Smoky Mountain News

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Western North Carolina’s Source for Weekly News, Entertainment, Arts, and Outdoor Information

January 2-8, 2013 Vol. 14 Iss. 31

Congressman learns ins and outs before taking office Page 4

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2045 South Main Street • Waynesville, NC 28786 Telephone: 828-456-3006 www.oldtownbanking.com

CONTENTS On the Cover The Smoky Mountain News recaps a years worth of news with its spoof awards — some funny, some serious.

See if your town or someone you know won one of our dubious accolades. (Page 6)

News New WNC congressman preps for two-year House term ................................4 Swain soccer league seeking donations to renovate fields ..............................5 National Guard units placed on alert ....................................................................5 Spoof awards given for real and questionable achievements ..........................6 Lake Junaluska, Waynesville forge ahead with merger talks ..........................12

Opinion Teacher’s daughter revels in the magic of Tolkien ............................................13

A&E Guitar makers hope to carve out niche in WNC................................................16

Outdoors

January 2-8, 2013

Forest service lodge serves as hidden gem for retreats ..................................20

Back Then Indian words add poetry to our language............................................................31 WAYNESVILLE | 34 Church Street, Waynesville, NC 28786 P: 828.452.4251 | F: 828.452.3585 SYLVA | 629 West Main Street, Sylva, NC 28779 P: 828.631.4829 | F: 828.631.0789 I NFO & B ILLING | P.O. Box 629, Waynesville, NC 28786 smokymountainnews.com | wncmarketplace.com | wnctravel.com Contents © 2013 The Smoky Mountain News. All rights reserved.

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Meadows finds that homework is the first lesson for new Congressman

BY CAITLIN BOWLING STAFF WRITER ive a U.S. congressman a cookie, and he can eat it. But offer him some free pancakes, and he’ll have to pass.

“I can eat a pig in a blanket, but God forbid if it’s a hot dog. If it’s a hot dog, I can’t take it,” said newly elected Congressman Mark Meadows about being able to accept an hors d’oeuvre but not a meal according to a set of ethical rules that all members of Congress must follow.

Reading the ethics code is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to everything a new Congressman must accomplish during the brief interval between their election date in November and the start of the U.S. House of Representatives next session in early January.

Meadows must find a place to stay while in Washington, D.C. He must hire staff members to help him answer constituent calls, maintain his meeting schedule and keep him abreast of the myriad bills attempting to make their way through Congress.

He must study up on legislative items will likely to come up for discussion or a vote during the upcoming session, and get acquainted with the committees he will serve on.

And then, there is the minutia that comes with any new job: what to decorate the walls of his new office with. For the record, he’s still flushing out that one.

“It’s a huge learning curve,” said Meadows, a Republican from Cashiers who will represent much of Western North Carolina in D.C. “Jan. 3, I am expected to know it.”

Meadows ran a successful campaign against Hayden Rogers, a Blue Dog Democrat who served as chief of staff to outgoing U.S. Rep. Heath Shuler, D-Waynesville. And come Jan. 3, Meadows, sporting a blue tie with the Congressional seal on it, will stand with the other 434 members of the U.S. House of Representative and take the oath of office.

January 2-8, 2013

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PHILOSOPHY VERSUS PRAGMATISM Smoky Mountain News

Meadows was appointed to three committees: Transportation and Infrastructure, Oversight and Government Reform, and Foreign Affairs.

As a member of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, which Shuler also served on, Meadows said he hopes to expand broadband Internet access and build more roads throughout WNC. Economic leaders and politicians throughout the area have touted those two infrastructure needs as key to attracting jobs.

During his campaign, Meadows’ motto was less government and less spending. Now, as a member of the committee on oversight and government reform, Meadows said he wants to look at different government agencies 4 and processes to see if there are any redundan-

Shown here on the campaign trail, Congressman Mark Meadows’ charismatic personality helped him win over voters in Western North Carolina and will likely serve him well as he takes on his new role in Washington, D.C., this week. Caitlin Bowling photo cies that could be eliminated to save money.

“And if we are (operating efficiently), then it’s good government, and we should support it regardless of whether it has a ‘D’ or an ‘R’ behind it. But, if it’s not, then we need to look at it,” Meadows said.

Specifically, Meadows mentioned reviewing government environmental agencies.

“Some of the environmental agencies have gotten way out of control,” he said.

Leading up to his inauguration as a U.S. representative, Meadows has spoken with leaders of the committees. The rhetoric repeated by them is generally: “We are a team. We need to be a team. We need to be a team,” he said.

However, with a Republican-led House and a Democrat in the White House, variants of the word “teamwork” will likely be void of meaning when it actually comes to getting something done.

President Obama’s re-election and the Democratic majority in the Senate means that the Republicans in the House will not get an opportunity to repeal the Affordable Health Care Act — one of Meadows’ and other Republicans’ stated goals for the next two year.

But they have had to abandon that plan.

Meadows said he will no longer work to repeal the act, which was dubbed “Obamacare” by opponents but will look at changing individual portions of the bill rather than the entire law.

“Would I love to repeal “Obamacare?”

Yeah, that hasn’t changed,” Meadows said.

“The reality is you don’t have a Republican in the White House. There is no way a full repeal of the Affordable Care Act is going to happen.”

The Asheville Citizen-Times wrote that Meadows, who staunchly opposed the Affordable Health Care Act during the pri-

mary, had softened his position on the matter.

“My position hasn’t been tempered. My position has been consistent,” Meadows said.

“What we really have to do is we have to take a different strategy.”

Meadows repeatedly stated that his

“If it’s a moral conviction, I would have to vote my moral conscience … Very few decisions on Capitol Hill are moral. Most of them are judgmental.”

— Mark Meadows

Congressional seat in Washington is not his but the people of Western North Carolina’s, and his job is to represent the residents’ views.

However, Meadows said he would have to follow his conscience if voting on a moral matter, such as abortion, even if his constituents disagreed with him.

“If it’s a moral conviction, I would have to vote my moral conscience,” Meadows said.

But, “Very few decisions on Capitol Hill are moral. Most of them are judgmental.”

Given Meadows’ conservative Christian background and the socially conservative nature of the mountain people, it may be a bridge Meadows never has to cross.

FAMILY AND DISTRICT FIRST While some Congressmen jointly rent apartments and bunk together while in

Washington, Meadows plans to get his own place for him and his wife, who will travel back and forth with him. His 19-year-old daughter, who currently attends Lee University in Tennessee, will also spend time interning with his office.

However, Meadows said he plans to only spend Monday through Thursday, when Congress is in session, in D.C. “If we’re not taking votes and there’s not anything going on from a congressional standpoint, I’ll be in the district. This is home,” Meadows said of WNC. “People don’t vote for you up in Washington, D.C. They vote for you here in the district. So, it’s making sure we have a focus here.”

Whenever he cannot return to WNC, Chris McClure, his former campaign manager, will act as a spokesman for Meadows.

— Throughout the year, McClure will gather input from constituents on various topics.

Meadows appointed Kenny West of Hayesville, who twice ran for Congress in the Republican primary, to be his chief of staff.

West, 55, made a bid for Congress back in 2010 as well as this past year, with a campaign heavily focused on a devotion to God, country and family values.

West is originally from Georgia and moved to Clay County about 12 years ago, where he lived while working in sales jobs for national corporations.

After losing the primary, West offered to help Meadows’ campaign. Meadows said he chose West for his managerial skills and because of his knowledge of the district.

“I wanted to make sure whatever chief of staff we had had a real district focus,” Meadows said.

To keep up-to-date on voter sentiments and concerns, Meadows plans to host town hall meetings and focus groups throughout his two-year term.

“One of the things that we would love to say is we have given more access and allowed for more input from the district than has ever been seen,” Meadows said.

Another marker of success, Meadows said, will be how well he and his staff can respond to constituents’ requests.

“Everybody wants to be treated the same until it comes to them, and then, they wanted to be treated special. So, if we can treat every request as the most important request that has ever been made and deal with it, then we will be successful. That will be hard to do,” he said.

Meadows will have several offices around Western North Carolina, including one in the Haywood County Justice Center on Main Street in Waynesville. The offices will give people an easy way to contact his staff and give him a presence in the region even when he is away in Washington, D.C. “Heath (Shuler) has done, I think, an admirable job making his presence known in the community, and so, we would like to make sure we cannot only continue that but do a better job of that,” Meadows said.

Meadows added that he would also like to continue to serve as an advocate for agriculture in WNC as Shuler has done.

“I would give him kudos on that particular area,” Meadows said.

Soccer league seeking a leg up in Swain Soccer sign-ups • Contact Scott Cline at scline@clinesoftware.com for information about the Swain Youth Soccer Association, including how to join a team, practice schedule and cost.

• Sign-ups for the Camp Living Water’s spring soccer programs will begin in February, serving ages 4 to 11. 828.488.6012. ty,” Porter said. “The community has been supportive, but it’s a small community.”

Currently, nothing will grow on the county fields.

To remedy that, the renovations will include grading the fields, putting down sod and installing an irrigation system.

“And anything we can do after that, to add bleachers and fences, would be great,” Porter said.

There are about 150 kids in Swain County participating in some sort of soccer program, be it competitive or recreational, and another 20 or 30 who play high school soccer.

Although the fields are OK for practicing, the 50 or so children who play for SYSA travel most Saturdays during the season to Asheville to play against teams in the Asheville-Buncombe soccer league — more than two hours round-trip for a 90-minute soccer match.

“Many families simply can’t do it with the expense,” Porter said.

The dream for SYSA is to host their own games once the fields have been rehabilitated. www.swainsoccer.com/support.

BY CAITLIN BOWLING STAFF WRITER The National Guard 210th and 211th Military Police Companies from Western North Carolina were recently placed “on alert.”

The National Guard uses the “on alert” status as a way to forewarn companies and their families that they may be needed for a mission or deployment. The 211th unit is based in Haywood County and the 210th in Macon County.

“It just means that they have the potential of being mobilized. That doesn’t necessarily mean that they will be used,” said Cpt. Rick Scoggins, a spokesman with the North Carolina National Guard.

The alert status triggers units to start training more intensely. What type of drills the unit does is dictated by what sort of job the military has in mind for them.

Scoggins declined to say what task the 210th and 211th National Guard companies could be expected to perform or where they might end up but did say more specific information could be available in the future.

“We typically don’t like to put that out too far in advance,” Scoggins said.

The units are no stranger to deployment. The 211th from Haywood County went to Afghanistan for a year in 2002, and was barely home a year before being redeployed to Iraq in 2003 and 2004. The 210th was also deployed to Iraq in 2003.

Both also served in Operation Desert Storm in1990.

A unit could be on alert for few months or even a year before it is shipped out.

“Typically, the military likes to do planning as far out as possible,” Scoggins said.

However, it could also stay on alert for a while and then have the alert status dropped, meaning the unit isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.

Military police units are often called on to guard prisoners or run security patrols.

But they can also be sent on humanitarian efforts, such as one unit that is serving in the Horn of Africa to dig wells, or to areas that are not war-zones per se, such as units sent to Egypt as part of a multinational security effort to keep the peace.

“We are not just an organization that is built on going out and killing people and breaking things,” Scoggins said. “We really provides a full spectrum of support to every mission.”

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BY CAITLIN BOWLING STAFF WRITER Swain County suffers from a serious lack of soccer fields, a plight soccer enthusiasts there hope to do something about.

The Swain Youth Soccer Association and county recreation department have teamed up to renovate sub-par soccer fields in the recreation park and are asking the community to pitch in.

The two soccer fields at the recreation park are unfit for anything other than practices. Even the local high school team must play its games on a football field. The only quality soccer fields in the county are privately owned by Camp Living Water, which runs a recreational soccer league. But the program — and their six private fields — aren’t big enough to accommodate all kids who want to play.

“It’s needed in this county. Our fields are not enough for everyone to play,” said Joel Sasscer, director of the Christian Camp Living Water. The camp’s fields double for other uses, which prevent them from hosting weekend games or offering summer soccer.

So, the county and SYSA hope to renovate the two older fields in the recreation park, providing the county’s other soccer league — Swain Youth Soccer Association — a place to both practice and play.

Swain County scored a $30,000 matching grant from the N.C. Parks and Recreation Trust Fund. But $30,000 must be raised locally to get the grant. Only $6,000 has been raised so far, but SYSA leaders hope to raise all $30,000 by the end of February, which would allow them to complete the planned makeover by the spring soccer season.

“We are fundraising hard within the communi-

Two WNC National Guard units put on alert for possible deployment

January 2-8, 2013 Smoky Mountain News 5

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TWO THOUSAND The Smoky Mountain News takes note this week of some of the newsmakers of 2012 by handing out our annual awards. Back issues of the newspaper never fail to reveal a variety of humdingers: the funny, the astonishing, the interesting, the dismaying. Some we’d like to forget, others we love to relive for the good laughs they bring.

For those who made the list, hats off to you for giving us something to write about this year. For those who didn’t, there’s always 2013.

January 2-8, 2013

‘Best in Show’ Award Nothing spooks a group of county commissioners quite like a crowd decked out in camouflage ball caps, industrial-grade Carhartts and mud-caked boots — particularly if their pickup trucks in the parking lot are filled with dog crates.

Meet the local hunting bloc, whose political power isn’t to be underestimated.

Jackson County commissioners had been pressured for months to do something about the incessant barking dogs that were driving neighbors to their wits end. But when county leaders even uttered the word “ordinance” to rein in the aggravation of non-stop barking, coon dog hunters quickly nipped the idea in the bud, delivering impassioned speeches about Appalachian heritage and culture being under assault from outsiders.

Smoky Mountain News

Santa Claus Award When allegations of waste and fraud at the N.C. highway maintenance office in Haywood County brought investigators from the State Auditor’s Office knocking, Ben Williams figured he may as well level with them.

“Some people view me like Santa Claus,” Williams, the DOT maintenance supervisor in Haywood County, told them. “When people need something, I try to help them out … I’m kind-hearted.”

Especially when state credit cards were involved apparently. Investigators found DOT maintenance workers in Haywood County bought excessive quantities of tools — sometimes crossing the line from “must-have-it-formy-job” to “that-would-look-good-on-my6 garage-pegboard” category. Tools were often

Jackson County dog owners and hunters turned out in force in their signature apparel to a county commissioner meeting, nipping in the bud any notion of a barking dog ordinance. Becky Johnson photo purchased from traveling salesmen who made regular calls to the DOT maintenance shed.

Some of the tools later went missing, which DOT workers retroactively blamed on a break-in when investigators questioned why the tools weren’t in the DOT’s inventory.

The 18-month investigation, prompted by an anonymous whistleblower, also showed Haywood DOT workers were turning a blind eye to padded invoices filed by private contractors, routinely paying questionable overtime and supervising relatives. One employee moonlighted on the side for a contractor, but in her DOT day job, she awarded bids to the very contractor she worked for on the side.

Thank goodness the state was understanding. No one lost their jobs as a result, nor have charges been pressed.

Pinocchio Award Just like Pinocchio’s dream of being a real boy one day, Cullowhee pines for the day when it grows up to be a real college town.

It got one step closer this year, when Jackson County voters approved countywide alcohol sales. Students no longer have to make the trek to Sylva to belly up to the bar.

Restaurants and gas stations around the relatively isolated college campus can now finally sell booze.

Hail Mary Pass Award U.S. Congressman Heath Shuler, DWaynesville, did not do his party any favors this year when he, at the last minute, announced that

he would not run for re-election to the U.S House of Representatives.

The 11th-hour bombshell left Democrats scrambling to find a viable candidate — and they came up with none other than Shuler’s own chief of staff Hayden Rogers.

But, like so many Hail Mary Passes, Shuler’s attempt to lob the ball to Rogers failed.

Despite subscribing to the same breed of conservative “Blue Dog” Democrat beliefs and high school football draw, it wasn’t enough Heath Shuler to win him the seat in the U.S. House in the end. Now, Republican Mark Meadows will represent Western North Carolina as one of the majority in the Republican-led House.

Shuler claimed he was stepping down to spend more time with his family — and definitely not the fact that newly drawn Congressional voting lines had shifted the predominant political affiliation and made his district decidedly harder for a Democrat to win.

We're still trying to figure out how his new job as the head of Duke Energy's lobbying department in Washington will put him any closer to his family in Waynesville, however.

Hell or High Water Award

Marie Leatherwood isn’t easily deterred.

She might look like a frail little old lady, small framed and gray haired, but those who have been privy to her impassioned and recurring diatribes against the good-old boy powers in Jackson County (her words, not ours) know

Marie Leatherwood.

Hat in Hand Award We’ve simply lost count of how many times Haywood Community College has sheepishly approached the podium at county commissioner meetings over the past year, seeking approval to dip into the contingency budget for the creative arts building under construction. $500 here, $20,000 there.

And Haywood County commissioners — who were never fans of the building’s nearly $11 million price tag in the first place — rarely pass up an opportunity to put the screws to HCC. While all large building projects have change orders that crop up due to unforeseen circumstances or revelations in the building process — after all, that’s what a contingency fund is for — commissioners have claimed proper diligence wasn’t taken in the building’s design and that the college didn’t provide enough oversight.

One of the change orders was because the building didn’t have enough water pressure for its sprinkler system. Another was because the door to the mechanical room wasn’t wide enough to fit necessary machinery inside.

Although the project has not eaten up all its contingency funds, it has slowly whittled away at it, and there is still more work to be done.

No Good Deed Goes Unpunished Award

David Farragut Award

“Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!” So goes the famous line pronounced by Civil War Admiral Farragut when faced with waters laced with torpedoes as he steamed into Mobile Bay. The Confederate Flag supporters seem to have adopted Farragut’s famous words for their own battle against Haywood County leaders.

They have relentlessly attended county commissioner meetings and protested several times outside the historic courthouse — all in pursuit of wanting to fly a Confederate Battle Flag alongside the Confederate War Memorial on

while intended only as a “personal” apology from Collins and not on behalf of the town as a whole, had been put on town letterhead, which gave the wrong impression and amounted to “a gross abuse of assumed powers,” according to the censure dished out by the board.

Alderman Bob Scott, who voted against the censure, actually asked if he could be censured along with Collins, since he thought the town should have apologized.

Dirty Rotten Scoundrel Award National Park Service bureaucrats in D.C. perpetrated a serious and unforgiveable injustice to Swain County this year when they refused to turn over a $4 million installment on the long-promised $52 million cash settlement.

The federal government pledged to pay Swain County $4 million a year during the next decade — a deal intended to finally compensate the county for a road the feds flooded when Fontana Lake was built in the 1940s.

But after an initial down payment of $12.8 million in 2010, Swain hasn’t seen a penny since.

Twice the annual $4 million payment was

The federal government pledged to pay Swain County $4 million a year over the next decade — a deal intended to finally compensate the county for a road the feds flooded when Fontana Lake was built in the 1940s. appropriated by Congress at the behest of Congressman Heath Shuler and was included in the National Park Service budget — but both times, it failed to actually reach Swain County. In 2011, the park service dragged its feet for so long that the money got rescinded in

an across-the-board clamp down on earmarks.

In 2012, the appropriation was again made by Congress, but the National Park Service refused to release it, citing bureaucratic procedures and policies it claims weren’t followed properly in the budget process. The park service can’t spend the money on anything else, and instead will give it back to the federal treasury rather than turn it over to Swain County as was intended.

As for 2013? The $4 million allocation was left out — some say accidentally but left out nonetheless — of President Obama’s preliminary budget.

Swain County argues this is not an earmark or pork, but entitled compensation for loss of property at the hands of the government when Lake Fontana was built to make hydroelectric power for factories in WWII.

Robert Frost Award If Maggie Valley leaders could have their way, more casino-bound tourists would take heed of the poet’s famous line, “Two roads diverged in a wood, and I, I took the one less traveled …”

Once a tourism kingpin, Maggie Valley is a shadow of its former self, and put up a noble fight for the crumbs of pass-through traffic en route to Harrah’s Casino in Cherokee.

But Jackson County wanted in on the action. Also hoping to piggyback off casino traffic, it officially requested the DOT change its highway signs to point travelers along U.S. 23-74 past Sylva in place of signage directing them through Maggie on U.S. 19.

The fight was epic, protracted — and absurd. As the two communities vied over who would be anointed as the “best route to reach Cherokee,” the DOT doubled down on the analytics of each: which had higher crash rates, which was safer in snow, which was best for RVs and big-rigs, which was quicker during commute hours.

DOT proposed a compromise of putting up two signs — offering two possible routes — but safety engineers deemed that idea too confusing for motorists to process while traveling at highway speeds.

The verdict in the end? Leave well enough alone.

Smoky Mountain News

Confederate flag supporters protested outside the Haywood County courthouse. Caitlin Bowling photo

Franklin Mayor Joe Collins was just being polite when he apologized to the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians after the town sprayed the Nikwasi mound with weed killer. The ancient spiritual and cultural site, which sits on town property, was labor intensive to mow, and dousing it with weed killer was meant to clear the way for a new low-growing eco-grass to be planted instead of regular grass.

But Franklin leaders learned the hard way that weed killer and spiritual Cherokee mounds don’t mix. When the tribe called for an apology, the town board voted not to offer one, claiming they hadn’t done anything wrong, at least not intentionally. Collins, who himself is of Cherokee ancestry, apologized personally as a matter of his own convictions and regret for inadvertently offending the tribe, however.

Collins was formally censured by the town board in a 5-to-1 vote for his appalling and audacious act of apologizing. The apology,

Earlier this year, Franklin employees sprayed Nikwasi mound with weed killer, offended the Eastern Band of Cherokee who hold the site sacred. File photo

January 2-8, 2013

better than to cross her.

Leatherwood has been a regular at Jackson County commissioners meetings during the years, rarely passing up the chance to take the podium during twice-monthly public comment periods. The allotted three minutes was never enough to get her point across, however, often forcing the county chairman to gavel her into silence — and on one occasion even being escorted away by a deputy.

Leatherwood took to a different tactic: holding up handmade poster board signs during the meeting, often positioning herself at the front of the room and facing the audience with her message of the month on display.

Commissioners decided this was too disruptive and banned signs from being held up during the meetings, but Leatherwood protested, claiming it was a violation of free speech.

Commissioners compromised by designating a wall toward the rear of the meeting room as sign territory, but not the front of the room.

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the lawn of the historic courthouse.

The commissioners are considering a policy that would limit what flags can be placed where on county property. The policy would prohibit the Confederate Battle Flag from being flown at all due to its historical undertone as a symbol of racism.

Proponents of flag, who claim it stands merely for Southern heritage, refuse to give up the fight, which has drawn out for months.

Supporters of the flag discovered a loop hole in the county’s policy — which allows official government flags only to be flown — and have started posting the Mississippi state flag, which includes a small version of the Confederate Battle Flag in one corner.

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While the official DOT signage directs Cherokee-bound tourists the Maggie way — over a steep, narrow, twisting two-lane road — we wager far more GPS savvy travelers likely opt for the four-lane, divided high-speed highway through Jackson County.

2005. On the bright side, it would take only one victory in a conference game next season to be considered an improvement.

Hometown Boys Done Good award

Snowed Under Award In hindsight, former N.C. Sen. John Snow didn’t stand a chance in his rematch against Republican Sen. Jim Davis — not given the blizzard of negative attack-ads blanketing the mailboxes of Western North Carolina. Snow was “snowed-under” by a kamikaze-style political campaign, fueled by big money from the Republican Party and outside conservative groups.

The litany of fliers — more than two dozen different ones and hundreds of thousands of them in total — came fast and furious in the lead up to Election Day. They lambasted Snow for everything from funding abortion, supporting gay marriage, letting rapists off death row and being thick as thieves with President Obama, although none of those claims is in fact true.

Brewmaster Taylor Rogers and owner of Clark Williams of Frog Level Brewing in Waynesville.

One of three breweries recently opening in the town, the craft beer scene in Western North Carolina continues to rapidly expand with no end in sight. Garret K. Woodward photo wandering into Western North Carolina, this small town is becoming a mesmerizing mix of cosmopolitan tastes with close attention paid to the cherished roots of Southern Appalachian traditions.

Smoky Mountain News

January 2-8, 2013

Have Your Cake and Eat It, Too, Award

The last flurry of fliers even accused Snow of cutting education — when in fact Republican lawmakers cut education more severely during their two years in power than Democrats had before them.

Davis said the fliers were almost entirely messaged and designed by the N.C. Republican Party, although some were fueled by unregulated outside money. He said that while perceived as negative by some, they were a legitimate tool to get the message out to voters about who Snow really is.

Move Over, Asheville Award

While craft beer connoisseurs have dubbed Asheville “Beer City USA” for its uncanny number of microbreweries and explosion of craft beer culture, it should be noted that Waynesville technically boasts more microbreweries per capita than its hipster big city neighbor.

Going from no breweries to three in a matter of months, Waynesville welcomed Frog Level, Headwaters and Tipping Point breweries to an already stellar and continually evolving scene of food, drink and homegrown craft items. Bringing forth a need for variety, 8 coupled with the endless ambition of folks

John Bardo, the former chancellor for Western Carolina University, could afford plenty of cake during the past year thanks to his comfortable $280,000 a year salary he continued to pull down after retiring.

Actually, far from a cake walk, Bardo was supposed to be buckled down on a research project in Raleigh, earning that $280,000 annual salary still being carried on WCU’s payroll.

John Bardo Bardo benefited from a generous state policy for retired university chancellors, allowing them to continue to earn their full salary for an additional year to do research, in exchange for putting in another year of teaching college students in the actual classroom.

Bardo got a job as the chancellor at Wichita State University in Kansas in July, however, and thus never came back to WCU to put in his promised year of teaching students.

He did not have to pay back the hefty salary, though.

The policy was actually changed recently, making it less generous than it had been. But Bardo is entitled to the earlier, more generous version that was in force when he was hired.

Captain Schettino Award It seems former Macon County Planner Derek Roland borrowed a page from the play book of Captain Francesco Schettino, who abandoned his own sinking cruise line off the coast of Italy early last year.

Roland walked away from the wreckage of floundering mountainside development regulations with Macon County to take a job as the

Town Planner for Franklin instead. Unlike the Italian cruise liner accident, caused by the captain’s own mistake, Roland’s job at the helm of Macon’s planning efforts was attempting to rudder a ship that was doomed from the start.

Macon has a storied past — to put it kindly — when it comes to development regulations, zoning and land-use planning. A groundswell of support for mountainside building regulations finally reached a critical mass about three years ago, leading to a proposed slope ordinance.

The political winds shifted before the ordinance could be passed though. Both the board of county commissioners and planning board itself saw the advent of new members who were less-planning minded, if not outright anti-planning.

The proposed slope ordinance was tabled, and the planning board got a public lashing for even going there in the first place. Roland quietly exited to his new job down the street with the town of Franklin where those in the planning department wouldn’t be chastised for actually planning.

Hope Springs Eternal Award Other than an early non-conference victory against Mars Hill College, the Western Carolina University Catamounts football program went winless the rest of the year.

Not only did they lose their homecoming weekend game to Georgia Southern (42-13), they once again conceded defeat to Appalachian State University at the “Battle for the Old Mountain Jug” (ASU has held the title since 2005). Add in a late season stomping by #2 nationally ranked University of Alabama (49-0) in Tuscaloosa, and you have yourself a pretty dismal season.

But all isn’t lost in Cullowhee, not with Coach Mark Speir on the prowl for better results in 2013. After going through three coaches since 2001 (previous coach Dennis Wagner complied a 8-36 record), Speir was brought on this past year to turn the tide and right the course of a ship without a rudder, or in this case, without a confident sense of self and purpose since their last winning season in

With the 2012 release of their album Papertown, Balsam Range has been rapidly spilling across the country, with accolades and award nominations racking up.

CMT Edge named the record on their list of “10 Favorite Americana Albums of 2012,” while it also landed at #2 on the PopMatters “Best of Bluegrass 2012” chart.

The train keeps rolling for Haywood County’s beloved musical sons. They’re a generous and passionate group whose talent and promise knows no bounds.

As an homage to the band, Haywood County commissioners even declared an official “Balsam Range Appreciation Day” this year.

Pass the Salt Award

When it comes to staying well fed, the Macon County commissioners led the pack this year. From finger food and pizzas to fortify them during regular meetings to sit-down restaurant meals with fellow boards in the county, commissioners in Macon County ate more than $10,000 worth of food on the county’s dime during three years.

Free meals used to be a standing perk for public officials — not just county commissioners but economic development commissions, county tourism boards, school boards, planning boards and the like. After all, they were in essence volunteering their time to serve on these boards and committees.

Macon County commissioners not only had food brought in for their own monthly commissioner meetings but would also invite other boards in the county to break bread over mutual discussion topics. Fat Buddies barbecue was a favorite, with commissioners hosting two eating meetings there in the month of April alone.

But most have gone on a Spartan diet as the economic times have worsened and fiscal austerity has become county watchwords.

Commissioners said sharing the same table with the planning board or school board, for example, promoted congeniality and broke the ice when hashing out potentially controversial issues.

Beyoncé Award

Like her hit song suggests, “If you like it, then you should’ve put a ring on it.”

During the past few months, Waynesville and Lake Junaluska leaders have used the analogy of courtship and dating as they flirt with the idea of joining in permanent matrimony.

Although Waynesville and Lake Junaluska have talked on the phone, gone on dates and danced together, it’s still unclear if the relationship will end up at the state General Assembly’s altar — the final step in officially bringing Lake Junaluska into Waynesville’s town limits.

A study is now underway to examine the pros and cons of a merger, giving both a better

Royal Flush Award

Job seekers in Western North Carolina and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians both came up winners when Harrah’s Cherokee Casino announced that it would finally have flive dealers.

After years of negotiations, the tribe and fNorth Carolina lawmakers penned an agreement allowing the tribally owned casino to offer visitors games such as roulette, poker and blackjack — no longer limited to the video and electronic-based gambling machines only.

The accord opened the door for the casino to create hundreds of additional jobs and millions in additional revenue for the tribe. In exchange for live dealers, the tribe had to share a cut of profits off the new table games with the state.

Compared to a cat-and-mouse-game or game of “Whack A Mole,” attempts by the state legislature to outlaw video gambling was continually skirted by the industry, which had an uncanny knack for splitting hairs to come up with something slightly different, yet legal.

The latest version was dubbed “sweepstakes” games, but for all the world looked and felt like video-based gambling.

The N.C. General Assembly has the last laugh — at least for now — after the state Supreme Court upheld a ban on the controversial gambling mechanisms.

Starting Jan. 3, law enforcement has the official go-ahead to shut down any video sweepstakes operations still open.

However, the state has been through this before. Are the video sweepstakes machines, in all forms, finally dead or, like the Doctor, will they regenerate into a new form?

brought in federal immigration officials to help with the checkpoint, fueling speculation about whether the sheriff ’s office racially profiled those stopped at the checkpoint.

Don’t Bite the Hand That Feeds You Award No, this isn’t about the immigration arguments that have permeated politics during the last couple of years. It’s about birds.

Lake Junaluska officials announced that the popular pastime of feeding bread to the ducks and geese who call the lake home is no longer

We’ve All Been There Award

Oil and Water Award

Get Out of Jail Free Award

permitted. The growing number of ducks and geese have become too invasive, and their excessive excrement, aggressive behavior — including occasional nipping of the generous feeders — and year-round nesting were causing too many problems.

Children and parents gave a collective outcry at the news, recalling generations of fond memories and family traditions of feeding the ducks.

Lake Junaluska leaders, however, said stopping feedings is the only way to control the exploding waterfowl population and its ill sideeffects.

Orphan Annie Award While this award could go to Maggie Valley as a whole, which perpetually clings to the belief the “sun will come up tomorrow” despite its tourist economy being in the dumps, this award is specifically intended for the Maggie Valley ABC Board.

The town’s ABC operation lost money almost every year since it opened a second liquor store. The second store sited in Dellwood was aimed at stealing business from Waynesville’s ABC store, but the additional sales it brought in wasn’t enough to offset the additional overhead.

The Maggie ABC board considered closing one of the stores, but now it is pointing to the latest numbers — which show the town’s ABC operation as a whole is breaking — as evidence a turnaround could be in sight, and has opted to hang in there to see if brighter days are ahead.

Red-Headed Stepchild Award Wanted: a buyer with extra millions to spend renovating a decrepit, old, out-dated, run-down, poorly maintained, hulking, fourstory, abandoned brick office building with a limited number of viable uses.

For some reason, Haywood County just hasn’t found any takers yet for the former hospital in Waynesville, which most recently housed the department of social services, before it moved out for newer, bigger digs.

The old hospital, as it’s known, was eyed for low-income housing for the elderly, but that plan fell through. Then, the regional mental health agency Smoky Mountain Center briefly considered it, but that never came to fruition either.

Haywood County is spending $50,000 a year on maintenance and heating for the empty building. Hoping to scare up some action, the county is partnering with the town of Waynesville, the Haywood Advancement Foundation and UNC’s School of Government to do a feasibility study pinpointing possible purposes for the building.

KO Award Video gambling machines have become the Doctor Who of North Carolina — never dying, simply regenerating and taking on a different form. Their latest incarnation (and dare we say last?) was finally knocked out.

Watch Your Back Award

Maggie Valley leaders and residents are split into two camps when it comes to police presence — those who find the patrol cars comforting and those who wish they would back off.

But, this award is not for any of them. It’s for the police department, which just by the skin of its teeth survived budget cuts this year. In a last-minute decision, the Maggie Valley Board of Aldermen chose not to slice the department’s budget as drastically as planned — the only cuts made would delay the routine replacement of older patrol cars but not impact operations — much to the delight of some.

A few of the alderman asked police earlier this year to tone down their patrol of Soco Road, the main drag where all the restaurants and bars are located, because, they said, too much police presence could be bad for business.

The staffing of Maggie’s police force for a town its size was also questioned. The town board considered cutting its budget, until police department supporters showed up in force at a public hearing. The department remains safe — for now.

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Smoky Mountain News

Ten suspected illegal immigrants who were arrested at a traffic checkpoint in Jackson County last spring got an early Christmas present when federal immigration officials decided not to deport them.

Immigrations and Customs Enforcement has been more liberal with who it does and does not deport nowadays, choosing to focus on illegal immigrants who are also considered violent criminals rather than those with no rap sheet or only minor offense such as driving without a license.

An attorney with the N.C. Immigrant Right’s Project successfully argued that the nature of the men’s arrests was murky at best — the traffic checkpoint was set-up at a time and place where undocumented workers are known to travel, and thus seemed specifically aimed at targeting them, which isn’t considered kosher for traffic checkpoints run by local law enforcement.

The Jackson County Sheriff ’s Office had

Once a popular pastime, feeding the waterfowl at Lake Junaluska is now banned because of problems caused by a overgrown bird population. Caitlin Bowling photo

We have all made decisions that, when thinking back, were admittedly not the best choices. But, let’s not talk about those. We’re trying to forget.

Instead, let’s feel bad for the poor man who spent hours trolling the isles at Wally World with his family on Grey Thursday — that’s the new catch phrase to describe Thanksgiving Day bargain shopping as opposed to traditional Black Friday — only to walk out with three stuffed, mechanical, barking dogs. He was later found having drinks at the bar. (Let’s all offer up a collective “It’s OK, man” and sympathetic pat on the back.)

His experience teaches us all an important lesson: avoid Black Friday at all costs. Opt for Small Business Saturday or Cyber Monday.

Those days will never leave you alone, holding three stuffed, mechanical, barking dogs.

January 2-8, 2013

Franklin town leaders were quick to endorse a new festival last year promising to flood Main Street with thousands of tourists.

But then small but important details began to crystallize — like the fact the festival-goers would be riding motorcycles, there would be open beer tents on the sidewalks and a rock band stage would be set up across the street from a funeral home.

Franklin’s town board began to second guess the compatibility of the motorcycle rally with their quaint downtown and whether they really wanted that many motorcycles taking over Main Street. The town politely withdrew its invitation to the rally organizers, instead pointing them down the road to a large field on the outskirts of town and likely better suited to the kind of merry-making motorcycle festivals are known for.

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idea of what their marriage would mean.

Before the two entities decide to join hands once and for all, residents of Lake Junaluska will soon be asked in a survey to speak now or forever hold their peace.

news Rob Kelly holds kayaker Sue Martin’s head above the raging waters of the Nantahala River.

Martin was trapped by a log and nearly drowned before Kelly saved her.

January 2-8, 2013

Hercules Award There is absolutely no doubt that Rob Kelly deserves Western North Carolina’s hero of the year award. Kelly’s story captivated everyone, as did the photos of him rescuing kayaker Sue Martin from drowning on the Upper Nantahala.

Avid and experienced paddlers rejoiced this year when the first of the whitewaters releases from the Nantahala Dam were unleashed into the upper reaches of the Nantahala River, creating a day of steep yet uncharted creek boating for kayakers.

Although Martin was no novice kayaker, accidents happen. And, thank God, Kelly was there. When Martin became trapped by a log and was pulled underwater, Kelly, who was driving a bus of paddlers up to put-in points, noticed her trapped kayak, pulled over and made a quick decision to jump in the river and help her, despite putting himself at risk.

Martin was underwater for several minutes, and wasn’t breathing when Kelly reached her. He performed rescue breathing in the water, and with help from others along the shoreline, was able to pull Martin to safety, where rescue breathing was continued until medics arrived. She survived without any lasting repercussions.

Moral Compass Award

Smoky Mountain News

Earlier this spring, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians had a chance to approve the sale of alcohol reservation-wide. (The sale of alcohol is banned except at the casino.) But, morals won out in the end, and Cherokee remains dry.

Churches and some businesses lobbied for months, asking people to vote “no” on the alcohol referendum and “yes” for families. Leaders of the anti-alcohol movement told stories of alcohol’s ill-effects, from domestic violence to joblessness to health problems. They accused supporters of reservation-wide alcohol of putting economic interests — alcohol would presumably bring more tourists — ahead of what’s best for local people.

In the end, it seems that most enrolled members agreed with that sentiment. The referendum was struck down with about 60 percent of people voting “no.”

On the flip side, however, alcohol is now at 10 Cherokee’s doorstep anyway. Jackson County

voters last year approved countywide alcohol sales allowing beer, wine and liquor to be sold countywide, including right up to the line of the Cherokee Reservation. The Catamount Travel Center a stone’s throw from the reservation has seen a huge boom in business from Cherokee ever since it started selling beer and wine. Anyone looking for a bottle of Merlot or a 12-pack of beer need only drive a couple of minutes from downtown Cherokee and across the line into Jackson County to get it.

Git-R-Done Award Swain County showed it’s a county of action this year. Rather than resting on its laurels, county leaders were quick to forge a deal with the private Great Smoky Mountain Railroad to get a steam engine in operation on its scenic rail line.

The railroad had been in talks with Jackson County about a similar funding plan, but Jackson leaders were more hesitant to ink a deal offering up monetary incentives to the business — not to mention stymied by an internal tug-of-war dragging on more than a year and a half over whether to hike its tourism tax rate to fund initiatives like the steam train.

Swain, in the meantime, proposed a tourism tax increase, promptly passed it and offered a deal to the train — all in less than nine months.

The steam engine is expected to draw thousands more tourists to the tiny town of Bryson City each year, meaning more people eating at its restaurant and shopping in its stores. Swain County has also locked the railroad into a deal that would ensure that the steam engine operates runs for at least 15 years.

However, there are some concerns about the county dishing out tourism tax dollars to a private business and whether it will get enough bang for its buck. Hopefully, Swain County made a good deal.

On Second Thought Award The newly elected majority to the Maggie Valley Board of Alderman said they wanted to make changes in the valley, to get rid of the old way of doing business. But, town leaders could-

n’t even get some of their own changes right.

The board voted to waive sewer hook-up fees for existing businesses wanting to expand, hoping to prompt growth in the valley, but ended up creating more problems than solutions.

One business owner who already paid the requisite sewer fees, only to see the fees waived for others, felt slighted and wanted his money back. Another wanted to be considered an existing business, and have the fees waived, even though it has not operated as a campground for years. Those instances prompted the aldermen to decide whether to stick to their original decision or go back on what they approved.

And then, there is the case of “will they, won’t they” eliminate the town’s festival director position. Maggie Valley’s budget for this year only funded the position up until the end of October. But, at the 11th hour, the board asked its festival director to stay on indefinitely.

Auld Lang Syne Award James C. Jacobs, owner of the tried and true People’s Department Store in Franklin, announced that the Main Street mainstay would close its doors after more than 55 years.

The 93-year-old decided it was finally time to head to the house when his daughters were no longer able to help him run the shop, plus the toll of big-box retail chain giants had finally caught up with him.

Although People’s hometown department store will no longer serve as a landmark along Franklin’s Main Street, it will not be forgotten.

voters giving alcohol sales a decided “thumbsup” when the issue appeared on the ballot in May. Ashe didn’t actually have the power to stop a particular establishment from serving beer, but he could make life more difficult. When businesses applied to the state ABC Commission in Raleigh for an alcohol permit, Ashe got to weigh in with a recommendation — or condemnation as the case may be.

Ashe poo-pooed several establishments, saying they were either too close to a college campus, too close to the Cherokee Indian Reservation, or in one case, too close to a volunteer fire department, to be allowed to serve booze.

Instead of being fast-tracked, business owners were slowed down or forced to jump through extra hoops to get their permit in a timely fashion.

County commissioners soon “un-appointed” Ashe from his role as the official county “designee” for weighing the merits of alcohol permit seekers.

As a side note, Ashe had asked county commissioners for more money to hire eight additional deputies in anticipation of more drunk driving and alcohol-related disturbances after the passage of countywide alcohol sales.

Commissioners, however, decided to wait and see what actually manifested before granting the budget increase.

Instant Replay Award

The Haywood Community College Board of Trustees earned this accolade as soon as they called a mulligan on the first attempt to find a new HCC president — they decided to scrap everything and start the process over from scratch.

The board was near the end of its search process, or so we thought, having narrowed a pool of about 50 applicants down to five finalists. But, as everyone waited with baited breath to see whom the board would choose to succeed outgoing president Rose Johnson, the trustees called an audible.

As a result, HCC had to hire an interim president while the board called for a do-over.

Large turnover on the HCC board of trustees — half of them new during the past year James C. Jacobs, 93, announced that he would close the — didn’t help matters. Four of doors of People’s Department Store, a Franklin landmark for the 12 HCC trustees had come more than 55 years. Andrew Kasper photo on since July, inheriting a presidential search process in its A sign of the times: Outdoor 76, an out- final throes. doors outfitter shop, has stepped up to fill the The trustees have once again narrowed it void and will take over the empty store front. down to a handful of prospects and are expected to name a new president within the month.

Over a Barrel Award Jackson County Sheriff Jimmy Ashe made his apparent distaste of countywide alcohol sales known when he dished out several “thumbs-down” recommendations for gas stations and restaurants angling to add beer and wine to their menus — despite a majority of

Where There Is Smoke Award

A year after allegations first came to light that the Bryson City Volunteer Fire Chief Joey Hughes might have misappropriated funds

11u Travel Baseball

TRYOUTS

Jan. 13 • 3 P.M. West Henderson High School Cannot be 12 years of age before May 1, 2013

For more information, call

828-674-2547

The Straight and Narrow Award

Field of Dreams Award

Bookstore

AMY ALLEN will discuss her journey along the Appalachian Trail as she presents SUMMONING

THE MOUNTAINS: PILGRIMAGE INTO FORTY Alaska Presley, a Maggie Valley resident, purchased Ghost Town in the Sky amusement park on the courthouse steps, so to speak, earlier this year. Caitlin Bowling photo ting Ghost Town as prepared as possible for the 2013 tourism season.

designs will be relegated to tiny logos in one corner come 2015.

Red Pen Award

The Horse Is Out of the Barn Award

The Jackson County Planning Board has been busy doing its best imitation of an obstinate English teacher grading a stack of essays.

At the instruction of a newly elected majority on the county commissioners, the planning boarding has systematically gone back to the drawing board on several mountain development guidelines put in place by an earlier board of commissioners.

Falling victim to the deleting and rewriting so far: the subdivision ordinance, open space regulations, a groundwater ordinance and commercial development rules for the U.S. 441 corridor leading to Cherokee.

The planning board saved the biggest and best for last, however. It has just bitten off a rewrite of the county’s slope building ordinance.

Sour Grapes award When a certain state legislator wasn’t able to get a Pro-Life license plate added to the litany of specialty plates for special causes, he decided to put the kabosh on a good thing for everyone.

Specialty license plates are used to proclaim support and raise money for dozens and dozens of special interest groups — from the iconic black bear plate of the Friends of the Smokies and scenic ribbon of mountain road on Blue Ridge Parkway plates to the highly obscure N.C. Tennis Foundation, Buddy

The horse is out of the barn. The question is whether Jackson County commissioners will let it run wild or move along at a smart, well-measured pace.

Cullowhee, home to Western Carolina University, is changing. It was already the fastest-growing spot in the region during the previous decade, according to the 2010 census.

When Jackson voters just passed countywide alcohol sales, it set the stage for more commercial opportunities around campus for restaurants, bars and package stores.

Some have already opened.

Cullowhee is also seeing an outgrowth of off-campus student housing complexes. And the UNC system is going to continue to invest in WCU as it looks for campuses to handle growing enrollment numbers.

A grassroots group called CuRvE (Cullowhee Revitalization Endeavor) has directly called on the county to let them develop a local land-use plan. WCU has voiced its support for the Cullowhee planning effort as well.

Jackson County commissioners, however, are keeping these efforts on a short leash. So far, they have refused to endorse a formal planning initiative in this college community — leaving Cullowhee vulnerable to incompatible development.

Sat., Jan. 5th at 3 p.m.

3 EAST JACKSON STREET • SYLVA

828/586-9499 • citylightsnc.com

Smoky Mountain News

Alaska Presley is rebuilding the Ghost Town in the Sky amusement park, but breathing new life into the rundown Old West themed amusement park that once brought tens of thousands of tourists to Maggie Valley in its heyday has been challenging to say the least.

Presley bought Ghost Town out of foreclosure earlier this year and has worked tirelessly to revive it. As of this summer, however, she had only been able to open an arcade, a zip line and the chairlift that moves people from the ground-level gift shop up the mountain to the park entrance, where its old rides sit. None of the other rides were operational before the park closed for the winter. Neither was the mock-up of an Old West town, which the park is most well known for, where actors staged gun fights in the streets.

But, that doesn’t mean all hope is lost.

Presley said she hopes to keep making improvements during the winter and early spring, get-

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January 2-8, 2013

The Macon County League of Women Voters, well-regarded for hosting non-partisan forums serving up valuable insight on important and controversial issues, certainly had its hands full during 2012’s heated election cycle.

The group of ladies brought candidates of all walks — from U.S. Congress to local county commissioner and school board races — face to face on the same stage in front of an open audience for a political Q&A series.

At one forum between Sen. Jim Davis, RFranklin and former Sen. John Snow, DMurphy, more than 100 Davis supporters showed up with T-shirts and signs supporting their candidate. They also applauded his answers. The show of partisanship goes against the grain of non-partisan principles the league has as its bedrock.

Afterward, Macon League of Women Voters leaders sent a letter to local papers saying they would not allow signs and campaign rally type actions at future events. The league’s leaders stuck to their guns, and Macon County and all of Western North Carolina will be better for it.

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WNC Mountain Expos

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Pelletier Surfing Foundation. However, plates for political or religious causes are considered an unconstitutional endorsement by government of one viewpoint.

This stand-up legislator, who will remain nameless for now, got so irritated he couldn’t get a Pro-Life plate introduced, he decided to strip all the existing specialty license plates of their full-color designs. He claimed the proliferation of plates made it hard for law enforcement and toll-booth cameras to read the vehicle tags, although law enforcement and the state’s toll operators said they had no problem with specialty plate designs.

Unless the N.C. General Assembly undoes this handiwork, those beloved full-color plate

donated to the fire department, he and his wife Cylena were arrested on charges of embezzlement more than $200,000. What’s more: Cylena was also charged with embezzling money from East Elementary School’s ParentTeacher Organization.

This award, however, goes to the whistleblower and officers with the Bryson City Police Department who followed up on the accusations, which eventually led to the Hughes’ arrest.

For years, others turned a blind eye to suspicious goings-on at the fire department and did not challenge Hughes when he refused to produce the appropriate financial records for the department. But, eventually, luck runs out, and someone is willing to push back. This award is for those who had the courage to do just that.

Legal Services for a Strong Mountain Community Nathan Earwood • David D. Moore 559 West Main Street, Sylva, NC 28779 828.339.1010 • earwoodandmoore.com

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Timeline for Waynesville, Lake Junaluska merger picks up speed

Lake Junaluska is considering merging with the town of Waynesville but neither entity is willing to commit until they know more about what exactly that would mean for both communities. Ashley T. Evans photo

Smoky Mountain News

January 2-8, 2013

BY CAITLIN BOWLING & B ECKY JOHNSON STAFF WRITERS ake Junaluska and the town of Waynesville are pressing ahead with the possibility of a merger. The two entities have put the wheels in motion to introduce a special bill in the N.C. General Assembly in March that would bring Lake Junaluska into Waynesville’s town limits.

Lake Junaluska and Waynesville leaders caution that no decision has been made yet, however. They are merely getting their ducks in a row to introduce a bill, should that be the route both communities decide to take.

It’s a little more rushed than leaders of either would like. But, there’s a mid-March deadline for bills of this nature to be introduced in the N.C. General Assembly if they stand a chance of being heard in the next two years. Otherwise, they will have to wait until 2015 to come up.

“I did not know it was going to move this quickly,” said Jack Ewing, CEO of Lake Junaluska Assembly. “It is faster than I would have wanted, but if we are going to do this in the next two years, this is the window we have.”

“It would be to our benefit to be prepared for this session,” agreed Waynesville Town Manager Marcy Onieal.

Leaders at both the lake and town emphasized that no final decision has been made, and while they are being proactive in drawing up a bill, the legislation will only appear on the General Assembly’s calendar if both parties agree to a merger.

Ewing said Lake Junaluska won’t move 12

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forward with the bill unless they are absolutely certain it is the right direction. Otherwise, they’ll just have to wait two years.

Between now and decision time in March, however, the town and Lake Junaluska have commissioned a $60,000 study from an outside consultant and engineering firm to analyze the pros and cons of a merger.

“I don’t wants us to feel forced into doing this. I want us to do everything we can to have good information,” Ewing said.

Likewise, he doesn’t want residents of Lake Junaluska to feel passed over in the process.

“Even though we say it is moving quickly, I do not want anyone to feel like this was railroaded,” Ewing said.

Lake Junaluska has indeed bent over backwards to make the process open and transparent. And they aren’t merely paying lip service to those buzz words. Every task force meeting is announced and open to the public.

Meetings are recorded, and minutes put online. The same web site makes available every official report, study or opinion letter from the public on the issue.

“We are more transparent than anything you will probably ever see. We don’t want anyone to say ‘Why didn’t we know about that?’” Ewing said.

WHO WILL DECIDE Whether to in fact pull the trigger on a bill in Raleigh will ultimately be up to the Waynesville town board and the Lake Junaluska Assembly board of directors, which

oversees the religious conference and retreat easier at that point,” said Ron Clauser, chair of center at Lake Junaluska’s core. A vote from the task force and Junaluska Community those two entities on whether to formally Council. request a bill would be made in March.

The target completion date for the study, The Lake Junaluska Assembly board of being carried out by Martin-McGill, is the end directors won’t make a decision in a vacuum of January.

— far from it. A mail survey of Lake “Once we get that study back, then we will Junaluska’s 803 property owners — who know if it’s feasible, and then we will know if would suddenly find themselves taxpaying Waynesville is interested,” said Buddy Young, residents of Waynesville — will be conducted a member of the task force. “The staff here sometime in February to gauge public senti- and at Waynesville feel intuitively it would be ment about becoming part of the town. a good fit but we want some hard data.”

“The survey is a very important process for While Lake Junaluska makes its decision us, to have a sense of the understanding of the — with a task force, survey of residents, comcommunity about the process and how they munity council and board of directors all feel about it,” Ewing said. weigh in — Waynesville leaders must do their Equally important is the input of a special- own soul-searching. The town must decided ly appointed task force that’s been studying a whether they even want to absorb Lake merger since the summer, which will also for- Junaluska — an idea that has yet to be formalmally weigh in. ly introduced to town residents.

And last, but hardly least, is the Junaluska In fact, state Sen. Jim Davis, R-Franklin, Community Council, a board of directors said he wouldn’t support a merger bill unless elected by property owners to address resi- the Waynesville Board of Alderman unanidential issues facing the community, akin to a mously votes to combine with Lake Junaluska. property owners’ association.

Sen. Davis has plans to meet with “If the Community Council doesn’t bring a Waynesville leaders soon to learn more about recommendation in support of the bill, it the deliberation process. He will not take any won’t happen. The board won’t act independ- action unless he is asked to introduce a bill in ently of the community council,” Ewing said. the state Senate.

Failure to curry majority support from res“This issue has a lot of work before it gets idents and the Junaluska Community Council to me,” Sen. Davis said. could be a deal killer for any bill in Raleigh.

N.C. Rep. Joe Sam Queen, D-Waynesville, The new conservative leaning legislature has said he would also advocate for the merger of become increasingly gun shy of annexation Waynesville and Lake Junaluska if that is what and would want the political cover of community support before backing a bill to bring that many residents into the Lake Junaluska looks and acts in many ways like a town limits. town, but it isn’t — it is merely a highly-functioning, “I wouldn’t call it perfunctight-knit residential community. The roughly 800 homes tory, but it is an important in and around the lake are anchored by the Lake Junaluska legal step,” Ewing said.

Conference and Retreat Center, a Methodist establishment, Given the sheer number of although the neighborhoods around the lake have drifted players at the table — plus the from their origin as a religious community. weightiness of a decision that Facing the stark reality of deteriorating infrastructure, will irreversibly set the course Lake Junaluska leaders broached Waynesville several for Lake Juanluska’s future — months ago about the possibility of coming under the the process has been surpristown’s fold, which could not only rescue Lake Junaluska’s ingly amicable. antiquated sewer system but also offer economies of scale “It is about what is in the by being part of a larger town. best interest of Lake Junaluska A task force was appointed to study three options to and its residents for the next three: merge with Waynesville, become its own town or 100 years,” Ewing said. stay as it is.

One challenge, however, has been the emotional side of the debate. While Lake Junaluska leaders have the two entities want. Rep. Queen or Davis tried to stay focused on the analytical side, a would likely be the one to introduce the bill for faction of residents have lamented the loss of consideration during the legislative session. identity and autonomy should the communiIf it has the support of people locally, the ty be absorbed by Waynesville. bill will not face much opposition from the But those steering the process hope that General Assembly, Rep. Queen predicted. the independent study analyzing the effects of “I don’t think a local bill of this kind will be a merger with Waynesville will arm residents difficult to pass at all,” Queen said. with data to make a rational decision.

Although people involved in the merger “We have always approached this from the talks have thrown around the term annexastandpoint of we want as much information tion, the merger of Waynesville and Lake as possible and we want to educate the prop- Junaluska would not fall within the purview of erty owners to the same extent the task force is the state’s annexation statute — making the educated,” Ewing said. process simpler. Under state law, annexation Lake Junaluska is putting in $10,000 for requires a vote of the affected citizens to pass the study, Waynesville is putting in $20,000 with a 60 percent majority. and a grant from the N.C. Rural Center is But Lake Junaluska and Waynesville funding $30,000. would aim to side-step that more drawn out “Hopefully, when we have all the informa- process and get special legislation approving tion on the table, the decision will be made the merger.

Why the merger talk?

Opinion

Smoky Mountain News

13

Doesn’t that just melt your face off?

I

Firearms are not the problem To the Editor: We are writing in response to the gun control controversy. I agree that the recent acts of violence are outrageous and totally reprehensible. We do feel, however, that that some people are reacting to these tragedies by blaming anyone and anything that they can in order to feel that they have power over the situation instead of examining all the facts and basing their conclusions on the evidence that is presented. Instead, they give a knee-jerk reaction and try to come up with solutions that truly will not solve the problems.

The violence at Columbine, the movie theater in Colorado, and now Sandy Hook as well as in other places around our country was perpetrated using firearm; this is true. However, the main weapon which was in use in all of these and so many other attacks were the actual perpetrators. These individuals, for whatever reasons that they may have had, were the true weapons, weapons of mass destruction.

Some of the people in our country feel that

Tolkien books that had provided so much adventure and meaning in their childhoods. They were absolutely appalled that I could not connect with their experience because I had no frame of reference, having never read a word of Tolkien. I was like a child who had never seen the ocean, or tasted chocolate ice cream. They were incredulous.

My daughter finished reading The Hobbit in three days, dropping in Columnist every so often to offer an updated plot summary as well as a fragrant bouquet of adjectives to describe her bliss at having discovered this life-changing book.

“Dad, this is the most EPIC book ever!” she said.

“So I’ve heard,” I said, smiling.

“I mean, it is completely awesome and totally fantastic!” she said.

“I am glad you are enjoying it, babe,” I said.

“What I am trying to say is that it is rocking my freaking world!” she said.

“I can see that,” I said.

And I could. She could not, would not, must not stop talking about the book for the next several days. I had to find the right balance between encouraging her in her excitement and gently reminding her that other things and other people continued to exist right here in our own world. For example, her brother might like to participate in conversations in the car or at breakfast, and he was not quite old enough to read the book yet, so we would have to find time to talk about other things, at least occasionally.

While we turned to other, more mundane, matters, Kayden scoured the Internet looking for showtimes for the

Chris Cox

t all started with a simple book fair at the middle school.

My daughter, inspired perhaps by viewing the trailer for the movie about 12,000 times during the past few weeks, bought a paperback of J.R.R Tolkien’s classic The Hobbit. She couldn’t wait to see the movie, but as the daughter of an English teacher, she naturally wanted to read the book first.

Bless her.

And read it she did … on the bus, in the bathtub, at the kitchen table during dinner. The very same night she brought it home from the book fair, I caught her reading it under her blanket with a flashlight well after midnight. I pretended to be upset with her for so blatantly disregarding her bedtime, especially on a school night, but hidden inside my standard “dad lecture” about getting enough sleep was a chewy center of excitement, pride, even envy. How could an 11-year-old girl possibly be expected to go to sleep when a wizard and his company of dwarves were trying to steal treasure guarded by a fearsome dragon? As if this weren’t enough, there was something about a magic ring, and a creature known as Gollum.

Like most people, I saw the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy several years ago, but I have often felt deprived that I did not read Tolkien as a youngster. I did not have any friends who had read his books, and no hip teachers to recommend him.

Instead, we read tripe like The Cross And The Switchblade and other books intended to instill very specific values in us.

I tended more toward Mad magazine books such as Snappy Answers to Stupid Questions, as well as paperbacks about natural disasters, serial killers, or sports figures. Who needed wizards and hobbits when the real world offered up such unfathomable characters as Wilt Chamberlain and Charles Manson?

I had no idea what I had missed until much later, when college roommates would reminisce affectionately about the

LETTERS all mass murders and attacks are done with guns, this is far from the truth. How many died in cult murder/suicides from poison?

How many died in the fires at Waco, not to mention anthrax or the Unabomber? How many people in our country have been murdered in groups or individually by knives, baseball bats, machetes, axes, screwdrivers, ice picks, or everyday sticks or rocks?

Yet the only thing that seems to be regulated or banned are firearms.

We feel that what is in need of regulating are people. Guns can only be legally purchased by people without criminal backgrounds and have no recorded mental disorders. All of the weapons used at Columbine and Sandy Hook were purchased legally by persons other than the shooters, thus they were stolen by these criminals. The Colorado theater shooter purchased his own weapons legally and then used them illegally. Why place more regulations on law-abiding citizens and deny them guns for hunting or personal protection when criminals will pay no heed to those laws and simply steal weapons or buy them on the black market?

Doing so would be a criminals dream come

movie version of The Hobbit. I promised her we would see the movie the day after Christmas, but on Christmas morning when she woke up with a fever of 102 and we had to cancel our travel plans to see the family, I knew it would most likely be a few days before we could go.

As it turned out, the flu played dominos in our house, knocking us all down one at a time, further delaying the time when we would finally see the movie. It was sheer agony for Kayden, who had been imagining what the movie would be like day after interminable day.

Finally, she was able to go with her mother while I stayed home with her sick brother playing a baseball video game on the PlayStation, the two of us eating crackers and drinking soda. After several hours, they made it back home from their adventure, having slayed the flu dragon at last.

“Well?” I said. “Was it freaking awesome or what?”

“Dad, it melted my face off,” she said. “We have got to buy that movie when it comes out on DVD. What I mean is that we have GOT to buy it immediately. Mom and I already have a date for Christmas of 2013 when the next movie comes out. Did you know there was going to be another one?”

“I thought it was a possibility,” I said.

“How am I supposed to wait that long to see it?” she said.

“Isn’t that just completely ridiculous? Well, isn’t it?”

I agreed that it was indeed ridiculous. I am no wizard, but I do foresee between now and then a lot of sleepless nights spent under the covers with a flashlight and a paperback, perhaps a tall stack of paperbacks, each one taking her on breathtaking new adventures, each one melting her face off, each one preparing her for those long, impassioned dorm room conversations just over the horizon.

I guess I had better get to work on some new fake lectures.

(Chris Cox is a writer and teacher who lives in Haywood County. He can be reached at jchrisox@live.com.)

true, a land where the everyday citizens are unarmed and ripe for the picking.

No one in their right mind would ever take a weapon into a theater and shoot total strangers, and it would take a total sociopath to enter a school and shoot innocent children.

Why not take all the time, money, and energy that some are trying to put into taking away the constitutional right of every American citizen to own and bear arms and put it into recognizing, diagnosing, and treating the thousands of people who are suffering from a wide range of mental disorders? This would be a better solution.

Remember this — throughout the history of man, there have been those who have chose to commit murder. Prior to the invention of guns these murders were still committed.

Also, throughout history one of the first acts of dictators upon taking over a country was to disarm the citizens so that they were easier to control.

Taking away the right to own a firearm will not protect anyone, it will simply put us at the mercy of criminals who care nothing for those or any other laws.

Karl and Tina Marsh Whittier

Looking for opinions The Smoky Mountain News encourages readers to express their opinions through letters to the editor or guest columns. All viewpoints are welcome. Send to Scott McLeod at info@smokymountainnews.com., fax to 828.452.3585, or mail to PO Box 629, Waynesville, NC, 28786.

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14

ASHEVILLE: 60 Biltmore Ave. 252.4426 & 88 Charlotte St. 254.4289

tasteTHEmountains Taste the Mountains is an ever-evolving paid section of places to dine in Western North Carolina. If you would like to be included in the listing please contact our advertising department at 828.452.4251 AMMONS DRIVE-IN RESTAURANT & DAIRY BAR 1451 Dellwwod Rd., Waynesville.

828.926.0734. Open Monday through Thursday 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. and Friday through Sunday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Celebrating our 25th year. Enjoy world famous hot dogs as well as burgers, seafood, hushpuppies, hot wings and chicken. Be sure to save room for dessert. The cobbler, pie and cake selections are sure to satisfy any sweet tooth.

ANTHONY WAYNE’S 37 Church St, Waynesville. 828.456.6789.

Open for lunch Monday-Friday 11 a.m.-3 p.m.; open for dinner Thursday-Saturday 5 to 9 p.m.; and Sunday brunch 11 a.m.-3 p.m.

Exceptional, new-American cuisine, offering several gluten free items.

BLUE RIDGE BBQ COMPANY 180 N. Main St., Waynesville.

828.452.7524. 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. TuesdayThursday; 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday-Saturday; 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. Blue Ridge BBQ is a family owned and operated restaurant.

The BBQ is slow hardwood smoked, marinated in its own juices, and seasoned with mountain recipes. All menu items made from scratch daily. Featuring homemade cornbread salad, fresh collard greens, or cornbread and milk at your request. Old-fashioned homemade banana pudding and fruit cobbler of the season. Catering, take-out, eat-in. blueridgebbq@gmail.com.

BLUE ROOSTER SOUTHERN GRILL 207 Paragon Parkway, Clyde, Lakeside Plaza at the old Wal-Mart. 828.456.1997.

Monday-Friday 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.; Sunday 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Friendly and fun family atmosphere. Local, handmade Southern cuisine. Fresh-cut salads; slowsimmered soups; flame grilled burgers and steaks, and homemade signature desserts.

Blue-plates and local fresh vegetables daily.

Brown bagging is permitted. Private parties, catering, and take-out available. Call-ahead seating available.

BOGART’S 35 East Main St., Sylva. 828.586.6532.

Sunday through Thursday 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.; Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Serving classic American food and drink in a casual environment. Daily lunch and dinner specials. Children’s menu available.

Call for catering quotes. Private room available for large parties. Accepts MC/Visa, Discover and American Express.

BOURBON BARREL BEEF & ALE 454 Hazelwood Ave., Waynesville, 828.452.9191. Dinner nightly from 4 p.m.

Closed on Sunday. We specialize in hand-cut, all natural steaks, fresh fish, and other classic American comfort foods that are made using only the finest local and sustainable ingredients available. We also feature a great selection of craft beers from local artisan

brewers, and of course an extensive selection of small batch bourbons and whiskey. The Barrel is a friendly and casual neighborhood dining experience where our guests enjoy a great meal without breaking the bank.

HERREN HOUSE 94 East St., Waynesville 828.452.7837.

Lunch: Wednesday - Saturday 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday Brunch 11 a. m. to 2 p.m.

Enjoy fresh local products, created daily. Join us in our beautiful patio garden. We are your local neighborhood host for special events: business party’s, luncheons, weddings, showers and more. Private parties & catering are available 7 days a week by reservation only.

CATALOOCHEE RANCH 119 Ranch Dr., Maggie Valley.

828.926.1401. Mile-high mountaintop dining with a spectacular view. Join us for cookouts on the terrace on weekends and Wednesdays (weather permitting) and familystyle dinners on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday. Social hour starts at 6 p.m., with dinner at 7 p.m. Our bountiful family-style meals include prime rib, baked ham, and herb-baked chicken; cookouts feature steaks, ribs, chicken and pork chops, to name a few.

Every dinner is complemented with an assortment of seasonal vegetables, homemade breads, jellies and desserts, and we offer a fine selection of wine and beer.

Breakfast is also served daily from 8 to 9:30 a.m., and lunch from 12 to 2 p.m. Please call for reservations.

CHEF’S TABLE 30 Church St., Waynesville. 828.452.6210.

From 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday dinner starting at 5 p.m. “Best of” Award of Excellence from Wine Spectator Magazine. Set in a distinguished atmosphere with an exceptional menu. Extensive selection of wine and beer. Reservations honored.

CITY BAKERY 18 North Main St. Waynesville 828.452.3881 Monday-Friday 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Join us in our historic location for scratch made soups and daily specials. Breakfast is made to order daily: Gourmet cheddar & scallion biscuits served with bacon, sausage and eggs; smoked salmon bagel plate; quiche and fresh fruit parfit. We bake a wide variety of breads daily, specializing in traditional French breads. All of our breads are hand shaped. Lunch: Fresh Salads, panni sandwiches. Enjoy outdoor dinning on the deck. Private room available for meetings.

CITY LIGHTS CAFE Spring Street in downtown Sylva.

828.587.2233. Open Monday-Saturday 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., Sunday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Tasty, healthy and quick. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, espresso, beer and wine. Come taste the savory and sweet crepes, grilled paninis, fresh, organic salads, soups and more.

Outside patio seating. Free Wi-Fi, pet-friendly. Live music and lots of events. Check the web calendar at citylightscafe.com.

COPPER LEAF CAFÉ & COFFEE 3232 Dellwood Rd., Waynesville.

828.926.4486. Open Monday thru Saturday 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. Enjoy the atmosphere and charm of the Copper Leaf Café’s signature sandwiches and salads featuring Boar’s Head meats & cheeses. Home-made soups

served daily as well as “made from scratch” desserts. Full service Espresso Bar and a unique selection of gifts. Located next to High Country Furniture and Design.

CORK AND BEAN 16 Everett St., Bryson City. 828.488.1934.

Open Monday-Saturday, 8:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Sunday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Enjoy organic, fair-trade, gourmet espresso and coffees, a select, eclectic list of wines, and locally prepared treats to go with every thing. Come by early and enjoy a breakfast crepe with a latte, grab a grilled chicken pesto crepe for lunch, or wind down with a nice glass of red wine. Visit us on Facebook!

CORK & CLEAVER 176 Country Club Drive, Waynesville.

828.456.7179. Reservations recommended.

4:30-9 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday. Tucked away inside Waynesville Inn, Cork & Cleaver has an approachable menu designed around locally sourced, sustainable, farm-to-table ingredients. Executive Chef Corey Green prepares innovative and unique Southern fare from local, organic vegetables grown in Western North Carolina. Full bar and wine cellar. www.waynesvilleinn.com.

CORNERSTONE CAFÉ 1092 N. Main Street, Waynesville.

828.452.4252. Open Monday through Friday 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. Fresh meats purchased daily, great homemade breakfast, burgers made to order.

Comfortable and friendly atmosphere, with curb service available. Make lunch easy and call ahead for to go orders.

COUNTRY VITTLES: FAMILY STYLE RESTAURANT 3589 Soco Rd, Maggie Valley.

828.926.1820 Open Daily 7 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., closed Tuesday. Family Style at Country Vittles is not a buffet. Instead our waitresses will bring your food piping hot from the kitchen right to your table and as many refills as you want. So if you have a big appetite, but sure to ask your waitress about our family style service.

FRANKIE’S ITALIAN TRATTORIA 1037 Soco Rd. Maggie Valley.

828.926.6216 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Tuesday-Saturday. Father and son team Frank and Louis Perrone cook up dinners steeped in Italian tradition. With recipies passed down from generations gone by, the Perrones have brought a bit of Italy to Maggie Valley. frankiestrattoria.com FROGS LEAP PUBLIC HOUSE 44 Church St. Downtown Waynesville 828.456.1930 Serving lunch and dinner from 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, Sunday lunch and dinner from 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m., closed Mondays. Frogs Leap is a farm to table restaurant focused on local, sustainable, natural and organic products prepared in modern regional dishes.

Seasonal menu focuses on Southern comfort foods with upscale flavors. Come for the restaurant’s 4 @ 4 when you can choose a center and three sides at special prices.

Offered Wed- Fri. from 4 to 6. frogsleappublichouse.org.

GUADALUPE CAFÉ 606 W. Main Street, Sylva. 828.586.9877.

Open 7 days a week at 5 p.m. Located in the historic Hooper’s Drugstore, Guadalupe Café is a chef-owned and operated restaurant

tasteTHEmountains serving Caribbean inspired fare complimented by a quirky selection of wines and microbrews. Supporting local farmers of organic produce, livestock, hand-crafted cheese, and using sustainably harvested seafood.

lunch with homemade soups, quiches, and desserts. Wide selection of wine and beer.

Outdoor and indoor dining.

J. ARTHUR’S RESTAURANT AT MAGGIE VALLEY U.S. 19 in Maggie Valley. 828.926.1817.

Lunch Sunday noon to 2:30 p.m., dinner nightly starting at 4:30 p.m. World-famous prime rib, steaks, fresh seafood, gorgonzola cheese and salads. All ABC permits and open year-round. Children always welcome.

Take-out menu. Excellent service and hospitality. Reservations appreciated.

MOUNTAIN PERKS ESPRESSO BAR & CAFÉ 9 Depot St., Bryson City. 828.488.9561.

Open Monday through Thursday, 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Friday 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturday 8 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. With music at the Depot. Sunday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Life is too short for bad coffee. We feature wonderful breakfast and lunch selections. Bagels, wraps, soups, sandwiches, salads and quiche with a variety of specialty coffees, teas and smoothies. Various desserts.

RENDEZVOUS RESTAURANT AND BAR Maggie Valley Inn and Conference Center 828.926.0201 Bar open Monday thru Saturday; dining room open Tuesday thru Saturday at 5 p.m. Full service restaurant serving steaks, prime rib, seafood and dinner specials. Live music Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

JUKEBOX JUNCTION U.S. 276 and N.C. 110 intersection, Bethel.

828.648.4193. 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Serving breakfast, lunch, nd dinner. The restaurant has a 1950s & 60s theme decorated with memorabilia from that era.

NEWFOUND LODGE RESTAURANT 1303 Tsali Blvd, Cherokee (Located on 441 North at entrance to GSMNP).

828.497.4590. Open 7 a.m. daily.

Established in 1946 and serving breakfast, lunch and dinner seven days a week. Family style dining for adults and children.

MAD BATTER BAKERY & CAFÉ Located on the WCU Campus in Cullowhee.

828.293.3096. Open Monday-Thursday 7:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., Friday 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday and Sunday 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Earth-friendly foods at people-friendly prices.

Daily specials, wraps, salads, pastries, breads, soups and more. Unique fare, friendly service, casual atmosphere and wireless Internet. Organic ingredients, local produce, gourmet fair trade and organic coffees.

OLD STONE INN 109 Dolan Road, off Love Lane.

828.456.3333. Classic fireside dining in an historic mountain lodge with cozy, intimate bar. Dinner served nightly except Sunday from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Signature dinner choices include our 8oz. filet of beef in a brandied peppercorn sauce and a garlic and herb crusted lamb rack. Carefully selected fine wines and beers plus full bar available. Open year round. Call for reservations.

MAGGIE VALLEY CLUB 1819 Country Club Dr., Maggie Valley.

828.926.1616. maggievalleyclub.com/dine.

Open daily for lunch and dinner. Fine and casual fireside dining in welcoming atmosphere. Full bar. Reservations accepted.

PASQUALE’S 1863 South Main Street, Waynesville. Off exit 98, 828.454.5002. Opend for lunch and dinner seven days a week. Classic Italian dishes, exceptional steaks and seafood (available in full and lighter sizes), thin crust pizza, homemade soups, salads hand tossed at your table. Fine wine and beer selection. Casual atmosphere, dine indoor, outside on the patio or at the bar. Reservations appreciated.

MILL & MAIN 462 W. Main St., Sylva. 828.586.6799.

Serving lunch and dinner. 11:30 a.m.-9 p.m.

Tuesday-Saturday. Noon to 4 p.m. Sunday.

Pizza, pasta, outstanding homemade desserts, plus full lunch and dinner menus.

All ABC permits. Take-out menus available.

MOONSHINE GRILL 2550 Soco Road, Maggie Valley loacted in the Smoky Falls Lodge. 828.926.7440.

Open Wednesday through Saturday, 4:30 to 9 p.m. Cooking up mouth-watering, woodfired Angus steaks, prime rib and scrumptious fresh seafood dishes. The wood-fired grill gives amazing flavor to every meal that comes off of it. Enjoy creative dishes made using moonshine. Stop by and simmer for a

Open Only For Sunday Brunch

PATIO BISTRO 30 Church Street, Waynesville.

828.454.0070. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Breakfast bagels and sandwiches, gourmet coffee, deli sandwiches for

SPEEDY’S PIZZA 285 Main Street, Sylva. 828.586.3800.

Open seven days a week. Monday-Friday 11 a.m.-10 p.m., Saturday 3 p.m.-11 p.m., Sunday 4 p.m.-10 p.m. Family-owned for 30 years. Serving hand-tossed pizza made to order, pasta, subs, gourmet salads, calzones and seafood. Also serving excellent prime rib on Thursdays. Dine in or take out available.

Located across from the Fire Station.

TAP ROOM SPORTS BAR & GRILL 176 Country Club Dr. Waynesville 828.456.5988. 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week. Enjoy soups, sandwiches, salads and hearty appetizers along with a full bar menu in our casual, smoke-free neighborhood grill.

THE TIKI HOUSE SEAFOOD & OYSTER BAR 2723 Soco Road, Maggie Valley.

828.944.0445. Fresh seafood made to order. Oysters raw, steamed, or fried. Handcut steaks. Live music, cocktails, pet-friendly patio dining with a nice fountain. Friday patio music starts at 7 p.m. and Saturday night after dinner. Live bands and a dance floor.

THE WINE BAR 20 Church Street, downtown Waynesville.

828.452.6000. Underground cellar for wine and beer, served by the glass all day. Cheese and tapas served Wednesday through Saturday 4 p.m.-9 p.m. or later. info@classicwineseller.com. Also on facebook and twitter.

For palatable results!

January 3rd Winter Hours: Tues.- Fri. 11a-9p & Sat. Noon-9p

628 E. Main Street • Sylva 828.586.1717 • soulinfusion.com

Hand-cut, All Natural Steaks Fresh Fish • Salads & Nightly Specials

BEER DINNER JANUARY 23rd With

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WYATT EASTERLING

and Private Parties

In January

Smoky Mountain News

Sunday Brunch 11-12

PASQUALINO’S ITALIAN RESTAURANT 25 Everett Street, Bryson City.

828.488.9555. Open for lunch and dinner everyday 11:30 a.m.-late. A taste of Italy in beautiful Bryson City. Exceptional pasta, pizza, homemade soups, salads. Fine wine, mixed drinks and beer selection. Casual atmosphere, reservations appreciated.

SOUL INFUSION TEA HOUSE & BISTRO 628 E. Main St. (between Sylva Tire & UPS).

828.586.1717. Tuesday-Friday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Saturday noon -until. Scrumptious, natural, fresh soups, salads, sandwiches, wraps and desserts. 60+ teas served hot or cold, black, chai, herbal. Seasonal and rotating draft beers, good selection of wine. HomeGrown Music Network Venue with live music most weekends. Pet friendly and kid ready.

Join us as we re-open

January 2-8, 2013

while and soak up the atmosphere. The best kept secret in Maggie Valley. themoonshinegrill.com

72245

Call For Reservations

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Smoky Mountain News

If you build it,

they will come (and play) Below: Nate Mack (left) and Tim Brown (right) are co-owners of T and N Guitar Repair in Waynesville. They specialize in building handmade guitars and also servicing them. Tim Brown (above) works on one of his latest guitar projects. Garret K. Woodward photos

BY GARRET K. WOODWARD STAFF WRITER ulling into a row of unimposing metal garage-sized storage units on Frazier Street in Waynesville, the sound of buzzing is heard.

You think maybe the truck heater is finally kicking on and combating the cold December morning, or it’s the usual hustle and bustle of traffic on the highway bypass. Yet, the source of the noise seems to be echoing from a slightly cracked garage bay at the end of the row.

Stepping inside, it’s an electric handsaw headlong into a guitar-building project.

The noise stops and two sets of footsteps emerge from the back. It’s Tim Brown and Nate Mack, co-owners of T and N Guitar Repair.

Opening the establishment this past June, the duo felt there was not only a need for local guitar repairs, but also for quality handmade instruments from the musical hands of Western North Carolina.

“We just want people to come in and see where their guitars are being worked on,” Mack said. “It’s like a mechanic; you don’t just drop off your car for someone to take it to someone else; you like to talk to the people doing the work and see what’s going on.”

Not only friends and business partners, Brown is actually Mack’s stepfather. The two held a mutual love for music and each had interest in building their own guitars. They had kicked around the idea, but it wasn’t until Brown, who was a bridge builder, couldn’t find any work that push came to shove. He began seeking out lutherie institutions, where one learned to build and repair guitars from the ground up.

“I had a little money set aside and started looking around at schools,” Brown said. “I always wanted to do that, so I decided I was going to do something I wanted to do, and not had to do, to make money.”

After they both attended and graduated from the Atlanta Guitar Works School of Building and Repair, the search for a business location began. On a chance encounter at Headwaters

P

“There are rules in building to keep it a playing instrument, but in terms of design, wood and creativity, there are no rules and that’s what I love about it.”

— Nate Mack, co-owner of T and N Guitar Repair

Brewing in Waynesville — housed in the same set of metal garage buildings — Brown began talking to the brewery owner Kevin Sandefur about the empty unit next door to the brewery.

“At the time, Nate and I were just working out of our houses, with our tools scattered everywhere,” Brown said. “Kevin told us about these units, how reasonable the rent was and that one was open right next door.”

With their dreams starting to come to fruition, the space is moving along, finding its identity as a source of reliability and creative ingenuity amid the backdrop of Southern Appalachia.

“There are rules in building to keep it a playing instrument, but in terms of design, wood and creativity, there are no rules, and that’s what I love about it,” Mack said.

Utilizing an array of wood products, ranging from hickory to oak, the intent is to provide a product of world-class quality from local hands.

“There are so many musicians around here, and the climate in the mountains is so destructive to the instruments,” Mack said. “Virtually no wood for them comes from around here, so by using wood from this area, it’ll stay in the condition it’s in, and it’ll play well for a long time.”

“Our main focus is a homegrown guitar,” Brown added. “The aim is to not use all these fancy imported woods to make a great sounding, beautiful guitar.”

Taking their talents to the road at the Outer Banks Bluegrass Festival this summer, attendees were immediately attracted to the booth full of musical goodies provided by T and N. “People were all in there and enjoying it but were afraid of touching the guitars,” Brown chuckled. “We told them to take them down and play them, they want to be played.”

The boundaries are seemingly endless for what one might come up with. The hope for Brown and Mack is that consumers and those curious will find their way to Waynesville for an item made in their backyard and not a factory across the country or around the globe. They also make custom guitars.

“No matter how crazy an idea you may have, odds are we’ll be able to build it,” Mack said. “Just being able to meet the person who built your guitar is great, and we want to offer that.”

Though they uphold the value of their instruments, T and N will continuously put forth a conscious effort to keep prices affordable for musicians.

“We’re not trying to get rich and buy a yacht here. We’re trying to keep the interest in music going,” Mack said.

And with offering repair services for any model of guitar, it never ceases to amaze the duo at what comes into the shop, like the recent repair of a 1930s ukulele that was broken and in dire need of reconstruction, which was a worthwhile option considering the rarity of the item.

“You know, a person could drive a junky car, but then they have a Martin guitar sitting right at home,” Brown laughed.

Wandering through the shop, freshly made acoustic and electric guitars hang like trophies along the tables, eager for a hand to reach out, plug in and let each note float through the air.

“I love playing; it’s very therapeutic,” Brown said. “No matter what troubles there are in the world or in your life, you pick up a guitar and everything else just goes away.”

Nationally acclaimed Western North Carolina bluegrass group Balsam Range will continue their winter concert series at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 5, at The Colonial Theatre in Canton.

They will be joined by bassist/vocalist John Driskell Hopkins from the legendary Zac Brown Band. Besides being part of the massive country hits with Brown, Hopkins will using the event in Canton as a celebration of his solo release, Daylight, where he is backed by

Balsam Range in an album full of personal and heartfelt melodies. The record also includes appearances by Zac Brown, Jerry Douglas, Joey and Rory, Tony Trischka, and Levi Lowrey.

The winter concert series at The Colonial Theatre continues on Feb. 2 with Balsam Range welcoming Missy Raines and The New Hip. Tickets are $15 per person.

828.235.2760 or www.cantonnc.com or www.johndriskellhokins.com.

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‘Fire & Ice’ exhibit comes to Gallery 86 An exhibition “Fire & Ice: Pottery, Glass, and Metalwork” will make its debut at the Haywood County Arts Council’s Gallery 86 in downtown Waynesville on Wednesday, Jan. 16, and stay up through Saturday, Feb. 9.

The exhibit celebrates the heating and cooling process involved in the making of pottery, glass and metal work. An artist’s reception will take place from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Friday, Jan. 25.

View, ponder films at Waynesville library A new movie discussion group will get together at the Haywood County library in Waynesville the second Tuesday of every month from 2 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. starting in January.

Movie fans will enjoy a film, popcorn and interesting conversation. A question guide will be available one week prior to the meeting.

The line-up of films includes “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel” (January), “Intouchables” (February), “Cloud Atlas” (March), “Life of Pi” (April) and “Lincoln” (May).

828.356.2507 or kolsen@haywoodnc.net.

Explore your creative side this winter with art and photography classes A line-up of art classes will begin in January, offered through the Inspired Art Ministry at the First Baptist Church in Waynesville.

• Drawing classes for adult beginners through advanced will go from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Monday, Jan. 14 and meet weekly for six weeks. Tuition is $55.

• Painting classes for adult beginners through advanced will go from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Tuesday, Jan. 15 and meet weekly for six weeks. Students work in acrylic, oil, watercolor, colored pencil and/or oil pastel. Tuition is $55. Both adult classes will be taught by Char Avrunin who is a nationally collected painter.

• “Taking Control of Your Digital Photography – From Camera to Computer” will be taught by master photographer Ed Kelley. Two classes are offered from 1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m., both beginning Tuesday, Jan. 22, meeting weekly with four classroom sessions and one on-location outing. Tuition is $145.

• Art classes for children ages 5 to 14 will be held from 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 22, and meet weekly for five weeks. Tuition is $75 and includes materials. Professional artist Scottie Harris will be the children’s teacher.

828.456.9197 or charspaintings@msn.com or www.iam.webs.com.

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Cartoonist and illustrator James Lyle will do a presentation and demonstration on comic books and graphic novels for the Art League of the Smokies at 6:15 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 3, at the Swain County Center for the Arts in Bryson City.

Lyle will talk about his 30-year career as a freelance artist and illustrator, the craft and grammar of comics and brainstorm with the group to create the superhero he’ll sketch in the demonstration. Better known as “Doodle,” Lyle is a native of Western North Carolina and grew up in the Waynesville area. He has been published by such companies as Acclaim Comics, Caliber Comics, Now Comics and Zenescope Entertainment. Lyle has served as the Vice-Chairman of

A basic cake decorating class will be offered every Monday from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Jan. 28 through March 4, at the Southwestern Community College campus in Franklin.

The basic cake decorating class is designed to teach the fundamentals of cake decorating, step by step. Students will learn how to use cake decorating tools, cake preparation and basic decorating techniques. Attendees will also be able to take the cake home.

The class is $35 per person and will take place in Room 102 of the Macon Annex. www.southwesterncc.edu.

Artist’s featured in the show include Brad Dodson (pottery), John Nickerson (pottery), Bob Brotherton (pottery), Cathey Bolton (pottery), Terance Painter (pottery), Grace Cathey (metal work), Teresa Sizemore (metal work), Susan Hutchinson (metal work), Dianne Lee (glass), William and Katherine Bernstein (glass), Fitzallen Eldridge (glass), Aaron Shufelt (glass), Judy McManus (glass) and Tadashi Torii (glass).

Gallery hours are Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Free. www.haywoodarts.org or www.facebook.com/haywoodarts.

arts & entertainment

Balsam Range series welcomes member of Zac Brown Band

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arts & entertainment

As the Crowe flies: Chris Robinson Brotherhood rated among top shows of the year EDITOR’S NOTE: Arts and Entertainment writer Garret K. Woodward has been reveling in the WNC music scene since moving to Waynesville last year to join The Smoky Mountain News’ team. Reflecting on the myriad shows he’s caught since landing in the region, he takes us on a trip down memory lane to relive one of his favorites from the year.

January 2-8, 2013

BY GARRET K. WOODWARD STAFF WRITER Chris Robinson is a freak‚ a damn musical freak.

Finally wrangling everything into the studio with his freewheelin’ solo project‚ Robinson has already released two albums this year (Big Moon Ritual and The Magic Door)‚ both of which could be considered cornerstone records for any group. But‚ with manic ambition‚ the leader of The Black Crowes pushes forward in his own endeavors‚ setting out onto the road for a yearlong odyssey of dive bars‚ off-the-beaten path clubs and prestigious theaters.

Bursting into The Orange Peel on Sept.

30 with guitars a-blazin’‚ Robinson and his

six-string ace Neal Casal (who rips apart his instrument with such meticulous precision) leave you standing there‚ wondering why the hell you haven’t boarded this fast-moving locomotive before? You find yourself drinking an intoxicating potion of what psychedelic rock has been lagging in recent years‚ which is something melodic to chew on as a listener‚ but not choke on.

The Brotherhood takes a more scenic route than one might expect‚ where, instead of three-minute cut-and-dry rock selections‚ there are elongated ballads and progressive rock melodies‚ where stretching into double digit minutes isn’t uncommon. There’s a healthy mix of late 1970s Grateful Dead-inspired numbers‚ but also a few other ingredients along the lines of Yes‚ Neil Young and The Band. Yet‚ with all these ensembles whispering in his ear‚ Robinson doesn’t once come across as a carbon copy of his idols‚ rather an ideal

Lead singer for The Black Crowes, Chris Robinson (pictured) brought his renowned solo project to The Orange Peel in Asheville last September.

Photo by Neal Casal, lead guitarist for the Brotherhood

bridge from one generation into the next.

These California kids aren’t playing “Grateful Dead house‚� they’re taking the bricks and mortar of influence and imagination and constructing their own temple of worship to the cosmic heavens above.

Eventually, the Crowes passed up dueling guitar solos for a more organic and bountiful tone; it was that inspiration that fueled Robinson‚ sending him spiraling into orbit‚ tapping the shoulders of any musician who’d sit and jam.

Slinking along through the Asheville performance‚ the band hit their stride during “Star or Stone‚� a magical creation ooz-

ing lyrics of longing thrown against a wall of steady guitar mastery that builds upon each word. Your feet begin to scream up to your brain to get moving‚ get dancing and‚ most of all‚ get it together because surely life is too short and beautiful to stand by yourself against the quiet walls of society.

CRB not only keeps one at bay until the Crowes hit the road again‚ they actually take the express lane and zoom further into territory we’ve all been waiting for the Crowes to venture toward. If this is any sort of directional marker for what’s the come‚ I look forward to wandering into whatever thick forest of sonic exploration they point to.

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Novel explores the woes of rich white trash

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characters of Mayella and Robert Ewell.

In our current age of euphemism and goose-stepping political correctness, “poor white trash” is now verboten. Today we might calls these folks “economicallydeprived Caucasoid detritus.” Given our current political climate, however, I am reasonably certain that only a few would object to the term “rich white trash.”

And it is this “rich white trash” who make up the bulk of the characters in May We Be Forgiven. Harold Silver, nominally Jewish, a fan and would-be biographer of Richard Nixon, is at the center of the events described above.

After George Silver goes mad and commits his acts of mayhem and murder, Harold finds himself caring for May We Be Forgiven by A.M. Homes. Viking Adult, 2012. 496 pages his brother’s children Ashley and ed schools with head lice and beat the tar out Nate. Nate, a saintly boy on the cusp of his of anyone who looked at them cross-eyed. In bar mitzvah, is wiser than any adult in the the film version of To Kill A Mockingbird, novel; Ashley is a 10-year-old who writes Hollywood gave us white trash walking in the school essays on soap operas and finds com-

GREEN LIVING

Jeff Minick

Let me take a deep breath and see if I can get this out in one long ugly sentence: A man has some sort of mental fugue while driving, slams into a another car, and kills two people; his married brother moves into the man’s house while the man is in prison and a mental evaluation unit; the brother sleeps with the man’s wife; the man sneaks out of the institution, returns home, finds his brother in bed with said wife, and bashes in the wife’s head with a table lamp; the authorities send the man away for treatment which includes living in a wilderness prison where he befriends an Israeli terrorist; the brother, whose wife kicks him out of the house, moves into the man’s house and assumes responsibility for his Writer nephew, a 12-year-old who has a village in Africa named after him for work he did there when he was 10, and for his niece, a 10-yearold who is in a sexual relationship with a female teacher in the private school she attends, a relationship which ends when the brother takes some money to keep the affair quiet rather than reporting it to the authorities; the brother himself engages in internet sex, sleeps with a homemaker whose husband knows everything and then with a much younger woman who later abandons her aged parents to the brother’s care; the brother suffers a stroke, but continues to engage in sex.

There’s more but that should give you the gist of A.M. Homes’ May We Be Forgiven ((978-0-670-02548-0, $27.95).

Fifty years ago, Southerners used to bandy about the expression “poor white trash.”

Popular culture depicted these beleaguered souls as toothless, wormy people who lived at the end of a dirt road, kept a 1940s tire-less Ford on blocks on a scruffy front lawn, infect-

fort in the arms of a teacher after her mother is murdered. The childless Harold even takes into his care the boy whose mother George Silver kills in the car crash. The young woman with whom Harold has an affair eventually runs away, leaving Harold as the primary caregiver for her two aged, senile parents. Add a few pets, and by novel’s end Harold is a oneman branch of social services.

Harold engages in other endeavors as well.

He talks with Julie Eisenhower about her father, Richard Nixon, and uncovers a trove of short stories written by the disgraced president. He loses his job at a university, which apparently consists of teaching a single course on Nixon. He has few financial worries, however, as the imprisoned George, a newscaster, has left the family awash in money, and Harold himself gets a wad of bucks from the school to hush up the teacher’s antics. He takes the children on various trips, including one to Nateville in Africa, where Nate wishes to have his bar mitzvah.

Though May We Be Forgiven has a good bit of dark humor, it is in her description of this African trip that Homes turns unintentionally humorous. Here the people are poor but happy: Nate and Ashley are greeted with celebrations as white bwanas, and a wise old medicine man — that’s a euphemism for witch doctor — cures Harold of his “inner sickness” through a series of purgative teas.

The stereotypes depicted here — poor people happy, rich people sad; black people wise, white people foolish — will doubtless strike some readers as true, but for this reviewer, they became moments of high humor.

May We Be Forgiven is well-written, and many other critics have lauded it as a story of second chances. I decided to take it as a warning. Nearly all the characters in May We Be Forgiven belong to the Northeast elite who run much of this country. If these portraits are accurate, we are in even bigger trouble than we can imagine in this country. The lunatics truly are in charge of the asylum.

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Outdoors

Smoky Mountain News

Restored Lodge offers retreats, rustic getaway in the Nantahala National Forest estled deep in the mountains between Sylva and Cashiers, the scenic U.S. Forest Service Balsam Lodge is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year with a makeover. Throughout the summer and fall, portions of the lodge were restored by student carpentry and facilities maintenance crews from the Oconaluftee Job Corps Civilian Conservation Center, a job training center for at-risk teens located in the nearby Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Thom Saylors, recreation staff officer with the Nantahala National Forest, was excited to see the project come to life.

“There are lots of things that need rehabilitation or upgrades every year across the forest,” Saylors said. “Balsam Lodge sees lots of visitors every year so it is great to see the work being done to make it better.”

Students spent more than 260 hours doing everything from installing hundreds of new decking pickets to extensive painting and pressure washing the patios. The joint project, between the Forest Service and the Job Corps, allows students to learn skills in a work environment while assisting the government with labor.

Learning those skills can be challenging with an older structure like the lodge.

“Rehabilitation projects of older buildings always present their own challenges because you have use analytical skills to meld old and new components together for a cohesive look and functionality,” said Aleta Haynes, Oconaluftee’s facilities maintenance instructor.

Student Leroy Payne-Drake agreed.

“We had to be extra careful to protect existing stonework and concrete from paint and other damage,” he said.

Students also learned how to repair surfaces for proper paint finishing, material storage safety, use of portable power tools

N

HBI Facilities Maintenance student Leroy Payne-Drake paints a replaced picket on the deck railing. (above) HBI Carpentry student Ryan Sullivan carefully measures the cut on a picket.

Forests and water could be doomed in 2060 A comprehensive U.S. Forest Service report released last month examines how expanding populations, increased urbanization, and changing land-use patterns could impact natural resources, including water supplies, nationwide during the next 50 years.

The study shows the potential for significant loss of privatelyowned forests to development and fragmentation, which could affect clean water, wildlife habitat, forest products and more.

“We should all be concerned by the projected decline in our nation’s forests and the corresponding loss of the many critical services they provide such as clean drinking water, wildlife habitat, carbon sequestration, wood products and outdoor recreation,” said Agriculture Under Secretary Harris Sherman.

U.S Forest Service scientists and partners at universities, non-

profits and other agencies found urban and developed land areas in the U.S. will increase 41 percent by 2060. Forested areas will be most impacted by this growth, with losses ranging from 16 to 34 million acres in the lower 48 states.

Forest areas and tree canopy cover will decline as a result of development, particularly in the South, where population is projected to grow the most.

The study also examines the effect of climate change on forests. Over the long-term, climate change could have significant effects on water availability, making the U.S. more vulnerable to water shortages.

The assessment’s projections are based on scenarios of U.S. population and economic growth, global population and economic growth, global wood energy consumption and U.S. land use change from 2010 to 2060.

Using those scenarios, the report forecasts the following trends: ■ Biodiversity may continue to erode because the future loss of

What is Balsam Lake Lodge?

Balsam Lake Lodge is located in the Tuckasegee area of Jackson County within the Nantahala National Forest. The lodge overlooks the eight-acre Balsam Lake and offers spectacular mountain views.

Groups and families have rented the lodge for meetings, recreation and environmental activities.

A dense forest of mixed deciduous and conifer trees hug the shoreline of the tranquil Balsam lake. There are three short hiking trails, several fishing piers and a picnic area.

Anglers can fish for trout in Balsam Lake. It’s also open to non-motorized boating.

The lodge has 16 twin beds (some bunks) complete with linens and pillows, a kitchen with all utensils and appliances, outside grills, three bathrooms with flush toilets, one roll-in wheelchair shower, firewood, fireplace, gas heat and electricity.

The lodge is $170 a night between Sunday and Thursday $170 and $200 per night on Friday and Saturday. Minimum stay of two nights on weekends.

To reserve the lodge, call 877.444.6777 or go to www.recreation.gov.

and how to work in a seven-person crew.

Employability skills like following directions, transitioning from task to task and working to identify and correct mistakes are also a huge part of work projects out in the field.

“Our mission is to provide career training and assist in the conservation national public resources — this project accomplishes both,” Oconaluftee’s Liaison Specialist Holly Krake said. “By working with the great staff of the Nantahala Ranger District, our students are able to gain both the hard and soft skills that will carry them throughout their career.”

The Oconaluftee Job Corps is associated with the National Forests of North Carolina and serves 104 students. www.oconaluftee.jobcorps.gov or jobcorpsnews.org/Oconaluftee

forestland will impact the variety of forest species.

■ Recreation use is expected to trend upward, putting pressure on public lands by outdoor recreationists.

■ Projected land use changes are expected to reduce the variety of forest bird species.

■ Some commercially and recreationally important fish populations are in decline.

■ Climate change will increase future water demands and the vulnerability of the U.S. water supply will increase.

■ Climate change will alter natural ecosystems and impact species.

■ Land development will continue to threaten the integrity of natural ecosystems.

■ Regional and local strategies to address resource management issues will be needed to address the root cause of the changes and develop a response.

To view the whole report, go to www.fs.fed.us/research/publications/gtr/gtr_wo87.pdf.

FROG LEVEL AUCTIONS A Hopping Good Time 255 Depot Street - Waynesville Starting January 4th, 2013 Friday Nights at 6pm Preview at 5pm January 3rd Pre Registration & Preview 11am 8pm

BY DON H ENDERSHOT

Friends, feathers and fellowship

Chimney Rock State Parkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new preschool nature program geared for children ages 2 to 5 is designed to give young children a better understanding of critters, plants and the great outdoors.

Offered from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. on the first Wednesday of every month through May, each of the different programs provides a unique learning experience.

The first class, in January, is called Skins, Skulls, Tracks and Traces followed by Critter Kingdoms in February and Animals and their Babies in March.

Advanced registration is required. www.chimneyrockpark.com or 828.625.9611.

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Smoky Mountain News

Chimney Rock to offer classes for the kids

Terms:

January 2-8, 2013

Friday, Dec. 28, was the date of the eleventh annual Balsam Christmas Bird Count (CBC) â&#x20AC;&#x201D; 11 dates but 10 actual counts as the 2009 CBC was cancelled due to inclement weather. This yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s weather was much better for the Balsam count â&#x20AC;&#x201D; cloudy to overcast, breezy and cool but not too bad.

We wound up with 70 total species, which is about par for the Balsam circle. Two cool species, horned grebe and greater scaup, that were present on Lake Junaluska Thursday were MIA Friday. At least they will be recorded in the â&#x20AC;&#x153;count weekâ&#x20AC;? tally.

Because of my â&#x20AC;&#x153;dayâ&#x20AC;? job, which is at night, I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t catch up with counters till a little after noon when I joined the crew at Balsam Mountain Preserve (BMP). Balsam Mountain Trust (BMT) Head Naturalist, Blair Ogburn, who was a bit under the weather, managed to get the count started around 8 a.m. and then left it in the capable hands of Jeff Gottlieb, a naturalist from Whittier, and Kate Beavers, a biology senior at Western Carolina University and intern at BMT. When I arrived at the Preserve, Beavers was feeding the raptors at the nature center.

Waiting for her to finish proved pretty productive species-wise as we added hairy woodpecker, brown creeper and golden-crowned kinglet to our list. The rest of the afternoon was spent running the roads at Balsam Mountain trying to cover new ground and perhaps find new species. Pickings were slim, but we did add yellow-bellied sapsucker, eastern towhee and ruffed grouse. We tallied 22 species at BMP, which is about average, but two of those, hairy woodpecker and ruffed grouse, were the only ones for the count and that makes the effort worthwhile.

Rusty blackbird was a good find for the Balsam count. I think weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve had them once or twice previously. While there were no really rare species tallied for this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s count, compiler Bob Olthoff said that probably the most interesting records were the large numbers of Eurasian collared-doves (43) and purple finches (20Âą).

The success of the Balsam count is always guaranteed by the volunteers who stand ready to brave whatever Mother Nature blows their way and the generous landowners â&#x20AC;&#x201D; the town of Waynesville, Jim Francis and Glenn

Tolar, who allow us access to their property.

Sleep â&#x20AC;&#x201D; perchance to dream about another CBC â&#x20AC;&#x201D; then on to Franklin Saturday morning for the Franklin Bird Clubâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s inaugural CBC. Rumored bad weather postponed the start of the Franklin CBC to 9:30 a.m. I met Brent and Angela Faye Martin, Tom and Sue Ann Reisdorph and their 7-year-old granddaughter Abby at Frog Quarters, along the Little Tennessee River Greenway. We set out from there for a stretch of the greenway behind the Macon County Library.

The greenway proved quite productive. A red-tailed hawk, bluebirds, one downy and one pileated woodpecker greeted us as we exited our cars in the library parking lot. A short hike down to Cartoogechaye Creek and we were immersed in copious numbers of field, white-throated and song sparrows, with goldfinches, white-breasted nuthatches, chickadees and titmice thrown in for good measure. We added white-crowned to the sparrow list plus great blue heron, mallard and belted kingfisher along the greenway.

We were also blessed with raptors at our greenway stop. We had a total of two redtaileds, we got both accipiters (sharpshinned and Cooperâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s), plus turkey and black vultures, and the best bird of the weekend for me an adult male (gray ghost) northern harrier. The harrier, initially spotted by Angela Faye (as we were constantly reminded, the rest of the day) bounced out of the woods at the confluence of Cartoogechaye and the Little Tennessee River. It rose and banked in itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s buoyant way and glided away from us, giving us great looks at the gray plumage, large white rump patch and long, narrow wings.

Despite our productive day along the greenway, we added species immediately at Tessentee by getting great looks at four fox sparrows plus a couple of dark-eyed juncos minutes after exiting our cars. We also added both kinglets, morning dove, eastern phoebe, Canada goose and, believe it or not, another raptor â&#x20AC;&#x201D; an immature red-shouldered hawk.

The Franklin Bird Club enjoyed a strong show of support with more than 20 volunteers beating the bushes all day. And the count was quite successful, with 55 species tallied.

A great count and a great day ending with friends, feathers and fellowship.

(Don Hendershot is a writer and naturalist. He can be reached a ddihen1@bellsouth.net.)

outdoors

The Naturalistâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Corner

JAME Y JOHNSON S AT UR D AY, F E B R U A R Y 2 , 2 0 13

21

outdoors

Trophy game animals Observatory to host will be measured for night sky viewing program on the wintertime night sky bow-and-arrow records andAcelestial objects visible in Western

Scott Hotaling of Cullowhee won first place in the outdoor recreation category in the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission annual photography contest for this photo of a hiker on Hawksbill Mountain in the Linville Gorge area.

January 2-8, 2013

Contest captures state’s natural beauty The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission has announced the winners of the eighth annual Wildlife in North Carolina magazine outdoor photo competition. One of those winner was Scott Hotaling, who hails from Cullowhee. His picture of frozen field near Balsam to win first place in the wild landscapes category. Hotaling also won first place in the outdoor recreation category for a photo of a hiker. There were eight categories in total, plus two youth categories.

All winners will be published in the upcoming edition of Wildlife in North Carolina magazine. The photographs also will be exhibited at the N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences, along with special showings throughout the year at other museums and wildlife education centers across the state. www.ncwildlife.org.

Bears, raccoons, boar and deer will be parading through Headwaters Outfitters in Rosman on Saturday, Jan. 12. Not the actual animals, but the skulls and racks of trophies shot with a bow and arrow by local sportsmen.

The event will honor of the North Carolina Bowhunters’ Association’s regional measuring day, which allows archers an opportunity to have their trophies scored by a certified measurer.

David Stepp of Henderson County, an official measurer for the N.C. Bowhunters’ Association, will be examining and scoring game animals — including whitetail deer and black bear — for possible inclusion in Pope & Young’s record books. Other animals such as bobcat, groundhog, beaver and foxes will also be measured to see if they qualify for the Association’s records.

All sportsmen entering their trophies into the N.C. Bowhunters Association’s annual contest must affirm that their animal was killed following the group’s rules of fair chase. This means the animal must not have been killed while it was wallowing in water or deep snow, confined behind fences on a game farm, immobilized by bright light, shot from a motorized vehicle or other unethical practices. www.ncbowhunter.com or 828.553.0083.

North Carolina will be held at 7 p.m. Friday, Jan. 11, at the Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute. The evening’s activities will include a tour of the PARI campus and sky observations using PARI’s optical or radio telescopes.

The program is part of PARI’s monthly “Evening at PARI” series and will feature presentations by PARI astronomers.

“We plan to provide a practical guide to the wintertime night sky and solar system objects visible in Western North Carolina,” said PARI Education Director Christi Whitworth. “This program is designed for all ages and all knowledge levels — from astronomy newcomers up to those who have been observing all their lives.”

PARI is located in the Pisgah Forest 30 miles southwest of Asheville.

Evening at PARI programs cost $20 per adult, $15 for seniors and military and $10 for children under 14. www.pari.edu or 828.862.5554.

WNC photographers had a strong showing in this year’s North Carolina Mountains-to-Sea Trail photography competition.

One of the first-place winners was a picture taken by trail volunteer Danny Bernstein with the Carolina Mountain Club, which repairs sections of the trail in Haywood and Jackson counties. The photograph by Bernstein of a trail volunteer bent over a shovel helping maintain the trail — even caught the eye of Kate Dixon, executive director the Friends of the MST, which sponsored the contest. In fact, she said it was one her favorites photos.

“Each year hundreds of volunteers of all ages donate thousands of hours to turning this trail from a dream to reality,” she said. “There would be no trail without them.”

More than 120 photos were submitted in the separate categories of view, people on the trail, and youth.

Local food on the rise

achievements in 2012 and the preceding decade.

■ Sales of Appalachian Grown farm products topped $100 million.

■ 20,000 school children took farm field trips, cooked and enjoyed local food, and more through ASAP’s Growing Minds Farm to School Program.

Over the last decade: ■ The number of local farms selling direct to consumers has increased a whopping 855 percent, from 58 to 554.

■ The number of farmers tailgate markets has increased 184 percent, from 32 to 91.

■ The number of restaurants sourcing local food has grown 558 percent, from 19 to 125.

Last year was a promising year for local food production and farm education in WNC, according to the Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project. ASAP provided some year-end figures to paint a picture of different milestones and

CAROLINA DEVELOPMENT AND CONSTRUCTION

Smoky Mountain News

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Land Clearing Roads Hydroseeding Home Sites Retaining Walls

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Dumpster Service 22

Foundations Landscaping Septic Systems Road Maintenance Water Lines

Sand Mulch Crushed Stone

Lenny Bernstein with the Carolina Mountain Club trail crew that has been working to build missing links of the Mountains to Sea Trail in Haywood and Jackson counties.

Top Soil Landscape Boulders Fill Dirt Porta John Rental

OFFICE: 828-488-4112

WNC photographers win MTS photo contest

Danny Bernstein photo

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Brick Laying Concrete Slabs Patios Side Walks Curb and Gutter

Concrete Paving 20 to 60 year life span Lower maintenance No slip textures 40% less expensive than Asphalt paving over it’s lifespan

CELL: 828-736-1812

WNC Calendar BUSINESS & EDUCATION • Dulcimer U Winter Weekend, a conference for mountain dulcimer enthusiasts, Jan 3-6, Terrace Hotel at Lake Junaluska. Sponsored by Western Carolina University’s Office of Continuing and Professional Education. All classes, concerts, jam sessions, vendor areas and meals will take place inside the Terrace Hotel. Registration is $159 per person. To register, http://DulcimerU.wcu.edu or contact Bobby Hensley in the Office of Continuing and Professional Education at hensley@wcu.edu.

COMMUNITY EVENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS • Macon County Beekeepers Association, 7 p.m.

Thursday, Jan. 3, Cooperative Extension Office, 193 Thomas Heights Rd, Franklin. Panel discussion led by Bob Binnie and Jack Hanel, about planning for bees.

Public welcome. 524.5234.

• Chess match between Smoky Mountain Chess Club and Charlotte Chess Team, 10 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 5, Blue Ridge Books, 152 S. Main St Waynesville. 456.6000.

• North Carolina Bowhunters’ Association’s District 9 measuring day, Saturday, Jan. 12, Headwaters Outfitters, Rosman. David Stepp of Henderson County, an official measurer for the N.C. Bowhunters’ Association, will examine and score game animals for possible inclusion in Pope & Young’s record books. Other animals such as bobcat, groundhog, beaver and foxes can be measured to see if they qualify for N.C. Bowhunters Association records. www.ncbowhunter.com or 553.0083.

• Fourth annual Cold for a Cause noon, Friday, Jan. 18 through noon, Sunday, Jan. 20. To raise awareness of the needs in Macon County. Patrick Jenkins will spend 48 hours suspended in a crane above his Farm Bureau office, 1866 Highlands Road, Franklin. Patrick will collect coats, jackets, blankets, canned goods, non-perishable food items, personal hygiene products, paper goods, etc. to be donated to CareNet and distributed in Macon County. Franklin Young Professionals will be on hand to accept donations.

HEALTH MATTERS • Free Lunch and Learn session with orthopedic surgeon Lawrence Supik and Robin Pope, Ph.D., PA-C, noon to 1 p.m. Friday, Jan. 4, MedWest-Harris board room, second floor on the MedWest Harris campus, Sylva.

Advance reservations required. Lunch will be served.

631.8893 to reserve a spot.

• Flu shots, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, Home Care service building on the Haywood MedWest campus. No appointment necessary. The Home Care building is located directly behind MedWest-Haywood. $20. Home Care will accept traditional Medicare and will file the insurance for the beneficiary. Vaccines available for everyone over 18 years of age. 452.8292.

RECREATION & FITNESS • Free Zumba Classes, 10 a.m. Jan. 5, 8 and 10, Veterans Memorial Pavilion, Macon County Recreation Park, Franklin. Dress in layers, classes are outside.

Zumba is Latin based, cardio dance fitness workout designed for everyone. Linda Cherry, 342.7762

SENIOR ACTIVITIES • Pulmonary/Lung Club, 2 to 4 p.m. Jan. 2, Senior Resource Center of Haywood County, 81 Elmwood Way, Waynesville. People with COPD and other chronic lung/breathing illnesses are invited to meet monthly to discuss ways to improve breathing. 452.2370.

All phone numbers area code 828 unless otherwise noted.

• Memory Café, 1 to 3 p.m. Monday, Jan. 7, Senior Resource Center of Haywood County, 81 Elmwood Way, Waynesville. The Memory Café is a drop-in coffee room with coffee, fruit, and cookies, which provides an informal setting for those affected by memory problems.

First Monday of every month. 452.2370.

Smoky Mountain News

• Potpourri ECA, working on unfinished projects, 9:30 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 3, conference room, Community Service Center, Sylva.

• Kountry Krafters, coiled baskets, 7 p.m. Monday, Jan. 7, Tuckasegee Wesleyan Church, Tuckasegee.

• Lunch and Learn ECA, needle felting, noon, Thursday, Jan. 10 conference room, community service center, Sylva.

• Cane Creek ECA, Soup and Wrap It Up Program, 6 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 15.

• Diabetics Club, 1 to 3 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 8, Senior Resource Center of Haywood County, 81 Elmwood Way, Waynesville. Meet with other seniors to share tips, recipes, guest speakers and more. First Tuesday of every month, except for January’s meeting, which will meet the second Tuesday of the month. 452.2370.

• Sew Easy Girls ECA, VA projects, 1 p.m. Monday, Jan. 21.

• Heart/Cardiac Club, 2 to 4 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 9, Senior Resource Center of Haywood County, 81 Elmwood Way, Waynesville. Guest speakers, wellness tips and sharing with each other about heart illness. Every second Wednesday of the month. 452.2370.

Dems

ECA EVENTS • Extension and Community Association (ECA) groups meet throughout the county at various locations and times each month. NC Cooperative Extension Office, 586.4009. New members welcome any time.

POLITICAL GROUP EVENTS & LOCAL GOVERNMENT • Young Democrats of Jackson County will meet at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 8, at the Jackson County Democratic Headquarters, 500 Mill St., Sylva. We will be electing officers and setting an agenda for the year.

SUPPORT GROUPS Haywood • Grief and Beyond, a grief support group, 4:30 to 6 p.m. Thursdays, room 210, Long’s Chapel UMC,

23

Visit www.smokymountainnews.com and click on Calendar for: ■ Complete listings of local music scene ■ Regional festivals ■ Art gallery events and openings ■ Complete listings of recreational offerings at regional health and fitness centers ■ Civic and social club gatherings Waynesville. Facilitated by Jan Peterson, M.S. 550.3638 or Long’s Chapel UMC, 456.3993, ext. 17, Tim McConnell.

• The Haywood County Aphasia Support Group, 1:30 to 2:30 p.m., second Monday of each month in the Haywood Regional Medical Center Fitness Center classrooms. 227.3834.

• Haywood County offers an HIV/AIDS Support Group, 4 p.m., first Tuesday of each month at the Health Department. Anonymity and confidentiality are strongly enforced. 476.0103 or haywoodhiv@yahoo.com.

• AA meetings, 7 p.m., Saturdays, Maggie Valley United Methodist Church, 4192 Soco Road. 926.8036.

• Al-Anon, a support group for families and friends of alcoholics, 8 p.m., Tuesdays, Grace Episcopal Church, 394 N. Haywood St. Use Miller St. entrance. 926.8721.

wnc calendar

• Alzheimer’s Association, 4:30 p.m., fourth Tuesday of each month, First United Methodist Church, Waynesville and 2:30 p.m., third Thursday of each month, Silver Bluff Care Center in Canton. 254.7363.

• Celebrate Recovery, 6 p.m. every Thursday, Long’s Chapel UMC, Waynesville. A Christ-centered 12-step recovery ministry open to all adults with hurts, habits, and hang-ups. Childcare available. 456.3993, ext. 32.

• Diabetes Support Group, second floor classroom, MedWest Health & Fitness Center, 4 p.m. on the second Monday of each month. 452.8092 • Grandchildren/Grandparents Rights of N.C., 7 p.m., first Thursday of each month, Canton Library.

648.5205.

• WNC Grief Support Group is for families who have lost a child. 7 p.m., third Thursday of each month, Clyde Town Hall. 565.0122 or e-mail hotstraitcountry@aol.com.

• WNC Lupus Support Group 7 p.m., first Tuesday of each month, Home Trust Bank in Clyde. 421.8428 or countrygirl351@bellsouth.net

Jackson • Harris Monthly Grief Support Group, 3 to 4 p.m. every third Tuesday of the month, Chaplain’s Conference Room, MedWest-Harris in Sylva. 586.7979.

• Al-Anon Family Group meets every Monday evening from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m., Sylva Methodist Church. A support group for family and friends whose lives are affected by someone else’s drinking.

• Breastfeeding support group, 9:30 to 11 a.m., first Monday of each month at the First United Methodist Church (park in back and use rear entrance) Sylva. smokeymtnmamas@yahoo.com or 506.1186.

Smoky Mountain News

January 2-8, 2013

• Al-Anon Meetings are held at 4 p.m. Tuesdays at Grace Community Church. The meetings bring hope for families and friends of alcoholics. 743.9814.

• Cashiers Cancer Care Group for cancer patients, survivors, spouses and caregivers offers support, encouragement, hope and understanding. 7 p.m., first Thursday of the month, Grace Community Church.

743.3158.

• Food Addicts In Recovery Anonymous, 7:30 p.m., Mondays, Harris Regional Hospital in the small dining room, Sylva. 226.8324 for more info.

• Jackson County Alcoholics Anonymous, 7:30 p.m., Mondays, Sylva First Presbyterian Church on Grindstaff Cove Road.

• Look Good, Feel Better is for women dealing with the appearance related side effects that occur with cancer treatments. A trained volunteer cosmetologist shares expertise in dealing with hair loss and skin change. 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Harris Regional Hospital. Sessions are offered bimonthly on the first Monday. RSVP required at 586.7801.

• WestCare Hospice Bereavement Support Group meets at 3:30 p.m. the third Tuesday of each month in the Chapel Conference Room at Harris Regional Hospital. 586.7410.

• Weight Watchers meets at 8:30 a.m. every Monday at Grace Christian Church in Cashiers. 226.1096.

Macon • Angel Medical Center Hospice offers three bereavement support groups for people who have lost loved ones. Two Women’s Support Groups both meet on the third Wednesday of each month at the Sunset Restaurant on Highway 28 at 11:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. A Men’s Support Group meets the first Monday of each month also at the same location at 11:30 a.m.

369.4417.

• Angel Medical Center offers a monthly Diabetes Support Group the last Monday of each month. The group meets in the Angel Medical Center dining room beginning at 4 p.m. Pre-registration is required by calling 369.4181.

24 • Anxiety, nervousness and/or panic disorders support

group meets at 7 p.m. on Fridays in the basement of Highlands United Methodist Church. 526.3433.

• Al-Anon meetings are held at noon every Thursday at the First Presbyterian Church at Fifth and Main in the community room in Highlands. All are welcome.

• Alzheimer’s Caregivers Support Group meets at 1:30 p.m. on the second Tuesday of each month at the Macon Co. Department on Aging. 369.5845.

• Angel Medical Center’s Diabetes Support Group meets at 6 p.m. the fourth Monday of each month in the Center’s dining room.

• Chronic Pain Support Group meets at 7 p.m. the fourth Monday of every month in the dining room of Angle Medical Center. 369.6717 or 369.2607.

• Circle of Life support group meets 10 a.m. to noon Fridays at Highlands-Cashiers Hospital. The group is for those who are dealing with any loss or grief.

526.1462.

• Suicide Survivors Support Group. Angel Hospice sponsors a monthly support group for those who have suffered a loss due to the suicide of a loved one. This meeting is open to everyone in our community and meets the fourth Wednesday of each month at 10:30 a.m. in the back room. 369.4417.

• TOPS (Take off Pounds Sensibly) support group meets 5:30 p.m. every Monday at Bethel Methodist Church. Weigh in begins at 4:30 p.m. 369.2508 or 369.5116.

• Weight Watchers meet each Tuesday at the Peggy Crosby Center in Highlands. Weigh in is at 5:30 p.m. with the meeting beginning at 6 p.m.

Swain • MedWest-Swain WNC Breast Cancer Support Group, 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., Tuesday, Jan. 8, private dining room next to the cafeteria at MedWest-Swain in Bryson City. Mary E. Mahon, RN, 631.8100.

• Man to Man Support Group for prostate cancer patients and survivors, 7 to 8 p.m., Monday, Jan. 14, Harris Medical Park conference room, 98 Doctors Dr., Sylva. Mary E. Mahon, RN, 631.8100.

• Women’s 12-Step Medicine Wheel Recovery Group meets Tuesdays at 5 p.m. at A-Na-Le-Ni-S-Gi in Cherokee.

• Circle of Parents, support group for any parent, meets at noon on Thursdays at the Swain Family Resource Center.

• Grief Support Group meets from 7 to 8 p.m. each Monday night at the Cherokee United Methodist Church on Soco Road. 497.4182.

A&E LITERARY (ADULTS) • Amy Allen discusses her book Summoning the Mountains: Pilgrimage into Forty, 3 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 5, at City Lights Bookstore. On the eve of her fortieth birthday she reaches for her personal goal of hiking the Appalachian Trail. 586.9499.

• E-reader drop-in workshops, 10 a.m. to noon Wednesday, Jan. 9 and Wednesday, Feb. 6, Macon County Public Library, Franklin. 524.3600.

• Book reading and photo presentation by new local author Ronald R. Cooper, 2 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 12, Blue Ridge Books, 152 S. Main St., Waynesville. Book is titled, It’s My Trail, Too: A Comanche Indian’s Journey on the Cherokee Trail of Tears. www.blueridgebooksnc.com or 456.6000.

• New book release, Appalachia Mountain Folklore, by Michael Rivers. Published by Schiffer Publishing. Book covers 16 counties and includes 40 spine-tingling stories. Visit the Hanging Tree in Cabarrus County,

Battle Mansion in Buncombe County, Green River Plantation in Rutherford County, and the House on the Hill in Jackson County, among others. Purchase at www.schifferbooks.com, your local bookseller, and numerous online retailers.

ON STAGE & IN CONCERT • Go, Granny, Go, featuring Barbara Bates Smith and her musical accompanist Jeff Sebens, 7:30 p.m.

Fridays and Saturday, Jan. 11-12 and 18-19, and 2 p.m. Sundays, Jan. 13 and 20, NC Stage, 15 Stage Lane, downtown Asheville. Ticket information, www.ncstage.org or call 239.0263. www.barbarabatessmith.com.

• Styx, 9 p.m. Friday, Jan. 18, at Harrah’s Cherokee Event Center, 777 Casino Drive Cherokee. www.ticketmaster.com.

• Season tickets on sale for “An Appalachian Evening” Concert Series at historic Stecoah Valley Cultural Arts Center. Performances for the 2013 season will be held at 7:30 p.m. Saturdays, June 29 through Aug. 31. General seating $120 adults, $40 students (K-12); season reserved seats are $50 rows A through E and $25 all others. www.StecoahValleyCenter.com or call 479.3364.

• Tickets are now on sale for a 60-minute radio show of Tarzan of the Apes, performed before a live audience at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 26, in the John W. Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center. $10. Proceeds to fund scholarships in participating academic departments. Advance tickets suggested and can be purchased at the box office, 227.2479 or online at bardoartscenter.wcu.edu. Don Connelly, 227.3851 or dconnelly@wcu.edu.

ART/GALLERY EVENTS & OPENINGS • Cartoonist and illustrator, James E. Lyle of Waynesville, will do a presentation and demonstration on Comic Books and Graphic Novels for Art League of the Smokies at 6:15 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 3, Swain County Center for the Arts, Bryson City. He’ll talk about his 30-year career as a freelance artist and illustrator. Lyle currently lives in Waynesville with his musician wife Karin, who is the daughter of the “Keebler Elf” artist, Ernie Guldbeck. www.jameslyle.net.

• The Jackson County Arts Council is accepting applications for art program grants for the fiscal year 2012-2013. Applications are due by Jan. 20, 2013 for review at the February Arts Council Board meeting.

Application is available online at www.JacksonCountyArts.org. Applications may be mailed to Jackson County Arts Council at 310 Keener St., Sylva, N.C. The grants will be distributed with availability of funding. Jackson County Arts Council, 507.9820 or Sylvia Smythe at 507.9531.

CLASSES, PROGRAMS & DEMONSTRATIONS • The Inspired Art Ministry, Inc., art classes for children and adults, starts Monday, Jan. 14, First Baptist Church, Waynesville. Photography classes with Ed Kelley, children’s art with Jo Kelley and adult drawing and painting with Char Avrunin. Char at 456.9197 or charspaintings@msn.com.

• North Carolina Glass 2012: In Celebration of 50 Years of Studio Glass in America, exhibit through Friday, Feb. 1, Fine Art Museum at Western Carolina University.

FILM & SCREEN • Free family film, 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 8, Marianna Black Library, Bryson City. Scottish princess Merida uses her archery skills to establish her independence, but when she accidentally angers the

ancient land’s three powerful lords and is granted a poorly conceived wish by a witch, she must go on a quest to repair the damage. 488.3030.

• Free movie, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, 2 to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 9 (second Tuesday of every month), Haywood County Public Library, Waynesville. Movie, popcorn and interesting conversation. Kathy, 356.2507.

• Free classic 1957 movie starring Marilyn Monroe and Laurence Olivier, 2 p.m. Friday, Jan. 11, Meeting room, Macon County Public Library, Franklin.

524.3600.

MUSIC JAMS • Dulcimer U Winter Weekend, a conference for mountain dulcimer enthusiasts, Jan 3-6, Terrace Hotel at Lake Junaluska. Sponsored by Western Carolina University’s Office of Continuing and Professional Education. All classes, concerts, jam sessions, vendor areas and meals will take place inside the Terrace Hotel. Registration is $159 per person. To register, http://DulcimerU.wcu.edu or contact Bobby Hensley in the Office of Continuing and Professional Education at hensley@wcu.edu.

Outdoors OUTINGS, HIKES & FIELDTRIPS • Nantahala Hiking Club, 3-mile easy hike 2 p.m.

Sunday, Jan. 6, Lake Chatuge bike-/hike trails on a small island at Jack Rabbit Mountain near Hayesville.

Meet at Westgate Plaza in Franklin. 55 miles round trip. Kay Coriell, 369.6820, reservations. Visitors welcome; no pets.

• Nantahala Hiking Club, Saturday, Jan. 12. Mike and Susan Kettles will lead a 6-mile moderate-to-strenuous hike on the Chattooga River Trail from Whiteside Cove to Iron Bridge. Meet at Cashiers Recreation Park at 10 a.m., drive 17-miles round trip. 743.1079, reservations. Visitors welcome, no pets.

• Nantahala Hiking Club, Saturday, Jan. 12. Don O’Neal will lead a strenuous 8.8-mile hike with elevation change of 2,100 feet from Fontana Dam Visitors Center on the Appalachian Trail to 4,000 feet, Mount Shuckstack. Meet at 8 a.m. at the Franklin Bi-Lo, drive 80 miles round trip. 586.5723, reservations.

Visitors welcome, no pets.

PROGRAMS & WORKSHOPS • Bike Maintenance Basics, 7 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 9, REI Asheville, 31 Schenck Parkway, Asheville. Free.

Register/Info at http://www.rei.com/event/38770/session/63366, 687.0918.

• Ski and Snowboard Lessons, register at the Recreation Center in Cullowhee. Lessons are 1:30 to 3 p.m. Jan. 13, 27 and Feb. 3, 10, and 24 at Cataloochee Ski Resort, Waynesville. Ages 8 and up.

Lift ticket valid from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. $170, includes lift, ski or snowboard rental and lesson; $135, includes lift and lesson; $85, season pass holder with your own equipment. 293.3053.

• WMI - Wilderness First Responder, Jan. 5-13, 2013 in Asheville. This nine-day comprehensive wilderness medical course is the national standard for outdoor trip leaders. Landmark Learning 293.5384 or main@landmarklearning.org.

• WMI Wilderness Emergency Medical Technician (WEMT) Jan. 7-Feb.1, 2013 in Asheville. This 30-day course provides certification in NC EMT-basic, National EMT- Basic and Wilderness EMT. Landmark Learning, 293.5384 or main@landmarklearning.org

PRIME REAL ESTATE

INSIDE

Advertise in The Smoky Mountain News

LEGAL NOTICES

MarketPlace information:

CLARK & LEATHERWOOD INC. Is seeking certified Minority Business Enterprises (MBE) to provide subcontract or material supplier’s quotes for the Waynesville ABC Store project. Bids are due in our offices located at 179 Industrial Park Drive, Waynesville, NC 28786 or by Fax 828.452.3411 on or before 5:00 PM January 14, 2013. Plans and specifications are available for review and use at: ftp://fs.clarkandleatherwood.com

The Smoky Mountain News Marketplace has a distribution of 16,000 every week to over 500 locations across in Haywood, Jackson, Macon, and Swain counties along with the Qualla Boundary and west Buncombe County. For a link to our MarketPlace Web site, which also contains a link to all of our MarketPlace display advertisers’ Web sites, visit www.smokymountainnews.com.

Rates: ■ Free — Residential yard sale ads, lost or found pet ads.

■ Free — Non-business items that sell for less than $150.

■ $12 — Classified ads that are 50 words or less; each additional line is $2.

■ $12 — If your ad is 10 words or less, it will be displayed with a larger type.

■ $3 — Border around ad and $5 — Picture with ad.

■ $35 — Non-business items, 25 words or less. 3 month or till sold.

■ $300 — Statewide classifieds run in 117 participating newspapers with 1.6 million circulation. Up to 25 words.

■ All classified ads must be pre-paid.

ARTS AND CRAFTS ALLISON CREEK Iron Works & Woodworking. Crafting custom metal & woodwork in rustic, country & lodge designs with reclaimed woods! Design & consultation, Barry Downs 828.524.5763, Franklin NC

Classified Advertising: Scott Collier, phone 828.452.4251; fax 828.452.3585 | classads@smokymountainnews.com

AUCTION FROG LEVEL AUCTIONS

WAYNESVILLE TIRE, COO

Serving Haywood, Jackson & Surrounding Counties

R

DI

SC OV ER E

ATR

PE

INC.

Offering:

MAJOR-BRAND TIRES FOR CARS, LIGHT & MEDIUM-DUTY TRUCKS, AND FARM TIRES.

Service truck available for on-site repairs LEE & PATTY ENSLEY, OWNERS STEVE WOODS, MANAGER

MON-FRI 7:30-5:30 • WAYNESVILLE PLAZA

456-5387

72127

We want to welcome & invite all of our past & future Auction friends to our new facility.

255 Depot St., Waynvesville, NC 28786.

Starting January 4th, 2013, Friday Nights at 6pm, Preview at 5pm, Booked Dealer Sale Antiques, Collectables, Tools, Furniture, House Wares, New & Old, This & That, Something for Everyone! See our Full Schedule with Photos, Info & Directions at: www.froglevelauctions.net For more information or To Book A Spot Call 828.775.9317 or email: david@froglevelauctions.net Terms: Cash or Credit/Debit Card Only, 13% Buyers Fee 3% Discount For Cash Auction Firm NCAFL 9537, David Roland NCAL 9133 & Kai Calabro NCAL 9127 $$$ WE WILL AUCTION $$$ Your Guns, Gold, Silver, Coins, Antiques, Estate or any Quality items for you. Reminisce Auction 828.369.6999.

AUCTION GREAT AUCTION Friday January 4th at 4:30 PM. Kicking off the new year with a Fantastic Auction!! Partial listing: Quality furniture, glassware, primitives, cast iron, antiques, collectables, used furniture, household, box lots, tools, golf carts, pocket knives & TONS MORE!! DON’T MISS IT!! View pics & details at: www.boatwrightauction.com Boatwright Auction, 34 Tarheel Trail, Franklin, NC 28734, 828.524.2499, Boatwright Auction NCAL Firm 9231

BUILDING MATERIALS HAYWOOD BUILDERS Garage Doors, New Installations Service & Repairs, 828.456.6051 100 Charles St. Waynesville Employee Owned.

CONSTRUCTION/ REMODELING DAVE’S CUSTOM HOMES OF WNC, INC Free Estimates & Competitive rates. References avail. upon request. Specializing in: Log Homes, remodeling, decks, new construction, repairs & additions.

Owner/Builder: Dave Donaldson.

Licensed/Insured. 828.631.0747 or 828.508.0316 SULLIVAN HARDWOOD FLOORS Installation- Finish - Refinish 828.399.1847.

ELECTRICAL BOOTH ELECTRIC Residential & Commercial service.

Up-front pricing, emergency service. 828.734.1179. NC License #24685-U.

CARS - DOMESTIC 2000 FORD MUSTANG GT Convertible. New custom paint, style bar, Mach I rims and lots of upgrades completed. Serious inquiries only. $10,000. Please call 828.226.7461.

DONATE YOUR CAR, Truck or Boat to Heritage for the Blind. Free 3 Day Vacation, Tax Deductible, Free Towing, All Paperwork Taken Care Of. 877.752.0496.

CARS - DOMESTIC TOP CASH FOR CARS, Call Now For An Instant Offer. Top Dollar Paid, Any Car/Truck, Any Condition. Running or Not. Free Pick-up/Tow. 1.800.761.9396 SAPA

AUTO PARTS DDI BUMPERS ETC. Quality on the Spot Repair & Painting. Don Hendershot 858.646.0871 cell 828.452.4569 Office.

EMPLOYMENT $1000 BONUS. (1st 30 Hired) Up to 47 cpm.

New Equipment. Need CDL Class A Driving Exp. 877.258.8782. www.ad-drivers.com AIRLINES ARE HIRING Train for hands on Aviation Maintenance Career. FAA approved program. Financial Aid if Qualified Housing available. CALL Aviation Institute of Maintenance.

1.866.724.5403.

SAPA CAROLINA DEVELOPMENT And Construction is a fast growing and expanding company in Western North Carolina and is seeking an office manager/sales representative. The job will consist of basic accounting, data entry, drafting letters and other documents, research, sales and customer service. Our company is very diverse in the products and services that we provide to WNC and attribute a lot of our success to that diversity so our employees have to be adaptive to new projects and tasks.

Our company consists of four main branches. Grading and Excavating, Trucking/hauling, ready mixed concrete/ aggregate materials, concrete paving/ concrete finishing.

This person needs to have a good work ethic and independent initiative. The entry level Pay Rate is $8.00 per hour, but the profit sharing in the company will be the real opportunity. This position is expected to evolve into a management position as the company continues to grow. To inquire about this opportunity call 828.736.1812.

R

WNC MarketPlace

EMPLOYMENT

EMPLOYMENT

EMPLOYMENT

AVERITT OFFERS A CAREER With room to grow. CDL-A Drivers and Recent Grads. Great Benefits, Weekly Hometime, Paid Training.

Apply Now! 888.362.8608. AVERITTcareers.com. Equal Opportunity Employer.

DRIVERS Class-A Flatbed. Home Every Weekend! Up to 37c/mi. Both ways. Full Benefits. Requires 1 year OTR Flatbed Experience. 800.572.5489 x227. SunBelt Transport, Jacksonville, FL.

DRIVER $0.01 increase per mile after 6 months and 12 months. Choose your hometime. $0.03 Quarterly Bonus. Requires 3 months recent experience. 800.414.9569. www.driveknight.com

DRIVERS Hiring Experienced/Inexperienced Tanker Drivers! Earn up to $0.51/Mile! New Fleet Volvo Tractors! 1 Year OTR Exp. Req. - Tanker Training Available. Call Today: 877.882.6537. www.OakleyTransport.com

DRIVER Tango Transport now hiring Regional OTR Team. Top Pay. Plenty of Miles. Great Home Time. Family Medical/Dental. 401k. Paid Vacations. Call 877.826.4605 or www.drivefortango.com

DRIVERS: CDL-A Star of the Road. Tuition reimbursement up to $5000. New Student Pay & Lease Program. Up to $5000 Sign On Bonus!

877.521.5775. www.usatruck.jobs

DRIVERS REGIONAL FLATBED Home Every Weekend, 40-45 CPM. Class A CDL Required. Flatbed Load Training Available. 1st Seat Sign On Bonus. 1.800.992.7863, ext. 158. www.mcelroytrucklines. com

MEDICAL CAREERS BEGIN HERE Train ONLINE for Allied Health and Medical Management. Job placement assistance. Computer available. Financial Aid if qualified.

SCHEV authorized. Call 1.877.206.7665 www.CenturaOnline.com SAPA

HEAD START CENTER DIRECTORHaywood County - Must have an AA in Early Childhood Education (BS preferred), Admin Level I or II, 2 yrs. of supervisory experience, good judgement/problem solving skills and have the ability to work with diverse populations. Employee will supervise the daily operation of 1 Center/ 8 staff. Flexible work schedule, hours of operation 7:30 5:30pm. This is a full time 10 month position with benefits that includes health, dental and vision insurance, 13 paid holidays, retirement, short term/ long term disability and life insurance.

Applications will be taken at Mountain Projects, Inc., 2251 Old Balsam Rd., Waynesville, NC 28786 or 25 Schulman St., Sylva, NC 28779. Pre-employment drug testing required.

GYPSUM EXPRESS Opening terminal in Georgetown, SC. Class A CDL Flatbed Drivers.

Road & Regional Positions. Melissa, 866.317.6556 x6

EMPLOYMENT

EMPLOYMENT

EMPLOYMENT

TRUCK DRIVERS WANTED Best Pay and Home Time! Apply Online Today over 750 Companies!

One Application, Hundreds of Offers! www.HammerLaneJobs.com.

SAPA

SUBSTANCE ABUSE PREVENTION Coordinator - This position requires a BS degree from an accredited school of social work, counseling or clinical psychology. This position will also require administrative experience, certified as a Certified Substance Abuse Prevention consultant (CSPAC) by the North Carolina Substance Abuse Professional Certification Board, or someone who is in the provisional status for the CSPAC. Experience in mental health or substance abuse services are essential.

Local and out of area travel is required; must have a valid NC driver’s license. This is a full time position with benefits and the continuance is based on grant funding. Applications will be taken at Mountain Projects, Inc., 2251 Old Balsam Rd., Waynesville, NC 28786 or 25 Schulman St., Sylva, NC 28779.

Pre-employment drug testing is required.

EOE/AA.

DRIVER TANGO TRANSPORT Now hiring Regional OTR Team. Top Pay. Plenty of Miles. Great Home Time. Family Medical/Dental. 401k.

Paid Vacations. Call NOW 877.826.4605 or go to: www.drivefortango.com YOUR AD COULD REACH 1.6 MILLION HOMES ACROSS NC! Your classified ad could be reaching over 1.6 Million Homes across North Carolina! Place your ad with The Smoky Mountain News on the NC Statewide Classified Ad Network- 118 NC newspapers for a low cost of $330 for 25-word ad to appear in each paper! Additional words are $10 each. The whole state at your fingertips! It's a smart advertising buy! Call Scott Collier at 828.452.4251 or for more information visit the N.C. Press Association's website at www.ncpress.com

TANKER & FLATBED COMPANY. Drivers/Independent Contractors!

Immediate Placement Available.

Best opportunities in the Trucking Business. Call Today.

800.277.0212 or go to: www.primeinc.com NOW HIRING! National Companies need workers immediately to assemble products at home. Electronics, CD stands, hair barrettes & many more. Easy work, no selling, any hours. $500/week potential. Info 1.985.646.1700 DEPT NC - 4152 (Not valid in Louisiana) SAPA

FINANCIAL $$$ ACCESS LAWSUIT CASH NOW!!

Injury Lawsuit Dragging? Need $500-$500,000++ within 48/hours? Low rates. Apply Now By Phone! 1.800.568.8321. wwwlawcapital.com Not Valid in CO or NC. SAPA BEWARE OF LOAN FRAUD. Please check with the Better Business Bureau or Consumer Protection Agency before sending any money to any loan company.

72137

Puzzles can be found on page 29.

www.smokymountainnews.com

January 2-8, 2013

These are only the answers.

26

Great Smokies Storage 10’x20’

92

$

20’x20’

160

$

ONE MONTH

FREE WITH 12-MONTH CONTRACT

828.506.4112 or 828.507.8828 Conveniently located off 19/23 by Thad Woods Auction

Pet Adoption male Miniature Pinscher mix. He weighs only 13 lbs. and would be a good lap dog. He is neutered and up-to-date with all vaccines. He is housebroken and paper trained. He gets along well with people and other dogs.

He also knows how to use a dog door. Call foster home at 828.226.4783.

FUDGE - A five year old, brown, male Dachshund mix. He is a very cute little guy who gets along with everyone. He weighs 16 pounds. He is neutered and up-to-date on all vaccines. He is house-broken and paper trained.

He knows how to use a doggie door. 828.226.4783.

ANNABELLE - A young, adult, spayed American Exkimo mix.

She is housebroken, leash and crate trained. She is high energy, but affectionate, good with other dogs, but with her energy, probably would not be good with older adults or very young children. She would be a wonderful dog for someone with an active lifestyle. Call foster home at 828.399.0125.

BELLA - A 12 week old Lab/Pitt

mix. She is black and white, energetic, friendly, and weighs 14 pounds. She is scheduled for her spay surgery on Jan. 4th and will be available for adoption after that date. Call foster home at 828.293.5629.

JETHRO - A male, Elkhound mix.

He is about five months old, weighs 19 pounds, and is a little shy. He is scheduled for his neuter surgery on Jan. 4th and will be available for adoption after that date. Call foster home at 828.293.5629.

CLARA - A 2-3 yr old "Whatizit?"

She weighs 68 lbs., is friendly, and shaggy. Call 877.273.5262.

WRIGGLEY - A male, two-yearold, Boxer/Shepherd mix. His owner is joining the Navy and has to find a home for this friendly, handsome dog.

Wriggley is housebroken, neutered, and micro-chipped. He gets along with adults, kids, and cats. He is not a barker. Call 706.248.6328

LUMBER

GOLD AND SILVER Can Protect Your Hard Earned Dollars. Learn how by calling Freedom Gold Group for your free educational guide. 888.478.6991

FURNITURE REMAINING FURNITURE LUMBER Sale! Walnut, Butternut, Cherry, Ash & Curly Maple Slabs $4,000 Call for more info 828.627.2342 COMPARE QUALITY & PRICE Shop Tupelo’s, 828.926.8778.

HAYWOOD BEDDING, INC. The best bedding at the best price!

533 Hazelwood Ave. Waynesville 828.456.4240

PETS HAYWOOD SPAY/NEUTER 828.452.1329

CHESTNUT LUMBER Some 6 feet sections, Some 17 ft. boards $800. Call for more info 828.627.2342

LAWN AND GARDEN HEMLOCK HEALERS, INC. Dedicated to Saving Our Hemlocks. Owner/Operator Frank Varvoutis, NC Pesticide Applicator’s License #22864. 48 Spruce St. Maggie Valley, NC 828.734.7819 828.926.7883, Email: hemlockhealers@yahoo.com MANTIS DELUXE TILLER. NEW! FastStart engine. Ships FREE.OneYear Money-Back Guarantee when you buy DIRECT. Call for the DVD and FREE Good Soil book!

888.485.3923 SAPA

Prevent Unwanted Litters And Improve The Health Of Your Pet Low-Cost spay and neuter services Hours: Monday-Thursday, 12 Noon - 5pm 182 Richland Street

REAL ESTATE ANNOUNCEMENT EVER CONSIDER A Reverse Mortgage? At least 62 years old? Stay in your home & increase cash flow! Safe & Effective!

Call Now for your FREE DVD! Call Now 888.418.0117.

SAPA *FREE FORECLOSURE LISTINGS* Over 400,000 properties nationwide. LOW Down Payment. Call NOW! 1.800.498.8619 SAPA NC MTN LOG CABIN SHELL On 1.72acs. EZ to finish. Reduced $79,900 OR New 2bd 2ba, 1200sf cabin on 1.87acs. $139,500.

Owner must sell. Call Now 828.286.1666.

Ann knows real estate!

Ann Eavenson

VISIT ARF ON SATURDAYS 1-3 To register for January 14th low-cost spay/neuter trip. Call 1.877.ARF.JCNC for more information. Limited number!

CRS, GRI, E-PRO Ziggy - A gorgeous long-hair black kitty with beautiful large gold eyes. Ziggy loves to be around people and loves attention and love. He is a calm and easy going boy who enjoys relaxing on a lap and showing his appreciation with soft purrs.

ann@mainstreetrealty.net

506-0542 CELL

January 2-8, 2013

ARF (HUMANE SOCIETY OF JACKSON COUNTY) Holds rescued pet adoptions Saturdays from 1:00 - 3:00 (weather permitting) at 50 Railroad Avenue in Sylva. Animals are spayed/neutered and current on shots. Most cats $60, most dogs $70.

Preview available pets at www.a-r-f.org, or call foster home.

72115

LOUIE - Poodle/Beagle Mix dog –

Mix dog – black & white. I am an adult boy who is just as cute as can be! I’m very social and energetic, and love to chew bones. I’m good with other dogs, but really HATE cats. I would enjoy an active home where I could get lots of attention and love. $125 adoption fee, Animal Compassion Network 258.4820 animalcompassionnetwork.org.

HOWIE - Beagle/Shepherd Mix dog – black & tan. I am about 2 years old and was rescued from a shelter so I could have a second chance at a loving forever home. I am friendly and energetic, and I’m good with cats and other dogs. $125 adoption fee, Animal Compassion Network 258.4820 animalcompassionnetwork.org.

tan/buff. I am an adult boy who has only lived with adults but I’m gentle and indifferent with children. I get along fine with cats, and I’m friendly and playful with other dogs. I am smart and have been trained to ring a bell when I want to go outside, but I do tend to bark when crated and have mild separation anxiety. $125 adoption fee, Animal Compassion Network 258.4820 animalcompassionnetwork.org.

Smudgie - One cool looking dude! He looks like a wirehaired boxer. He has a great milk chocolate and white fuzzy coat and the most adorable face.

MainStreet Realty

SMN

NEED A NEW HOME for your pet? Animal Compassion Network provides a re-homing service that includes neutering, microchipping, and food – all FREE to you! You'll bring your pet to our adoption events and we'll find them a loving new home! For details, contact us at 828.258.4820.

ANIMAL COMPASSION NETWORK Pet Adoption Events - Every Saturday from 11a.m. to 3p.m. at Pet Harmony, Animal Compassion Network's new pet store for rescued pets. Dozens of ACN dogs, puppies, kittens and cats will be ready to find their permanent homes. The store also offers quality pet supplies where all proceeds save more homeless animals. Come see us at 803 Fairview St. (behind Province 620 off Hendersonville Rd), visit www.animalcompassionnetwork.org, or call 828.274.DOGS.

101 South Main St. Waynesville

WE SAVE YOU MONEY

TUPELO’S

BEST PRICE EVERYDAY

INDOOR & OUTDOOR

10-5 M-SAT. 12-4 SUN.

FURNITURE

72319

ON DELLWOOD RD. (HWY. 19) AT 20 SWANGER LANE WAYNESVILLE/MAGGIE VALLEY 828.926.8778

Mountain Realty

(828) 452-2227 mainstreetrealty.net

Pro/file 71332

smokymountainnews.com

BLAKE - Welsh Corgi/Eskimo Dog

WNC MarketPlace

NUTTY - A five year old, brown,

FINANCIAL BUY GOLD & SILVER COINS 1 percent over dealer cost. For a limited time, Park Avenue Numismatics is selling Silver and Gold American Eagle Coins at 1 percent over dealer cost. 1.888.470.6389

Ron Breese Broker/Owner 2177 Russ Ave. Waynesville, NC 28786 Cell: 828.400.9029 ron@ronbreese.com

www.ronbreese.com Each office independently owned & operated.

27

WNC MarketPlace

HOMES FOR SALE

Haywood County Real Estate Agents Beverly Hanks & Associates — beverly-hanks.com • • • • • • •

Michelle McElroy — beverly-hanks.com Marilynn Obrig — beverly-hanks.com Mike Stamey — beverly-hanks.com Ellen Sither — esither@beverly-hanks.com Jerry Smith — beverly-hanks.com Billie Green — bgreen@beverly-hanks.com Pam Braun — pambraun@beverly-hanks.com

BRUCE MCGOVERN A Full Service Realtor shamrock13@charter.net McGovern Property Management 828.283.2112.

LOTS FOR SALE

• Steve Cox — haywoodproperties.com

Keller Williams Realty kellerwilliamswaynesville.com • Rob Roland — robrolandrealty.com • Chris Forga — forgarentalproperties.com

ATTENTION SLEEP APNEA Sufferers with Medicare. Get FREE CPAP Replacement Supplies at NO COST, plus FREE home delivery!

Best of all, prevent red skin sores and bacterial infection! Call 877.763.9842.

VIAGRA 100MG & CIALIS 20MG! 40 pills + 4 FREE for only $99. #1 Male Enhancement, Discreet Shipping. Save $500! Buy The Blue Pill! Now 1.800.491.8751 SAPA

CANADA DRUG CENTER Is your choice for safe and affordable medications. Our licensed Canadian mail order pharmacy will provide you with savings of up to 90 percent on all your medication needs. Call Today 877.644.3199 for $25.00 off your first prescription and free shipping.

SAPA

WRAP UP YOUR Holiday Shopping with 100 percent guaranteed, delivered–to- the-door Omaha Steaks! SAVE 68 percent PLUS 2 FREE GIFTS - 26 Gourmet Favorites ONLY $49.99. ORDER Today 1. 888.689.3245 use code 45102ALM or go to: www.OmahaSteaks.com/hgc85 SAPA

Mountain Home Properties — mountaindream.com

January 2-8, 2013

Main Street Realty — mainstreetrealty.net

Phone # 1-828-586-3346 TDD # 1-800-725-2962

McGovern Real Estate & Property Management • Bruce McGovern — shamrock13.com

Equal Housing Opportunity

Prudential Lifestyle Realty — vistasofwestfield.com

Michelle McElroy

Realty World Heritage Realty — realtyworldheritage.com • Carolyn Lauter — realtyworldheritage.com/realestate/viewagent/1701

RESIDENTIAL BROKER ASSOCIATE E-PRO, CNHS, RCC, SFR

828.400.9463 Cell

www.smokymountainnews.com

RE/MAX — Mountain Realty

CALL NOW TO ADVERTISE IN THE NEXT ISSUE 28

828.452.4251 OR ads@smokymountainnews.com

A UNIQUE ADOPTIONS, Let Us Help! Personalized adoption plans. Financial assistance, housing, relocation and more. Giving the gift of life? You deserve the best. Call us first!

1.888.637.8200. 24 hour HOTLINE. SAPA ARE YOU PREGNANT? A childless married couple (in our 30’s) seeks to adopt. Will be hands-on mom/devoted dad.

Financial security. Expenses paid. Nicole & Frank.

1.888.969.6134 MEET SINGLES RIGHT NOW! No paid operators, just real people like you. Browse greetings, exchange messages and connect live. Try it free. Call now 1.888.909.9978.

SAPA PREGNANT? Considering Adoption? Call Us First! Living Expenses, Housing, Medical and continued support afterwards. Choose Adoptive Family of Your Choice. Call 24/7. ADOPT CONNECT 1.866.743.9212.

SAPA STAY AT HOME Wife and loving, dedicated, hard working father want to Adopt and become Mommy and Daddy! Fully Confidential and Allowable Expenses paid. Rachel & James.

1.888.616.6497 SAPA

Bruce McGovernn Cell: 828-283-2112 McGovern Property Management 284 Haywood St, Suite B Way Waynesville NC

Licensed Real Estate Broker

72116

Search the MLS at shamrock13.com.

Save your search criteria and receive automatic updates when new listings come on the market.

72114

MOUNTAIN REALTY

Mieko Thomson ROKER/R /REALTOR EALTOR®® BBROKER

71298

PERSONAL

72113

Thomson

The Seller’s Agency — listwithphil.com • Phil Ferguson — philferguson@bellsouth.net

CHAMPION SUPPLY Janitorial supplies. Professional cleaning products, vacuums, janitorial paper products, swimming pool chemicals, environmentally friendly chemicals, indoor & outdoor light bulbs, odor elimination products, equipment repair including household vacuums. Free delivery across WNC. www.championsupply.com 800.222.0581, 828.225.1075.

CASH FOR DIABETIC TEST STRIPS Check us out online! All Major Brands Bought Dtsbuyers.com 1.866.446.3009 SAPA

Search for Property Online!

michelle@beverly-hanks.com

74 North Main St. • Waynesville 828.452.5809

FEELING OLDER? Men lose the abilityto produce testosterone as they age. Call 888.414.0692 for a FREE trial of Progene- All Natural Testosterone Supplement. SAPA

FOR SALE

OFFICE HOURS: Tues. & Wed. 9 am - 4 pm & Thurs. 9 am - 3 pm 168 E. Nicol Arms Road Sylva, NC 28779

• Sammie Powell — smokiesproperty.com

• • • • • • • • •

DIABETES/CHOLESTEROL/WEIGHT LossBergamonte, a Natural Product for Cholesterol, Blood Sugar and weight. Physician recommended, backed by Human Clinical Studies with amazing results. Call today and save $15 off your first bottle! 877.815.6293.

SAPA

STORAGE SPACE FOR RENT

NICOL ARMS APARTMENTS

remax-waynesvillenc.com | remax-maggievalleync.com Brian K. Noland — brianknoland.com Connie Dennis — remax-maggievalleync.com Mark Stevens — remax-waynesvillenc.com Mieko Thomson — ncsmokies.com The Morris Team — maggievalleyproperty.com The Real Team — the-real-team.com Ron Breese — ronbreese.com Dan Womack — womackdan@aol.com Bonnie Probst — bonniep@remax-waynesvillenc.com

WANTED TO BUY

2.819 ACRE TRACT Building Lot in great location.

Build your second home log cabin here. Large 2-story building.

Was a Hobby Shop. $81,000. Call 828.627.2342

Conveniently located off 19/23 by Thad Woods Auction.

Available for lease now: 10’x10’ units for $55, 20’x20’ units for $160. Get one month FREE with 12 month contract.

Call 828.507.8828 or 828.506.4112 for more info.

Haywood Properties — haywood-properties.com

MEDICAL

ATTENTION SLEEP APNEA Sufferers with Medicare. Get FREE CPAP Replacement Supplies at NO COST, plus FREE home delivery!

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SUPER CROSSWORD MAY DAY ACROSS 1 Hammed it up onstage 7 “- Girls” (2000-07 TV series) 14 Mall parts 20 Ethiopian’s neighbor 21 Virtual merchant 22 Tough trial 23 “You gave me no warning!”

25 Wasn’t honest with 26 “Draw me” challenges 27 Seventh Greek letter 28 Place to buy dog food 29 Gen. Robert 30 Product line owned

by General Mills 33 Common papal name 36 Queenly role for Liz 38 Dandelion-infested, e.g.

39 Smartly dressed 40 Choice for a fill-up in Canada 43 Make ill 45 Charge for electronic banking 46 Taxpayer’s ID 47 Bursting - seams 48 Strongman Ferrigno 51 Up - point 52 Jets’ stats 54 Small-but-potent pick-me-ups 58 Old British ruling family 60 With 42-Down, extensions 62 Make anew

63 Attends, as an event 64 Come out of a daydream 66 Call hidden in this puzzle’s eight longest answers that’s apt for May Day? 67 Injury-free 69 Scarf material 71 Café au 73 Summer, in Tours 74 Meet events 77 “CBS News Sunday Morning” host 80 Tic-toe link 82 Hi-fi part 83 USMC title 84 - Amboy, New Jersey 85 Champion’s sign 87 Tempt 89 Pollux’s twin 91 Region of calms in the northern Atlantic 93 Drinking aid 96 “- Mio” 98 Folk wisdom 99 Social misfit 100 What those “who only stand and wait” do, per Milton 103 Tenets 105 Umpire 106 Knot up 107 Like dark igneous rock 111 California city near Berkeley 112 Baseball’s 2004 AllStar Game MVP 115 Gave a lousy review of 116 Watered down 117 Ransacked 118 Horses

119 Homer work 120 Allergic outburst

55 Prefix with -plasm 56 Origins 57 Mother of 47-Down DOWN 59 Wood knot 1 This, in Lima 61 Sorrowfully, in music 2 Actor Jay 65 Readies for surgery 3 Fail to name 66 - of relief 4 Has a flavor like 68 After taxes 5 The elder architect 69 Livy’s 1,200 Saarinen 70 “My, my!”

6 Took apart 72 Houston ball team 7 Metro and Prizm, once 73 Olympic swimmer 8 FWIW part Gertrude 9 Morning TV host Matt 75 Intro giver 10 City’s central section 76 Converse 11 Senior years 78 Having bristles 12 R&B singer Des’79 Eggs in a lab 13 West end?

81 Pros at property 14 Parts of feet appraisal 15 Three-whole-step 86 Immodesty interval 88 Miserable, unhappy 16 Certain Ukrainian existence 17 Burning 89 Hot pepper 18 Visit a diner 90 Gave a trophy, e.g.

19 Careless 91 Not kidding 24 Inscribed stone pillar 92 Dramatic solos 28 Fires (up) 93 Sharpening bands 30 Self-assured 94 Year of - (Chinese 31 Kicked back zodiac cycle starter) 32 Bleeps 95 Make pure 33 Like fuel-rich bogs 97 Give free rein to, as 34 “How much anger much?”

101 Is in charge 35 Fed. fugitive hunter 102 Air outlets 37 UFO’s crew 104 County north of San 41 Start cruising Francisco 42 See 60-Across 107 Physique 44 Retirement plan 108 Narrative name 109 Don Juan’s mother 47 God of war 110 Zip 48 Goner 112 Hurly-burly 49 Famed Giant Mel 113 Kettle cover 50 Mil. morale booster 114 Understand 53 Used a chair

answers on page 26

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January 2-8, 2013

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Indian words add poetry to our language Editor’s note: This article was first published in The Smoky Mountain News in Jan. 2003.

T

George Ellison

uckaseigee, Oconaluftee, Heintooga, Wayah, Cullasaja, Hiwassee, Coweeta, Stecoah, Steestachee, Skeenah, Nantahala, Aquone, Katuwah, and on and on. Our place names here in the Smokies region are graced throughout with evidence of the Cherokee culture that prevailed for more than 700 years.

Columnist Wouldn’t it be nice if Clingmans Dome was correctly designated as Mount Yonah (high place of the bears)?

Still, we’re fortunate that all of the original place names weren’t obliterated. The same can be said for the Native American words that persist in what we now know as the American language. They add a poetic, almost musical touch to our everyday lives that would otherwise be sorely missed.

It’s interesting to keep track of the ways we find books that we enjoy via reviews, blurbs, word of mouth, etc. Before Christmas my friend Lee Knight, the folklorist and musician, came by for a visit and presented me with a little book titled Tracks That Speak: The Legacy of Native American

BACK THEN Words in North American Culture (Houghton Mifflin Company, 2002) by Charles L. Cutler.

“There,” he said, “You’ll be able to get several columns out of that one.”

Lee knows me pretty well, so I just nodded agreement. And he was, of course, quite right. It’s my kind of book and touched upon the sort of material that I like to share via this column. I’m going to provide some of Cutler’s research to whet your appetite.

Many will then no doubt want to obtain their own copies.

The author’s wife, Katherine, indicates that her husband passed away before the book’s publication. An Internet search indicates that he wrote various titles related to American history and Native American language. Tracks That Talk bears evidence to the obvious fact that he knew what he was writing about and enjoyed doing so.

In his introduction Cutler tells us that “This bountiful harvest of words springs from the more than one thousand native languages currently and formerly spoken in the Western Hemisphere ... many as different from one another as English is from Japanese. At the dawn of European settlement, probably sixty separate [word] families graced North America alone. This book examines the most prominent of English words that were borrowed from North

American Indian languages and explains their background and the significance of the things they refer to.

Here are some very brief excerpts from various entries: • Moccasin: “The first appearance of the word in English occurs in 1609 [as] ‘mekezin’ ... A Crow warrior flaunted wolf tails at the heels of his moccasins after he accomplished that most daring of plains Indian feats — scoring a ‘coup,’ or touching an enemy’s body without injuring him.”

• Succotash: “Combining the two main vegetables [corn and beans] was natural, since they were grown together (often with squash). According to the Iroquois, the spirits of the two ‘sisters’ wanted to remain together even when cooked and served.”

• Pokeweed: “Settlers learned [from Indians] that pokeweed yielded still another bonus [other than as a cooked green] — a long-lasting red or purple ink [made by] boiling together pokeberries, vinegar, and sugar ... The great Sequoya would use pokeberry juice and a quill pen to transcribe the Cherokee language for the first time ... In the twentieth century people sometimes used the concoction for special writing purposes.”

• Persimmon: “The Indians customarily dried persimmons on mats spread over frames. This led to the Algonquian term ‘pasemenan,’ meaning ‘fruit dried artificially.’”

• Terrapin: Indians respected the turtle as deliberate, calm, steadfast, and long-

lived. Many revered it. A widespread belief in the Northeast ... was that Earth is Turtle Island — an island resting on the back of a giant turtle.”

• Chipmonk: “The outsized power of the small chipmonk is described in Iroquois legend. In early days, an animal council debated whether Earth should always remain in day or in night. Bear argued for perpetual night, but Chipmonk kept chattering for alternate night and day until dawn broke and resolved the argument. Bear angrily raked Chipmonk’s back with his claws, leaving indelible stripes on the animal ... [The Cherokee disagreed] saying that the animals once held a council in which it was proposed that each wish a disease on men for hunting them. Chipmonk refused to join in because it wasn’t among the hunted.

• Squaw: “Some Indians claimed that ‘squaw’ arose from a Mohawk word meaning vagina. The word was worse than demeaning, they said — it was obscene. But Ives Goddard, the authority on American languages at the Smithsonian Institution, explains that this interpretation is not correct: ‘It is certain as any historical fact can be that the word squaw that the English settlers in Massachusetts used for Indian woman in the early 1600s was adopted by them from the word ‘squa’ that their Massachusett-speaking neighbors used in their own language to mean ‘female, younger woman’ and not from Mohawk.’”

January 2-8, 2013

Thank you to 20,000+ NC Friends of the Smokies license plate owners who’ve raised more than $402,000 this year to support Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

$20,000 & Above Blue Ridge National Heritage Area GlaxoSmithKline Foundation (N.C.) The Swag Mountaintop Inn $5,000 & Above REI Mast General Store $2,000 & Above Haywood Co. Tourism Development Authority Nantahala Outdoor Center Donald Davis Storyteller Burroughs Wellcome Fund

$1,000 & Above Ken & Deborah Wilson Foundation N.C. State Employees Combined Campaign Warren Wilson College Wells Fargo $500 & Above Appalachian Trail Conservancy Clark & Leatherwood Construction Combined Federal Campaign WNC HomeTrust Bank Intentional Growth Center Rapid River Magazine Richie Family Foundation

$250 & Above Champion Credit Union Dewolf Architecture French Broad River Garden Club Mitchell and Dorothy Kostro Family Foundation Town of Waynesville Waynesville Inn Golf Resort & Spa $100 & Above Cataloochee Valley Tours Haywood Co. Hotel & Motel Association Hemlock Inn Nantahala Brewery Silver-Line Plastics Steve Whiddon Band Ultimate Ice Cream Co. Walnut Free Will Baptist Church Windover Inn

Smoky Mountain News

Friends of Great Smoky Mountains National Park recognizes and thanks these preservation partners for their cash, in-kind gifts of goods and services, and event sponsorships of $100 or more last year to help preserve and protect Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Friends of the Smokies 160 S Main St, Waynesville, NC 28786 (828) 452-0720 www.friendsofthesmokies.org 31

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Smoky Mountain News January 2-8, 2013