Smoky Mountain News | February 5, 2020

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February 5-11 4, 2020 Vol. 21 Iss. 36

Cherokee seeks input on language preservation Page 15 Macon residents unhappy with hospital transition Page 19

CONTENTS On the Cover: After the announcement that landlords won’t be renewing the lease for The Open Door Ministry in Frog Level, Long’s Chapel’s leadership is looking for a new location for the soup kitchen and also searching for ways to expand the services offered through the ministry. (Page 6) Cory Vaillancourt photo

News Road project guides Sylva budget talks ......................................................................4 Haywood passes broad constitutional resolution ....................................................5 Agriculture commissioner election about more than farming ................................8 GOP attorney general candidates offer differing perspectives ..........................10 Three Democrats face off in Swain primary ............................................................12 Symposium seeks input on Cherokee language preservation ..........................15 Capt. Bates appointed as Franklin interim police chief ........................................15 Macon residents unhappy with hospital transition ................................................19

Opinion A sports hero who left too early ..................................................................................20

A&E Traditional string act Frank & Allie release album ....................................................24

Outdoors Smokies shatters visitation records ............................................................................34

The Naturalist’s Corner

Smoky Mountain News

February 5-11, 2020

The rollback administration..............................................................................................47

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February 5-11, 2020

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news

Road project guides Sylva budget talks

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER ylva’s finances are in a good place going into the 2020 budget season, but with the N.C. 107 project looming there’s no room for complacency.

“We’ve been trying to spend less,” Town Manager Paige Dowling said during a budget planning meeting Jan. 23. “We’ve been trying to raise the fund balance knowing that there are going to be several years when the town is not going to receive the property tax revenue or the sales tax revenue that we’ve been used to.”

Right-of-way acquisition for the project is imminent, with construction starting in February 2023 and lasting about 3.5 years.

N.C. 107 is Sylva’s main commercial corridor, and while the final road plan has yet to be released, early versions have listed 55 businesses likely to be eligible for relocation as a result of the road project.

In 2019, the town board approved a budget that was nearly $200,000 lower than the previous year, and the fund balance has risen from 67.36 percent in January 2019 to 81.4 percent, or $3.28 million, in January 2020.

It’s difficult to say exactly how much and for how long the road project will drain Sylva’s coffers. Dowling said that most other towns she’s looked at for comparison saw their property tax revenues increase following a major road project but that she suspects there were other variables at play, like a property tax revaluation shifting the scales. There’s also the fact that N.C. 107 is really Sylva’s only commercial corridor, while other towns had commercial corridors that were not impacted by the road project. Dowling said town staff have talked about a 12 percent decrease in tax base, but right now that’s really just a guess.

As department heads and board members listed their wants and needs for the year ahead, the uncertainty surrounding N.C. 107 was a constant backdrop.

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February 5-11, 2020

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Under Dowling’s definition, a need is an expenditure that allows the town to accomplish the same level of service, while a want allows the town to expand its services. Needs listed in the work session include continued contributions to the N.C. 107 sidewalk fund, surveillance cameras on the public works building in response to recent vandalism, a comprehensive land use plan and Powell Bill road map as required by the state legislature, crosswalk maintenance and painting, and two new police vehicles.

Despite the need for ongoing belt-tightening, two personnel-related expenditures also made it onto the needs list.

“I think we need to seriously talk about a Main Street director,” said Dowling, who currently serves as Main Street director in addition to her responsibilities’ as town manager. “Our Main Street program’s going.

The committees are fully functioning.

They’re doing a lot more, and because the town’s getting busier I’ve got less time to devote to Main Street than I did three, five, eight years ago.”

Dowling suggested hiring a part-time person and wrote $25,000 as the placeholder salary figure.

Police Chief Chris Hatton also made it clear that the town needs two additional police officers if his department is to continue providing the same level of service. Call volumes have been skyrocketing, increasing by 30 percent between 2016 and 2019 with total arrests more than doubling in the same period.

“The 107 project’s coming, and I don’t think that’s going to cause our police calls to go down,” he said. “As a matter of fact, I think it’s probably going to go up quite a bit.

Our citizens are calling us at a record rate.

They’ve never needed us this much.”

Salary and benefits combined total $51,482 per new officer, said Hatton, with a fully equipped vehicle costing about $40,000. Hiring two officers would therefore cost about $183,000 the first year with an ongoing cost of $103,000 annually.

Commissioner David Nestler said he recognizes the need but asked why the county sheriff ’s office couldn’t play a larger role in town policing given that town residents pay county taxes as well.

“I don’t know of any situation where the sheriff ’s office takes responsibility for things that happen inside city limits,” Hatton

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Sylva commissioners decide where to place their stickers on the wants list, indicating prioritized expenditures. Holly Kays photo replied, “but as far as asking them for help, we ask them for help every day.”

Some of the heftier “needs” also made it to the “wants” list, including the additional police officers and Main Street director.

Commissioners “voted” on their priorities by affixing stickers from a pad given to each of them beside each listed want. The additional officers and Main Street director received the most support, with 21 stickers for police officers and 14 for the Main Street director.

The next most popular want was green infrastructure at Bridge Park, with 13 stickers. In December 2018, the Asheville-based consulting firm Equinox delivered the results of a report evaluating the status of Fisher Creek and forming a plan to improve it, but the town board has not yet taken action on the recommendations.

Developing multi-use trails at the recently purchased Blackrock Creek property adjoining Pinnacle Park was also a popular priority, with 13 stickers. Hatton’s request for a RZR all-terrain vehicle so that police could access the property in an emergency drew less sup-

port — five stickers — but Hatton made it clear that he considered it a need.

“This is a big challenge for the police department,” he said. “Next year we’ll be talking about more of this.”

Hatton’s request for $3,000 to buy new winter coats for his officers drew more support, with nine stickers. Other listed wants included work order software for public works (six stickers), a public bathroom downtown (nine) and signage for the restroom in the police department (one), a pump track (eight), improvements at Bryson Park (five), crosswalk improvements (six), decorative streetlights on Mill Street (six), a betterment fund for the N.C. 107 project (seven), plants in the curb bump-outs (11), sidewalk repairs (seven) and a side walk in front of Nantahala Brewing (two).

Going forward, departments will work on their individual budgets and submit those requests to Dowling, who will present the results to commissioners for prioritization during a budget workshop at 10 a.m.

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Second Amendment sanctuary? Sort of H

oath to uphold the law and we as commissioners can’t tell those folks what to do, even though sometimes we may want to. We can’t tell them what laws to enforce and which ones not to enforce.”

Commissioner Tommy Long, a proponent of the “whole Constitution” aspect of the resolution, said he’d talked with co-workers who told him they didn’t care about the resolution at all, because no one was going to take their guns under any circumstances.

“They said, ‘Just come and try it,’ and I said, ‘Well, I’m with you.’

Somebody tries to come charging up to my house trying to take my guns away, I’ll shoot all my bullets, then I’ll throw all the rocks in my driveway and then I’ll shoot you with a water pistol,” Long said.

“That’s the way most of us are in this county, right?”

Haywood County Commissioners Kevin Ensley (left) and Brandon Rogers — both up for reelection Before the vote, Long this year — chat at the Feb. 3 commission meeting. Cory Vaillancourt photo expressed satisfaction with the proposed resolution.

“This resolution I feel is a comprehensive “ … the Haywood County Board of tion, and none of them were completely happy Commissioners recognizes that the with it. Although two speakers were more or resolution that covers the whole Constitution’s 2nd Amendment guarantees less opposed, Yeager and three others asked Constitution,” he said.

The board’s only Democrat Kirk that these rights are secure by allowing its cit- for more time to evaluate the resolution and izens redress against a tyrannical government that the vote be postponed so that a beefed-up Kirkpatrick is an attorney by trade and said he’d reviewed the resolution and didn’t have as witnessed by our nation’s founders who alternative might be presented instead.

“What I see when I read the ‘Now therefore’ any problems with it. crafted the 2nd Amendment … citizens “It doesn’t violate any rules, doesn’t viodeserve the right to ‘keep and bear arms’ if clauses of the resolution is that you’re dedicatthey so desire, for self-defense, the defense of ed to protecting my rights to the extent that late any laws and it doesn’t put Haywood others, protection of individual liberty and folks in Washington, D.C., and Raleigh will County in jeopardy. My primary concern was for the preservation of a ‘free state’ as guaran- allow you to,” he said. “Gentlemen, that’s not placing Haywood County in jeopardy by making some type of stance that was in violation teed by the United States Constitution … the what we came to ask you for.” of a present law or a future law,” Kirkpatrick Haywood County Board of Commissioners said. “So, I’m good with it.” are in opposition of any proposed law that “This resolution I feel is a Commissioner Mark Pless, who is also a infringes upon our constitutional rights, comprehensive resolution candidate for the N.C. House District 118 seat specifically the 2nd Amendment but not currently held by retiring Republican Rep. inclusive to it only.” that covers the whole Michele Presnell, R-Burnsville, maintained The resolution goes on to state that comhis position on protecting the Second missioners will oppose “any efforts by any Constitution.”

Amendment by using the ballot box. entity” to infringe on those rights and goes so — Commissioner Tommy Long “One part of the resolution says, far as to say that the board will take action ‘WHEREAS, the right to vote by citizens is against infringements by “any measures necCommissioner and Vice Chairman guaranteed in the Constitution and free and essary and legal, including the withholding of Brandon Rogers has been perhaps the most fair elections are essential for ‘we the people’ funds.”

But that’s where it stops; a caveat declares vehement supporter of a strong resolution, to have government ‘by the people,’” said that any action must be “within the bounds of but in the end agreed with fellow commis- Pless. “When we were in here the other night, the United States Constitution, the laws of sioners that this was the time to pass this par- my emphasis was on voting. Talk to your representatives. Let them know what you think. the United States, the North Carolina ticular resolution.

“I’ve heard the concerns about waiting Michele Presnell, I have spoken to her on Constitution and the laws of the State of until our next evening meeting when more numerous occasions, she is completely in North Carolina.”

During the public comment session folks can get here, which I understand that, support of the Second Amendment. I spoke before commissioners unanimously passed but at the same time I’ve heard from plenty. with [N.C. House] Speaker [Tim] Moore on the resolution during the Feb. 3 meeting, Paul We’ve all worked on this as [Ensley] men- Friday, he is completely in support of the Yeager, who’s been at the forefront of the tioned,” Rogers said. “Even though I hear the Second Amendment. Both of their advice — Seconds Amendment sanctuary movement debate and understand the concerns there go vote for people that believe the way that in Haywood County, said it didn’t nearly go that it don’t have enough ‘teeth’ as was men- you do, and you have nothing to fear. If we tioned, or enough meat, I even tend to agree don’t vote, we have everything to fear.” far enough.

More than 20 N.C. counties have passed “When I review the resolution I’m somewhat. However, I think as you’ll hear reminded of an old Wendy’s commercial, here today this board does not want to break explicit “Second Amendment sanctuary” reswhich I paraphrase here,” Yeager said. any laws, and that is a concern for this board olutions this year. Macon County is expected as we work through this resolution. I know to hear more arguments for one on Feb. 11, “‘Where’s the teeth?’”

Yeager was among five people who signed that our law enforcement and our local sheriff and Buncombe County residents asked comup to address commissioners on the resolu- does not want to break any laws. He took an missioners for one during a meeting on Feb. 4. 5

February 5-11, 2020

Smoky Mountain News

BY CORY VAILLANCOURT STAFF WRITER aywood County didn’t pass a Second Amendment sanctuary resolution on Feb. 3, but what commissioners did pass was somehow something more.

“We’ve been asked to do a Second Amendment sanctuary resolution and that to me is asking for us to violate the law, [and] violate the Constitution. Personally, I swore an oath to uphold the Constitution and that’s what I intend to do, and that is to follow the law,” said Haywood Board of County Commissioners Chairman Kevin Ensley. “I’m not going to pass something that I feel like breaks the law.”

The Second Amendment sanctuary movement has been around for some time now, but recently gained momentum in neighboro ing Virginia, where a Democrat-controlled legislature attempted to pass a number of gun control measures. That led to a flurry of sanctuary resolutions there, and a Jan. 20 rally at the state’s capitol in Richmond.

The resolutions generally assert that counties or cities will not enforce laws they feel violate the Constitution. Most people agree the resolutions carry no actual power, but most people also agree that they make a powerful statement to legislators and legislatures — whether they’re currently working on gun control measures or not.

Two North Carolina counties — Cherokee and Rutherford — had sanctuary resolutions in place well in advance of the Jan. 20 rally, but in days both before and after the peaceful demonstration, sanctuary resolutions began appearing on agendas in more and more Western North Carolina counties.

On Jan. 21, hundreds packed the Historic Haywood Courthouse in downtown Waynesville asking commissioners for just such a resolution. After more than two hours of public comment by dozens of speakers — most for a sanctuary resolution — commissioners said they’d weigh the evidence and decide how to proceed.

What they came up with was a comprehensive resolution declaring Haywood County a “Constitution protecting county.”

“We see cities having sanctuary cities where they do not enforce immigration laws and that’s wrong, so we didn’t want to go with the wording of ‘sanctuary,’” Ensley said.

The resolution states, “in present and past times the Constitution has been and is under pressure and attack from foreign and domestic entities,” and that “ALL RIGHTS contained in the United States Constitution are held in highest esteem, and PROTECTED by Haywood County.”

In perhaps the biggest conciliation to the pro-sanctuary crowd, the Second Amendment is singled out in the resolution for special recognition among the other 26 amendments.

news

Haywood commissioners pass broad ‘Constitution protecting’ resolution

news

While Haywood Pathways has plenty of kitchen capacity, it may not be a good fit for the Open Door’s needs.

Cory Vaillancourt photo

When one door closes …

Smoky Mountain News

February 5-11, 2020

BY CORY VAILLANCOURT STAFF WRITER uch misinformation is being spread about the state of and the fate of Frog Level’s community-based food ministry — namely, that the community or the town pushed to close The Open Door, that The Open Door will cease operations, that a hip new Asheville bistro will soon gentrify the space and that Haywood Pathways will simply pick up the slack.

“So all of that misinformation is a hundred percent false,” said Bill Guy, director of Open Door. “There’s no one that I know of in a position to actually make decisions that has even considered the idea of us closing our doors and in fact, the opposite has been discussed. If we’re going to do anything, we’re going to expand our services.”

Most importantly, Guy wants to avoid the “c-word” so as not to alarm clients and volunteers.

“Relocating, I think, is a more appropriate term,” he said. “So we’re trying to change that from ‘closing’ to ‘relocating.’”

Guy said the relocation was spurred by the building’s owners.

“There’s no animosity there or anger or anything like that,” he said of the decision to leave the Commerce Street space by midJune. “They think it’s time to allow the local retailers and businesses in Frog Level to kind of have their opportunities to grow and be more prosperous. We’re obviously grateful for them allowing us to be there for the past, you know, 20-something years.”

The Open Door has been a fixture in Waynesville’s Frog Level district for decades; as a faith-based ministry it provides breakfast five days a week, lunch six days a week 6

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and dinner on weekends — a nice compliment to the free meals provided by Hazelwood’s Pathways Center every night.

A hot meal and cold drinks aren’t the only things provided to the area’s economically disadvantaged populations at the Open Door; also offered are boxes of take-home food, as well as limited financial assistance.

Religious services also take place there.

The Open Door is largely supported by an associated thrift shop next door, called Second Blessing. Manager Deborah Kasbeer said that once The Open Door relocates, Second Blessing plans to expand into that space, perhaps doubling its size. Guy confirmed those plans.

“We’re going to increase the footprint to include in what’s now the dining room and the kitchen area, which we hope will also increase their sales, “ he said. “That will allow us to add more services.”

The kitchen equipment currently at The Open Door belongs to them, and will go with them when they vacate the space. As to where they’ll end up, Guy says he hopes it’s not far from the current location.

“The ideal thing for us, not to get too philosophical here, but it’s important that we stay somewhere around Frog Level, not too far that the people that we serve at The Open Door don’t have means to get there,” he said. “The further we move, the more challenging it’s going to be for them to get transportation because a lot of them walk.

So we have a couple places within probably a couple of blocks of where we are right now that aren’t necessarily next door to retail businesses and or restaurant-type stores.”

Guy added that they’re also looking in Hazelwood, but previous reports of a part-

nership with Pathways are premature and overstated, according to Pathways Executive Director Mandy Haithcox.

“I don’t think we could pick all their services as they are now,” said Haithcox. “We serve the a lot of the same people and we want the best things for all of those people but it needs to be done in a way that is helpful for the community also. We’d be willing to work with Open Door and Long’s Chapel but there’s not been any formal conversations.”

“While we do feed people, we don’t provide them with a space to kind of stay in and truly congregate throughout the day. Hopefully wherever we move, we have the space to be able to do something like that.”

— Bill Guy, director of Open Door

Haithcox said there is plenty of unused capacity in Pathways’ commercial kitchen, which is mostly used in the afternoons to prepare dinner for the 60-odd people who show up most nights, but she doesn’t see the Open Door taking that over any time soon.

For one, the two service populations may not mix well — at Pathways, residents have to abide by strict rules that include abstaining from drugs and alcohol. Many clients of The Open Door have been banned from Pathways due to rule violations, and Open Door doesn’t drug test anyone, so mixing sober and non-sober populations seems to be a recipe for disaster.

Pathways’ kitchen could possibly be utilized during The Open Door’s transition to prepare meals that would be distributed offsite, perhaps in a food truck-style concept, but Guy says that they’re hoping for a seamless transition that doesn’t result in even a single day without being able to provide sustenance to its regulars.

If Open Door does remain in close proximity to Frog Level, where complaints from other business owners were heard loudly during the last municipal election, Guy said he hopes the new space will minimize concerns about loiterers and litterers.

“It’s never gonna go away totally, but I think you will see it minimized because the big thing is that while we do feed people, we don’t provide them with a space to kind of stay in and truly congregate throughout the day,” he said. “Hopefully wherever we move, we have the space to be able to do something like that and offer some sort of a community center where they can come in and not only eat, but also engage in fellowship such as watching TV relaxing on a couch, playing cards, having AA or NA meetings.”

That would keep more of The Open Door’s clients off the streets and out of trouble.

“If you provide people with that space, you keep them indoors and they don’t have a reason to go loiter outside, in the front of your facility,” he said. “The same thing goes with smoking. If you find a property that provides a good area for them to smoke that’s not in front of the building but maybe in back somewhere where it’s not that big of an issue, people might not complain about it. So yeah, there’s ways that you could mitigate all that if we stay in Frog Level because you’ll never get rid of that completely.”

Waynesville Mayor Gary Caldwell said the town and its newly minted homelessness task force would do as much as it could to help The Open Door.

“It is of great concern to have learned The Open Door soup kitchen is in need of a new location,” he said. “It is my expectation that the Homeless Task Force will address how this closure, along with other areas of concern, will impact our homeless population. I anticipate ideas and recommendations to be forthcoming from our new Homeless Task Force.”

Guy, who said he’s applied for a spot on the task force, said he’s as confident as anyone could be that there will be no lapse in services for those who frequent The Open Door.

“Hopefully I’ll be appointed to that task force and the conversation’s like this — we at The Open Door serve the most basic of human needs and which are typically physiological and that’s water, food and clothing.

But the other very important basic need that’s not being met for a lot of people we serve are the housing needs,” he said.

“Without those kinds of needs being addressed, people typically aren’t in a position to improve their situation, whether that’s dealing with their substance abuse issues or applying for a better job or even applying for a job, or getting their high school diploma. If you don’t address those basic human needs, people just kind of tend to stay where they are. We’re hoping this task force will be a part of that moving forward.”

Frog Level merchants have valid concerns about people loitering around the Open Door and causing problems for customers and law enforcement. Jessi Stone photo

... Another door opens

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— Rev. Chris Westmoreland, Long’s Chapel

the community. Even before Long’s Chapel received the letter from the landlords, their leases have been shorter in recent years.

When Open Door started 24 years ago, Frog Level wasn’t much of a business district, but now there’s a clash between merchants trying to attract customers and the soup kitchen trying to minister to those less fortunate.

Stanley said her customer traffic has significantly dwindled in recent years. Just the other day, she said she posted items for sale on Facebook and got a call from a woman wanting to buy something but asked Stanley to meet her somewhere because she didn’t want to come through Frog Level.

“I moved here 18 years ago and I just loved Frog Level — just something about this area spoke to me,” she said, shaking her head.

“But now I’ve been closing at 4 p.m. just so I can get out of here before dark.”

Westmoreland said the church had been discussing ways to grow the ministry to better address the more complicated issues people are facing today. Providing a warm meal to people is definitely a need, but they need a

Smoky Mountain News

kitchen attracts has been building for the last couple of years. Even though Open Door only serves breakfast and lunch and the facility isn’t open in between those hours, its patrons hang around the area most of the day.

Frog Level business owners have complained about people soliciting money from their customers, loitering in the alleyways, urinating behind the buildings and an increase in drug use as more syringes and needles are being found along the sidewalks and alcoves of Frog Level.

Jane Stanley, owner of Depot Village Antiques, said she’s relieved Open Door is moving. She’d had her business in Frog Level for seven years and said she never had a problem with the folks who went to Open Door for a meal but said the faces have changed in recent years.

“I used to know all the old guys who came every day and never had an issue, but I don’t know all these new people coming in and they’re running off customers,” she said. “I only picked up one syringe today, but I’ve picked up as many as 12 in one day. I was cleaning out my planter outside one day and almost got stuck by a needle.”

Open Door and the Haywood Pathways Center in Hazelwood have borne the brunt of blame for the increased numbers of transient and homeless people and drug use while the nonprofits assert they are just trying to minister and help people where they are — and they’re here in Haywood County where social services are lacking.

February 5-11, 2020

BY J ESSI STONE N EWS E DITOR ong’s Chapel leadership only received word about two weeks ago that its lease for The Open Door Ministry building in Frog Level would not be renewed for another year.

The church’s lease runs out in March, but the landlords will allow the soup kitchen to have a month-to-month lease until June if necessary. Now the search is on for a new space to house the ministry that has offered free meals and fellowship to the less fortunate in Haywood County for 24 years.

Some people might be frantically trying to find a new location and frustrated by the entire situation of being displaced after so many years, but Rev. Chris Westmoreland was cool, calm and collected Monday when giving The Smoky Mountain News the latest update on the situation. He said he has full faith that God has a plan for The Open Door.

“People keep asking me if I’m upset with the landlord — I’m not. They’ve been amazing. They gave us a home for 24 years and have been nothing but supportive of our ministry,” he said. “We’re grateful to them. They are releasing us to see what our future will look like and they’re entitled to do what they need to do.”

The Boyd family, which includes Waynesville Alderwoman Julia Boyd Freeman and her brothers, owns the building in Frog Level where Open Door has leased space.

Concerns over the types of people the soup

“We have plenty of options and we want to do what’s best for The Open Door. We want to explore ‘how can we be about more and not less?’ We want to serve the community faithfully.”

lot more help getting back on their feet.

“I don’t want to set up expectations we won’t be able to meet, but I can tell we’re not doing an effective job in addressing the biggest needs — affordable housing and rental assistance, transportation, addiction and recovery,” he said. “None of us are doing enough to stem the tide in the epidemic.

Many folks live on the fringes and are really wrestling with these issues.”

While the letter from the landlords specifically mentioned the soup kitchen’s lease not being renewed, it didn’t say anything about the Second Blessings Thrift Store just next door. The thrift store is a funding source for the church’s ministries. Westmoreland said it’s a possibility the store could stay and even expand into the rest of the building once the soup kitchen relocates.

Open Door is open to partnering with other like-missioned nonprofits working toward the same goals, including Haywood Christian Ministries, Pathways Center, The Community Kitchen in Canton and perhaps Asheville Buncombe Community Christian Ministry, in order to have a bigger impact. The church also wants to continue to listen to the concerns and ideas from people in the community as Westmoreland and other Open Door volunteers work toward a plan for the future.

Those potential partnerships haven’t been defined, but Westmoreland said ABCCM has more resources and volunteers as well as an excellent track record for moving people out of poverty to a sustainable life. Tapping into those resources and best practices would be beneficial for Open Door, but Westmoreland wanted to squash the rumor that Long’s Chapel is trying to hand the ministry over to another group. He said the church wants to grow the ministry, not get rid of it.

Rumors have been spreading since the announcement was made with people claiming the soup kitchen is moving closer to Pathways Center in Hazelwood or to Canton or to another building in Frog Level, but Westmoreland said there is no plan in place right now.

“We don’t have a big reveal right now. We have plenty of options and we want to do what’s best for The Open Door. We want to explore ‘how can we be about more and not less?’ We want to serve the community faithfully,” he said. “I haven’t personally considered one additional property in Frog Level but have been contacted by people around the county about potential locations. We just don’t know yet where we’ll end up, but what we can share is that Long’s Chapel is committed to serving the community.”

Long’s Chapel ministry team will be meeting to discuss Open Door’s future and looking at potential locations to house not only the soup kitchen but any future programming and services they want to add.

“It’s going to take a lot of community energy to address these needs and we don’t want to work in isolation. We have amazing community partners and we want to hear from them. We want to get feedback on what’s next. We’re excited about those conversations and we need everyone’s support and prayer,” Westmoreland said.

If anyone is aware of available property that could be suited for The Open Door, email Westmoreland at chris@longschapel.com.

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Blowback from the community reached a boiling point last October when a stabbing occurred in Frog Level during one of the busiest tourism weekends of the year. Frog Level Brewing owner Clark Williams organized a community forum at the brewery and all the candidates running for Waynesville Board of Aldermen attended to discuss the issues. There were strong opinions on both sides of the argument — some people wanted Open Door to move out of Frog Level while others supported keeping many of the homeless in a central location of town.

“We have a moral imperative to do what we do in Frog Level,” Westmoreland said at the forum. “We want to help be part of the solution, but what’s not negotiable is taking care of those people. If you want to see the problem get a lot worse, take the nonprofits and churches out of the equation.”

When asked for his reaction to Open Door moving, Williams said he thinks it’s the best decision for the ministry and the merchants in Frog Level.

“It’s good they have realized they have outgrown the current location. Hopefully finding a larger location will enable them to conduct classes and the social work needed along with a hot meal,” he said.

On Monday, Westmoreland said he wanted to make it clear that Open Door’s move was not a decision based on the pushback in

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Agriculture commissioner election about more than just farming

BY CORY VAILLANCOURT STAFF WRITER rom the mountains to Manteo, it’s easy to see that agriculture is North Carolina’s largest industry, but while driving through or flying over this vast state it’s much harder to see the challenges that threaten it.

“We’ve got to make our family farms profitable again. We’re one of the top 10 states in the nation in lost family farms and we have been for over a decade,” said Walter Smith, one of three Democrats seeking the right to challenge incumbent Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler. “We’re not doing a very good job of saving our family farms and that’s important to everybody, not just farmers, because people like to eat locally sourced food and that’s where locally sourced food comes from — your local farmers.”

The N.C. Department of Agriculture, though, is about much more than farming — in fact, the agency’s official name is the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and is charged with management of myriad other industries tangentially related to the cultivation of the state’s natural resources.

The NCDA&CS, as it’s known, also has some responsibilities in regard to keeping water clean, ensuring the humane treatment of domesticated animals, monitoring drug safety, performing the certification of scales and gasoline pumps, even determining the safety of cosmetics and skin care products.

But when it comes down to it, the bulk of the job focuses on farmers and farming.

“That’s one of the reasons I’m running — because we’ve lost 52,000 farms in North Carolina over the last 12 years and we’ve only got 49,000 left,” said Donovan Watson,

February 5-11, 2020

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another Democrat seeking to take on Troxler in November. “Agriculture is the number one industry in North Carolina. It’s valued at about $90 billion.”

Jenna Wadsworth, who grew up on a family farm in rural Johnston County, says that rural North Carolina is being left behind.

“I think in recent years, because of recent administrations, farmers have had a very difficult time and they’ve been engaged in some self-destructive policy choices that have been dominating the headWalter Smith lines,” said Wadsworth.

“I think that there’s a real opportunity here to give farmers an opportunity to thrive in North Carolina.”

At just 31 years of age, Wadsworth is relatively young to be running for statewide office, but holding office Donovan Watson is nothing new for her; at 21 and while still in college, Wadsworth became the youngest elected woman in the state when voters selected her for a spot on the Wake County Soil and Water Conservation District Board, a position she still holds.

“I was probably sitting on the back of a tractor before I was sitting in a car seat,” she said. “I remember what it was like the first time my daddy put me up on our old antique red Farmall tractor and made me run rows.

We still argue about how straight those rows were, but that’s another story.”

Commissioner of Agriculture

Wadsworth isn’t the only one with youth on her side. Watson is just 25, but has been involved in the family market for two decades.

“The essential role of the commissioner is to make sure there’s an adequate supply of food and fiber for North Carolinians.

Protecting that and maintaining that is all I’ve ever done my whole life,” he said. “I’ve grown up in a family business since I was 4. I took it over formally when I was 10, and started writing checks at age 13. I meet these farmers on a daily basis.

Jenna Wadsworth I have their backs, and I got ahead of the game in integrating analytics, in which I want to take statewide as well so their product isn’t being wasted. As I put it in my own store, Perkins Orchard in Durham, the farmers don’t grow the whole alphabet hoping we buy every letter, they grow exactly what the business will sell and ultimately what people will buy.”

Smith was the 2016 Democratic nominee and despite garnering 2 million votes, he still lost to Troxler by more than 11 percentage points. At the age of 66, he’s older than both his opponents combined.

“I probably am, but you’ve still got to have experience in agriculture. I was born and raised on a farm. I’ve got a B.S. in ag engineering, I’ve worked with the USDA for 30 years, working with federal farm programs and working with the conservation practices that clean our water and protect our natural resources and expand our wildlife habitats,” he said. “I’ve also served as a mayor of the town of Booneville, so I’ve got the experience needed on the consumer side.”

HealthPATH

WALTER SMITH • Age: 66 • Residence: Yadkinville • Occupation: Hemp farmer • Political experience: Unsuccessful 2016 campaign for commissioner of agriculture, former mayor of Booneville JENNA WADSWORTH • Age: 31 • Residence: Raleigh • Occupation: Political consultant and issue advocacy • Political experience: Three-term Wake County Soil and Water Conservation District board member DONOVAN WATSON • Age: 25 • Residence: Durham • Occupation: Owner, Perkins Orchard produce market • Political experience: First campaign Of course all three candidates believe they’re the Democrat to take the fight to Troxler. Smith believes that domination by politicians from the eastern part of the state hasn’t served communities in the west all that well, Watson wants to revitalize generational farms, and Wadsworth says she’s the only one with the bold vision needed for the multitude of issues under the purview of the office.

“People want to be able to meaningfully engage in immigration and farm worker debate,” Wadsworth said. “They want to see us bridge this urban-rural divide and invest in broadband technology and prioritize rural health care. And then on top of that, we have a major food insecurity problem in North Carolina. Almost one in five children are food insecure. And I think that is an absolute crime that children are

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“What’s been done over the last decade has severely undercut what needs to be done and what is constituted in the constitution established

by North Carolina for the role of the commissioner.”

— Donovan Watson

“While I agree that what happens at the top of the ballot absolutely affects down ballot races, I will say that our focus is absolutely on getting out and talking to as many voters as we can.”

— Jenna Wadsworth

— Walter Smith

row to hoe, especially with President Donald Trump at the top of the ticket in November.

Trump’s popularity with poor, rural whites across the state and across the nation has provided him with a solid base that doesn’t seem all that unhappy with his performance.

“While I agree that what happens at the top of the ballot absolutely affects down ballot races, I will say that our focus is absolutely on getting out and talking to as many voters as we can,” Wadsworth said. “We’re going to continue to meet with farmers and agribusiness leaders on both sides of the political aisle and figure out what we can do to address the issues that they are facing day in, and day out.

I hope at the end of the day, voters believe that

I am the best person to help lead them forward, and I think that no matter what happens at the top of the ballot, there is an opportunity to elect the best candidate for the job.”

Like Wadsworth, Watson is simply trying to control the things he can control as a candidate, and not worry about the things he can’t.

“I think it will have a domino effect in that you’re going to at the very least have a lot of voters show up to the polls. And of course there are the 20 percent that go left, and the 20 percent that go right,” he said. “But at the same time, we’re confident in our campaign and we hope North Carolina will see through any false truths that are out there and make the right choice for themselves and their fellow neighbors.”

Smith, however, seems least concerned about what may or may not happen in November because of the president’s popularity or lack thereof.

“When I ran four years ago, I built a coalition of every demographic in the state and I got over 2 million votes,” Smith said.

“Regardless of how he runs and what he runs on, I can win this election. He has hurt farmers tremendously in this state. He has not been an advocate for family farms or corn farmers, soybean farmers, or especially tobacco farmers. Even though there’s a trade deal that has been passed, we’ve yet to see any benefit and may not. We’ve been told so many times in the last year that this and that’s been done for the benefit of the farmers, and yet they’ve seen no real results from it. He’s the reason that we’re in this shape now. He’s the one that created this problem.”

Smoky Mountain News

That hurts farmers, fishermen and consumers, according to Wadsworth, but Watson expressed frustration that he voted for Troxler in the last election and isn’t impressed with his performance.

“Before Troxler, it was all Democrats and I don’t want to go too far on party lines in the sense that we’re all in this together, and we all got to eat,” Watson said. “What’s been done over the last decade has severely undercut what needs to be done and what is constituted in the constitution established by North Carolina for the role of the commissioner.”

Smith calls Troxler’s time in office an outright failure.

“Like I’ve said, we’re still one of the leading states in loss of family farms. We have not been able to get a common assessment tool to regulate puppy mills because he wants to support that,” said Smith. “We’ve got to get that done and we’ve got to solve this rural urban divide.

He simply hasn’t done enough to do that.”

Whether it’s Watson, Wadsworth or Smith, wresting control of the NCDA&CS from the Republican Troxler will be a tough

“Even though there’s a trade deal that has been passed, we’ve yet to see any benefit and may not. We’ve been told so many times in the last year that this and that’s been done for the benefit of the farmers, and yet they’ve seen no real results from it.”

February 5-11, 2020

“We’re also one of the top 10 states in the nation for food insecurity,” he said. “People don’t realize that. That’s something that’s not directly in the mission of the Department of Agriculture, but it’s my feeling that the department that’s in charge of the food supply in North Carolina ought to be helping to feed the hungry.”

All three also have to contend with another issue that didn’t even exist the last time Troxler was elected, in 2016. Hemp — one of the very few brand new agricultural products ever to be introduced to the state.

“We can save our family farms with it. We can revitalize rural areas. We can generate hundreds of millions of dollars of income to the economy, and we can realize a lot of jobs that are especially needed in the mountains,” said Smith. “I try to explain that the hemp industry is one of the most important industries that’s been introduced in North Carolina in decades.”

Smith said that he spent last summer lobbying for the industry in Raleigh and that he’s supportive of medical cannabis initiatives as well as industrial hemp applications. He’s also in favor of recreational cannabis — just not right now.

“I’m not against recreational marijuana in any way, shape or fashion, but I’m kind of practical in that I know how hard it was to get the legislature to approve the hemp industry,” he said. “I know what we ran up against on both sides of the fence, Republicans and Democrats, some for and some against. So I do think that we should take the first step and get the medicinal cannabis approved, and then once we do that, we’ll take the next step.”

Wadsworth and Watson are more assertive in their positions on recreational cannabis.

“My priorities are North Carolina’s priorities,” Wadsworth said. “My priorities are the priorities of the folks that I have been talking to since day one and people want to see us do some very bold things in addressing climate

change and ensuring a prosperous future for everyone, in supporting these family farmers who are struggling, who have not had an advocate for so long. People want to see legalization of cannabis.”

Watson says there’s a way to do that.

“We’re unique in that we [NCDA&CS] can submit legislation to the General Assembly.

We can submit legislation to the legislators and we can get ahead of this. Right now we’re falling behind in our own hemp industry,” he said. “We’ve got lots of farms who are throwing away a lot of their crops because they may test higher than the required threshold for THC. We want to have a fundamental plan because we also are in charge of the consumer services, so I personally and on the behalf of the state of North Carolina support legalization of medical recreational marijuana.”

Smith, Wadsworth and Watson all know that winning in November isn’t just about what they want to do, it’s also about what they say Troxler hasn’t been doing during his 16-year tenure.

“Frankly, I believe that he’s gotten a bit complacent,” said Wadsworth. “He’s made a very concerted choice about which farmers and industries to help and meanwhile we’ve seen a denigration of both our environment and the image of small farmers. He has really done very little in regards to addressing the issues because he won’t admit that climate change is real.”

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going hungry in a state that produces so much food, not just to feed all of our residents but to feed people all over this country.”

Watson sees produce markets like his own as a critical link in maintaining food security.

“We have to protect and grow agricultural markets in North Carolina,” he said. “We’ve only got 217 farmer’s markets across the state. I want to increase that to at least 300 within the first four years of my term.”

Although feeding the hungry isn’t exactly the NCDA&CS’s job, Smith believes it should be.

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February 5-11, 2020

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GOP attorney general candidates offer differing perspectives

BY CORY VAILLANCOURT STAFF WRITER orth Carolina’s attorney general may be the top law enforcement officer in the state, but the AG also serves as general counsel for all state agencies, represents the state in litigation and advises the governor and General Assembly on questions of law.

It’s a position with a lot of importance and influence, but incumbent Democrat Josh Stein hasn’t quite lived up to expectations, according to the three candidates competing for the Republican nomination to face Stein in November.

“I would actually say that North Carolinians have not been getting their money for this office,” said Christine Mumma, a Durham attorney running in the March 3 Primary Election. “This office, ‘A.G.’ stands for attorney general, but in North Carolina there’s been a little bit of a history of it standing for ‘aspiring governor.’”

Mumma’s got a point, or rather, a couple — the last two N.C. attorneys general both became the state’s Democratic governor. Roy Cooper served as AG from 2001 through 2017, and Mike Easley served as AG from 1993 until winning the gubernatorial election and taking office in 2001.

“He’s a career politician,” Forsyth County District Attorney Jim O’Neill, also a Primary Election candidate, said of Stein. “There’s no doubt about that. So he, of course, has other things that he wants to do. What I want to do

N

is I want to make North Carolina a safer place for all of us.”

There are several emotional, high-profile issues in this race; Sam Hayes, a Raleigh attorney who served in both the state treasurer’s office and with the Department of Environmental Quality, thinks Stein hasn’t stuck up for the state in the ways he should.

“We just saw Josh Stein again failing to do his duty when it comes to voter ID,” said Hayes of the recent court ruling that overturned voter identification requirements at the polls in March. “The citizens of this state on more than one occasion stood up for voter identification at the ballot box. The legislature has passed it on more than one occasion. We now have a constitutional Sam Hayes amendment [approved by voters in 2017], yet again the most recent iteration of that law was struck down by a liberal activist Obamaappointed judge. Josh Stein, hemming and hawing, has said he’s going to seek an appeal, but he’s not going to do it before the Primary Election. Well, if you feel like voter ID is important for the General Election, it’s important for the Primary.”

Hayes said he also has a problem with socalled sanctuary jurisdictions where sheriffs have refused to cooperate with Immigration

Attorney General SAM HAYES • Age: 47 • Residence: Raleigh • Occupation: Complex litigation attorney • Political experience: First campaign CHRISTINE MUMMA • Age: 57 • Residence: Durham • Occupation: Criminal defense post-conviction attorney specializing in innocence claims • Political experience: Unsuccessful campaign for N.C. Senate in 2004 JIM O’NEILL • Age: 54 • Residence: Forsyth County • Occupation: Forsyth County district attorney • Political experience: Three-term district attorney and Customs Enforcement agents.

“That’s certainly true in Wake County, Mecklenburg County, Durham County and now even in Forsyth,” he said. “As attorney general, I would go back to the General Assembly and I would ask for legislation to hold these sanctuary sheriffs accountable.”

Defending the Second Amendment also ranks high on Hayes’ list of priorities.

“People are really concerned with what’s happening in Virginia, the new incoming Democratic majority and their General Assembly along with the Democrat governor, threatening Second Amendment gun rights for lawful gun owners,” he said.

“People don’t want us to become the next Virginia in that regard.”

It’s that sort of proactivity that Mumma thinks North Carolinians don’t have with the incumbent.

“I’ll give you an example right now, one of the big pushes in the AG’s office is the untested a backlog of rape kits.

In 2009, I pushed for the legislation to preserve those kits and I did that Christine Mumma as a private citizen,” she said. “If I had not pushed that legislation just to preserve those rape kits, there wouldn’t be anything to test right now.

That’s the kind of thing that should’ve been done by the AG’s office back then.”

O’Neill said that district attorneys across the state pushed Stein to clear out the backlog of untested kits but were met with inaction, which is one of the reason’s he’s running.

“In January, when I announced, I had had enough of the thought of 15,000 rape kits sitting up on the shelves

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February 5-11, 2020 Smoky Mountain News

tion,” she said. “We’ve actually never had a female candidate from either of the major parties. I think it’s time for change, not only change from the ways that position has been politicized, but we need fresh eyes and an outsider’s approach to establish a new culture in that office and independence at our state lab.”

Hayes will make his case based on his ideology and his experience.

“I’m the only real conservative in this race. I am the only candidate who has held senior leadership positions and two key state government agencies. I’ve got the experience, quite frankly I’ve been doing this job,” he said. “When I was a general counsel at the Department of Environmental Quality, I took on the litigation that Roy Cooper — then attorney general — refused to handle on behalf of the state and the citizens of North Carolina.”

In contrast to Hayes, Jim O’Neill O’Neill touts endorsements from industry professionals.

“The primary consumers of the attorney general’s office are the prosecutors like me.

We’re the primary consumers. Every Republican prosecutor in the state is supporting me,” he said. “Virtually every Republican elected sheriff in the state is supporting me.

That should tell people all they need to know about me.”

Stein’s eventual November opponent will compete not only against him, but also against whomever the Democrats can offer up against President Donald Trump. Hayes, O’Neill and Mumma all think Trump will fare well in that matchup.

“North Carolina has a history of being a little bit of a schizophrenia state when it comes to presidential races versus governor’s races versus down ballot races,” she said. “It’s hard to predict, but my prediction is that Trump is going to carry North Carolina.”

Going even further, Hayes thinks Trump will have a bigger effect on races from the bottom to the top of the state ticket than he did in 2016.

“I believe you’re going to see the president carry this state by greater numbers than he did last time,” Hayes said. “I stand with the president when it comes to national security and border security, and against illegal immigration against these illegal sanctuary cities and sanctuary counties. There’s really no daylight between me and the president on that. I absolutely support what he’s doing, and so I’m completely on board and I think he should be a benefit to candidates like me.”

There are plenty of reasons he should, according to O’Neill — like the economy and that voters are increasingly rejecting elected officials intent on making public office a lifetime engagement.

“Trump is not a career politician and I think that when you’re looking at me, I’m not a career politician either,” he said. “I’m a guy that just wants to get the job done. If I’m successful in this race, I’m going to take a huge pay cut. I think that’s indicative of where my heart is in terms of making North Carolina a great place to be.”

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at the lab that he’s responsible for and he’s done absolutely nothing about,” O’Neill said.

“We’re not moving forward getting these kits tested and you get potentially all these rapists running around out here.” s Rape victims aren’t the only victims to g draw O’Neill’s concern. l “We in North Carolina have the death penalty on the books and yet we have not n actually followed through on obtaining justice for murdered victims and their families t in years and years,” he said. “I believe that the attorney general’s office needs to play a cena tral role in pushing those cases forward to e their final resolution.”

Samuel Russell Flippen was put to death n in 2006 after 12 years on death row for the e beating death of his 2-year-old stepdaughter. e He remains the last of 43 people executed by the state.

“What people have to understand and e remember is that the death penalty is e reserved for the worst of the worst. A very t small number of people that commit a capital e murder case receive the ultimate punishd ment,” O’Neill said. “Forgive me for not having the number at the tip of my fingers, but I think there’s more than 140 people sitting on n death row. Some of them have been sitting on death row for decades.” s There are currently 143. Wayne Davidson g Laws has been there since 1985.

“If we are going to look a victim’s family in the face and tell them that we’re going to purd sue the ultimate punishment against the murderers of their loved ones,” O’Neill said, “we need to do everything we can to be sure that we’re doing just that.”

As the executive director of the North Carolina Center on Actual Innocence, Christine Mumma understands how the justice system fails to serve some wrongdoers, but also some victims and some defendants.

In 1987, a 12-year-old Greensboro girl was raped in her home and subsequently identified 19-year-old Dwayne Allen Dail as the assailant. The Center began working on Dail’s case in 2001 and helped free him after 18 years in 2007 when DNA evidence not only exonerated Dail but also revealed the actual perpetrator. Mumma’s bio says she helped defend Dail.

“I think our criminal justice system has not kept up with the reforms that are happening around the country,” Mumma said. “The reform that North Carolina has led on had been reforms that I had been a part of pushing.

I think there’s a lot more opportunity to be had in that area as far as efficiency and effectiveness and reliability and cost reduction.”

That’s at least part of the reason Mumma thinks she should be the one to face Stein in November.

“They’re both government attorneys,” she said. “O’Neill’s been in the district attorney’s office for I think over 20 years. Sam Hayes has been a government attorney in government agencies as his career. I’m actually running for this office because I want to do it. I want to do the work. I don’t want to just talk about it. I want to have an opportunity to put the changes in place that I think we can put in place.”

Mumma also cites a historically distinct lack of diversity in the AG role.

“We’ve never had a female in this posi-

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Three Democrats face off in Swain primary

BY J ESSI STONE N EWS E DITOR hree Democrats running for county commissioner will appear on the primary election ballot in Swain County this year, and voters will determine which two will move on to the general election in November.

While the two Republicans signed up to run for county commissioner — Kenneth Parton and H. Robert Lowe — will move directly to the November election, the three Democrat candidates — Phillip Carson, Mitchell Jenkins and Roger Parsons — will have to be pared down to two during the primary. Then the two candidates who receive the most votes in November will claim the two open seats on the board regardless of party.

Incumbents Parton and Parsons are both completing their first terms on the board and running for a second term. Carson served one term as a county commissioner and two terms as the commission chairman.

He ran for a third term as chairman in 2018 but lost to fellow Democratic commissioner Ben Bushyhead during the primary. With only 18 percent of voters casting a ballot in the primary, Bushyhead received 59 percent to Carson’s 41 percent.

Mitchell Jenkins, a former Swain County maintenance director, is officially running for his first term as commissioner but he

Smoky Mountain News

February 5-11, 2020

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also ran a write-in campaign during the 2018 general election against Bushyhead. He received about 800 votes, but Bushyhead still claimed the seat with 79 percent of the votes for chairman.

Parsons was appointed to fill the unexpired term for Commissioner David Monteith, who passed away in early 2017 — not long after being elected to another fouryear term on the board. Parsons then had to run in 2018 to keep the seat for another two years. He won the seat with 57 percent of the vote, and now he’s running for another term.

After being off the board for a couple of years, Carson said the call to serve the community was still strong and people were still asking him to run.

“I feel like it’s important and that I need to be serving my community and representing the people of our county,” he said. “And I feel like I can do that better than some of the sitting members.”

As a former county employee and a lifelong resident of Swain County, Jenkins said he’d like the chance to make a difference.

“I’d like to see if I can make a difference — I don’t know if I can or not. I want to see us have plenty of work and I have experience working with budgets as the maintenance director,” he said. “I’d like to see someone go into the ConMet building out there and try to help businesses. It’s a booming economy

right now so it’s the best time to target someone and I’m willing to look at that.”

Parsons said he’s proud of the accomplishments the board has made in the last four years and wants to continue down that path. He’s proud to see the county have good working relationships with the school system and the town of Bryson City. He said commissioners formed a personnel committee trying to work on developing an updated pay scale plan to be able to better recruit and retain county employees, which is important to him, and he’s pleased the county is looking to improving services for residents at the rec center.

“I continue to be very excited about the future of Swain County. My only discouragement may be that I’m used to being able to work at a faster pace than government works,” he said. “It seems painfully slow, but we keep churning in the right direction and you feel good about it.”

have to figure out how to set up a department and fund it.

“We have an animal ordinance now and I’m not sure if they’ve figured out how to fund that or where the money will come from but that’s going to be an important program for the community,” Carson said.

Parsons said the animal control ordinance was needed and wanted in the community for a long time and now that it’s passed, commissioners are looking for ways to fund and develop it further. Not wanting to speak for the entire board, Parsons said he sees the infrastructure plan for animal control happening in the near future and not years down the road.

“We do a lot of talking about funding of all kinds, but basically our money is spent on the mandated stuff. That comes first and then we can work on discretionary funds.

We want input from the community though.

I want to hear from them,” he said.

ANIMAL CONTROL

NEW LIBRARY

There are several issues the board is working through that have been hot topics for years but have never been resolved. The commissioners batted around the idea of adopting an animal control ordinance for years, but it never came to a vote under Carson’s tenure as chairman. The board recently approved an ordinance but will now

Finding the funds for any new program or service in Swain is a real struggle with the county’s tight budget and historically low tax base. A number of important projects have had to sit on the backburner, including the construction of a new Marianna Black Library. Land was donated years ago for the sole purpose of build-

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Hometown: Swain County Age: 57 Professional background: Licensed plumber, 34 years as a rescue squad member, paramedic.

Political experience: One term as a Swain County commissioner, two terms as chairman

LONG-RANGE PLANNING

Hometown: Swain County Age: 53 Professional background: Worked for Swain County maintenance for 12 years; retired last year Political experience: Ran as a writein candidate two years ago for Swain Commission Chairman.

Hometown: Moved around as a child when his father served in the Marines, but the family settled in Swain when he was in elementary school.

Age: 64 Professional background: Retired from UPS. Political experience: Swain County School Board for 16 years; one term as county commissioner.

Haywood Cancer Center is pleased to welcome REBECCA ROQUES-DAVIS, M.D. Board Certified in Medical Oncology Dr. Roques-Davis has joined Jennifer Heaberlin, D.O. and Charles Thomas, M.D., F.A.C.R.O.

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Smoky Mountain News

Roger Parsons

earned an associate degree in criminal justice protective services technology from SCC. He went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Western Carolina University, received a Capt. Danny Bate will serve as certificate in office administration from Franklin’s interim police chief while the SCC as well as his Advanced Law town goes through the hiring process to Enforcement Certificate from the N.C. find its next full-time leader of the police Justice Academy. department.

Bates established Current Police Chief the department’s “Be David Adams will be A Responsible leaving his post in Seller/Server Alcohol Franklin as of Feb. 14 to Training” program, become the police chief which is accredited in Waynesville following by the North the retirement of Bill Carolina Alcoholic Hollingsed. He was choBeverage Control sen out of 30 candidates Commission. He’s that applied for the job. involved in a number Elected officials in of local civic organiFranklin are sad to see zations and served as Adams go, but they’re a member of the also proud of his accomFranklin Chamber of plishments over his last Commerce Board of eight years as police chief Directors. and wish him well in his Town Manager new position.

Summer Woodard Capt. Bates is a lifeDanny Bate, Franklin’s interim told the town council long Macon County resipolice chief. Monday night that dent and has worked the department with the Franklin Police would be in good hands as the town figDepartment since 1993 in various roles ures out what the hiring process will be — police officer, patrol sergeant, detecmoving forward. She said the process will tive sergeant, lieutenant and captain. take at least 90 days if not more to comHe completed his Basic Law plete.

Enforcement Training at Southwestern — Jessi Stone, news editor Community College and before that

February 5-11, 2020

Mitchell A. Jenkins

The commissioners are also in the early stages of developing a long-range strategic plan for the county. It will help the county better prioritize its needs and hopefully begin funding a backlog of needs.

Many residents think the county is flushed with cash now that the federal government finally paid out the North Shore Road settlement money of $52 million, but the truth is that money sits in a secure account with the N.C. Treasurer and the county can only draw the interest on it each year. The county is working with legislators to change the law to allow Swain to invest the money in a fund that would yield higher returns, but that hasn’t come to fruition yet.

“I agree with the board’s concept put in place before I left — to take the interest money each year and let it accumulate for a period,” Carson said.

“We can go through every cent real quick and it only benefits a few, but if we let it accumulate there’s money for the future.”

Parsons said the strategic planning will get underway along with the county budget process. As for the road money, he said the interest collected each year has helped the county pay down outstanding debts but that he would like to see the money invested in a way that would yield more interest for the county. In the meantime, he hopes the strategic planning process will help the county identify ways to best utilize the money they do receive.

“I tend to be a cautious person when it comes to finances and it’s important for us to be careful with taxpayers’ money,” he said.

Jenkins said he’s not yet sure how the road money should be used, but he knows there are many groups of people in the county who would benefit from it.

“I’d like to see it help the people that came from down there (North Shore) if possible,” he said. “I’m not against helping the cemetery groups.”

Franklin appoints interim police chief

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Phil Carson

ing a new library, but commissioners have had a hard time digesting the $7 million price tag for the bigger facility. Recently, the new library committee presented commissioners with a couple of alternative plans — to either do some renovation work on the current library or to purchase the former Fred’s space in a shopping center and place the new library in that space.

Jenkins said he doesn’t know all the details but wouldn’t want the county to miss the opportunity to use the donated land.

“I’m not against having a new library. I haven’t looked at it closely, but we have a great opportunity with the land. I just don’t know if the money is there to build it,” he said.

Parsons said he was open to all three options the library committee put forth and wants to hear feedback from the community, but again, it will all come down to finding ways to fund it.

Carson said he wasn’t in favor of the alternative plans but also didn’t want to see the county spend $7 million for the original plans presented to the board.

“As a former board member I know it’s hard to come up with $7 million, so we’re still looking at ideas. I think we could build a less costly building and add on for future growth for less money. We’d still build a new structure with more square footage than we have now,” he said. “But I didn’t like the other options — the shopping center has more floor space but we need another store to open there to generate revenue. The county and local government don’t need to own all the buildings in town.

We want to use the donated land.”

49 Spicewood Dr Suite 10B • Clyde 13

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down to the next generation rather than handling busywork that a less skilled speaker could accomplish.

Bo Lossiah voices his thoughts on language preservation at the EBCI Language Symposium Jan. 31. Holly Kays photo

‘USE WHAT YOU HAVE’

Symposium seeks input on Cherokee language preservation

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER ow do you create new fluent speakers in a language that’s no longer the common tongue of its community?

That’s the difficult question about 75 members of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians faced on Friday, Jan. 31, the second day of a two-day symposium focused on saving the Cherokee language.

“From the outset, right from my inauguration speech that I gave back in October, I reaffirmed my commitment and the commitment of Tribal Council and the Vice Chief that we were going to make Cherokee language — not just preservation, but proliferation of the language — a priority,” said Principal Chief Richard Sneed to open the meeting. “We all recognize that we are in a state of emergency, and from the outset I gave a directive to Secretary (James) Bradley to start organizing the symposium.”

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OBSERVATIONS ON CURRENT EFFORTS

The tribe hired Chief Strategy Group, a company owned by former Principal Chief Michell Hicks, to lead the process, and brought in a trio of consultants. During a 14 three-day process that included two days of

meetings, they observed the current state of language preservation efforts in Cherokee toward the goal of drafting a plan to bolster their effectiveness going forward. The panelists presented their findings in detail Jan. 30 and then gave a higher-level review Jan. 31 to set the stage for public input.

“Without exception — every program we went to, every group we met with — people were invested,” said Wyman Kirk, one of the consultants. A member of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, Kirk is a faculty member in Northeastern State University’s Department of Cherokee and Indigenous Studies Program. “They cared. There was a deep, deep identification with what they were doing, how this was happening. One of the strengths is that there’s a passion for this. People care. The question is how do we funnel this energy into doing what people want done?”

The consultants visited classrooms at New Kituwah Academy, Cherokee Central Schools and Western Carolina University’s Cherokee program. They observed an online Cherokee class through University of North Carolina Asheville and went to the Robbinsville after-school program. They observed teaching in the Mothertown Healing Project, visited the Cherokee Adult Language Learners and sat in on a meeting of the Cherokee Speakers Council.

Whenever possible, said consultant Benjamin Frey — a member of the EBCI who holds a doctorate and teaches Cherokee at UNC Chapel Hill — they interacted with the teachers and worked to understand what teaching ideas and methods were being used.

A lot of what they observed was encouraging. The tribe has the money to fund language programs, the people to carry them out and the resources to learn from.

However, the fact remains that none of those efforts has so far resulted in the creation of a single fluent speaker. Time is of the essence.

The number of fluent speakers now hovers around 200 with an average age of 67. About 19 pass away each year.

There are things the tribe could do, said Jason Lambert of Chief Strategy, to better allocate resources, share knowledge, strategically align various initiatives, improve methodology and categorize the types of work to be done.

For example, to achieve the larger goals of language preservation and proliferation, it’s important to make sure each person involved is working at a task that best suits their unique talents and abilities. If somebody is gifted as a teacher, he should spend his time teaching, not creating video and audio files. If somebody is a fluent speaker, she should spend her time passing that skill

Creating a comfortable and supportive environment for both speakers and language learners will be key to creating fluency.

“The comfort issue is extremely crucial around language learning,” said Frey.

“People have to be comfortable, otherwise they’re not going to learn anything.”

So the question is, how can the tribe create spaces where people feel free to try, and free of embarrassment if the words come out wrong? Whether it’s Cherokee, Spanish or Swahili, communicating in a second language often feels awkward and unnatural.

But for tribal members learning Cherokee, there’s the added pressure of knowing that this is the language of their parents, or of their grandparents, or certainly of their great-grandparents — but that it’s not yet theirs. Butchering the language in front of a Cherokee-speaking elder can be extremely embarrassing.

But for the initiative to succeed, it’s important for language learning to not just be something that happens in a classroom.

Language is more than an object of academic curiosity, said Frey — it’s meant to achieve a function. Perhaps function is a good way to break up the learning, he said. Acquire the words you need to go cash a check at the bank, and then to check out at the grocery store, or to order a coffee. Then go on from there.

To that end, the consultants recommended a “Teach what you know, use what you have” initiative to encourage people to put their knowledge to use, even if it’s presently limited.

Getting language learning out of the classroom could also improve participation from fluent speakers, said Bo Lossiah during the public comment portion of the agenda.

“I have a lot of speakers that want to do things, but they don’t necessarily want to be in a classroom,” he said. “They’re uncomfortable.”

Maybe that’s where the Kituwah Preservation Education Program model could be improved, he said. That model was predicated on finding speakers willing to go into the classroom and teach, but for many that’s not the right fit.

Instead of asking speakers to visit the classroom, the consultants said, language learners and educators should visit the speakers. That could take the form of a field trip where, for example, students meet a Cherokee-speaking potter and are required to use the language to ask questions about the craft. Or it could be employees who visit the speakers, asking them questions about their lives and culture while recording a video that can then be transcribed and used to create lessons.

Another major recommendation revolved around creating a database in which all language-related resources could be gathered. This could include documents, videos, photographs and audio files, as well as curriculum materials.

Consultant Sheri Tatch advocated

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There are countless small ways in which each individual person and each individual institution can ritualize and normalize use of the Cherokee language. Arnold Wachacha suggested that teachers at Cherokee Central Schools make it a point to greet children in the language each morning as they enter the building. Kaitlin Roberts, a second-grade teacher at New Kituwah, said she practices daily by talking to her dogs in Cherokee. Jonah Lossiah, a ESIRE FOR IMMERSION reporter for The Cherokee One Feather, said the paper could include the language more During the public comment portion of often if there were a more streamlined way the agenda, 22 people spoke up to provide to verify translations with fluent speakers their input as to how the tribe could better while still meeting newspaper deadlines. support the survival of its language. Many Some pointed to the need for designatof those people spoke to the need to find ed Cherokee-only zones within the tribe, better ways for language learners to continplaces that people could come and know uously and organically practice their skills. they’d be expected to communicate only in “Speaking to fluent speakers can somethe native language.

Others said that’s not going far enough.

“We have second language learners and we have speakers that Both the Jan. 30 and Jan. 31 meetings were videotaped are willing and dedicated to do and are available for viewing at this, but what is the end result?” livestream.com/accounts/10717024/events/8980446. asked Walkingstick. “We’re talking about carving out Cherokee-speaking spaces when this whole bound“One of the strengths is that ary should be carved out for that.” there’s a passion for this.

To that point, several of the comments were delivered wholly in People care. The question is Cherokee. Both J.C. Wachacha and Marie Junaluska spoke for several how do we funnel this minutes, with every word in energy into doing what people Cherokee. At the beginning of the day the majority of the people in want done?” the room raised their hands to say they were either fluent or learning — Wyman Kirk the language — it was a testament to that gathering that most of those present seemed to be tracking with what times be a little bit intimidating,” said Wachacha and Junaluska said. Myrtle Shayla Jackson, an early childhood lanDriver Johnson also spoke in Cherokee, guage specialist at New Kituwah. “They though she eventually switched to English. come by our classrooms a lot, and they’ll As Wachacha finished his thoughts, ask, ‘What do you guys want to know?’ It’s Zena Rattler followed up to praise his decinot always easy to be put on the spot like sion to speak in Cherokee. That’s somethat. You kind of go blank. So I think just thing that should happen more often, she sitting down with a speaker, bringing a said. book or something you’re interested in and “Speakers, quit speaking English and being able to talk to them takes some of the make us learn,” she said. “Put us in that pressure off of them, and off of you as well.” immersion.”

Sara Hopkins, director of WCU’s lanThere’s been a lot of talk lately about guage program, said that while immersion the need to save the language, with a resoteaching is great, it’s important to train lution passed in October 2019 setting aside language learners to remain in an immer$15 million for the effort. sive setting when they leave the classroom, Action is coming soon, said Lambert. and to support their continued education.

By Feb. 7, Chief Strategies will issue a pre“There are already tons of second lanliminary report to the tribe’s existing language learners who have dedicated their guage programs, whose leaders will have lives to working in a language setting,” she one week to review it. The final plan will be said. “However, they often get in a situation publicly available on Feb. 14. It won’t just where their language learning is stunted.” contain generalities, he said. It will include When you’re working all day to teach specific goals and potential actions, with basic Cherokee, it’s hard to find time to short-term objectives to be completed advance your own understanding. within 30, 60 and 90 days and long-term “On paper, it looks like I’m attending objectives to be finished in one, three or classes, because I am signed up for classes,” five years. said Elvia Walkingstick, a teacher at New “The Creator gave us this beautiful lanKituwah. “But because of different schedulguage, and I believe he wants us to teach ing things I have not been able to attend it,” said Johnson. “And if we don’t teach it one yet. I don’t take it as an insult when to our children and adults, then we’re people say the teachers need help, because being disobedient.” it’s true.”

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for such a tool multiple times during the Jan. 31 meeting — one of the issues with the current situation, she said, is that while the tribe has a great many resources that could be used for language learning, they’re stored in different places by different people. Creating one central repository for all that information would make everybody’s job easier.

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Watch the video

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Contact Membership Director Caitlin Noland for more info — 828-926-4831

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Indivisible Common Ground - WNC will host a forum for Democratic candidates running for the NC-11 seat in the U.S. House of Representatives from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 6, in the community Room of the Jackson County Public Library Complex, 301 Keener St, Sylva.

Several community groups, service providers, and elected officials in the far western counties were asked to submit questions. The forum will be moderated by Professor Chris Cooper of the WCU Political Science faculty. There will be an opportunity for questions from the audience as well.

Swain to hold budget workshop The Swain County Board of Commissioners has called a special meeting at 10 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 6, at the Swain County Administration Building, 50 Main St., third floor, Bryson City.

The purpose of the meeting to discuss the 2020-2021 budget and a closed session to discuss attorney/client privileges and location or expansion of business or industry. The meeting is open to the public.

Swain Republicans to hold forum The Smoky Mountain Republican Women is sponsoring a candidate forum from noon to 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 8, at the Swain County Senior Center, located at 125 Brendle Street in Bryson City.

The forum will be in a question/answer format and will focus on issues important to

Lisa Lovedahl, the director of the Jackson County Board of Elections, will be held at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 11, at the Library to discuss the mechanics of voting — the who, what, where, and why of voting in Jackson County.

She will also be covering the voter ID law, where it stands today, and the new voting machines that have been mandated by the state. There will be time after her presentation for any questions. For more information, call the Jackson County Public Library in Sylva at 828.586.2016.

Haywood offers night clinic Haywood County Health and Human Services Agency will hold a night clinic from 4:30 to 6 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 13, at the health department located at 157 Paragon Parkway in Clyde.

The clinic is held at the HHSA on the second Thursday of each month. Services offered will include annual exams, birth control, child health, lab testing, immunizations and STI/STD exams and counseling.

To schedule an appointment, call 828.452.6675.

Down Home to host community meeting Down Home Haywood will host its monthly community organizing meeting from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 15, at its office located at 301 N. Haywood St., Waynesville “We will proceed with the New Year by introducing our new campaigns based on the 2020 priorities that we chose at our January meeting. This includes the vetting of candidates running for political offices inside Haywood County and deciding whether to endorse, oppose, or take no position for each,” said Chelsea Hoglen, Haywood Chapter organizer.

This event is open to anyone interested in helping create a Haywood County that works better for all of our neighbors. Down Home meets on the third Saturday of each month. Snacks and drinks will be provided.

Children accompanied by parents are also welcome. Transportation can be arranged by emailing chelsea@downhomenc.org or calling/texting 828.476.8189.

Book online at:

MassageWaynesville.com 828.456.3585 Haywood Square | 288 N. Haywood St. | Waynesville

Ingles Nutrition Notes written by Ingles Dietitian Leah McGrath

Kids in the Supermarket Do you grocery shop at Ingles Markets with your children?

Sometimes this can be stressful and difficult to manage. Here are some ideas on how to keep kids engaged, learn something new… and maybe even lend a helping hand.

1. Spelling skills • Have them help make up a shopping list at home on a piece of paper, their phone or your phone. Dictate what you need and let them type or write the items in.

• “I spy”. Challenge them to find items that begin with a certain letter, e.g. Find foods or other products that begin with “T”: tomatoes, turkey, tea, towels, tuna…and write those items down on a smart phone or say them out loud.

2. Math skills • Have them weigh items.

• Running total. Have them keep a running total of products on a calculator or a phone.

3. Colors • For younger children try an “I spy” for certain colors of foods or colors on labels.

4. Label reading • Challenge children to look for specific things on labels …e.g. a cereal with the most fiber; a cereal with the least sugar.

Smoky Mountain News

The Haywood Democratic Party will host a candidate forum at 6p.m. Monday, Feb. 10, at the USDA Center, located at 729 Raccoon Road, Waynesville.

The forum will showcase all five Democratic congressional candidates running in the March 3 Primary Election. The public is invited to attend.

Moderator Julia Buckner will question the candidates about key issues and facilitate questions from the audience. The candidates are Gina Collias, Morris “Moe” Davis, Michael O’Shea, Phillip Price and Steve Woodsmall. The Republican and Democratic winners of the March 3 Primary will challenge each other on Nov. 3 to fill the U.S. House seat currently held by Rep. Mark Meadows.

Learn about voting

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February 5-11, 2020

Forum planned for congressional candidates

the far-west counties of Western North Carolina. All Republican candidates for United States Congress, NC-11; as well as N.C. House 119 and N.C. Senate 50 have been invited.

Candidates for other races will be allowed to speak as time permits.

There will be no admission fee charged for the forum, and lunch will be provided.

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Congressional candidate forum comes to Sylva

Leah McGrath, RDN, LDN Ingles Market Corporate Dietitian

@InglesDietitian Leah McGrath - Dietitian 800.334.4936 17

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Smoky Mountain News February 5-11, 2020

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February 5-11, 2020

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Smoky Mountain News

will continue to rise.

“We’re already a transition hospital. They (HCA) need to understand where our population is going. Health care is more and more important and the availability of health care.

Getting from here to Asheville is a huge deal,” Beale said.

Ron Winters with Gibbins Advisors said many of the complaints didn’t fall within the Independent Monitor’s purview but that they would be able to pass along the information to HCA representatives.

Winters advised local residents to reach out to the CEO of Angel Medical Karen Gorby with concerns. Gorby was present at the meeting but didn’t speak to any of the concerns of residents.

Several speakers said they had tried to reach out to Gorby, HCA and other leaders at Angel Medical with no luck. Pat Thomas said she had a friend experiencing abdominal pain and was diagnosed with appendicitis at Angel Medical. However, Angel didn’t have a surgeon available to do the routine laparoscopic surgery so he had to be taken to Mission. She said it took 11 hours for him to get to Mission and then the doctors there were also backed up and couldn’t get him into surgery until the next day. In the meantime, his appendix ruptured, which means the surgery was more invasive, his recovery time at the hospital was much longer and of course his medical bills will be more expensive.

Thomas said she emailed HCA headquarters based in Tennessee and received a rapid response saying the complaint would be sent to the authorities at Angel Medical. She then received an email from Gorby stating that “those things happen” and that “sometimes we don’t have specialists at Angel.”

“So lots of luck contacting HCA. Karen Gorby is way over her head in my opinion,” she said.

Gorby did respond to a few emailed questions from The Smoky Mountain News stating that she thinks the transition with Mission-HCA Healthcare has gone very well, but that there are always opportunities for improvement.

“Being part of HCA Healthcare has provided Angel Medical Center with information to improve the care of our patients and has provided us with resources to improve the structure and operations of our hospital,” she said. “Additionally, HCA Healthcare construction has been instrumental in the planning and design of the new hospital to ensure the same level of services will be continued in a state-of-the-art facility.”

As for the concerns from community partners like REACH, Gorby said a meeting has already been scheduled with the nonprofit to develop a plan of action for the future.

“In the past, the relationship with REACH has been very collaborative and when I am aware of patient concerns, I work to resolve them,” she said.

If someone wishes to bring forward a concern, Gorby said they can call Angel and speak with her directly or ask for the quality manager. They can also reach out to her via email at Karen.Gorby@HCAHealthcare.com.

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Macon residents unhappy with hospital transition

of time the victim must wait for an ambulance is unconscionable,” she said. “The last rape kit I did, I took them to Mission and we were there for 13 hours — this is just one of many examples.”

Turner-Lynn said REACH had never had a problem with a rape victim being billed for the use of the emergency room and now victims are being billed for that at Mission. She said a client received a $1,000 bill from the ER and the only service she received was getting a rape kit performed.

Another incident involved a victim staying at the REACH shelter who had a stroke.

Macon EMS took her to Angel and then she was transported to Mission. When she was released, she needed to stay with a family member to continue recovery. Turner-Lynn said usually the hospital is responsible for returning a patient to their county of origin, but that’s not what’s happening anymore.

“Mission said we had to pay $300 to transport the victim back to Macon County.

Ron Winters with Gibbins Advisors talks to Franklin residents about the firm’s role as an independent monitor These are significant issues of the Mission Health-HCA Healthcare sale. Jessi Stone photo impacting rural residents — putting homeless and poor

BY J ESSI STONE people in those positions to not get back to Medical Center have changed since HCA N EWS E DITOR their county,” she said. “I’ve tried to reach took over almost a year ago. Many people he independent firm responsible for out to resolve the issues but the ability to shared stories of improper billings or said ensuring HCA Healthcare complies they’d never received a bill before it was sent access someone is impossible. When services with the terms of its purchase agreewere local it was much easier.” to collections. ment for Mission Health Systems held a Franklin Mayor Bob Scott agreed there’s Others talked about incidents where it public meeting in Franklin on Thursday, but took more than 10 hours to get a transport been a lack of communication and a major residents were frustrated to learn there’s not from Angel Medical to Mission Hospital in disconnect between the community and much Gibbins Advisors can do about their HCA. With the perception in the community Asheville for a service or procedure. Person complaints. being that the new Angel Medical Center after person described their experiences as “We can’t answer all your questions,” will be a glorified transfer site to Mission “unacceptable” and “unconscionable.”

Tom Urban with Gibbins Advisors said Hospital in Asheville, residents want to hear Brittney Lofthouse spoke about her before the meeting got started. However, he what services will be provided from new experience after being involved in a car said Gibbins would be happy to pass along owners HCA. wreck when she was 34 weeks pregnant. all feedback to HCA representatives when “As mayor, I haven’t been able to talk to Since Angel Medical Center closed its labor they meet with them soon. any HCA folks — I would be happy to show and delivery unit in 2017 before HCA Gibbins was contracted to be the watchthem around and educate them about the bought Mission, Lofthouse had plans to dog, ensuring HCA meets all of the stipulacommunity,” he said. “The other big quesdeliver at Harris Regional Hospital in Sylva. tions included in its purchase agreement to tion is what will happen to the old hospital?”

The wreck caused her to go into early labor buy out nonprofit Mission Health Systems.

Macon County Commissioner Ronnie and she delivered her son at Harris before HCA made 15 commitments in the purchase Beale said the county sees huge potential in he had to be transported to the NICU at agreement, including retaining specified serv- Mission in Asheville. the existing hospital and stakeholders have ices and hospitals under Mission’s umbrella; been having conversations about how it “I didn’t even get a chance to hold him to invest $232 million into capital improvecould continue to benefit the community before they took him to Mission and then ments across the system; to set up a $25 milwhen the new hospital is built on U.S. 441.

Mission said they didn’t have a room for me lion innovation investment fund; to invest in “The county couldn’t buy it ourselves, and couldn’t even send an ambulance for community health and wellbeing programs; but there’s so many options for that building me,” she said. “I had to be discharged six to complete the Mission North Tower project — a VA hospital or behavioral health,” he hours after a C-section just so my husband in Asheville; to build a replacement hospital said. “With state and local involvement I could take me to Mission so we could be for Angel Medical Center in Franklin; to build with our son. Had I been able to deliver him think it’s a viable building for the communia 120-bed behavioral health facility in ty. It would be a nice gesture for HCA to sell here this wouldn’t have happened.”

Asheville; to adopt a new charity care policy it to us — we’ll buy it for $1.”

Jennifer Turner-Lynn with REACH of that is an improvement over Mission’s policy Beale also said the county’s EMS services Macon County said she never had an issue and to submit annual reporting to the indebefore HCA took over with getting a forensic has seen an uptick in transports to Mission pendent monitors through the advisory from Angel. EMS is averaging five to six trips nurse at Angel Medical to evaluate stranguboards for each hospital. per day to Asheville and Macon taxpayers lation or rape victims, but now she said 99 The room at the Robert C. Carpenter are footing the bill because Medicaid reimpercent of time one isn’t available and the Community Center was packed with more bursement does not cover the actual cost of nonprofit has to drive victims to Asheville than 50 people — most of them extremely transport. With Macon County’s aging popfor an exam. frustrated with the way operations at Angel ulation, Beale said he’s concerned those costs “If Angel does the transport, the amount

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Opinion

Smoky Mountain News

Some call it the death of irony S

The president can do no wrong To the Editor: Congratulations, by now the president has been acquitted of high crimes and misdemeanors. The Republican Senate has determined without any witnesses or documents that Trump had a “perfect call.” There never was any question about the facts, to quote Republican Sen. Lamar Alexander, “It was inappropriate for the president to ask a foreign leader to investigate his political opponent and to withhold United States aid to encourage that investigation”.

The real question always was the power of this president. In voting to give the president a pass in this case, the Senate has rewritten the Constitution by demoting the Congress as a coequal branch of government. No longer can any Congress investigate any thing any president does because according to Donald Trump, “Then I have an Article 2, where I have the right to do whatever I want as President.”

It is one thing for the president to say he can do whatever he wants, it is another thing for his attorneys to create a legal fiction to grant him that power as a matter of law.

According to this newly created theory of presidential power, as long as the president does not commit a specific crime, and he believes he is acting in the public interest, he cannot be impeached. That is ridiculous.

According to his attorneys, if the president believes that he knows what is best for the country, or that he his reelection is always in the public interest, then anything he does “that is not a specific” crime, is OK. Congress has no right to investigate or demand any doc-

louder than anyone else while driving through a crowd to make sure no one insults or criticizes his hero the naked emperor.

Why it’s not even odd to see a delegation appearing before a county commission demanding acknowledgement of their Constitutional rights as the militia of a historical understanding to own tools and implements of destruction (for self-defense mind you). Never mind that many who espouse that view most vociferously also proclaim allegiance and adherence to scriptural Guest Columnist integrity, as if Acts really tells us that Stephen didn’t need faith so much as a good guy with a rock.

It isn’t as if we have suddenly become more polarized.

Jefferson’s Republicans thought Adams’ Federalists were an existential threat to the Republic and were certain Adams held monarchical inclinations. We’ve always had a thing about monarchs, tyrants, dictators and such although more often than not our apprehensions and accusations were reserved for

Mark Jamison

ome have called it the death of irony, the moment when Kenneth Starr, he of special counsel fame, stood in the well of the Senate and bemoaned the possibility that impeachment had become a partisan political tool. Then again, the gaslighting and Eddie Haskell-like pronouncements of cognitive dissonance by folks like Sen. Mitch McConnell have become normalized to the point where many are no longer horrified, just merely curious at what the scriptwriters of this perverse reality show that stands in for American political culture will come up with next. The emperor may have no clothes, but in the valley of the willfully blind who cares to notice?

Yet here in flyover country where we retain at least a physical distance from Washington despite the ever-present intrusion of $10 million a year media talents like Hannity and Tucker Carlson who complain in overwrought language about “the elites,” it seems our biggest political scandal is a Jackson County commissioner who has quit showing up while still collecting his emoluments.

We don’t even get too terribly excited when a fellow driving a pick-up truck sporting flags celebrating treason in defense of slavery exercises his constitutional right to yell

those we disagreed with – liberty as personal possession of the winners.

We’ve always been polarized … and paranoid too. It’s been observed that between the Illuminati all the way to the Red Scare we’ve had a paranoid style; infowars just has better distribution.

When I was a child it was held as a matter of civic pride that any little kid (well, boy at least) could grow up to be president if they worked hard enough. All men were created equal, we were told, and unlike equality in Animal Farm some weren’t more equal than others. So it’s heartening to see that a young fellow who inherited a fortune and worked very hard cheating on his wives, stiffing his contractors, bankrupting his investors, and generally acting like an egotistical horse’s behind while figuring out newer and better cons to get attention can truly succeed in America.

H.L. Mencken saw us for what we are: no one ever went broke underestimating the taste of the American public.

W.C. Fields defined our highest ethical precept: If you can’t win fair … cheat.

P.T. Barnum saw us coming from way off: There’s a sucker born every minute.

But the shortest sentence in the Bible may be the most apropos: Jesus wept.

(Mark Jamison is a retired postmaster who lives in Jackson County. markijamison01@gmail.com.)

LETTERS uments and he is not bound by any law, or even the constitutional power to impeach.

There is no specific law against giving the nuclear launch codes to his friend Putin. If President Trump believes it is in the public interest to do that , then that would be OK. If the President dissolved the Energy Department and gave the power to manage all our energy production to his friend Rick Perry, that would be OK. That is exactly what Putin did in Russia to enrich his political allies. You could make up a thousand examples of possible corruption or dangerous action by the President that would all be OK, according to this new legal fiction.

The founding fathers fought a revolution against King George. The one thing that they feared most was the creation of a powerful president that would in essence become a king-like figure. A head of state who could say “I have the right to do whatever I want as President.” President Trump’s attorneys have just created the legal framework to make that happen.

Louis Vitale Franklin

Rep. Queen is leading the way To the Editor: Our N.C. House Rep. Joe Sam Queen is fulfilling every campaign promise he made two years ago. Here is the latest example, one that affects people, especially school-age children, here in WNC’s most isolated areas the most.

As the leader of the Broadband Caucus, in 2019 Rep. Queen with fellow caucus mem-

bers tripled the GREAT grant funding from $10 million to $30 million. Multiple grants are heading to Western North Carolina.

Two of these WNC grants total $233,645 for Jackson County and $179,153 for Swain County. They are bringing high-speed internet to over 900 homes.

As a retired teacher I know that children and young adults must be able to download homework assignments and lessons at home.

So getting high-speed internet is necessary to rural students’ learning and therefore their future success.

As someone who grew up on a remote rural farm in Kentucky, way before there were computers, I experienced the joy of learning

and the world of opportunity it can bring.

Used judiciously and with parental supervision, and alongside printed books, the internet is as necessary to students today as print books alone were to us older folks.

As a grandfather, father, and seventh-generation Haywood County native, Rep. Queen clearly has our young people’s well-being uppermost in his mind. In 2020 he is leading the N.C. House in closing the rural high-speed internet coverage gap .

Readers wouldn’t need to be told any of this except for the appalling lies in the ads by his Republican opponent for the 2020 election.

Mary Jane Curry Haywood County

Chris Cox

W

find us at: facebook.com/smnews

Smoky Mountain News

STEVE WALL G UEST COLUMNIST Why do we even need any medical insurance programs or Social Security?

Well, because about 500 elderly folks in Haywood County are in nursing homes with their fees paid by Medicaid. And over 4,500 of our community’s children are enrolled in Medicaid. Virtually anyone over 65 gets their medical bills paid primarily paid by Medicare. And most people over 65 depend on Social Security to escape the poverty that threatened their aging family members before 1936 and President Roosevelt.

Over 4,000 Haywood County residents get medical care through the Affordable Care Act, and that law also protects many more from losing their insurance because of pre-existing conditions — but that story is for another time.

Recently, while he was far away and out of the public eye in Davos, Switzerland, President Trump backed off his 2016 election campaign promise to “Save Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security without cuts. Have to …” But when his CNBC interviewer asked if these “entitlements” (they are really earned benefits most people pay for their entire working life) will be “on your plate,” Trump responded “at some point they will be”… “towards the end of next year.” Oh, “towards the end of next year.” How convenient — after the 2020 election.

Another promise broken — or probably just forgotten like “4-5 percent” economic growth, Mexico paying for the wall, North Korea making a “great deal” to end its nuclear weapons program, etc., etc.

So Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid (not even mentioning the Affordable Care act) will be targets for massive cuts if Trump is re-elected. How do we know this? Well, fortunately his 2019 budget was stopped in its tracks — it called for $850 billion in cuts to Medicare over 10 years and a $1.5 trillion cut in Medicaid. And if people like Tom Tillis and Mike Clampitt and Michelle Presnell are in office they will provide all the support Trump needs — if he is re-elected — at the federal and state levels to complete his attack on whatever “safety net” is left for millions of Americans.

But why make this confession at Davos, the biggest assembly of world bankers, corporate leaders and oligarchs eager to get a bigger piece of the world economic pie. Well, with Davos being far away and out of sight of most Americans — unless you were watching the PBS Evening News or reading the Wall Street Journal — you may have missed seeing this disturbing bit of news. Very smart move Donald.

But many world leaders are concerned about the massive deficit that Trump has racked up in three short years. The World Bank warns countries not to let their budget deficit run more that 77 percent of a country’s total Gross Domestic Product. That is a tipping point for long-term insolvency, as the interest at that level of debt will begin to choke off funds for all other social needs. The U.S. debt under Donald Trump has ballooned to over 104 percent of GDP. At this rate the interest alone will be over $700 billion a year by 2026.

Why is this happening? Simply because the massive tax cut that Trump, Tillis, McConnell and company rammed through before the 2018 election has shrunk the money coming in to the U.S. treasury by billions of dollars. Instead of the 4-5 percent economic growth Trump boastfully predicted would generate “beautiful surpluses,” we are hovering around 2 percent growth. But no worries: if you have an income over $1 million a year, you will pay about $69,000 less in federal income tax! And if you are one of the 0.01 percent you will take home an average $1,066,460 more than before the tax cut. The average American income is about $51,000. And by the way, the corporate tax breaks were made permanent. Tax breaks for working families disappear in 2025!

So what will happen to Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. The bottom line is — they don’t care. Would-be N.C. State Rep. Mike Clampitt recently characterized Democrats as “communists, socialists,” but students of American history know that those slanders were hurled at President Roosevelt when he pushed for Social Security, and thank God he did! Then Lyndon Johnson was accused of the same when he pushed for Medicare and Medicaid in 1966, and thank God he did.

I hope and believe most people look past the pompous circus of the Trump rallies and the vicious and slanderous name calling carried out by him and his noisiest followers to see the real threat that lies in this dark corner of the American political scene.

(Steve Wall is a retired pediatrician who spent his career working with children in Western North Carolina.

February 5-11, 2020

hen I came into the bedroom last Sunday afternoon, Tammy had this look on her face.

“What is it?” I said.

“Kobe Bryant’s dead,” she said.

“No, he’s not,” I said.

“It’s a hoax I’m sure.

Check the website.”

Kobe Bryant does not, cannot, die at 41.

He lives to be 100, still sharp, still in shape, redefining what it can mean to be 100. He lives as long as he wants to.

Columnist He goes out on his terms, the same way he lived his life.

I followed Kobe’s career from the beginning — even before the beginning — when he was still a high school student at Lower Marion in Philadelphia and generating a lot of buzz around the league with his incredible athleticism and vast potential.

I’ve been a Lakers fan since the days of Wilt Chamberlain, and by the time Kobe came along, the era of the Showtime Lakers with Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and James Worthy, was over. In fact, the year before Kobe arrived was Magic’s last year in the league. After the 1995-1996 season, he retired for good. The Lakers needed to rebuild.

Getting Kobe in the 1996 draft was essential.

When Jerry West engineered a trade with the Charlotte Hornets to bring Kobe to Los Angeles, sports history was changed.

Let’s be honest. It wasn’t always a smooth ride for Kobe. It took a while for his teammates, much less players on other teams, to warm up to him. Unlike so many NBA players, Kobe, the son of NBA player Joe “Jelly Bean” Bryant, was born into wealth and a life of privilege. He was 17-years-old when he was drafted, and he had trouble relating to a lot of players when he came into the league. Even as a teenager, he often came across as imperious, which aggravated the veterans. He could seem aloof, above it all, entitled. This went on for a while.

He could also be petulant, even after ascending to a level of greatness that only Michael Jordan has ever reached. If someone questioned his shot selection one night, he might begin the next game by going an entire quarter or longer without taking a shot — even if he were wide open or the team needed a basket — just to make a point.

Kobe and Shaquille O’Neal combined to lead the Lakers to three consecutive World Championships. They should have won at least five, probably more, but their relationship was often strained, very nearly untenable. Shaq had a class clown demeanor that irritated Kobe, one of the fiercest competitors ever to play the game. Neither of them ever felt respected by

Healthcare for those in need is threatened

opinion

A sports hero who left too early

the other enough to suit them. But good God, were they ever fun to watch when they could put their egos aside and play the game.

Kobe could do anything he wanted on the court. Anything. He could score at will from any position. He could make threes, he could throw down thunderous dunks, he could get his own shot even against the opposition’s best defender. He was a great free throw shooter.

When he was hot, he was utterly unstoppable.

He scored 81 points in a game once. He scored 60 in his very last game, long past his prime.

He was an offensive machine.

He was also a lock-down defender, long, athletic, physical, and determined. And he was clutch. Nobody, not even Jordan, relished the big moment more than Kobe Bryant did. He always wanted to take the big shot or guard the guy who was going to.

I would not say Kobe ever mellowed out, but he did seem to relax a little once Shaq moved on. He seemed more comfortable in his own skin, more tolerant of his teammates’ weaknesses, more big-brotherly to younger players. He knew exactly how to get the most out of the moody, but talented, Pau Gasol when the Lakers won back-to-back championships in 2009-2010. He seemed to enjoy the game more somehow. He was able to enjoy his success, rather than feeling he had to prove it all the time.

There is no way to talk about Kobe’s contributions to the game and the culture without mention of the alleged rape — eventually settled out of court — of a 19-year-old young woman in a Colorado hotel room in 2003. If you don’t know the details of these allegations, you can read all about it on Google. It’s a sickening story and, at the very least, complicates Kobe’s legacy.

Complicated heroes are nothing new. It seems we are regularly faced with the dilemma of whether to watch the films of Woody Allen and Roman Polanski, support the comedy of Louis CK, or listen to the music of artists who do or say something that we find reprehensible. In the end, we have to make our own choice, based on limited information, and admit that while we may admire the work and the artistry of some people, we do not really know them. In a celebrity-worshipping culture, that’s a hard line to draw. I was distressed by the allegations against Kobe, as well as his fumbling response to the charges. But I chose to continue following his career and cheering him on, just as I still watch Woody Allen and Roman Polanski movies. For me, it’s complicated. For you, it may not be. I respect that.

I have probably read 20 different stories over the past week about Kobe’s death, just trying to grasp and accept it. I loved him as much as you can love someone you don’t know. I still cannot believe he is really dead. It doesn’t seem possible. He never seemed mortal, really, especially on those nights on the hardwood when he made the impossible possible before our very eyes.

Maybe the waves of adulation in the wake of his tragic death don’t add up to redemption, but I like to think 18-year-old Kobe would be pleased not only with the sterling career he would have, but by how, in the end, he was so widely embraced and dearly loved.

(Chris Cox is a teacher and writer. jchriscox@live.com)

21

tasteTHE mountains

Wine • Cigars • Champagne Dinners & Tastings

Events begin at 7:00pm unless otherwise noted.

For Reservations Call 828-452-6000 TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 5PM - 7PM Share the Love Habitat for Humanity Fundraiser. Meet & Greet fundraiser for Haywood Habitat for Humanity.

Free wine and hors d'oeuvres, suggested donation of $20 per person.

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 14 @ 7PM Valentine's Day Wine Dinner with Chef Dee. Bring your sweetie to a romantic evening at the Classic Wineseller. Coat & tie. Limited Seating, call for details.

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 29 @ 7PM Wine & Food Pairing With Guest Chef Elisabeth McCutcheon. Five wines & food pairings selected from the cookbook, "Felidia" by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich, $60 all-Inclusive.

BLUE ROOSTER SOUTHERN GRILL 207 Paragon Parkway, Clyde, Lakeside Plaza at the old Wal-Mart. 828.456.1997. Open Monday through Friday. Friendly and fun family atmosphere. Local, handmade Southern cuisine. Fresh-cut salads; slow-simmered soups; flame grilled burgers and steaks, and homemade signature desserts.

Blue-plates and local fresh vegetables daily.

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

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

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

CHURCH STREET DEPOT 34 Church Street, downtown Waynesville.

828.246.6505. 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Mouthwatering all beef

February 5-11, 2020

828-452-6000 · classicwineseller.com 20 Church Street, Waynesville, NC

Taste the Mountains is an ever-evolving paid section of places to dine in Western North Carolina. If you would like to be included in the listing please contact our advertising department at 828.452.4251

burgers and dogs, hand-dipped, hand-spun real ice cream shakes and floats, fresh handcut fries. Locally sourced beef. Indoor and outdoor dining. facebook.com/ChurchStreetDepot, twitter.com/ChurchStDepot.

CITY LIGHTS CAFE Spring Street in downtown Sylva.

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

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

Outside patio seating. Free Wi-Fi, pet-friendly.

Live music and lots of events. Check the web calendar at citylightscafe.com.

THE CLASSIC WINESELLER 20 Church Street, Waynesville.

828.452.6000. Underground retail wine and craft beer shop, restaurant, and intimate live music venue. Kitchen opens at 4 p.m.

Wednesday through Saturday serving freshly prepared small plates, tapas, charcuterie, desserts. Enjoy live music every Friday and Saturday night at 7pm. www.classicwineseller.com. Also on facebook and twitter.

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

828.926.1820 Winter hours: Wednesday through Sunday 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Family Style at Country Vittles is not a buffet.

Instead our waitresses will bring your food piping hot from the kitchen right to your table and as many refills as you want. So if

FERRARA PIZZA & PASTA 243 Paragon Parkway, Clyde.

828.476.5058. Open Monday-Saturday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Sunday 12 to 8 p.m. Real New Yorkers. Real Italians. Real Pizza. A full service authentic Italian pizzeria and restaurant from New York to the Blue Ridge. Dine in, take out, and delivery. Check out our daily lunch specials plus customer appreciation nights on Monday and Tuesday 5 to 9 p.m. with large cheese pizzas for $9.95.

FIREFLY TAPS & GRILL 128 N. Main St., Waynesville 828.454.5400. Simple, delicious food. A must experience in WNC. Located in downtown Waynesville with an atmosphere that will warm your heart and your belly! Local and regional beers on tap. Full bar, vegetarian options, kids menu, and more.

Reservations accepted. Daily specials. Live music every Saturday from 7 to 10 p.m.

Open Mon.-Sat. 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Sunday 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday brunch from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

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

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

Monday-Saturday. Father and son team Frank and Louis Perrone cook up dinners steeped in Italian tradition. With recipies passed down from generations gone by, the Perrones have brought a bit of Italy to Maggie Valley. frankiestrattoria.com

We Accept Reservations and Offer Online Ordering

Join us Sundays 6-9PM Mon/Wed/Thurs 11 a.m.-9 p.m.

Friday/Saturday 11 a.m.-10 p.m.

Closed Tuesday

Sunday 12-9 p.m.

Sandwiches • Burgers • Wraps 32 Felmet Street (828) 246-0927

Smoky Mountain News

you have a big appetite, but sure to ask your waitress about our family style service.

SPECIAL MENU

LIVE MUSIC!

Gluten Free Options Available

Bluegrass: Sons of Ralph

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

watamisushinoodles.com • 828.246.6888 33 S Main St #101, Waynesville

APPÉTIT Y’AL N L BO

55 per person

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Reservations Required may call or use open table

207 Paragon Parkway, Clyde

22

828.369.3663 77 E. Main St., Franklin | Hours 5PM-10PM

828-456-1997 blueroostersoutherngrill.com Monday-Friday Open at 11am

OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK

Real Local Families, Real Local Farms, Real Local Food

tasteTHE mountains FROGS LEAP PUBLIC HOUSE 44 Church St., Downtown Waynesville 828.456.1930 Serving dinner 5 to 9 p.m.

Tuesday through Thursday. 5 to 9:30 p.m.

Friday and Saturday. Closed Sunday and Monday. Frogs Leap is a farm to table restaurant focused on local, sustainable, natural and organic products prepared in modern regional dishes. Seasonal menu focuses on Southern comfort foods with upscale flavors.

Reservations accepted. www.frogsleappublichouse.com.

HARMON’S DEN BISTRO 250 Pigeon St., Waynesville 828.456.6322. Harmon’s Den is located in the Fangmeyer Theater at HART. Open 5:309 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday (Bistro closes at 7:30 p.m. on nights when there is a show in the Fangmeyer Theater) with Sunday brunch at 11 a.m. that includes breakfast and lunch items. Harmon’s Den offers a complete menu with cocktails, wine list, and area beers on tap. Enjoy casual dining with the guarantee of making it to the performance in time, then rub shoulders with the cast afterward with post-show food and beverage service. Reservations recommended. www.harmonsden.harttheatre.org JOEY'S PANCAKE HOUSE 4309 Soco Rd Maggie Valley.

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

KANINI’S 1196 N. Main St., Waynesville.

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

MAGGIE VALLEY RESTAURANT since 1952

Daily Specials: Soups, Sandwiches & Southern Dishes

Featured Dishes: Fresh Fried Chicken, Rainbow Trout, Country Ham, Pork-chops & more

Breakfast : Omelets, Pancakes, Biscuits & Gravy!

MAD BATTER KITCHEN 617 W. Main St, Downtown Sylva.

828.586.3555. In collaboration with Lazy Hiker Brewing Co. Open 7 days a week; Saturday & Sunday Brunch until 2 p.m.

Hand-tossed pizza, local grass-fed beef and rice bowls. Scratch-made and beer inspired menu with lots of vegetarian, vegan & gluten free options. Free live music and movies.

Visit madbatterkitchen.net for this week’s events.

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

828.926.1616. maggievalleyclub.com/dine.

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

MAGGIE VALLEY RESTAURANT 2804 Soco Road, Maggie Valley.

828.926.0425. 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily. Daily specials including soups, sandwiches and southern dishes along with featured dishes such as fresh fried chicken, rainbow trout, country ham, pork chops and more.

Breakfast all day including omelets, pancakes, biscuits & gravy. facebook.com/carversmvr; instagram @carvers_mvr.

PIGEON RIVER GRILLE 101 Park St., Canton.

828.492.1422. Open Tuesday through Thursday 3 to 8 p.m.; Friday-Saturday noon to 9 p.m.; Sunday noon to 6 p.m. Southerninspired restaurant serving simply prepared, fresh food sourced from top purveyors.

Located riverside at Bearwaters Brewing, enjoy daily specials, sandwiches, wings, fish and chips, flatbreads, soups, salads, and more. Be sure to save room for a slice of the delicious house made cake. Relaxing inside/outside dining and spacious gathering areas for large groups.

RENDEZVOUS RESTAURANT AND BAR Maggie Valley Inn and Conference Center 70 Soco Road, Maggie Valley 828.926.0201 Home of the Maggie Valley Pizzeria. We deliver after 4 p.m. daily to all of Maggie Valley, J-Creek area, and Lake Junaluska.

Monday through Wednesday: 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Thursday: 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. country buffet and salad bar from 5 to 9 p.m. $11.95 with Steve Whiddon on piano.

Friday and Saturday: 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m.; Sunday 11:30 to 8 p.m. 11:30 to 3 p.m.

2804 SOCO RD. • MAGGIE VALLEY 828.926.0425 • Facebook.com/carversmvr Instagram- @carvers_mvr

WATAMI SUSHI AND NOODLES RESTAURANT 33 S. Main Street, Waynesville.

828.231.3476. Open 7 days a week serving lunch and dinner. 11 a.m.-3 p.m., 4:30 p.m.-9 p.m. on Monday-Thursday; 11:30 a.m.-9:30 p.m. Friday-Saturday; 11:30 a.m.9 p.m. Sunday. Healthy, fresh, delicious and high-quality Asian food such as Sushi and Sashimi, Hibachi and Teriyaki, Pad Thai, Wok Lo Men and Thai Coconut Noodle Soup.

Sushi, Hibachi and Teriyaki lunch specials every day. Gluten free options available. Full sushi bar and new chocolate wine bar. New party room available for weddings, birthdays or special occasions. Live bluegrass Sundays from 6-9 p.m. with Sons of Ralph.

Reservations and online ordering available. www.watamisushinoodles.com WAYNESVILLE PIZZA COMPANY 32 Felmet Street, Waynesville.

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

SOUTH PHILLY ITALIAN PASTAS only

$2

00

$750

1 OFF PINTS OF BEER OR WINE BY THE GLASS BUY ONE, GET ONE FREE DESSERT CREPES 3 E JACKSON ST. • SYLVA, NC

www.CityLightsCafe.com

Real New Yorkers.

Real Italians. Real Pizza.

Dine-In ~ Take Out ~ Delivery

CUSTOMER APPRECIATION DAYS!

Large Cheese Pizza $

9.95 + tax

11AM to 9PM 243 Paragon Parkway | Clyde

828-476-5058 Mon-Sat 11 a.m. to 9 p.m Closed Sundays

10% OFF for LOCALS WITH THIS COUPON

Nutrition Facts serving size : ab out 50 p ag es

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marinara sauce, 2 meatballs, fettucini alfredo, red & white linguini with clam sauce Call In Orders Encouraged

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Special Entrees & Regular Menu Entrees Available

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• jumbo hot dog

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SWEETHEART SPLIT - $40 Entree to Split, 2 Salads, Shared Dessert and Bottle of Wine or Champagne

TAP ROOM BAR & GRILL 176 Country Club Drive, Waynesville.

828.456.3551. Open seven days a week serving lunch and dinner. 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Tucked away inside Waynesville Inn, the Tap Room Bar & Grill has an approachable menu designed around locally sourced, sustainable, farm-to-table ingredients. Full bar and wine cellar. www.thewaynesvilleinn.com.

EVERYTHING IS DELICIOUS!

$5 Breakfast served all day!

OPEN DAILY 7 A.M. TO 8 P.M. SUNDAY 8 A.M. TO 8 P.M. CLOSED TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY

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

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

BIG SWEETHEART - $60 Appetizer, 2 Entrees with Salads, Shared Dessert and Bottle of Wine or Champagne

only l l a 50 tb $9 a e M Sub

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ICE COLD COCA-COLA, DIET COKE, SPRITE, FANTA ORANGE

2768 ASHEVILLE HWY, CANTON, NC | 828 593 3580 HOURS | MON-THU: 11AM-6PM, FRI-SAT: 11AM-8PM, SUN: 12PM-6PM

Tot al Fat 0g

0%

Reg ional New s

100%

Op inion

100%

Outd oors

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Art s

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Entert ainm ent

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Smoky Mountain News

Carver's

family style, fried chicken, ham, fried fish, salad bar, along with all the fixings, $11.95.

Check out our events and menu at rendezvousmaggievalley.com

February 13,14 &15

February 5-11, 2020

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

828.648.4193. 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday; Sunday 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Serving breakfast, lunch, nd dinner.

The restaurant has a 1950s & 60s theme decorated with memorabilia from that era.

ing any event from from corporate lunches to weddings. kaninis.com

Fixed price dinner options

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

23

24

A&E

Smoky Mountain News

Frank and Allie Lee. (photo: Terri Clark Photography)

Something old, something new Traditional string act Frank & Allie release album

BY GARRET K. WOODWARD STAFF WRITER bout a mile from downtown Bryson City, on a dirt road alongside the swift moving Deep Creek, sits a bungalow. Inside the tranquil home of Frank and Allie Lee, there are several instruments hanging on the wall. And there’s also a stack of the duo’s latest album atop a nearby desk.

“We’re just trying to accumulate all of these old-time songs, many of which a lot of people aren’t aware of or have disregarded or are totally obsolete as far as anybody seeking the tunes out to listen to them,” Frank said.

Titled “Treat A Stranger Right,” the album is a collection of traditional melodies that mixes Appalachian ballads and old-time blues selections. Within each number resides not only the timeless nature and historical importance of the songs, but also the sincere passion the couple has for this music and its place in our modern society.

A

“It’s community music, always a fiddle and a banjo on the porch. It was entertainment, something to do for fun — it brought people together,” Allie said. “And we’re also really interested in the history of the people. There are so many [musicians] that were playing [back then] and they didn’t get to record. So, there’s a lot that’s been lost, and that’s a shame, you know?”

“Nowadays, if someone doesn’t hear music on commercial radio, then [anything outside of that] really doesn’t exist to the masses,” Frank added. “And we have this attitude that if this traditional music was good at one time long ago, then it’s still good now.”

One-half of The Freight Hoppers, a longtime and beloved Swain County string band, the Lees each found their way to natural beauty and rich cultural heritage of Western North Carolina in their own time — Frank from Atlanta, with Allie hailing from Indiana.

“My [initial] exposure to folk music started with church camp [as a kid], just being around

‘Treat A Stranger Right’ The latest album by Frank & Allie, “Treat A Stranger Right,” is now available for purchase at www.frankandallie.com. You can also find the release on all streaming platforms like Spotify and Apple Music.

Alongside numerous local and regional tour dates, Frank & Allie will be performing during a special Valentine’s Day dinner celebration from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, Feb. 14, in The Mountview Bistro at Fontana Village Resort. For more information and/or to RSVP, visit www.fontanavillage.com or call 828.498.2115.

As well, The Smoky Mountain News will host a Q&A and performance with Frank & Allie later this spring. Stay tuned for more information in a future issue of the newspaper.

people singing outside with acoustic guitars,” Allie said. “People would pass down these camp songs through the generations, [which is] the same with these Appalachian ballads and old-time melodies.”

“Being from Atlanta, I love the fact some of the very first music recorded was right in downtown where I was born — there’s something special with that to me,” Frank noted.

“And my grandfather was around Atlanta then and played banjo. When I play this music, I imagine a time when he might have been able to hang out with some of those oldtime musicians.”

Recorded last summer at Big Creek Music studios in Barnardsville, “Treat a Stranger Right” (taken from Blind Willie Johnson’s “Everybody Ought to Treat a Stranger Right”) showcases the Lees craft through precise instrumentation on each carefully selected tune. “‘Treat a Stranger Right’ is a great message for anytime, but it’s particularly important for right now — it’s something that’s been heavy on our minds,” Allie said. “And it made us think about all these kind people we meet when we’re touring [around the country], who invite us into their home, maybe give us a bed and feed us.”

The album is filled with uplifting, swirling tones that are showcased from the couple’s musical talents that radiate from the banjo, fiddle, acoustic guitar and harmonica. It also showcases the intricate splendor of the songs, with the Lees being another vital interpretation of traditional ballads, where each musician throughout the years may have a different take on a particular tune.

“Each region of this country has a unique way of presenting a traditional song. The uniqueness is as varied as dialects in our language and culture — that’s important and worth cherishing,” Frank said.

With the album now out, Frank & Allie are currently preparing for an upcoming performance run through Florida. Though the route is haphazard, it purposely touches upon the key locations where fans (and soon to be fans) of old-time and traditional music reside. For the Lees, it’s about seeking out and preserving the past, but also perpetuating the history, lore and melodic beauty for generations to come.

“We do what we do, I guess, because we’re both rebels. We’re a little bit counterculture because what drives us is finding and playing the oldest, most interesting music,” Allie said.

“It’s like finding this great piece of China in an antique shop, something beautiful but forgotten. We see that same beauty and value in this music, and we want to share it with anyone who will listen.”

“‘Treat a Stranger Right’ is a great message for anytime, but it’s particularly important for right now — it’s something that’s been heavy on our minds. It made us think about all these kind people we meet when we’re touring, who invite us into their home, maybe give us a bed and feed us.”

— Allie Lee

BY GARRET K. WOODWARD

Old Cataloochee Turnpike.

Boojum Brewing Company (Waynesville) will host The Maggie Valley Band (Americana/indie) at 9 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 8.

Crazy Horse family elder Floyd Clown Sr. and author William Matson to discuss and sign their book, Crazy Horse: The Lakota Warrior’s Life and Legacy from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 8, at the Jackson County Public Library in Sylva.

y the time you read this, it will have been my 35th birthday. Yep. It’s here. No doubt about it, I’m The Strand at 38 Main (Waynesville) will host officially, unashamedly in my Dylan Doyle (singer-songwriter) at 7:30 p.m. mid-30s. As of Wednesday, I’ll Thursday, Feb. 6. be closer to 50 than 20.

Sheesh.

There will be a special “Oyster Roast” gathering Where did the time go? I from 4 to 10 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 8, at Nantahala felt like I was just getting the Brewing in Sylva. hang of my 20s and they disFirst United Methodist Church (Waynesville) will appeared five years ago. Time host “Sambas & Serenades” with Pan Harmonia does fly, as it will to insure we (world/acoustic) 3 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 9. remember to be aware of surreal moments in our lives — filled with hearty bluegrass onstage at Boyd’s to be present and appreciative of every Jig & Reel in the Old City, glasses filled with second we have on this hurtling rock ice cubes and smooth Kentucky bourbon. through space.

Still in Knoxville for the Super Bowl, I So, now what? Well, the work (written found myself in the presence of all these word) remains bountiful and enjoyable. My familiar and beloved faces at the party for body and mind feel as healthy as ever (with the big game, of which I didn’t know any of plenty of gray hair). And I’m lucky to have them when I moved to the south at 27 and an incredible support system of family and desperate for a journalism gig. friends around the country, folks I can truly Gazing around the room, it was beers count on, who have always had my back (a hoisted high, with bowls of chips and dip in sentiment that is reciprocated). seemingly every direction. All of these folks Seeing as my birthday fell on Wednesday, gathered to yell and cheer at the TV, high I decided to head into Knoxville, Tennessee, fives and laughter during a miracle play or last weekend to spend my celebratory shenanigans with my best friend, his wife and halftime commercial.

In that living room were two couples our mutual friends. Saturday evening was

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February 5-11, 2020

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This must be the place

whose wedding I officiated in the past few years, both events that I felt deeply honored to be part of. The other cronies are these genuine souls who I’ve shared countless adventures with, whether at a concert, college football game, mountain cabin party or some random road trip for some random reason to do some random thing.

While standing in that physical and emotional space, I caught myself thinking about how crazy this path has been to 35. Long way from the Canadian Border of my youth, from college in urban Connecticut, semester abroad in Ireland, reporting in Idaho, and current wanderings in Western North Carolina and greater Southern Appalachia.

By Monday morning, I had to return to Waynesville and get prepped to put the newspaper out on Tuesday. But, not before an informal business meeting in West Knoxville that involves (quite possibly) one of the biggest dreams of my entire (cosmic and actual) existence.

I walked out of the meeting in high spirits — optimistic, persistent, eager and excited. With all of these feelings running through my mind, heart and soul, I cruised down I-40 back towards Haywood County.

At the state line (Exit 451), I pulled off to clear my mind and hike a section of the Appalachian Trail near the Pigeon River.

It was a 3.2-mile out and back on the AT. At the turnaround, the AT crosses Route 32 on the North Carolina/Tennessee border. A dirt road with nobody around. I stood there and soaked in a moment or two of complete silence. Though I have hiked this section before, I had never noticed this random rock slab sticking straight up near the road.

There was a well-worn path to the rock slab a few yards off the AT. I walked up to it and noticed it had an engraving on it, “NC 1821” on one side and “TEN 1821” on the other. It was a government marker, and still standing there some 199 years later. Beneath it was another marker from the National Park Service from 1933. There I was, in 2020, in same spot as those who came before me — and don’t you know that time is all one moment, eh?

Jogged back to my truck and took the long way back to Haywood County and Waynesville through the Great Smoky Mountains National Park via Mount Sterling and the Old Cataloochee Turnpike. A onelane dirt road for almost two hours. Didn’t see a single soul or car the entire trek. Sunset in the park peering through the trees with sounds of The Tragically Hip’s “Phantom Power” echoing from the stereo and out of the rolled down windows — my “go to” album when deep in thought.

Emerging back into society atop the Cataloochee Divide Trail ridge, I found myself looking down into Haywood County and Jonathan Creek. In the distance, I could see the headlights and taillights of I-40 traffic — way down there, while I was way up “here” with my headlights and taillights.

I returned to my humble abode with a heart full of love, compassion and gratitude.

Fingers crossed and god willin’ with whatever the future holds. I remain optimistic, always have and always will. Onward to 35.

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

AVAILABLE FOR PRIVATE EVENTS 743 HAYWOOD RD • WEST ASHEVILLE

ISISASHEVILLE.COM 828.575.2737

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On the beat arts & entertainment

Boojum welcomes Americana act

Dylan Doyle.

Doyle to play The Stand

Smoky Mountain News

February 5-11, 2020

Singer-songwriter Dylan Doyle will hit the stage at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 6, in The Loft listening room at The Strand at 38 Main in Waynesville.

Southern-born and northern-raised, Doyle has been steeped in everything from Bob Dylan to Wes Montgomery, Bill Withers to John Prine, Jimi Hendrix to The Band. From this, Doyle’s unique musical interpretation lies somewhere within the delta of roots, rock, and jazz, a style that defies classification.

Doyle became a seasoned professional early, touring nationally since age 15. He has played with notables such as Rob Stoner (Bob Dylan, Don Mclean), John Platania (Van Morrison, Natalie Merchant), Ben Cauley (Otis Redding) and Bill Payne (Little Feat).

Tickets are $10 per person. Purchase tickets at the door or online at www.38main.com.

Traditional music series to feature Frogtown The Mountain Heritage Center’s next installment of the First Thursday Old-Time and Bluegrass Jam series will be held at 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 6, at HomeBase on the Western Carolina University campus.

Frogtown will continue the series of concerts and open jams that includes some of the region’s best old-time and bluegrass musicians. The concert will last an hour and will be followed by an open jam session during which traditional musicians of all

skill levels are invited to participate.

Frogtown has been in existence since 2001. The band gets its name from a locally known spot in Macon County called Frogtown located between the Franklin High School and downtown Franklin.

The music ranges from hard core bluegrass of musicians like the Stanley Brothers, to the bluesy melodies and ballads of Doc Watson and Norman Blake.

First Thursday concerts are free and are held inside HomeBase. The First Thursday series will continue in March with the Berea Bluegrass Ensemble on March 2 and Andrew Finn McGill on March 5.

For more information or directions, call 828.227.7129 or visit www.wcu.edu/mhc.

Congratulations to NAI Beverly-H Hanks’

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Certified Commercial Investment Member The CCIM designation is awarded to commercial real estate professionals upon successful completion of a graduate-level education curriculum annd presentation of a portfolio of qualifying experience. CCIMs are recognized experts in commercial real estate brokerage, leasing, asset management, valuation, and invesstment analysis.

Billy Case, CCIM (828) 508-4527 | billycase@naibeverly-hanks.c com

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The Maggie Valley Band.

Americana/folk band The Maggie Valley Band will perform at 9 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 8, at The Gem downstairs taproom at Boojum Brewing in Waynesville.

The group is talented and scrappy, which are two of the most important traits an up-andcoming band needs to have in order to survive, and to push forward into a realm they can call their own.

A blend of old-time mountain, Americana and psychedelic folk music, the Haywood County group is fronted by the siblings of Whitney and Caroline Miller. The duo has gone through several changes since they first set out on their melodic adventure several years ago.

But, what remains is the unbreakable bond of sisterhood, something that’s become a stronghold — and strong suit — in what it will take to break into the next level of their promising careers. www.themaggievalleyband.com.

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On the beat Powermuse Feb. 8, Rachel & Dad Feb. 14 and Tea 4 Three Feb. 15. All shows begin at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted. www.lazyhikerbrewing.com.

• Andrews Brewing Company (Andrews) will host the “Lounge Series” at its Calaboose location with Scott Stambaugh Feb. 7, Alma Feb. 8, Woolybooger 4 p.m. Feb. 9, The Trailer Hippies Feb. 14, Robert Ferguson Feb. 15 and George Ausman 4 p.m. Feb. 16. All shows are free and begin at 6 p.m. unless otherwise noted. www.andrewsbrewing.com.

• Legends Sports Grill (Maggie Valley) will host music semi-regularly on weekends.

828.926.9464 or www.facebook.com/legendssportsgrillmaggievalley.

• Blue Ridge Beer Hub (Waynesville) will host an acoustic jam with Main St. NoTones from 6 to 9 p.m. Feb. 6 and 13.

Free and open to the public. www.blueridgebeerhub.com.

• Mountain Layers Brewing (Bryson City) will host the “Stone Soup” open mic night every Tuesday, Heidi Holton (blues/folk) Feb. 7, Wyatt Espalin (singer-songwriter) Feb. 8, Alma Russ (Americana/folk) Feb. 14 and Bird In Hand (Americana/indie) Feb. 15. All shows are free and begin at 7 p.m. www.mountainlayersbrewingcompany.com.

ALSO:

• Boojum Brewing Company (Waynesville) will host a bluegrass open mic every Wednesday, an all-genres open mic every Thursday and The Maggie Valley Band (Americana/indie) Feb. 8. All shows begin at 9 p.m. unless otherwise noted. www.boojumbrewing.com.

• Mad Anthony’s Taproom (Waynesville) will host Bohemian Jean (singer/songwriter) from 7 to 9 p.m. Feb. 14.

• Nantahala Brewing (Sylva) will host Shane Meade & The Sound Feb. 7 and April B. & The Cool Feb. 14. All shows begin at 7:30 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. www.nantahalabrewing.com.

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• First United Methodist Church (Waynesville) will host “Sambas & Serenades” with Pan Harmonia (world/acoustic) 3 p.m. Feb. 9.

Tickets are $20 advance, $25 day of show, $5 students age 26 and under. To purchase tickets, click on www.panharmonia.org.

• Rathskeller Coffee Haus & Pub (Franklin) will host Alma Russ Feb. 7, Eric Hendrix Feb. 8, Gary Carter Feb. 14 and The Tuners Feb. 15. Shows begin at 8 p.m. Free and open to the public. www.rathskellerfranklin.com.

• Frog Level Brewing (Waynesville) will host Hope Griffin Feb. 7, In Flight Feb. 8 and John Duncan Feb. 15. All shows begin at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. www.froglevelbrewing.com.

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

Three Course Valentine’s Dinner

• Innovation Brewing (Sylva) will have an Open Mic night Feb. 5 and 12, and a jazz night with the Kittle/Collings Duo Feb. 6 and 13. All events are free and begin at 8 p.m. www.innovation-brewing.com.

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

Friday, February 14 – 4:00-8:00 p.m.

• Innovation Station (Dillsboro) will host Andrew Chastain Feb. 8, “Lovesick Karaoke” Feb. 14 and Seth Brand Feb. 15. All events are free and begin at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted. www.innovation-brewing.com.

• The Strand at 38 Main (Waynesville) will host an “Open Mic” night from 7 to 9 p.m. on Saturdays and Dylan Doyle 7:30 p.m. Feb. 6 (tickets are $10). 828.283.0079 or www.38main.com.

• Isis Music Hall (West Asheville) will host Lauren Anderson & Meg Williams (Americana/rock) 7 p.m. Feb. 5, Josh Christina Band (singer-songwriter) 7 p.m. Feb. 6, The Barefoot Movement (Americana) 8:30 p.m.

Feb. 6, GoldenOak (Americana/indie) 7 p.m.

Feb. 7, Eli Cook (acoustic/blues) 7 p.m. Feb. 8, Unspoken Tradition & West King String Band (bluegrass/Americana) 8:30 p.m. Feb. 8, Jazzville 6 p.m. Feb. 9, The Asheville Opry (altcountry/western) 7:30 p.m. Feb. 9, Tuesday Bluegrass Sessions w/Kristy Cox 7:30 p.m.

Feb. 11 and My New Favorites (Americana/honky tonk) 7 p.m. Feb. 12. www.isisasheville.com.

• The Ugly Dog Pub (Cashiers) will host Bluegrass Thursdays w/Benny Queen at 6:30 p.m. 828.743.3000.

• Whiteside Brewing (Cashiers) will host semi-regular music on the weekends. Free and open to the public. 828.743.6000 or www.whitesidebrewing.com.

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Smoky Mountain News

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

828.456.4750.

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February 5-11, 2020

• Lazy Hiker Brewing (Franklin) will host an open mic night at 6:30 p.m. every Thursday, The Waymores Feb. 7, Daryl Hance

• The Ugly Dog Pub (Highlands) will host Bluegrass w/Nitrograss Wednesdays at 7 p.m. and Hustle Souls 9 p.m. Feb. 8. 828.526.8364.

arts & entertainment

• Altered Frequencies (Franklin) will host Whiskey Foxtrot (honky-tonk/rock) 8 p.m. Feb. 7. Admission is $5. www.alteredfrequencies.net or 828.342.2372.

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Smoky Mountain News

February 5-11, 2020

arts & entertainment

On the street

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Waynesville historic speaker series Presented by The Town of Waynesville Historic Preservation Commission, the fifth annual “Haywood Ramblings” will once again take place this spring.

A speaker series on the historic resources and rich cultural heritage of Waynesville and Haywood County, the events will be held from 4 to 5 p.m. on the first Thursday of the month in the courtroom of The Historic Courthouse in downtown Waynesville.

• Thursday, Feb. 6: “Unseen Photographs of Early Waynesville,” presented by Alex McKay. Be among the first to view iconic images of Waynesville’s past that have never been published or viewed by the public.

Many of these photographs are from the private albums and collections of Waynesville’s most influential founding families.

• Thursday, March 5: “The Mountaineer: History In The Moment,” presented by Kathy Ross. Unlike history books, newspapers record events from an immediate perspective, with no take-backs once they are published. This talk will take a look at some of The Mountaineer’s most spectacular, peculiar, and even painful stories.

• Thursday, April 2: “Touching The Face of History: The Story of The Plott Hound,” presented by Bob Plott. Hear stories of the origins of North Carolina’s official state dog,

the Plott Hound. From Germany to the mountains of North Carolina, the breed’s 200-year history resulted in the development of what many consider to be one of the world’s finest hunting breeds.

Free and open to the public. In case of snow, the event will be automatically rescheduled for the second Thursday of the month.

‘Manly Man’ charity auction

Open call for Greening Up There is an open call currently underway for artisans, vendors and environmentallythemed booths at the 23rd annual Greening Up the Mountains, which will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, April 25, in downtown Sylva.

Celebrating the new spring in the mountains, the festival has become a beloved regional event. The festival typically enjoys crowds upwards 12,000 attendees and has 175 vendor booth spaces. In addition to a variety of arts, crafts, and food vendors, attendees can enjoy a 5K run, youth talent contest, beverage arts featuring local craft breweries and live music throughout the day.

Applications can be downloaded at www.greeningupthemountains.com and will be accepted through March 15.

For more information, email greeningupthemountains@gmail.com.

The Women of Waynesville will host the second annual “Manly Man Auction” at 6 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 8, at Mad Anthony’s Taproom & Restaurant.

The event will be held to raise funds for the Lynda Chovan Memorial Scholarship.

Attendees will be able to bid on a variety of professional services being donated by highly-qualified men in the community.

Auction items include being a brewer for the day with Matt Normal at Frog Level Brewing, dance lessons with Ryan Sechser at Haywood Dance Tonight, landscaping services from Rob Kolaski, car detailing services from Dave Elder, estate planning services from attorney Chase Well, and more.

All donations will benefit WOW’s scholarship fund, established several years ago through the Haywood County Schools Foundation to honor WOW’s late founding member Lynda Chovan.

Each year, WOW awards scholarship funds to deserving young women graduating from Haywood County Schools.

WOW’s mission is to support the needs of women and children in Haywood County.

There is no cover charge for the “Manly Man Auction” event. If you have a service you would like to donate for the auction, call 828.550.9978.

On the table

‘Art of Chocolate’ returns

If you have limited mobility, contact us about an in-home visit.

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Jeffrey W. Norris & Associates, PLLC

828-452-2221

arts & entertainment

Estate Planning Estate Administration Trustee Services

Norris Professional Building 177 North Main St., Waynesville www.norrisandassoc.com www.norriselderservices.com

Taste of Scotland breakfast fundraiser

Shake off that cabin fever and come out for an all you can eat oyster roast. Order in advance online for $15 (plus transaction fees). Day of tickets are $25.

Alongside craft beer, wine and cocktails being available, there will also be live music from 4 to 7 p.m. by the Caribbean Cowboys.

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

Nantahala ‘Oyster Roast’ There will be a special “Oyster Roast” gathering from 4 to 10 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 8, at Nantahala Brewing in Sylva.

• A free wine tasting will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. Feb. 6 and 13, and 2 to 5 p.m. Feb. 8 and 15 at The Wine Bar & Cellar in Sylva.

828.631.3075.

• Free cooking demonstrations will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. on Saturdays at Country Traditions in Dillsboro.

Watch the demonstrations, eat samples and taste house wines for $3 a glass. All recipes posted online. www.countrytraditionsnc.com.

ALSO:

www.smokymountainnews.com

Masterfully planned cuisine with complimentary professional dance instruction & performances throughout the night by Dance for Life of Asheville with Latino dance style focus.

Performances at 6 & 7PM, low-key group instruction at 6:30 & 7:30. There will be a full 20-30 minute lesson at 7:30.

Wear comfy shoes!

Feb 25th Fat Tuesday & OPEN HOUSE Open to the public ALL DAY: Golf, eat lunch, & come back at 5pm to meet the LRCC staff & explore membership.

5:30-8:30PM (reservations please) experience our Fat Tuesday all you can eat Family Buffet!

828.452.0545 x 125 • 49 Cupp Lane • Waynesville

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2.

Smoky Mountain News

There will be a special pancake breakfast fundraiser during the day on Saturday, Feb. 8, at Fatz Restaurant in Franklin.

The tickets are $10 and you will get pancakes, sausage and a fruit cup. Proceeds from the breakfast will go towards programming for the Taste of Scotland festival, which will be held June 19-21 in Franklin.

For more information, contact George James at 830.460.0628 or Merrilee Bordeaux at 828.421.7302.

Feb 14th Valentine’s Dine & Dance, Let’s Salsa!

newsdesk crafts

• 11 a.m. to noon — Gallery talk by “Affrilachian Artist Travelling Studio Exhibit” curator Marie Cochran.

• Noon to 4 p.m. — Rich hot chocolate and chocolate treats.

• 1 to 3 p.m. — Demonstration by jewelry artist Deb Parmele.

• 3 p.m. — Live music by Ubuntu of the Great Smoky Mountains. African and Appalachian traditional songs performed acapella. www.visitncsmokies.com.

$35 Golf All Month Long Open to the public, no time restrictions!

February 5-11, 2020

As part of the Winter Arts Smokies Style series, “The Art of Chocolate” will be held from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 15, in downtown Waynesville.

Sponsored by The Galleries of Haywood County, several merchants and restaurants plan to offer entertainment, special chocolate surprises and other specials. Look for the “red hearts” designating the establishments with specials.

The following events will also be held at the Haywood County Arts Council:

A Place to Live, Love, & Play

February Love Your Club OPEN HOUSE & Love the Local

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arts & entertainment

On the wall

WCU Fine Art Museum exhibitions

February 5-11, 2020

The Western Carolina University Fine Art Museum at Bardo Arts Center is pleased to present a range of photography, glasswork, and vitreography on display from now through May 1.

• “Time and Again: Glass Works by Kit Paulson and SaraBeth Post” Funded in part by the Art Alliance for Contemporary Glass, the exhibition brings together two Penland-based artists whose works explore ideas about time, history, memory, and the antique.

In many of their works, objects from the past are remade and reimagined in glass, creating a bridge between past and present. The reception for “Time and Again” will take place from 5 to 7 p.m. Feb. 6, with a gallery talk by SaraBeth Post at 5:45 p.m.

• “Curious Terrain: WNC From the Air” This new exhibition features aerial photo-

Smoky Mountain News

HCC Professional Crafts clay exhibition Haywood Community College latest showcase “HCC Clay in Retrospect,” an exhibition featuring the work of 20 artists from the college’s 46 years of clay programming, is now on display at the school in Clyde.

These artists represent the rich history of craftspeople who have studied professional crafts clay at HCC. Gary Clontz founded the college’s clay program in 1974 and together with his colleagues, expanded the program to include areas of study in fiber, jewelry and wood. Now in its 44th year, HCC Professional Crafts Program is the only one of its kind in the country.

“The individuality in the work of these artists is a testament to the [Professional 30 Crafts Clay] program. No two artists’ work is

graphs that explore the relationship between humans and the WNC landscape. Taken by Alex S. MacLean, a renowned artist and pilot with over 45 years of experience photographing the land from the bird’s eye perspective of an airplane, these newly commissioned images focus on the seven westernmost counties of North Carolina.

MacLean’s striking images capture the unique qualities of the region’s built environment while also raising broader questions about humanity’s impact on the land through agriculture, energy, industry, and housing.

“The Curious Terrain: WNC From the Air” reception will take place from 5 to 7 p.m.

March 19, with a gallery talk from Alex S. MacLean at 5:45 p.m. This exhibition is supported by a grant from The Community Foundation of Western North Carolina.

• “Claire Van Vliet: Stone and Sky” This new exhibition highlights landscape prints by Claire Van Vliet, a renowned printmaker and book artist. Between 1993 and 2010, Van Vliet completed several residencies at Harvey Littleton Studios in Spruce Pine, North Carolina, where she experimented with the medium of vitreography, a form of printmaking that uses a glass plate to produce a printed image.

Fascinated by rocks of all kinds, Van Vliet produced detailed images of rock formations

alike,” said Clontz of the artwork in “HCC Clay in Retrospect.”

Emily Reason, current HCC clay instructor adds, “These artists are demonstrating the lasting impact education can have and creative diversity that can be expressed through the ceramic medium. The devotion and passion these artists have for their craft are what we strive to instill in our students.”

“HCC Clay in Retrospect” runs now through April 22 and is located on the second floor of the Creative Arts Building on the HCC campus.

The public is invited to a closing reception from 4 to 6 p.m. Wednesday, April 22, with a gallery talk beginning at 4:30 p.m.

The Professional Crafts program is a twoyear commitment, focusing on all aspects of becoming an independent craft professional.

In addition to sharpening their technical and artistic skills in their chosen medium, students also create a marketable line of production work, plan a studio, and become familiar with the craft market.

Mandatory coursework includes photography of finished pieces for gaining entrance into craft shows, creating a business plan, and designing and building a studio tailored to fit production needs.

For more information about HCC’s clay program, call 828.627.4671 or email eareason@haywood.edu.

‘Rolling Up Rows of Mulch Fabric, Erastus, North Carolina,’ by Alex S. MacLean. from around the world, including Wind Cave in New Mexico, Kilclooney More in Ireland, and the Moeraki Coast in New Zealand.

This exhibition brings together a selection of these vitreographs, drawn from the WCU Fine Art Museum’s Permanent Collection, and provides a glimpse into the artist’s creative process.

The exhibition includes a rare opportuni-

Screening of Fontana Lake documentary The documentary “Fontana Lake: Broken Promises, Delayed Resolution” will be featured at the next meeting of the Swain County Genealogical and Historical Society, which will be held at 6:30 p.m.

Thursday, Feb. 6, at the Swain County Regional Business Education and Training Center in Bryson City.

The film follows the efforts of persons and groups who worked for resolution to the broken promise between Swain County, the State of NC, the TVA and the United States Department of the Interior.

Among those interviewed in the making of the film were Mercedith Bacon, Luke Hyde, Helen Vance, Juanita Lester, Ben Bushyhead and David Montieth.

This film narrates the endeavors and struggles of the many who attempted to settle the social injustice resulting from the displacement of the residents of Swain County by the TVA construction of Fontana Dam and Lake.

The film was produced and directed by the presenter, Hugh Floyd, Ph.D., Professor of Sociology, Samford University. A native of Arkansas, Floyd earned a Ph.D. in sociology at the University of Georgia. Beginning in the 1970s, he chaired the Department of Sociology at the University of New Orleans until going to Samford in 1993

ty to view one of the original glass plates used in the vitreograph printing process.

The museum exhibitions and receptions are free and open to the public with free parking on site. Regular hours are Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Thursdays until 7 p.m.

For information, visit arts.wcu.edu/museum or call 828.227.ARTS.

where he was Professor and Chair of the Sociology Department until 2013.

Conversation and refreshments will follow the presentation. This is free and open to the public.

HCAC Valentine’s Day workshop There will be an “Origami Boxes for Valentine’s Day” class from 1 to 4 p.m.

Saturday, Feb. 8, at the Haywood County Arts Council in Waynesville.

Join local artist Margot Dale as she guides you in the necessary steps to create and decorate four origami paper boxes. You will leave the class with a four-sided heart, box with rosette flaps, box with curved flaps, and box with square case.

This class is perfect for someone age 16 and over with well developed fine motor skills and can cut paper with precision. Class size is limited to six attendees.

Make your reservation and pre-payment today. Class is $28 for HCAC members or $33 for non-members. Cash or check made payable to Margot Dale.

Credit cards are not accepted for class.

For more information, call 828.452.0593. Reservations and payments are accepted at the HCAC, located at 86 North Main Street in Waynesville. www.haywoodarts.org.

On the wall

• The Macon County Art Association will present encaustic classes taught by Karen Smith will begin on Fridays from 10 a.m. to noon starting on Feb. 7 at the Uptown Gallery in Franklin. No experience or supplies required.

From 1 to 3 p.m. on Feb. 16, Mary Ellen Tully will host a class on contemporary Shibori using fiber dyes to make scarves. Mardi Gras masks handmade by MCAA members will be available at the Uptown Gallery after Feb. 1 up to the Mardi Gras celebration in Franklin on Feb. 22. Betsey Sloan will be teaching a class making sheep out of gourds from 1 to 3 p.m. on Feb. 29. For more information, call 828.349.4607 or visit www.franklinuptowngallery.com.

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Bookstore

Brian Lee Knopp Mayhem in Mayberry:

Misadventures of a P.I. in Southern Appalachia

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• Andrews Brewing Company (Andrews) will host a “Wine Glass Painting” class from 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 6. www.andrewsbrewing.com.

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

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

The exhibit will run through April.

Smoky Mountain News

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

February 5-11, 2020

• The Weekly Open Studio art classes will be held from 2 to 4 p.m. on Wednesdays at the Haywood County Arts Council in Waynesville.

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

@Smoky MtnNews 31

On the stage arts & entertainment

HART presents ‘Playground Injuries’ A production of Rajiv Joseph’s “Gruesome Playground Injuries” will hit the stage at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 7-8 and 2 p.m. Feb. 9 at the Haywood Arts Regional Theatre in Waynesville. Holdover dates will be Feb. 14-15.

The play is a romantic tale of Kayleen and Doug whose lives intersect over the course of 30 years at the most bizarre intervals leading the two childhood friends to compare scars and the physical calamities that keep drawing them together.

HART’s production is being directed by Doug Savitt and features Candice Dickinson and Allen Chandler. Chandler was seen last summer as Bill Sykes in “Oliver,” which Dickinson directed. She has also been seen at HART in “Chicago” and “The Producers.”

To make a reservation, call the HART Box Office at 828.456.6322 anytime and simply leave your name, the number of tickets you need and the performance you wish to attend. Seating is general admission but

‘Senior Follies’ return to Macon The “Senior Follies” will return to Macon County. This event is part of the SilverARTS division of the N.C. Senior Games, and it’s been several years since the Follies has been produced.

In partnership with the Macon County Senior Games, the Arts Council will be producing the 2020 “Senior Follies” show. There will be a free information session at 3 p.m.

Thursday, Feb. 6, at the Carpenter Community Building in Franklin. The games will be held April 27 through May 16.

Anyone age 50 and over who resides in Macon County for at least three months a year can participate. Performing artists may compete in the following categories/disciplines: Comedy/Drama, Dance/Line Dance, Instrumental, or Vocal Music.

Competing and non-competing opportunities are available. Non-competing parts will also be available for a variety of comedic acts.

The top winner of the competing artists will represent Macon County at the State Finals of the N.C. State Senior Games in Raleigh in September.

This year’s production will be a fast-paced variety show showcasing a mixture of skits, multimedia, music, and other talents.

To learn more, contact Cindy Miles at peekaboomom@gmail.com.

Smoky Mountain News

February 5-11, 2020

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Dinner show in Franklin

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32

W W W. b l u e r i d g e m o t o r c y c l i n g m a g a z i n e .c o m

A musical production of “Let The Good Times Roll” will be performed at 6:30 p.m.

Feb. 13-15 at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts in Franklin.

When a group of high school friends hear their favorite old hangout, The Burger Bop

reservations are recommended. You can also go online to www.harttheatre.org.

The Harmons’ Den Bistro will also be open for dining before all performances, with the menu on the HART website.

Diner, is about to be torn down, they gather one last time to relive the memories, music, romance and fun of their youth. As they recall the stories of days gone by, they are transported back in time to the doo-wop singing, poodle skirt-wearing joy of the 1950s.

This one-of-a-kind musical production is served live on stage, where the audience gets to participate in the hand-jivin’ fun.

All tickets include fresh fruit salad, choice of hamburger or hotdog with the fixings, french fries, coleslaw and a classic miniature ice cream sundae, complete with whipped cream and a cherry.

Tables serve parties of six. Groups larger than six will need to separate. All seating is general seating.

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

HPAC to screen ‘Fleabag’ The Highlands Performing Arts Center will present a special screening of the National Theatre of London’s production of “Fleabag” at 1 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 8.

“Fleabag” was captured live from London’s West End. Written and performed

by Phoebe Waller-Bridge (Fleabag, Killing Eve) and directed by Vicky Jones, “Fleabag” is a rip-roaring look at some sort of woman living her sort of life.

Fleabag may seem oversexed, emotionally unfiltered and self-obsessed, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg. With family and friendships under strain and a guinea pig café struggling to keep afloat, Fleabag suddenly finds herself with nothing to lose.

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

Books

Smoky Mountain News

33

Exuberant English and forgotten riches hat kind of a nut writes a play about antiquity using blank verse, sentences as convoluted as any in Shakespeare, and words which, outside of Elizabethan theater, have sounded in no human ear in hundreds of years?

Apparently, my kind of nut.

Writer When David Lane asked if I might take a look at two plays in verse he had written — “Tragedy of King Lewis the Sixteenth” and “Dido: The Tragedy of a Woman” — I agreed, little suspecting the bombshell that was about to arrive in my mailbox. When I opened the package, I took one look, shook my head in incredulity that anyone living in the 21st century would spend his time writing in in such an ornate and outmoded style, and put the books aside.

There they sat for a few weeks on the small table beside my desk. At first I ignored them, but they kept knocking at the doorway of my mind like two kids new to the neighborhood: “Come on,” they begged. “Come on out and play.”

Finally I relented.

Jeff Minick

W

I chose “Dido: The Tragedy of a Woman” (David Lane, 2016, 84 pages, $11.95) because it was the thinner of the two and because I had for years taught the “Aeneid” to homeschooling Latin students in Asheville.

Disinclined to undertake this task as a man about to climb a mountain in the middle of a snowstorm, I pushed myself into the poetry.

At first the going was tough, in large part the result of my reluctance and my conviction that the author was a lunatic to undertake such work. As I read on, however, my resistance gave way first to enthusiasm, and then to joy.

Before explaining the reasons for that joy, however, let me remind readers of the tale of Dido and Aeneas.

In Virgil’s masterpiece, the “Aeneid,” Dido is the Phoenician queen who has founded the city of Carthage in North Africa.

She is an industrious ruler, a woman who overcomes daunting obstacles, including a treacherous brother, and who is beloved by her people.

When Aeneas and his men, Trojans who have escaped the fire and slaughter brought by the Greeks to their city, appear on the scene, Dido

‘Mayhem in Mayberry’ Brian Lee Knopp will present his book Mayhem in Mayberry: Misadventures of a P.I. in Southern Appalachia at 3 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 8, at City Lights Bookstore in Sylva.

His book is a fearless, take-no-prisoners account of P.I. culture, an unforgettable portrait of personal loss and failure, and a blistering ride through the heart of Southern Appalachia.

This revised second edition features a cover redesign, a new preface, a superb review by Charles Frazier, a bonus chapter with a story considered too dark to tell in the 2009 edition, and other surprises.

Knopp is a retired private investigator who provided legal support investigations to civil and criminal attorneys for over thirty years. A graduate of the John E. Reid Technique, the country’s preeminent interview, and interrogation program, Knopp held state certifications as both a capital case investigator and sentence mitiga-

falls in love with Aeneas like a 16-year-old brought down by the bow of Cupid. Passion abounds until the gods order Aeneas to fulfill his destiny and to settle his people in Italy, where his descendants will found Rome, the mortal enemy of Carthage. Aeneas obeys the command from Olympus, sails away, and the desperate, broken-hearted Dido immolates herself on a funeral pyre.

OK. Now let’s get to the fun of reading Lane’s “Dido: The Tragedy of a Woman.”

First up, Lane delivers what he promises in the “Preface,” a play written “in traditional blank verse and the traditional language of poetry virtually universal from the time of Homer to the early twentieth century.” As a lover of traditional verse, I quickly came to admire the bright power with which Lane illuminates our language. If I open the book at random, his skill is evident on every page.

Here, for example, is Nisus, lieutenant commander in the Trojan forces, speaking to Aeneas just after Mercury has delivered his message from Jupiter that the Trojans are to resume their quest for Italy: Aeneas—if thou art the man and not The region ghost that quits its grave to live Again calamity—thou wannest white As alabaster; sweat thy tangled brow Bedews, as if my poring eyes might read Therein disaster. Is’t the Kindly Ones Who shake the hissing hair have lately paid Thee sudden courtesy and made thy eyes So start and wilder? Find thy tongue and tell, For I have care to know thee whole or ill.

Another passage brings us these words from Anna, Dido’s sister: O sister mine and serene in the love Of Prince Aeneas, bliss as of the gods Has fulled thee now thou puttest to the breast A crooling heir and issue—king betimes Of Carthage—sired of th’ world’s surpassing prince,

tion specialist.

Knopp taught composition at Warren Wilson College and nonfiction writing for The Great Smokies Writing Program at UNCAsheville.

His nonfiction work has appeared in Stoneboat Journal, WNC Magazine, Now & Then, and The Great Smokies Review. His book reviews, essays, and poems have been published in several regional magazines and anthologies.

To reserve a copy of the book, call the bookstore at 828.586.9499.

Crazy Horse family elder, author to visit Sylva Crazy Horse family elder Floyd Clown Sr. will join author William Matson to discuss and sign their book, Crazy Horse: The Lakota

A scion of the heroes’ storied race And swaddled envy of the world to be!

Those lines brings another delight of this book, for those inclined toward words and language. Here are words as strange to our hearing as Farsi or Swahili. Take crooling, for example. I wondered whether Lane had simply invented the word or owned some sort of Elizabethan dictionary, but no — I looked online and found this meaning: “to make a repeated low, liquid, or gurgling sound.”

Other words we rarely hear imbue the lines of “Dido:” perseverates, coruscating, fisc, whilom, bedpressers, and many others. These bring delight to the ear and tongue, and will send most of us running to a dictionary.

Because of its Germanic and Latinate origins, and because it readily adopts words from around the world, English is one of the richest languages in the world. The best of our dictionaries contain more than 175,000 words, yet most of us have a working vocabulary of about 20,000 words. Reading Lane’s “Dido” reminds us of the linguistic gold that often goes ignored and unheralded.

Finally, Lane’s “Dido” is a powerful testimony to natural law and the possibility of barbarism when we abandon that law. In Vergil’s epic poem, Aeneas and Dido have no child, but in Lane’s verse-play their union produces an infant son. An evil priest of Moloch, Adonibaal, convinces Dido the sacrifice of her son will bring her Aeneas again. (Baal was another name for Moloch.) Aeneas returns just in time to rescue his son, but scorns Dido and her religion—the Carthaginians practiced child sacrifice—and leaves her to her suicide.

A poet who puts out such a work, so removed from most poetry today, is either a champion of verse, his sword a pen, or a Don Quixote tilting at windmills.

I’m voting for the former. Thank you, David Lane, for “Dido.”

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

Warrior’s Life and Legacy, based on the family’s oral history from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 8, at the Jackson County Public Library in Sylva.

This will be their landmark 301st appearance as they travel across the United States and Europe. The Crazy Horse family’s oral history had not been told outside the family for over a century because the government had been hunting their family members since Crazy Horse was assassinated in 1877.

Now, over a century later, it is finally being told by his family.

Clown, a son to Edward Clown who was a nephew to Crazy Horse and keeper of the sacred bundle and pipe, will represent his family at the discussion.

Books will be available at the signing. Clown currently lives in Dupree, South Dakota, on the Cheyenne River Reservation. Matson, a documentary filmmaker, currently resides in Spearfish, South Dakota. This is Matson’s first book.

The event is free and open to the public.

34

Outdoors

Smoky Mountain News

Traffic slows to a crawl through Cades Cove. NPS photo

SMOKIES SHATTERS VISITATION RECORDS Congestion issues prompt park to seek community input

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER he Blue Ridge Parkway and Great Smoky Mountains logged a collective 3.7 million visits to park entrances in North Carolina west of Asheville last year, an 8.5 percent increase over 2018.

The Smokies overall demolished visitation records, with preliminary numbers showing 12.55 million visits in 2019 — a 9.9 percent increase over the 11.42 million seen in 2018.

Foothills Parkway West accounted for about 67.7 percent of the 1.3 million additional visitors after a new 16.5-mile section of the road opened in November 2018, making 2019 the first full year it was open. More than 1.5 million people drove on the 33-mile section that includes the new piece of road.

While the Foothills Parkway is the obvious source of the lion’s share of visitation increase, the North Carolina side of the park was also a driver. North Carolina’s numbers

T

shot up by 8.3 percent, while in Tennessee visitation rose by only 6.1 percent when excluding the western portion of the Foothills Parkway. Despite the higher percentage increase, the actual number of surplus visitors was higher in the historically busier Tennessee side, with nearly 900,000 more visits than in 2018 compared to the just under 250,000 additional visits recorded in North Carolina.

A LARGER TREND Smokies spokesperson Dana Soehn said that parks across the country have seen a steady rise in visitation since 2016, the National Park Service’s centennial year. In 2016, the National Park Service launched a system-wide “Find Your Park” initiative urging people to get out and explore the national parks, and it seems to have worked.

Systemwide, visitation leapt by 23.7 million between 2015 and 2016, and while the number of visits fell slightly between 2016 and 2017, the time visitors spent in the parks actually rose, increasing by 19 million hours to 1.44 billion total recreation hours. Visitation fell to 318.2 million in 2018 but still managed to be the third highest number ever logged

since recordkeeping began in 1904.

With main entrances like Gatlinburg and Oconaluftee getting ever more crowded, the Smokies has aimed its messaging at promoting lesser-known areas of the park, which along with the opening of the new Foothills Parkway section may have contributed to the 20.6 percent increase in visitation to outlying areas between 2018 and 2019.

“We’ve been doing some messaging to encourage people to go to lesser-visited areas across the park to enjoy a less congested visit, so we’ve been trying to encourage people to come during midweek time periods, early mornings, later in the evening or during some of the winter months, and also to explore those areas of the park that are less congested,” Soehn said.

Some of the jump in visitation has a technical explanation, she said. In recent years many entrances have dealt with broken traffic counters, which tally the vehicles and use a multiplier to estimate visitation. Soehn said she “made it a mission” last year to get those counters fixed.

When the counters fail, the park plugs in the visitation number from the same month in the previous year, a method that Park Service statisticians say settles out over time but does result in some inaccuracies from year-to-year. For that reason, Soehn likes to examine 10-year trends rather than year-toyear fluctuations.

However, a look at 10-year trends doesn’t much change the overall picture of skyrocketing visitation in the Smokies — there were 32.2 percent more visits in 2019 than in 2009, when 9.5 million people came to the park.

That said, the Tennessee side of the park definitely leads in 10-year growth. Excluding Foothills Parkway West, visitation in Tennessee grew 29.4 percent since 2009, while in North Carolina it increased 20.6 percent.

The gap expands even more when including Foothills Parkway West visitation, with Tennessee entrances leaping to 37.5 percent growth.

LOOKING FOR ANSWERS The heightened interest in a trip to the Smokies bodes well for the National Park Service’s mission of providing for the “enjoyment, education and inspiration” of the public while also challenging the other part of that mission — to “preserve unimpaired the natural and cultural resources and values” of the land for current and future generations.

“I am very proud of our employees who work hard each day, along with our volunteers and partners, to help provide outstanding visitor experiences and to protect the resources that people come here to enjoy,” said Superintendent Cassius Cash. “With growing visitation, this has become more challenging.

In 2020, we’ll be inviting people to help us thoughtfully look at how we can improve access and continue caring for this very special place.”

Beginning in late spring or early summer,

the Smokies will start hosting listening sessions in parkside communities to better understand what people want from their park and what leadership can do to manage growing visitation in a way that works for everybody. The park is not entering into a formal visitor use planning process — at least not yet — but wants to start gathering input on the issue.

“We have been talking to parks across the country that are experiencing these kinds of congestion issues about ideas that they have introduced to better manage flow,” said Soehn. “What we have learned is there’s no one-size-fits-all.”

Some parks use a reservation system.

Others use shuttles, or electronic gates or cameras at parking lots so people can monitor congestion online.

“We haven’t seen anything that we think will universally solve congestion issues in the Smokies, so we’re really coming to the communities with a white board asking for ideas that they may have and also asking about what they want their park experience to look like,” said Soehn.

According to Friends of the Smokies, the park’s nonprofit fundraising partner, the new visitation record is a reason why Smokies fans should increase their financial contributions to the free-to-enter park.

“The Smokies needs Friends now more than ever,” read a fundraising letter that went out on Jan. 29. “Increased visitation means increased costs for things like conservation, historic preservation, wildlife protection, trail maintenance and visitor safety.”

According to Soehn, traffic congestion and parking shortages are the main issues the park has seen as a result of heightened visitation.

“We’re having more congestion along roadways between those hours of 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. at iconic destinations like Clingmans Dome and Cades Cove, and what happens is people start to make their own parking areas,” she said.

With all the dedicated parking spots snatched up, people stop their cars along unsafe road shoulders, damaging the plant communities growing there and causing the edge of the pavement to crumble. It’s not uncommon for visitors to Clingmans Dome to have to walk a mile along the road to reach the parking lot from their self-created parking spot, or for a cruise along the 11-mile Cades Cove loop to take three or four hours. If that’s going to be the situation, said Soehn, the park needs to find better ways of letting people know so that they can be prepared to walk that extra mile or to drive for those extra hours.

She noted that, while parking and traffic congestion are causing problems, park staff have not specifically noted impacts to litter or wildlife related to the hike in visitation. The annual number of search-and-rescue operations and car accidents has stayed about the same in recent years.

“We don’t have litter issues parkwide,” she said. “It’s really con-

Get hands-on with botany outdoors

One of the region’s greatest botanists will lead an excursion through a rare plant community in Macon County on Saturday, Feb. 15.

Botanist Ed Schwartzman will take the group to the Serpentine Barrens, where they will spend a full day exploring this botanically unique area. Participants will learn to identify species by winter characteristics such as basal leaves, seed heads and stems.

Owner of Asheville-based Joe Pye Ecological Consulting, Schwartzman holds a master’s degree in conservation biology and spent 10 years working as a biologist for the N.C. Natural Heritage Program.

Offered by Alarka Institute. Course is $55 with registration at www.alarkaexpeditions.com/upcoming-events.

Load up on quality plants On a high-visitation day in the summer, there’s barely room to stand at the end of Laurel Falls Trail. NPS photo

By the numbers • 12,547,743 — number of visits to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in 2019 • 9.9 — percent that Smokies visitation increased from 2018 to 2019 • 32.2— percent increase between 2009 and 2019 Smokies visitation numbers • 21,538,760 — the most people to ever visit the Blue Ridge Parkway in a single year, a record set in 2002. The 2019 figure was 14.98 million.

• 9.24 — percent increase in Parkway visitation west of Asheville between 2018 and 2019, compared to 1.9 percent on the Parkway as a whole.

Unlike the Smokies, the Blue Ridge Parkway did not see a record-breaking year, with the preliminary figure of 14.98 million recreation visitors falling well short of the

Tremont Institute is a finalist for an international education award in recognition of its Community Leaders Fellowship program.

The UL Innovative Education Award recognizes North America’s top environmental STEM programs. The Community Leaders program was co-designed by faculty at Tremont and Fulton High School in Knoxville. It’s an immersive two-year experience for high school juniors and seniors consisting of 10 days of resi-

dential learning in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, monthly meetings at the high school, an annual student-led community engagement day event in Knoxville’s green spaces and an annual student-led community environmental stewardship event in Knoxville.

Judges on the award panel were impressed with the immersive two-year model, the focus on developing youth leaders through genuine leadership opportunities, and the commitment of Tremont Institute to partnering with diverse and underserved communities to further environmental health, justice and community access to nature for all.

Smoky Mountain News

GROWTH ON THE PARKWAY

Tremont contends for international award

February 5-11, 2020

centrated in those areas where we have really high traffic, and some of those trailhead areas that are congested.”

The proliferation of volunteer programs might have a lot to do with the fact that car accidents, search-and-rescue calls and litter problems have not risen in step with visitation.

“Anecdotally we have over the last 10 years instigated more volunteer programs in areas where we were having trouble with particularly litter and wildlife interactions in places like the fields at Oconaluftee and Cataloochee and Laurel Falls Trail,” she said.

The number of Smokies volunteers has hovered around 2,500 for the last several years, said Soehn, but in 2019 it surged to 3,800.

“We had some targeted programs in 2019 to increase participation,” she said.

“We started offering one-day opportunities for people to get involved that were very popular and we saw an increase in people wanting to respond to help the park during the shutdown, so particularly around helping us with litter pickup along some of our busier roadways and busier trails.”

all-time record of 21.54 million set in 2002.

However, the Parkway did see a modest increase of 1.9 percent over 2018, and in the portion of west of Asheville the jump was much larger.

The entrances at U.S. 276, U.S. 441 and everywhere between saw a collective 565,164 visits in 2019, 9.24 percent more than the 517,355 visits logged in 2018.

“From year to year, so much of the visitation numbers on the Parkway have to do with access to the road, and access to the road has to do with the weather, by and large,” said Parkway spokesperson Leesa Brandon. “Sometimes we have planned closures related to road projects, but it’s always about the weather with us and what the access to the Parkway is over the winter months. If it’s a mild winter, we’ll see higher visitation numbers.”

Last winter certainly was a mild one, causing a reduced number of closures on the southernmost tip of the Parkway, which typically is barricaded for most of the winter. Additionally, said Brandon, in recent years there has been substantial tourismrelated growth in communities along the southern end of the Parkway. In general, the North Carolina section sees more traffic than the Virginia section.

“Certainly in any given year there’s some give and take, but the pattern over time is that the North Carolina sections of the Parkway are at least double of what the Virginia sections of the Parkway are,” she said. “That’s good news to our tourism partners on the North Carolina side.”

With growing visitation comes increased wear and tear on facilities, and with funding a perennial challenge the Parkway is working to build volunteer programs along its length to better educate the public about how to stay safe and protect park resources during their visit. One of the most recent additions to that effort is the new Balsam Chapter of Friends of the Blue Ridge Parkway, which seeks to support the Parkway’s mission through volunteerism.

“We’re very excited about that,” said Brandon. “It sounds like there’s a lot of folks with a lot of love at the southern end of the Parkway, so we’re excited for them to have a way to give back through the Friends.”

The annual Haywood County Extension Master Gardener plant sale is underway, with edibles and hard-to-find native plants available at exceptional prices.

Orders are pre-paid and due by Feb. 27, with edibles available for pickup April 4 and native plants on May 16. Forms are available at www.haywood.ces.ncsu.edu. They can also be requested by contacting 828.456.3575 or mgarticles@charter.net.

Proceeds will benefit education-related horticulture projects in Haywood County.

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outdoors

WINTER IS A PERFECT TIME TO READ! Stop by and check out our bestsellers.

Discount offered on current NY Times titles!

Mainspring names new director Jordan Smith will lead Mainspring Conservation Trust into the new decade following a decision from the nonprofit’s board of directors.

Smith, who currently serves as Mainspring’s land conservation director, will replace retiring executive director Sharon Taylor, becoming the third to hold that position. Taylor announced in September that she would retire on Feb. 29 after 18 years at Mainspring and five years as its director. Smith will take over on March 1.

“I’m excited for Mainspring’s future under Jordan’s leadership,” said Taylor.

“Jordan will direct a talented staff with new ideas and energy to continue the mission adopted over 20 years ago under the name of the Land Trust for the Little Tennessee — saving the natural and cultural in this region that make it so special.”

A native of Western North Carolina, Smith holds a wildlife management degree from Auburn University. Before joining Mainspring in 2016, he worked with

Jordan Smith (right) will become Mainspring Conservation Trust’s new director when Sharon Taylor (left) retires this month.

Donated photo

Norfolk Southern in South Carolina, where he was a crucial member of the management team for the 16,000-acre Brosnan Forest. His current position involves overseeing all facets of the land protection program. Smith, his wife Vanessa and their two daughters live in Bryson City.

As director, he will oversee a staff of 11 and an annual operating budget of $1.5 million. In addition to its headquarters in Franklin, Mainspring has satellite offices in Murphy and Sylva, serving North Carolina’s six westernmost counties and Rabun County, Georgia.

Plan a visit to the Smokies Magazines - Newspapers 428 HAZELWOOD Ave.

February 5-11, 2020

Waynesville • 456-6000

Finding A Way Forward Employment law Through Grief workshop offered for

outdoor professionals

Join us for support starting at

12:00 noon

Smoky Mountain News

Friday • February 7

36

Learn what you need to know to get the most out of a trip to America’s most visited national park during a program offered by Friends of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park 7 to 8:30 p.m. Wednesdays, Feb. 12 and March 11, at REI in Asheville.

Attendees will get the inside scoop on iconic trails, day hiking tips, wildlife viewing opportunities, the Appalachian Trail and camping suggestions in the Smokies. Elk, bear safety tips, visitor centers and the Mountain Farm Museum will also get a mention.

Friends of the Smokies is one of the park’s nonprofit partners and has raised more than $65 million in the past 25 years in support of the Smokies.

The program is free, but registration is required at www.rei.com/events.

Lunch & bereavement program provided free of charge.

An employment law workshop tailored to outdoor business professionals will be offered 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 27, at Western Carolina University’s Biltmore Park campus in Asheville.

Attorney Jon Yarbrough will share human resources stories, tips and strategies for implementing and communicating employment policies at a small to mid-size company, including those unique to the outdoor industry.

“Owners and managers need to be aware of laws related to full-time, part-time and seasonal wage and hours; and disability, harassment and diversity in the workplace,” said Andy Coburn, associate director, Program for the

Study of Developed Shorelines and outdoor industry faculty liaison at WCU. “There are also issues specific to the outdoor industry pertaining to safe working conditions and policies that relate to environmental stewardship.”

Registration fee is $89, with SHRM credits available. Participants are invited to a networking lunch from 1 to 2 p.m., with Yarbrough available for questions. Register at learn.wcu.edu/outdoor-employment-law or call 828.227.7397.

Catawba conservation purchase to become part of new trail system

HAYWOOD HOSPICE

A 68-acre conservation purchase in Catawba County is expected to become part of the planned Wilderness Gateway State Trail, which is intended to meander thorugh Catawba and Burke counties and along the Rutherford-McDowell county line.

The Foothills Conservancy of North Carolina bought the property from landowners Becky and Wayne Welch, who were intersted in selling. It is made up of woodlands and former pasturelands near Finger Bridge along the Jacob Fork River.

The conservancy will transfer the property to N.C. State Parks, which will manage public river access for paddling and fishing. A canoe launch is planned as well. In addition to providing recreation, the purchase will protect the drinking supply for the town of Newton. Funding for the purchase came from N.C. State Parks and a private contribution, with grant funding from The Beaver, Unifour and Duke Energy also aiding the effort.

& PALLIATIVE CARE

Former pasturelands spread over much of the property.

OPEN TO THE COMMUNITY for more information call

828.452. 5039

43 Bowman Dr., Waynesville

Foothills Conservancy photo

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outdoors

Campers embark on a downriver adventure. Donated photo

MUSIC

C U LT U R E

FOOD+DRINK

ADVENTURE

Base Camp recruiting counselors, campers

February 5-11, 2020

It may still be winter, but the time has come to plan for summer camp. Events are planned this month for people interested in becoming counselors or sending their kids as campers to Base Camp Waynesville Summer Camp this year. n At 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 11, and Thursday, Feb. 13, at the Waynesville Recreation Center potential counselors will have the chance to find out what summer camp is like and go through the mental and physical hoops of a typical day. Interviews will be offered to those who are a good fit.

Applicants must be at least 16 years old, with applications available on site. Wear comfortable clothes and bring water. n Parents are invited to a camp open house at 6 p.m. Feb. 18, 20 or 27, or 9 a.m.

Feb. 29, all at the Waynesville Recreation Center. Parents are required to attend a session to qualify their child for camp.

Registration opens at 7 a.m. March 7, and due to limited enrollment camp is expected to fill up quickly.

Colt Miller, cmiller@waynesvillenc.gov or 828.456.2030.

Join a volleyball team

MAGAZINE SUBSCRIBE & LEARN MORE AT

smliv.com

Registration for a women’s volleyball league at the Cullowhee Recreation Center in Jackson County is open through the end of the month.

The league is open to players 14 and older and is limited to 10 teams of 12. All games will be played at the rec center in Cullowhee on Tuesday nights beginning March 17, with a coaches meeting at 6 p.m. March 5.

The fee is $200 per team, and players can also be added to the free agent team for $25.

Contact Andrew Sherling, 828.293.3053, ext. 6, or andrewsherling@jacksonnc.org.

Smoky Mountain News

Become a triathlete

38

Puzzles can be found on page 46 These are only the answers.

A coaching program is available for athletes looking for help preparing for the Lake Logan International and Sprint Triathlons Sunday, Aug. 2, in Haywood County.

Julie Springsteen of Baucco Coaching is working with event organizer Glory Hound Productions to offer a 24-week training program for beginner triathletes with less than two years of triathlon experience. Training will begin Feb. 17 and end with the Aug. 2 triathlon.

The program includes a daily coaching plan and three to four group training sessions per month, well as two open water swim clinics and a series of course previews before race day.

Cost is $90 per four weeks or a one-time

payment of $475. Contact Springsteen at julie.ajbcoaching@gmail.com.

Remember wildlife while doing taxes

Indigo buntings are one of the many non-game species that donations support. Mike Carraway photo

Learn from a fly guide Fly fishing guide Eddie Hudon will expound on the opportunities that abound in local waters during a meeting of the Cataloochee chapter of Trout Unlimited, at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 11, at Rendezvous Restaurant in Maggie Valley.

The evening will begin with a social hour and swap meet at 5:30 p.m., so come early to order some food and sell or trade new or used items. Hudon will speak at 6:30 p.m.

Born in Connecticut but living much of his adult life in Florida, Hudon has explored many types of fishing on many different waters. He bought a log cabin in Bryson City in 2005, fishing the local rivers and loving it so much that he decided to guide on a full-time basis upon retiring in 2013. Hudon now lives in Whittier and owns Blue Chip Fly Fishing.

The Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation will receive 100 free hours of public relations and marketing services as part of the Stand Up Initiative from Asheville-based Darby Communications and Status Forward.

Launched in 2016, the Stand Up Initiative has provided more than 300 hours of probono services to select environmental nonprofits, including the Nantahala-Pisgah Forest Partnership, Friends of the Smokies, I Heart Pisgah and Bee City USA. The Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation was one of two organizations to receive a donation this year — the San Juan Mountains Association in Colorado will also receive 100 hours.

Darby Communications and Status Forward will focus on the Foundation’s Trails & Views Forever Fund campaign, which stems from an all-or-nothing $300,000 match grant the nonprofit received to address facilities and amenities needs on the Parkway. The Foundation has until June 30 to raise a matching amount in order to keep the original $300,000.

“With this generous grant, we want to ensure that the trails, overlooks, picnic areas and campgrounds of our beloved Blue Ridge Parkway are preserved and protected for years to come,” said Rita Larkin, communications director for the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation.” www.darbycommunications.com/standup.

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February 5-11, 2020

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Support wildlife in North Carolina with a voluntary contribution to the Nongame and Endangered Wildlife Fund on line 30 of the N.C. state income tax form.

Contributions help the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission fund projects and programs benefiting sea turtles, songbirds, freshwater mussels and fish, as well as other wildlife species without a designated hunting or fishing season.

Although tax check-off donations target projects benefiting nongame animals and their habitats, game species such as deer, turkey and bear also benefit because these animals live in many of the same habitats. Donations make up the largest and most significant source of non-federal funding to help these animals.

Parkway Foundation receives donation

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WNC Calendar

Smoky Mountain News

COMMUNITY EVENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS • The largest recreational ski race program in the world, NASTAR Public Racing, will be held from 9-11 a.m. on Saturdays through the end of February in Cataloochee. Fun, competitive and easily accessible racing program that allows racers of all ages and abilities to compare themselves with each other, regardless of when and where they race, using a racer handicap system. Cost: $10 for two runs or $20 for unlimited runs. Register at the resort or nastar.com.

• Tax-Aide volunteers will be available to assist with federal and state income tax preparation and filing through April 14 at the Macon County Public Library in Franklin. Service is provided by appointment from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. on Mondays and Tuesdays. Appointments: 524.3600 or visit the library at 149 Siler Road.

• Volunteers are available to assist with federal and state income tax preparation and filing through April 14 at two locations in Jackson County. Assistance is provided on a first-come, first-serve basis from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. on Mondays and Fridays at the Department on Aging in Sylva. The same service is also provided by appointment from 2:30-6:45 p.m. on Tuesdays at the Jackson County Public Library in Sylva. Appointments: 586.2016.

• Haywood Community College’s board of trustees will hold a drop-in welcome reception for new college president Dr. Shelley White from 4-6 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 6, in the lobby of Charles M. Beall Auditorium. In case of inclement weather, the reception will be held on Feb. 13. Info: 627.4516.

• The fifth annual Haywood Ramblings series kicks off with a session on “Unseen Photographs of Early Waynesville” presented by Alex McKay from 4-5 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 6, in the Town Hall Board Room at 9 South Main St. in Waynesville. 456.8647.

• Law enforcement personnel and their families will receive discounted prices on Thursday and Friday, Feb. 6-7, at Cataloochee Ski Area. Cost: $50 includes 90minute lesson, rentals and a lift ticket. Lift ticket only is $25 per person; $10 for rentals.

• Night to Shine, a prom for special needs, will be held on Friday, Feb. 7, at the Canton Armory and Cartoogechaye Baptist Church in Franklin. Info: 550.3356.

• Feline Urgent Rescue is holding a “Find Your Purrfect Mate” adoption event from 1-4 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 9, at 38 Safe Haven Dr. in Waynesville. www.furofwnc.org or 844.888.CATS (2287).

• “Voting: How and Why” will be presented at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 11, at the Jackson County Public Library in Sylva. Presented by Lisa Lovedahl, Director of the Jackson County Board of Elections. 586.2016.

• Waynesville Parks and Recreation’s Base Camp is seeking summer camp counselors. Combine events are set for 6 p.m. on Tuesday and Thursday, Feb. 11 and Feb. 13, at the Waynesville Recreation Center for potential counselors to find out what summer camp is like and simulate the mental and physical hoops of a typical day. Info: 456.2030 or cmiller@waynesvillenc.gov.

• Macon County nonprofit organizations have until Feb. 13 to apply for county funds through the Macon County Community Funding Pool. Application forms and instructions available at www.maconnc.org. First-time applicants must call 524.3600 or 342.7872 to discuss proposals.

• Down Home Haywood holds its monthly community meetings at 1 p.m. on the third Saturday of each month at 301 N. Haywood St. Tackling issues like healthcare, wages, housing and more. chelsea@downhomenc.org.

n All phone numbers area code 828 unless otherwise noted. n To have your item listed email to calendar@smokymountainnews.com • Southwestern Community College is seeking nominations for the SCC Foundation’s second-annual Distinguished Alumni Award. Deadline is March 1.

Nomination form: www.southwesterncc.edu/award. Info: 339.4227 or k_posey@southwesterncc.edu.

BUSINESS & EDUCATION • Southwestern Community College will offer a “Nonprofit Summit” to provide local organizations the tools they need to support their services and achieve long-term success from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 11, in the Burrell Building on the college’s Jackson Campus in Sylva. Offered through the Small Business Center. Preregistration required at week in advance: http://bit.ly/nonprofitsummitSBC. Info: t_henry@southwesterncc.edu or 339.4426.

• Registration is underway for a seminar entitled “Choosing Your Small Business Legal Entity,” which will be offered online through Haywood Community College’s Small Business Center from 9-10 a.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 15. Info and Registration: SBC.Haywood.edu or 627.4512.

• The Small Business Center at Haywood Community College will offer a seminar on “How to Start a Business” from 5:30-8:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 18, in the college’s Regional High Technology Center, Room 3021, in Clyde. Speaker is Russ Seagle, executive director of The Sequoyah Fund, Inc., in Cherokee. Info and Registration: SBC.Haywood.edu or 627.4512.

• Registration is underway for a “Steps to Financial Literacy Seminar” that will be offered by Haywood Community College’s Small Business Center from 9-11 a.m. on Feb. 20 in the College’s Regional High Tech Center, Room 3021, in Waynesville. Info and registration: SBC.Haywood.edu or 627.4512.

• Registration is underway for a “Website Construction 101: Learn the Basics of Coding” workshop that will be offered by Western Carolina University’s Office of Professional Growth and Enrichment department from 9 a.m.–3:30 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 21, and again on Friday, April 3, for those who want a next-level course.

Registration fee: $139. For info and to register: pdp.wcu.edu and click on “For-profit and Nonprofit Professional Development Workshops” or 227.7397.

• Registration is underway for an employment law workshop entitled “What Every Outdoor Business Must Know about Employment Law” that will be offered by Western Carolina University’s Office of Professional Growth and Enrichment from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 27, at WCU Biltmore Park in Asheville.

Networking lunch from 1-2 p.m. Registration fee: $89.

For info and to register: learn.wcu.edu/outdoor-employment-law or 227.7397.

• Registration is underway for a “Business Plan Bootcamp” offered by Haywood Community College’s Small Business Center from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 28, in the college’s Public Services Training Facility, Room 9105, in Clyde. Speaker is Russ Seagle, executive director of the Sequoyah Fund in Cherokee. For info or to register: SBC.Haywood.edu or 627.4512.

• Haywood Community College’s Small Business Center is accepting registrations for a nonprofit summit from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. on Tuesday, March 3-4, in the college’s Public Services Training Facility, Room 9105, in Clyde.

To register or get more info: SBC.Haywood.edu or 627.4512.

• Registration is underway for a two-part workshop entitled “The Tenets of Project Management” that will be offered by Western Carolina University’s Office of Professional Growth and Enrichment from 9 a.m.-noon on consecutive Tuesdays, March 17-24, at WCU Biltmore Park in Asheville. Early bird registration fee (through Feb. 14): $249; fee after Feb. 15: $279. For info or to register: pdp.wcu.edu or 227.7397.

• Registration is underway for “The School Leadership for Equity Summit” that will be offered from 8:30 a.m.4:30 p.m. on Friday, March 20, at the Crest Center in Asheville. Theme is “What is Equity?” Hear from regional, state and national educational leaders about how they are building equitable and socially just classrooms, schools and districts. Registration fee: $85; includes light breakfast and lunch. Info: jrweiler@email.wcu.edu. Info about registration: https://tinyurl.com/ugdbm6c OR 227.7397.

• Submissions are being accepted for Southwestern Community College’s Cultural Fusion art/literature contest, which will be featured during the Cultural Fusion Festival on Wednesday, April 15, on the college’s Jackson Campus. Submissions accepted through April 1 in “Artwork or Photography” or “Literature (poetry, short stories, prose).” Info: 339.4325, tknott@southwesterncc.edu or SouthwesternCC.edu.

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 intervention nonprofit. RSVP: 456.7898 or BQreach@aol.com.

• There is an open call currently underway for artisans, vendors and environmentally-themed booths at the 23rd annual Greening Up the Mountains, which will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, April 25, in downtown Sylva. Applications can be downloaded at www.greeningupthemountains.com and will be accepted through March 15. greeningupthemountains@gmail.com.

• Feline Urgent Rescue is seeking volunteers and sponsors. Info: 422.2704, www.furofwnc.org, www.facebook.com/furofwnc or 844.888.CATS (2287).

HEALTH MATTERS FUNDRAISERS AND BENEFITS • A Valentine’s Pancake Breakfast fundraiser is set for Saturday, Feb. 8, at Fatz Restaurant. Tickets: $10; includes pancakes, sausage and fruit cup. Fundraiser is for all entertainment planned for Taste of Scotland.

Info: 830.460.0628 or 421.7302.

• The Women of Waynesville will host the second annual “Manly Man Auction” at 6 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 8, at Mad Anthony’s Taproom & Restaurant. The event will be held to raise funds for the Lynda Chovan Memorial Scholarship. Attendees will be able to bid on a variety of professional services being donated by highly-qualified men in the community. All donations will benefit WOW’s scholarship fund, established several years ago through the Haywood County Schools Foundation to honor WOW’s late founding member Lynda Chovan. If you have a service you would like to donate for the auction, call 828.550.9978.

• “Share the Love” – a fundraiser for the programs of Haywood Habitat for Humanity – is set for 5-7 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 11, at the Classic Wineseller in Waynesville. Suggested donation: $20. Wine tasting and light hors d’oeuvres.

• A Valentine’s Dinner & Dance is set for 6-9 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 15, at the Fines Creek Community Center, 190 Fines Creek Rd., in Clyde. Music by Running Wolfe and the Renegades; dancing with the Fines Creek Flatfooters. Dinner and dance: $15; Dinner only: $12; Dance only: $5; ages 6-under: Free. Proceeds go to FCCA in supporting scholarship, community needs and Manna Foodbank. www.fb.me/finescreekorg.

• Tickets are on sale now for the second annual Empty Bowls Fundraiser, held by Haywood Pathways Center, at 5:30 p.m. on Feb. 27 at HART Theater in Waynesville.

Cost ranges from $25-40 for adults and $10-15 for children. Purchase tickets: haywoodpathwayscenter.org, at Pathways Center, 179 Hemlock St. in Waynesville or 246.0332.

VOLUNTEERS & VENDORS • REACH of Haywood County is seeking new volunteers and will hold a Volunteer Training Day from 9:30 a.m.4:30 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 29, at the REACH office, 627 N. Main St., in Waynesville. REACH is a domestic violence, sexual assault, elder abuse prevention and

• Community Acupuncture will be offered from noon-5 on Wednesdays and 1-6 p.m. on Fridays at Sylva Yoga. sylvayoga@gmail.com.

• Mindfulness Meditation is offered at 7:30 p.m. on the first and third Wednesdays of each month at Sylva Yoga. sylvayoga@gmail.com.

• Intro to Astrology will be offered from 6:30-7:45 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 8, at Sylva Yoga. sylvayoga@gmail.com.

• Yin Yoga Class will be offered from 10-11:15 a.m. on Sunday, Feb. 9, at Sylva Yoga. sylvayoga@gmail.com.

• “Yoga for Back Care” will be offered from noon-1 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 15, at Waynesville Yoga Center. Cost: $15. Reservations and info: 246.6570 or WaynesvilleYogaCenter.com.

• “Slow Flow Yoga with Heart-Opening Cacao” will be offered from 5:30-7 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 15, at Waynesville Yoga Center. Cost: $30 advance; $35 day of. Reservations and info: 246.6570 or WaynesvilleYogaCenter.com.

• “Winter Sound Healing with Cranial Fascia Release” will be offered from 6:30-7:30 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 16, at Waynesville Yoga Center. Cost: $25. Reservations and info: 246.6570 or WaynesvilleYogaCenter.com.

• Haywood Nursing and Rehabilitation Center will hold a Heart and Health Awareness Event from 4-6 p.m. on Feb. 18 at 516 N. Wall St. in Waynesville. Info: 452.3154.

• “Meditating with the Five Senses” will be offered from noon-2 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 22, at Waynesville Yoga Center. Cost: $30. Reservations and info: 246.6570 or WaynesvilleYogaCenter.com.

• “Spine-Tacular: Movement Strategies for a Healthy Spine” will be offered from 1-2:15 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 23, at Waynesville Yoga Center. Cost: $15. Reservations and info: 246.6570 or WaynesvilleYogaCenter.com.

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

• Co-Dependents Anonymous, a support group for those

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

RECREATION AND FITNESS • ZUMBA is offered at Dance Tonight Haywood Studio, 62 ½ Main Street in Canton on Saturdays, at 10 a.m. with Patti Burke. Check Facebook page Patti Burke Zumba Students for additional information such as holiday or weather related cancelations. $5 per class.

• “Gal-entines: Buti Yoga, Barre + Bubbles” will be offered from 5:30-7 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 14, at Waynesville Yoga Center. Cost: $15. Reservations and info: 246.6570 or WaynesvilleYogaCenter.com.

• Registration is underway through the end of February for a women’s volleyball league that will be offered Tuesday nights beginning March 17 at the Cullowhee Recreation Center. Fee is $200 per team or join a free-agent team for $25. Coaches meeting is at 6 p.m. on March 5. Info and registration: 293.3053, ext. 6, or andrewsherling@jacksonnc.org.

• Reduced-price skiing and snowboarding will be offered through the Jackson County Parks and Recreation Department from 5:30-10:30 p.m. on Fridays through March 6 at Cataloochee Ski Area in Maggie Valley. Register: www.rec.jacksonnc.org, 293.3053, ext. 9 or mollyneary@jacksonnc.org.

• Open volleyball play is offered at 6 p.m. on Wednesdays through Feb. 12 at Waynesville Recreation Center. Open to ages 18-older. Free for

• The Smoky Mountain Republican Women will sponsor a candidate forum from noon-2 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 8, at the Swain County Senior Center, 125 Brendle St. in Bryson City. All candidates for U.S. Congress, NC-11, and NC House 119 and NC Senate 50 have been invited. 371.8247.

• The Democratic Women of Macon County will host “The Whistle Stop Tour 2020” from 4-6 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 8, at the Carpenter Community Building in Franklin. Meet and greet candidates.

Refreshments will be served.

• The Haywood County Democratic Party will host a forum at 6 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 10, at the USDA Center in Waynesville showcasing all five Democratic Congressional candidates running in the March 3 Primary Election.

• Haywood County Democrats will hold annual precinct meetings from 10 a.m.-noon on Saturday, Feb. 15, at community polling locations.

AUTHORS AND BOOKS • Crazy Horse family elder Floyd Clown Sr will join author William Matson to discuss and sign their book, Crazy Horse: The Lakota Warrior's from 1 to 3 p.m.

Saturday, Feb. 8, at the Jackson County Public Library in Sylva.

• Brian Lee Knopp will present his book Mayhem in Mayberry: Misadventures of a P.I. in Southern Appalachia at 3 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 8, at City Lights Bookstore in Sylva. To reserve a copy of the book, please 586.9499.

• The Jackson County Public Library will launch a Silent Book Club at 6 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 13, at The Paper Mill Lounge in Sylva. The club will continue on the second Thursday of each month. Everyone is invited to attend. The Silent Book Club is a national movement of unique book clubs. The idea is that people gather together, socialize a little, enjoy food and beverages, do some silent reading of the book they brought, and then reconvene to discuss the books they are reading. 586.2016. (www.fontanalib.org).

SENIOR ACTIVITIES • The “Senior Follies” will return to Macon County.

This event is part of the SilverARTS division of the N.C. Senior Games. In partnership with the Macon County Senior Games, the Arts Council will be producing the 2020 “Senior Follies” show. There will be a free information session at 3 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 6, at the Carpenter Community Building in Franklin. The games will be held April 27 through May 16.

Anyone age 50 and over who resides in Macon County for at least three months a year can participate.

Performing artists may compete in the following categories/disciplines: Comedy/Drama, Dance/Line Dance, Instrumental, or Vocal Music. peekaboomom@gmail.com.

• Homeschoolers get special rates at Cataloochee Ski Area by presenting their homeschool credentials on Tuesdays at the ticket center. Rates are $25 for lift tickets and $50 for lift, lesson and rental. Lift and rental ticket is $35. Rates apply only to skiing from 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

• Wednesdays are family days at Cataloochee Ski Area with children 17-under receiving a free lift ticket when accompanied by a parent purchasing a full-price adult lift ticket. Regular rental and lesson rates apply.

Only on non-holiday Wednesdays.

• Harry Potter Book Night will be held from 5-6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 6, at the Macon County Public Library in Franklin. Theme is “Tri-Wizard Tournament” as seen in “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.” RSVP: tjohnson@fontanalib.org or 524.3600 (ask to speak with Children’s Department).

• Sapphire Ski Area is offering an after-school ski program on Feb. 7. Sessions are $35 each. Makeup day in case of rain: Feb. 14. Register: 743.7663 or at Sapphire Valley Community Center.

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

• The Waynesville Parks and Recreation Department’s Base Camp Summer Camp will hold an open house for parents at 6 p.m. on Feb. 18, 20 and 27 – and at 9 a.m. on Feb. 29 – at the Waynesville Recreation Center. Info: 456.2030 or cmiller@waynesvillenc.gov.

• Sign-ups are underway for “Mardi Gras in the Mountains,” a children’s costume contest, pet costume contest and pantomime music parade that will be held on Feb. 22 on Main Street in Franklin.

Proceeds benefit Appalachian Animal Rescue Center in Franklin. For details on participation, sponsorships and volunteers: 369.0092.

• Registration is underway for the Challenger International Soccer Camp, which will be offered to ages 3-14 from July 20-24 at the Waynesville Recreation Center. Costs vary based on age group from $90-197. Separate goalkeeper and scorer program is $25 for ages 6-14 from 9-11 a.m. on Saturday. Register: challengersports.com. Info: 456.2030 or dhummel@waynesvillenc.gov.

• Mother Goose On the Loose early childhood curriculum will be featured in a Reading Adventures Storytime program that’s offered at 1:30 p.m. on Wednesdays at Marianna Black Library in Bryson City.

Blends rhyming with movement, storytelling, simple songs, music and sensory play. 488.3030.

• Waynesville Art School offers the Young Artist Program in the afternoons for 5-6 year old, 7-8 year old, 9-12 year old. Intro to Printmaking and Evening studies in arts is offered for 13-19 year old.

Waynesville Art School is located at 303 N. Haywood Street. Info: 246.9869, info@waynesvilleartschool.com or visit WaynesvilleArtSchool.com for schedule and to register.

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

KIDS & FAMILIES • Kid Create: An art and music experience for kindergarten-fourth grade students is offered from 3:305:30 p.m. on Wednesdays at First Baptist Church in

KIDS FILMS • “Dolittle” will be showing through Feb. 6 at Smoky

• “Turbo” will be showing Feb. 8 at 11 a.m. as part of the free Saturday morning promotion at The Strand on Main in downtown Waynesville. 38main.com or 283.0079 • “Sonic the Hedgehog” will start showing Feb. 13 through Feb. 20 at Smoky Mountain Cinema in Waynesville Plaza. Visit www.fandango.com or smokymountaincinema.com for showtimes, pricing & tickets.

Info on Facebook or 246.0588.

• “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” will be showing Feb. 15 at 11 a.m. as part of the free Saturday morning promotion at The Strand on Main in downtown Waynesville. 38main.com or 283.0079 • “Bolt” will be showing Feb. 22 at 11 a.m. as part of the free Saturday morning promotion at The Strand on Main in downtown Waynesville. 38main.com or 283.0079 • “Bee Movie” will be showing Feb. 29 at 11 a.m. as part of the free Saturday morning promotion at The Strand on Main in downtown Waynesville. 38main.com or 283.0079 • The Highlands Biological Foundation will offer a series of nature-themed films and documentaries shown at 6:30 p.m. on the second and fourth Thursday of March in Highlands. For info on each show, call 526.2221.

KIDS STORY TIMES HAYWOOD • Mother Goose Time, a story time for babies and toddlers (5 months to 2 years) and their parents/caregivers, is held at 11 a.m. on Tuesdays at the Waynesville Library. 452.5169 • Family Story Time, 11 a.m. Wednesdays at the Waynesville Public Library. Stories, songs, crafts.

452.5169.

• Movers and Shakers story time is at 11 a.m. every Thursday at the Waynesville Library. For all ages.

Movement, books, songs and more. 452.5169.

• Family storytime with crafts, second Saturday of the month at 10:30 a.m. at the Waynesville library. 4525169.

• Family story time for ages zero to six years old is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. each Tuesday at the Canton Library. 648.2924.

JACKSON • Baby Storytime is at 11 a.m. on Thursdays at the Jackson County Public Library. Songs, fingerplays and stories for infants through toddlers. 586.2016 • Kid’s story time Saturdays, 11 a.m., all ages at City Lights in Sylva 586.9449.

• Kids story time, Fridays 11 a.m., Saturdays at 11:30 a.m. at Jackson County Public Library. Story time includes books, puppets, finger plays, songs and crafts. 586.2016.

• Pre-school story time, second Wednesday, 11 a.m. at Cashiers Community Library. 743.0215.

• Rock and Read storytime, 11 a.m. on Tuesdays at the Jackson County Public Library. 586.2016

SWAIN • Preschool Story time, Wednesdays, 10:30 a.m., Marianna Black Library. After a book or two is read, the children participate in games, songs, finger plays, puppet play and make a craft to take home. 488.3030.

Smoky Mountain News

• “Yoga Games” will be offered from 2-4 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 15, at Waynesville Yoga Center. Cost: $35. Reservations and info: 246.6570 or WaynesvilleYogaCenter.com.

• The Democratic Women of Macon County and the Macon County Democratic Men’s Club will host a town hall event for Congressional candidate Steve Woodsmall at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 5, at the Carpenter Building, 1288 Georgia Road in Franklin.

• The STEAM Club meets at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesdays at Marianna Black Library in Bryson City. STEAM is Science, Technology, Engineering, Art & Math. Info: 488.3030, ext. 130.

Mountain Cinema in Waynesville Plaza. Visit www.fandango.com or smokymountaincinema.com for showtimes, pricing & tickets. Info on Facebook or 246.0588.

February 5-11, 2020

• “ECA on the Move!” – a walking program organized

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

POLITICAL • A forum for Democratic candidates running for the NC-11 seat in the U.S. House of Representatives is set for 6-8 p.m. on Feb. 6 in the community room of the Jackson County Public Library in Sylva.

Waynesville. Fbcwaynesville.org/after-school/kidcreate.

wnc calendar

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

members; $7 for nonmembers. 456.2030 or dhummel@waynesville.gov.

MACON • Paws 4 Reading, a family story time, will be held from 6:30 to 7:15 p.m. second Thursday of the month at Macon County Public Library. Children can read to a therapy dog. (grades K-6). 524.3600.

41

wnc calendar

• Toddlers Rock, Mondays, 10 a.m., Macon Public Library. Music, movement and instruments (Designed for children 0-24 months, but all ages are welcome).

• Family Story Time is held at 10 a.m. on Tuesdays at the Macon County Public Library in Franklin.

524.3600.

• Family Story Time for ages 0 to 7 years is held at 10 a.m. on Thursdays at the Macon County Public Library in Franklin. 524.3600.

• Paws 4 Reading, a family story time, will be held from 3:30-5:30 p.m. every Tuesday at Hudson Library in Highlands. Children (grades K-6) practice early reading skills by reading to a canine companion. Info: www.fontanalib.org, www.readingpaws.org or 526.3031.

A&E • As part of the Winter Arts Smokies Style series, “The Art of Chocolate” will be held from noon to 4 p.m.

Saturday, Feb. 15, in downtown Waynesville.

Sponsored by The Galleries of Haywood County, several merchants and restaurants plan to offer entertainment, special chocolate surprises and other specials.

Look for the “red hearts” designating the establishments with specials.

FOOD & DRINK

February 5-11, 2020

• There will be a special “Oyster Roast” gathering from 4 to 10 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 8, at Nantahala Brewing in Sylva. All you can eat oyster roast. Order in advance online for $15 (plus transaction fees). Day of tickets are $25. Alongside craft beer, wine and cocktails being available, there will also be live music by the Caribbean Cowboy from 4 to 7 p.m. www.nantahalabrewing.com.

• Innovation Brewing and Get Creative Atlanta/Carolina will present “Brush & Brew: A Painting and Craft Beer Night” from 6:30 to 8 p.m.

Tuesday, Feb. 11, at the Innovation Station in Dillsboro. Tickets are $30 per person, which includes one beverage per person (beer or wine), the class, all painting materials and taking your canvas (16"x20") painting home.

ON STAGE & IN CONCERT

Smoky Mountain News

• Dylan Doyle & trio will be on stage in the Loft at The Strand on Main on Feb. 6 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $10.

38main.com.

• The Mountain Heritage Center’s next installment of the First Thursday Old-Time and Bluegrass Jam series will be held at 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 6 with Frogtown onstage, at HomeBase on the Western Carolina University campus. Concert last an hour, followed by an open jam session. The series continues into March 227.7129 or www.wcu.edu/mhc.

• Americana/folk band The Maggie Valley Band will perform at 9 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 8, at The Gem downstairs taproom at Boojum Brewing in Waynesville. www.themaggievalleyband.com.

• The Highlands Performing Arts Center will present a special screening of the National Theatre of London’s production of “Fleabag” at 1 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 8. www.highlandspac.org, www.highlandsperformingarts.com or at the door.

• A production of Rajiv Joseph’s “Gruesome Playground Injuries” will hit the stage at 7:30 p.m.

Feb. 7-8 and 2 p.m. Feb. 9 at the Haywood Arts Regional Theatre in Waynesville. Holdover dates will be Feb. 14-15. To make a reservation, 456.6322 or www.harttheatre.org. The Harmons’ Den Bistro will also be open for dining before all performances, with 42 the menu on the HART website.

• Tickets are available now for a performance by the Fisk Jubilee Singers, which is set for 7 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 13, in the University Center at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee. Tickets: $5 for WCU students, $10 for non-WCU students and WCU faculty and staff and $15 for general admission. Available at bardoartscenter.wcu.edu or 227.2479.

• A musical production of “Let The Good Times Roll” will be performed at 6:30 p.m. Feb. 13-15 at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts in Franklin.

All tickets include: fresh fruit salad, choice of hamburger or hotdog with the fixings, french fries, coleslaw and a classic miniature ice cream sundae, complete with whipped cream and a cherry. Tables serve parties of six. Groups larger than six will need to separate. All seating is general seating. For more information and/or to purchase tickets, click on www.greatmountainmusic.com.

CLASSES AND PROGRAMS • The Jackson County Public Library offers e-services support from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. and 4-6 p.m. on Tuesdays in Sylva. For those with new devices or need help accessing library resources. Appointments: 586.2016.

• “Pottery & Pints: Hanging Heart Planters” class will be held by Viva Arts Studios from 6:30 to 8 p.m.

Thursday, Feb. 6, at the Innovation Station in Dillsboro. Cost is $30 per person. For more information and/or to register for the workshop, go to Facebook, search “Viva Arts Studio” and click on the “Events” tab for the ticket link. www.vivaartsschool.com or 506.6067.

• Encaustic classes will be taught by Karen Smith from 10 a.m.-noon on Fridays starting Feb. 7 at the Macon County Art Association’s Uptown Gallery at 30 E. Main St. in Franklin. No experience or supplies required. Info: 349.4607 or www.franklinuptowngallery.com.

• An “Origami Boxes for Valentine's Day” class will be held from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 8, at the Haywood County Arts Council in Waynesville. Margot Dale will guide participants through the necessary steps to create and decorate four origami paper boxes. This class is perfect for someone age 16 and over with welldeveloped fine motor skills and can cut paper with precision. Class size is limited to six attendees. $28 for HCAC members or $33 for non-members.

452.0593. Reservations and payments are accepted at the HCAC www.haywoodarts.org.

•, Mary Ellen Tully will host a class on contemporary Shibori using fiber dyes to make scarves from 1 to 3 p.m. on Feb. 16 at the Uptown Gallery in Franklin.

Info: 349.4607 or www.franklinuptowngallery.com.

• A pop-up book club will be held from 2-4 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 20, in the Waynesville Library Auditorium. Read whatever book you choose and be prepared to share about it with others.

• Macon County Art Association will have Mardi Gras masks handmade by members for sale at the Uptown Gallery until the Mardi Gras celebration in Franklin on Feb. 22.

• Betsey Sloan will be teaching a class making sheep out of gourds from 1 to 3 p.m. on Feb. 29 at the Uptown Gallery in Franklin. 349.4607 or www.franklinuptowngallery.com.

ART SHOWINGS AND GALLERIES • A reception for “Time and Again” – a glass works exhibit by Kit Paulson and SaraBeth Post – will take place from 5 to 7 p.m. on Feb. 6 at the Western Carolina University Fine Art Museum at Bardo Arts Center in Cullowhee. The art exhibit will take place through May. 1. arts.wcu.edu/museum or 227-ARTS.

• “HCC Clay in Retrospect” runs now through April 22 and is located on the second floor of the Creative Arts Building on the HCC campus. The public is invited to a closing reception from 4 to 6 p.m. Wednesday, April 22, with a gallery talk beginning at 4:30 p.m. “HCC Clay in Restrospect” is an exhibition featuring the work of 20 artists from the college’s 46 years of clay programming. Mandatory coursework includes photography of finished pieces for gaining entrance into craft shows, creating a business plan, and designing and building a studio tailored to fit production needs.

627.4671 or eareason@haywood.edu.

County Regional Business Education and Training Center, 45 E. Ridge Drive in Bryson City.

• “Call of the Wild” will be start showing Feb. 20 through Feb. 27 at Smoky Mountain Cinema in Waynesville Plaza. Visit www.fandango.com or smokymountaincinema.com for showtimes, pricing & tickets.

Info on Facebook or 246.0588.

• The Second Tuesday Movie Group meets at 2 p.m. in the Waynesville Library Auditorium. For info, including movie title: 452.5169.

• Jenean Hornbuckle, a landscape painter, is currently showing her works, at the Rotunda Gallery in the Sylva library. info@jacksoncountyarts.org or 507.9820.

• The “Affrilachian Artist Travelling Studio” exhibit will run through Feb. 29 at the Haywood County Arts Council in Waynesville. Gallery are 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

Cochran will host a gallery talk from 11 a.m. to noon Saturday, Feb. 15, at HCAC. As well, the closing reception will be from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 29, at HCAC. www.haywoodarts.org.

• Western Carolina University’s Mountain Heritage Center will host an exhibit by Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist José Galvez on Latino life in North Carolina in the museum’s second-floor gallery at Hunter Library. The center’s first bilingual exhibit, “Al Norte al Norte” will be on display through Friday, April 10. Admission is free. The 51 black-and-white photos are from a 10-year project to capture images of daily life of Latinos living in North Carolina, from business owners to farmers at work, multi-generations of families at home and at church, and other candid moments. The gallery is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Monday through Friday. 227.7129.

• Cherokee Indian Hospital is issuing a “Call to Artists” for the new Analenisgi Inpatient Unit. The mission is to create community pride and ownership using a variety of culturally significant, healing art mediums. Enrolled EBCI members will be given preference. Mediums can include, but are not limited to, paintings (oil, acrylic, pastels, watercolor) photography, fiber arts, metal, mixed media and sculpture.

Please email legendweaverstudios@gmail.com if you want the formal “Call to Artists” application and information.

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

FILM & SCREEN • “Bad Boys for Life” will be showing through Feb. 6 at Smoky Mountain Cinema in Waynesville Plaza. Visit www.fandango.com or smokymountaincinema.com for showtimes, pricing & tickets. Info on Facebook or 246.0588.

• “1917” will be showing through Feb. 6 at Smoky Mountain Cinema in Waynesville Plaza. Visit www.fandango.com or smokymountaincinema.com for showtimes, pricing & tickets. Info on Facebook or 246.0588.

• “1917” will be showing through Feb. 6 at The Strand on Main in downtown Waynesville. For showtimes, pricing & tickets visit 38main.com or 283.0079 • “Birds of Prey” will be showing Feb. 6 at Smoky Mountain Cinema in Waynesville Plaza. Visit www.fandango.com or smokymountaincinema.com for showtimes, pricing & tickets. Info on Facebook or 246.0588.

• A documentary entitled: “Fontana Lake: Broken Promises, Delayed Resolution” will be featured in the meeting of the Swain County Genealogical and Historical Society at 6:30 p.m. on Feb. 6 at the Swain

Outdoors • John and Cathy Sill will lead a Bird Walk on Feb. 6 at Lake Junaluska. Sign up: 524.5234.

• Highlands Biological Station will hold a Snow Moon Walk from 6-8 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 8, at the Highlands Botanical Garden & the meadow by the Valentine House at 888 Horse Cove Road in Highlands.

526.2623.

• Alarka Institute and Expeditions will host an afternoon with editor Rose McIarney and several authors from the new University of Georgia Press publication “Literary Field Guide to Southern Appalachia” at 3 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 8, at the Cowee Arts and Heritage Center in Macon County. Tickets: $5.

Purchase: www.alarkaexpeditions.com. I • Landmark Learning will offer courses in Wilderness First Responder, dates: Feb. 8-16, March 7-15 and March 14-22 in Cullowhee. Info: www.landmarklearning.org.

• Franklin Bird Club will have a meeting at 7 p.m. on Feb. 10 at the Macon County Public Library in Franklin. Featured speaker is Curtis Small, Director of Conservation for Audubon North Carolina, who will speak on “Important Bird Areas of NC.” Info: FranklinBirdClub.com or 524.5234.

• Learn how to get the most out of a trip to America’s most-visited national park during a program offered from 7-8:30 p.m. on Wednesdays, Feb. 12 and March 11 at REI in Asheville. Offered by Friends of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

• The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission is seeking opinions on Sunday hunting through an online survey through Feb. 2, and a public forum is set for 7 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 13, at the Haywood Community College Regional High Technology Center Auditorium in Clyde.

Survey: www.surveymonkey.com/r/SundayHunting.

• A regional botanist will lead an excursion through a rare plant community on Saturday, Feb. 15, in Macon County. Led by Ed Schwartzman, who holds a master’s degree in conservation biology and spent 10 years working as a biologist for the N.C. Natural Heritage Program. Offered through Alarka Institute. Cost: $55.

Registration: www.alarkaexpeditions.com/upcomingevents.

• An opportunity to learn about winter hikes and waterfalls in Western North Carolina will be offered from 7-8:30 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 20, at REI in Asheville. Registration required: www.rei.com/events.

• Landmark Learning is offering several options to take a Wilderness First Responder Recertification class, Feb. 28 in Cullowhee and March 1 in Brevard.

Registration is also underway for courses on www.landmarklearning.org.

• Registration is underway for the Landmark Outdoor Educator Semester, which is offered May 14-June 30, through Landmark Learning. www.landmarklearning.org.

COMPETITIVE EDGE • The Cataloochee Thursday Night Race League is

FARM AND GARDEN • The 2020 Hemp Production Meeting will be held for hemp producers from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 7, at the Macon County Extension Center in Franklin. Research, regulations and agronomics will be covered. RSVP: 349.2046.

• Haywood County Cooperative Extension and Haywood County Beekeepers will offer a Beginning Beekeeping Class from 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 8, at the extension center, 589 Raccoon Road, in Waynesville. Cost: $50. Preregistration deadline: Feb. 5. Register: 456.3575.

• Registration is underway for the Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project’s annual Business of Farming Conference, which will be held from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. on Feb. 22 at the AB Tech Conference Center in Asheville. Cost: $75 if registering by Feb. 1 or $95 after. asapconnections.org or 236.1282.

• The annual Haywood County Extension Master Gardener plant sale is underway and accepting pre-paid orders through Feb. 27.

Forms are available at www.haywood.ces.ncsu.edu, 456.3575 or mgarticles@charter.net.

HIKING CLUBS

• Carolina Mountain Club will hold a 10-mile hike with a 2,200-foot ascent on Sunday, Feb. 9, at Davidson Campground. Info and reservations: 684.7083, 606.7956 or dblanning@bellsouth.net.

• Carolina Mountain Club will hold a 9.5-mile hike with a 2,400-foot ascent on Wednesday, Feb. 12, at Pine Mountain Loop II. Info and reservations: 684.8656, 606.7297 or bjdworley@gmail.com.

• Carolina Mountain Club will hold a 7.5-mile hike with an 800-foot elevation gain on Saturday, Feb. 15, at Hardtimes P.L. No. 1. Info and reservations: 460.7066 or barbc129@gmail.com.

• Carolina Mountain Club will have an eightmile hike with a 1,320-foot ascent on Wednesday, Feb. 19, at Buckhorn Gap and Club Gap Loop. Info and reservations: 606.3989, jqs290@gmail.com, 606.1490 or quilter290@gmail.com.

• The Nantahala Hiking Club will take a strenuous six-mile hike with an elevation change of 1,000 feet on Sunday, Feb. 23, on the Bartram Trail. Info and reservations: 421.4178.

• The Nantahala Hiking club will take an easy,

• Carolina Mountain Club will take a 12-mile hike with a 1,500-foot ascent on Sunday, Feb. 23, on Buck Spring Trail. Info and reservations: 704.877.7804 or waltersharon204@gmail.com.

• The Cataloochee Chapter of Trout Unlimited meets the second Tuesday of the month starting with a social hour at 5:30 p.m. at Rendezvous restaurant located on the corner of Jonathan Creek Road and Soco Road in Maggie Valley. Come early and eat if you like.

631.5543.

• Carolina Mountain Club will take an 11.2mile hike with a 2,000-foot ascent on Wednesday, Feb. 26, from Spivey Gap to Nolichucky River. Info and reservations: 380.1452 or desraylet@aol.com.

• Nantahala Hiking Club holds monthly trail maintenance days from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. on every fourth Saturday at 173 Carl Slagle Road in Franklin. Info and to register: 369.1983.

• Hike of the Week is at 10 a.m. every Friday at varying locations along the parkway. Led by National Park Service rangers. www.nps.gov/blri or 298.5330, ext. 304.

• Friends of the Smokies hikes are offered on the second Tuesday of each month. www.friendsofthesmokies.org/hikes.html.

• Nantahala Hiking Club based in Macon County holds weekly Saturday hikes in the Nantahala National Forest and beyond. www.nantahalahikingclub.org • High Country Hikers, based out of Hendersonville but hiking throughout Western North Carolina, plans hikes every Monday and Thursday. Schedules, meeting places and more information are available on their website, www.highcountryhikers.org.

• Carolina Mountain Club hosts more than 150 hikes a year, including options for full days on weekends, full days on Wednesdays and half days on Sundays. Non-members contact event leaders. www.carolinamountainclub.org • Mountain High Hikers, based in Young Harris, Ga., leads several hikes per week.

Guests should contact hike leader. www.mountainhighhikers.org.

• Smoky Mountain Hiking Club, located in East Tennessee, makes weekly hikes in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park as well as surrounding areas. www.smhclub.org.

• Benton MacKaye Trail Association incorporates outings for hikes, trail maintenance and other work trips. No experience is necessary to participate. www.bmta.org.

• Diamond Brand’s Women’s Hiking Group meets on the third Saturday of every month.

For more information, e-mail awilliams@diamondbrand.com or call 684.6262.

OUTDOOR CLUBS • The Jackson County Poultry Club will hold its regular meeting on the third Thursday of each month at the Jackson County Cooperative Extension Office. The club is for adults and children and includes a monthly meeting with a program and a support network for those raising birds. For info, call 586.4009 or write heather_gordon@ncsu.edu.

• The North Carolina Catch program, a threephase conservation education effort focusing on aquatic environments, will be offered through May 15. The program is offered by the Waynesville Parks and Recreation Department.

Free for members; daily admission for nonmembers. 456.2030 or tpetrea@waynesvillenc.gov.

• An RV camping club, the Vagabonds, camps one weekend per month from April through

• The Cherokee Runners meets each month on the first and 15th of the month (if the first falls on Sunday, the group meets on the second), at the Age Link Conference Room. Group runs are being held each Tuesday and Thursday at 6 p.m. starting at the Flame. www.cherokeerunners.com.

• The Jackson-Swain Master Gardeners’ Association meets at 9:30 a.m. every second Wednesday at the Jackson Community Services Building on Scotts Creek Road in Sylva. Mike Glover at 736.2768 or lmgofish@gmail.com.

• Pigeon Valley Bassmaster’s Club will meet at 7 p.m. on the second Monday of each month at J&S Cafeteria, Enka, Exit 44 off I-40.

712.2846.

• Macon County Horse Association meets at 7:30 p.m. the third Tuesday of each month at the Macon County Fairgrounds Alumni Building. Education program and business meeting. ddoster@fs.fed.us.

• The Macon County Beekeepers Association meets at 7 p.m. the first Thursday of each month at the extension office located on Thomas Heights Road next to Jim Brown Chrysler on Highlands Road. New members welcome.

• Haywood Bee Keepers Association meets at 7 p.m. the first Tuesday of each month at the NC Ag center on Raccoon Road. hcbees.org.

See Virtual Tours of listed homes at

MaggieValleyHomeSales.com Market Square, 3457 Soco Rd. • Maggie Valley, NC • 828-926-0400

RE/MAX

EXECUTIVE

Ron Breese Broker/Owner 71 North Main Street Waynesville, NC 28786 Cell: 828.400.9029 ron@ronbreese.com

• Smoky Mountain Beekeepers meet at 7 p.m. on the second Thursday of every month at the SCC Swain Center in Bryson City on Almond School Road. Open to anyone interested in honeybees. 554.6935.

www.ronbreese.com

• The Franklin Walking Club meets at 10 a.m. every Saturday (weather permitting) at the Tassee picnic shelter on the Greenway at the corner of Wells Grove Road and Ulco Drive. All fitness levels are welcome, call Linda at 421.7613.

Catherine Proben

• Swain County Trail Runners. Long run group meets 8 a.m. Saturdays at the Deep Creek Trailhead Parking Area in Bryson City. All runs are on trails in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park or Tsali Recreation Area. All distances, paces, ages welcome. More information at 399.0989, 488.6769 or wdtreern@yahoo.com.

Each office independently owned & operated.

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

cproben@beverly-hanks.com

74 N. Main St., Waynesville, NC

828.452.5809

• The Sylva Garden Club meets at 9:30 a.m. the first Tuesday of each month at the Presbyterian Church in Sylva. cindyrparker@gmail.com.

• WNC Sportsman’s Club meets at 6:30 p.m. the first Monday night of each month at the Juke Box Junction Restaurant located in Bethel at the junction of U.S. 276 and N.C. 110. www.wncsportsmansclub.com.

Mike Stamey

mstamey@beverly-hanks.com

828-508-9607

Smoky Mountain News

• The Nantahala Hiking Club will take a moderate, eight-mile hike with an elevation gain of 1,100 feet on Saturday, Feb. 15, from Camp Branch to the Bartram Trail. Info and reservations: 524.5298.

November. All ages welcome. No dues or structured activities. For details, write lilnau@aol.com or call 369.6669.

February 5-11, 2020

• The Nantahala Hiking Club will take a moderate-to-strenuous seven-mile hike, with an elevation change of 900 feet, on Saturday, Feb. 8, from Long Branch to Rock Gap in the Standing Indian Recreational Area. Info and reservations: 421.4178.

1.5-mile hike with an elevation change of 200 feet on Sunday, Feb. 23, on Lakeside Trail. Info and reservations: 526.6480.

wnc calendar

open to skiers and snowboarders 18 years or older from 7-8:30 p.m. on Thursdays through Feb. 27. Individuals race against the clock on a modified GS or slalom course for the better of two runs. The top three challengers in men’s and women’s age divisions win prizes.

Helmets and goggles required. $15 to race or $35 for race entry and night lift ticket. https://tinyurl.com/y9ys99hu.

74 NORTH MAIN ST. • WAYNESVILLE, NC

www.beverly-hanks.com

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45

SUPER

CROSSWORD

SIX FROM THE FAB FOUR ACROSS 1 Approach intrusively 7 Lamenter’s sound 11 Process of going bad 19 Attach with heat, as a patch 20 Heart sections 22 When shows are broadcast 23 Butler or maid 25 Fish also called a largemouth 26 Mop 27 At that point 28 CNN anchor Burnett 30 China’s Mao — -tung 31 1960s reform movement in China 38 “Sid the Science Kid� network 41 Tracker maker, once 42 Convert to the Koran’s religion 43 Chevy model 45 Suffix with towel 48 Korean, Thai or Chinese 52 Precipitating heavily 57 Big Apple sch.

58 Off-white 59 March composer John Philip — 60 Cease 61 Lives (in) 63 It lures fish 65 Loss of memory 67 Posed (for) 68 “Stop thinking of me as so naive�

74 “— recall ...�

75 Headlined 76 Dying words from Caesar

77 79 80 83 87 88 91 94 95 96 100 101 102 109 110 111 112 116 120

124 125 126 127 128 129

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DOWN 1 Bails out, e.g.

2 Brag loudly 3 Unconscious state 4 Final non-A.D. year 5 “Mayday!�

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10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 21 24 29 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 44 45 46 47 49 50 51 53 54 55 56 61 62 64 65 66 68 69 70

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“Kill — killed!�

Hold in check Small state ruled by a sovereign Eve’s man Actor Max von — Rocker Barrett CBS drama Turn rancid Pet parasites With a sharp picture, for short Hymn start Epithet for Alexander Be a ratfink Alexis I, e.g.

Jackie’s hubby #2 Offense Almost Six-pt. plays Cry like — Amply skilled Rundown Bards’ Muse Singer Hall Oven maker Spiteful Passes idly, as time Dryly funny Slaughter of baseball James with a Pulitzer Discreet call MPG monitor Chaplin’s title — -fi flick Always, poetically Oldies group — Na Na “Tonka� star Mineo

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46

www.smokymountainnews.com

February 5-11, 2020

WNC MarketPlace

The naturalist’s corner

BY DON H ENDERSHOT

The rollback administration The present administration is no friend to the environment.

In a New York Times analysis, which was based on data from Harvard Law School, Columbia Law School and other sources, the Times reported more than 90 environmental rules and/or regulations had been or were in the process of being rolled back. According to the report, 58 rollbacks had already occurred and 37 were in process.

The Times grouped these rollbacks thusly: air pollution and emissions, drilling and extraction, infrastructure and planning, animals, toxic substances and safety, water pollution and other.

CNBC put the number of rollbacks at over 80 and listed “… five big changes you may have missed in 2019….” Those five big changes were: n Regulations on methane leaks to be rolled back. CNBC noted, “Methane levels have soared since 2007, with natural gas production as a primary suspect …. By the agency’s calculations, the rollback would increase methane emissions by 370,000 tons

over roughly five years.” n Repealing the Obama-era clean water rule. ”The repeal allows polluters to discharge toxic substances into waterways without a permit, which could significantly harm the country’s sources of safe drinking water and habitats for wildlife ….” n Weakening the Endangered Species Act. LA smog.

“The new rules make it wikipedia photo easier to take out protections for threatened animals and plants and allow federal agencies to conduct economic assessments when deciding whether to protect a species from things like construction projects in a critical habitat. The rules also remove tools used by scientists to predict future harm to species from climate change.” n Weakening climate plan to help coal plants stay open. “In response, 29 cities and states sued the EPA’s replacement of

the Obama administration’s Clean Power Plan, arguing it extends U.S. dependence on coal power and blocks states from pursuing clean energy production.” n Loosening Obama-era rules restricting auto pollution. “Later in September, the administration barred California from setting its own emission standards, which officials said would give people access to cheaper and safer vehicles.”

These rol lbacks appear to be concerted, concentrated, directed efforts to roll back any and all environmental/ecological, science-based policy, regulations and /or rules implemented over the last 50 years or so

(since the 1970s.)

The Trump Administration could not push these roll backs through without its enablers — the senators and representatives who march in lockstep. Science cannot remedy this, although science offers remedies.

Public opinion cannot remedy this, although public opinions falls squarely on the side of clean air, clean water etc.

The ballot box is the only place this can be remedied.

(Don Hendershot is a writer and naturalist.

His book, A Year From the Naturalist’s Corner, Vol. 1, is available at regional bookstores or by contacting Don at ddihen1@bellsouth.net)

322-30

Smoky Mountain News

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Smoky Mountain News February 5-11, 2020