Smoky Mountain News | January 19, 2022

www.smokymountainnews.com

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

January 19-25, 2022 Vol. 23 Iss. 34

WCU diversity training sparks debate, death threats High bids could slow Waynesville sewer project Page 10 Page 8

CONTENTS On the Cover: After an unexpected closure from Dec. 29 to Jan. 3 due to warmer weather, Cataloochee Ski Area made a quick recovery last weekend as people flocked to the mountain to take advantage of the snowy slopes. (Page 22) Creative Campfire photo

News Waynesville will explore creating social districts ........................................................4 Canton aims for all-abilities playground ........................................................................5 Maggie Valley walks back food truck decision ..........................................................6 Board presses pause on campgrounds in Maggie ..................................................7 WCU diversity training sparks debate ..........................................................................8 High bids could slow Waynesville sewer project ..................................................10 Mountain Projects to receive major gift ....................................................................13 Court OKs gerrymandered electoral maps ..............................................................13

Opinion You’ll need to know this word — anocracy ................................................................14 Rep. Clampitt responds to Oath Keepers charges ................................................15

A&E Railroad Earth to play Orange Peel ............................................................................16

Books Exploring the life of Cherokee’s first female chief ....................................................21

STAFF EDITOR/PUBLISHER: ADVERTISING DIRECTOR: ART DIRECTOR: DESIGN & WEBSITE: DESIGN & PRODUCTION: ADVERTISING SALES:

CLASSIFIEDS: NEWS EDITOR: WRITING:

ACCOUNTING & OFFICE MANAGER: DISTRIBUTION: CONTRIBUTING:

CONTACT WAYNESVILLE | 144 Montgomery, 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 INFO & BILLING | P.O. Box 629, Waynesville, NC 28786 Copyright 2022 by The Smoky Mountain News.™ Advertising copyright 2022 by The Smoky Mountain News.™ All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. The Smoky Mountain News is available for free in Haywood, Jackson, Macon, Swain and parts of Buncombe counties. Limit one copy per person.

Additional copies may be purchased for $1, payable at the Smoky Mountain News office in advance. No person may, without prior written permission of The Smoky Mountain News, take more than one copy of each issue.

SUBSCRIPTIONS

Smoky Mountain News

January 19-25, 2022

SUBSCRIPTION:

2

Scott McLeod. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . info@smokymountainnews.com Greg Boothroyd. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . greg@smokymountainnews.com Micah McClure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . micah@smokymountainnews.com Travis Bumgardner. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . travis@smokymountainnews.com Jessica Murray . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . jessica.m@smokymountainnews.com Susanna Shetley . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . susanna.b@smokymountainnews.com Amanda Bradley . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . jc-ads@smokymountainnews.com Sophia Burleigh . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . sophia.b@smokymountainnews.com Scott Collier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . classads@smokymountainnews.com Jessi Stone. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . jessi@smokymountainnews.com Holly Kays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . holly@smokymountainnews.com Hannah McLeod . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . hannah@smokymountainnews.com Cory Vaillancourt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . cory@smokymountainnews.com Garret K. Woodward. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . garret@smokymountainnews.com Amanda Singletary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . smnbooks@smokymountainnews.com Scott Collier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . classads@smokymountainnews.com Jeff Minick (writing), Chris Cox (writing), George Ellison (writing), Don Hendershot (writing), Susanna Shetley (writing)

1 YEAR $65 | 6 MONTHS $40 | 3 MONTHS $25

Carver's

MAGGIE VALLEY RESTAURANT since 1952

OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK! Catering is Our Passion!

RETAIL AND DRAFT For Events Calendar & Online Shopping:

WWW.BLUERIDGEBEERHUB.COM 21 East St · Waynesville · 828 246 9320 MON-THURS 11-9 • FRI & SAT 11-10 • SUN 12-7

We Can Cater Everything from an Intimate Get-Together to a Large, Formal Gathering & Everything In-Between!

828-452-7837 294 N. Haywood Street

Waynesville

MON-SAT 8-3, SUN 9-3

—————————————————

Featured Dishes:

Daily Specials:

Fresh Fried Chicken, Rainbow Trout, Country Ham, & more

Sandwiches & Southern Dishes

• Dine-In • Patio Dining • Take-Out with Online Ordering on Weekdays

—————————————————

WE OFFER TAKEOUT!

CityLightsCafe.com

Open Saturday & Sunday

3 E. JACKSON ST. • SYLVA, NC

828.926.0425 • Facebook.com/carversmvr Instagram- @carvers_mvr

2804 SOCO RD. • MAGGIE VALLEY

NEW HOURS

Specializing in Regional Cuisine Temporary Hours

TUES. 11:30-8 • WED & THUR 4-8 FRI & SAT 11:30-9 • SUN & MON CLOSED Dine-In or Carryout Follow Us on Facebook

39 Miller St., Downtown Waynesville

828.456.5559

We Accept Reservations & Offer Online Ordering

DINE-IN ~~~ TAKE OUT ~~~~~ ORDER ONLINE

Gluten Free Options Available

New Party Room Available ~ ~ ~ ~ Book Us for Your Next Event ~ ~

FRESH SEAFOOD & MEATS AVAILABLE! Lobster Rolls New England Clam Chowder

OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK

142 MILLER STREET · WAYNESVILLE DINE IN, TAKE-OUT & CURBSIDE 11-6 · TUES-SAT · 828-476-5020

watamisushinoodles.com · 828.246.6888 33 S. Main St. #101 · Waynesville

serving size : ab out 50 p ag es Am ount per Serving Calories 0

% Daily Value * Tot al Fat 0g

Real New Yorkers. Real Italians. Real Pizza.

0%

Reg ional New s

100%

Op inion

100%

Outd oors

100%

Art s

100%

Entert ainm ent

100%

Classified s

100%

* Percent Weekly values b ased on Hayw ood, Jackson, M acon, Sw ain and Buncom b e d iet s.

Hand-Crafted

Beverages

Dine-In & Take-Out

32 Felmet Street (828) 246-0927 HOURS: THURS.-MON. 4-9 P.M.

NOW HIRING - LINE COOKS

If you have a passion for customer satisfaction and would like to apply please send your resume to:

+TAX

9.95 Large Cheese Pizza Every Monday & Tuesday

makyia@scotsmanpublic.com

(not combined with any other offers; dine-in only)

172 Sylva Plaza | Sylva

828-477-4931 MONDAY-SATURDAY 11 a.m.-9 p.m. SUNDAY Noon-8 p.m.

half-block off of Waynesville's historic Main Street lies your new favorite traditional Celtic pub. We'd be honored for you to be a guest in our home so please join us SOON for an indubitably good time!

A

Smoky Mountain News

Dine-In ~ Take Out ~ Delivery $

January 19-25, 2022

Burgers • Wraps • Sandwiches

Nutrition Facts

OPENING

SOON!

Good Eats • Craft Cocktails • Beer • Top Spirits • Wine • Happiness Follow us for updates on our opening, specials & events @thescotsmanwaynesville

ScotsmanPublic.com • 37 Church Street • Downtown Waynesville

3

news

Waynesville will explore establishment of social districts

BY CORY VAILLANCOURT POLITICS E DITOR piece of legislation passed last year has given rise to a novel idea that could liven up outdoor festivals and events not only in downtown Waynesville, Frog Level and Hazelwood, but also in any other county or municipality interested in giving it a shot — social districts.

“I think it would be an exciting addition to our downtown,” said Waynesville Alderman Anthony Sutton, who brought up the subject near the end of a Jan. 11 meeting of the Board of Aldermen.

Here’s how it works.

Cities, or counties, may if they so choose adopt an ordinance whereby a social district is authorized. A social district is defined in law as an outdoor area in which a person may consume alcoholic beverages that are sold by an entity with an existing on-premises permit Anthony Sutton to sell them.

Physically, the districts must be clearly defined with signage indicating the district’s geographical boundaries, hours and days of operation, and contact information for the police and the local Alcohol Law Enforcement division of the N.C. Department of Public Safety.

Those signs must also declare that alcoholic beverages purchased in the social district can’t be taken outside of it.

They also can’t be taken into a different establishment that sells alcoholic beverages, but they can be taken into other businesses — say, galleries or markets — with express permission from that business.

In a social district, alcoholic beverages

Smoky Mountain News

January 19-25, 2022

A

must be sold in non-glass containers of no more than 16 ounces that clearly identify what business they were purchased from and in which social district they were used. The phrase, “Drink Responsibly — Be 21” must also appear on the cups.

Outside alcohol is not permitted in social districts.

Practically, the way it would most likely look is that after an ID check and wristband, adults over the age of 21 could buy an alcoholic beverage from a Main Street bar or restaurant, and then take that beverage outside while remaining in the designated social district.

For events like the Apple Harvest Festival, attendees could then browse the street vendors while sipping on their drink of choice, but they couldn’t walk into a different bar or restaurant — or outside the social district — without first disposing of the beverage.

A Waynesville social district would loosen restrictions on existing alcohol-related events.

“At Art After Dark, people get free wine at each location, but then you have to leave it at the door whenever you walk out,” Sutton said.

In December 2021, the Town of Greensboro passed by a vote of 7-2 a social district ordinance that is being looked at by municipalities as a model. It doesn’t take effect until March 1, so its impact is still uncertain, but Greensboro’s ordinance lifts much language from the state statute and refines some of the points.

One is that the social district can only operate between the hours of noon and 9 p.m.

It’s not clear if Greensboro’s ordinance limits the operation of the social district only to festivals and special events, but that’s the angle Sutton wants to take if Waynesville adopts such an ordinance.

Downtown Waynesville hosts multiple events, including the Apple Harvest Festival, each year. Donated photo

“No, there will not be drinking on the Main Street 24-7,” he said. “It’s for special events that have been permitted, and the individual has to fill out a permit for us to allow it.”

Special events must already carry their own liability insurance, and Sutton believes that any additional insurance would need to be carried by the event organizer. He also thinks it would cost the town virtually nothing to implement a social district, but could prove an added draw for the town’s numerous outdoor events throughout the year.

Being that the areas of Frog Level and Hazelwood are technically part of the town of Waynesville, social districts could be established there, too. Perhaps they’d be separate from a downtown district, perhaps they’d be connected or perhaps they wouldn’t get social districts at all.

Sutton expects to hear the issue at the

town’s next meeting on Jan. 25. However, a vote won’t take place until the town holds at least one public hearing to gauge support or opposition from local business owners and residents.

Beth Gilmore is the executive director of the town entity that manages the existing municipal service district, which utilizes an additional tax levy on downtown building owners to conduct beautification activities and host festivals. Since the town took over management of the MSD from the failing Downtown Waynesville Association late last year, Gilmore’s still waiting for a governing board to be appointed, but she still wants to be on top of this issue before it comes to a vote before town aldermen, most likely in February.

“It sounds like it’s worth looking into and considering,” she said. “It’s definitely something I’ll reach out to merchants about and ask how they feel.”

No Need to go to a Big Box Store.

We Have Lower Prices, Higher Quality and Experienced Staff.

www.ThePrintHaus.com

Color Copying & Printing • Low Prices B&W Self-Serve Copiers, High Speed, Low Cost Digital Wide Format, Architectural / Engineering Complete Bindery • Mounting • Laminating • Coil Binds Reduce / Enlarge, Scanning Color or B&W • Print from e-files

THE PRINT HAUS INC. GROUP Since 1982

R

Authorized ShipCenter

YOUR HOMETOWN PRINT, COPY, DIRECT MAIL, SHIPPING & SIGN SHOP

4

WE RECYCLE WASTE WOOD STUMPS • LIMBS • BRUSH

641 North Main Street, WAYNESVILLE, NC

509 Asheville Hwy., Suite B, SYLVA, NC

828-456-HAUS (4287)

828-586-HAUS (4287)

(3/10 (3/10 Mile Mile North North of of the the Courthouse) Courthouse)

(Located (Located in in the the NAPA NAPA Auto Auto Parts Parts Center) Center)

A

anything like that. It’s just, ‘Let’s play.’ It’s a great way for kids to engage with others from a variety of backgrounds and that’s what we’re seeing in Waynesville.”

Waynesville Parks and Recreation Director Rhett Langston drove the project for the town and was instrumental in securing a $90,000 Connect N.C. Bond grant.

Hansen, along with Marti Peithman and other members of Waynesville’s Kiwanis Club, spearheaded outside fundraising.

Not only did Kiwanis donate $10,000 towards the Waynesville project’s $160,000 phase one cost, but it also entered the project into the national Kiwanis’ “Legacy of Play” contest, an online voting competition against 50 other proposals from across the nation.

Rapid Covid/Flu ONSITE TESTING with Same Day Results & PCR Testing with Same Day Results

Must make an appointment on our website

KIMSRX.COM 828.452.2313 479 Dellwood Road Waynesville

January 19-25, 2022

All-abilities playgrounds, like this one in Waynesville, ensure everyone can play.

Cory Vaillancourt photo

Although Waynesville finished first, with more than double the votes of its nearest competitor, Kiwanis awarded the $25,000 prize to another project. After a $25,000 contribution from the Evergreen Foundation and $500 from Pepsi, the town’s cost ended up being only about $23,000 and the park was completed in August 2018.

Landscape Structures Inc., the design firm associated with the contest, ended up gifting the town a $6,800 piece of equipment in recognition of the massive outpouring of support the project received, with heavy press coverage and votes coming from as far away as Japan.

Plans for the Canton project — including footprint, amenities and layout — are still very much up in the air, but Hansen said they’re considering the annual “Legacy of Play” contest once again.

“We’re researching that contest and to see what opportunities there are for the future,” she said. “We’re also exploring other resources in the area throughout the state.”

A raffle will be conducted by the Waynesville Kiwanis, sometime over the next four to six months. Those who wish to help with Kiwanis’ fundraising effort are encouraged to contact Hansen at 910.494.4435.

We’re Buying Gold, Diamonds & Rolexes Smoky Mountain News

BY CORY VAILLANCOURT POLITICS E DITOR s Canton focuses on rebuilding town facilities damaged by the flood, elected leaders there aren’t just looking to put things back the way they were — they’re hoping to make some major improvements.

“We’re building back the hometown of tomorrow, and I can’t think of anything better than to be at the forefront of that than a larger, modernized, new playground that definitely leans into accessibility,” said Canton Mayor Zeb Smathers. “Any time any child comes to our playground with smiles and laughter, whatever they’re dealing with at home gets just a little better.”

Like much of Canton, the playground at Recreation Park suffered extensive damage during flooding last August. Smathers and Canton’s town board reiterated their support for the playground rehab during a Jan. 13 meeting.

“He’s very passionate about getting the playground up and going and making it an inclusive playground so children with various abilities and skills can participate and with their families,” said Eva Hansen, a member of the Waynesville Kiwanis.

“Because we had such a role in the Waynesville playground effort, [Smathers] gave us the opportunity to consider participating in a collaborative effort with Canton and our board agreed.”

Kiwanis is a club dedicated focused on improving the lives of children and has chapters arounds the globe.

Hansen and Kiwanis indeed played a major role in Waynesville’s all-abilities playground in the spring of 2017, after a study from N.C. State revealed that there may be around 1,000 kids in Haywood County with special needs for whom a regular playground may be too overwhelming. At the time, the nearest inclusive playground was more than 90 minutes away by car.

All-abilities playgrounds incorporate design features centered around mobility and texture, for children — and their caregivers — who may have limited physical abilities or sensory issues associated with autism spectrum disorder. Sometimes, regular playgrounds end up segregating children with special needs from their peers.

“Playgrounds are a great equalizer because all children are looked at by other children as playmates,” Hansen said. “They don’t have a clue of who your family is, how much money you have, where you go to church, if you go to church, your politics,

NOW AVAILABLE news

Canton aims for all-abilities playground

We Are Offering Instant Check Payment for Your Unwanted Jewelry, Diamonds and Rolexes.

828.456.4772 | TAMMYS-JEWELRY.COM 146 N Main St | WAYNESVILLE

5

news

Maggie Valley walks back food truck decision

BY HANNAH MCLEOD STAFF WRITER he Maggie Valley Board of Aldermen walked back a decision it made Jan. 11 denying Harvest Moon Crepes food truck a special event permit necessary to operate in the parking lot of Tony’s Tube World.

Aldermen voted 3-2 with Tammy Wight and Phillip Wight voting in favor of allowing the food truck to operate, while Mike Eveland, John Hinton and Jim Owens voted against.

However, midday Jan. 12 the board announced a special called meeting to be held Friday at 3 p.m. At that time Mayor Mike Eveland told The Smoky Mountain News that it appeared the board had changed its opinion, and that a majority of members were now in favor of allowing the food truck to operate.

Eveland was correct. At the meeting Friday afternoon, on a motion made by Tammy Wight, the board voted 4-1 to grant the special event permit for Harvest Moon Crepes to operate in the Tony’s Tube World parking lot for the remainder of its season during hours of operation. John Hinton and Jim Owens joined the Wights in supporting the measure while Eveland voted against it.

“Oftentimes a special event permit lists a specific date or a specific time,” Maggie Valley Town Planner Kaitland Finkle explained at Tuesday’s meeting. “As you all know, the weather has been quite variable this year so it’s pretty difficult to say when they’re going to be able to set up at Tony’s Tube World, because unfortunately Tony’s Tube World hasn’t had very many open days yet. So their request is for the season, ending this spring,” The permit allows the food truck to operate only during Tony’s Tube World operating hours, throughout the season. The truck has to be pulled on and off site; it cannot remain at the tube world overnight and will have to haul off any trash created.

“I can’t,” said Mayor Eveland Tuesday night. “I’m concerned, right across the street we have a business that is thriving because of Tony’s Tube World, they work hard. I know we have a new vendor that’s over there at the Shell Station.”

This seemed to be the primary and only concern of the three aldermen who initially voted against the special event permit — competition. All three spoke about their fears that the food truck would create unfair competition for surrounding restaurants.

Specifically Birdies Snack Shack, inside Soco Shell Gas Station and Grocery, and Brickhouse Burgers and Pizza.

“Tony’s Tube World plays an important role in keeping our winter season alive,” said Tammy Wight. “They attract tourists, locals and those from surrounding areas. I’m not sure that my fellow board members are aware that there are approximately five snow tubing businesses within one to two hours from here.

All of which offer food and drinks. Out of these five, three are within a one-hour drive.

Out of those three, two have food trucks on site and one has a concession stand. Having a food truck on site would allow them to com6 pete with businesses in the surrounding area.”

Smoky Mountain News

January 19-25, 2022

T

Harvest Moon Crepes food truck requested to set up shop during operating hours at Tony’s Tube World. Donated photo Tammy Wight also noted that the menu the food truck offers is unique, not offered anywhere else in the valley.

“I feel by allowing the food truck, it is a way to give back and say thank you,” said Tammy Wight.

Currently, food trucks are not allowed to operate in Maggie Valley unless they are part of, and on site of, an established business, or are participating in a special event, like those that take place at the Maggie Valley Festival Grounds. Maggie Valley launched a Food Truck Pilot program during the last three months of 2021 to gather information about the possibility of allowing food trucks in the valley, but the issue has not been revisited as of yet.

“We think that there’s a need out there,” said Dan Galligan, co-owner of Harvest Moon Crepes. “We were there just last weekend and there were a lot of people standing around, they don’t have any concessions or anything there at Tube World. I think that there’s a need and it could make it a better experience for the people that come.”

Co-owner Amy Deas described the menu to the board: hot drinks, sweet and savory crepes, food and drink that are easy to walk around with and don’t involve utensils.

Hinton and Owens both expressed their concern for surrounding businesses.

However, Tammy Wight noted that because the menus differ so much, it is highly unlikely that the food truck would be taking customers from the nearest sit-down pizza joints. She also said that parents who are at the Tube World with their children will likely not want to leave the premises for food while their children are tubing.

“If we’re not going to allow special exceptions at special events, then that too needs to be taken off the UDO, because we have people coming in and asking for things that we’re not allowing them to have,” said Tammy Wight. “And I don’t think it’s appropriate for us to say that we’re not going to allow any competition for restaurants but then everybody else in business has competition and that’s not fair.”

“My only concern is that winter is our slimmest season, so I’m also concerned about making sure we protect the restaurants that are here and still open and in business this time of the year,” said Owens.

“We need to consider Tony’s Tube World who are bringing these guests here and all of their competition serves food and drink,” replied Tammy Wight.

Phillip Wight noted that the application fits the special event permit, that this is an allowed use under the town ordinance, that the hours don’t directly conflict with surrounding businesses and that what the food truck has to offer is a unique product.

At Tuesday’s meeting Tammy Wight made the motion to grant the special event permit to Harvest Moon Crepes, but with three aldermen voting no, it did not pass.

Several residents walked out of the meeting aghast after the decision was made, some voicing their disbelief in frustrated expletives.

The owners of Harvest Moon Crepes were polite in the face of their rejection.

“I didn’t feel good about the vote,” said Hinton. “I had a brief conversation with Tammy and Jim after the meeting Tuesday night and thought about it overnight.”

The next morning he decided to speak

with Eveland to see what could be done to remedy the situation.

“At the time of the vote, I was truly on the fence,” said Owens. “That evening after the meeting, I really wasn’t convinced I made the right decision. So the following day, I was pleased to hear that we have another opportunity to review the permit. And by then we had a commitment from Tony’s Tube World, and we were also able to ask the applicant additional questions and made me feel very comfortable changing my vote.”

At Friday’s meeting, the mood was different, more supportive of Harvest Moon Crepes and the partnership they have been working to forge with Tony’s Tube World for the remainder of the season. Aldermen were presented with email correspondence between Chris Bates, property manager for Tony’s Tube World, and the owners of Harvest Moon Crepes, proving an amicable partnership.

“Chris Bates, who’s a representative of the property owner has said that he approves of their application,” said Finkle. “He’s waiting for your approval for them to seal the deal and then decide how best to move forward on a contractual agreement. But he approves of the application.”

Initially, in an effort to garner more support from the board, Bates and Harvest Moon had come up with a set of restricted hours for the food truck to operate. However, after speaking with the board Friday, aldermen agreed to leave hours of operation up to the food truck and property manager.

According to Deas and Galligan, both parties would like the food truck to operate during the full set of hours Tony’s Tube World is open.

he board discussed the issue at length, even though each member’s mind appeared to have already been made up.

The mayor has been vocal and consistent in his stance against any more campgrounds or RV parks in the valley. Both Hinton and Owens made that same promise a part of their campaign last fall.

“It’s not about property rights, it’s about how people want the town to look, the voters of Maggie Valley,” said Hinton. “We need an updated UDO, it’s long overdue. This moratorium is just a pause, while we get the UDO in place.”

Tammy and Phillip Wight have questioned the decision to enact such a broad moratorium since it was brought to the table at the beginning of December. Tammy Wight has been vocal in her concerns about restricting residents’ property rights and the flow of tourism in Maggie Valley.

“The timing of this moratorium can easily be viewed as a gross misuse of power,” said Tammy Wight. “I don’t see this as a question of whether Maggie Valley needs campgrounds or RV parks, I see it as a landowner having a right that is being taken away.”

Phillip Wight said the board should do everything in its power to encourage growth in Maggie Valley. He noted that running a business in Maggie Valley is already difficult due to the fluctuation in visitors, and the board should do what it can to help business owners.

“I don’t really understand why this issue is first and foremost on our agenda,” said Phillip Wight. “There’s no record in the last probably 15 years of this being an issue. And that goes back to answering the number one question, ‘a statement of problems or conditions necessitating a moratorium.’ There’s no problems, there’s not any condition. It’s just fear, and fear of what’s coming.”

“The right thing for Maggie Valley is to vote for this moratorium,” said Hinton. “Put aside your special interests, your secret agenda. Do the right thing for the people, the voters of Maggie Valley vote for this moratorium and get this UDO in place. Take the emotion out of it.”

Eveland chafed at the idea that restricting RVs and campgrounds would hinder tourism.

“You’re a liar when you say this is going to hurt tourism,” said Eveland. “You have no clue. Look at the last two years on how tourism has been and how it is evolving in Maggie Valley as we speak. The numbers don’t lie and we are going to continue to grow.”

“I don’t condone the name calling because I think it degrades the entire board and I think we’re better than that,” said Tammy Wight.

The bigger issue seems to be the coming UDO and what uses will be allowed under which zones. The moratorium will only last for a maximum of six months, while a UDO will be a permanent set of rules for zoning and development moving forward. All aldermen alluded to the importance of the UDO, urging fellow board members and residents to focus their attention there.

7

T

Residents crowd Maggie Valley board room for moratorium public hearing.

Hannah McLeod photo

news

Maggie Valley imposes campground, RV moratorium

A

ed upon will last for six months, or until the new Unified Development Ordinance is passed. The planning board is currently working on preliminary drafts of the new UDO. “The reason a moratorium might be more appropriate is you all have a UDO that is coming forward in the next couple of weeks or months,” said stand-in town attorney Brian Gulden at a Dec. 14 meeting. “If for instance, you had and considered a text amendment and the text amendment passed that said ‘we’re removing campgrounds, RV parks, RV PUDs and storages from the C-1 and C-2 district,’ that wouldn’t allow anybody in the community to develop their property in the C-1 or C-2 district for any of those reasons that you removed from the ordinance. In essence, it infringes upon someone’s investment backed expectations.”

A

Smoky Mountain News

t a Jan. 11 meeting, the board room was crowded with at least 60 Maggie Valley residents as well as State Reps. Mark Pless and Mike Clampitt. However, when it came time to speak on the issue, only six people made their way to the podium. Of those, three spoke out against the moratorium, though one of them was representing a number of people with written statements against the moratorium, and two spoke in favor of the moratorium. The last man referenced an article from The Mountaineer and stated that tourism was not “out of whack.”

Those who spoke against the moratorium claimed it would stifle growth as well as tourism in the valley during its most difficult season — winter. Those who spoke in favor claimed that the real damage being done in the valley was the crowding of RV parks and

January 19-25, 2022

BY HANNAH MCLEOD STAFF WRITER nyone looking to create a new campground or RV park in Maggie Valley is out of luck. For the next six months, the town has a moratorium on RV parks, RV Planned Unit Developments, RV storage and campgrounds.

On Tuesday night, Jan. 11, the board passed the moratorium with a 3-2 vote.

Mayor Mike Eveland, Jim Owens and John Hinton voted in favor of the measure, while Phillip and Tammy Wight voted against it.

“I was the one that put the motion forward. I have been against growing, I think a dozen campgrounds in Maggie Valley is more than enough,” Owens said. “The people spoke to us during the campaign.”

Owens first brought the issue to the table at a Dec. 7 agenda setting meeting where he suggested removing campgrounds from what is permissible under C-1 and C-2 zoning.

“About a month ago we had an election that drew the largest voter turnout in history, and the voters were both vocal and very engaged,” Owens said during a December agenda setting meeting. “And during the campaign, the most passionate and consistent appeal was ‘please no more campgrounds in Maggie Valley.’ We heard that loud and clear from so many of the people that were out voting during the campaign, we talked to dozens and dozens of people.”

Through conversation with the board and town attorney, the idea eventually morphed into a moratorium — essentially a pause on any new permits for RV parks or campgrounds in the valley. The moratorium decid-

campgrounds, which was harming tourism in the long term.

Dave Angel, owner of Elevated Mountain Distilling, spoke of the importance of tourism for Maggie Valley. Angel serves on the Haywood Tourism Development Authority board and noted the increase in the amount of people staying in short-term rentals, of which he says RVs are a significant portion, instead of hotels and motels.

“This moratorium directly goes against the economic growth opportunities of this town,” said Angel. “We live right next to the most visited national park in America and we’re putting a hindrance on the ability for those people that want to experience that to stay here in Maggie Valley.”

“I’ve never been into a growing town, that the town was lined with nothing but campgrounds and RV storage,” said Mitch Robinson. “To me, allowing that would block any future growth that matters in the long term to the valley. So I’m speaking in favor of the moratorium until we do more research and find out what’s the best for the long term.”

One of the people speaking out against the moratorium was William Clark, a lawyer in Asheville with Roberts and Stevens,who represents Frankie Wood, the principal Ghost Town Developer who is also a principal with Coastal Development Carolina, a development company. Clark claimed that the moratorium was directed at Wood and Coastal Development Carolina. The company is trying to build several RV PUDs in Maggie Valley. Some have already gained town approval, but any future development of this type would be banned by the moratorium. Clark noted that the planning board has gone against staff recommendations on multiple occasions now regarding zoning and rezoning requests from Wood.

“Mr. Wood and his companies cannot help but feel that this is directed at his development,” said Clark.

news

Resident debate Student, professor field death threats amid debate on diversity training

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER ince a Western Carolina University student took to national news this month to air her concerns about the school’s gender and racial diversity training for resident assistants, a discussion about inclusivity, tolerance and how to interact with people of differing worldviews has been swirling through the Catamount community.

Katie Sanders, a junior in health sciences from Franklin, spoke to Fox News after going through the mandatory training required of her as a resident assistant at WCU, and the outlet published a story Jan. 7 that quoted Sanders and another RA anonymously. Then on Jan. 10, Sanders appeared on “Fox and Friends First” with Chris Stirewalt, a senior in marketing who is also coordinator for the campus chapter of Turning Point USA, to go on the record.

“The training was basically from one point of view,” Sanders told The Smoky Mountain News. “The training claimed that it was providing multiple points of views to RAs, but it wasn’t. It was from strictly one left agenda. I didn’t agree with it. It went against my beliefs as a Christian, and I didn’t think that was fair that we should be mandated to watch something like Rainbow 101.”

January 19-25, 2022

S

RA TRAINING

Smoky Mountain News

Rainbow 101 is a one-hour virtual course and was just one of many training sessions RAs are required to take in preparation for their role as frontline student employees. RAs — whose job requires them to live in campus dormitories and provide guidance and help to students living in the dorms — are often the first contact for residents dealing with a variety of issues while living away from home for the first time. Each semester, prospective RAs must go through hours of training, with topics ranging from fire safety to mental health. The diversity and inclusion portion of the training included Rainbow 101 and Stereotypes Intent v. Impact, with an optional Rainbow 201 session. Professional staff from the WCU Office of Intercultural Affairs Office taught these diversity and inclusion sessions.

WCU provided a copy of the 15-slide PowerPoint presentation used for the virtual Rainbow 101 course. Stated objectives included increasing self-awareness, knowledge and skills related to the LGBTQ community, gaining exposure to and knowledge of concepts related to gender and sexual identity, learn8 ing basic terminology and vocabulary, and

Western Carolina University students Katie Sanders and Chris Stirewalt appeared on Fox & Friends First Jan. 10 to express their concerns with the diversity training. Image from Fox News broadcast receiving practical tips for how to demonstrate respect for members of the LGBTQ community. Students watched two 4-minute videos: a spoken word poetry video titled “Homophobia in 2018: Time for Love” that depicts a young man deciding whether he dares to kiss his boyfriend goodbye before the watchful eyes inhabiting the public park where they’re walking, and then a video titled “Human Sexuality is Complicated” that discusses the relationship between sex, gender, sexual orientation and sexual behavior.

Students were then introduced to “The Gender Unicorn,” a visual that aims to represent the relationship between sex, gender identity, gender expression, physical attraction and emotional attraction. Subsequent slides cover various terminology, pronoun information and guidelines for respectful interaction with other students.

Sanders said she was “raised to treat people the same way with kindness and no judgment,” and that Rainbow 101 training or no, “I still am here for my residents” regardless of their identity. However, she said, various aspects of the gender and racial diversity training, including its perspective on gender identity and expression, offended her as a Christian, and she felt like the training format left no room for discussion or disagreement.

Student Government Association President Rebecca Hart, meanwhile, said that the training equips RAs with important information to help their residents.

“It is a marginalized community, and it’s important to kind of understand the identities,” she said. “So that way you can at least a little understand the struggle when they come to you. I also feel like the students are going to be more open to coming to the RAs if they know that they already know a little bit about the community, even if they don’t know everything.”

The 31-slide Stereotypes Intent vs.

Impact training, which WCU also provided,

students feel comfortable and at home in our residence halls and in expressing their views in all areas of campus life,” WCU said in response to SMN questions about Sanders’ concerns. “We will strive to accomplish this goal by continuing to have open discussions and encourage dialogue with our resident assistants and amongst student groups and leaders. Part of the educational experience is being exposed to new ideas and beliefs that may not match your own.”

BACKLASH

Rebecca Hart. WCU photo aims to teach students the difference between intent and impact, what stereotypes are and how they affect people, and next steps for everyday actions. The training included a “language matters” section that listed purportedly offensive phrases, including “America is a melting pot,” “When I look at you I don’t see race,” and “There is only one race, the human race.”

“I think it upset me because for the diversity and inclusion training, it said we shouldn’t say that we’re all one race, the human race, which that goes against a Christian doctrine for me because we are all one race, and that’s a fundamental aspect of Christianity,” she said.

Sanders also felt like the training perpetuated harmful regional stereotypes when one instructor, who is Black, reportedly told the class she won’t stop the car when traveling through northern Georgia because she fears for her safety.

“The university’s goal is to ensure that all

Instead of going to the university administration with her concerns, Sanders first contacted Stirewalt and Turning Point USA. She said that she’d spoken with former RAs who had tried the administrative route and gotten nowhere.

“The only way to actually get change done is to go to the media, and that’s what we had to do,” Stirewalt said. “I don’t feel like any change would have happened if we had not put it out to the public.”

But making her concerns public also made the backlash public. Sanders has received multiple death threats through the anonymous discussion app Yik Yak. A pair of since-deleted posts on the WCU Faculty Senate’s official Instagram page dismissed her concerns as “nonsense” and “manufactured outrage.”

“Sharing this not as an endorsement of the views expressed in this article but as evidence of manufactured outrage over the practice — and in this case, student-led — DEI efforts on our campus,” read the first one, according to a screenshot Stirewalt provided.

“Thanks to the RAs who are working to promote understanding around diversity, equity and inclusion. Keep up the good work.”

The post linked to the Jan. 7 Fox News story and included the “Gender Unicorn” graphic used in the training.

The Gender Unicorn, a visual aid used during the Rainbow 101 training, has drawn opposing opinions. Trans Student Educational Resources graphic

RESPONSE FROM STUDENT GOVERNMENT

A CONTINUING CONVERSATION

Chancellor Kelli Brown “This reflection is even more relevant this week — considering recent media coverage about a training session for our resident assistants — when we heard a range of concerns about Western Carolina University’s approach to diversity and inclusion and the feeling by some of our students that their voices are not heard or valued,” said Brown. “WCU strives to ensure that all students feel supported and at home in our residence halls and in expressing their views in all areas of campus life. What I have heard this week is that, for some students, we have not met that goal.”

Brown continued to say that “the reality of the situation regarding the RA training is more complex and layered than has been portrayed” but that, rather than rebut specific

This isn’t the first time the term “civil discourse” has made headlines at WCU. In 2016, a spate of anonymous, racist messages posted on Yik Yak led to a campus-wide discussion about diversity, difference and the importance of handling disagreements respectfully.

The EODP was created as an outgrowth of that discussion.

Hart said she was disturbed to hear about the threats both Sanders and Wright have received as this issue has played out and that she hopes an emphasis on real, offline conversations can restore some civility to the discussion.

“The issue I’ve been seeing is a lot of the arguing and the death threats, from what I understand, are coming from online, often from an anonymous source,” she said. “We as the university and as students need to move this conversation to an in-person conversation, because oftentimes when people are online they feel like they can say whatever they want and there’s no repercussions.”

Sanders agreed that meaningful conversation is what’s needed to equip the student body to handle these issues respectfully and productively.

“I think I did get what I wanted out of this,” she said. “Better communication lines, the chancellor recognizing our concerns and acknowledging those and, moving forward, the administration working on those. I think overall the outcome was what I imagined.”

9

Smoky Mountain News

According to Sanders, her main goal in speaking out was to get the university to take her concerns seriously and respond to them.

When she first spoke to SMN Jan. 13, no such response had been published, with Fox News coverage up to that time stating that the university had not returned any requests for comment.

“It just feels like we’re speaking our opinion and the administration’s ignoring us,” she said.

WCU’s lack of a strong initial public response led the Student Government Association to issue a press release of its own, distributed Jan. 12.

“Some of the motivation came from students just wanting to see some kind of statement from someone in the university,” said Hart, who is also a voting member of the Board of Trustees. “Technically by my role I represent students, so I wanted to put out a statement so they know we are paying attention and we’re working on dealing with the situation and finding a way to deal with it in a way that’s fair to everyone involved.”

As a member of the Board of Trustees, Hart would have received a Jan. 10 email from Chancellor Kelli Brown that went out to board members and “other internal/external constituents” and stated that the Fox News story “took an important and serious discussion out of context.” In a follow-up statement to SMN, WCU said that the training aimed to ensure that all students feel comfortable and at home in its residence halls but that Fox News “chose to highlight certain segments of the training and conversations and ignored the goals of the entire training.”

The Jan. 12 SGA statement reminded students of the need to respect other students and called on the university to take three specific actions aimed at better equipping students to do so. The SGA asked the university to evaluate

While the university took time to respond, it did not remain silent. As WCU settled in for a snowy holiday weekend celebrating the birth of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., Brown sent a Jan. 14 email to students reflecting on King’s contribution to the world and what today’s college students can do to carry it forward.

January 19-25, 2022

The second post included a screenshot of a New York Post article on the issue and read, “We’ve made both the New York Post and the Daily Mail for being too ‘woke,’ and I couldn’t be prouder. If you’d like to make fun of this nonsense and also support Lambda Legal’s Action Fund, here’ (sic) the shirt for you.”

That post contained a link to a T-shirt fundraiser titled “Fundraiser for Lambda Legal because of this stupid Fox News story.”

The T-shirts in question read “WCU. Woke Carolina University” and contain an image of a unicorn in front of a rainbow. The website states that the fundraiser is organized by Laura Wright, who chairs the Faculty Senate.

“We feel that that is one of the worst things that has happened,” said Stirewalt.

“The fact that the Faculty Senate can mock student opinions just because they don’t agree with them, openly mock them and try to raise money off them, is disgusting. It makes us feel like we don’t have anybody to go to at the school.”

When asked about the posts, WCU administration said that it does not oversee the Faculty Senate’s social media accounts and supports students, faculty and staff expressing their personal opinions publicly, including to the media.

“That said, we expect members of our f community to treat each other with respect,” the school said in response to SMN’s questions. “The provost has had conversations with members of Faculty Senate about the impact of those social media posts. The posts f were removed.”

Wright declined to interview for the story but forwarded a sampling of the emailed death threats she has received following national reporting on the posts.

“I understand your wanting to cover this issue, but in all honesty, I don’t want to give it any more oxygen, and I’ve refused all requests for interviews from the start,” she said in an email. “My actions have been mischaracterized beyond recognition and my life over the past week has been a nightmare.”

STATEMENT FROM WCU

concerns about the training, she wanted to focus on perceptions resulting from the news coverage. Brown wrote that WCU is committed to diversity and inclusion, but also to the “free and open interchange of ideas and the notions of collaboration and respect.” On Jan. 13, she said, more than 30 student group leaders participated in a sit-down discussion to deal with these complex issues, and Brown has asked staff who develop RA training materials to ensure that training materials provide awareness of multiple points of view, recognize students have different backgrounds and experiences, and aim to assist students with communication.

“We are discussing the RA training, and those conversations will include all presentation materials used and whether they are the most appropriate option for this specific training,” the university said in a statement to SMN. “The larger discussion WCU is having is how do we train and empower our RAs to create a welcoming environment for all students, regardless of their identity, race, ethnicity, gender, background or views.”

Sanders said she was pleased to see Brown’s statement and that while she has not had time to fully digest the SGA’s recommendations, she believes they do hold promise — having the chance for a two-way discussion on diversity issues would be an improvement over merely listening to an instructor talk, she said. However, she would also like to see an explainer at the beginning of the training clearly stating its purpose and believes that diversity training should also cover how to be respectful of people with differing religious beliefs as well.

news

whether more personnel should be added to the Office of Equal Opportunity and Diversity Programs — which was established in 2016 and currently holds only a chief diversity officer position — and to intentionally select books for the One Book Program that “provide a new perspective for incoming freshmen,” also requiring professors to undergo training with EODP and Intercultural Affairs to better facilitate civil discourse in the classroom.

Perhaps most notably in light of the RA training discussion, the SGA wants WCU to swap Rainbow 101 for the Safe Zone program, which instead of a one-hour lecturestyle presentation would be a four-hour program broken into two parts, with the second session an open dialogue format.

“I feel like this individual (Sanders) particularly didn’t feel like they had a chance to really talk during the discussion from what I understand, and so hopefully by building in time for that discussion that will ease up that situation,” said Hart.

news

Unexpectedly high bids could clog up Waynesville sewer project

BY CORY VAILLANCOURT POLITICS E DITOR here’s been no more pressing issue in Waynesville during the past two administrations than the replacement of the town’s aging sewer plant, but after skillfully guiding the project through multiple obstacles over the past five years, aldermen must now find a way to clean up another big mess — project bids almost 50 percent higher than expected.

“I think it’s just a timing issue with cost of goods and services that has pushed it over and I think we need to do a really good job of going through all the channels that we can to get a lower price or get some additional funds toward that project,” said Alderman Anthony Sutton.

It seemed as though the half-decade endeavor to replace the failing plant was final-

T

ly entering the home stretch, until Waynesville Town Manager Rob Hites told the Board of Aldermen on Jan. 11 that the lowest bid came in at $28 million, far above the $19.4 million, 26-year, zero-interest loan the town had secured to pay for the project, which was slated for completion by Dec. 31, 2024.

That loan would be paid back by increasing rates to sewer customers, to the tune of around 50%. Small rate hikes started in 2018 and are about halfway to where they need to be, but the unexpectedly high bid would push sewer bills to an untenable level.

During that same Jan. 11 meeting, Hites said that average bills were projected to be around $46 a month once final rates are adopted, in line with state guidance that they should be less than $50.

However, if the high project bids are

Smoky Mountain News

January 19-25, 2022

Waynesville’s new sewage treatment plant is supposed to be completed by Dec. 31, 2024. Haywood GIS photo

accepted without additional grant funding, those bills could skyrocket to $70 or $80, according to Hites. Given that Waynesville also serves the Junaluska Sanitary District as well as the Town of Clyde, those customers could see higher bills as well.

“We’re probably getting the best price we’re gonna get for a couple years,” Hites said.

“Without help from the state and our political people, I suspect our sewer bills are gonna skyrocket. Normally we would seek new bids, but the problem is that the ARP and ‘Build Back Better’ have provisions in them that if you’re going to use any federal money at all, you have to use U.S. steel,” Hites said.

From July of 2020 through July of 2021, the price of American-made steel has increased nearly 300%, mirroring other construction commodities.

“The price of a ductile iron pipe has gone up 330% in the last four or five months,” Hites said. “The cost of concrete and the cost of steel skyrocketed. We’re not the only city in our area that got stuck this way. Some of the other cities around us bid stuff out and are $3 million and $4 million higher than they planned.”

Indeed, estimates for a $20 million pool proposed for Jackson County recently came in $2 million over budget.

Making matters worse, the state received around half a billion dollars in funding for projects like Waynesville’s sewer plant, but upwards of 90% of that has been earmarked for distressed communities.

Waynesville is not a “distressed” community, despite fines being levied by the state for the plant’s poor operational history over the past few years.

“The state has a list of what they call distressed communities. This would be like Robbinsville, for instance. They had one textile mill, the textile mill closed, and they hadn’t done anything to their sewer plant and it’s basically falling apart. It sounds a lot like ours actually,” Hites said. “They’ve set aside all but $55 million for this list of distressed communities. So the rest of us only have $55 million to spread around.”

Hites objects to that methodology.

“If you’re going to take a small community that has a $20 sewer bill and give them a grant so they keep a $25 sewer bill but then those of us that have really negotiated just to get our bill under $50, we’re not qualified for the grants,” he said. “I don’t think there’s any fairness in that.”

Stuck between a rock and a hard place, the town may be able to borrow more low- or no-interest money from the state to bridge the gap, but it would eventually have to be paid back through the higher bills for customers.

“I don’t feel good about that at all,” he said. “Things weren’t done in the past that would have alleviated the necessity for this now. We’re too far in that we can’t just back out, because we have to have a working sewage treatment facility. We’ll do everything that we can to prevent additional fees.”

The town’s sewage treatment facility was completed in 1965 and saw updates in 1979, 1984, 1995 and 2001. It’s currently certified to handle 6 million gallons a day, but has seen up to 8 million gallons during occasional storm events.

CASUAL FINE DINING WITH LIVE MUSIC COVERED PATIO

JustDoOils.com

We Would Love To Host Your Next Event!

Check our website for more info

Book online at:

MassageWaynesville.com 828.456.3585 10

Haywood Square | 288 N. Haywood St. | Waynesville

743 HAYWOOD ROAD | WEST ASHEVILLE | ISISASHEVILLE.COM | 828.575.2737

news

JUST LISTED: 4.4 ACRE MINI-FARM

Call me for your FREE COMPARATIVE MARKET ANALYSIS

January 19-25, 2022

Have You Considered Cashing In On This Sellers Market?

1179 Max Thompson Road, Canton $525,000

Pamela Williams

Smoky Mountain News

Perched on a hill on almost 4.5 unrestricted rolling/cleared acres you will find this awesome mini farm. Several out buildings lend this property to farming and housing for your animals. Full unfinished basement. New roof and gutter guards.

Enjoy the creek with private swimming hole. Year round Mountain Views!

RESIDENTIAL AND COMMERCIAL BROKER ASSOCIATE EMAIL: PAMELAWILLIAMS@BEVERLY-HANKS.COM CELL: (803) 528-5039 OFFICE: (828) 452-5809

BEVERLY-HANKS.COM

11

12

Smoky Mountain News January 19-25, 2022

news

Mountain Projects to receive major gift

New electoral maps OK, says court

father is the Republican Speaker of the N.C. House, and Democrat Anita Earls, for her ties to plaintiff Common Cause. Republicans are also demanding Democrat Sam Ervin IV recuse himself over reelection concerns, despite the fact that Supreme Court candidates run statewide and not in any district that would be affected by any ruling.

T

Sheriffs honor Corbin After securing more than $7 million in grants for rural sheriffs, increasing penalties for breaking and/or entering law enforcement vehicles and toughening sentences for the sale or possession of fentanyl, Sen. Kevin Corbin (RMacon) has been recognized as a “Defender of Public Safety” by the North Carolina Sheriffs’ Association.

“Senator Corbin took a leadership role in advancing the legislative priorities of the North Carolina Sheriffs’ Association which represents all 100 sheriffs in the State,” said Sheriff Ed McMahon, President of the Association. “As a result, our sheriffs can be assured the profession of law enforcement will be able to recruit and retain individuals who will serve our communities with integrity and we are better equipped to protect the lives, liberties, and property of North Carolina’s citizens.”

Corbin is currently in his first term in the Senate and recently declined to run for the newly-opened congressional seat in his district.

448 HAZELWOOD AVE. · WAYNESVILLE

WWW.LIFTYOURSPIRITS.SHOP

Ingles Nutrition Notes written by Ingles Dietitian Leah McGrath Looking at LabeLs With so many food items in the supermarket it can get confusing.

What should you pay attention to? Where should you look?

Tips: 1. The front of packaging is basically a marketing area to attract your attention with different colors and buzz words that are trending like “plant-based” or “keto”.

2. Nutrition information can be found on the black and white nutrition Facts panel that is usually located on the side or the back of the package or container. This panel will show the typical serving size as well as key nutrients and vitamins.

3. The list of ingredients may also be important to you. They are listed in order of most to least, i.e. the top or first ingredient is present in the highest or most quantity.

some other information you may see listed or that might be important to you: • Allergen information – whether it contains one or more of the top allergens or has been produced in a facility that has those allergens present.

• Gluten-Free – whether the item is gluten-free.

• Where the items is made or produced.

• Whether the food is USDA organic or bioengineered For more information: On the Nutrition Facts label: www.fda.gov/food/new-nutrition-facts-label/how-understand-and-usenutrition-facts-label On bioengineered: www.ams.usda.gov/rules-regulations/be/faq/disclosure On USDA organic: www.usda.gov/topics/organic

Leah McGrath, RDN, LDN

Smoky Mountain News

Following months of public hearings across the state where voters from all sides decried racial and partisan gerrymandering, the Republican-dominated North Carolina General Assembly delivered a set of maps that prompted a pair of lawsuits before the maps were even approved. Although North Carolina voted for Donald Trump in both 2016 and 2020, Trump won with margins of less than four and two percentage points, respectively. The Republican-drawn, census-mandated congressional redistricting maps would give Republicans a 10-4 advantage over Democrats, despite Trump’s close finishes.

In response to the lawsuits, the state Board of Elections halted candidate filing briefly, and then permanently, after it had already begun on Dec. 6, and subsequently moved the state’s Primary Election from March 8 to May 17. On Jan. 11, a three-judge panel of the Wake County Superior Court comprised of two Republicans and one Democrat unanimously ruled that the maps are “a result of intentional, proRepublican partisan redistricting.”

The court further held that partisan gerrymandering is not illegal. An appeal is expected in the N.C. Supreme Court, where Democrats hold a 4-3 advantage. Partisans are now calling for several of the justices to recuse themselves, including Phil Berger, Jr., a Republican whose

A very unique experience

January 19-25, 2022

budget is somewhere on the order of about $17 million, the gift should give Davis enough flexibility to seize opportunities that might otherwise get tied up in timeconsuming red tape.

Davis said that without the intercession of Haywood County Board of Commissioners Chairman Kevin Ensley, the gift may not have occurred at all.

“I had done some work for the donor for a few years,” said Ensley, a surveyor by trade. “She was familiar with my role on the commission and I put her in touch with Patsy.”

Speaking exclusively with The Smoky Mountain News on condition of anonymity, the donor said she and her family have been part-time residents of Haywood County for more than 15 years.

“I met Patsy because Kevin Ensley introduced us by phone, back early in COVID,” she said. “I’ve had the idea in my head for a long time. My husband and I do philanthropy with homelessness and poverty and have also moved into advocacy.”

She keeps up on local politics by reading local news, and said she was particularly moved by a 2017 story in The Smoky Mountain News about homelessness and the local social services situation.

While the donation is substantial, it’s not her first in Haywood County.

“I’d like to see something good happen,” she said. “And I hope that includes housing.”

CUSTOM CANDLE BAR

news

BY CORY VAILLANCOURT POLITICS E DITOR he effort to bring more workforce housing to Haywood County will receive a significant boost thanks to an anonymous donor’s generous offer of a substantial piece of land worth nearly $2 million.

“I don’t even know how to respond to a gift like this,” said Patsy Davis, executive director of local social services agency Mountain Projects. “I don’t even have the words.”

The parcel, located in the Panther Creek section of Haywood County, contains more than 137 acres and has substantial frontage on the Pigeon River. It won’t be developed for affordable housing because installing septic and well service is cost-prohibitive, so it’s considered an unrestricted gift to Mountain Projects.

Davis said that the property will eventually be sold, and with the help of the Smoky Mountain Housing Partnership all of the proceeds from the sale will be rolled into affordable housing initiatives elsewhere in Haywood County.

“All of it will go back into workforce housing,” Davis said. “One of the issues I have is with working capital. We’re finishing two modular homes in Bethel Village and I’m trying to find the money for three more.”

Given that Mountain Projects’ annual

Check out our

Ingles Market Corporate Dietitian

@InglesDietitian Leah McGrath - Dietitian 800.334.4936 Ingles Markets… caring about your health

13

14

Opinion

Smoky Mountain News

You’ll need to know this word — anocracy To the Editor: A word most of us are unfamiliar with but will become commonplace in the months and years to come is anocracy — or semi-democracy — a form of government that is loosely defined as part democracy and part dictatorship, or as a regime that mixes democratic with autocratic features.

The Center for Systemic Peace has downgraded the United States of America’s system of government from a democracy to an anocracy. I invite the reader to confirm this on the CSP website.

The United States dropped below the “democracy threshold” (+6) on the polity scale in 2020 and is now considered an anocracy (+5). In the process the United States also lost its designation as the world’s oldest, continuous democracy; that designation now belongs to Switzerland (171 years), followed

by New Zealand (142 years), and the United Kingdom (139 years). The CSP adds that further degradation of democratic authority will trigger an “Adverse Regime Change event.” It is significantly important that Americans understand that this downgrade can be explicitly tied to the Trump administra-

Medicaid expansion Is badly needed To the Editor: More than one million North Carolinians (12.9%) have no health insurance.

As in many things, the people of WNC are not doing as well as the state as a whole. In N.C. House District 119 (Haywood, Jackson, Swain) there are over 19,000 uninsured people (16.9%). Haywood has 9,189 uninsured (14.8%), Jackson has 7,846 uninsured (18.2%),

and Swain has 3,233 uninsured (22.9%).

Many of these people fall in the “Medicaid coverage gap” — they cannot afford to buy health insurance without fear of bankruptcy.

The majority are working adults, between 18 and 64 years of age, without dependent children. Most live paycheck to paycheck, many hold two or more part-time jobs. All of us have a family member or neighbor who lives in the gap, playing Russian roulette with their health. Expanding Medicaid will help close

tion’s activities during and since his term in office.

This analysis also places the United States at “high risk of impending instability (i.e., adverse regime change and/or onset of political violence)” and designates “the ongoing efforts of the USA executive to circumvent electoral outcomes and subvert democratic processes as an ‘attempted (presidential) coup.’”

It appears the American experiment has run its course as a full-fledged democracy. Approximately two and one-half centuries is quite a stretch, but our era ended January 20th, 2017, the moment Donald Trump was sworn in as the 45th President of the United States.

Prior to that date, any theory proclaiming the United States would backslide this far would have been regarded as unimaginable, beyond comprehension. In retrospect it doesn’t require the skill of a brain surgeon to trace the cause of our collapse to the exact source.

The reason for our downfall isn’t rocket science and neither is the remedy. We all learned in school what democracy means; a “government of the people, by the people, and for the people.” We need not devise a foolproof plan to restore

LETTERS the coverage gap which can save lives and preserve the health of working families across WNC. The Medicaid coverage gap hits our mountain home especially hard. Medicaid expansion can bring billions of federal dollars to our state. Only 11 other states have rejected Medicaid expansion (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Mississippi, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Wisconsin, and Wyoming). Here’s how it works for the other 38 states.

The federal government pays 90% of the costs of Medicaid expansion and the state pays just 10% of the tab. Right now, N.C. citizens pay federal taxes at the same rate as these states but we do not receive the 90% back. N.C. is giving away your hardearned tax dollars to these 38 states. Does it make sense to give all that money away?

Expanding Medicaid would net NC $1.2 billion in just two years!

Medicaid expansion brings increased medical care to people with chronic conditions like diabetes or kidney disease. This not only saves lives but results in fewer health crises, ER visits and hospital days. Treatment options for people with mental health issues are critical, especially here in WNC. Medicaid

democracy in America, it’s been done: by Plato, “The strength of democracy is judged by the quality of its services rendered by its citizens;” also by Louis Pasteur, “The true democracy is that which permits each individual to put forth his maximum effort;” and by J.R. Lowell, “Democracy is that form of society, no matter what its political classification, in which every man (or woman) has a chance and knows it;” and Harry Fosdick, “Democracy is based upon the conviction that there are extraordinary possibilities in ordinary people.”

There is just one element missing, and this factor is entirely up to us. There was a well-known Italian patriot and revolutionary who lived in Lincoln’s time. His name was Giuseppe Mazzini (1805-1872) and his belief was that “democracy is the progress of all, through all, under the leadership of the wisest and the best.” It’s choice, not chance, that will determine our destiny; our lives are made up of the choices we make, and so it is with nations. We will survive or be destroyed by the people we elect to lead us. What else do we need to know?

David L. Snell Franklin

expansion is exactly what is needed to combat our growing opioid crisis. Out of desperation, people with untreated medical/mental health issues often self-medicate with alcohol or illegal/illicit drugs. In addition to improved health, Medicaid expansion will help to keep our rural hospitals open. This brings jobs and with it, a boost to the local economy.

Please contact your N.C. Senate and House representatives to support Medicaid expansion. It makes sense. It brings money to N.C. It saves lives and livelihoods. It brings jobs.

We can do better.

Elaine Slocumb Bryson City

Democracy demands certain rights To the Editor: Let’s talk about the upcoming elections – not the candidates, but the voting. Regardless of your political leaning, there is a lot that we can agree on that is critical to our democracy.

For example: • All citizens who meet eligibility requirements should be able to register to vote.

• Each voter should have access to voting whether they live in the mountains of WNC or the cities of Raleigh and Durham.

• All voters should be able to vote by mail or vote at convenient early voting times.

• Voters should not be intimidated or threatened at any point.

• Each eligible voter should be able to cast one ballot; it should be counted the same as every other ballot and reported accurately.

• Big businesses and big money should not influence a politician more than an individual’s vote.

• Voting districts should be created using neutral standards (not Democratic, not Republican).

• Voter registration should be available at each state’s motor vehicle agency.

Imagine, if you go to the polls to vote next November and you are denied the right to vote. How would you feel? Depending on your answer, then the Voting Rights bill deserves your support.

Jean Wright Franklin

Trump is indeed to blame To the Editor: This is in response to Dennis Ford’s letter from the Jan,. 5 issue of The Smoky Mountain News.

“I thought Trump derangement syndrome was cured.”

No, unfortunately, TDS is still rampant among a minority in this country who credit Trump with any sort of worth. He’s the best, biggest liar in America since forever, and he can obviously fool some of the people all of the time.

“No one cares.” Bogus. A majority of Americans wish to see justice done to lawbreaking insurrectionists, both the participants and their inciters.

“Why are we still talking about the former president?” I guess because he is still spouting his lies re the election that he so clearly lost, even though he whined before the election, and continues to whine well after his lies have been gutted, filleted and deep-fried. Oh, and there’s also the part about how he is ruling the GOPers. They don’t bother with a party platform, they wait for their fuhrerious leader to point to a target, which they are quite happy to abuse. That’s really all that the gopers can come up with. Well, there’s also their constant trash talking, dark moneying, gerrymandering and voter suppressioning.

Clampitt speaks on Oath Keepers Editor’s note: Rep. Mike Clampitt, R-Bryson City, has been open about his membership in the right-wing militia group known as the Oath Keepers since running for election back in 2012.

Last week, Oath Keeper founder Stewart Rhodes was charged with seditious conspiracy related to his actions surrounding the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. The SMN asked Clampitt to respond to Stewart’s arrest.

another lie, as is “... instigated by leftist infiltrators.” Come on man, stop your lying!

“How can you say because of one man we as a nation are more or less doomed?”

For my part I can say that the nation is in serious trouble because of Trump, but we also have Trump to thank for revealing the extent to which a minority of people don’t believe in America at all. Fortunately, we now have President Biden, a competent public servant willing to forgo any sort of trumpist drama, and just get stuff done, in spite of total obstruction by the GOPer Congress.

“Trump had the border under control.”

Actually, Trump violated human rights, with a total lack of decency or respect for law. That has always been his way of course.

“The Democrats died with Kennedy and the party is no longer recognizable.” Wrong again, that’s just plain bassackwards wrong.

The dead party of the Republicans has been circling the toilet drain since Nixon, and has finally made it through to the treatment plant with Trump pulling the lever.

“Cancel culture, wokeness, liberalism, socialism, communism, anti-police leftists and Antifa had infiltrated our society long before Trump arrived. God help us.” Just like a loser, calling upon some mythic other to deliver them from their own incompetence. Quack all you want, the present danger to our country is perfectly clear.

Conservative “Christian” right-wing Republican straight white racist radical extremist terrorists are the problem.

GOPers from Nixon on have proven themselves incapable of governing. When will folks get a clue how rotten most of their elected GOPer “representatives” have become?

Bil Aylor Bryson City

LIMITED SUPPLY / RESERVE NOW COST: $125 • SIZE: 3LBS • QUEEN: ITALIAN AVAILABLE: 2nd & 4th WEEK IN APRIL

Tellico Trout 4175 Tellico Rd. Franklin, NC

828-349-9034 • mike.macke@tellicotrout.com

Smoky Mountain News

Liberal progressive Democrats will be the salvation of American democracy.

GOPers have clearly gone the way of person worship. And the case now is, that person doesn’t have any merit whatsoever, just the ability to bamboozle. “... we are a republic, not a democracy.”

And, the point? Democracy, “a system of government by the whole population or all the eligible members of a state, typically through elected representatives.” Sounds like the United States to me.

“It has been proven there is fraud in elections.” Yes, there’s the Republican operative in North Carolina who not only did election fraud by collecting and misusing absentee ballots, but who also did Social Security fraud at the same time. Double header, lose lose! Fraud has always been detected and dealt with, and has proven to be irrelevant to the outcomes of elections.

Hopefully, we’ll see a bunch of Republican state legislators going to jail for their obvious legislating to rig the vote. That is bigtime election fraud.

“So Donald Trump is to blame …” yes that’s correct, I totally agree. Jan. 6, 2021, the insurrection, would not have happened without Trump’s actions. Try and argue that point. I’ll wait.

“An insurrection by definition is a violent attempt to take control of a government.” Dictionaries say “insurrection — a violent uprising against an authority or government.” Oh go ahead, just call it a “normal tourist visit.” Many people saw it, it was all well televised, and many of the participants have testified to their intentions, believing they were called to Washington, incited by Trump. “... we’re going to walk down, and I’ll be there with you…” NOT! His Jan. 6 speech was packed full of lies, situation normal.

“This was no insurrection.” That is

BEE PACKAGES

January 19-25, 2022

There’s an old saying, “Never judge a book by its cover,” which is an idiom coined during the Second World War. Simplistic enough, but it carries great weight even today.

It has been one year since the events unfolded at our nation’s Capitol. Actions, to say the least, that would have never entered my mind. I am a firm believer of our states’ and federal constitutions, and with them come a lot of secured freedoms and personal responsibility for enjoying those.

What separates our country from the rest of the nations is the “rule of law.” We are ALL afforded the opportunity for free-

dom of expression and redress of our grievances to the government. But, when any individual that is peacefully assembled with others, steps away from the group to pick up a rock, a stick, a stone, or any other instrument to assault, maim, destroy or inflict injury to property or person,-that has now become a riot.

A lot of good, well-meaning organizations become hijacked by overzealous individuals participating in an activity that becomes out of control. I am currently not a dues paying member to the Oath Keepers, or have been for several years. And I do not condone any of the actions of seditious activity of any of the individuals that were part of the events that unfolded at the U.S. Capitol in January 2021. As we have seen all-too- well over the past couple of years, individuals of high-profile organizations degrade the overall reputation of its members. As with anything in life we say or do, it should be how we would like to have others treat ourselves.

Rep. Mike Clampitt Bryson City

15

16

A&E

Smoky Mountain News

And the hotels rooms are really cheap [in Elko]. We were all exhausted and we were just going to get a good night’s sleep, so we could keep driving across the country. But, we walked in and it’s a casino, and there’s free booze if you’re gambling. Our soundman put $20 in a video poker machine, pressed it once, and all of a sudden won $500 — and the night went from there.

RUNNIN’ WILD A conversation with Railroad Earth

BY GARRET K. WOODWARD ARTS & E NTERTAINMENT E DITOR n the realm of string and jam music, few acts are as intricately varied as Railroad Earth. Recently crossing over the 20-year mark together, the ensemble is a rich, vibrant blend of bluegrass, roots and folk music, all swirling around a multifaceted penchant for deep improvisation within a live performance.

The group is a meandering, unrelenting entity, this sort of band of melodic pirates rolling along the high seas of the music industry, never once pulling into a safe harbor amid the unknown waters of its own ever-evolving intent.

The true fire and grit of Railroad Earth resides in its whirlwind concerts, this communal setting of gratitude and possibility amid the ancient act of songbird voices and acoustic instruments radiating out hope, love and magic into the endless universe.

And just before the pandemic and eventual shutdown in March 2020, The Smoky Mountain News sat down with violinist Tim Carbone and mandolinist John Skehan backstage at The Orange Peel in Asheville. The interview hasn’t seen the light of day, until now.

I

Smoky Mountain News: In recent years, Railroad Earth has been mourning the untimely passing of founder/multi-instrumentalist Andy Goessling in 2018. What’s been the big reflection on his contributions to the band?

SMN: And even before all of that, some of you had been in other bands for years, touring around and trying to make it work.

TC: I had a band called Kings in Disguise [with Andy Goessling] before Railroad Earth.

And in the six months prior to Railroad Earth, it became painfully obvious to me that there we’re a couple of members of [Kings in Disguise] that just were not able to either able to, or willing to, tour. And if you can’t tour, you cannot be a successful band. So, I came to grips with that.

And then, Railroad Earth started to happen over the course of that summer of 2000. The idea for it was something that kind of evolved

Railroad Earth. (photo: Shredded Elements Photography)

Tim Carbone: Well, musically, Andy was most exquisite Swiss army knife that you could ever hope to have. A diamond-studded Swiss army knife. Whatever blade you took out, it was a really sharp blade and it worked great.

So, if he’s playing dobro, he played the right part. Banjo, he played the right part. Guitar.

Saxophone. Flute. Penny whistle. Pretty much, you name it, he took it out and he had a signature sound on that instrument that was immediately identifiable as him — and we’ve lost that.

It’s kind of like the musical glue that you weren’t sure you even needed. But then, if you took it away, the house of cards would be in danger of falling.

SMN: With the band approaching 20 years together, what are some of the things that stick out from those early days?

TC: Well, I do remember something about having eight people in a hotel room, in a van all around the country, memorizing every square inch of Interstate 80 from New York to California. [Laughs].

John Skehan: Four people, two on the floor, two in beds. Two hotel rooms night after night, sneaking in those airbeds and pillows by the front desk. There was certainly a feeling then of not having any idea that we would get to where we are now, or even where we got to a few years ago. It really felt like kind of a lark, because we hadn’t really planned it. Just hop in the van, go on a tour and see what happens.

Want to go?

Acclaimed jam-grass/roots act Railroad Earth will hit the stage at 8 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 27, at The Orange Peel in Asheville.

Tickets start at $29.50. Doors open at 7 p.m. For more information and/or to purchase tickets, go to theorangepeel.net and click on the “Shows” tab. To learn more about Railroad Earth, go to https://railroad.earth, call 828.398.1837 or visit info@theorangepeel.net.

And we have a lot of adventures and a lot of fun. It was a very much more exhausting and kind of crazy traveling experience [back then], but with all these weird, fun connections and people that we’ve met, that are still tight friends to this day.

SMN: Even in the beginning, it was always about adventure.

JS: Well, it had to be an adventure because we had no money. We had no place to stay or if we did get rooms, we’d cram into something or sneak into some odd thing. You know, the song “Elko” is a true story that came from the fact that Elko, Nevada, was just about the first eight-hour stop outside of California. And we finished our first eight-week tour in California with no plan other than to drive back to New Jersey.

“We walked in and it’s a casino, and there’s free booze if you’re gambling.

Our soundman put $20 in a video poker machine, pressed it once, and all of a sudden won $500 — and the night went from there.”

— John Skehan

quickly into John and a bunch of other people jamming to see if maybe something could happen. Andy put together all of these jam sessions at his house. I remember them being very loose and congenial.

And when [lead singer/guitarist] Todd [Sheaffer] came around, we started forming stuff around his songs. When you add a really great songwriter and a great singer into the mix, suddenly things quickly coalesced.

By the end of the summer, essentially the people that were left standing [from those jam sessions] were the core members of the band, Unbeknownst to us, it just sort of happened — we were off and running.

JS: There’s something, too, I think in the direction that Todd’s songwriting was taking at that time. And I don’t know if it was being around the palette of acoustic instruments and these jam sessions that we were having. But, I’ll say the tone of his writing, both in the music and the tone of the lyrics, seemed to fit with acoustic instruments.

[And now 20 years later], I think it’s the ebb and flow. I don’t know if we ever could have envisioned this, or certainly ever could have envisioned losing Andy and being in a different place now. But, things are continuing to work and evolve — we’re feeling very good right now.

life we both agreed we didn’t recognize or really identify with anymore (photo: Garret K. Woodward) these days. “Who was that guy?” we’d ponder about ourselves, shaking our heads, all while ordering around round of beers.

We didn’t want the friendly banter to end. Hell, who knows the next time we’d be able to do this?

Hopefully sooner than later — god willin’ and the creek don’t rise.

All bundled up in winter coats and about three sheets to the wind, we slowly walked back to his mom’s house. Laughter ensued over a few more stories told in a gregarious nature along the snowy sidewalks.

Laughter about nothing and everything, and how beautiful it was to reconnect, to be together again, and to still be on the same page, even after all of this things. Blurry memories reconstructed distance, whether by time or geographically. about parties we held in our shitty threeTo have a friend like Brett is to have story house senior year at college. Trying to someone who you haven’t seen in five years, remember names of faces and places forgotbut while in their presence, you sincerely feel ten for years. Late-night shenanigans, the like you saw and talked them just yesterday. utter glory and galore.

And for that? I’m eternally grateful.

Each story felt like a million years ago, a Life is beautiful, grasp for it, y’all.

Brett at the Cresskill Tavern.

BY GARRET K. WOODWARD

Someday soon, you’re gonna have families of your own and, if you’re lucky, you’ll remember the little moments like this, that we’re good

S

HOT PICKS

1 2 3 4 5

Nantahala Brewing (Sylva) will host Shane Meade (soul/roots) at 8 p.m. Friday, Jan. 21.

Innovation Brewing (Sylva) will host Lilah Price (singer-songwriter) at 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 20.

January 19-25, 2022

Singer-songwriter Troy Underwood will perform at 7 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 22, at Lazy Hiker Brewing in Franklin.

Unplugged Pub (Bryson City) will host Carolina Freightshakers at 8 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 22.

Valley Tavern (Maggie Valley) will host Craig (singer-songwriter) at 6 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 27.

The last time he and I were there together at the Cresskill Tavern was probably to cure our New Year’s Eve hangover with pool and mixed drinks way back in 2011. This was before the girls. Before Australia. Before Rachel. Before everything took shape. And this was before I left Upstate New York for Western North Carolina, all of these trials and tribulations that ultimately led me back to this moment with a lifelong brother-in-arms.

The bar looked and felt the exact same, and yet we’ve grown so much in our respective lives. Sitting there, we traded tall tales and did a lot of reminiscing of the good ole days. But, what’s so amazing was to also ponder those good ole days yet to happen.

Heck, where to from here, eh? For it is (truly) all wild and wondrous. For it’s all a dream we dream, don’tcha know?

Each rehashed mutual experience from college and beyond was another story from our separate paths amid the grand scheme of

Deluxe pedicure includes hot towels, CBD hemp oil foot massage with hot stones, warm Cherapy neck wrap followed by a perfect polish.

Smoky Mountain News

tepping into the Cresskill Tavern in Cresskill, New Jersey, last Wednesday evening, the place looked the exact same. It had been just about a decade since I last wandered in there. Electric blue painted walls. Pool table. Jukebox. L-shaped bar. Just enough room for you and your friends, but that’s about it.

My ole college buddy Brett (aka: a real deal cosmic soul brother) walked in with me.

We’d just been dropped off by his mom, seeing as it was a pretty cold walk from his childhood home a few blocks away. The temperature has dropped considerably since I pulled up to the driveway an hour or so earlier.

I hadn’t see Brett in over five years. The last time was New Year’s Eve at his long-gone apartment in the Greenpoint neighborhood of Brooklyn. He was a few months into being a newly married man with his dear wife, Rachel.

Brett was one of my best friends all through those hazy collegiate years in Connecticut, and it was a tradition (post-college) for many years in a row to end up in New York City for New Year’s Eve (NYE in NYC), which he called home during that time period where we all were just “trying to figure it all out, whatever that may be.”

Rachel was born and raised in Australia.

She met Brett at a bar/hostel in Spain. She was on holiday with a girlfriend, and just so happened to be passing through Spain right as Brett was flying solo ‘round Europe.

I remember when he left for that Europe trip, and I remember all of those hopelessly romantic expectations (of love, of purpose and of passion) he had for something, anything to happen — the fire of an eager young life ready to be sparked by something, someone.

Not long after Brett returned to America, we were sitting at a New Jersey diner. He kept telling me about “this girl from Australia,” and how “she was so amazing, but I’ll probably never see her again.” He last saw her on a train platform in Madrid. They said goodbye and parted ways, with Brett watching her walk out of his life.

Well, it wasn’t long after that conversation where Rachel ended up getting a job in Manhattan, only to reconnect with Brett, seeing as he was really the only American she knew in this new city and unknown adventure unfolding before her. The friendship blossomed into romance, into an engagement,

and into an unforgettable wedding in Upstate New York one late summer afternoon.

Skip ahead to about five years ago, our last New Year’s Eve in that apartment. Brett and Rachel were married and had decided to move to Australia in the coming year. Our celebration that night was to mark the end of another year, of another chapter of our lives. But, it more about the impending changes that would affect us all, and hopefully all for the better.

Skip ahead to last Wednesday. While Brett and I were catching up at the Cresskill Tavern, Rachel and their two young daughters were fast asleep back at Brett’s mom’s humble abode. It was surreal to pull into that driveway of that house I used to know so well, all those many moons ago. It was surreal to hug Brett, Rachel, Brett’s mom, and to finally meet the girls, each equipped with the sweetest, most innocent Australian accents.

arts & entertainment

This must be the place

Expires Jan. 31, 2022 Visit our website for more info on how we are being proactive to prevent the spread of Covid-19

828.944.0288 | MaggieValleyWellness.com 461 MOODY FARM ROAD, MAGGIE VALLEY

17

On the beat arts & entertainment

WCU to present Black Violin Kev Marcus and Wil Baptise of Black Violin.

Troy Underwood.

Lazy Hiker welcomes Underwood

January 19-25, 2022

Local singer-songwriter Troy Underwood will perform at 7 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 22, at Lazy Hiker Brewing in Franklin.

Underwood specializes in soul, rock and Americana music. You’ll hear an array of original material and some of your favorite cover melodies. Free and open to the public.

828.349.2337 or lazyhikerbrewing.com.

Shane Meade.

Folk, soul rolls into WNC

Smoky Mountain News

Popular Tampa, Florida, singer-songwriter Shane Meade will perform at 8 p.m.

Friday, Jan. 21, at Nantahala Brewing in Sylva. Meade will also hit the stage at 6 p.m.

Saturday, Jan 22, at Mountain Layers Brewing in Bryson City. Both shows are free and open to the public. nantahalabrewing.com or mountainlayersbrewingcompany.com.

Post-college, they reconvened to produce beats for South Florida rappers, and began building an audience in local clubs.

They later went on to win Showtime at the Apollo in 2005, and eventually sold-out headline performances at venues across the country, including a sold-out two-night headline run at The Kennedy Center in 2018. NPR took note and declared “their music will keep classical music alive for the next generation.” Black Violin’s latest release, “Take the Stairs,” earned a Grammy Award nomination for “Best Contemporary Instrumental Album.” Find further information and purchase tickets at. The BAC Box Office can be reached at 828.227.2479.

Masks are mandatory at all Western Carolina University in-person events, which include Bardo Arts Center Performance Hall.

WAYNESVILLE TIRE, INC. • • • • •

Tires Brakes Alignment Road Service Tractor Tires Authorized Motor Fleet Management Maintenance

18

With genre-bending original compositions, Black Violin will perform at 7:30 p.m.

Wednesday, Feb. 9, at the Bardo Arts Center Performance Hall at Western Carolina University.

Black Violin is composed of classically trained violist and violinist Wil Baptiste and Kev Marcus who combine their classical training and hip-hop influences to create a distinctive multi-genre sound that is often described as “classical boom.”

For 17 years, Black Violin has been merging string arrangements with modern beats and vocals and building bridges in communities along the way. Members Kev Marcus and Wil Baptiste first met in orchestra class at Dillard High School in Fort Lauderdale, becoming classically trained on the violin and viola through their high school and college careers.

M ONDAY-F RIDAY 7:30-5:00 • WAYNESVILLE P LAZA 828-456-5387 • WAYNESVILLETIRE . COM

Advertise your job openings!

Our February 16 issue will highlight the many career and job opportunities in our region.

If you would like to promote your position to 16,000 readers, please call our office at 828.452.4251 or email greg@smokymountainnews.com.

On the beat

• Blue Ridge Beer Hub (Waynesville) will host a semi-regular acoustic jam with the Main Street NoTones from 7 to 9 p.m. on Thursdays. Free and open to the public. blueridgebeerhub.com.

• Boojum Brewing (Waynesville) will host karaoke at 8:30 p.m. on Wednesdays, trivia at 7 p.m. on Thursdays and semi-regular live music on the weekends.

All shows begin at 9 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.246.0350 or boojumbrewing.com.

ALSO:

• The Classic Wineseller (Waynesville) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. All shows begin at 7 p.m. Limited seating. Reservations required.

828.452.6000 or classicwineseller.com.

• Cowee School Arts & Heritage Center will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. 828.369.4080 or coweeschool.org.

• Currahee Brewing (Franklin) will host semiregular live music on the weekends.

828.634.0078 or curraheebrew.com.

• Frog Level Brewing (Waynesville) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. All shows begin at 6 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public.

828.454.5664 or froglevelbrewing.com.

• Innovation Brewing (Sylva) will host Lilah Price (singer-songwriter) Jan. 20, WNC Artist Spotlight Open Mic Jan. 26 and Rossdafareye (roots/soul) Jan. 28. All events begin at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. innovation-brewing.com.

• Lazy Hiker Brewing (Franklin) will host Troy Underwood (singer-songwriter) Jan. 22. All

• Lazy Hiker Brewing (Sylva) will host Prophets of Time Jan. 28. All shows begin at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.349.2337 or lazyhikerbrewing.com.

Ballroom

• Mountain Layers Brewing (Bryson City) will host Aly Jordan (singer-songwriter) Jan. 21, Shane Meade (roots/soul) Jan. 22 and Alma Russ (Americana/roots) Jan. 29. All shows begin at 6 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.538.0115 or mountainlayersbrewingcompany.com.

• Nantahala Brewing (Sylva) will host Shane Meade (soul/roots) Jan. 21. All shows are free and begin at 8 p.m. 828.641.9797 or nantahalabrewing.com.

• Rathskeller Coffee Haus & Pub (Franklin) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. Shows begin at 8 p.m. Free and open to the public. rathskellerfranklin.com.

Grand

Book Your Holiday Party Space Now

!

THE 37 VENUE . COM E V E N T S @ T H E 37 V E N U E . C O M

FOLLOW US AT

• Satulah Mountain Brewing (Highlands) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. 828.482.9794 or satulahmountainbrewing.com.

@SMOKYMOUNTAINNEWS

• Southern Porch (Canton) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends.

828.492.8009 or southern-porch.com.

• The Ugly Dog Pub (Cashiers) will host semiregular live music on the weekends.

828.743.3000 or theuglydogpub.com.

• The Ugly Dog Pub (Highlands) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends.

828.526.8364 or theuglydogpub.com.

• Unplugged Pub (Bryson City) will host Live Karaoke in the Smokies Jan. 20, The Caribbean Cowboys Jan. 21 and Carolina Freightshakers Jan. 22. All shows begin at 8 p.m. Free and open to the public.

828.538.2488.

• Valley Tavern (Maggie Valley) will host Craig (singer-songwriter) at 6 p.m. Jan. 27.

828.926.7440 or valley-tavern.com.

• Water’n Hole Bar & Grill (Waynesville) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends and an “Emo Night Dance Party” at 9 p.m. Feb. 12. 828.456.4750 or facebook.com/waternhole.bar.

• Whiteside Brewing (Cashiers) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends.

828.743.6000 or whitesidebrewing.com.

@SmokyMtnNews

e Reciev

$

250

g*

in At Clos

* $250 awarded at closing of Mortgage Eliminator. No cash value

8 Locations Serving you in Western North Carolina 1700 Russ Avenue, Waynesville, NC · 452-2216 219 Haywood Street, Asheville, NC · 252-8234 1453 Sand Hill Road, Candler, NC · 667-7245 3270 Hendersonville Road, Fletcher, NC · 684-9999 746 East Main Street, Franklin, NC · 524-4464 8005 NC Highway 141, Murphy, NC · 837-0460 30 Highway 107, Sylva, NC · 586-0425 3533 US 441 North, Whittier, NC · 497-6211

Local Decisions | Local Offices | Local people | Local Commitment

Smoky Mountain News

• Innovation Station (Dillsboro) will host “Divas On Tap Disco Night” at 8:30 p.m. Jan. 22, “Let’s Build A Snowman” noon Jan. 29 and semi-regular live music on the weekends. All events are free and begin at 2 p.m. unless otherwise noted.

Innovation-brewing.com.

Western North Carolina’s

January 19-25, 2022

• Elevated Mountain Distilling Company will host an Open Mic Night 7 to 9 p.m. on Wednesdays and semi-regular live music on the weekends. Free and open to the public.

828.734.1084 or elevatedmountain.com.

shows begin at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public.

828.349.2337 or lazyhikerbrewing.com.

arts & entertainment

• Balsam Falls Brewing (Sylva) will host an open mic from 8 to 10 p.m. every Thursday.

Free and open to the public. 828.631.1987 or balsamfallsbrewing.com.

Proudly Home to

19

On the wall arts & entertainment

Open call for grassroots grant

Want to paint, sip craft beer?

January 19-25, 2022

Robin Arramae of WNC Paint Events will be continuing her fun paint nights to bring you not only a “night out” but an experience that lifts your spirits.

Join others as Arramae shows you step-by-step how to paint a beginner level painting of the evening as you sip on your favorite local craft beer. This two-hour event should have you feeling better than you felt before you came. And you leave with a painting you created.

Events will be held at the following locations: 828 Market on Main (Waynesville), Balsam Falls Brewing (Sylva), BearWaters Brewing (Canton) and Mountain Layers Brewing (Bryson City).

Visit WNC Paint Events (@paintwnc) Facebook page, under “Events” for date and time of upcoming events. For pictures of previous events visit Arramae’s Instagram: @wnc_paint_events.

For pricing and to sign up, text Arramae at 828.400.9560. Space is limited. Drinks sold separately.

The Haywood County Arts Council (HCAC) in Waynesville is now accepting applications for grants funded by the Grassroots Arts Program.

Since 1977, the North Carolina Arts Council’s Grassroots Arts Program has provided North Carolina citizens access to quality arts experiences. Using a per capita based formula, the program provides funding for the arts in all 100 counties of the state through partnerships with local arts councils.

“The Grassroots Arts Program funding is a particularly good source of funding because it helps pay for operational costs, which is often not the case with grant funds,” said HCAC Executive Director Morgan Beryl. “We encourage organizations to apply for activities that they are already conducting so the funds can help to subsidize planned activities rather than create more work by creating a whole new program.”

Applications are available for nonprofit organizations whose purpose is to promote and develop diverse cultural arts programming in Haywood County.

Funding priority is given to qualified arts organizations such as theaters, galleries, choral societies, festivals, arts in education programs conducted by qualified artists, and other community organizations that provide arts programs in the county.

Grassroots funds are not generally awarded to arts organizations that already receive funding from the North Carolina Arts Council. Projects must occur between July 1, 2021-June 30, 2022.

Grant application requirements and the application can be found on HCAC’s grant webpage:. The application form is a fillable PDF. Applicants should download, fill out and email the final application to

director@haywoodarts.org with the subject line: Grassroot Application/Organization Name.

All applications must be provided via email no later than 11:59 p.m. Jan. 31. No hard copies will not be accepted. haywoodarts.org.

• Haywood County Arts Council (Waynesville) is currently seeking one or more gallery interns with a passion for the arts and interest in learning about the administration of a small nonprofit. Send cover letters and resumes to HCAC Executive Director Morgan Beryl at director@haywoodarts.org.

ALSO:

• Cold Mountain Art Collective (Canton) will host “unWIND: Mommy’s Night Out” from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, Jan. 21, where you can join other local mommas for a night out painting your own ceramic wine cup. coldmountain artcollective.com/events.

• “Thursday Painters” group will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Thursdays at The Uptown Gallery in Franklin. Free and open to the public. All skill levels and mediums are welcome. Participants are responsible for their own project and a bag lunch. For more information, call The Uptown Gallery at 828.349.4607 or contact Pat Mennenger at pm14034@yahoo.com.

• A “Foreign Film Series” will be held at the Jackson County Public Library in Sylva. Each month, on the second and fourth Friday, two movies from around the globe will be shown.

This program is in the Community Room and is free of charge. Masks are required in all Jackson County buildings. To find out what movie will be shown and/or for more information, call the library at 828.586.2016.

On the stage

Smoky Mountain News

HART kicks off winter shows

Real Experience. Real Service. Real Results.

828.452.3727

www.TheRealTeamNC.com

RE/MAX 20

EXECUTIVE

71 North Main Street Waynesville

The “Winter Studio Season” will open with Wendy MacLeod’s comedy “Slow Food” at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 21-22 and 2 p.m.

Jan. 23 at the Haywood Arts Regional Theatre in Waynesville.

Lyn Donley, Stephen A. Gonya and Ariel Killillay are featured in the production, under the direction of HART Executive Director Steve Lloyd.

This production had one prior performance on March 13, 2020. At the time the cast expected to be able to return after a few weeks. That didn’t happen, with the cast waiting two years to bring the show back.

In recognition of the continuing increase in COVID-19 positives, seating will be socially distanced in the same man-

ner as created for last spring’s production of “Say Goodnight Gracie,” with parties at tables six feet apart.

The setting, a Greek restaurant in Palm Springs, on a Sunday night. A couple celebrating their anniversary have found the only place still serving, and they are starving after flying from the east coast. What they don’t realize is that they have entered a kind of twilight zone — where an overly accommodating waiter never seems to be willing to actually take their order.

Hold over performances will be the following weekend. To make a reservation, call the HART Box Office at 828.456.6322 anytime and simply leave your name, phone number, the number of tickets you need and the performance you wish to attend.

Seating is general admission, but reservations are recommended. To reserve tickets online, click on harttheatre.org.

On the shelf

Thomas Crowe

I

became aware of what needed to be done to let the rest of the world know that Indians had rights, too. Alcatraz articulated my own feelings about being an Indian.”

Wilma Mankiller returned to Oklahoma in 1977. From her experiences on the West

Your Hometown Bookstore since 2007

Magazines & Newspapers 428 HAZELWOOD Ave.

Waynesville • 456-6000 MON-FRI 9-5:30 | SAT 9-3

Now Accepting New Patients!

Specializing in Pediatric Dentistry for Infants, Kids, Special Needs & Teens

Asheville 828-274-9220 Waynesville 828-454-9156 Sylva 828-586-9333 Drs. Chambers, Baechtold, Haldeman, Pratt, Chambers, Hogue, Blackman, Wyble & Chadwick

Orthodontic Specialists for Kids, Teens & Adults

Smoky Mountain News

Coast and her new understandings and passions, she began work for social programs and positions in Cherokee tribal government which lasted for about 10 years. From elders and spiritual teachers she learned and adopted “a Cherokee approach” to life.

“They say that this means being of good mind,” as Herda writes. “That means one has to think positively, to take what is handed out and turn it into a better path.”

And this is just the approach Wilma Mankiller took. She married Charlie Soap, a Cherokee traditionalist, who would remain her supportive and faithful husband for the rest of her life, and in 1987 she decided to run for and was elected tribal chief of the Cherokee Nation; the first woman in Cherokee history to have been honored with this position. As Principal Chief, she said she wanted to be remembered for being fortunate enough to have become her tribe’s first female chief and for emphasizing the fact that Native Americans have indigenous solutions to their own problems by helping one another and of their interconnectedness with the land and to “hold on to our lan-

guage, our ceremonies, our culture.”

The remaining 80 pages of the book is an homage to Mankiller’s long list of accomplishments, accolades and awards. During her 10 years as tribal chief, she met with three presidents, lobbied Congress for everything from health clinics to the national Head Start programs, and received more awards than most people could imagine.

In 1996 she decided to step down from her position due mainly to serious health problems that would plague her for the rest of her life. In that same year, she accepted a prestigous Fellowship at Dartmouth College; and in 1998 she was honored at the White House by President Clinton with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor.

More honors came her way as the years went by until her early demise in 2008.

As the book’s author Herda summarizes toward the end of the book: “Life to Wilma Mankiller was precious, but not so much as what she did with it. Living for the sake of breathing and taking up space was not her idea of living. Within her own ranks and social hierarchy, she was a mover and a shaker, a doer and a leader. She was and always would be, first and foremost, a chief.”

In 1993 Wilma Mankiller cited a Native American prophecy, saying “this is the ‘time of the women,’ a time when women’s leadership skills are needed.” In the words of her longtime good friend and feminist Gloria Steinem: “Wilma Mankiller was a fighter for freedom and justice. There is simply no other, no better way to describe her. And for that she will always be appreciated, lauded, revered and remembered.”

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

January 19-25, 2022

was recently gifted with the loan of a book from my friend Lee Knight titled “Wilma Mankiller,” (TWODOT Books, 2021) written by journalist and biographer D.J. Herda. As a traveling lecturer for the Road Scholar Program, Lee had finished reading it and thought I might find it interesting. I had read, some years ago, Wilma Mankiller’s autobiography and found it fascinating.

But Herda’s biography on the first female chief of the Writer Cherokee Nation was perhaps even better due to its objective and historic perspective and its point of view. Oh, and incidentally, it’s a national bestseller.

The life of Wilma Mankiller is as fascinating as it is remarkable. She was born into a racially-mixed community in southern Georgia and as a toddler moved to the Cherokee reservation in Talequah, Oklahoma, with her family, spent her teens and early twenties in San Francisco and moved back to Talequah as a young adult where she spent the remainder of her life. As a person who didn’t like school early on with all the rote memorization and what she considered unimportant subject matter, she was and remained for most of her life someone who was self-taught and on a quest as a young person to, as she put it, “do what you do best.”

And what she did best, starting in the 1960s and 1970s, was to learn from her elders and others who were considered to be leaders and activists, which included such people that were part of the American Indian Movement (AIM) as Dennis Banks, Russell Means, Clyde Bellecourt, Leonard Crow Dog, Richard Oakes and John Trudell.

She participated in AIM meetings and later in the Native American occupation of Alcatraz Island in the San Francsico Bay. During those formative years in the 1970s, she also worked for the San Francisco Indian Center, the Native American Youth Center, the Pitt River Land Case while auditing history and law classes at San Francisco State University. While having a rough introduction to city life on the West Coast, she adapted and made the most of her years there.

As Herda explains: “‘The Center,’ as it was called, was a place for Indians from all tribes to call their home away from home.

Everyone who went there shared at least some life experiences; some shared nearly all. Here, Wilma started to feel the strength of the pull of the bonds that had existed between herself and other Cherokee people for centuries — their mutual history, experiences, and traditions.”

Or, in her own words and as is quoted by Herda in the “Wilma Mankiller” biography: “When the Alcatraz occupation occurred, I

arts & entertainment

Exploring the life of Cherokee’s first female chief

Asheville 828-274-8822 Waynesville 828-407-4034 Sylva 828-586-9333 Reynolds Mountain 828-785-5825

BeGreatDental.com

21

22

Outdoors

Smoky Mountain News

Riders sweep down Upper Snowbird at Cataloochee Ski Area. Holly Kays photos

Along for the ride Cataloochee thrives amid warm weather, pandemic adaptations

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER un is shifting in and out of the clouds covering Cataloochee Ski Area on Friday, Jan. 14, as I catch a ride to the top of Easy Way with Greenville, South Carolina, resident William Oliver. It’s my first

S

run of the day, but he’s been riding for a while now — and after the warm weather and closures that plagued eastern ski resorts in December, he’s enthusiastic about today’s snow report.

“It was really frustrating looking at the resorts not being able to get snow, not being able to get open,” Oliver said. “So once they opened — I mean, today's a perfect example.

A lot of snow, a reasonable crowd, but no long lift lines. It was the same at Sugar (Mountain Resort) last weekend so yes, it’s turned out pretty good if we just keep it.”

A skier enjoys a fast ride down the slopes.

At 67, Oliver is only three years into his skiing career, having taken up the sport later in life as a way to connect with his son. Now, Maggie Valley’s Cataloochee is an integral part of his experience in the winter months.

“Conditions are great,” he says before gliding off to the rest of his day. “No icy spots.

There's enough of the snow they made that that makes it really, really nice.”

I ski off to my own downhill adventure and quickly find myself in agreement with Oliver. It’s 32 degrees outside, colder higher up the mountain, with a base more than 3 feet deep. The loose snow covering the harderpacked base layer makes for easy, exhilarating skiing as I shoot down the mountain.

Warm-up complete, I head off in search of a higher lift. It’s been two years since I’ve worn downhill skis, but the proverb about never forgetting how to ride a bike applies to skiing too. In a couple runs, I’m sweeping down Omigosh with confidence, savoring the sensations of clean air whisking my cheeks, skis cutting the snow and speed gathering into a controlled exhilaration that carries me safely down the mountain, again and again and again.

It’s a perfect day at Cataloochee, an enjoyable and also surprising discovery given the situation on the mountain just a couple weeks earlier. After opening for the season Nov. 20, the ski resort battled warm weather throughout December that ultimately forced it to close from Dec. 29 through Jan. 3 — a week when many Americans were on vacation and hungry for a day on the slopes.

BLOWING SNOW Now in its 61st season, Cataloochee Ski Area has been in business long enough to see plenty of ups, downs, opportunities and challenges to its Haywood County operation and to the industry overall, but the last few years have thrown some startling curve balls.

A warming climate is one such challenge.

Globally, the last seven years have been the hottest on record. On Christmas Day 2021,

the National Weather Service logged a high of 71 degrees, a record temperature for Dec. 25 that topped the previous record of 67 degrees — set just six years ago, in 2015.

But those stats don’t worry Cataloochee General Manager Chris Bates, at least as it relates to the ski resort’s viability. In fact, he said, despite warmer weather it’s easier to stay profitable now than it was during earlier, colder years of the ski resort’s history.

“I think in a lot of cases it’s become easier because we’ve got a lot more equipment that lets us do the job today than we did 20 years ago,” he said.

Snowmaking technology allows Cataloochee to dance with the forecast in ways it couldn’t back then. The resort has invested millions of dollars in snowmaking equipment, and it employs an award-winning snowmaking team. Warm weather hurts, but Cataloochee can recover fast once cooler temperatures return.

“We can go from green grass to skiing in eight to 12 hours of snowmaking,” Bates said.

Even with the Christmas week closure, Cataloochee is now on day 56 of skiing for the season.

“That’s not a bad spot to be in,” said Bates. On average, the resort offers 120-some days of skiing and snowboarding each season.

“I think we’ll hit that without a problem,” he said.

ADAPTING FOR COVID The COVID-19 pandemic is another challenge that has forced Cataloochee to adapt.

The resort is now in its third season since the virus arrived to the U.S. in early 2020. At that time, the resort responded by ending its season early, calling it quits on Sunday, March 15. But before the 2020-2021 season rolled around, Cataloochee developed a plan, and many elements of that plan are still in place now. The ski resort limits the number of tickets it sells each day to reduce crowding at lift lines, and it’s removed indoor seating from the lodge. There’s also a

F

A view of Cataloochee Ski Area spreads out below the Omigosh lift line.

Cades Cove vehicle-free day now permanent

Kids in the Creek &

Environmental Education Take The Plunge OR Take The Plunge OUR TRADITIONAL PLUNGE CHALLENGE Saturday, February 12

Anytime you're ready!

11:30AM TO 1PM

Individuals and Teams Find a place to plunge

Lake Junaluska Aquatics Center Pool

77 Memory Ln., Lake Junaluska, NC 28745

Reserve your spot today!

• Register Online or Day-Of (opens at 10AM)

• Plunge to your favorite tune courtesy of DJ Master P

your bathtub, a kiddie pool, your front yard with a hose, or a local waterway, anything counts as long as that water is cold!

Challenge Friends & Family to participate or form a team. Record your plunge and enter Best Plunge and Best Costume Awards.

Register, donate and find all information at

haywoodwaterways.org/theplunge

828.476.4667 info@haywoodwaterways.org Haywood Waterways Association is a 501(c)(3) not for profit organization.

January 19-25, 2022

to do things that we’ve learned from, that I think the net result is positive, and if COVID went away I wouldn’t change that.”

FALLING IN LOVE WITH SKIING The snow covering the slopes visible through the window of Bates’ second-floor office when we spoke Jan. 14 was all the result of mechanical productivity, but a day later, clouds rolled in, snow fell, and by Sunday morning a thick blanket of new powder covered the entire mountain region.

Those lucky enough to have a ticket for Cataloochee last weekend got the once-in-ablue-moon chance to ride down slopes buried under a full foot of natural snow, a strong enough dose of winter to make the absurdly sunny-and-70 days of December a distant memory against the ephemeral, unmatchable excitement of a mountain snow day.

And that, said Bates, is the mission Cataloochee exists to fulfill.

“It’s all about getting people outside to enjoy a winter activity, and a sport that they may never have experienced before,” he said. “That’s what I look forward to — is the people coming in the first time and going out here and falling in love skiing like I did almost 50 years ago.”

Smoky Mountain News

new air handling system in place that does four air changes per hour inside public buildings.

While planning and enacting those changes has been a challenge, Bates stopped short of saying they’ve negatively impacted the business.

“Outside of the health issues, I don’t see that COVID has been a big negative (to Cataloochee),” he said.

In particular, he said, limiting daily ticket sales isn’t something that the resort would have ever put in place outside the demands of the pandemic, but the measure has proven so successful he plans to keep it in place even after the pandemic itself fades away.

“Instead of having a business that peaked on Saturday, now we have a business with less people here on Saturday but more people here other days of the week,” he said.

Limiting tickets hasn’t negatively affected profits, he said, but it has positively impacted visitor experience and operational logistics.

“It’s a lot easier to staff when you have a more steady supply,” he said. “You know who’s coming on days. It’s easier to plan.

There’s a lot of good out of it. I’m not saying COVID’s good. I’m saying COVID forced us

Benefit-t-t-ting

outdoors

After making big changes through pilot projreservations funded parking lot staff, on-site ects at Cades Cove Loop Road and Laurel Falls portable toilets, roadside signs and barriers.

Trail, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park However, the park won’t make any decisions on received positive feedback in recently assessed permanent solutions at Laurel Falls before its monitoring data, leading to a decision to make current Laurel Falls Trail Management Plan the vehicle-free Wednesdays at Cades Cove a Environmental Assessment is complete. Until permanent fixture going forward. In 2022, vehithen, no reservation or shuttle systems are cle-free Wednesdays will be offered May 4 planned for Laurel Falls. through Sept. 28.

Overall, visitors experienced fewer litter and Last year was the second for the Cades Cove crowding issues during the pilot. A average of Vehicle-Free Day pilot project, with motor vehicles prohibited from the popular area Wednesdays between May and September in order to allow cyclists and pedestrians to better enjoy the area. In 2021, 84% of visitors provided supportive comments, with 42% requesting Cyclists photograph a rainbow more vehicle-free over Cades Cove during a opportunities in Wednesday ride. NPS photo Cades Cove. On average, 1,296 visitors participated each Wednesday between May 5 and Sept. 1, with less than one grocery bag of trash was a col44% walking and 56% cycling Loop Road. lected by volunteers during a six-hour shift, The full-day approach combined with ondown significantly from an average of 2.2 bags site parking management allowed better access prior to the pilot. and opportunity for visitors to enjoy the experiThe Laurel Falls Trail Management Plan EA ence throughout the day. Parking was available will consider management strategies such as 82% of the time, but parking lots were conthose employed during the pilot project. Park stantly full during the morning hours. managers plan to hold a public scoping period At Laurel Falls, 91% of commenters supfor the EA by early summer and then release the ported that pilot project, which allowed trailEA for public comment later in the year. Specific head parking by reservation only, with shuttle dates for these public comment periods will be buses available too. Fees from the parking announced at a later date.

1819 COUNTRY CLUB DR. | MAGGIE VALLEY | M AG G I E VA LLEY C LU B . CO M

23

outdoors

Hike Warwoman Dell Explore Warwoman Dell with a moderate 3-mile hike led by the Nantahala Hiking Club at 1 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 23.

The group will meet in the north end of the Ingles parking lot in Clayton, Georgia, and carpool to the trailhead about 5 miles away from U.S. 441. There is no charge and no reservation requirement, with visitors are welcome, as are well-behaved dogs. Bring food and fluids as needed.

For more information or foul weather updates, contact David Stearns at 828.349.7361.

Tie Appalachian flies

Smoky Mountain News

January 19-25, 2022

A nine-week fly tying course will start Monday, Jan. 24, at the Folkmoot Center in Waynesville.

Held each 4 to 6 p.m. each week, the class will teach participants to tie flies specific to Western North Carolina.

Offered through Haywood County Recreation, the class costs $30, which includes equipment and supplies. Space limited. Call 828.452.6789 to sign up.

24

Haywood SAR team completes snowy rescue A hiker stranded along the Art Loeb Trail during the weekend snowstorm is now home safe thanks to a successful effort from Haywood County Search and Rescue’s Mountain Rescue Team.

The hiker rescued near the Shining Rock Wilderness area of the trail on Sunday, Jan. 16, had planned to hike and camp along the popular Art Loeb Trail. But as conditions worsened, he called for help getting back as he came to fear that weather conditions would be more than he was prepared to handle.

The call went out around 10:15 a.m.

Sunday morning notifying rescue teams of a potentially stranded hiker. By 11:30 a.m. teams were heading up the mountain on the Blue Ridge Parkway toward their entry point at the Black Balsam trailhead. Road conditions were treacherous, with less than 100 feet of visibility and a wintry mix of sleet and snow falling.

The Blue Ridge Parkway has been closed to all but emergency vehicles for several days in anticipation of winter weather. This time of year the Parkway frequently ices over in spots that do not get much sunlight, making driving even on clear days potentially dangerous.

Upon arriving at the trailhead, the team traveled by 4WD truck for about 2 miles down Ivestor Gap Road. When conditions became too difficult to drive, they donned snowshoes and traveled on foot to reach the

Rescuers Nancy East, Kyle James, Graham Ebaugh, David Blackburn and Eric Sollie pause for a photo in the snowstorm. Rescuer David Walker is not pictured. Donated photo hiker.

The hiker was in good spirits despite the long night he just endured and was able to walk out on his own power alongside the team of rescuers.

Six members of Haywood County Search and Rescue’s highly-trained Mountain Rescue Team participated in the search. Mountain Rescue Team members receive intensive alpine rescue training specifically designed to challenge individuals to prepare them for winter rescue scenarios exactly like those they encountered on this mission.

Haywood County Search and Rescue’s roster has several members who are Mountain Search and Rescue trained. Team Leader Kyle James, who participated in this rescue, is also a mountain rescue instructor for the state of North Carolina.

The rescuers also received logistical support from Lake Logan Fire Department, Haywood County Emergency Services and Haywood County Emergency Management.

Other area mountain search and rescue teams were on standby as well, although they were not needed to complete the rescue.

• The following roads are closed through Sept.

1: the western half of Dobson Knob (FSR 106) at the second gate, Pearcy Creek (FSR 4101) and Carrol Creek (FSR 4096).

• The following roads are closed indefinitely due to storm damage: Schoolhouse Ridge (FSR 4068), Jarrett Creek (FSR 4030), Marks Mountain (FSR 451), Big Chestnut (FSR 198), Craig Creek/Mortimer-Piedmont (FSR 982) and Old House Gap (FSR 192), which is also closed for natural resource protection and maintenance.

PISGAH NATIONAL FOREST

Nantahala Ranger District • The following roads are closed through April 1: Boardtree (FSR 388), Deep Gap (FSR 71), Shingletree (FSR 713), Shope Fork (FSR 751), Connelly Creek (FSR 86 through Alarka-Laurel), Winding Stairs (FSR 422), Big Creek (FSR 4567), Moses Creek (FSR 4651), Sugar Creek (FSR 4665), Wolf Mountain (FSR 4663C), Beech Flats (FSR 4668), Upper Nantahala (FSR 67), Shingletree (FSR 713), Ball Creek (FSR 83), Wayah Bald (FSR 69), Little Yellow Mountain (FSR 367), Cold Spring Gap (FSR 4663), Old Bald Road (FSR 4652), Gage Creek (FSR 4648), Charley Knob (FSR 4654).

Pisgah Ranger District • Lickstone Road (FSR 97) is closed through Sept. 1 and Investor Gap Gate (FSR 816) is closed through Aug. 15.

Appalachian Ranger District • The following roads are closed through April 2: Big Ivy (FSR 74), Stony Fork (FSR 63), Cataloochee (FSR 3549), Hickey Fork (FSR 3549), South Toe River (FSR 472) Neals Creek (FSR 2074), Flat Top (FSR 278), Hurricane Gap (FSR 467), Rich Mountain Fire Tower (FSR 467A), Long Arm (FSR 287) and Mills Ridge (FSR 113).

Tusquitee Ranger District • The following roads are closed through April 1: Bear Paw (FSR 435), Cherokee Lake (FSR 313), Deep Gap (FSR 71), Nelson Ridge (FSR 351), Perry Gap (FSR 350), Powerline Cove (FSR 6020), Tellico River (FSR 420-5), Beech Creek (FSR 307), Chambers Creek (FSR 2071), Derreberry Gap (FSR 614B), Panther Gap (FSR 85A), Persimmon Creek (FSR 651), Stateline Loop (FSR 420-6), Tuni Gap (FSR 440), Tatham Gap/Long Creek (FSR 423).

Cheoah Ranger District • The following roads are closed through April 1: Big Fat (FSR 62), Tatham Gap/Long Creek (FSR 423), Santeelah Creek (FSR 81), Farley Cove (FSR 407), Long Hungry (FSR 1127).

Parkway pipeline proposal open for comment An energy company hopes to build 760 feet of pipeline beneath the Blue Ridge Parkway in Buncombe County, and the National Park Service is accepting public comment on the issue through Feb. 5.

Dominion Energy North Carolina hopes to construct, operate and maintain the pipeline near Milepost 393.3, just north of the N.C. 191 intersection. The proposed pipeline segment is part of a natural gas pipeline DENC is building

in the area to reduce pressure on an aging segment of its existing pipeline network, which can then be repurposed from transmission service to lower-pressure distribution service to increase the reliability of natural gas service in the area.

A draft Environmental Assessment evaluating impacts from the proposed right of way permit and a comment portal are both available at parkplanning.nps.gov/dominiont2rowbuncombe.

wikipedia.org photo

bit.ly/3fjSdu0 and join the meeting using information in the confirmation email.

Indicate during registration whether you desire to speak.

Written comments will be accepted through 11:59 p.m. Feb. 10 and can be submitted at regulations.gov/docket/FWS-R4-ES2020-0109, or mailed to Public Comments Processing, Attn: FWS R4 ES 2020 0109, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, MS: PRB/3W, 5275 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA 22041 3803.

Expect delays on Gatlinburg Spur Temporary, single-lane closures will be in place along the Spur between Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge through noon Friday, Jan. 28, for tree removal operations.

Crews will begin operations in the southbound section and then progress to the northbound section. The closures will be in effect 7 a.m. through 5:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday each week. The road will remain open, but motorists should expect delays.

SNOW REPORT 18 Trails Open 3 Aerial Lifts 2 Surface Lift 34 - 46 Inch Base Weekdays: 9:00am – 10:00pm Weekends: 8:30am – 10:00pm

Smoky Mountain News

Grandfather Ranger District • The following roads and recreation areas area closed through April 1: Curtis Creek Campground and Road (FSR 482), New Ginger Cake (FSR 496), Thunder Hole (FSR 4071), Steels Creek (FSR 228), Lost Cove (FSR 464A), Brown Mountain OHV Area (FSR 299) and Table Rock Picnic Area (FSR 99).

NANTAHALA NATIONAL FOREST

A virtual public hearing at 6 p.m.

Wednesday, Jan. 26, will take public input on a proposal to remove the ivory-billed woodpecker from the Federal List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife due to the fact that it is extinct.

The Endangered Species Act of 1973 requires that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service delist species whose populations have either recovered or become extinct so that resources can be better allocated to the species that remain threatened or endangered. Of the species listed, extinction has been prevented in 99%. A five-year review of the ivory-billed woodpecker’s status was published in 2019 and is available at bit.ly/339Z6vG. The ivory-billed woodpecker was one of 23 species proposed for delisting due to extinction in September, but the USFWS reopened the comment period and scheduled a hearing for the ivory-billed woodpecker only because the agency received a request to hold a public

January 19-25, 2022

Seasonal closures in the Pisgah and Nantahala National Forests have begun, with affected roads closed to motorized vehicles through April. Planned opening dates may change depending on weather.

These closures help reduce road maintenance costs and decrease wildlife disturbance, allowing the animals to conserve energy while food is scarce. During long bouts of adverse weather, roads may also be closed to protect public safety. Emergency closures can occur at any time. Contact the district ranger office for information about current road conditions.

hearing. The ESA requires that the agency hold a hearing if a request is received within 45 days of the proposed delisting rule being proposed.

The hearing will be held via Zoom and teleconference. Register to attend at

outdoors

National forests announce seasonal road closures

Hearing planned for proposed ivory-billed woodpecker delisting

FACE COVERINGS REQUIRED

Snow conditions can change quickly visit: cataloochee.com for the most up to date conditions

25

outdoors

FREE

ESTIMATES

HaywoodBuilders.com 100 Charles St. WAYNESVILLE

Don’t live with pain, we have solutions.

Call us today for an appointment.

January 19-25, 2022

WE ARE ACCEPTING NEW PATIENTS

Dr. William Banks

Dr. Robert Przynosch

Dr. Robert DelBene

Dr. Dennis Dawson

Dr. Ma Davis

smokymountainfootclinic.com Smoky Mountain News

MEDICARE PROVIDERS & MOST OTHER INSURANCES ACCEPTED

26

Mainspring receives accreditation renewal Mainspring Conservation Trust has earned renewal of its national land trust accreditation through the Land Trust Alliance, remaining part of the nationwide network of more than 450 accredited land trusts.

Nationally accredited since 2010, Mainspring is required to provide extensive documentation and is subject to a comprehensive third-party evaluation in order to achieve the distinction. Accredited land

Call Us to Make an Appointment Today.

289 Access Road, Waynesville " 452'4343 32 Asheville Hwy, Sylva " 586'8950 188 Georgia Road, Franklin " 349'4534 49 McDowell Street, Asheville " 254'7716 35 NC Hwy 141, Murphy " 835'8389

Mainspring has conserved more than 29,000 acres in the Southern Blue Ridge. Ralph Preston photo

Puzzles can be found on page 30 These are only the answers.

trusts now steward nearly 20 million acres — the size of Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Rhode Island combined.

Mainspring is one of 1,363 land trusts across the United States, according to the Land Trust Alliance’s most recent National Land Trust Census. Founded in 1997 as Land Trust for the Little Tennessee, Mainspring has conserved more than 29,000 acres in North Carolina’s six westernmost counties and in northern Rabun County, Georgia.

Drought conditions recede The drought that gripped North Carolina through much of December is now on its way out, with most of the far western region back to normal moisture levels after a wet start to January.

As of Jan. 11, Waynesville had received 4.39 inches of rain so far in January — that amount does not include snowfall from last weekend’s storm.

According to the N.C. Drought Monitor map released Jan. 13, only Robeson County remains in severe drought, with 59 counties in moderate drought and 36 abnormally dry. Abnormally dry counties include parts of Buncombe, Cherokee, Clay, Haywood, Jackson and Transylvania counties.

Swain, Macon and Graham counties are not below normal moisture levels.

By contrast, the Dec. 28 map listed 50 counties in severe drought, 36 in moderate drought and 14 abnormally dry.

Outdoor Economy Conference coming this spring The 2022 Outdoor Economy Conference is less than three months away, scheduled for April 4-7 at the new Cherokee Convention Center in Cherokee.

With an overall theme “Stewards of Opportunity,” the conference will feature keynote speakers, panels, outdoor experiences and breakout sessions built around four distinct conference tracks: sustainable outdoor recreation tourism, outdoor-dri-

ven economic development, balancing conservation and the outdoor economy and responsible outdoor product innovation.

New this year will be an expo space, fullday trail development workshop and handson field excursions. Early bird pricing of $400 for the full, four-day conference is available through Feb. 28.

Find out more at outdooreconomy.org.

find us at: facebook.com/smnews

WNC Calendar COMMUNITY EVENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS • The Jackson County Farmers Market meets every Saturday November through March 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and April through October 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Bridge Park in Sylva, 110 Railroad St. Fresh, locally grown seasonal vegetables, locally produced meat, eggs, fresh bread and pastries, coffee, foraged mushrooms, flowers, starter plants for the garden, honey, jams and jellies, local artisans and more. Special events listed on facebook and instagram.

Smoky Mountain News

n All phone numbers area code 828 unless otherwise noted. n To have your item listed email to calendar@smokymountainnews.com that you wear a mask if you are not vaccinated.

• Narcotics Anonymous meetings are back "live" in-person after a year of being on Zoom only. Local meetings are 12 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays at Sylva First United Methodist Church in downtown Sylva. Entrance at back of building.

BUSINESS & EDUCATION • The Western North Carolina Historical Association will host “Vaccines and Public Health in WNC - Past and Present” from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 20, via Zoom.

This program is free and open to the public — donations are accepted. Participants will receive a Zoom link via email to join. Register at https://www.wnchistory.org/events/ • Indivisible Swain County NC will hold a meeting at 7 p.m. Monday, Jan. 24, via Zoom. Agenda items include action steps for priorities for 2022. All are welcome to join and share concerns and ideas. If you are interested in attending, email maryherr2017@gmail.com for a link or call 828.497.9498.

• The Franklin Amateur Radio Club will participate in the annual Winter Field Day, an exercise in emergency radio communications in a winter environment in order to maintain operating skills in amateur radio. This is an annual happening across all 50 states. The event begins at noon on Jan. 29, at the East Franklin Baptist Church Fellowship Hall at 2057 Lakeside Drive.

Everyone is invited.

HEALTH AND WELLNESS • Free Yoga will be hosted by Beyond Bending Yoga from 5:15 to 6:15 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 19, at the Macon County Public Library in the Public Meeting Room. Register at https://beyondbendingyoga.com/schedule/ to ensure safe numbers.

• A free community class on substance use, misuse and the opioid crisis will be held from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m.

Jan. 19, in the Macon County Public Library Meeting Room. Register ahead by calling or emailing Kristina Moe at 828.524.3600 or kmoe@fontanalib.org.

RECREATION AND FITNESS • The Waynesville Parks and Recreation Department will offer a trip to tour the Basilica of St. Lawrence and the Grove Arcade in Asheville. The trip will take place from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan.27. The cost is $10 per person and this does not include lunch. For more information or to register, please call the Waynesville Recreation Center at 828.456.2030 or email mgaddis@waynesvillenc.gov

SUPPORT GROUPS • Dementia Caregivers Support Group, for those providing care for folks who are dealing with dementia, meets from 4:30 to 6 p.m. on the fourth Tuesday of every month at the Haywood Senior Resource Center (81 Elmwood Way, Waynesville). For additional information call 828.476.7985.

• Al-Anon, for families and friends of alcoholics, meets every Monday night from 7-8 p.m. at First United Methodist Church, 77 Jackson St., Sylva. Enter at front of church through the door to the left of the sanctuary; meeting is first door on the right. The Church requests

FOOD AND DRINK • “Flights & Bites” will be held starting at 4 p.m. on Thursdays and Fridays at Bosu’s Wine Shop in downtown Waynesville. For more information on upcoming events, wine tastings and special dinners, click on waynesvillewine.com.

• A free wine tasting will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. every Thursday and 2 to 5 p.m. every Saturday at The Wine Bar & Cellar in Sylva. 828.631.3075.

ART SHOWINGS AND GALLERIES

A&E

• Mountain Makers Craft Market will be held from noon to 4 p.m. the first Sunday of each month at 308 North Haywood Street in downtown Waynesville. Over two dozen artisans selling handmade and vintage goods.

Special events will be held when scheduled. mountainmakersmarket.com.

• Balsam Falls Brewing (Sylva) will host an open mic from 8 to 10 p.m. every Thursday. Free and open to the public. 828.631.1987 or balsamfallsbrewing.com.

• Elevated Mountain Distilling Company will host an Open Mic Night 7 to 9 p.m. on Wednesdays and semiregular live music on the weekends. Free and open to the public. 828.734.1084 or elevatedmountain.com.

• Innovation Brewing (Sylva) will host Lilah Price (singer-songwriter) Jan. 20, WNC Artist Spotlight Open Mic Jan. 26 and Rossdafareye (roots/soul) Jan. 28. All events begin at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. innovation-brewing.com.

• Innovation Station (Dillsboro) will host “Divas On Tap Disco Night” at 8:30 p.m. Jan. 22, “Let’s Build A Snowman” noon Jan. 29 and semi-regular live music on the weekends. All events are free and begin at 2 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Innovation-brewing.com.

• Lazy Hiker Brewing (Franklin) will host Troy Underwood (singer-songwriter) Jan. 22. All shows begin at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.349.2337 or lazyhikerbrewing.com.

• Lazy Hiker Brewing (Sylva) will host Prophets of Time Jan. 28. All shows begin at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.349.2337 or lazyhikerbrewing.com.

• Mountain Layers Brewing (Bryson City) will host Aly Jordan (singer-songwriter) Jan. 21, Shane Meade (roots/soul) Jan. 22 and Alma Russ (Americana/roots) Jan. 29. All shows begin at 6 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.538.0115 or mountainlayersbrewingcompany.com.

• Nantahala Brewing (Sylva) will host Shane Meade (soul/roots) Jan. 21. All shows are free and begin at 8 p.m. 828.641.9797 or nantahalabrewing.com.

• Unplugged Pub (Bryson City) will host Live Karaoke in the Smokies Jan. 20, The Caribbean Cowboys Jan. 21 and Carolina Freightshakers Jan. 22. All shows begin at 8 p.m. Free and open to the public. 828.538.2488.

• Haywood County Arts Council (Waynesville) is currently seeking one or more gallery interns with a passion for the arts and interest in learning about the administration of a small nonprofit. Send cover letters and resumes to HCAC Executive Director Morgan Beryl at director@haywoodarts.org.

• Cold Mountain Art Collective (Canton) will host “Kids Ceramic Magnet Painting” from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Saturday, Jan. 15. All kids ages 3-12 are welcome for a creative afternoon painting their choice of three ceramic magnets from over a dozen different designs. The “unWIND: Mommy’s Night Out” will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, Jan. 21, where you can join other local mommas for a night out painting your own ceramic wine cup. coldmountainartcollective.com/events.

• “Thursday Painters” group will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Thursdays at The Uptown Gallery in Franklin. Free and open to the public. All skill levels and mediums are welcome. Participants are responsible for their own project and a bag lunch. 828.349.4607 or pm14034@yahoo.com.

Outdoors

• Go birding at Lake Junaluska this month to spot migratory birds, including waterfowl. Tours will be offered at 9 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 19, led by Kevin Burke, and 9 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 29, led by Howard Browers. The excursion is offered through Haywood County Recreation and Parks and costs $10 per person, with loaner binoculars available. Call 828.452.6789 to register.

• The Wildlife Resources Commission is proposing a slate of changes to agency regulations for seasons in 2022-2023. Public comment is open through Monday, Jan. 31. This year, the agency’s furthest-west public hearing will be held at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 18, at McDowell Technical College in Marion, and an online hearing is slated for 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 20.

• Explore Warwoman Dell with a moderate 3-mile hike led by the Nantahala Hiking Club at 1 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 23. For more information or foul weather updates, contact David Stearns at 828.349.7361.

• Valley Tavern (Maggie Valley) will host Craig (singersongwriter) at 6 p.m. Jan. 27. 828.926.7440 or valleytavern.com.

• A nine-week fly tying course will start Monday, Jan. 24, at the Folkmoot Center in Waynesville. Held 4-6 p.m. each week, the class will teach participants to tie flies specific to Western North Carolina. Offered through Haywood County Recreation, the class costs $30, which includes equipment and supplies. Space limited. Call 828.452.6789 to sign up.

• Water’n Hole Bar & Grill (Waynesville) will host semiregular live music on the weekends and an “Emo Night Dance Party” at 9 p.m. Feb. 12. 828.456.4750 or facebook.com/waternhole.bar.

• A virtual public hearing at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 26, will take public input on a proposal to remove the ivorybilled woodpecker from the Federal List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife due to the fact that it is

27

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

Complete listings of local music scene Regional festivals Art gallery events and openings Complete listings of recreational offerings at health and fitness centers n Civic and social club gatherings extinct. The hearing will be held via Zoom and teleconference. Register to attend at bit.ly/3fjSdu0 and join the meeting using information in the confirmation email.

Written comments will be accepted through 11:59 p.m.

Feb. 10 and can be submitted at regulations.gov/docket/FWS-R4-ES-2020-0109.

• The Waynesville Parks and Recreation Department will offer a trip to Linville Caverns from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Saturday, Feb. 5. The cost of the trip is $20 per person.

The fee does not cover lunch. For more information or to register, please call the Waynesville Recreation Center at 828.456.2030 or email mgaddis@waynesvillenc.gov.

• Haywood Waterways and Lake Junaluska Assembly will host The Plunge from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Feb. 12, at the Lake Junaluska Aquatics Center Pool, with onsite registration and check-in starting at 10 a.m. Cost is $25 for adults or $10 for youth under 18, or free by raising sponsorships. All proceeds benefit Haywood Waterways’ Kids in the Creek program and environmental education programs. Sign up or learn more at tiny.cc/HWA10thPlunge. Reach Haywood Waterways at 828.476.4667 or info@haywoodwaterways.org.

• The 19th annual Business of Farming Conference from the Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Conference is coming up Feb. 26 at the Mission Health/A-B Tech Conference Center in Asheville.

Register by Feb. 1 at asapconnections.org to get the early bird price of $75. The cost is $95 afterwards, with a discount for farm partners registering together.

Scholarships available. Registration includes a locally sourced lunch sponsored by Farm Burger and breakfast.

• Two new Learn To Grow classes: ‘Spring Vegetable Selections’ & ‘Diagnosis of Tomato Diseases’ will be presented at 1 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 17, via zoom. For more information and a link to register for this class, go to https://haywood.ces.ncsu.edu/ and click on ‘Extension Gardener: Learn to Grow • The Gateway to the Smokies Half Marathon and Mighty Four Miler will return to Waynesville this year, stepping off Saturday, April 2. Register at gloryhoundevents.com. The four miler is $35, and the $70 early bird price for the half marathon is available through Jan. 31.

• The 2022 Outdoor Economy Conference is less than three months away, scheduled for April 4-7 at the new Cherokee Convention Center in Cherokee. Early bird pricing of $400 for the full, four-day conference is available through Feb. 28. Find out more at outdooreconomy.org.

Market WNC PLACE

MarketPlace information:

The Smoky Mountain News Marketplace has a distribution of 16,000 copies across 500 locations in Haywood, Jackson, Macon and Swain counties, including the Qualla Boundary and west Buncombe County.

Visit www.wncmarketplace.com to place your ad!

Rates: • • • •

• •

• • • • • •

$15 — Classified ads that are 25 words, 25¢ per word after.

Free — Lost or found pet ads. $6 — Residential yard sale ads.* $1 — Yard Sale Rain Insurance Yard sale rained out? Call us by 10a.m.

Monday for your ad to run again FREE Legal Notices — 25¢ per word $375 — Statewide classifieds run in 170 participating newspapers with 1.1+ million circulation. (Limit 25 words or less) Boost Online — Have your ad featured at top of category online $4 Boost in Print Add Photo $6 Bold ad $2 Yellow, Green, Pink or Blue Highlight $4 Border $4

Note: Highlighted ads automatically generate a border so if you’re placing an ad online and select a highlight color, the “add border” feature will not be available on the screen.

Note: Yard sale ads require an address. This location will be displayed on a map on www.wncmarketplace.com

p: 828.452.4251 · f:828.452.3585 classads@smokymountainnews.com www.wncmarketplace.com 28

www.smokymountainnews.com

Announcements

A-1 DONATE YOUR CAR, Running or Not, Fast Free Pickup. Maximum tax deduction. Support United Breast Cancer Fdn. Programs. Your car donation could save a life. 888-641-9690

Business Opportunities BECOME A PUBLISHED AUTHOR! Publications sold at all major secular & specialty Christian bookstores. CALL Christian Faith Publishing for your FREE author submission kit. 1-855-658-2057

Employment THE JACKSON COUNTY DEPARTMENT Of Social Services is recruiting for a Community Social Services Assistant. Duties primarily involve transporting foster children for a variety of purposes such as visits with parents, medical appointments, counseling, education, or training. Candidates for this position should be highly dependable, adaptable, have the ability to lift children and car seats, have completed high school, interact well with children, and have a valid NC driver’s license with a good driving record. The starting salary is $24,168.16. Applicants should complete an application for Jackson County which is located at www.jcdss.org and submit it to the Jackson

County Department of 6RFLDO 6HUYLFHV *ULI¿Q Street, Sylva, NC 28779 or the Sylva branch of the NC Works Career Center.

Applications will be taken until January 24, 2022.

THE JACKSON COUNTY DEPARTMENT Of Social Services is recruiting for a Human Services Planner/ Evaluator. The primary purpose of this position is to review and audit child ZHOIDUH FDVH ¿OHV LQ WKH following programs: CPS Assessment, In-Home Services and Foster Care Services. This position will provide a completed and thorough state recommended review tool to management with ¿QGLQJV DQG UHFRPPHQdations. This person ZLOO KDYH D ÀH[LEOH ZRUN schedule of no more than eight hours per week. This position is responsible for upholding the highest standard RI FRQ¿GHQWLDOLW\ ZKHQ UHYLHZLQJ FDVH ¿OHV 0LQLPXP TXDOL¿FDWLRQV include a bachelor’s degree in psychology, social work, education, health, business administration, marriage and family therapy or related human VHUYLFHV ¿HOG DQG WKUHH years of experience, or an equivalent combination of education and experience. Salary is $19.27 per hour. Applicants should complete an application for Jackson County which is located at www.jcdss.org and submit it to the Jackson County Department of 6RFLDO 6HUYLFHV *ULI¿Q Street, Sylva, NC 28779 or the Sylva branch of the

January 19-25, 2022

NC Works Career Center.

Applications will be taken until January 24, 2022.

THE JACKSON COUNTY DEPARTMENT Of Social Services is recruiting for a Social Worker in Child Protective Services.

This position investigates reports of child abuse and neglect and provides services to families where needs have been LGHQWL¿HG 5HTXLUHV VRPH availability after hours.

The starting salary is $42,102.07, if fully qualL¿HG 0LQLPXP TXDOL¿cations include a four year degree in a Human Service Field. Preference will be given to applicants with a Master’s or Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work and/or experience providing Social Work Services. Applicants should complete an application for Jackson County which is located at: www.jcdss.org and submit it to the Jackson

County Department of Social Services, 15 Grif¿Q 6W 6\OYD 1& or the Sylva branch of the NC Works Career Center.

Applications will be taken until January 21, 2022.

LICENSED P&C INSURANCE AGENT Local insurance agency is looking for an individual who is motivated, energetic, and has a bright personality. Must be goal oriented and a team player! Competitive pay and bene¿WV )XOO RU SDUW WLPH License preferred. (828) 452-2815 OlgaGeorgi2@allstate.com

EARN YOUR HOSPITALITY DEGREE ONLINE! Earn your Associates Degree ONLINE with CTI! Great career advancement with the right credentials! Learn who’s hiring! Call 833990-0354. The Mission, Program Information and

Face coverings are required in all public indoor spaces.

WNC MarketPlace

Tuition is located at CareerTechnical.edu/consumer-information. (M-F 8am-6pm ET) MEDICAL BILLING & CODING TRAINING. New Students Only. Call & Press 1. 100% online courses. Financial Aid Available for those who qualify. 833-990-0354 ATTENTION ACTIVE DUTY/MILITARY Veterans Begin a new career and earn your degree at CTI. Online computer & medical training available for veterans & families! To learn more call 833-9703466 HOUSING COUNSELOR - Full-Time Haywood County. The Housing Counselor will provide counseling to individuals in a wide range of areas, including pre-purchase/ ¿UVW WLPH KRPHEX\HU counseling, foreclosure prevention, loss mitigation, rental counseling DQG ¿QDQFLDO PDQDJHment budgeting. A Degree is preferred, some combination of coursework and experience, or else extensive related professional experience, is acceptable for consideration. *To be considered you must apply by visiting: www.mountainprojects.org EOE/AA

FACILITIES MANAGER FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH OF SYLVA is seeking a parttime FACILTIES MANAGER. The Facilities Manager is responsible for maintaining church buildings and performing or scheduling routine PDLQWHQDQFH $ TXDOL¿HG candidate will possess carpentry skills and knowledge of mechanical, plumbing, electrical, and HVAC systems. For more information or to apply, please contact Rev. Dr. Mary Brown, Senior Pastor at (828) 5572273 or marybrown@ sylvafumc.org. marybrown@sylvafumc.org OFFICE ADMINISTRATOR FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH OF SYLVA is seeking D IXOO WLPH 2I¿FH $GPLQLVWUDWRU 7KH 2I¿FH Administrator is responVLEOH IRU WKH ¿QDQFLDO DQG administrative operations of the church. This position directly manages and is responsible for all accounting and payroll functions, oversight of all accounts receivable and payable, maintenance of general ledger, and reconciliation of bank accounts. This position also works with support from RI¿FH VWDII WR PDQDJH membership database,

Haywood Co. Real Estate Agents Amanda Cook Williams Broker Realtor

Follow Amanda Williams Real Estate

Once a client always a friend

828.400.4825 awilliams@cbking.com

Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate- Heritage • Carolyn Lauter - carolyn@bhgheritage.com

Beverly Hanks & Associates- beverly-hanks.com • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Billie Green - bgreen@beverly-hanks.com Brian K. Noland - brianknoland.com Anne Page - apage@beverly-hanks.com Jerry Powell - jpowell@beverly-hanks.com Catherine Proben - cproben@beverly-hanks.com Ellen Sither - esither@beverly-hanks.com Mike Stamey - mikestamey@beverly-hanks.com Karen Hollingsed- khollingsed@beverly-hanks.com Billy Case- billycase@beverly-hanks.com Laura Thomas - lthomas@beverly-hanks.com John Keith - jkeith@beverly-hanks.com Randall Rogers - rrogers@beverly-hanks.com Susan Hooper - shooper@beverly-hanks.com Hunter Wyman - hwyman@beverly-hanks.com

• Rob Roland - robroland@beverly-hanks.com

ERA Sunburst Realty - sunburstrealty.com The Original Home Town Real Estate Agency Since 1970

• • • •

Amy Spivey - amyspivey.com Rick Border - sunburstrealty.com Steve Mauldin - smauldin@sunburstrealty.com Randy Flanigan - 706-207-9436

EXP Realty • Jeanne Forrest - ashevillerealeat8@gmail.com

147 Walnut St. • Waynesville 828-456-7376 • 1-800-627-1210

www.sunburstrealty.com

Keller Williams Realty - kellerwilliamswaynesville.com • The Morris Team - www.themorristeamnc.com • Julie Lapkoff - julielapkoff@kw.com • Darrin Graves - dgraves@kw.com Lakeshore Realty • Phyllis Robinson - lakeshore@lakejunaluska.com

Mountain Dreams Realty- maggievalleyhomesales.com • Lyndia Massey- buyfromlyndia@yahoo.com

Phyllis Robinson OWNER/BROKER

(828) 712-5578

I Am Proud of Our Mountains and Would Love to Show You Around!

Randall Rogers

lakeshore@lakejunaluska.com

The Only Name in Junaluska Real Estate 91 N. Lakeshore Dr. Lake Junaluska 828.456.4070

BROKER ASSOCIATE —————————————

(828) 734-8862

RROGERS@BEVERLY-HANKS.COM

www.LakeshoreRealtyNC.com Conveniently located in the Bethea Welcome Center

Jerry Powell Cell: 828.508.2002 jpowell@beverly-hanks.com

74 N. Main St., Waynesville

828.452.5809

www.wncmarketplace.com

Catherine Proben Cell: 828-734-9157 Office: 828-452-5809

cproben@beverly-hanks.com

74 N. Main St., Waynesville, NC

828.452.5809

January 19-25, 2022

Mountain Creek Real Estate • Ron Rosendahl - 828-593-8700

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

RE/MAX Executive - remax-waynesvillenc.com • • • • • • • • •

remax-maggievalleync.com The Real Team - TheRealTeamNC.com Ron Breese - ronbreese.com Landen Stevenson- landen@landenkstevenson.com Dan Womack - womackdan@aol.com Mary & Roger Hansen - mwhansen@charter.net David Willet - davidwillet1@live.com Sara Sherman - sarashermanncrealtor@gmail.com David Rogers- davidr@remax-waynesville.com Judy Meyers - jameyers@charter.net

Smoky Mountain Retreat Realty • Tom Johnson - tomsj7@gmail.com • Sherell Johnson - Sherellwj@aol.com

TO ADVERTISE IN THE NEXT ISSUE

828.452.4251

ads@smokymountainnews.com WNC MarketPlace

29

SUPER

CROSSWORD

TURNABOUT ACROSS 1 Cries noisily 5 Stuff in steel 9 Horse cousin 12 Often-smoked food 15 U.K. neighbor 18 "As above," in citations 19 Extremely deep sleep 20 Pavarotti of opera 22 U.S. neighbor 23 Make every effort to be obliging 26 Vivacity 27 Mosaic work 28 -- -TURN (road sign) 29 -- Mason (asset management firm) 30 BLT offerer 31 To any extent 32 Revolution of Triton with respect to Neptune 36 Author Anais 37 Twosome 39 Not tidy 40 Two-pip card 41 Pressing it moves a cursor to the previous character 46 Shorelines 47 Off the shore 48 Justice Sotomayor 49 Program using ".doc" files, for short 52 Mu -- pork 54 Horace Greeley's advice for American expansion 60 Huge aid 64 In base eight 65 She's a star aria singer 66 Palme -- (Cannes film award) 67 Bus driver's order

73 Ship like Capt. Nemo's 74 To -- (exactly) 76 Marisa with an Oscar 77 Cadences 79 Irritate 85 Suffix with hell 86 More pasty 87 Horse opera 89 Arthur of tennis 93 Singers Idol and Ocean 96 Sticker message on a rented VCR tape 99 At full speed, old-style 100 A deadly sin 103 "Patience -- virtue" 104 Pro vote 105 Do a 180, say 110 Rapper with the album "Press Play" 112 Old Italian stage actress Eleonora 113 1953 Leslie Caron film 114 "-- always say ..."

115 Jeopardy 116 "-- my fault" 117 Parent's mind game with a child (or what you have to use to solve this puzzle?)

122 Even score 123 Guys rowing 124 Smartphone downloads 125 Suffix with well 126 States, informally 127 Singular of "Mmes."

128 Beltway VIP 129 Watery castle protector 130 Once, in olden days DOWN 1 Bro's kin 2 Strange things 3 Former Fed head Ben

4 Little 5 "Ugh"-worthy 6 Bird of myth 7 Muscat resident 8 Honcho 9 Lager cousin 10 Nissan Rogue, e.g.

11 Bawls out 12 Irritable from being ravenous, slangily 13 Lay -- (really fail) 14 Wild crowd 15 Stimulus 16 Vote in for a another term 17 Lapses 21 Notions 24 Ralph -- Emerson 25 1921 Karel Capek play 30 Feared a lot 31 Author Seton 32 Bull in a ring 33 Cockney's residence 34 Often-smoked food 35 Stenches 38 Actress Andress 42 Do laundry 43 Jillian of TV 44 Spanish aunt 45 Relatives, informally 46 Light bed 49 Mixed breed 50 Zest or Ivory 51 "Ben-Hur" director William 53 The woman 55 "Understood" 56 S.Sgt., e.g.

57 Yearn (for) 58 Female cell 59 Talks idly 60 Yrly. gift-giving time 61 Greek "I"

62 Heightened 63 -- dish (bio lab item) 68 T. -- Price 69 The "E" of EMT: Abbr.

70 Snide snicker 71 Sixths doubled 72 Method: Abbr.

75 "Liberte, --, fraternite" (France's motto) 78 Bangkok citizen 80 "Bye Bye Bye" band 81 Exclamations of surprise 82 "Sk8er --" (2002 hit) 83 Assembly line labor org.

84 Tpk., e.g.

88 Actor Idle 90 Parachute user 91 Unmindful 92 Online bidding site 93 Roving robbers 94 "Gotta go" 95 -- faire 96 '50s prez 97 Not pos.

98 "Raider" Ralph 100 Previous convictions 101 Little brooks 102 Tough-to-translate phrases 106 Composer Edward 107 Opposite of 104-Across 108 Tea-growing Indian state 109 River giant, for short 111 Dunne of film 115 Covert "Hey!" 117 -- Kippur War 118 Half of a bray 119 Wolf Blitzer's channel 120 Clean air gp.

121 Q-U linkup

ANSWERS ON PAGE 26

RUJDQL]H FKXUFK ¿OHV DQG prepare communications such as email, newsletters, and bulletins. Degree in accounting and/or administration preferred; minimum two years’ experience required. For more information or to submit a resume, please contact Rev. Dr. Mary Brown, Senior Pastor at marybrown@sylvafumc. org. marybrown@sylvafumc.org

Home Goods GENERAC STANDBY GENERATORS Don’t Wait! The weather is increasingly unpredictable.

Be. prepared for power outages. FREE 7-yr ext. warranty ($695 value!)

Schedule your Free InHome assessment today.

1-833-953-0224, special ¿QDQFLQJ IRU TXDOL¿HG customers.

cent work history needed.

877-553-0252 [SteppachHU /DZ 2I¿FHV //& 3ULQFLSDO 2I¿FH $GDPV Ave Scranton PA 18503] DENTAL INSURANCE From Physicians Mutual Insurance Company.

Coverage for 350 plus procedures. Real dental insurance - NOT just a discount plan. Do not wait!

Call now! 1-844-4968601 www.dental50plus. com/ncpress #6258

Real Estate Announcements WHITE-GLOVE SERVICE From America’s

CASTILLO

Tree Service, Etc, Inc.

• Dangerous Tree Removal • Pruning • Creating Views

Top Movers. Fully insured and bonded. Let us take the stress out of your out of state move. FREE QUOTES! Call: 855-8212782

PUBLISHER’S NOTICE All real estate advertising in this newspaper is subject to the Fair Housing Act which makes it illegal to advertise ‘any preference, limitation or discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status or national origin, or an intention to make any such preference, limitation or discrimination’. Familial status includes children under 18 living with parents or legal guardians and pregnant women.

This newspaper will not knowingly accept any advertising for real estate in violation of this law. All dwellings advertised on equal opportunity basis.

Medical

Entertainment

DENIED SOCIAL SECURITY DISABILITY? ApSHDO ,I \RX¶UH ¿OHG SSD and denied, our attorneys can help! Win or Pay Nothing! Strong, re-

CABLE PRICE INCREASE AGAIN? Switch to DIRECTV & Save + get $100 visa gift card! Get More Channels For Less Money. Restrictions ap-

FREE ESTIMATES • INSURED

828-342-3024

saulcastillo7212@gmail.com

SUDOKU Here’s How It Works: Sudoku puzzles are formatted as a 9x9 grid, broken down into nine 3x3 boxes. To solve a sudoku, the numbers 1 through 9 must fill each row, column and box. Each number can appear only once in each row, column and box. You can figure out the order in which the numbers will appear by using the numeric clues already provided in the boxes. The more numbers you name, Answers on 26 the easier it gets to solve the puzzle!

30

www.smokymountainnews.com

January 19-25, 2022

WNC MarketPlace

ply, call now! 1-888-5202338

Health/Beauty LIFE ALERT. 24/7. One press of a button sends help FAST! Medical, Fire, Burglar. Even if you can’t reach a phone! FREE Brochure. CALL 844-9022362 ATTENTION: Oxygen Users. Gain freedom with a portable oxygen concentrator. No more heavy WDQNV RU UH¿OOV *XDUDQteed lowest prices. Oxygen Concentrator Store 844-866-4793

STROKE & CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE Are leading causes of death, according to the American Heart Ass. Screenings can provide peace of mind or early detection! Contact Life Line Screening to schedule your screening. Special offer- 5 screenings for $149 call 866-563-3640

Home Improvement UPDATE YOUR HOME With Beautiful New Blinds & Shades. FREE in-home estimates make it convenient to shop from home.

Professional installation.

Top quality - Made in the USA. Call for free consultation: 844-250-7899.

Ask about our specials!

priate funds are available.

Computer not necessary.

Call for a FREE trial or a custom quote today. SilverBills 1-866-530-1374 OVER $10K IN DEBT? Be debt free in 24-48 months. Pay a fraction of what you owe. A+ BBB rated. Call National Debt Relief 866-949-0934

Wanted to Buy

BATH & SHOWER UPDATES In as little as ONE DAY! Affordable prices - No payments for 18 months! Lifetime warranty & professional installs. Senior & Military Discounts available. Call: 833-987-0207

FREON WANTED: We pay $$$ for cylinders and cans. R12 R500 R11 R113 R114. Convenient. CerWL¿HG 3URIHVVLRQDOV &DOO 312-291-9169 or visit RefrigerantFinders.com

Legal, Financial and Tax

PAYING TOP CASH FOR Men’s Sport Watches!

Rolex, Breitling, Omega, Patek Phillippe, Heuer, Daytona, GMT, Submariner and Speedmaster.

Call 866-405-1893

STOP WORRYING! SilverBills eliminates the stress and hassle of bill payments. All household bills guaranteed to be paid on time, as long as appro-

Great Smokies

STORAGE LLC Call 828.506.4112 greatsmokiesstorage.com 434 Champion Drive, Canton, NC 28716 21 Hollon Cove Rd, Waynesville, NC 28786 www.wncmarketplace.com

January 19-25, 2022

WNC MarketPlace

31

32

Smoky Mountain News January 19-25, 2022