of an infestation that could grow substantially

two-year life cycle, meaning that sustained removal over time can gradually exhaust a population. Without that effort, Drury said, the consequences would be far more visible.

The work at Lemon Gap is part of a broader push by the ATC to build capacity in combating invasive species. Through a combination of federal funding through President Joe Biden’s American Rescue Plan Act, partnerships with multiple national forests and private donations, the organization has expanded its reach across a corridor stretching from Georgia through Virginia.

Still, Drury emphasized that funding cycles fluctuate, making long-term planning difficult. In that context, volunteer labor remains essential — not just as a supplement, but as a cornerstone of the effort.

That’s where people like Priscilla Estes come in, adding an additional pair of hands to what’s called the “Non-Native Invasive Species Strike Team,” which, bafflingly, doesn’t yet have a cool logo or merch with which to identify its members or supporters.

due to a recent natural disaster.

Powell described Hurricane Helene as a kind of ecological “release event,” in which widespread disturbance — downed trees, exposed soil and openings in the forest canopy — created ideal conditions for invasive species to expand rapidly. With increased access to sunlight and fewer natural checks, species like garlic mustard, multiflora rose and tree of heaven are able to establish and spread more aggressively, outcompeting native plants and accelerating changes to the landscape.

For the ATC, the work has evolved from

A Haywood County resident and volunteer with the Carolina Mountain Club, the oldest and most expansive hiking and trail stewardship group in the Southeastern United States, Estes joined the strike team that day less out of expertise than curiosity and a desire to contribute.

“My friend Barbara Morgan told me that we were going to be pulling this garlic mustard today,” Estes said. “I don’t even know what that is, so I said that would be great.”

For Estes, the appeal wasn’t just the work itself. It was the setting, the chance to spend a day in a place she values, doing something tangible to protect it. The Appalachian Trail, she said, holds a special kind of significance.

scattered volunteer efforts into a more coordinated, science-driven campaign.

Matt Drury, the organization’s associate director of science and stewardship, has been returning to Lemon Gap for more than a decade, watching the site change year by year. The results, he said, are measurable and substantial.

“Where we used to pull 300-400 pounds, some years we’re less than 100 pounds,” Drury said. “The overall trend is a drastic reduction in the amount of [invasive] plants here.”

That progress underscores the value of consistency. Garlic mustard operates on a

“The AT is sacred,” Estes said. That economic impact is also real. In Western North Carolina, outdoor tourism supports local businesses and communities to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars annually.

“We just need to preserve the land as it was meant to be, and invasive species aren’t meant to be here,” she said, her perspective mirroring a wider philosophy within the ATC — one that ties ecological health directly to the experience of those who travel the trail. Drury framed that connection in practical terms.

“It helps protect what we refer to as ‘the hiker’s experience,’” he said.

A forest overtaken by invasive species may still look green and may still feel like wilderness, but something essential is lost. Variety fades. Subtle transitions blur. The richness that defines the Appalachian Trail becomes harder to perceive.

“You appreciate the diversity of green stuff or notice the difference in ecosystems that you’re passing through,” said Drury. “It really enhances the hiker’s experience, whether you’re conscious of it or not.”

Arboretum director named American Society of Landscape Architects fellow

The American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) announced that Drake Fowler, executive director of The North Carolina Arboretum, has been elected to its 2026 Council of Fellows.

ASLA Fellows are recognized for their exceptional contributions to the landscape architecture profession and society at large. Election to the ASLA Council of Fellows is among the highest honors ASLA bestows on members and is based on work, leadership, knowledge and service.

Fowler has led The North Carolina

On that late April morning, the connection between the constant toil of conservation and the hiking experience was more than theoretical. As volunteers worked their way along the trail, they encountered backpackers moving north — among them a pair who had come from much farther away.

Rebecca (trail name: “Barney”) and Fabian (trail name: “Point-five”) had traveled from Munich, Germany, to attempt a full thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail. They started their journey in Georgia and by the

Arboretum since 2024, following a decade serving as the organization’s CFO and deputy director. Prior to joining the Arboretum, he managed operations for Design Workshop, an international, awardwinning landscape architectural firm. He served as president of the North Carolina Chapter of the ASLA in 2024.

“The profession of landscape architecture has given so much to me. I am honored to be elected as a Fellow of the American Society of Landscape Architects,” Fowler said. “I am humbled to be among such amazing talent. The other professionals in this esteemed group are staunch defenders of the Earth, promoters of great design and advocates of equality through universal design.”

ASLA Fellows will be elevated during a special ceremony at the 2026 Conference on Landscape Architecture, which will be held in Los Angeles Sept. 16-18.

American, creates an experience that is difficult to replicate — something Barney and Point-five appreciated.

“Having the nature and having all these different kinds of environments and biospheres, that’s very special,” he said. What stands out just as much, though, is the effort required to keep it that way with work that often happens out of sight of the hikers who benefit from it. Work that happens because of people who will never experience the entire trail themselves. A culture of maintenance and generosity is woven into the trail itself, shaping the experience in ways that go beyond scenery.

“I think we both enjoy this trail super much, and it’s super well-maintained,” Barney said. “The people who all take care of that is really special. We met trail volunteers who are doing trail work and they are also doing ‘trail magic’ for hikers. We never experienced that in Europe before.”

time they reached Lemon Gap, they had already covered roughly 260 miles.

“I think it’s day 24?” Barney laughed. Their goal is ambitious — to complete the entire trail within the six months allowed by their visas. Their decision to visit the United States was driven solely by the trail itself. Germany has a strong hiking culture, but the kind of freely permitted, long-distance wild tent camping common on the Appalachian Trail is generally absent from Germany due to stricter land-use laws and environmental protections there.

“It’s quite unique to have like a 2,200mile stretch just for hiking,” Point-five said. “No bikes, no horses, no nothing.”

Germany is only about 550 miles from north to south and about 550 miles from east to west. That unimaginable, uninterrupted 2,200-mile footpath, uniquely

For Drury and others with the ATC, that kind of feedback reflects something deeper than appreciation — it signals that the underlying work, from clearing blowdowns to removing invasive species, is preserving not only access but also integrity. The ATC is a nonprofit founded in 1925 that serves as the primary steward of the Appalachian National Scenic Trail, ensuring the footpath and its surrounding landscape remain preserved, accessible and sustainable for future generations. At Lemon Gap, that reality plays out in the steady rhythm of the work itself — looking, bending, pulling, bagging, moving on.

For the volunteers working that morning, the objective was straightforward. Remove what doesn’t belong by the roots. Leave everything else. For more information on the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, visit appalachiantrail.org.

Up Moses Creek

BY BURT KORNEGAY

No Ode to Dejection

On the title page of “Walden,” Henry David Thoreau sets the tone for his book with this pronouncement: “I do not propose to write an ode to dejection, but to brag as lustily as chanticleer in the morning, standing on his roost, if only to wake my neighbors up.” “Chanticleer” is an old literary name for the rooster. Chaucer uses it in his rollicking “The Nun’s Priest’s Tale.” And in likening himself to a boisterous barnyard cock, Thoreau, with a touch of humor, lets his reader know that he’s going to be “chanting clear” the wake-up news he has learned about man and nature while living in his cabin beside Walden Pond. I like to think that if Thoreau had lived in a cabin up Moses Creek, he’d have chosen a different bird for his chanticleer.

Journal entry, March 24: “A pile of brown leaves on the edge of the yard erupts, with leaves shooting into the air. Looking through binoculars, I see the volcanic cause — a small, chunky, buff-and-cinnamon-colored bird with a short cocked-up tail, and with a white stripe over each eye. The stripes converge at the sharp beak to form a ‘V,’ giving the bird a piercing look. It’s one of the mated pair of Carolina wrens that live in our yard, and it’s flipping leaves out of the way in search for insects to eat. It must also be the male. I hear another sing male in the distance, and this one flies to a branch. His head goes up, his tail goes down, and — with his little throat pumping away — out comes loud and clear, ‘I’m here! I’m here! I’m here! I’m here!’ His song is both an assurance to his mate and, to the other male, a vigorous Keep Out.” What a big sound a Carolina wren makes, considering that underneath its puff of feathers and fluff it has a body no bigger than the tip of your little finger! If we compare its diminutive body to the volume level of its song, the wren beats any chicken coop rooster in magnitude of sound. And what stamina! Ornithologists say that male wrens

sing up to 3,000 times a day.

Our particular wren has also learned how to amplify his voice. One of his favorite perches is on top of a ladder that leans

their black eyes, and in spring what they look for is nesting sites. They can raise two or even three broods during the warm season, each brood requiring a fresh, new nest. We’ve found them nesting inside the clothespin bag on the line, in a tool bin beside the back door, in one of the pots in Becky’s garden shed. But their favorite spot is in my Mad River Guide canoe. I’ve got seven canoes stored under a shelter, remnants of my years as an outfitter and guide, but for the wrens, just like for me, the Guide is the go-to boat.

My right might be love but theirs is need. And where the two exist in twain Theirs is the better right—agreed.

I have to settle for another canoe. In mid-April of this year, however, I noticed that the dawn chorus of birds around the house was missing its distinctive tenor. The avian orchestra played without a trumpet. It was the pulsing cardinal that I heard first now. Or the wood thrush with his flute. I told Becky that our “Wake Up!” bird, our insistent alarm cock, was strangely silent. That very afternoon when she went to her garden shed, Becky found the wren’s body lying on the ground. It showed no sign of trauma. Had he sung and sung and sung all these years until his heart burst?

against the house. And when he cuts loose there, the metal roof becomes his sounding board. It makes my hearing aids rattle.

Carolina wrens mate for life, and this male and his mate have been the epitome of bird busyness and sound in our yard for years. Nothing natural or human escapes

These are only the answers.

The wrens are in the Guide as much as I am, but unlike me, they like it upside down. I keep the canoe stored with its gunwales resting on a rack, and in wren eyes the upside-down canoe forms two perfect A-frame birdhouses where its sides come together to make the bow and stern. The deck plates are the floors. If I’ve got a canoe trip in mind but forget to stuff wads of newspaper in both ends of the Guide, before I know it, the wrens will have stuffed one with a nest of soft green moss, dry leaves, twigs and small strips of red cedar bark. I swear, they can build the nest one morning and the female will fill it with eggs before night. Even if I beat them to the spot, sometimes they’ll pull the newspaper back out. The wrens seem to know that if they can lay the eggs quick, then the canoe is theirs by a higher right than mine — to fill Moses Creek with still more Carolina wrens. And if I venture close, they let me know it with a tail-up scolding. To draw on Robert Frost:

I buried the wren in the pet cemetery between Henry’s dog and cat. The burial place is marked with a sign that I found lodged in flood debris while canoeing in eastern North Carolina. It says, “On River.” The digging did not take me long. Humans require six feet to rest in peace, but a wren needs just six inches. I placed a handful of dry leaves in the hole, laid the bird on them, covered him with more leaves, and pulled the cool, moist dirt over all. I wondered if the cat’s ghost, sensing a bird near, had pricked up its ears.

The female of the pair now found herself alone in a suddenly quiet yard. Becky called her “The Widow Wren.” No singing knight in shining feathers came immediately to the rescue, though we’ve read that prime territory and a female will draw a knight. Then, one dawn in late April, Becky woke me: “Put in your ears!”

She heard a wren singing! Later that afternoon, after seeing the two birds splashing together in the birdbath, Becky renamed the female “The Merry Widow.” Now well into May, the newly arrived male has yet to match our singer of old. And he tends to stay behind the canoe shelter. Maybe he feels our old chanticleer’s presence lingering in the yard. He is the former wren’s equal in one way, however. A few days after he appeared, I found the first mossy nest of the breeding season in the bow of my Guide.

(Burt and Becky Kornegay live in Jackson County.)

The program, held next month, will focus on beekeeping in the region. Donated photo

Macon hosts beekeeping talk

The series Where We Live: History, Nature, and Culture, will present a program called “Beautiful, Beneficial Bees.” The program will be focused on beekeeping in Western North Carolina and will cover a brief history of beekeeping, structure of a hive, what it takes to be a beekeeper here, issues that we face, the need for bees and what the average person can do to support bees and other pollinators.

Jeremy Zimmerman, president of the Macon County Beekeepers Association will

be the speaker.  Macon County Beekeepers Association was founded in 1980 and is focused on guiding new and experienced beekeepers in apiary best practices. It is a volunteer group that meets monthly to share beekeeping ideas and mentor lessexperienced beekeepers. They hold a yearly “Introduction to Beekeeping” class in the spring for those who might be interested. This free program will be held at 6:30 p.m. June 15, at the Cowee School Arts and Heritage Center at 51 Cowee School Drive in Franklin.

Pigeon River Fund awards water quality grants

The Pigeon River Fund of The Community Foundation of Western North Carolina (CFWNC) awarded seven grants totaling $188,430 to environmental groups working to improve surface water quality, enhance fish and wildlife habitats, expand public use and access to waterways and increase water quality awareness in Buncombe, Haywood, and Madison counties.

Some of the most recent grant recipients:

• $9,750 to Haywood Waterways Association toward implementation of the third phase in the Town of Clyde's Flood Resiliency Project.

• $35,000 to Lake Junaluska Assembly to repair 300 linear feet of eastern lakeshore, which eroded due to winter waves and ongoing currents.

The next application deadline for qualifying nonprofits in Buncombe, Haywood and Madison counties is Sept. 15, 2026. Applications and instructions are available at cfwnc.org.

Join Franklin Bird club for Macon County walks

The Franklin Bird Club leads walks along the greenway on Wednesday mornings at 8 a.m. through September. Walks start at alternating locations: Macon County Public Library, Big Bear Park and Salali Lane. Walks are about two and a half hours. The public is welcome. All walks are weather-dependent. Additional information, including directions to each location and a bird club checklist can be found at littleten-

nessee.org/franklin-bird-club. All walks are free.

Schedule for upcoming walks:

• June 3, meet at Big Bear parking lot near the dog park area

• June 10, meet at Salali Lane parking area.

• June 17, meet at the Macon County Library parking lot

• June 24, meet at Big Bear parking lot near the dog park area

A full schedule and directions to each starting location can be found at facebook.com/groups/franklinbirdclub or littletennessee.org/franklin-bird-club.

Every Hero Has a Battle Buddy — And Help Is Always Within Reach

ife doesn’t always come with warning signs when things start to feel overwhelming. Stress, anxiety, grief, isolation, and moments of deep uncertainty can affect anyone—regardless of age, background, or circumstance. Even the strongest among us need support sometimes. That’s where the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline comes in.

Think of 988 as a battle buddy for life’s toughest moments. A battle buddy is someone who doesn’t leave you to face hard moments alone— someone who listens, supports, and walks beside you when things feel overwhelming. 988 is a free, confidential, 24/7 resource available to anyone who needs to talk—whether you’re facing a personal crisis, feeling emotionally overwhelmed, or worried about a friend or loved one. One call, text, or chat can connect you with trained counselors who are there to listen, support, and help guide you through what comes next.

Reaching out for help isn’t a sign of weakness—it’s a sign of strength. Just as heroes rely on teammates to get through challenging situations, people need people. The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline exists to make sure no one has to face their hardest moments alone.

You don’t have to be in immediate danger to contact 988. Many people reach out simply because they need someone who understands, someone who will listen without judgment. Whether you’re dealing with anxiety, depression, relationship stress, financial worries, grief, or lingering emotional effects from difficult life events, help is available when you need it most.

The Lifeline is also there if you’re concerned about someone else. If a friend, family member, coworker, or neighbor seems to be struggling, 988 counselors can help you figure out how to support them and what steps to take. Sometimes, being a battle buddy means knowing where to turn for guidance.

In Haywood County, supporting the mental and emotional well-being of our community is a shared responsibility. We look out for one another— especially during times when life feels heavy. The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline strengthens that sense of connection by ensuring help is always just a moment away.

Calling or texting 988, or chatting at 988lifeline.org, puts you in touch with real people who get it. Trained counselors listen with compassion, help de-escalate crisis situations, and connect callers to local resources when appropriate. Services are available around the clock, in English and Spanish, and for individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing.

No problem is too big or too small. No story is too complicated. And no one is ever a burden for asking for help.

Every hero has a battle buddy. If you need one—or if someone you care about does—remember that 988 has your back. Talk to someone who gets it. Help is here, 24/7.

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Legals

PUBLIC NOTICE

To all persons claiming an interest in 1998- 20’ALUMINUM- GODFREY - GDY5235CF798 1998 -40HP-YAMAHA -6H4L920772. ANGELA GARDNER will apply to SCDNR for title on watercraft/outboard motor. If you have any claim to the watercraft/outboard motor, contact SCDNR at 803-734-3699. Upon thirty days after the date of the last advertisement if no claim of interest is made and the watercraft/outboard motor has not been reported stolen, SCDNR shall issue clear title. Case No 20250915950728

NOTICE OF SERVICE OF PROCESS BY PUBLICATION

STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA HAYOOD COUNTY

IN THE SUPERIOR COURT

Title: Estate of FREDA JO THOMPSON, deceased. To: HUNTER HAYNES , last known address: 2057 Lydney Circle, Waxhaw, NC 28173; SHEILA JOYCE

LUNSFORD , last known address: 36 Smith Graveyard Road, Asheville, NC 28804; and MICHAEL EUGENE HAWKINS , address unknown.

TAKE NOTICE that a pleading seeking relief against you, styled Caveat contesting a probated paper writing, has been -

tioned proceeding now pending in the Superior Court of Haywood County, North Carolina, File No. 26E000030-430, before the Superior Court of Haywood County. Additionally, concerning said propounded writing, Notice of Lis Pendens have

430 and 26M000070-100. The nature of the relief being sought is a judicial determination, pursuant to N.C. Gen. Stat. § 3132 et seq. , that the script of writing heretofore admitted to probate as the Last Will and Testament of Freda Jo Thompson is not the valid Last Will and Testament of the said decedent; that probate of said writing be set aside; and such further and other relief as the Court may deem just and proper. The Lis Pendens is given to give public

notice of contested litigation regarding former real property of the decedent. You are required to make defense to such pleading not later than forty (40) days from May 27, 2026 -

cation of this Notice, said deadline being July 6, 2026. Upon your failure to do so, the party seeking service against you will apply to the Court for the relief sought. This Notice is given in compliance with the requirements of N.C. Gen. Stat. § 1A-1, Rule 4 but no party is re-

to the Caveat per N.C. Gen. Stat. §§ 31-33(c). This, the 22 nd day of May, 2026.

/s/ Harrison C. Dusek Counsel for Caveator

Michael Joseph Hawkins 37 Church St. Ste. 2100 Waynesville, NC 28786

STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE COUNTY OF HAYWOOD DISTRICT COURT DIVISION FILE NO. 26CV000320430

ASHLEY CHILDERS

Plaintiff, v. MICHAEL CHILDERS Defendant,

NOTICE OF SERVICE OF PROCESS BY PUBLICATION

Take notice that a pleading seeking relief against above entitled action. The nature of the relief being sought is as follows:

Complaint for Equitable Distribution and Absolute Divorce

You are required to make defense to such pleading no later than June 29th, 2026 and upon your failure to do so the party seeking service against you will apply to the court for the relief sought.

This 12 day of May, 2026

NIELSEN LAW, PLLC Joshua D. Nielsen Attorney for Plaintiff 413 Walnut St Waynesville, NC 28786 (828) 246-9360 (828) 229-7255 facsimile

Publication Dates: May 20th, May 27th, and June 3rd, 2026

NOTICE OF SERVICE OF PROCESS BY PUBLICATION STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA HAYWOOD COUNTY IN THE DISTRICT COURT

RE: DEPOT 1, LLC

V. MACINTYRE, HAYWOOD COUNTY FILE NUMBER: 26CV000542430

TO: ROBERT WARD MACINTYRE, Defendant.

Take notice that a pleading seeking relief against above-entitled action. The nature of the relief being sought is as follows: Complaint for Ejectment. You are required to make defense to such pleading not later than July 6th, 2026, said date being 40cation of this notice. Upon your failure to do so, the party seeking service against you will apply to the Court for the relief sought.This the 21st day of May, 2026.

Caleb Decker, Attorney

for Plaintiff DeckerLaw, PLLC 168 Tate Street Waynesville, NC 28786 (828) 246-0897

NOTICE OF ADMINISTRATION

Case No.26E000123-490

David Lee Southers,

Administrator of the Estate of Douglas Lee Southers of Jackson County, North Carolina, this is to notify all persons having claims against the Estate to present them to the undersigned on or before Aug 27 2026, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said Estate, please make immediate payment.

Administrator Attn: David Southers 705 W Main Street Sylva, NC 28779

NOTICE OF ADMINISTRATION

Case No.26E000252-430

Shelly Buher, having qualof the Estate of Gregory

Alan Binkley of Haywood County, North Carolina, this is to notify all persons having claims against the Estate to present them to the undersigned on or before Aug 27 2026, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said Estate, please make immediate payment.

Administrator P.O. Box 51596 Durham, NC 27717

NOTICE OF ADMINISTRATION

Case No.26E000311-430

Darlene Ketner Killian,

Administrator of the Estate of Ernestine Wyatt aka Ernestine Ketner Wyatt of Haywood County, North Carolina, this is to notify all persons having claims against the Estate to present them to the undersigned on or before Aug 20 2026, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said Estate, please make immediate payment.

Administrator PO Box 173 Maggie Valley, NC 28751

NOTICE OF ADMINISTRATION

Case No.26E000230-430

Amanda Holder, havingistrator of the Estate of Scott Dewayne Holder of Haywood County, North Carolina, this is to notify all persons having claims against the Estate to present them to the undersigned on or before Aug 20 2026, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said Estate, please make immediate payment.

Administrator 165 Odiear Rd Canton, NC 28716

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