Cashiers Leaf Festival

With art, music, and food, the Cashiers Valley Leaf Festival, slated for October 8-10 at the Village Green, is a celebration of all the good things of October in the mountains.

Thousands of “leaf lookers” travel through the Cashiers area every October to enjoy the wonderful hues of red, orange, and yellow as the trees turn their Autumn colors.

To celebrate this annual event, The Village Green presents the Cashiers Valley Leaf Festival. The festival features around 75 artisans scattered throughout the 13.2-acre park. Cashiers Valley Leaf Festival will be from 10:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M on October 8 and 9 and from 10:00 A.M. to 3:00 P.M. on Sunday, October 10.

Visitors will find unique handcrafted wood, pottery, jewelry and more on display and available for purchase throughout the weekend. Plenty of food and drinks are available in the park.

The festival also includes a special fall edition of Concerts On the Commons at 6:00 P.M. This concert will be on Friday, October 10, at the Commons with Isaiah Breedlove as the featured performer.

Visit VillageGreenCashiersNC.com/concerts for updates on information for this live music opportunity and how to secure advance seating space at The Village Green Commons Hall. More live musical performances will be on the Gazebo stage Saturday and Sunday.

For more information and a full schedule of events and activities during Cashiers Valley Leaf Festival, visit VillageGreenCashiersNC.com/Events.

by Ann Self, The Village Green

Chetolah A Place of Rest

Sips and Swine, set for October 10 at the storied Chetolah, is a storybook evening and a boost for the fortunes of The Bascom. For tickets, visit thebascom.org/gather/ special-events/sip-swine.

The Bascom, A Center for the Visual Arts, will stage its gala Sips and Swine Barbecue Sunday, October 10, at the home of David Moore and Darren Whatley, which is the original Bascom home, Chetolah, located on Satulah Mountain in Highlands.

In addition to barbecue, beer, and wine, the evening will feature small batch bourbon from Burnt Church Distillery in Bluffton, South Carolina. Silly Ridge Roundup will entertain revelers with americana, bluegrass, and folk music.

The event will help the Bascom to touch the lives of thousands of individuals annually through: •10 year-round free admission exhibitions reaching over 25,000 individuals •Free community-wide art programs and activities. •Over 45,000 outreach individuals served annually. •In-class and virtual STEAM programs for youth. •Representation of 100+ local and regional artists in the Bascom Shop.

One of the crown jewels of Highlands history, Chetolah is located on the western face of Satulah Mountain. It’s the original home of Henry Martin Bascom, the second mayor of Highlands.

Built in 1892, this American Foursquare home was constructed on a three-acre lot purchased from his mother-in-law, Mrs. Amanda Davis. Between 1894 and 1916, Bascom purchased several adjoining lots, culminating in twenty acres of privacy and a near 360-degree view of the surrounding mountains.

The American Foursquare is a simple architectural design; a response to the ostentatious Victorian styles that were popular in the late 19th century. Unlike Colonial and Greek Revival styles, the American Foursquare is not symmetrical. Instead, the simple foursided house was tailored to meet the needs of the homeowner. The houses were typically two stories, with each floor divided into four large rooms. They were similar to the California Bungalows that were also rising in popularity, with open floor plans, built-in cabinets, and inviting fireplaces.

The American Foursquare design is meant to maximize floor space within a narrow footprint, which worked well in early urban neighborhoods and streetcar suburbs.

That’s why Mayor Bascom’s Foursquare is unique: a simple, urban design perched high on a mountain slope. Even more unique was Bascom’s inclusion of a wood burning furnace in the basement. It was the first home in Highlands to have central heating.

If you’d like to celebrate the wonderful things that The Bascom does for the community, and explore this fabulous home and property, purchase your tickets for Sips and Swine at thebascom.org/gather/ special-events/sip-swine.

by Ashley Stewart, The Bascom

Autumn Marketplace

October brings the fruits of the fall harvest to Highlands Marketplace, staged every Saturday morning at KelseyHutchinson Founders Park.

What’s more fun than bobbing for apples?

Shopping for apples at an outdoor farmers’ market on a crisp fall morning, or chatting with a local grower to see if they have the perfect apple pie recipe.

Highlands Marketplace is just the place to do that every Saturday morning from 8:00 A.M. until 12:30 P.M. at Kelsey Hutchinson Park on Pine Street.

Here you will find not only apples, and all things apple-related, but also the freshest in everything you need to complete your fall menu or decorating project.

Think of the freshest produce, meats, seafood, flowers, jams, jellies, pickles, relishes, eggs, butter, dips, herbs, and spices.

Not to mention baked goods that will make your mouth water and keep your family and guests happy all weekend.

Those fall decorating projects will be a breeze when you choose from the fresh fall flowers, plants, pumpkins, and crafts to complete your fall refresh. That’s right, in addition to all the tasty food products, this perfect little farmers’ market draws local craftsmen and artists as well. In fact, you never know what you’ll find here from week to week so make it a Saturday morning habit to visit.

We’re even going out on a limb and mentioning the C word, Christmas, that is. Who wouldn’t want a homemade gift or stocking stuffer from Highlands? You can find a perfect gift and have an interesting story to tell about that perfect fall day when you found it. It beats sharing stories about shipping nightmares later in the season.

Don’t miss this, your last chance to visit the Highlands Marketplace and stock up on your favorite items before they close until spring.

by Mary Jane McCall

Cashiers Green Market

For an irreplaceable taste of the Plateau’s fall bounty, visit the stands at the Cashiers Green Market, every Wednesday afternoon at the Cashiers Commons.

Autumn in the mountains, when time slows down and the living is easy.

That means your meals should be too, and the perfect place to start your meal is at the Green Market, Cashiers’ own farmers’ market, held each Wednesday from 2:00 until 5:00 P.M. at the Cashiers Commons on Frank Allen Road, next to the Post Office.

The Green Market is a producer-only market, meaning that each vendor must be the grower or producer of all the products that they sell, and they must produce within a 125-mile radius of Cashiers. These products are the freshest available and you’ll enjoy the rare opportunity to visit with the producer and enjoy the opportunity to find out what makes their food so good.

Chat with Kathy and David Cirka of Backwoods Bakery, a micro bakery, in Whittier, North Carolina, who know a thing or two about how to keep their customers coming back week after week. They love the Green Market for the family-friendly atmosphere. Their customers love them for their wide array of baked goods including cookies, brownies, scones, artisanal breads, turnovers, and Danish pastries.

In addition to yummy baked goods, you’ll find freshly harvested fruits and vegetables, herbs, spices, naturally raised meat and dairy items, farm fresh eggs, jams, jellies, pickles, honey, and more. October brings the added delight of pumpkins, gourds, and plants to complete your fall décor.

Green Market strives to keep their shoppers and vendors happy and healthy, so they follow best practices to ensure the safety and well being of all their vendors and customers. Face coverings are encouraged, as is physical distancing.

Green Market will be held every Wednesday through October 27, so check it out each week to see what’s fresh. For more information, you can visit cashiersgreenmarket.com.

by Mary Jane McCall

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Highlands Food & Wine

The Fifth Highlands Food & Wine Festival, set for November 11-14, is taking every measure possible to ensure that everyone’s safe and sated. For up-todate information, visit highlandsfoodandwine.com.

One thing is certain, after last year’s shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic, Highlanders will not take the Highlands Food & Wine Festival for granted.

In the five years before the pandemic put it on hiatus, the festival had become a major draw for tourism on the Plateau and a boon to businesses in what had historically been the off-season. From its modest beginning in 2016, by the conclusion of the 2019 celebration, the festival had burgeoned into a full-fledged four-day event, attracting thousands of visitors from throughout the country, with a fan base spanning multiple generations.

Now back for a fifth year, the 2021 festival will feature a host of creative, new chefs, new musical talent, stellar attractions and the installation of Covid protocols.

In its commitment to providing a safe environment for everyone in attendance and safeguarding the health and safety of the patrons, staff and vendors, organizers have announced that based on the rapid spread of the Delta variant, a full Covid-19 vaccination or negative Covid test results will be required for audiences, crew, staff and artists in attendance.

Highlands Food and Wine Board Director David Bock said that “One of the signs of pandemic wisdom is to be able to adjust a plan and come up with a measured response based on the current situation of the pandemic, which in the case of Covid is constantly evolving.Therefore, in the service of our chefs, bands, crew and audience, HFW is prioritizing its culture of safety first.”

To facilitate and expedite this process, the Mountain Lakes Medical Center in Clayton has agreed to be the exclusive Highlands Food & Wine Festival Health & Safety partner. This will include the set-up of a PCR testing station starting Wednesday, November 10, for local residents (prior to the Nov 11-14 weekend) and running throughout the duration of the weekend prior to event gates. Attendees will be able to get their tests and show proof of vaccination prior to all events. Testing will be free to all attendees.

Bock reiterated that the partnership with Mountain Lakes “will go a long way to ensure everyone’s safety.”

There’s a lot that many of us may want to forget about what happened in the past year and a half. And though great food and wine, and music may not entirely whisk away the difficulties the pandemic wrought, HFW will surely present a near perfect restorative.

More information about the festival can be found at highlandsfoodandwine.com.

by Marlene Osteen

Putts for Paws

Putts Fore Paws, set for October 11 at the Cullasaja Club, is no dog walk in the park – it’s a full-on golf tournament for serious and not-so-serious golfers. Applications can be found at chhumanesociety.org. For more information, please call (828) 743-5750 or email golf@ chhumanesociety.org.

Our shelter cats and dogs are saving a spot for you at this year’s big Cashiers-Highlands Humane Society fundraiser…Putts Fore Paws!

Almost a year in the planning, this new fundraiser and “fun-raiser,” certain to become an annual tradition, will take place during one of the most beautiful times of the year at one of the most beautiful courses on the Plateau.

Putts Fore Paws will occur during the peak of leaf season, Monday, October 11, at the Arnold Palmerdesigned championship golf course at the Cullasaja Club.

The Inaugural CHHS Putts Fore Paws on October 11 starts with a 10:00 A.M. registration and an 11:00 A.M. shotgun start.

Mulligans will be available for purchase at signin. Prizes will be awarded for overall lowest score (with handicap), closest to the pin, longest drive, and, compliments of Hammond and Mitzi Rauers and Franklin Ford, a hole-in-one on a designated hole will win a car!

Registration is $200 per golfer and $100 of each registration is a tax-deductible contribution to the Cashiers-Highlands Humane Society. Registration includes greens fees, cart fees, and a boxed lunch. All golfers will also receive a “doggy bag” of goodies compliments of CHHS. Not a golfer?

Not to worry, you can still participate in this great cause for the animals! Hole sponsorships are available for $1,000 and each sponsor will have a picture of their beloved pet (or pets) on the tee box, and best of all, the framed picture will be given to you after the tournament as a keepsake memento and a thank you for your support.

This exciting new golf tournament is limited to just 20 foursomes, so put your foursome together and register today! The tournament application can be found on our homepage at chhumanesociety.org. For more information, please call (828) 743-5750 or email golf@ chhumanesociety.org.

Established in 1987, Cashiers-Highlands Humane Society is a 501(c)(3) non-profit animal welfare organization located at 200 Gable Drive in Sapphire, one-and-a-half miles east of the Cashiers Ingles in between Cedar Creek Club and Lonesome Valley on Highway 64. Tax-deductible donations to support our lifesaving work can be mailed to: CHHS, P.O. Box 638, Cashiers, NC 28717.

by David Stroud, Cashiers-Highlands Humane Society

Past Meets Modernity

For author Michael Almond, the conflicts at the core of The Tannery continue to simmer just below the surface of modern American life. He’ll talk about his work and the themes that animate his writing with a pair of events at local libraries.

Michael Almond When lifelong “voracious” reader Michael Almond, who was also a career international business attorney, decided to retire, it was not just to become a fixture on a golf course or a sofa.

He had begun contemplating the storyline for a historical fiction book 14 years ago, and years of research resulted in his debut legal-thriller novel, The Tannery (Koehler Books), launched this month. Almond is scheduled to share his book and to speak at the Albert CarltonCashiers Library at a community event hosted by The Friends of the Library on October 22 at 3:00 P.M. He will also speak at a Books and Bites public event at the Highlands Hudson Library on October 23 at 12:30 P.M.

Almond shared with The Laurel about his impetus for the new novel, explaining that since readers often want to “learn something” when they read, as a novelist he takes them “to a different time and place,” all the while weaving historical research into a fictional narrative.

The challenge of the writing? “Keeping up the pace,” so that the novel has plenty of “surprises and twists and turns.”

He said he truly became a novelist last year during quarantine, when he dedicated his attention to completing the book.

Although set in the early Jim Crow era, The Tannery explores modern relevant themes of racial injustice, black voter intimidation and suppression, and racial violence, etc.

The novel’s storyline focuses on the trial of a poor, mixed-race teenage boy, Virgil Wade, accused of murdering a prominent young Jewish woman, and the plot weaves in suspenseful details of the post-Reconstruction South. The main character is attorney Ben Waterman, and one of the pivotal conflicts is how he combats the Ku Klux Klan.

The Tannery is available at local bookstores and on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Indie Bound.

by Deena Bouknight

Lotta Miles on His Boots

Country Music sensation John King brings his deeply-felt performance to The Orchard at The Farm on October 21. For information and reservations, visit OldEdwardsHopitality. com/OrchardSessions.

John King

On Thursday, October 21, the sounds of country musician/ singer-songwriter John King will fill The Orchard at The Farm at Old Edwards.

It is the sound of a rising star, and a voice filled with the southern grit of country music inflected with rock ‘ n roll.

As a boy raised in the Appalachian foothills in the small town of Demorest, Georgia, King took up guitar playing the tunes of his influencers – Lynyrd Skynyrd, the Black Crowes, James Taylor, and Garth Brooks.

It wasn’t long before he realized he could write his own music.

His early bands were rock bands, “but my voice was country. I grew up country, I talked country, and I wrote country songs.” He honed his musical footprint at the University of Georgia and began making a name for himself in country music – opening for nationally recognized award-winning artists.

His 2014 debut single Tonight earned him his first top 40 hit and was used to highlight CBS network’s Thursday Night Football. He followed with a series of songwriting triumphs – earning an ASCAP Songwriter Award for co-writing the 2016 number one Randy Houser hit We Went and penning the first Hootie and The Blowfish song to be released since 2005 – Rollin.

He zigzagged through the country, becoming a road warrior, playing 150 shows a year, building a fan base one gig at a time, and pushing the boundaries of what is possible in country music with (as described by Billboard Magazine), “fresh melodies and lyrics mixed with old school believability.”

King’s 2019 country-pop single Try Saying Goodbye, pulled from his storytelling prowess, was streamed more than 18 million times and named one of Rolling Stone’s Top 10 Country Songs. Pairing a ballad verse with a more rock-influenced chorus, the mid-tempo song explores the universal difficulties of negotiating love relationships.

He’s risen from the pandemic shutdown with his first full-length album, Always Gonna Be You. An autobiographical narrative, the album follows King’s storyline – from a teenager working construction, singing songs by the campfire to the girl who became his wife, to his life today.

Alternately described as a “soundtrack to self-discovery,” and a “coming-of-age story,” the result is a “country album filled with modern-day twang, heartland hooks and the same diversity that imbued the music King grew up loving.”

The show begins at 6:00 P.M. and finishes at 8:00. There is a $25 cover charge for the public, with online sales opening two weeks in advance. Every ticket includes light bites and a cash bar. The session will move indoors to the new Orchard House in the event of rain.

For updates and to book online, visit OldEdwardsHopitality.com/ OrchardSessions.

by Marlene Osteen

Shadow of the Bear

Haven’t encountered a Black Bear this year? Don’t worry, there’s always the Big One stalking the mountains beyond Rhodes Big View Overlook.

One of the most exciting and adrenaline producing moments here in the mountains is encountering a Black Bear, the closer the encounter, the higher the heart rate.

And only slightly less-exhilarating and much safer way to see a bear, even if it’s not the living, breathing kind, is to catch the annual autumn appearance of the Shadow of the Bear at the Rhodes Big View Overlook on Highway 64 East between Highlands and Cashiers.

This mystical creature makes his shadowy appearance for several weeks starting in mid-October between the hours of approximately 5:30 until 6:00 P.M.. As the sun sets and moves behind Whiteside Mountain, the shadowy figure of the bear emerges from the valley floor among the brilliantly colored autumn foliage.

It’s an imposing and inspiring sight whether you’re seeing for the first time or the twentieth, and a sight that’s garnered national attention since it can only be seen here.

Often forgotten is the fact that the bear shadow makes another appearance from mid-February until early March, but the fall appearance draws the most visitors. The combination of this one-ofa-kind shadowy display and the fiery fall leaves is truly a sight that you shouldn’t miss.

The earliest inhabitants of our area, the Cherokee, revered the Black Bear for both his spirit and as a powerful animal. They believed that the shadow of the bear was a sign that a powerful bear spirit protected them from the evil Spearfinger, a shape-shifting witch who lived in a cave on Whiteside Mountain, and used her spear shaped finger to stab people.

This amazing phenomenon draws a large crowd so proceed with caution to the panoramic overlook, find a safe parking spot and walk to the overlook to view. Always be aware that this is a busy highway, so be safe and find a spot off the road near the guardrail to stand and watch the shadow emerge.

by Mary Jane McCall

Annual Celebration

The Literacy & Learning Center’s annual celebration of its free educational programs, slated for October 17 at Wildcat Cliffs Country Club, will feature international best-selling author Patti Callahan Henry.

Patti Callahan Henry

The centerpiece of The Literacy & Learning Center’s annual gala, Celebration of Education, held on October 17 at Wildcat Cliffs Country Club, is keynote speaker Patti Callahan Henry.

Henry is a New York Times-bestselling author of 16 novels, including Becoming Mrs. Lewis: The Improbable Love Story of Joy Davidman and C.S. Lewis, which was shortlisted for the 2020 Romantic Novel Awards.

Henry’s been featured internationally, in hundreds of podcasts, videos, and radio show interviews. She’s also the podcast host of her own podcast series: Behind the Scenes of Becoming Mrs. Lewis and The Untold Story of Surviving Savannah. Her articles and essays have appeared on national and global levels: Southern Living, PINK, Writer’s Digest, Garden & Gun, Atlanta Journal, Birmingham Magazine, Portico, Career Authors, Love Magazine UK, Female First UK, Medium Magazine, Red Magazine UK, and more.

Celebration of Education is held each year to support the free

educational programs offered by The Literacy & Learning Center. These programs include early intervention reading programs, in-school reading assistance, after-school programs, individual tutoring, adult literacy, a GED program, English as a Second Language, and even a reading program for senior citizens. More than 2,300 Celebration of Education is held each individuals on the Plateau benefit from year to support the free educational these programs each year. programs offered by The Literacy & For more information about The Learning Center. Literacy & Learning Center’s Celebration of Education, or its programs, please visit maconncliteracy.org. You can also volunteer as a tutor at its website, or learn about other ways that you may serve this vital organization. by Luke Osteen .thelaurelmagazine.com

Whiskey, Beer, and Brew

Half-Mile Farm

Three events at Half-Mile Farm bring the flavor and the savor to the sensual delights of the season. Hosted events are for Half-Mile Farm guests only. Visit HalfMileFarm.com to check for room availability.

To my mind, it’s the small interludes of pleasures that make life good and worth living – the sensual satisfaction that we derive when we encounter new tastes, and the exhilaration we derive from new encounters.

The cravings for such experiences are regularly satiated with unique aplomb at Half-Mile Farm, as demonstrated by the slate of three gastronomical adventures offered in October.

Friday, October 1 – Sunday, October 3: Join Jim Chasteen and Charlie Thompson of Atlanta’s ASW Distillery to taste and tour the whiskey they produce that employs a unique hybrid approach. Dubbing themselves “Southern Pot-Still Pioneers,” ASW combines traditional Scottish-style double copper pot distillation with innovative Southern-style grain-in distillation. No less innovative are their recently launched Bustletown Vodka (“drinks like a cloud”) and the citrusy, floral Winterville Gin. Weekend events include a Friday Social Hour with complimentary hors d’oeuvres and live music; Saturday afternoon presentation and sampling; and a Saturday Social Hour with craft cocktails and hors d’oeuvres.

Wednesday, October 13 – Friday, October 15: Discover the magic that happens when a Craft Beer lover merges with a Kombucha devotee – as was the case when brothers Luke and Sam Walker teamed up to create the Walker Brother label. “Blending wellness with community” and producing high gravity kombucha, the brothers have spawned an alternative to craft beer and an option for the healthminded seeking a funky and flavorful brew. Join them for a special tasting with cocktails at the Wednesday Social Hour; on Thursday afternoon listen to the compelling tale of their brand development, and sample cocktail concoctions at the Thursday Social Hour.

Wednesday, October 27 – Friday, October 29: The Mountain Harvest Celebration will be in full force at Half-Mile Farm

when it welcomes Boone, North Carolina’s, Appalachian Mountain Brewery. Well known for its award-winning craft beers and ciders, AMB is widely celebrated for its focus on philanthropy, community, and sustainability. Activities include a Wednesday Social Hour with hors d’oeuvres, craft beverages, and cider tasting; a Thursday afternoon Fireside Chat, and Thursday Social Hour with cocktails, ciders, and complimentary hors d’oeuvres.

After so long a time when the good things in life were so limited, Half-Mile Farm gives us three reasons to rejoice.

Hosted events are for Half-Mile Farm guests only. Visit HalfMileFarm.com to check for room availability.

by Marlene Osteen

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Let’s Hunt Your Haunts

The Center for Life Enrichment will venture into the shadowy world of the supernatural with a presentation by paranormal expert Pepper Paris, October 27. For information, go to clehighlands.com.

When better than Halloween week, that time of year when ghosts and scary stories abound, to learn about paranormal terminology and explore the supernatural?

And where better to investigate than at a former morgue, in an old hospital – as in the case of the Center for Life Enrichment.

And so it goes that on October 27, CLE will present to participating guests Pepper Paris, an expert in the paranormal.

Paris had her first encounter with the supernatural at the age of 4 when her father revealed that he had witnessed apparitions of veterans disappear into the early morning fog on Asheville’s Haywood Street. She has been conducting ghost tours for nearly three decades, her interest in the paranormal having been piqued years earlier while in college Dublin.

Participants will use dowsing rods to plumb for the unfathomable in the basement, a practice that reputedly allows one to obtain information in a manner beyond the scope of ordinary human senses. Perhaps they will discover why, as CLE Director Fallon Hovis tells me, batteries regularly disappear. (Could the ghosts be seeking an energy source?).

The session will include a discussion and investigation into local homes said to be inhabited by ghosts.

She will tell the story of the century-and-a-half old Kalalanta home on Bowery Road, where strange things are noticed – the sounds of mysterious footsteps on the steps and the sight of rocking chairs swaying on the porch on wind-still days. And she will ask why unexplained events occur at the place that used to be known as Gray Cottage (now Wolfgang’s Restaurant), why the staff sometimes glimpses a young boy who never reached adulthood and detects cold spots in warm places?

There’s still more, of course.

For the parapsychologist wanna-be, instruction on how to use paranormal investigation tools – dowsing rods and EMF meters that measure fluctuations in electromagnetic fields.

And sure to evoke a lively response will be a discussion on Parapsychology, the study of alleged psychic claims and other paranormal phenomena, including poltergeists and aliens and even Bigfoot.

Intrigued by all there is to ponder? Find out more at clehighlands.com.

by Marlene Osteen

Fabulous Fall with Fontana

If you’re reading this, you’re learning. Continue this trend with regular visits to Albert CarltonCashiers Community Library and Hudson Library.

Each month and each season, libraries are in-tune with the needs and interests of communities.

This fall is no different.

As Serenity Richards, branch librarian, Albert Carlton-Cashiers Community Library, noted: “We’ll be incorporating Halloween, and fall in general, into all of our children’s programming with themed crafts and stories. Our big community Halloween event has been cancelled by the organizers due to Covid-19, but we may have new Launchpads available in October.”

Launchpads are tech devices pre-loaded with high-quality, ad-free learning apps and games, to provide hours of interactive learning and play – for both children and adults.

Also ongoing are free, important community services to provide information and resources regarding a wide variety of interests and concerns. “We’ll be continuing our partnership with Vaya Health with monthly mental health seminars,” informed Richards.

Carlyn Morenus, branch librarian for Hudson Library in Highlands, pointed out that because both the Cashiers and Highlands libraries are part of the Fontana Regional Library system, many of the same services, opportunities, and resources are available at both, such as the Vaya Health seminars.

For example: • the latest fiction and nonfiction best-sellers, mysteries, literary fiction, and much more

• audiobooks, DVDs and Blu-rays, music CDs • current newspapers and magazines • free wireless internet access • free notary services • comfortable reading room • large community space for private and nonprofit groups • public-use computers and printer • technology assistance • fun children’s play room and story times • educational computers and tablets just for kids • access to ebooks, e-audiobooks, digital magazines, and streamed movies

Two distinctions: Hudson Library hosts, in collaboration with Town of Highlands, a monthly Community Coffee, which is an open public discussion with Highlands’ Mayor Patrick Taylor. Each session addresses issues of concern to the town and its citizens, presented by the mayor himself and a variety of organizations. This event is free and open to the public. The schedule is included on the Hudson Library website: https://fontanalib.org/highlands.

Albert Carlton-Cashiers Community Library also has an ongoing Friends of the Library book sale in a back room of the facility so that visitors can purchase quality nonfiction and fiction books at greatly reduced prices. All proceeds support the library.

by Deena Bouknight

Cashiers Quilters Fall Show

For Cashiers Quilters, who’ll be displaying their creations at Albert Carlton-Cashiers Community Library on Saturday, October 9, the medium is the message. The cozy, comfy message.

Cashiers Quilters, a group of full-time and seasonal residents, are reviving their biennial quilt show which was postponed in 2020 because of Covid. The show is Saturday, October 9, (in tandem with the Fall Leaf Festival) from 10:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M. at the Cashiers Library. Admission is free.

Quilters are productive on an average day. Imagine what they did when they had a year of quarantine. That bounty of beauty will be exhibited on library walls. Don’t miss viewing these creative designs made of treasured cloth and intricate stitchery.

Quilts are much more than a bed cover. They are a product of love, a collection of memories, a collaboration of friends, and a hand-crafted work of art. The colors, textures, designs, and line-work are visually-captivating. Wow-factor galore!

View their jelly roll rugs (beautiful fabric rugs). In the three years since their last show, quilters took a class in rug-making. These coiled fabric floor-coverings will also be on display.

It’s common knowledge quilters are darn good cooks. Bring your hungry tum and indulge in delicious treats at their bake sale.

While the quilts are not for sale, you can shop for gift items at the quilters’ boutique. If you’d love to own a vintage quilt, buy a raffle ticket for a buck (6 for $5) and take a chance.

Club spokeswoman Joan Kiernan said, “The vintage quilt top was made in the 1930s and was never finished, so some of our members hand-quilted it. Now it could be yours!

“We have been making flannel lap blankets we’ll give to shut-ins at Christmas through the Jackson County Senior organization.”

Cashiers Quilters meets every Wednesday at St. Jude Catholic Church in Sapphire at 12:30 P.M. Show up with or without gear, say hi, and see what kind of stitch-witchery they’re conjuring up this Fall. For more information, cashiersquilters.com, or email cashierquilters@yahoo.com.

by Donna Rhodes

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October is the fallen leaf, but it is also a wider horizon more clearly seen. It is the distant hills once more in sight, and the enduring constellations above them once again.

– Hal Borland

Live Music, On the Verandah. 3 Highlands Food Pantry 4Open, 3:15 to 5:30 PM, behind and below The Highlands United Methodist Church, Live Music, On the Verandah. Live Music, On the Verandah. 5

View the complete Highlands Cashiers Plateau Calendar

Cashiers Quilters, 612:30 PM, St. Jude’s Catholic Church. Green Market 2 PM to 5 PM, The Village Green Commons. Live Music, On the Verandah. Bluegrass Wednesday, 7:30 PM, The Ugly Dog Pub. Autumn Amble, 1 PM, Highlands Nature Center. Highlands Food Pantry Open, 3:15 to 5:30 PM Highlands Wine Shoppe Wine Tasting, 4 PM to 7 PM Live Music, On the Verandah. Thursday Night Trivia, 7:30 PM, The High Dive.

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Zachary Tolbert House Tours, 11 AM to 3 PM, Cashiers Historical Society. Bazaar Barn, 10 AM to 2 PM Friday Night Live concert, Highlands Town Square, 6 PM Fleetwood Mask, 7:30 PM, Highlands PAC. 1 Highlands Marketplace, 28 AM to 12:30 PM Bazaar Barn, 10 AM to 2 PM Blessing of the Animals, 11 AM, Village Green. Zachary Tolbert House Tours, 11 AM to 3 PM, Cashiers Historical Society. Saturdays on Pine, 6 PM, Kelsey-Hutchinson Founders Park. Live Entertainment, 6 PM, Town and Country General Store. Live Music, 9:30 PM, The High Dive

Zachary Tolbert House Tours, 11 AM to 3 PM, Cashiers Historical Society. Cashiers Valley Leaf Festival, 10 AM to 5 PM, Village Green. Bazaar Barn, 10 AM to 2 PM Friday Night Live concert, Highlands Town Square, 6 PM Concerts on the Commons, 6:30 PM, Village Green. Music in Motion, 8 PM, Highlands Playhouse. 8 Highlands Marketplace, 98 AM to 12:30 PM. Cashiers Valley Leaf Festival, 10 AM to 5 PM, Village Green. Bazaar Barn, 10 AM to 2 PM Cashiers Quilters Fall Show, Cashiers Community Library. MET Opera, 12:55 PM, PAC Book Signing, Richard Betz 2 PM to 4 PM, The Book Nook. Music in Motion, 2 PM and 8 PM, Highlands Playhouse. Saturdays on Pine, Founders Park. Live Entertainment, 6 PM, Town and Country General Store.

Cashiers Valley Leaf Festival, 10 AM to 5 PM, 10 Village Green. Music in Motion, 2 PM and 8 PM, Highlands Playhouse. Sip & Swine, 5 PM, The Bascom House. Live Music, On the Verandah. Putt for Paws, benefitting Cahsiers-Highlands 11 Humane Society, Cullasaja Club. Highlands Food Pantry Open,9 AM to 12 PM, behind and below The Highlands United Methodist Church, .Live Music, On the Verandah.

Art League of Highlands-Cashiers 17 Fall Colors show, Highlands Civic Center. Celebration of Education, Literacy & Learning Center’s annual gala, Wildcat Cliffs Country Club. Music in Motion, 2 PM and 8 PM, Highlands Playhouse. The Great Pandemic, HC Players, 2:30 PM, PAC. Live Music, On the Verandah. Highlands Food Pantry Open,9 AM to 12 PM, 18 behind and below The Highlands United Methodist Church, Live Music, On the Verandah.

Music in Motion, 2 PM and 8 PM, Highlands 24 Playhouse. The Great Pandemic, HC Players, 2:30 PM, PAC. Live Music, On the Verandah.

Highlands Halloween, 6 PM, Highlands Main Street.s

31

Highlands Food Pantry Open,9 AM to 12 PM, 25 behind and below The Highlands United Methodist Church, Art League of HighlandsCashiers meeting, 4:30 PM, The Bascom. Live Music, On the Verandah. Live Music, On the Verandah.

Live Music, On the Verandah.

12

Highlands Food Pantry Open,9 AM to 12 PM, behind and below The Highlands United Methodist Church, Cashiers Quilters, 12:30 PM, St. Jude’s Catholic Church. Green Market 2 PM to 5 PM, The Village Green Commons. Live Music, On the Verandah. Bluegrass Wednesday, 7:30 PM, The Ugly Dog Pub. Music in Motion, 8 PM, Highlands Playhouse.

13

19

Highlands Food Pantry Open, 9 AM to 12 PM, behind and below The Highlands United Methodist Church, Cashiers Quilters, 12:30 PM, St. Jude’s Catholic Church. Green Market 2 PM to 5 PM, The Village Green Commons. Live Music, On the Verandah. Bluegrass Wednesday, 7:30 PM, The Ugly Dog Pub. Music in Motion, 8 PM, Highlands Playhouse.

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Autumn Amble, 1 PM, Highlands Nature Center. Highlands Food Pantry Open,9 AM to 12 PM, behind and below The Highlands United Methodist Church, Highlands Wine Shoppe Wine Tasting, 4 PM to 7 PM Live Music, On the Verandah. The Great Pandemic, HC Players, 7:30 PM, PAC. Thursday Night Trivia, 7:30 PM, The High Dive. Music in Motion, 8 PM, Highlands Playhouse.

14

Zachary Tolbert House Tours, 11 AM to 3 PM, Cashiers Historical Society. Bazaar Barn, 10 AM to 2 PM Friday Night Live concert, Highlands Town Square, 6 PM The Great Pandemic, HC Players, 7:30 PM, PAC. Music in Motion, 8 PM, Highlands Playhouse.

15

Highlands Marketplace, 8 AM to 12:30 PM 16 Fall Colors Show, Highlands Civic Center. Bazaar Barn, 10 AM to 2 PM Zachary Tolbert House Tours, Cashiers Historical Society. Music in Motion, 2 PM and 8 PM, Highlands Playhouse. Saturdays on Pine, 6 PM, Kelsey-Hutchinson Founders Park. Live Entertainment, 6 PM, Town and Country General Store. The Great Pandemic, PAC. Live Music, 9:30 PM, The High Dive

Autumn Amble, 1 PM, Highlands Nature Center. Highlands Food Pantry Open, 3:15 to 5:30 PM Highlands Wine Shoppe Wine Tasting, 4 PM to 7 PM Orchard Sessions with John King 6 PM, The Farm at Old Edwards. Live Music, On the Verandah. The Great Pandemic, HC Players, 7:30 PM, PAC. Thursday Night Trivia, 7:30 PM, The High Dive. Music in Motion, 8 PM, Highlands Playhouse.

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Zachary Tolbert House Tours, 11 AM to 3 PM, Cashiers Historical Society. Bazaar Barn, 10 AM to 2 PM Author Event: Michael Almond, 3:00 P.M., Commons Hall Friday Night Live concert, Highlands Town Square, 6 PM Concerts on the Commons, 6:30 PM, Village Green. The Great Pandemic, HC Players, 7:30 PM, PAC. Music in Motion, 8 PM, Highlands Playhouse. 22 Highlands Marketplace, 8 AM to 12:30 PM 23 Bazaar Barn, 10 AM to 2 PM Books & Bites: Michael Almond, 12:30 PM, Hudson Library. MET Opera, 12:55 PM, PAC Music in Motion, 2 PM and 8 PM, Highlands Playhouse. Saturdays on Pine, 6 PM, Kelsey-Hutchinson Founders Park. Live Entertainment, 6 PM, Town and Country General Store. The Great Pandemic, HC Players, 7:30 PM, PAC. Live Music, 9:30 PM, The High Dive.

Village Nature Series: Along Came a Spider, 26 5 PM, The Commons, Village Green. Live Music, On the Verandah. Highlands Food Pantry Open,9 AM to 12 PM, behind and below The Highlands United Methodist Church, Green Market 2 PM to 5 PM, The Village Green Commons. Cashiers Quilters, 12:30 PM, St. Jude’s Catholic Church. Live Music, On the Verandah. Bluegrass Wednesday, 7:30 PM, The Ugly Dog Pub. 27 Autumn Amble, 1 PM, Highlands Nature Center. 28 Highlands Food Pantry Open, 3:15 to 5:30 PM Highlands Wine Shoppe Wine Tasting, 4 PM to 7 PM Live Music, On the Verandah. Thursday Night Trivia, 7:30 PM, The High Dive. Zachary Tolbert House Tours, 11 AM to 3 PM, Cashiers Historical Society. Bazaar Barn, 10 AM to 2 PM Friday Night Live concert, Highlands Town Square, 6 PM

29 Highlands Marketplace, 8 AM to 12:30 PM 30 Bazaar Barn, 10 AM to 2 PM Zachary Tolbert House Tours, 11 AM to 3 PM, Cashiers Historical Society. Betsy Paul Art Raffle,benefitting Cashiers-Glenville Fire Department.. Live Entertainment, 6 PM, Town and Country General Store. Live Music, 9:30 PM, The High Dive

RECREATION & CREATION

Pages 65-83

A Bout with Trout

Bringing in the Big Fish demands a herculean fortitude and an almost sisyphean resolve.

The mountains of Western North Carolina are old, really old, and wending through their valleys and gorges, carved by trillions of gallons of water deposited over millions of years of rain, are equally ageless rivers. The Nantahala, the Tuckaseegee, the French Broad, the Davidson or the Chattooga, all have one thing in common: leviathan lairs. In these haunts lie big trout, pre-historically big trout, of iridescent color and beauty; the fish of my nightmares.

It’s the 4-5 lb Falstaffian brown trout, that lives at the bottom of a pool on the East Fork of the French Broad, beneath a submerged ledge, feeding on crawfish and two-inch stoneflies, rising only for mice at dark;

It’s the 2-3 lb rainbow that feeds on late-evening spinners in the scum line of a backwater eddy in the Davidson river;

It’s the 12” brook trout, in the Tuckasegee headwaters deep in the bowels of Panthertown Valley, three miles away from the nearest parking lot, which maybe, just maybe, will take your Adams, if you don’t first get bit by a timber rattler.

These fish are near-impossible to catch with a fly. They live in difficult-to-reach places because, there, they have leverage on the angler. The water is either too deep or too shallow, too fast or too slow, too clear or too murky, or too damn hard to hike to. That is why you rarely see anyone, other than guides, in these places. Sometimes you drive four hours, to fish for an hour at dusk, and put down the entire pool with one bad cast.

There is a stretch of the West Fork of the Chattooga River that is

100 feet long, 20 feet wide, 12-15 feet deep. After driving 40 minutes on dirt roads that have been rutted out by the torrential rains of Smoky Mountain temperate rainforests, it takes a 3.5 mile hike, 3.25 miles of which is upriver, to reach the run.

While it’s true these old trout best us more times than not, they are still trout and you can win, but you’ve got to want them if you’re going to catch them. If you are going to play (again, there’s no shame in not) then bring your A game.

But if you’re in, bring your will, skill and a backpack full of 6x8x tippet with size 18-22 dries; your Czech-nymph leaders with size 12 tungsten, bead-head Prince nymphs; split shot; two rods and reels (just in case you break one); snake-bite and first-aid kits; SPF 70 sunblock; rain gear, a granola bar or two, water and bear spray.

by Kurt Dornbush

Highlands-Cashiers River Otters

River Otters are enjoying their status as the Plateau’s friskiest arrivals. You can spot them at Lindenwood Lake, and possibly other aquatic spots in Cashiers and Highlands.

If you’re like me, you were electrified by last year’s announcement that River Otters had been spotted at Highlands Nature Center’s Lindenwood Lake.

Their arrival was a surprise, since otters had been missing from the Highlands-Cashiers Plateau for decades.

“As a biologist, I’m excited to see River Otters because they were extirpated in most parts of the southern Appalachians due to overtrapping and water pollution including excess sedimentation reaching streams because of poor farming and development practices,” says Nature Center Associate Director Jason Love. “Reintroduction efforts began in the 1980s to try and re-establish populations and in the early 1990s otters were successfully re-introduced to Great Smoky Mountains National Park.”

Despite their active, playful lifestyles, the Lindenwood Lake otters have been particularly elusive, their presence only noted by tracks on the sandy shore, scat along the boardwalk, random splashes, and quick dashes captured by wildlife cameras.

And they’ve been spotted elsewhere on the Plateau, with reports of glimpses at Cashiers Lake. Tricia and I have witnessed a pair of otters on Mirror Lake, though we haven’t been able to get close enough to get a decent photo.

Love says that despite their overwhelming charm, otters still have their detractors.

“Otters are carnivores and eat fish, crayfish, mussels, frogs, rodents, and birds,” he says. “There is a misconception that otters can deplete wild trout and other game fish, but research in the Smokies showed that there was no discernible impact on otter reintroductions to wild trout populations in the park.

“In the past couple of decades, River Otters have made their way back to the Plateau, affording lucky visitors a chance to see the return of this sleek and playful hunter to local streams and lakes.”

That’s where you can help – if you’ve witnessed River Otters here on the Plateau, please report your discovery to Love at jlove@email. wcu.edu or me here at Laurel, luke@thelaurelmagazine.com

Oh, and don’t worry about the little guys as our cool October weather shades into the bluster of winter.

“Even as the weather turns colder, we expect to still play host to these rambunctious animals,” says Nature Center Education Specialist Paige Engelbrektsson. “They are perfectly adapted to continue fishing, swimming, and playing all winter long. What we see as long, brown fur is actually a layer of essentially waterproof guard hairs. Underneath this is another layer of shorter fur that traps heat.”

by Luke Osteen

Avian World’s Yin & Yang

It’s always Showtime! Wood Ducks are a classic example of guys sprucing up to charm the ladies.

Among birds, the males of the species often sport bright plumage and perform elaborate displays. Females, by contrast, are understated, even drab, in plumage and manner.

We know intuitively that these differences are about mate selection. He is built to get her attention and she is hesitating in her choice.

In the barnyard and in ornithology, peafowl show the most obvious gender dimorphism, male-female differences in size and appearance. Male peafowl or peacocks seek favor with peahens by extending and fanning out the elaborate tail feathers they drag around every day. What an effort all that must take. The peacock’s demanding display vexed Charles Darwin who found it necessary to extend his theory of natural selection to include “sexual selection.”

The phrase “survival of the sexiest” soon followed.

Males display and perform; females deliberate and decide.

In the part of the avian world where males compete for female acceptance, the males are likely to be colorful and flashy.

This is true among the woodland songbirds such as Cardinals and Goldfinch. Among waterfowl, male and female Wood Ducks, shown above, are very different. The male Wood Duck is a work of art. The female is sublime in her own modest way.

Some male tropical birds have colorful and copious plumage and also dance and offer gifts to court the female. She is mostly unmoved but alert to the strong, fully expressed male who would father strong chicks and, perhaps, help her with guarding the nest. Females often favor more than one importuning courtier and her clutch might contain eggs fertilized by two or more males.

In species where males and females form monogamous bonds, barn owls and geese among others, there is less male-female dimorphism:

males and females look alike. What’s more, in species where females compete with each other for nesting sites and mates, as is the case with some parrots, females are the more colorful gender. In the avian world, color is where color matters.

The end result is a menagerie of winged creatures that populate and animate our lives in colors of yellow and blue, red and green, and with songs that are heaven sent.

Happy October birding from the Highlands Plateau Audubon Society.

The Highlands Plateau Audubon Society, focused on enjoying and preserving birds and their habitats, is a Chapter of the National Audubon Society and a 501(c) (3) organization. For information on all our activities and membership, please visit www.highlandsaudubonsociety.org.

by William McReynolds, Highlands Plateau Audubon Society photo by William McReynolds