SMN 02 20 19 by Smoky Mountain News

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February 20-26, 2019 Vol. 20 Iss. 39

Former hospital foundations find new mission Page 16 Whiteside Brewing impacts Cashiers culture Page 24

CONTENTS On the Cover: In honor of Black History Month, The Smoky Mountain News revisits the often-overlooked impact African-Americans had in the Sunburst community around the turn of the 20th Century when the timber industry was thriving. (Page 6) Sunburst circa 1910. Donated photo

News Annual Pancake Day is free to community ..................................................................4 Legislators focused on Medicaid expansion ..............................................................5 Constitution proposed for Cherokee ............................................................................8 New cell tower proposed for Sylva ................................................................................9 Race against time for Waynesville homeless camp ..............................................10 HCC fights poverty through tuition program ..........................................................11 Has Haywood County reached ‘peak tourism?’ ....................................................12 New businesses open in downtown Waynesville ..................................................13 $12 million Green Energy Park proposal on the table ........................................14 Macon, Franklin work on greenway connection ......................................................15 Hospital foundations find new mission ......................................................................16 Education News ................................................................................................................19

Opinion N.C. legislators have a chance at redistricting ........................................................20

A&E Whiteside Brewing impacts Cashiers culture ..........................................................24

Outdoors

Smoky Mountain News

February 20-26, 2019

Waynesville woman digs into worm farming ............................................................34

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CONTACT WAYNESVILLE | 144 Montgomery, Waynesville, NC 28786 P: 828.452.4251 | F: 828.452.3585 SYLVA | 629 West Main Street, Sylva, NC 28779 P: 828.631.4829 | F: 828.631.0789 INFO & BILLING | P.O. Box 629, Waynesville, NC 28786 Copyright 2019 by The Smoky Mountain News.™ Advertising copyright 2019 by The Smoky Mountain News.™ All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. The Smoky Mountain News is available for free in Haywood, Jackson, Macon, Swain and parts of Buncombe counties. Limit one copy per person. Additional copies may be purchased for $1, payable at the Smoky Mountain News office in advance. No person may, without prior written permission of The Smoky Mountain News, take more than one copy of each issue.

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February 20-26, 2019

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The table is set Pancake Day is free to community this year BY J ESSI STONE N EWS E DITOR The table is set — all you have to do is come sit down and be served. You can get pancakes, bacon and coffee just about anywhere, but there’s just something special about filling up on the breakfast favorites during the annual Pancake Day at First United Methodist Church of Waynesville. The volunteers make you feel right at home as they serve up freshly made flapjacks and sizzling hot bacon and sausage with a smile and keep your cup and plate full until you can’t eat anymore. It’s southern hospitality at its best, and this year the church is taking that service one step further by making the 64th annual Pancake Day free to the entire community on Tuesday, Feb. 26. “We felt like the broader community has supported this event incredibly for 63 years so we felt like we needed to give back to the community this year,” said committee member Lee Messer. Committee member Sarah Massie hasn’t missed a Pancake Day for at least 60 years and is considered an expert when it comes to preparing and mixing the buttermilk and buckwheat pancakes offered on Pancake Day. She’s also helped pass down those skills to the next generation of volunteers. Despite the event being held at the end of February when it’s cold or even snowy, the weather doesn’t keep people away from Pancake Day. Thousands of people show up between 6:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. to fill up, fellowship and support the cause whether they are members of the church or not. “And it didn’t matter which church people went to, they’d show up for Pancake Day here. It’s just part of the tradition — traditions are very important in a community,” Massie said. “People don’t want to miss it.” Putting together Pancake Day is no simple task and prep work begins Friday before the Tuesday event with setting up all the tables in the gym, all of which will have freshly cut flowers as a centerpiece. During the event, there are usually about 50 volun-

teers working at any given time — some of them working all day long. “Charlie and Mary Ann Way started this event and now it takes 12 of us on a committee to do what the two of them did by themselves for so long,” Messer joked. Committee member Eunice Ledford handles the ordering for the big day — some 513 pounds of pancake mix, 635 pounds of bacon, 60 dozen eggs, 3,000 pieces of sausage and about 2,000 half pints of milk. Despite the hard work, volunteers say it’s all worth it at the end of the day. The event brings in an average of $25,000 a year and more importantly, puts a smile on everyone’s face. “It’s about building relationships — relationships we’ve been building for 60 years and even before Pancake Day,” said committee member Mary Lee Sease. “This is just one more thing we can do to continue that effort.” When church members were putting together the latest facilities master plan, Patrick Bradshaw said someone mentioned how they wished the “outside of the church was more representative of who we are inside the church” and he thought that was a great point. While the exterior of First United Methodist is a towering, classic brick facade, Bradshaw said the people within the church aren’t as traditional as the outside design might suggest. The church doesn’t just minister to its own members — it’s listening to the needs of the community and responding by offering programs and missions for all. “I think this church makes strides to respond to the needs in the community from free after-school program for middle-schoolers to our mission work and allowing community organizations to use our facilities,” he said. “We want to continue to grow that.”

Pancake Day 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 26 First United Methodist Church of Waynesville 566 South Haywood Street Admission is free

Donated photo

Massie said members don’t want people to be intimidated by the church and hosting community events like Pancake Day — or Altrusa Club’s Soup and Cornbread Day and Rotary Club’s Poor Man’s Supper — is a way to get people connected to the church in other ways. Funds from Pancake Day have traditionally been used for facility needs, scholarships for students and mission work at home and abroad. “We have a host of sponsors each year that underwrite the cost of the event and this year they’ve stepped up even more to make this happen,” Sease said. “Sometimes missions are fulfilled locally and from the heart.” With the church facilities getting so much use from members and non-members, Bradshaw said there are always facility upgrades needed — not to mention replacing grills, plates, chairs, tabled and other things needed for Pancake Day. “I think Pancake Day originally started as a fundraiser for the facility and then when we lost the sanctuary in a fire, it went toward that,” Massie said. While Bradshaw has only been coming to the church for 10 years, he loves hearing all the stories on Pancake Days gone by. “I’ve been coming since I was a child. My mother trained me — she was known as the

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bacon lady,” Ledford said. “Yes, Eunice’s mom trained me too,” echoed Sease. “When I’m cooking, I always ask myself what Eunice Brown would do.” That’s because cooking for thousands of people can be somewhat of a logistical nightmare. When the main kitchen was located in the basement of the church, there just wasn’t enough room for everything they needed and things had to be shuffled here and there to make it work. Even today the church has to utilize three kitchens to get all the bacon cooked — the commercial kitchen in the Christian Growth Center, the basement kitchen and Ingles in Hazelwood also helps out by cooking some bacon in their ovens and bringing it over to the church. Even though this year’s event is free, church members are still handing out the tickets — it’s just part of the tradition to which people have become accustomed. Donations will not be turned away of course, but committee members want to assure the community donations are not expected. “Our sponsorships began years ago with a few grand, and now we’ve tripled that — our scholarship fund is doing great, our missions are going well so we want people to know this is a truly free event,” Bradshaw said. “Yes, the table is set, just come take a seat,” Sease said. HOME FOR SALE IN WEBSTER Beautiful Cowan Valley Estates!

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Smoky Mountain News

BY CORY VAILLANCOURT Perhaps the strongest argument is that STAFF WRITER Tar Heel taxpayers are already paying for it our-time freshman legislator and — more than $2.5 billion a year goes to recently re-elected Rep. Joe Sam Queen, Washington, but never comes back. D-Waynesville, launched into this year’s “The jobs follow the money,” he said. legislative session by hosting a trio of town “We pay those taxes and we get nothing for hall meetings across his district, but if the it. It’s like slicing your wrist and bleeding ones held in Jackson and Swain counties into the toilet.” were anything like the one in Waynesville on Opponents, however, are wary of federal Feb. 16, there’s just one thing on people’s funding changes that could end up covering minds — expanding Medicaid. less and less of the cost, as time passes. “I really think we’re going to get this “We should just throw away $2.5 billion done,” said Queen to an audience of about because it might change? That’s no argu30 people that Saturday morning at the ment at all,” Queen said. “My dad had a litHaywood County Public Library. tle phrase — ‘Don’t worry about the mule Queen and other Democrats had camgoing blind, just keep loading the wagon.’” paigned on Medicaid expansion last fall; enough of them won their races that Republicans no longer have a veto-proof majority — important due to the presence of Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper — although Republicans do still control both chambers of the General Assembly. “It’s much better than it’s been in the last few years,” said Queen of the seemingly bipartisan aura surrounding this session’s legislative goals. “Gov. Cooper is doing a great job as a Rep. Joe Sam Queen (right) talks with a constituent diplomat. He is really reaching Feb. 16 in Waynesville. Cory Vaillancourt photo across the aisle himself, and we are doing our best to transform Medicaid and expand it. There’s lots of room Haywood County’s other representative to collaborate, and I am much more optiin the N.C. House, Rep. Michele Presnell, Rmistic then I have been — they cannot just Burnsville, didn’t respond to a Smoky run over him or the Democrat initiatives on Mountain News interview request last fall health care and education and the environduring campaign season, but did appear at a ment any more.” candidate forum hosted by progressive advoQueen had several topics on his agenda cacy group Down Home North Carolina on for the town hall meeting, including broadSept. 21. band and education — both also major When an audience member said that it Democratic goals last campaign season — was Medicaid that allowed her mother to die but Queen instead spent almost all of the from cancer peacefully and that should be a scheduled hour he was to meet with his right — not a privilege — Presnell reportedHaywood constituents talking and answerly said, “health insurance is a privilege for ing questions about Medicaid. those who have a job.” As of this year, 36 states and There’s also a laundry list of reasons Washington, D.C., had already expanded against Medicaid expansion, according to Medicaid. North Carolina isn’t one of them, Americans for Prosperity, a libertarian-leanbut if it was, 500,000 low-wage workers in ing political advocacy group founded in North Carolina would gain coverage and up 2004 by billionaire brothers Charles and to 40,000 jobs could be created across the David H. Koch — namely, that Medicaid is a state, which would see a projected $4 billion broken system that provides no noticeable increase in private business sales according improvements in health compared to those to figures produced by Queen at the meetwithout health care coverage, it ends up costing. ing states more than planned, it draws Those stats also say that 7,400 North resources away from education, emergency Carolinians overdosed on opioids last year, services and law enforcement, and it will and that Dayton, Ohio saw a 50 percent only end up forcing state tax hikes in the drop in opioid overdoses after Medicaid end. expansion there. “There’s not an honest argument against Even further, 82 percent of rural hospital it,” said Queen. “There’s not an honest arguclosures occur in states that have not ment against it. Let me say it one more time expanded Medicaid. — there is not an honest argument against “It’s absolutely essential,” said Queen. it. ‘Honesty’ is the operative word.”

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Medicaid on their minds at Rep. Queen’s town hall

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February 20-26, 2019

Smoke rises from a bustling Sunburst around the turn of the century. Today, Lake Logan occupies this valley. Donated photo

ooking out over the placid waters of Lake Logan, it’s hard to envision the bustling sawmill that occupied the site more than a century ago. European settlers began logging in Western North Carolina not long after their 6

arrival in the late 1700s, some of them setting up small family-run operations on the rivers and creeks that vein Haywood County. With the arrival of Canton’s Champion Fibre Company around the turn of the 20th century, demand soared, so proprietor Peter G. Thompson began the first of a series of purchases that would eventually amount to more than 40,000 acres of timberland in an area he called “Sunburst” because of the way the sun rose over the mountains. Not far from the Sunburst campground off N.C. 215, a small community of laborers sprang up after 1905, building homes, businesses and places of worship. Just a few years later, Champion sold all of Sunburst to a new entity called the Champion Lumber Company. To overcome some transportation and distribution issues, Champion Lumber moved the whole operation, along with the Sunburst name, 4 miles upstream to a site locals derisively called “bastard Sunburst.” “Over time, with the railroad coming in and the needs of the logging industry, it was more convenient to bring it down to where Lake Logan is today,” said Evelyn Coltman, chair of the Bethel Rural Community

hattel slavery of the type practiced across the Cotton Belt and the Mississippi River basin never really took hold in Haywood County, a consequence of the general unsuitability of mountainous Western North Carolina for largescale agriculture. But slavery wasn’t unknown in the area; Franklin, in nearby Macon County, had its own slave market, and the first known sale of a slave — actually, a married couple — in Haywood County took place in 1809. The price, $2,750, translates to around $44,000 today. The 1810 U.S. Census reports that about 9 percent of Haywood County’s families owned slaves, who at that time numbered around 160. A decade later that number had grown to more than 270, but never got much higher. Consequentially, as the Civil War drew to a close, there weren’t many AfricanAmericans left in Haywood County and as Sunburst began ramping up operations 30 years later, the presence of African-American workers there was unusual, but it wasn’t unexpected. What was unexpected, though, was the degree to which African-Americans were accepted, even welcomed, at Sunburst. “They were looked upon by the type of skills that they had,” said Oats. “Every man’s work was valued. Sunburst was like a boomtown, so you had a variety of people coming in at the same time who had all these different personalities, and they had to gel together as a unit.” Although Sunburst’s schools were indeed segregated, the rest of the accommodations were relatively free of discrimination. “It was a unity thing,” Oats said. “They became friends when they were working together.” That, Oats said, created a sense of com-

African-American history at Sunburst oft overlooked BY CORY VAILLANCOURT STAFF WRITER n a county as old as Haywood, there exist all manner of half-remembered places and faces long gone from the physical world yet immortalized through penciled notes on the backs of dog-eared, sepia-toned photographs. Sunburst, in southeastern Haywood County, is one of those places; the subject of intense historical research, it’s been documented better than most ghosts of Haywood past, but the story of Sunburst has always been short one chapter. The places are well known — Spruce, Three Rivers, “bastard Sunburst,” the ballroom, the band saw, the hotel, the general store — but it’s the forgotten black faces from these well known places that, were it not for people like Lewis Oats, wouldn’t be remembered at all.

ly grew to house hundreds of workers — some of whom had electricity, running water and telephone service. Those relatively modern amenities, though, weren’t the only progressive notions visited upon the isolated mountain hamlet. “He came here to work,” said Clyde resident Lewis Oats, Jr., of his grandfather Fred Moore. “Just like the others came here to work. This was employment, and they were paying, at that time, it was good money.” Moore, an African-American from Blue Ridge, Georgia, migrated to Haywood County sometime in the early 1900s to work at Sunburst. At the time, so-called Jim Crow laws began to curtail hard-earned rights of former slaves and free-born AfricanAmericans throughout the South. Although their systematic disenfranchisement would come later, African-Americans faced significant disadvantages and discrimination not only from the businesses that refused to serve them, but also the businesses that refused to hire them. Oats’ other grandfather, Will Oats, came from Bryson City with his brother Tom to work at Sunburst as well. “You couldn’t turn that work down because you didn’t have no work unions or anything like that in those days,” said Oats. “People come from far away just to make a living.”

“They were looked upon by the type of skills that they had. Every man’s work was valued.” — Lewis Oats, Jr.

Organization’s historic preservation committee. BRCO is one of about 70 community organizations in Western North Carolina, each with a particular focus; Coltman said that in addition to a food pantry and benevolence committee, her group is tireless in its efforts to gather, record and preserve the history of the area, and then make that history accessible by producing a variety of books and films. The most recent is a lengthy presentation of the history of Sunburst, which after its move upriver became an even more significant, sophisticated community that eventual-

news Louis Oats, Jr.’s grandparents (left) Fred and Ruth Moore both benefitted from his time at Sunburst. Patrons (right) gather outside Fred Moore’s drive-in, once located on Waynesville’s Pigeon Street. Donated photos Sunburst’s legacy didn’t end beneath the waters of Lake Logan though, especially for the forgotten African-Americans who labored there in relative equality. “They just tried to live,” said Oats of the African-Americans at Sunburst. “They knew they had to raise families. They knew they had to make money, and that’s how my grandfather got the property in Waynesville, and my [other] grandfather got his property in Canton.”

eral in Western North Carolina. Oats, however, remembers their faces, and the Bethel Rural Community Organization’s work in preserving their legacy means one of the last chapters of the Sunburst story has finally been written. “The African-American community that was at Sunburst was a strong community,” Oats said. “They had a lot of knowledge when they left there, and they were able to expand once they left Sunburst. The foundation for good roots was set at that time.”

Evelyn Coltman. Cory Vaillancourt photo

Learn more Founded in 1991, the Bethel Rural Community Organization is a 501(c)3 nonprofit with a mission “to coordinate local and regional resources to perform programs and projects that enhance the quality of rural life in Bethel Community.” Historic preservation efforts by BRCO have earned the organization multiple awards, including from the North Carolina Association of Historians and Western Carolina University. Historic preservation aside, BRCO has also put almost 550 acres of land into permanent conservation, as well as nearly a mile of river frontage, earning an award from Haywood Waterways Association in the process. BRCO’s largest fundraiser is the state’s oldest half marathon, but the group also produces and sells books, art prints, music CDs, guided audio tour CDs and DVDs, like the one on Sunburst. For more information, visit www.bethelrural.org or email Evelyn Coltman at evelyn3226@charter.net.

Smoky Mountain News

ats attended the segregated Reynolds School in the historically AfricanAmerican Canton neighborhood of Gibsontown before starring as a running back on two Pisgah High School state championship football teams. Although he could have attended college on an athletic scholarship, he opted to join the military instead, where he worked on the Pershing missile program in Europe and had several different topsecret clearances. He credited his grandfathers — and Sunburst — for giving him the chance to do any of that. “After Sunburst closed, they were able to raise their families in the community,” he said. “From Sunburst, they were able to become businessmen, even though one was a sharecropper, and the other one, he was a bootlegger, but they had businesses.” His mom’s father, Fred Moore, bought land in Waynesville after Sunburst closed, and returned to farming — this time, for himself. He also opened a popular drive-in located in Waynesville’s African-American neighborhood clustered along Pigeon Street. Oats’ father’s father, Will Oats, bought some land in Canton, worked at the paper mill, and also opened up a drive-in. “One had a drive-in at one end of the county, and the other one had a drive-in at the other end of the county,” he laughed. Notwithstanding the tremendous impact Sunburst (and bastard Sunburst) had on Oats — whose forebears emerged from their

terms of employment at the sawmill with social, economic and educational advantages other African-Americans didn’t yet enjoy — as well as generations of African-Americans like him, it’s Oats’ memories that remain most valuable; despite the substantial collection of materials that testify to the existence of Sunburst, not a single photograph of African-Americans working at Sunburst is known to exist. That’s compounded by a startling lack of African-American historical resources in gen-

February 20-26, 2019

munity that transcended racial lines and focused more on what the workers, regardless of color, all shared in common — a hardscrabble existence in a remote settlement where backbreaking work was the norm and accidental deaths were common. “If you ran short on food or whatever, you knew you can count on the next door neighbor to help you out,” said Oats. “Nowadays it’s a horse of a different color.” An example, recounted by Oats in the recent BRCO video release called Sunburst and Other Logging Operations in the Bethel & Cold Mountain Community, involves his grandfather Fred, one of the only musicians in the camp. “He played the banjo, so on Saturdays they’d have a hootenanny and the blacks and the whites danced and sang together,” Oats said. “They had a real good time. There was no ‘This is the black community, this is the white community.’ They all lived together in harmony.” In its prime, the mill produced enough lumber each day that if lined up end to end it would stretch more than 34 miles. During World War I, when many military vehicles like boats and airplanes were still made of wood, that 34 miles of wood per day increased to 47. An arson fire at Sunburst in 1922 accelerated the demise of logging operations that had already begun to dwindle, but another fire three years later was the last straw; the mill was taken apart and moved to Waynesville, the Sunburst post offices closed. Canton’s Champion paper mill then bought the area back from the Champion Lumber Company in 1929 and built a dam in 1932, forever flooding the site under dozens of feet of cool, clear mountain rainwater now known as Lake Logan. For the next several decades, the site was used as a retreat for Champion’s employees, management and guests until the Episcopal Church purchased it and turned it into a conference and retreat center in 2000.

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Constitution proposed for Cherokee Council to decide if September ballot will include referendum approving document BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER herokee voters will have the chance to give their nation a long-awaited constitution if Tribal Council approves a referendum question proposed for the September ballot. “Right now we don’t have a constitution. We have a charter, and a charter is for an organization, a corporation or something of that nature,” said Lloyd Arneach, leader of a working group that has spent the past two years developing a proposed constitution. “A constitution is for a government, and for the tribe to continue to operate in the future, we need to be on even footing as a governmentto-government relationship with state government, with county government, with federal government.” Likewise, tribal members need a document that better protects their rights and defines what powers the government does and does not have. “This is a contract by the people on how we are willing to be governed, not how the

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February 20-26, 2019

tribal funding to pay for paper, copies or government is going to govern us,” said other supplies, said Arneach. Arneach. “We didn’t want any misinterpretation of The S-ga-du-gi Constitution Group, with a core membership of five, has been working any support we received,” he said. The group hopes to place a referendum since 2017 to develop the draft, which if question on the General Election ballot Sept. approved would replace the EBCI Charter 5 asking tribal members to vote for or and Governing Document adopted in 1986. Many community members have come to give input on the document, and the group has sought feedback from the tribe’s community clubs as well. “All the proposals brought forth were brought forth by the community,” working group member Bo Lossiah told Tribal Council Feb. 7, when the referendum ques“This is a contract by the people on how tion was first presented. “It’s nothing that we are willing to be governed, not how an agenda is set for.” the government is going to govern us.” Keeping politics out of the process was — Lloyd Arneach extremely important, said Arneach. While against the constitution. Tribal law requires elected officials were welcome to come to that any referendum question be approved meetings in their capacity as community members, they weren’t consulted in any offi- at least 90 days before the election is scheduled, which means Council would have to cial capacity. The group didn’t even ask for

A look inside the draft constitution If the tribe were to adopt the constitution proposed by the Sga-du-gi Constitution Group, the structure of its government would look quite different, and so would the enumerated rights of its people. The existing Charter and Governing Document, with a sparse word count of just under 2,000, sticks mainly to the broad strokes of government. It outlines qualifications for office, terms lengths for the chief, vice chief and council, census requirements, the process to ratify legislation and various other bottom-line rules. However, even at that it’s limited. The 2017 impeachment of former Principal Chief Patrick Lambert, for example, revealed quite a few areas in which the charter is unclear or incomplete. Nowhere in the charter is there any mention of the rights of the people. The proposed constitution is more than three times as long as the charter, with a word count of roughly 6,700, and it covers quite a bit more ground. Unlike the charter, it outlines a third branch of government — the judicial branch — expands substantially on impeachment procedures, clarifies the purpose and authority of a Grand Council, grants voters the right to recall elected officials, and adopts language mirroring the U.S. Bill of Rights. It also includes term limits and salary guidelines for council members and chiefs, with council members to be elected with staggered terms. If the draft constitution is adopted: n Councilmembers will be limited to two consecutive four-year terms rather than the unlimited two-year terms now in effect. In the first election after the constitution is adopted, the candidate from each township with the most votes will receive a four-year term and the second-place candidate will receive a two-year term, setting the stage for staggered terms. Councilmembers who have reached their term limit can run again after sitting out one

two-year election cycle. n Vacancies on Tribal Council must be filled according to the order of succession outlined in the constitution within 15 days. Vacancies in executive office must be filled immediately. If there is more than a year left in the term, then the new official will serve in an interim capacity so that a special election can be held to select a permanent replacement. n Tribal Council members will receive a salary that is equivalent to 190 percent of the average salary of a full-time tribal employee. Incumbent representatives who are re-elected will receive a merit increase equal to the maximum merit increase of a fulltime tribal employee. The chairman’s salary will be 6 percent higher than that of freshman council members and the vicechair’s salary 4 percent higher. All salaries will be rounded up to the nearest $1,000. n Principal and vice chiefs will be limited to two consecutive four-year terms. n The principal chief will receive a salary that is 435 percent that of a full-time tribal employee, and the vice-chief’s salary will be 317 percent that of a full-time tribal employee. If re-elected, chiefs will receive a merit increase equal to that given a full-time tribal employee. All salaries will be rounded up to the nearest $1,000. n A third branch of government, the judicial branch, will be composed of one Supreme Court, one Trial Court and other inferior appellate courts and courts of special jurisdiction established in law. Judges must meet a list of professional requirements, with the Chief Justice appointed by the principal chief with confirmation by the Tribal Council and chosen from recommendations put forth by a panel consisting of the Community Club Council Officers and active justices and judges in the judicial branch. The Chief Justice will appoint other justices and judges with con-

approve the referendum no later than June 8 to meet that deadline. However, election season for Tribal Council and executive offices is just around the corner, and Arneach would like to see the question voted on much earlier. “In reference to tabling it to June, I think that would be a mistake because you’ve got your people campaigning starting in March,” Arneach told Council Feb. 7. “This needs to be something they can campaign with because until this resolution is ratified, the constitution we have attached to it can be modified, can be changed, until the resolution for referendum has been passed. So I’d rather have the final version ratified and attached to this resolution so that people can campaign starting in March.” The proposed constitution seems to have substantial support among council members, judging by the fact that seven of the 12 signed on as sponsors. Those seven are Councilmembers Albert Rose, Perry Shell, Tom Wahnetah, Jeremy Wilson, Boyd Owle, Bo Crowe and Bucky Brown. However, on Feb. 7 members voted unanimously to table the resolution for March, a decision that Lossiah said the group was perfectly happy with. “Mr. Chairman, I don’t know if any of you have even had time to even study it,” said Councilmember

firmation from Tribal Council. n Term limits for the judicial branch will be: a maximum of three consecutive six-year terms for the chief justice, a maximum of three consecutive six-year terms for the chief judge and a maximum of three consecutive four-year terms for associate judges. Judges and justices will be paid from the judiciary budget administered by the chief justice and Cherokee Supreme Court and may not receive a pay cut during a term of office. n Officers of the Community Club Council will have the exclusive right to call a Grand Council, which will require a quorum of 25 percent of all eligible tribal members. Any resolutions decided by the Grand Council must be placed on the agenda for the next Tribal Council meeting for legislative action. n Claims of misconduct in elected officials should be directed to the Audit and Ethics Committee, which can draft articles of impeachment for presentation to Tribal Council. Tribal Council will choose whether to hold an impeachment hearing and vote on the outcome, but the Chief Justice of the Cherokee Supreme Court or his/her designee will preside over the hearings. If convicted with a two-thirds unweighted vote of Council, the official will be immediately removed from office but may not be bound over to criminal prosecution. n Voters may initiate a recall election by gathering a number of signatures equal to 45 percent of the votes cast during the prior election within 30 days of the petition commencement date. If the petition is successful, a recall election will be held within 90 days, with an affirmative vote of 67 percent of the votes cast in the most recent General Election required to remove an elected official from office. n The constitution can be amended by a simple majority of registered voters in an election called for that purpose as long as at least 30 percent of registered voters cast a ballot. The entire document, as well as other information about the process, is online at www.sgadugi.org. Tribal members are encouraged to post comments.

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Tommye Saunooke, of Painttown. “I haven’t, but I’d like to have some work sessions to discuss this. That would be my request.” The draft constitution is attached to the February council agenda and available on the working group’s website, www.sgadugi.org. The site includes a side-by-side com-

parison of the charter and the draft constitution, as well as an opportunity to post comments and a listing of future meeting dates. A presentation is currently planned for 6 to 8 p.m. Monday, March 4, at the old Big Cove School as part of the Big Cove Community Club Council meeting.

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of how visible the tower would be. That’s also usually when the planning department hears from people who might oppose the tower, Planning Director Michael Poston told commissioners during a Feb. 5 meeting. “To my knowledge our office hasn’t received any calls about that. Sometimes we do,” he said. “It’s always tough to gauge if folks will show up or not.” The 175-foot tower would be installed on the 5.4-acre property of the Loyal Order of the Moose, located on 19 Moose Lodge Road. It would serve the Verizon network, but the tower could accommodate up to four carriers and therefore would likely expand service for users of other networks as well. It would be built in a monopole style and surrounded by chain-link fence behind the Moose Lodge building, with a lightning rod at the top extending its effective height to 179 feet. Capital Telecom would lease the area containing the tower for an initial term of 15 years, with an option to extend for up to five additional five-year terms. According to tower designer Sabre Industries Towers and Poles, it is “highly unlikely” that the monopole would fail as the result of high wind speeds, and if it were to fail the monopole would buckle so that its upper portion leaned over “in a permanently deformed condition.” The fall zone would therefore be 65 feet, a distance accounted for in the size of the fence and land leased.

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February 20-26, 2019

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER proposal to build a new cell tower off of Skyland Drive in Sylva will go before the Jackson County commissioners for approval during a quasi-judicial hearing at 1 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 26, in room A201 of the Jackson County Justice and Administration Building. Jackson County Planning Director Michael Poston said that his office has been working with the applicant, New Jerseybased Capital Telecom, for the last few years leading up to the company’s recent decision to move forward. According to projected coverage maps, the new tower is expected to significantly increase cell reception in Sylva and the Fisher Creek area. During the quasi-judicial hearing, commissioners will listen to evidence in order to decide whether or not the application complies with county ordinance concerning the installation of cell towers. Community members must have standing, as judged by the commission chairman, in order to speak for or against the proposal. Parties with standing would include people with a legal interest in the subject property or someone who will suffer special damages as a result of the decision. A balloon test has already been completed on the proposed site, a procedure in which a balloon is floated to the height of the proposed tower in order to give an idea

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Race against time for Waynesville homeless camp

Smoky Mountain News

February 20-26, 2019

and Fulp features a metal-framed roof topped with tarps, and even a full-sized front door, despite a lack of electricity, water or sanitation infrastructure. “I’ve just given up,” said Muse of trying to get the property rezoned; he further noted that he doesn’t have any pending requests for rezoning the parcel at the current time. But, Muse has also given up — or rather, never began — trying to evict Hicks and Fulp, to the great consternation of aldermen. “Might as well be used for the homeless,” Muse said by phone Feb. 18. Also on Feb. 12, aldermen passed a series of changes to a town ordinance that will make it easier to address such stalemates in the future. Section 26-31 of the town’s nuisance ordinance is now much more specific and deems it unlawful “for the owner, lessee, or occupant of any property to create, maintain, permit or fail to abate any activity upon, construction upon, condition existing upon, or use of, any property that is detrimental, dangerous, or prejudicial to the public health and safety. Such activity, construction, condition, or use shall constitute a public nuisance.” Another change, to section 26-32, adds two more specific conditions that now constitute a public nuisance — “Human defecation and urination into or upon soil or in any other manner that is or is potentially injurious to the public health and safety,” and “Any fabric, metal, carboard [sic], or other materials used

This Church Street structure’s days are numbered. Cory Vaillancourt photo for a temporary tent or structure for purposes of a permanent or temporary abode.” Other changes address the accumulation of trash and the power of the town to seek injunctive relief in the court system. All of the changes address conditions that exist or are alleged to exist on Muse’s property, which as of press time was still inhabited

by Hicks and Fulp. “We’re looking,” said Hicks, who received a $500 a month housing voucher weeks ago and at the time said he hoped to be in a more traditional dwelling before February. It hasn’t been easy, though; the supply of rental housing that accepts such vouchers is very low, and Hicks

BY CORY VAILLANCOURT STAFF WRITER he longstanding brouhaha over a makeshift dwelling near Frog Level has escalated to the point where enforcement action is likely in the coming days. “Before 15 days, I have to clean it up or file an appeal,” said Ron Muse, who owns the Church Street parcel where Ronnie Hicks and fiancé Sassy Fulp have been living for about a year. Muse was served with papers by the Town of Waynesville Feb. 12, giving him a deadline near the end of February to evict Hicks and Fulp and remove their cobbledtogether domicile along with huge piles of trash and other assorted debris that dots the vacant parcel. The violation notice alleges six public nuisances, including uncontrolled growth of weeds, an accumulation of trash and combustibles, stagnant water, open storage of rubbish, and other “conditions detrimental to the public health.” Muse has been at odds with the town for quite some time; his requests to rezone the property have been ignored or denied by town aldermen, making the property unsalable, according to Muse. For years, it’s been a secluded place close to downtown where the homeless would sleep in tents, sleeping bags or en plein air, but the more substantial dwelling by Hicks

approved $100,000 from its $13 million endowment to pay for the “guarantee” only for 2019 grads. Coleman said HCC might not use the full $100,000, but it’s hard to tell. Had the HCC tuition free guarantee been in place for the current school year, it would have cost around $35,000, so the two-year promise to students would total around $70,000 at existing enrollment levels. That means HCC

2019 graduates of Haywood County high schools will be able to take advantage of a program called the “HCC tuition free guarantee” that will cover whatever tuition and fees remain after financial aid determinations are made. is projecting around one-third more students being eligible for or taking advantage of the guarantee once it begins this fall. The guarantee will also have the ultimate effect of nudging students to apply for financial aid; many students never even attempt to get financial aid or scholarships because they think they’re ineligible, or that it’s too much of a hassle to apply, or because some people are simply to proud to ask for help. About 38 percent of HCC’s approximately 2,500 students receive some sort of financial aid, which is rather low, according to Coleman; he said that in his previous experience that figure is usually closer to about 60 percent. “We’re excited really,” Coleman said. “In my mind this emphasizes our middle name, which is ‘community.’”

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weather continues to visit the area. “I’ll file an appeal to try to get more time, maybe until there’s warmer weather,” he said, “but sooner or later, I’ll have to run them off, if that’s what [aldermen] insist.” If and when that eventually happens, Hicks said, he hopes he, Sassy and Spike have already found rental property that can accommodate them. “We’re working hard at it,” he said. “I’ve done it all my life. I’ve survived somehow.” If they haven’t, Hicks isn’t certain what he and Sassy, who is often bedridden for days due to her illness, will do. “If this housing stuff isn’t worked out, I don’t know where we’ll go,” he said. “I guess we would go somewhere else and be creative and pitch another tent.”

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said he isn’t exactly the type of renter many landlords want. “From my research there’s a whole list of places I’ve been calling, but either the price is too high, or, there’s the pet thing,” he said, mentioning his and Fulp’s dog Spike. “A lot of them have applications I couldn’t pass, like the credit application, or a felony conviction. If you’ve got a felony and they say it doesn’t matter, well, it does.” Hicks said he’s a truck driver by trade who lost his job after some moving violations; Fulp told The Smoky Mountain News Feb. 6 she lost her job due to an untreated diagnosis of pancreatic cancer that made it too hard for her to work. Muse remains adamant that he still doesn’t want to evict the pair, especially as winter

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February 20-26, 2019

BY CORY VAILLANCOURT STAFF WRITER inancial aid and scholarships are a great way to pay for college, but not everyone qualifies. For those who do, financial aid doesn’t always cover the full cost of tuition, making it harder for some to break the cycle of generational poverty through education. Haywood Community College, however, has come up with an innovative way to make college more accessible by making it more affordable. Starting this fall, 2019 graduates of Haywood County high schools — public, private, or homeschool — will be able to take advantage of a program called the “HCC tuition free guarantee” that will cover whatever tuition and fees remain after financial aid determinations are made. “We’ve been having a lot of conversations on what we can do from a community college standpoint to address poverty,” said Dr. Michael W. Coleman, vice president of student services at HCC. “Making college affordable to everyone is important to us and our foundation.” Here’s how it works: Haywood residents who complete high school in 2019 with an unweighted GPA of at least 2.8 and enroll in at least 12 credit hours at HCC meet with a career counselor and then fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) as well as an application to HCC’s own scholarship program. Once those aid and scholarship decisions come back to the student, HCC pays whatever the aid and scholarships don’t — whether the student’s shortfall is 1 percent of tuition, or 100 percent. That’s further guaranteed for two years, or about the time it takes to earn an associate degree, so students who qualify this year could theoretically make it through HCC without paying a dime provided they continue to make satisfactory academic progress. “If it’s something we can grow, we’ll look at doing it again next year,” said Coleman, who noted that the HCC Foundation board

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Room price, capacity drive TDA revenues BY CORY VAILLANCOURT STAFF WRITER s the Great Recession recedes further and further into the rear-view mirror, most local economic indicators in Western North Carolina appear to have recovered or at least stabilized sufficiently, including the Haywood County Tourism Development Authorityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s revenue collections. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re above where we were with the recession, right now, substantially,â&#x20AC;? said TDA board chairman Lyndon Lowe. â&#x20AC;&#x153;[But] while we might have big growth in people coming here, if we donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have the capacity for them to stay, then they come through and go stay somewhere else.â&#x20AC;? Since 2015, Haywood Countyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s two busiest months for tourists â&#x20AC;&#x201D; July and October â&#x20AC;&#x201D; have seen growth of 23.6 and 28.4 percent, respectively; but if this is where we should have been all along, in the 10 years since the Recession first took hold, does that mean Haywood County is in danger of reaching peak tourist capacity? Tax collection figures from the TDA paint a mixed portrait, and arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t as apples-toapples as one might think. Firstly, the amount of money collected as a result of the TDAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s room occupancy tax levy is the product of two numbers â&#x20AC;&#x201D; the tax rate of 4 per-

February 20-26, 2019

Room occupancy tax collections for selected months, by jurisdiction

cent times the roomâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s cost. Given that the tax rate has not changed in years, revenue growth can only come from the number of nights rooms are occupied, or the amount charged for the rooms themselves. Thus, an increase in collections might be due to increasing room rates, and not necessarily because more tourists are visiting for longer periods of time. Either way, collections data for Haywood Countyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s two busiest months mostly show double-digit increases, and in some cases triple-digit increases. Special circumstances in Clyde â&#x20AC;&#x201D; which has so few rooms available â&#x20AC;&#x201D; contributed to a 140 percent increase in revenue collection in over the past four Julys, and a 433 percent increase over the past four Octobers. Similar circumstances at Lake Junaluska â&#x20AC;&#x201D; a change in the way the tax is charged, as well as the 2018 closing and subsequent reopening of the Lambuth Inn for renovations â&#x20AC;&#x201D; also distort the numbers to show increases of around 150 to 200 percent. But other jurisdictions like Canton, where the situation has remained relatively stable, show a healthy July increase of more than 10 percent over four years, and triple that for the past four Octobers. Waynesvilleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s been even more predictable

JULY 2015 % increase 2016 % increase 2017 % increase 2018 2015-18 Canton ...$2,900 ......17.24% ......$3,400 ......-8.82% ......$3,100 .......3.23% .......$3,200 ......10.34% Clyde........$500........60.00%........$800........37.50% ......$1,100 .......9.09% .......$1,200 .....140.00% Lake J .....$2,700 ......48.15% ......$4,000 ......80.00% ......$7,200 ......11.11% ......$8,000 .....196.30% Maggie ..$23,600 ......4.24% ......$24,600 ......2.85% ......$25,300 .....-3.95% .....$24,300 ......2.97% Wville.....$11,800 .....16.95% .....$13,800 ......1.45% ......$14,000 ......4.29% ......$14,600 .....23.73% OCT 2015 % increase 2016 % increase 2017 % increase 2018 2015-18 Canton ...$2,900 ......10.34% ......$3,200 ......12.50% ......$3,600 .......8.33% .......$3,900 ......34.48% Clyde........$300.......166.67%.......$800........62.50% ......$1,300 ......23.08% ......$1,600 .....433.33% Lake J .....$1,900 ......57.89% ......$3,000 .....103.33% .....$6,100 .....-22.95% .....$4,700 .....147.37% Maggie ..$23,400 .....13.68% .....$26,600 .....-9.77% .....$24,000 ......5.83% ......$25,400 ......8.55% Wville.....$13,000 .....25.38% .....$16,300 .....-3.07% .....$15,800 .....12.03% .....$17,700 .....36.15%

Source: Haywood County Tourism Development Authority *Totals rounded to the nearest $100 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; 24 percent growth from July 2015, through July 2018, and 36 percent growth from October 2015 through October 2018. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Maggie Valley, though, that has been the most anemic, growing just 3 percent over the past four Julys, and just 9 percent over the past four Octobers. TDA Executive Director Lynn Collins notes that Haywood County has to be wary not only of maintaining lodging supply, but also of maintaining attraction supply. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Just from the visitors center perspective, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re sending people out of the county to do the things they want to do because we donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have those things in the county,â&#x20AC;? said Collins.

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If TDA revenue collections have indeed begun to plateau, the only way theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll go up without additional capacity is with an increase in the room occupancy tax rate, which has been proposed a number of times over the past eight years, but gone nowhere. Collins said the TDA board hasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t given her direction as to whether or not there will be yet another attempt. â&#x20AC;&#x153;What they have done is instructed me to gauge the interest level, because when we have done this in the past not only does the board have to buy into it but the municipalities and county commissioners do as well,â&#x20AC;? said Collins. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s as far as weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve gotten.â&#x20AC;?

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We are pleased to announce the opening of our third location in Haywood County at 33 Bennett Street in Waynesville. We are located just off Brown Ave below Hazelwood Tire and beside Pioneer Supply. Thanks to our customers, we are the largest self storage provider in Haywood County. DWA Executive Director Buffy Phillips (left) joins pizzeria owner Danny Mannlein for the opening of his new Main Street restaurant. Cory Vaillancourt photo

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talking with property owners,” said Buffy Phillips, executive director of the Downtown Waynesville Association. “Some haven’t yet signed on the dotted line, and I’m not really able to say, but in time they’ll all be full again.” Philips said the owner of the building directed Mannlein and Sandborg to the DWA, which helped them navigate the permitting and paperwork process. “They came to us in the early stages, and like any other business, we can guide them to the right people, from planning to signage,” she said. “I think even though there are some businesses in the downtown area that have pizza, working with energetic folks like these guys, and the excitement they have brought into the community, you can feel it just by talking to them.” Right now, the pizzeria is flanked by two empty storefronts, but they’ll probably house new businesses soon. Phillips said that a home décor and gift shop will soon open just north of the pizzeria, at 26 North Main Street. Just north of that, a women’s clothing resale shop called Flawsome recently opened. Just to the south of the pizzeria, Phillips said she hopes something will happen with the space at the corner of Church and Main streets, just to the south. But perhaps the tastiest new addition to the existing mix of Main Street merchants will soon occupy the iconic rock building — next to Birchwood Hall — that was once home to a year-round Christmas shop. Southern Belle Chocolates hopes to open this spring, possibly by April, and will serve up handmade chocolates, coffee and other sweets. Dillsboro Chocolate Factory also recently opened in the shop formerly occupied by Chocolate Bear.

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February 20-26, 2019

BY CORY VAILLANCOURT STAFF WRITER ith his thick Brooklyn accent, Danny Mannlein isn’t exactly the type of “local” most Haywood County residents are used to seeing, but as Waynesville’s downtown business district continues to boom, more and more people like him are making Main Street their commercial home. “I’ve been in the South for about 10 years now,” said Mannlein Feb. 16. “Me and my partner have been looking for a business for approximately seven months. We were looking in the Raleigh-Durham area, and we didn’t really find anything. I saw something in Waynesville, and I said to my partner, ‘Where is Waynesville?’” His business partner, Erik Sandborg, lives in Asheville and knew the answer, which is how Ian & Jo Jo’s Restaurant and Pizzeria came to locate in the Main Street space formerly occupied by a coffee shop/bakery. “I have been in the restaurant business all my life, since I’m 11 years old,” said Mannlein. “I owned my own pizzeria in Brooklyn, New York, and I have run the food courts in the VA hospitals for the last 17 years.” Mannlein says he’s going to provide “the fastest lunch in Waynesville,” and may also have dibs on the cheapest — a slice of New York-style cheese costs less than three bucks. “I think it’s a beautiful area, the mountains are gorgeous, the people are fantastic, and the town has been very receptive to us,” he said. He’s not alone in those sentiments — turnover isn’t exactly rare on Main Street, but longstanding vacancies are. “There’s a lot of interest in some of the buildings that still appear to be vacant, so I know that [prospective business owners] are

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Jackson County chews on $12 million Green Energy Park campus proposal BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER ast week Jackson County commissioners got their first look at what a re-imagined Green Energy Park campus might cost, with the engineers at WithersRevenel’s Knoxville office offering a plan that would total $12 million over three phases. As envisioned, the plan would transform the Green Energy Park — a facility in Dillsboro that houses glassblowing, blacksmithing and pottery studios fueled in part by methane gas from the old landfill next to it — into a multi-functional campus featuring a new animal shelter, innovation center to be operated by Western Carolina University, event space, walking path and dog park, in addition to existing artist studios. “This is designed to have people interacting here,” said County Manager Don Adams during the Feb. 12 work session when estimated costs were presented. “I can envision people picnicking here, people walking up here. Especially if we have the innovation center, there’s a mix of different people coming in here interacting not only with the animal rescue center itself, but I believe it’s going to expose our artisan base to a new population group.” The discussion originated with a concept WCU put forth last year proposing to partner with the county on the innovation center, which would be a place for students and community members to combine art with engineering and design to develop new creations, also hosting college, community and K-12 classes. The concept would have the county paying for the facility and the university funding staffing, supplies and operations at the innovation center. “WCU is excited to partner with Jackson County as it develops the Green Energy Park,” said Arthur Salido, Ph.D., who serves as WCU’s executive director of community and economic engagement and innovation. “We understand development will occur in stages and we will work closely with the county to create learning opportunities for

The master plan includes a walking path and dog park atop the old landfill and a new animal shelter and innovation center alongside the existing artisan studios.

Smoky Mountain News

February 20-26, 2019

WithersRavenel graphic

students and faculty and business-development resources for entrepreneurs and companies.” The county has long needed a new animal shelter as well, and university and county leaders thought that placing that facility on the same campus as the innovation center would help bring in more volunteers to help with the animals. The property’s relative isolation from neighborhoods and urban areas was also a mark in its favor. “It’s hard to locate an area for an animal shelter, whether it be zoning or issues of that nature or trying to find the footprint itself,” said Adams. The proposed site includes a 17,000square-foot concrete pad, with plenty of space to offer animals both indoor and outdoor enclosures as well as the potential for future building expansions if needed. Animal rescue volunteers present at the work session told commissioners that they were excited about the proposal but hoped the animal shelter would remain the priority. “It would be amazing,” said Pat Thomas, a longtime animal rescue volunteer who

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headed up a 2015 task force evaluating animal rescue needs for the county. “I’m trying to visualize what this would be for our community. The only thing I would ask is as you’re evaluating the situation what the priorities are. The innovation center sounds great, but I just hope it doesn’t take away from anything else.” Adams told commissioners that the total cost isn’t set in stone — his goal in engaging WithersRavenel was to get a solid estimate for site preparation, with the costs of the buildings just loose placeholders. Costs outside of the buildings themselves are estimated to total roughly $5 million. “If we wanted to proceed forward with a true final design, then a next step for me is an architect,” Adams told commissioners. An architect could give a true estimate of the cost to build, which could well be lower than the numbers included in the plan. The master plan uses $3.9 million as the estimate to construct the innovation center, a total based on $300 per square foot, but Adams believes that the building wouldn’t cost anywhere near that much. The facility would basically require a combination of ware-

house and classroom space unlikely to reach $300 per square foot, he said. The plan uses $3 million as the placeholder for the animal shelter. “If we’re going to get phases one, two and three then you’ve got to be willing to talk about the $7 or $8 million that’s been presented,” said Adams. “If that’s out of the realm of conversation then we’ve really got to start over — $8.1 million gets us to the point of a pad ready for the innovation center.” Under the three-phased master plan, the project would begin with moving the staffed recycling center from the top of the 19-acre property down to a to-be-constructed pulloff from Haywood Road. Doing so would require moving the kilns from their existing location and building a retaining wall 50 to 60 feet high — an estimated cost of $1.5 million with a 20 percent contingency budget for a total of $1.8 million. For the second phase, crews would demolish the existing greenhouse and the steel frame on the concrete pad. The animal shelter would then be built on the pad. An event plaza would be constructed, as well as a circular drive, parking and site preparation for the innovation center. The phase would come to an estimated $4.4 million, or $5.3 million including contingency. The project would conclude with phase three, consisting of building the innovation center and installing a walking path, pollinator gardens and dog park atop the old landfill, a total of $4.2 million and $5 million including contingency. Of the $4.2 million base cost, the innovation center estimate comprises $3.9 million. The report from WithersRavenel assures commissioners that the concept of a campus containing an innovation center, walking paths and animal shelter together with artisan studios is possible on the site proposed. The next question is whether commissioners want to commit funds to carry out that vision. They’ll likely discuss their thoughts during a budget retreat planned for 1 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 21, at the N.C. Center for the Advancement of Teaching in Cullowhee. “I think we need to take it and study it, think about it, ask questions, talk to folks in the community and get some reactions, and then we’ll bring this back to our next budget work session and detail it even more,” said Commission Chairman Brian McMahan.

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Macon, Franklin work on greenway connection BY J ESSI STONE N EWS E DITOR acon County and the town of Franklin are working on a collaborative project to create a new greenway connection on East Main Street. With the new bridge and pedestrian sidewalk over the Little Tennessee River now completed, the town started looking at the possibility of constructing a trail to run underneath the bridge that would connect the greenway trail from the Mainspring Conservation Trust side of the road over to the greenway pavilion side. The greenway property is in the town limits but is owned by the county, so the town reached out to commissioners to see if they could complete the project together. The town council offered up town maintenance labor to construct and grade the trail if the county would either put down gravel or paving. “Councilmember David Culpepper came to me about a joint effort between the county and town to build a trail under the bridge to connect to the greenway. We can have walking paths under both bridges so people don’t have to cross the road, which can be dangerous,” County Recreation Director Seth Adams told commissioners last week. “This would be a great thing for the entire county — it makes the whole thing safer.” Adams said it would cost about $5,000 to

Community benefit to fight cancer A fundraiser will be held Saturday, Feb. 23, at Crabtree Fire Department to benefit Tammy Mason Gaddis, a long-time clogger and community member fighting cancer.

A yard sale will begin at 8 a.m. followed by live entertainment and a hotdog dinner from 4 to 8 p.m. Come enjoy clogging, bluegrass, gospel and country music, cake walks, a 50/50 raffle, silent auction and other raffles. For more information, call Shirley Finger at 828.456.5933 or Keith Silvers at 828.280.6188.

ing the Office of Undergraduate Admissions at 828.227.7317.

WCU to hold open house Western Carolina University will be hosting prospective students and their families and friends as the university holds Open House on Saturday, Feb. 23. The day’s activities will begin with an information fair from 8:15 to 10 a.m. on the concourse of WCU’s Ramsey Regional Activity Center. Following a welcome session in the main arena of the Ramsey Center from 10 to 10:30 a.m., prospective students will have a chance to engage in academic sessions led by WCU faculty members from 10:45 to 11:45 a.m. Lunch will be available at all campus dining locations. Students attending Open House will receive a voucher for a free lunch that can be redeemed at Courtyard Dining Hall. Afternoon activities will include general tours of campus, an opportunity to visit a WCU residence hall and a variety of information sessions. Register at openhouse.wcu.edu or by call-

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BOOTCAMP HCC to hold job fair Haywood Community College will hold a career fair from 1 to 4 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 28, at the HCC Library, 200 Building, 185 Freelander Dr., Clyde. Learn about high demand and high wage careers in the region and the programs that HCC offers. Admission counselors from Western Carolina University, UNC-Asheville, Mars Hill University and Appalachian State University will be at the event. For more information, email jhilbert@haywood.edu or call 828.627.3613.

Learn how to buy a home Whether you have questions about the loan process or what the steps are in buying a home, attend a free informal workshop on Feb. 28 to learn important how-to’s about buying a home. Space is limited to eight seats so call today to reserve a space. Snacks will be provided. Contact Renee Corbin at 828.586.1601 or rpcorbin44@gmail.com.

Friday, March h1 9A A.M. M - 4 P.M M M. M ulti-S ession wor k shop designe d for the cur rent and prosp e ctive small b u s i n e s s own e r th at i s intereste d in creating o r stre n g th e n i n g yo u r business plan . To Register or For More Info

Smoky Mountain News

Haywood County NAACP will meet at 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 23, at Harris Chapel AME Zion Church, 26 Prospect St., Canton. All people of good will are welcome to join. The group will be hearing from the committee that is planning a bus trip to Montgomery to visit the new Legacy Museum and the National Memorial to Peace and Justice, both by the Equal Justice Initiative. The memorial honors victims of lynching. Haywood County is included in their display of columns. The group will also discuss the rise of racism in local schools after hearing reports in local newspapers and from parents of students of color that life has gotten quite difficult for them. If you want to become a member of the NAACP, pick up a membership application and bring a check for $30 to the meeting.

several trees for shade — something the current park lacks — and is a perfect use for property that otherwise can’t be developed because it’s in the floodway. Adams said they should have room for about 15 parking spots on the property. The fencing would be the biggest cost for the dog park at around $15,000, plus $4,000 for two water fountains, but Adams said it would also be beneficial to have a public restroom facility in that area since it already gets a lot of foot traffic. “If nothing else, it cleans up an eyesore in the middle of town,” he said. Commissioner Paul Higdon said the project would benefit town residents more so than county residents. “Town residents are county residents,” Beale said. Adams added that he’d be surprised at how far people out in the county travel to visit the dog park in town. Moving the park would also mean tripling the size of the large dog portion of the park and doubling the size for the small dog portion. Tate said he would be in favor of the county taking care of the infrastructure needs if the town will work with the county on providing water and sewer services. Beale said there had also been talk about having space for a farmers market on that property. “I think a farmers market would tie in great there,” he said. Tate said he would talk to town officials in the next week about cost sharing on the two projects before proceeding.

February 20-26, 2019

Haywood NAACP to meet

put down gravel and based on the one estimate he’s gotten so far, paving could cost around $17,000. Commissioners were supportive of contributing to the project, but Commissioner Ronnie Beale said he wanted the county to reach out to the N.C. Department of Transportation to see if they would pave the trail before they make a final decision. The town had also been hopeful the DOT would have completed the trail paving along with the bridgework, but it wasn’t included in the project scope. Commissioners are hopeful the town will also want to collaborate with the county on another recreation project to move the dog park from Wesley’s Park. Adams said two organizations had reached out to the county about relocating the park — Clearwater Trust Fund asked it be moved because of its close proximity to wetlands and the river and Duke Power asked that it be moved because it’s right under one of their transmission lines. Looking at alternative locations — preferably on county-owned property — Adams suggested the former drive-in movie property near Crawford Branch. The parcel is over 7 acres, but Adams said they’d only need 1.7 acres for the dog park. “The property lays really well and we have since cleaned it up, removed some brush, so we can see what’s down there better,” he said. “If the bridge partnership goes well maybe the town will get on board with this as well.” Commission Chairman Jim Tate said the property would work well since it already has

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County to relocate dog park from Wesley’s Park

sbc.haywood.e

828.627.45

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Dogwood hires search firm to find director BY J ESSI STONE N EWS E DITOR s all of Mission’s legacy foundations establish their new mission and board of directors, Dogwood Health Trust is in the process of looking for the right person to lead the new private charity foundation. It will be a job that comes with the huge responsibility of managing an organization that is charged with distributing millions of dollars in grants each year to other nonprofits and government agencies with the common goal of improving the health and wellbeing of people in Western North Carolina. Dogwood Health Trust, which recently began operating following the sale of Mission Health to for-profit HCA Healthcare, recently hired Witt/Kieffer, one of the world’s foremost recruitment firms in the health care and not-for-profit sectors, to assist the board of directors and its search committee in selecting the organization’s first chief executive officer. “We are very fortunate to have a team with the expertise and resources of Witt/Kieffer guiding our CEO search,” said Dr. John Ball, who chairs the CEO search committee for the Dogwood Trust Board and also served as the chairman of

February 20-26, 2019

the Mission Health Board of Directors. “Their work with some of the world’s best-known and respected healthcare and not-for-profit organizations will be invaluable in helping us identify the perfect individual to lead Dogwood Trust through its initial stages into a long and sustainable future.” The recruitment process, which will consider candidates from around the country and include input from community leaders throughout the region, is expected to take several months. The CEO search is part of the work being led by the all-volunteer Dogwood Trust Board to build a strong organization that will partner with regional nonprofits and other organizations to address social determinants of health — underlying factors that impact health and well-being throughout the 18-county region. Based in Oak Brook, Illinois, Witt/Kieffer recruits C-suite executives, physician leaders, presidents, and other professionals for hospitals and other health-related organizations; colleges and universities; and not-for-profit community service organizations and foundations. The 50-year-old firm ranked third on Modern Healthcare’s 2018 list of the largest healthcare executive search firms, and No. 18 on Forbes’ 2018 list of best recruiting firms overall. “Dogwood Health Trust is positioned to be a dynamic, life-changing organization for the people of Western North Carolina, and it’s a privilege for us to be entrusted with assisting in the recruitment of their first CEO,” said Julie Rosen, who leads the Not-for-Profit Practice at Witt/Kieffer. “Their work addressing the social determinants of health will be transformational for communities throughout this region, and we’re eager to identify a dynamic individual to lead those efforts.”

Diane E. Sherrill, Attorney

Smoky Mountain News

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Hospital foundations find new mission DHT to give foundations $15 million over three years BY J ESSI STONE N EWS E DITOR ollowing HCA Healthcare’s purchase of the Mission Health System, the nonprofit foundations that have supported Mission’s hospitals for so long had the choice to dissolve or find a new mission. While Mission’s hospitals were previously operated as nonprofit entities, they are now for-profit under the HCA umbrella, which means the foundations can no longer provide them with additional funding. However, with the help of the newly established Dogwood Health Trust — the foundation that will receive all the proceeds from the sale — those legacy foundations will be able to expand their missions to focus on health-related initiatives that will benefit their communities. For example, the foundation established to help fund needs at Angel Medical Center in Franklin is now the Nantahala Health Foundation and going forward will work toward improving the health and wellness of people in the westernmost counties of the region — Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Jackson, Macon, Swain counties and the Qualla Boundary. “This is an important and exciting time for the residents of Western North Carolina,” said NHF Board Chair Jane Kimsey, who also serves as chairwoman of the Angel Medical Center Board of Directors. “We have an amazing opportuni-

ty to make a positive impact on the health and well-being of our communities, today and for generations to come. We look forward to partnering with the nonprofits and community leaders who are already doing great work in our region.” According to a press release, the NHF Board of Directors has two priorities in its inaugural year — to gain understanding and

While Mission’s hospitals were previously operated as nonprofit entities, they are now for-profit under the HCA umbrella, which means the foundations can no longer provide them with additional funding. identify the issues that challenge the different communities in the region and through a grassroots approach, create a better understanding of the inner workings of existing nonprofits in the region, invest in their strategies through capacity building, and supporting their initiatives that address the root causes of the health inequalities. As it seeks to better understand the needs and opportunities of the counties it serves, the Nantahala Health Foundation will be seeking community input

Empty Bowls 1st Annual

Thursday February 21 Hart Theater, Waynesville Meal served 5:30-7:30pm Filler of Bowls Winner Announced 8pm

$25 per person

ttendees select a bowl handcrafted by local WNC potters and enjoy a meal of various soup tastings, bread and dessert donated by local restaurants. The bowl guests take home serves as a reminder of all of the empty bowls in our community as well as the warm hearts that work to ﬁll them.

Smoky Mountain News

will now be AMY Health Foundation. Mission’s Care Partners Foundation will continue to provide services for seniors in all 18 counties while Mission Health System’s Foundation will dissolve and its assets transferred over to the new Dogwood Health Trust since it was established to provide healthrelated grants to all the western communities. Now that the sale of Mission Health is complete, Dogwood and all the new health care foundations will operate completely independent from Mission and HCA. Dogwood Health Trust is now positioned to begin awarding $50 million to $75 million in annual grants to nonprofits and government agencies in 2020 for health initiatives throughout the region once they figure out criteria and the application process. The foundation will also help get the former legacy foundations up and running by providing them each with $5 million upon the closing of HCA’s purchase of Mission hospitals. The foundations will also receive $5 million at the end of year one of operations and one more $5 million installment at the end of year two. If $15 million wasn’t a big enough gesture, DHT will also support the salaries of these foundations’ executive directors for the first two years.

Haywood Pathways Center’s

February 20-26, 2019

through meetings, surveys and interviews throughout 2019. The organization will launch a website soon where interested parties will be able to learn more about the foundation, ask questions and submit requests for funding. The press release regarding NHT was sent out from public relations firm Angel Oak Creative out of Raleigh and all media questions were directed to info@nantahalahealthfoundation.org. The Smoky Mountain News emailed several questions regarding the makeup on the new NHT board but didn’t receive responses by press time Tuesday. The website is in the process of being launched and can be found at www.nantahalahealthfoundation.org. Even though NHT will now represent six counties, including all of Macon and Jackson counties, Highlands-Cashiers Hospital Foundation will also continue to operate under Highlands Cashiers Health Foundation with a broader health mission. The Transylvania Regional Hospital Foundation will now become Pisgah Health Foundation; the foundation for Mission Hospital in McDowell County will now be Gateway Health Foundation and Blue Ridge Regional Hospital Foundation in Spruce Pine

Mission CEO takes job with HCA

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BY J ESSI STONE N EWS E DITOR ccording to an internal email leaked to the Asheville Citizen-Times, Mission’s CEO Dr. Ron Paulus will be leaving his post for a position at HCA Healthcare, the for-profit health care corporation that just purchased Mission Health. “Dr. Paulus, Mission Health’s president and CEO, has decided to transition out of his current role. He will remain with HCA Healthcare as a strategic advisor on key Ron Paulus areas of operations and report to Chuck Hall, president of HCA’s National Group,” HCA spokesperson Ed Fishbough wrote in an emailed statement to SMN. “We appreciate Dr. Paulus’ leadership of Mission Health and look forward to his continued contributions to HCA Healthcare. We expect to announce a new Mission Health leader soon.” Paulus, who has been at Mission’s helm since 2010, will now be a strategic advisor for HCA and his duties will include overseeing Mission’s transition to becoming a division under HCA, assisting with legislative efforts to increase health care access to care and providing counsel relative to its relationships with other health systems.

Paulus has been a supporter of HCA’s $1.5 billion buyout of the nonprofit Mission system, stating last spring that it was the only way Mission could continue to be sustainable given the current health care climate. Paulus has received much criticism in the last several years as Mission continued to make cuts to services and staff to save money. Most recently — about a year before the HCA purchase was announced — Paulus announced Mission would close the labor and delivery unit at Angel Medical Center in Franklin and Blue Ridge Regional Hospital in Spruce Pine. Expecting mothers in Franklin were left with the choice of driving more than an hour to Mission Hospital in Asheville to be able to deliver with their Mission doctors or change doctors and deliver at Harris Regional Hospital 25 minutes away. Mission hospital communities were also outraged when Mission cancelled its contract with Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina, leaving thousands of Mission patients without in-network coverage. Paulus claimed Blue Cross was not providing enough reimbursement for Mission to cover its costs. The contract lapsed Oct. 5, 2017, but the two parties worked out a new contract agreement by Dec. 15. Before joining Mission, Paulus was the executive vice president of clinical operations at Geisinger Health System based in Pennsylvania, where he was responsible for the operations of its $1.3 billion clinical enterprise that included two hospitals, an 800-plus physician multi-specialty group practice and more than 40 ambulatory care facilities. Before his tenure at Geisinger, Paulus was co-founder, president and CEO of CareScience, a clinical solutions and data analytics provider now part of Premier health alliance.

Visit haywoodpathwayscenter.org to purchase tickets. For questions or to donate, please contact us at 828-246-0332 or mandy@haywoodpathways.org 17

news February 20-26, 2019

The h HCA Heallthc h are and d Mission o Health families are coming togethe er–so we can better serve yours.

Smoky Mountain News

Thank yo you fo for we welcom ming HCA Hea althcare ern North Carrolina, and to Mission Healtth. to we weste w HCA Healthcare and Mission Health exist. And, A it’s one of Giving people a healthier tomorrow is why the many reaso xcited to invest in the pe ervices that lead ons HCA Healthcare is ex eople, innovation and se to excellent, pa atient-centered care. We e are proud to become p part of Mission Health’s 133-year legacy.

To get to know HCA Healthcare, visit th HC the HCA AT To od day blog bl att hcato h tod dayblog.com bl m. To learn more about our growing family, y, visit caretogethernc.com. 18

Education

Smoky Mountain News

Students get GE Aviation internships

Southwestern Community College is now offering its blackjack and poker classes on weekday evenings at its Jackson Campus in Sylva. It’s the first time SCC has offered the casino-preparation classes outside of the Qualla Boundary since the college became the first in the state approved to offer table gaming in 2012. Blackjack courses are from 8-11 p.m. through April 25 in the Balsam Center. Meanwhile, poker classes will be held from 5 to 9 p.m. on Mondays through Thursdays through March 21. Tuition for each is $180, and all classes are taught in collaboration with Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort. SCC’s classes teach participants how to deal the respective games, know the legal and regulatory aspects of gaming, operation of tools and equipment. For more information or to enroll, contact Scott Sutton at 828.339.4296 or scotts@southwesterncc.edu.

Three Haywood Community College Career and College Promise ComputerIntegrated Machining students are already seeing their education pay off with the unique opportunity of receiving an internship with GE Aviation in Asheville. Pisgah High School students Tristan Carson and Zachary Reece and Tuscola High School student Slade Schulhofer have been selected to receive the internships, which will allow them to build their career while finishing college. GE Aviation is a global leader in jet engine and aircraft system production. Through the internship, these students will benefit from occupational training that combines on-the-job experience with classroom instruction. The Career and College Promise Program is open to high school students during their junior and senior years. These students earn both high school and college credit simultaneously tuition-free, allowing them to save both time and money. Visit haywood.edu or contact hcc-advising@haywood.edu or 828.564.5117.

HCC presents service awards Haywood Community College recently presented service awards to several employees. HCC employees that were recognized for five years of service include Karen Wade, Andrew Johnson, Steven Wampler, Misty Massingale, Sharon Childers, Phillip Hamm, Douglas Burchfield, Trent Burgess, Amy Hill, Brek Lanning, Jennings Sizemore, Melanie Lewis and Paige Reece. HCC employees recognized for 10 years of service were Beverly Balliot, Sandra Fischer, Stephanie Wampler, Meredith Carpenter, Andrea Lawing, Brian Wurst, Keith Inman, Amy Putansu, Darrell Honeycutt and Jodi Wijewickrama. Employees who received a 15-year service award were Kathy Brooks, David Onder, Imogene Rogers and Russell Virgo. Jason Craig was recognized for 20 years of service and Marsha Monroe was recognized for 30 years of service.

WCU campaign nears $60 million goal It’s February and that means love is in the air, especially for Western Carolina University during the third annual “I Love WCU” month. From Feb. 1-28, WCU students, alumni, faculty, staff and friends have had ample opportunity across campus to “Lead with Love” through special events, social media messages, hand-written notes on paper hearts and financial contributions to help WCU students. Funds raised could get a boost this year, thanks to a special giving challenge issued by four WCU alumni —

SCC opens table gaming school

Poster contest winners announced

Brad Bradshaw (class of 1976), Wes Elingburg (1978), Ken Hughes (1974) and Dale Sims (1978). Elingburg is the current chair of the WCU Foundation Board, and Bradshaw, Hughes and Sims are all past chairs. They will make a combined donation of $100,000 when 1,000 people make a gift to WCU during the month-long effort. Each gift that is made to WCU during “I Love WCU” month will go toward completion of the “Lead the Way” campaign, which now stands at $58.7 million. To make a donation, call 828.227.7124 or visit love.wcu.edu.

WCU hires new College of Business dean Hai-yang Chen, former dean of the Lewis College of Business at Marshall University, has been named the next dean of the College of Business at Western Carolina University. Chen served as dean of the Lewis College of Business at Marshall from July 2013 until returning to the faculty in July 2016. He previously held administrative positions as the founding managing director of the Global Financial Services Institute, founding director of E*TRADE Financial Learning Center and founding director of the Financial Planning Program, all within the Cotsakos College of Business at William Paterson University of New Jersey. The selection of Chen follows a national search led by a campus committee chaired by Jeff Ray, dean of WCU’s College of Engineering and Technology. “Dr. Chen brings with him many years of experience as a leader and faculty member in business higher education,” Ray said. “I extend my appreciation to the members of the search committee for their hard work in filling this important campus leadership position.” For more information, visit the website cob.wcu.edu.

The Haywood County DV/SA/EA Task Force announced on Valentine’s Day the winners of the Healthy Relationships Poster Contest for seventh and eighth graders in middle schools in recognition of Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month. The first place winners received $50 gift cards, the second place winners received $40 gift cards and the third place winners received $25 gift cards. All runnersup received $10 and certificates were awarded to all entrants. At Canton Middle School, Arden Weaver won first place, Aiden Ball won second place and Ehren Hibbler won third place. Runners-up were Justin Springer/Kyle Krege, Tori Bolanos, and Garrett Loflin. At Waynesville Middle School, Jasmine Colclasure and Bethanie Haynie/Gabriele Muse tied for first place, 2nd place, Isabella Myles won second place and Gabby Colclasure won third. Runners-up were Jacqueline Castillo Huerta and Joshua Robertson.

SCC donation to honor educator’s legacy Shirley Maxson’s lifelong passion for education was reflected in her career that spanned nearly 40 years. Her family decided after her passing, that they would honor that passion. To continue her legacy, the family opted to donate over 30 suits to Southwestern Community College’s Career Closet. Maxson graduated from Cullowhee High School in 1962 and is an alumna of Western Carolina University. She eventually brought her experience in education back home to Tuckasegee, where she worked for six more years as a guidance counselor for Blue Ridge School. The Career Closet at SCC accepts professional attire for both men and women. Donations of button-down and polo shirts, suit coats, ties, pants, shoes, blouses, skirts, jackets and other business accessories that are in good condition. Donations may be made at the office of College and Career Readiness located in Oaks Hall, Room G5.

• Dennis Marion, a junior at Franklin High School, was awarded a certificate and $200 for his second place finish in the VFW Essay contest. His award is sponsored by VFW Post 7339. • Western Carolina University is listed among the nation’s best providers of online degree programs in a collection of rankings by U.S. News & World Report. In its examination of undergraduate and graduate online programs offered by higher education institutions across the country, the magazine put WCU at 58th for online bachelor’s degree programs out of 367 institutions. It also listed WCU as 78th in the nation for online graduate business programs other than MBAs.

ALSO:

• The University of North Georgia has received approval from the University System of Georgia to grant out-ofstate tuition waivers for students from a handful of counties in North Carolina and Tennessee that border UNG’s current service area. Students in Jackson, Swain, Graham, Cherokee, Clay, and Macon counties in North Carolina will be able to attend UNG using in-state tuition rates. The tuition waiver become effective with summer semester 2019. • Western Carolina University’s Office of Professional Growth and Enrichment will be offering a High Impact Leadership Certificate Program March 11-15, at WCU’s Biltmore Park instructional site in Asheville. The program will run from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday -Thursday, and 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Friday. Registration cost for the program is $795. Visit pdp.wcu.edu or call 828.227.7397.

Opinion

Smoky Mountain News

Hysteria yes; a national emergency, no S

Climate change must be addressed To the Editor: As the undeniable scientific evidence of climate change and its causes and consequences mount, it is unfortunate that extremist conservatives denounce any mention of a proposed Green New Deal. New leadership and a common national purpose that can rise to this great challenge are needed. The president and Republicans are failing us. When Franklin Delano Roosevelt assumed the presidency in 1933 the country faced a crisis that is hard to fathom today. My grandparents never forgot it nor did their children. One quarter of the country was unemployed, there was no social safety net —no Social Security, no Medicare, no Medicaid, few agencies to regulate banking, commerce or public health. The Dust Bowl was destroying the “bread basket of the world.” Many

wall along the southern border (that he promised during his campaign that Mexico would pay for), President Trump declared a national emergency, effectively circumventing the separation of powers and making a mockery of our rule of law, not so much because there IS an actual emergency on the southern border — he admitted as much hours later in a press conference (“I did not have to do this, but I just wanted to do it much faster”) — but because he hates losing and because the wall has become less about a sound strategy for addressing the complicated issue of illegal immigration and more of an all-purpose monument of “Trumpism” and all of its nastiest ingredients: xenophobia, Columnist racism, nationalism, and blinkered, binary thinking. Now a mantra among the Trump core, “build the wall” is a battle cry that really means, “Screw you, all of you who are not MAGA true believers: Democrats, liberals, progressives, independents, and lapsed Republicans who do not blindly support every Trump position and tweet.” Here are some facts for the fact-challenged. Trump has relied on anecdotal evidence, hyperbole to the point of hysteria, gross distortions, and outright lies to make his case for the wall, a case that has largely been rejected not only by Congress but by most federal employees, most border security experts, and the majority of the American people (only about 4 out of 10 are in favor of his wall). In fact, according to a recent article in The Federalist, a favorite source among conservative voters, support for a wall has actually decreased over the past few years. Of course, no one is suggesting that America does not have an illegal immigration issue. We do, but it is far more complicated than Trump would or could comprehend. For instance, there are a number of myths regarding illegal immigration, perhaps the biggest of which are that illegal immigrants are a huge drain on the economy and are stealing American jobs. Consider this post from Econofact, which was co-authored by Gretchen Donehower and Francine Blau, an economics professor at Cornell: “The evidence does not suggest that current immigrant flows cost native-born taxpayers money over the long-run nor does it provide support for the notion that lowering immigration quotas or stepping up enforcement of existing immigration laws would generate savings to existing

Chris Cox

andy Hook Elementary School, Newtown, Connecticut. Twenty-eight dead. Virginia Tech University, Blacksburg, Virginia. Thirty-three dead. Stoneman Douglass High School, Parkland, Florida. Seventeen dead. Harvest Music Festival, Las Vegas, Nevada. Fifty-nine dead. The bodies keep piling up, many of them the bodies of our country’s children, but we know that nothing will happen, because nothing ever does. The gun lobby still has too much power, the politicians too little will. We know there will be more shootings, more bodies added to the towering pile, so we prepare our thoughts and prayers for the next round of victims. Somehow, this is not a national emergency. Millions of Americans are without health care, while millions more pay extravagant premiums for insurance with high deductibles. Their insurance may or may not cover pre-existing conditions, leaving a very large percentage of the population one catastrophic illness away not only from financial ruin, but from the possibility of needless early death because they cannot afford a procedure. Or insulin. Or something else that a decent, humane health care plan would provide. Somehow, this is not a national emergency. Climate change is affecting our planet in horrifying ways, affecting not only weather patterns, but the availability of fresh water in some places, which damages ecosystems here and around the world. We have seen withering droughts in some areas, devastating floods in others. For those sentient beings that embrace science, climate change is not a political football — it is a crisis with the highest possible stakes. Somehow, this is not a national emergency. Whether special counsel Robert Mueller ultimately finds that President Donald Trump is guilty of collusion with the Russians, it is now a settled matter that Russia interfered in the 2016 election. Democrats know it. Republicans know it. Independents know it. Several key Trump associates and advisers have been indicted for a variety of crimes, including obstruction of justice and lying under oath. It remains to be seen whether Mueller will drop a bombshell that connects these dots, but even if he doesn’t, the fact that a foreign government tampered with our election should be a source of great alarm. The fact that this administration is so fraught with corruption on so many levels — some already known, some yet to be revealed — should be a source of great alarm. Somehow, none of this qualifies as a national emergency. Last week, after losing a battle with Congress to fund a

were hungry and afraid. Fascism was on the rise. Totalitarianism appeared to be an attractive alternative to capitalism and democracy. It was a global crisis of unprecedented proportions. In spite of the daunting challenges FDR had unwavering confidence in the American people and in himself. The New Deal, while not perfect, saved the country and placed the United States in a position to help save the world from tyranny. Roosevelt, crippled by polio, did it all from a wheelchair. “We have nothing to fear but fear itself ” he confidently reassured the American people. Quite a contrast to the current state of leadership in the country. Conservatives fought President Roosevelt every step of the way, accusing him of socialist policies, communism and worse. They included his wife, Eleanor, in their criticism, an important American herself and our greatest First Lady. Even today, strong women pose a threat to some of our male politicians. The

taxpayers.” The facts are that illegal immigrants contribute to the economy by paying taxes and by working in jobs that Americans often will not or do not do. They work on construction sites, in orchards and Christmas tree farms, in people’s homes washing laundry and dishes and windows, mowing yards, and on and on. Remove the illegal immigrants from those jobs and watch what happens. Another myth is that illegal immigration is getting worse, thanks largely to those scary caravans, a symbol for this socalled “emergency” just as the wall is a symbol for the solution. Images may be powerful, especially when deployed as propaganda, but facts should matter more, and the fact is that in the year 2000, there were 1.6 million people apprehended at the border. Last year, that number was 400,000, or about a quarter of the illegals apprehended 18 years ago. Furthermore, an examination of the facts proves that illegal immigrants commit crimes at a lower percentage of their population than Americans do, contradicting Trump’s portrayal of them as excessively dangerous. Finally, according to the DEA in its 2018 Drug Threat Assessment, the vast majority of drugs coming across the southern border are coming through legal ports of entry. The wall would be of no help whatsoever in solving that problem, but using the money it costs to build one to strengthen security in other ways might. Trump has accused the Democrats of being obstructionist, of favoring open borders, and of not being interested in addressing the issue of illegal immigration and border security, but that is plainly nonsense. They agreed to spending billions in increased border security, including $1.375 billion for 55 miles of new fencing, but it was not enough to appease Trump, who campaigned for president as a deal-maker extraordinaire, but who governs more as a king, treating every issue as a zero-sum game in which he must be the winner and the opponent must be the loser. Declaring a national emergency because he could not “win” the battle for his wall is little more than a temper tantrum on a scale we have never seen, setting a dangerous precedent, embarrassing the office and the country, provoking a constitutional crisis, and further cementing his legacy as the most childish, out-of-control, and incompetent president the country has ever had. The real national emergency is the White House. (Chris Cox is a teacher and writer who lives in Haywood County. jchriscox@live.com.)

same fear mongering will be used against a proposed Green New Deal. Bold action and leadership with great vision will be needed. Many will cry hoax and scream that it’s all a socialist takeover. Absurd. We must come together. As Lincoln foresaw, “A house divided against itself cannot stand.” The crisis is upon us and it’s not going away. Citizens of all political persuasions ought to able to rally

around sustainable solutions to a national and global crisis. The social, economic and environmental benefits could be tremendous. “Men and nature must work hand in hand. The throwing out of balance of the resources of nature throws out of balance also the lives of men.” – FDR Jeff White Waynesville

Martin Dyckman

Smoky Mountain News

Carolina judiciary in their favor. They eliminated matching campaign funds and made judicial races partisan. They axed last year’s judicial primaries, figuring it would help them control the court. They failed to fool the voters with a so-called nonpartisan merit selection amendment that in reality would have put the General Assembly in charge of judicial appointments. Rep. Chuck McGrady of Henderson County, one of the four prime sponsors of HB 69, is a Republican who has stuck with redistricting reform over the years. In announcing the bill, he said his colleagues don’t like having judges make redistricting decisions. The way to avoid judges having to make them is to do redistricting right. That means, among other things, not basing them on how people have voted or on which candidate or party will be helped. HB 69 prohibits that kind of skullduggery. It calls for a nonpartisan commission which would assign the technical details to a professional staff. The legislature would approve or disapprove the maps but would be inhibited from amending them. The best way to keep partisan motives far from the minds of the judges who might have to rule on any future plans is to restore the judiciary to a nonpartisan status and adopt a true merit-selection plan for appointments to vacancies. The long-range goal should be to do away entirely with elections for the appellate bench — and I say that as an active Democrat. In a trustworthy system, the governor would appoint three members to nominating commissions. The legal profession would name three. Those six would then select three public members. Florida pioneered this in the South but eventually corrupted it by giving the governor all nine appointments. To prevent that in North Carolina, the necessary constitutional amendment should specify how the commissions would be appointed. That sort of court reform may be looking too far ahead. But if the General Assembly’s Republican leaders don’t take districting reform seriously, they might very well see a Democratic Supreme Court take the power away from them. As it should. (Martin Dyckman is a retired journalist and the author of several books on Florida politics. He lives in Western North Carolina. dyckmanm@bellsouth.net)

February 20-26, 2019

he North Carolina General Assembly is where good bills go to die. So it is a sign of progress when one of them gets so much as a hearing. That’s why it made news when House Speaker Tim Moore said that there will be one for House Bill 69, to establish a nonpartisan redistricting commission. Cue the drum rolls, the thunder, and the heavenly choruses singing hosannas. North Carolina would no longer be the nation’s most grotesquely gerrymandered state. The voters might actually be allowed to elect the candidates they prefer for Congress and the state legislature. To be realistic, the odds against its passage remain colossal. Under its present management, the legislative branch in North Carolina epitomizes what democracy is Guest Columnist not. The perennial presiding officers are indistinguishable from dictators — which was once true, of course, under the Democrats. Phil Berger, the Senate boss, remains outspoken against redistricting reform even though he, like Moore, voted for it when the Democrats were in charge. The current effort has 67 sponsors, including Rep. Joe Sam Queen, DWaynesville, and 13 Republicans. That’s more than a majority of the House. But that has been true of many bills that never even made it onto a committee meeting agenda. The leaders need to realize, however, that HB 69 is their best chance, and maybe the only one, to keep the courts from taking redistricting out of their hands. The U.S. Supreme Court will be hearing on the same day next month two challenges to North Carolina gerrymandering along with one attacking what Democrats did in Maryland. A case in our state courts is working its way to the North Carolina Supreme Court, where Democrats now hold a 5-1 majority with one seat remaining for Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper to fill. Does Moore’s willingness to let HB 69 be heard imply a concern how the state court may vote? It should go without saying that no court’s decisions should be partisan. But that’s the principle the Republicans ignored when they tried to weaponize the North

opinion

N.C. legislators have a chance at redistricting

tasteTHE mountains

Sunday: 12pm-6pm Tue-Thurs 3pm-8pm Fri-Sat: 12pm-9pm Monday: Closed AT BEARWATERS BREWING

101 PARK ST. CANTON 828.492.1422

PIGEONRIVERGRILLE.COM

Wine • Port • Champagne Cigars • Gifts

828-452-6000

20 Church Street Downtown Waynesville

classicwineseller.com MONDAY - SATURDAY

February 20-26, 2019

10:00AM - 6:00PM

828-246-6996 429 Hazelwood Ave Waynesville

Smoky Mountain News

Monday, Tuesday Wednesday Thursday, Friday Saturday, Sunday

7:30am-8 pm Closed 7:30am-8 pm 8 am-8 pm

WAYNESVILLE’S BEST BURGERS

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. BOOJUM BREWING COMPANY 50 N Main Street, Waynesville. 828.246.0350. Taproom Open Monday, Wednesday and Thursday 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday & Saturday 11:30 a.m. to 12 p.m., Sunday 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Gem Bar Open Tuesday through Sunday 5 p.m. to 12 a.m. Enjoy lunch, dinner or drinks at Boojum’s Downtown Waynesville restaurant & bar. Choose from 16 taps of our fresh, delicious & ever rotating Boojum Beer plus cider, wine & craft cocktails. The taproom features seasonal pub faire including tasty burgers, sandwiches, shareables and daily specials that pair perfectly with our beer. Cozy up inside or take in the mountain air on our back deck.” BOURBON BARREL BEEF & ALE 454 Hazelwood Ave., Waynesville, 828.452.9191. Lunch daily 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.; dinner nightly at 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Closed Sunday and Monday. Wine Down Wednesday’s: ½ off wine by the bottle. We specialize in handcut, all natural steaks from local farms, incredible burgers, and other classic american comfort foods that are made using only the finest local and sustainable ingredients 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 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 you have a big appetite, but sure to ask your waitress about our family style service. 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. 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. 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 HAZELWOOD FARMACY & SODA FOUNTAIN 429 Hazelwood Avenue, Waynesville. 828.246.6996. Open six days a week, closed Wednesday. 7:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday; 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Breakfast until noon, old-fashioned luncheonette and diner comfort food. Historic full service soda fountain. 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

Nutrition Facts serving size : ab out 50 p ag es Am ount per Serving Calories 0 % Daily Value * Tot al Fat 0g

MON.-SAT. 11 A.M.-8 P.M.

34 CHURCH ST. WAYNESVILLE 828.246.6505 22

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

twitter.com/ChurchStDepot

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Reg ional New s

100%

Op inion

100%

Outd oors

100%

Art s

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Entert ainm ent

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

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

Wine Down Wednesday

March 6 • 5-8 pm Benefits Advocates for Animals 3 E JACKSON ST. • SYLVA, NC

www.CityLightsCafe.com

tasteTHE mountains 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. MAD BATTER FOOD & FILM 617 W. Main Street Downtown Sylva. 828.586.3555. Open Monday through Saturday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. with Sunday Brunch from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Handtossed pizza, house-ground burgers, steak sandwiches & fresh salmon all from scratch. Casual family friendly atmosphere. Craft beer and interesting wine. Free movies Thursday through Saturday. Visit madbatterfoodfilm.com for this week’s shows & 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. 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 SAGEBRUSH STEAKHOUSE 1941 Champion Drive, Canton 828.646.3750 895 Russ Ave., Waynesville 828.452.5822. Sunday through Thursday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Carry out available.

Sagebrush features hand carved steaks, chicken and award winning BBQ ribs. We have fresh salads, seasonal vegetables and scrumptious deserts. Extensive selection of local craft beers and a full bar. Catering special events is one of our specialties. 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. VITO’S PIZZA 607 Highlands Rd., Franklin. 828.369.9890. Established here in in 1998. Come to Franklin and enjoy our laid back place, a place you can sit back, relax and enjoy our 62” HDTV. 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.

MAGGIE VALLEY RESTAURANT Daily Specials: Soups, Sandwiches & Southern Dishes

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

Breakfast : Omelets, Pancakes, Biscuits & Gravy!

Breakfast served all day!

NEW WINTER HOURS CALL FOR MORE INFORMATION 2804 SOCO RD. • MAGGIE VALLEY 828.926.0425 • Facebook.com/carversmvr Instagram- @carvers_mvr

Whatever the Occasion, Let Us Do the Cooking!

Real New Yorkers. Real Italians. Real Pizza. Dine-In ~ Take Out ~ Delivery

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828-456-1997 Monday-Friday Open at 11am

February 20-26, 2019

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Real Local Families, Real Local Farms, Real Local Food

Wednesdays 3-9 p.m. 243 Paragon Parkway | Clyde

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828-476-5058 172 Sylva Plaza | Sylva

828-492-0641 All location hours: Mon-Sat 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Closed Sundays

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Buy one dinner, get one 1/2 off!

It’s cold outside, but the pancakes are hot! OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK ALL YEAR! 7 A.M. TO NOON

Sun.–Thurs. 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Fri. & Sat. 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Any day is a great day when it starts with Joey’s Pancakes!

4309 Soco Rd., Maggie Valley (828) 926-0212

1941 Champion Dr. • Canton 828−646−3750 895 Russ Ave. • Waynesville 828−452−5822

Smoky Mountain News

1295 incudes choice of salad, garlic rolls, choice of pasta and dessert.

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Smoky Mountain News

Coming down the mountain Whiteside Brewing impacts Cashiers culture BY GARRET K. WOODWARD STAFF WRITER t’s just after 5 p.m. at the intersection of U.S. 64 and N.C. 107 in the village of Cashiers. Otherwise known as the “Crossroads,” the junction — atop a mountainous plateau at the southern end of Jackson County — is usually buzzing with tourists and second-homeowners spring through fall. And, normally, it’s relatively silent when winter rears its head. But, over the last year, that shuttered up seasonal attitude has slowly changed with the addition of Whiteside Brewing, just a stone’s throw from the Crossroads. “We saw two things: the tourism market and the local market,” said Whiteside coowner Bob Dews. “When we came to develop this, we really saw an opportunity for a social element. What we want to create here, whether interior or exterior, is a relaxed conversation after work, a place to go and unwind at the Crossroads.” Dews and his wife, Lise, have been the proud owners of the Laurelwood Inn in Cashiers since 1995. Originally from Atlanta, Georgia, the couple left the corporate world and headed for the plateau when their twin daughters were born — a place of natural beauty and wonder that was ideal for raising a family. Also located at the Crossroads, the inn is a quick walk down a wooded path from Whiteside. Formerly a dinner theatre, the 20year-old building was transformed into a fully operational brewery in May 2018. “What’s helped us is having been in business here for 24 years. We’re not getting caught off-guard in the seasonality and things that go along with being part of a resort community,” Lise said. “This became a natural extension of what we love about this place and what it has to offer. We have a very unique opportunity to tie a lot of things together.” “There was a need for a brewery, and it does tie into the Laurelwood. But, more importantly, for Lise and I, that inn is our home. So, I know Cashiers is going to be our business community for the rest of our lives,” Bob added. “And if I’m going to participate and contribute to Cashiers, and be a good steward of my business environment, I’m going to create something not only enjoyable to myself, but also everyone else.” On any given night, folks wander out from their homes tucked behind vast tree lines on the plateau and head for the brewery. Friendships are made, perhaps rekindled, amid a wide selection of American and German styles of craft beer and live music on the weekends, all of which is complemented with a full menu of hearty dishes streaming out of the commercial kitchen.

A selection of craft beer from Whiteside Brewing in Cashiers.

Lise and Bob Dews.

Dieter Kuhn.

“When you’re staying true to original, ancient beers, you’re adhering to the history of beer and all of those who came before you who brewed with passion and brought communities together.” — Bob Dews

And at the heart of the brewing operation is Dieter Kuhn. A well-known Western North Carolina brewer, Kuhn formerly owned and operated Heinzelmannchen Brewery in Sylva. Opened in 2004, it was the oldest brewery west of Asheville until it closed in July 2017. At that time, Kuhn figured he was somewhat retired, though his lifelong love for brewing never wandered too far from his thoughts. “By September 2017, I was up here at Whiteside helping with construction and painting, doing all kinds of odd jobs. Bob then approached me and said, ‘You ought to be my brewer,’” Kuhn smiled. “I wanted to continue to brew. I was really tired of working hard and not being as consistent as I would like with the system we had a Heinzelmannchen. I was glad to get away from that ancient system and now

use this state-of-the-art system at Whiteside.” The seven-barrel brewing system also includes two 15-barrel and three 10-barrel fermenters. For the upcoming calendar year, Kuhn estimated Whiteside could produce over 500 barrels. And coming from a German background of brewing, Kuhn’s techniques and recipes flow seamlessly with the food component of Whiteside — a key trait of traditional German styles. “Dieter is an incredibly intuitive brewer. He stays true to a lot of the origins of beer, and I think in this day and age, it’s almost the abnormal to say true to the origins,” Bob noted. “When you’re staying true to original, ancient beers, you’re adhering to the history of beer and all of those who came before you who brewed with passion and brought communi-

ties together — the classics are never going to go out-of-style.” “What I see here at Whiteside are our teammates. Everybody who works here really gets along, and we try to gear this place more towards the idea of family and community,” Kuhn added. “You get that warm fuzzy feeling in your heart — people come in here and leave satisfied, and leave with a happy thought.”

Want to go? For more information on Whiteside Brewing in Cashiers, call 828.743.6000 or visit www.whitesidebrewing.com. To learn more about the Laurelwood Inn, go to www.laurelwoodinncashiers.com.

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February 20-26, 2019 Smoky Mountain News

Ah, Valentine’s Day. Upstate New York in the late 1990s. Middle school and Valentine’s Day dances in that a-typical gymnasium. Crappy late 90s hip-hop and pop music. Tongue-tied couples slow dancing. I was the 13-yearold kid running around the Garret in gym, kind of poking fun at the seventh couples, but also secretly wishgrade, 1997. ing that girl in my ninth period math class would save one for me on her dance card. High school and the eternal quest for some sort of actual relationship. Partly, because high school is lonely and misThe inaugural “Empty Bowls” fundraiser for understood. Partly, because of Haywood Pathways will be held from 5:30 to raging hormones and the urge 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 21, at the Haywood to finally run the bases. Arts Regional Theatre in Waynesville. Backseat of the 1991 Plymouth Acclaim with your Jam/rock act Porch 40 will perform at 9 p.m. high school sweetheart. Kisses Saturday, Feb. 23, at the Innovation Station goodbye in her driveway in the (Innovation Brewing) in Dillsboro. mountains before her parents check the wall clock again to The Water’n Hole Bar & Grill (Waynesville) will see if she broke curfew. host Humps & The Blackouts (psychobilly) at Entered freshman year of 10 p.m. Friday, Feb. 22. college together. She was in Western Carolina University will present the U.S. Rhode Island. Myself in Navy Band in concert at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Connecticut. Yet another vicFeb. 21, at the Bardo Arts Center Performance tim of “Breaksgiving” by the Hall in Cullowhee. time the turkey gets carved in your respective households. The NetWest program of the North Carolina The rest of the year was a blur, Writers Network will host an open mic night at pretty much until the next girl 7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 22, at City Lights Bookstore came along. in Sylva. She was older, but I craved the fun that was at hand. were 20. There was something truly there, Camping. Concerts. Underage drinking. something that would last until the breakup That road trip to see Phish call it quits in that fall when I stepped on that plane headsome far away muddy cornfield in rural ed to Ireland for a semester abroad. Vermont. But, she was still in love with her No more relationships for several years. ex. And I entered a blur again, a default Just meaningless flings with cute girls and mode that still occurs from time-to-time. nothing else. Push through my early and Somewhere around second semester sophomore year, another girl walked into my mid-20s, coasting along until I took a chance and asked a longtime crush out. dorm room, into my life during a keg party. The first date was a disaster. Nothing She commented on how much she liked the Crested Butte, Colorado, skiing poster above seemed to work in my favor. Soon after, I asked her to breakfast the day I left for my bunkbed. We soon hit the slopes togethBurning Man (Nevada) from where we sat in er. Dated all through spring semester and that diner (New York). If anything, I was that summer. hoping we could be friends. Truth-be-told, I She was the first person I ever told that I wanted to spend my life with her. had a dream of someday becoming a writer, I paid for her breakfast and we hugged told sincerely and genuinely to her as we sat goodbye. With the vehicle’s nose pointed on her porch in the Pocono Mountains of westward an hour later, I texted her: “I northeastern Pennsylvania. I was 20. We

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should have kissed you when I had the chance.” She responded, “You should have.” That exchanged turned into thousands of back-and-forth messages until I returned from the west a month-and-a-half later. She came to visit me the day I returned home. We started dating immediately. As I struggled to find footing as a writer, I barely made any money as a substitute teacher in my old high school. Less than a year later, it all fell apart. I was 24 years old and barely hanging on. She was looking ahead at what our life could be like together. A one-bedroom apartment on a writer’s salary probably didn’t seem to appealing back then. Probably still doesn’t. One night she called me just as a huge snowstorm hit the North Country. I could tell from the tone of her voice something was up. I could also hear her two girlfriends in the background, whispering something: the inevitable. “I think we need to break up,” she said. I jumped in my truck and took off for her off-campus apartment at a college an hour-and-a-half away. “I graduate college in a month. I’ve never been on my own. I want to find out who I really am, and away from here. See what else is out there,” she explained through tears. We hugged. We laughed. We cried. Two hours later, we said goodbye. I jumped in my truck and out of her life. Heading into my late 20s, I ended up in Western North Carolina. Solo endeavors of the flesh. Nothing serious. But, when 30 nears, you start to think maybe one last attempt at something, anything in the realm of lifelong love. Tick, tock. So, let’s date the girl from back home, eh? I knew better that long-distant relationships rarely work. But, she was beautiful and had her shit together. Throw the dice. Six months later, I found out there was another guy, someone over a thousand miles away back in my hometown. They eventually dated, then got married. The last I heard, they bought a house and are expecting a kid soon. I floated along for a few years. More flings. More chaos. Joyous chaos mixed with the occasional girl who wanted more. Push that aside, even if she kicked through your front door that night she got drunk and wanted to talk to you. “Go home,” I yelled through the locked door. Boom. Her foot through the broken glass. “I hope you die alone,” she drunkenly screamed in anger. It was a statement I would be told again a few years later by another woman I thought I loved. Onward to my early to mid-30s. A beautiful woman (inside and out) falls into my lap. Saw the country together. Saw parts of the world together. As with everything, though, timing is a bitch. Two trajectories that should have intersected for one incredible, yet brief, moment. But, I flew too close to the sun and my wings melted, falling into darkness that consumed my heart and soul. Ah, Valentine’s Day. I’m still the kid running around the gym, kind of poking fun at the couples, but also secretly wishing that girl in my ninth period math class would save one for me on her dance card. Life is beautiful, grasp for it, y’all.

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On the beat Jay Allen.

Country star in Franklin

February 20-26, 2019

Country music singer Jay Allen will perform at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 22, at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts in Franklin. Allen found fame after releasing a song

he wrote for his mother who suffers from Alzheimer’s disease. He debuted “Blank Stares” on stage as he embraced his mother and paid tribute to her in front of fans. Eight different videos of that performance went viral with over 125 million views. Allen’s tribute has been featured worldwide across media platforms such as People and Forbes magazines, ABC World Nightly News, Pickler & Ben, and many others. Together with his band, The Stallions, Allen has helped the National Alzheimer’s Association raise over $26 million and he continues to tour to raise money and spread awareness. Allen was born and raised in rural Iowa and discovered his love for performing at church. When he was old enough, he packed his bags, moved to Nashville, and worked day and night to reach his goal of becoming a professional singer. He has released a five-song EP and celebrated his first hit single, “Sounds Good to Me.” He is set to release new music over the coming months, the first of which will be Allen’s debut single, “Whatcha Say.” This benefit concert has been organized by Franklin High School’s Future Business Leaders of America as part of their community service project. Tickets are $10 per student and $20 per adult. To purchase tickets, visit www.greatmountainmusic.com or call 866.273.4615.

U.S. Navy Band at WCU

The U.S. Navy Concert Band. Western Carolina University will present the U.S. Navy Band in concert at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 21, at the Bardo Arts Center Performance Hall in Cullowhee. The Concert Band is the United States Navy’s premier wind ensemble. This group includes 56 performers on flute, oboe, clarinet, saxophone, bassoon, trumpet, horn, euphonium, trombone, tuba, string bass, harp and percussion. This ensemble presents a wide array of marches, patriotic selections, orchestral transcriptions and modern wind ensemble repertoire. As the original ensemble of the Navy Band, the Concert Band has been performing public concerts and participating in high-profile events for over 85 years. Local high school students will perform the “Washington Post March” by John Philip Sousa alongside the Navy Concert Band during the performance. Students participating include the following: Scott Alligood, Kyle Ammons, Becky Pechmann, Parker Smith, and Emily Yang of Smoky Mountain High

School in Sylva; Cory Lapkoff and Jennifer McHenry of Tuscola High School in Waynesville; Summer Davis and Avery Maples of Swain County High School in Bryson City. Tickets are free, but seating is limited. Visit arts.wcu.edu/navyband to reserve your free tickets today. No more than four tickets can be reserved by one person. Tickets may also be reserved over the phone at 828.227.2479 or in person at the WCU Bardo Arts Center Box Office located at 199 Centennial Drive in Cullowhee. Box Office hours are Tuesday through Friday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Thursday until 7 p.m. The box office will also be open one-hour prior to this performance. Please join us before the concert for the WCU Fine Art Museum reception for “Outspoken: Paintings by America Meredith,” a dynamic new exhibition celebrating Cherokee language and culture. The reception will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. in the Bardo Arts Center Star Atrium.

Smoky Mountain News

‘Pour 40’ tour rolls on

The Get Right Band. Ross Viviano photo

Boojum welcomes Get Right Band Asheville-based roots/jam group The Get Right Band will perform at 9 p.m. Saturday, March 2, in The Gem downstairs taproom at Boojum Brewing in Waynesville. With a brand new album, “Live in Asheville,” the popular touring act is led by singer/guitarist Silas Durocher, the ensemble also includes Jesse Gentry (bass) and drummer J.C. Mears (drums). For more information, visit www.thegetrightband.com.

Jackson County jam/rock act Porch 40 will continue its “Pour 40” tour with a special performance around our region. Dates include 6 p.m. Friday, Feb. 22, at Bold Rock Cidery in Mills River (free); 9 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 23, at the Innovation Station (Innovation Brewing) in Dillsboro ($5 at the door); and alongside The Colby Deitz Band at 9 p.m. Saturday, March 9, at Pisgah Brewing in Black Mountain ($7 advance/$10 day of show). www.porch40.com.

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On the beat

• Balsam Falls Brewing (Sylva) will host Scott Stetson (singer-songwriter) Feb. 22 and Geoff McBride March 1. All shows are free and open to the public. www.balsamfallsbrewing.com. • Blue Ridge Beer Hub (Waynesville) will host an acoustic jam with Main St. NoTones from 6 to 9 p.m. Feb. 21 and 28. Free and open to the public. www.blueridgebeerhub.com. • Boojum Brewing Company (Waynesville) will host a bluegrass open mic every Wednesday, an all-genres open mic every Thursday, A. Lee Edwards (singer-songwriter) 9 p.m. Feb. 23 and The Get Right Band (rock/soul) 9 p.m. March 2. All shows begin at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. www.boojumbrewing.com.

ALSO:

• City Lights Cafe (Sylva) will host Rush Morgan (singer-songwriter) March 1. All shows are free and begin at 7 p.m. www.citylightscafe.com or 828.587.2233.

• Harmon’s Den Bistro at HART (Waynesville) will host karaoke and an open mic at 8 p.m. on Saturdays. All are welcome. www.harttheatre.org. • Innovation Brewing (Sylva) will have an Open Mic night Feb. 20 and 27, and a jazz night with the Kittle/Collings Duo Feb. 21 and 28. All events are free and begin at 8 p.m. www.innovation-brewing.com.

• Isis Music Hall (West Asheville) will host Robinson Treacher (singer-songwriter) 7 p.m. Feb. 20, John Westmoreland (Americana/jazz) 7 p.m. Feb. 21, 4th annual Funky Formal & Silent Auction (pop/rock) 7 p.m. Feb. 22, Bike Love ‘19 (pop/rock) 8 p.m. Feb. 23, Tall Tales (folk/world) 6 p.m. Feb. 24, Lowland Hum & Anna Tivel (Americana/folk) 8 p.m. Feb. 24, Tuesday Bluegrass Sessions w/Holly Hill Ramblers 7:30 p.m. Feb. 26 and Alias Patrick Kelly (indie/Americana) 7 p.m. Feb. 27. For more information about the performances and/or to purchase tickets, visit www.isisasheville.com.

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WCU Friends of the Arts fundraiser Musician Jim Witter will present his “Time in a Bottle: Celebrating the folk Favorites of the ‘60s and ‘70s” show as a fundraiser for the Friends of the Arts at 3 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 23, in the Bardo Arts Center at Western Carolina University. Journey back to the era of the 1960s and 1970s coffee houses, when the scent of clove cigarettes wafted through the air, when poets and musicians ruled the “open mic” scene. War was raging abroad, cries for peace and love were in the air, this was the setting that launched the careers of many of our folk favorites: James Taylor, Jim Croce, Harry Chapin and more. The concert is free and open to the public. bardoartscenter.wcu.edu. • Mountain Layers Brewing (Bryson City) will host the “Stone Soup” open mic night every Tuesday, Bird in Hand (Americana/folk) Feb. 23. All shows are free and begin at 7 p.m. www.mountainlayersbrewingcompany.com. • Pub 319 (Waynesville) will host an open mic night from 8 to 11 p.m. every Wednesday. Free and open to the public. www.pub319socialhouse.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. • 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. • The Strand at 38 Main (Waynesville) will host an “Open Mic” night from 7 to 9 p.m. on Saturdays. 828.283.0079 or www.38main.com. • The Water’n Hole Bar & Grill (Waynesville) will host an “Open Mic Night” on Mondays, karaoke on Thursdays, Humps & The Blackouts (psychobilly) Feb. 22 and West King String Band Feb. 23. All events at 10 p.m. unless otherwise noted. 828.456.4750.

Smoky Mountain News

• Innovation Station (Dillsboro) will host The Remarks Feb. 23 and The Tina Collins Duo March 2. All events are free and begin at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted. www.innovation-brewing.com.

• Mad Anthony’s Taproom & Restaurant (Waynesville) will host AcousticEnvy Feb. 23, Alma Russ March 1 (old-time/folk) and Joey Fortner & The Universal Sound (Americana/folk) March 8. All shows are free and begin at 8 p.m.

February 20-26, 2019

• Frog Level Brewing (Waynesville) will host Bohemian Jean (pop/rock) March 1. All shows begin at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. www.froglevelbrewing.com.

• Lazy Hiker Brewing (Franklin) will host an open mic night at 6:30 p.m. every Thursday, Gary Neil Carter Feb. 22 and STIG w/Chachuba Feb. 23. All shows begin at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. www.lazyhikerbrewing.com.

arts & entertainment

• Andrews Brewing Company (Andrews) will host the “Lounge Series” at its Calaboose location with Corey Hancock (singer-songwriter) Feb. 22 and Moriah Domby (singersongwriter) Feb. 23. All shows are free and begin at 6 p.m. unless otherwise noted. www.andrewsbrewing.com.

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February 20-26, 2019

arts & entertainment

On the street Submissions sought for SCC’s Cultural Fusion Festival To honor and celebrate the region’s multicultural heritage, Southwestern Community College’s diversity committee will sponsor its inaugural Cultural Fusion Festival on Wednesday, March 27, on the college’s Jackson Campus. The event’s theme is “How We all Got Here,” and it will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. In conjunction with the festival, the committee will sponsor an arts, literature and video contest. Submissions are being accepted through March 1 (postmarked or received) in the following categories: • Art (multi-media) • Literature (poetry, short stories, prose) • Performance (video) “We’re excited about celebrating all the ways that people from entirely different parts of the globe have come together to create such a unique culture in Western North Carolina,” said Susan Cain, SCC’s Communications Instructor who is helping

to coordinate the event. “This contest is the perfect opportunity to showcase all of the wonderful talent our region has to offer. We are hoping to draw a large number of entries.” The winner of each category will receive a $100 prize. Committee members will determine the winners, who will be announced at 12:30 p.m. during the festival. The competition is open to residents of Jackson, Macon, Swain Counties and the Qualla Boundary as well as to SCC students and alumni. All work must be related to WNC’s fusion of multiple cultures, such as AfricanAmerican, Latino, Native American, Scotch-Irish and many others. Only previously unpublished work may be submitted. Prose should not exceed 2,000 words. All writing must be double-spaced and submitted on paper or via email attachment. Each page must be numbered, and the author’s name, address, telephone number and email address should be included on the last page of each submission. For more information, or to make arrangements for delivering artwork, contact Cain at 828.339.4226 or s_cain@southwesterncc.edu.

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Black History Month programs at WCU Western Carolina University. A Shot Above photo

To commemorate Black History Month, a series of free programs have been scheduled for February at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee. • The activity “Tunnel of Oppression,” sponsored by the university’s Department of Intercultural Affairs, will be offered from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 20, in the conference room of Blue Ridge Hall. The tunnel is described by organizers as “an eye-opening, conscious-raising experience: a brief introduction for those who have rarely experienced oppression or an acknowledgement to those who have.” After a 25minute guided tour, participants are debriefed by professional counselors or university faculty or staff to discuss their reactions, which can sometimes be emotional. • A presentation titled “Ethics and Insurrection: Bolding Confronting Oppression” will be given at 6 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 21, in Room 223 of the John W. Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center. Lee McBride, associate professor in the Department of Philosophy at the College of Wooster, will provide the lecture, which is based on a chapter in his forthcoming book of the same tentative title. The event is part of the Jerry Jackson Lecture in the Humanities

series in WCU’s Department of Philosophy and Religion. • A screening of the film “Race – The Power of an Illusion” is set for 6 p.m. Monday, Feb. 25, in Room 130 of the Bardo Arts Center. The film presents the argument that race doesn’t reside in nature, but in politics, economics and culture and that social institutions “make” race by disproportionately channeling resources, power, status and wealth to white people. The event is sponsored by the Office of the Chief Diversity Officer at WCU. • The series will conclude with another program sponsored by the Office of the Chief Diversity Officer. Creston Lynch, associate director for university life at George Mason University, will speak on the topic “Black Migration: What Will Be Your Journey?” at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 27, in the UC Multipurpose Room. Lynch’s talk will address his experience of migration and how it mirrors the experiences of African-Americans and Black Americans throughout history. For more information, contact Courtney Holder in WCU’s Office of the Provost at 828.227.2683 or cholder@wcu.edu.

Want to learn how to dance?

• Tuesdays at the Folkmoot Center: 6 to 6:50 p.m. foxtrot and/or waltz and 7 to 7:50 p.m. rumba and/or merengue. • Wednesdays at Waynesville Wellness: 6:30 to 8 p.m. East Coast swing. • Thursdays at Waynesville Wellness: 3 to 3:50 p.m. rumba and/or salsa and 4 to 4:50 p.m. cha cha and/or merengue. • Thursdays at the Folkmoot Center: 6 to 8 p.m. practice dance open to the public. Music is ballroom, swing and Latin. Dress to impress, but not formal. No partner or experience needed. Cost is $10 per activity, per person. RSVP by calling or texting 828.316.1344 or emailing dancetonightwaynesville@gmail.com.

There will be an array of dance classes offered by longtime dance instructor Ryan Sechser. Classes will take place at the Folkmoot Friendship Center (Waynesville) and Waynesville Wellness. The classes are as follows: • Mondays at Folkmoot Center: 6 to 6:50 p.m. foxtrot and/or waltz and 7 to 7:50 p.m. rumba and/or cha cha. • Tuesdays at Waynesville Wellness: 3 to 3:50 p.m. rumba and/or salsa and 4 to 4:50 p.m. cha ha and/or merengue.

On the street

On the table

WWI exhibit at Mountain Heritage Center Western Carolina University’s Mountain Heritage Center is currently hosting an exhibit to commemorate World War I and the centennial of the end of hostilities in the “war to end all wars.” “I Want You! How World War I Transformed Western North Carolina” is on display in the museum’s first floor gallery, located in Hunter Library. It features wartime images and artifacts, as well as examples of propaganda used to build support for the war effort. It highlights local individuals who served, such as Ransom Coward, a Jackson County soldier, and Lula Owl Gloyne, a member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians who served as an Army

• The CommUnity Square Dance will be held from 7 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Feb 23, 79 pm, in the Old Rock School located at 1528 Webster Road in Webster. Caller Aaron Ratcliffe will teach and call all dances to live old-time music. No partner or fancy outfit required. For more information, email pammanottus@gmail.com.

ALSO:

• “Dancing Through the Ages” classes will be held at 10:30 a.m. Friday, Feb. 22 at the Macon County Public Library in Franklin. Join dance instructor Jada Bryson for a beginner dance class focusing on Baroque, Waltz, and English Country styles. They will host a grand finale ball at 7 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 23. Everyone is welcome. Partner and/or friend participation is encouraged, but not necessary.

Brewing Company for a pint of beer or a non-alcoholic beverage of your choice. The brewery features select drafts which use fruit flavors and/or honey in the brewing process; both ingredients would not be possible without pollinators. While enjoying a drink, they will discuss the many ways pollinators impact the food and beverage industry. After a drink, the tour finishes with transportation back to the Asheville Museum of Science. The tour is three hours starting at the Asheville Museum of Science with roundtrip transportation back to the museum. The tour is open to all ages and is family friendly, with tickets at $85 per adult and $75 per child. The ticket price includes all educational talks, seed bombs, museum admission, one drink, and transportation. Discounts are available for active and retired military. Private tours are also available. For further details and to reserve your tickets, visit www.leapfrogtours.com and click on “tours,” or call 828.246.6777.

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For more information, visit www.haywoodpathwayscenter.org or call 828.246.0332.

The inaugural “Empty Bowls” fundraiser for Haywood Pathways will be held from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 21, at the Haywood Arts Regional Theatre in Waynesville. Attendees select a bowl handcrafted by local Western North Carolina artists and enjoy a meal of various soup tastings, bread and dessert provided by local restaurants. Vote for your favorite soup. Filler of bowls winner announced at 7:45 p.m. Admission is $25 per person. You also get to bring the homemade bowl home with you as a keepsake.

• A free wine tasting will be held from 2 to 5 p.m. Feb. 23 and March 2 at Papou’s Wine Shop in Sylva. www.papouswineshop.com or 828.631.3075.

Smoky Mountain News

Presented by The Town of Waynesville Historic Preservation Commission, the fourth 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. The speakers are as follows: • March 7: Lost Structures of Waynesville,” presented by Alex McKay. Take an in-depth look at the great commercial buildings, hotels and mansions of Waynesville that have been lost. McKay will tell the stories of their construction and their demise, including the Red Wing building, the old brick courthouse and more. • April 4: “Haywood County’s MasonDixon Line,” presented by Patrick Womack. Hear stories of the early settlers of the Hyatt and Plott Creek valleys. Womack will share accounts from his ancestors, including the Oxners, McClures and Winchesters. Find out why many claimed that the creeks were separated by a “Mason-Dixon” line.

• May 2: “The History of Lake Junaluska,” presented by Nancy Watkins. Learn about the fascinating history of Lake Junaluska, including the early decision to locate the Assembly in Haywood County, and its considerable influence on the local economy, tourism and culture. In case of snow, the event will be automatically rescheduled for the second Thursday of the month. For more information, call 828.456.8647.

Introducing the new “Pint & Pollinator Tour,” a partnership between Waynesville businesses Leap Frog Tours and Spriggly’s Beescaping. This new and educational experience will run every from 1 to 4 p.m. every Friday in February and March. Begin the journey by meeting at the Asheville Museum of Science to see Spriggly’s Insect Exploration Station. This exhibit space features a rotating series of interactive installations focused on the fascinating world of insects. Currently installed is an exhibit highlighting the habitat needed for insects during winter and inclement weather, titled, “Where do Insects Hide When it is Cold Outside?” While at the museum, enjoy a special lesson in bees and pollination, along with seed bomb making. After the museum, the journey continues to the Blue Ridge Parkway Visitor Center to see other nature exhibits, walk a short trail, and learn more about pollinators. At the final stop, visit Whistle Hop

February 20-26, 2019

Waynesville historic speaker series

nurse and a commissioned officer. World War I took place from July 1914 until November 1918, with the U.S. involved in the European military action beginning in April 1917. The exhibit was created by Mountain Heritage Center staff with support from the Library of Congress, WCU’s Special Collections and the “Defining America” theme committee on campus, as well as the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. It will be on display through Friday, April 26. This month, the exhibit will be supplemented by elements from the “North Carolina in the Great War” exhibit from the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. For more information, call the Mountain Heritage Center at 828.227.7129.

arts & entertainment

Bees, beer and more

• 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. 29

ALSO:

arts & entertainment

On the wall Do you like Legos? The next Lego Club meeting will be held at 4 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 28, at Marianna Black Library in Bryson City. The library provides Legos and Duplos for ages 3 and up. The only thing area children need to bring is their imagination. This program provides an excellent opportunity for children to learn how to develop fine motor skills. It also develops problem-solving skills, organization, planning through construction, and improves creativity. All area children are invited join in and let your creativity shine. This month the theme will be “Build a Groundhog!” The Marianna Black Library is also requesting that you consider donating your gently used Legos and Duplos to the library, to help expand the Lego Club. For more information, call the library at 828.488.3030.

February 20-26, 2019

In need of craft therapy? Beginning in March, the Jackson County Public Library in Sylva will be starting craft therapy. This get-together will be the first Tuesday of each month from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. It will take place in the Atrium at the library. Craft therapy is an evening of up-cycle crafting at the library. Drop in for the whole session or as long as you would like. Each month will have a different theme the library will supply tools and materials that you may need to create something within that theme. Feel free to bring any supplies or tools that you may want to use or a half completed project of any kind. They are also accepting donation of crafting supplies or tools at the Jackson County Public Library Reference

• There will be a S.T.I.R. event from 5 to 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 28, at Gallery 1 on Main Street in Sylva. There will be 25 artisans on display. Refreshments, door prizes, networking, and more. The event will be co-hosted by the Jackson County Chamber of Commerce. RSVP by Monday, Feb. 25, by calling 828.586.2155.

Desk. Library staff see this as an evening of crafting, fun, fellowship, and community. They are stockpiling supplies at the library. What they need: paint brushes, small storage containers, vinyl table cloths, wiredifferent gauges and uses, clay pots/ceramics, and needles. They do not need any more yarn. If you have anything craft/art related to donate, bring it by the library or call them at 828.586.2016. Anyone who would like to be part of a newsletter about craft therapy, email Danielle Duffy at dduffy@fontanalib.org. For more information, call the Jackson County Public Library in Sylva at 828.586.2016. This program is co-sponsored by the Friends of the Jackson County Public Library. The Jackson County Public Library is a member of Fontana Regional Library (www.fontanalib.org).

HCC Professional Crafts faculty exhibition, talk A work by HCC professional crafts clay instructor Emily Reason.

HCAC oil painting class The Haywood County Arts Council (HCAC) will host local artist Sun Sohovich, who will offer an art class entitled “Blue Ridge Mountain” from 1 to 3 p.m. Monday, March 4, at the HCAC Gallery & Gifts in Waynesville. Sohovich is an oil painter who works in many genres, but is best known for her pet and floral paintings. She began teaching herself how to paint through many trials, repetition, experimentation and learning from her favorite master artists. Sohovich enjoys depicting a strong sense of colorful light, shadows and loves finding hard and soft lines to create depth. Class participants will paint Blue Ridge Mountain on 8x10 linen panel and all supplies are provided. This class is $40 for HCAC members or $45 for non-members. Class size is limited to 10 and space will fill up quickly. Call HCAC at 828.452.0593 to reserve your spot.

process and are delighted to have their work in the gallery. The HCAC believes that original art by local artisans can be both affordable and collectable. www.haywoodarts.org.

Haywood Community College is currently hosting a Professional Crafts Faculty Exhibition in the Mary Cornwell Gallery on campus in Clyde. Through April, the public is invited to view the exhibition 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday. There will be a talk with the artists at 4 p.m. Wednesday, March 27. All of the faculty members are working craft artists and this exhibition offers a rare occasion to see their work on display together. The HCC professional crafts program offers options in clay, fiber, jewelry and wood. These programs provide both handson, intensive study and business training. Focusing on all aspects of becoming an inde-

with Gernandt at 828.226.4480 or allysong78@gmail.com.

• The Haywood County Arts Council (HCAC) in Waynesville will host a variety packed show filled with the original art of 28 local artists. The “2019 Juried Artist Exhibit” will run through Feb. 23. Each of the exhibiting artists went through an extensive jury 30

• A jewelry workshop with Allyson Gernandt will be held from 4 to 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 21, by the Nurture Wellness Studio in Bryson City. Make your own hammered sterling ring and earrings. Only $39 per person with all materials included. Register directly

• A “Beginner Step-By-Step” painting class will be held at 6:30 p.m. on Thursdays at Frog Level Brewing in Waynesville. Cost is $25 with all supplies provided. Contact Robin Arramae at 828.400.9560 or wncpaintevents@gmail.com.

Smoky Mountain News

• “Fiber Sunday” will take place at from 2 to 5 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 24, at Cowee Textiles located in Room 104 at The Cowee School Heritage Center in Franklin. Bring a textile project you are working on from spinning, knitting, weaving, rug hooking, baskets, etc. 828.349.3878 or bouchonnet@coweetextiles.com.

• There will several local artisans on display at the Waynesville and Canton libraries through March. Artists at the Waynesville Library will include Patty Johnson Coulter (painter), Linda Blount (painter), Jason Woodard (painter) and Mollie HarringtonWeaver (painter). Artists at the Canton Library will include Russell Wyatt (photographer) and Ashley Calhoun (painter). www.haywoodarts.org.

• The Jackson County Cooperative Extension will be offering a Stampin’ Up! card making class at 10 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 21, at the office in Sylva. Instructor and Extension & Community Association (ECA) member Debbie Douglas will show new Stampin’ Up! products that help to express creativity through paper crafting and card making. Participants will create two cards to take home, one with a fishing theme and the other with a floral theme. The cost is only $3. Bring scissors, bone folder, glue, and tape runner. To RSVP, call the office at 828.586.4009 to register. Class size is limited.

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pendent craft professional, students sharpen their technical and artistic skills in their chosen medium while creating 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 the Professional Crafts programs of study, please visit creativearts.haywood.edu, email hccadvising@haywood.edu, or call 828.627.2821. For more information about the Professional Crafts Faculty Exhibition, call 828.565.4240 or email clschulte@haywood.edu.

• The Western Carolina University (Cullowhee) Campus Theme, the “Defining America” exhibit brings together artists with different perspectives on the concept of “America” and asks visitors to reflect on the values, definitions, and assumptions attached to this concept. The exhibition will be on view through May 3 at the Bardo Arts Center. Regular museum hours at the BAC are Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Thursdays until 7 p.m. 828.227.ARTS or visit bardoartscenter.wcu.edu. • Haywood Community College (Clyde) Continuing Education Creative Arts will host “Introduction to Bladesmithing” March 1819, as well as the “Smoky Mountain Hammer-In” March 21-24. creativearts.haywood.edu or call 828.565.4240. • Mad Batter Food & Film (Sylva) will host a free movie night at 7:30 p.m. every Thursday, Friday and Saturday. www.madbatterfoodandfilm.com.

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On the wall

The Shelton House in Waynesville is proud to announce that it has been awarded an anchor position on the new Blue Ridge Craft Trails. The Blue Ridge Craft Trails link 75 craft sites across the 25 counties of Western North Carolina to promote craft businesses and coordinate the marketing of crafts on a region-wide level, while branding Western North Carolina as a leading craft destination, developed by the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area Partnership. The awarded anchor position will feature the Historic Shelton House displaying, sharing and promoting high end crafts with residents and visitors to Haywood County. To celebrate the opening of the Blue Ridge Craft Trails, the Shelton House will host the inaugural Blue Ridge Heritage Weekend on June 22-23. newly formed Shelton Campus. From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, June 22, a craft fair will feature juried crafters who will display and demonstrate their crafts in this outdoors festival, on the Shelton Campus grounds. A variety of activities for this weekend event are being planned by all members of the Shelton Campus with the Historic Haywood Farmers Market offering local food and the HART Theater featuring a special perform-

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Shelton House receives honor, call for crafters

ance of our Appalachian music heritage on Sunday, June 23. The Shelton House Museum of North Carolina Handicrafts will also be conducting open house tours featuring displays of local life, history and artifacts, as well as traditional crafts, a quilt exhibit, tribute to Mary Cornwell and the Village of Yesteryear, and a special Native American exhibition. In 2019, the Shelton House will also continue its Crafter Showcase Series for its third year. The Crafter Showcase Series selects six professional crafters and features one each month to demonstrate their process and craft on the third Saturday of each month at 10 a.m. The Crafter Showcase runs April through September. In June, the showcase will be part of the Blue Ridge Heritage weekend on the fourth Saturday. The crafters will also be displayed in the Shelton House gift shop all season. The showcase is open to the public with a $5 donation requested. The Shelton House is now accepting applications for the Shelton House Crafter Showcase until March 15. Selected crafters will be notified by March 31. Applications for the Blue Ridge Heritage Weekend will be available, on line, shortly with a deadline by May 1. More information is available at www.sheltonhouse.org or calling 828.452.1551. For more information about the Blue Ridge Craft Trails, visit www.blueridgeheritage.com/blue-ridge-craft-trails.

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February 20-26, 2019

WCU presents ‘The Wolves’

‘The Madness of King George III’ The Highlands Performing Arts Center will present the National Theatre of London’s production of “The Madness of King George III” live via satellite at 1 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 23.

• There is free comedy improv class from 7 to 9 p.m. every Tuesday in Maggie Valley. No experience necessary, just come to watch or join in the fun. Improv teacher Wayne Porter studied at Sak Comedy Lab in Orlando, Florida, and performed improvisation with several groups. Join Improv WNC on Facebook or just call 828.316.8761 to RSVP for directions.

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Smoky Mountain News

A slice-of-life play centering around the raw adolescence of a teenage girls’ soccer team, “The Wolves” will be presented Feb. 28 to March 3 by Western Carolina University’s School of Stage and Screen. Shows are set for 7:30 p.m. Feb. 28 and March 1-2, with a concluding performance scheduled for 3 p.m. March 3. The performances will be held in the Josephina Niggli Studio Theatre at the John W. Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center in Cullowhee. Tickets are $20 for adults, $15 for seniors and WCU faculty/staff, and $10 for students. To purchase tickets, visit the box office of the John W. Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center or call the box office at 828.227.2479.

Written by one of Britain’s best-loved playwrights Alan Bennett (The History Boys, The Lady in the Van.) The cast of this new production includes Olivier Awardwinners Mark Gatiss (Sherlock, Wolf Hall, NT Live Coriolanus) in the title role, and Adrian Scarborough (Gavin and Stacey, Upstairs Downstairs, After the Dance). It’s 1786 and King George III is the most powerful man in the world. But his behaviour is becoming increasingly erratic as he succumbs to fits of lunacy. With the King’s mind unravelling at a dramatic pace, ambitious politicians and the scheming Prince of Wales threaten to undermine the power of the Crown. Tickets are available online at www.highlandspac.org or at the door.

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February 20-26, 2019

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Books

Smoky Mountain News

Reading aloud is good medicine for all ere are two books about books, one aimed at amusement, the other at instruction. Or so they were written and published. Personally, I found them both amusing and instructive. First up is Ian Sansom’s The Case of the Missing Books: A Mobile Library Mystery (Harper, 2006, 329 pages.) Here Sansom introduces Israel Armstrong (that last name becomes more ironic and hilarious as the story progresses), a passionate bibliophile “who read Jack Kerouac before he Writer was in his teens, and who by the age of sixteen had covered most of the great French and Russian authors, and who as a result had matured into an intelligent, shy, passionate, sensitive soul, full of dreams and ideas, a wide-ranging vocabulary, and just about no earthly good to anyone.” In this first novel of what has evolved into several Mobile Library Mysteries, Israel — he is half-Jewish — arrives in Northern Ireland from England in hopes of fulfilling his greatest ambition: to become a public librarian. For several years, he has worked various posts, most of them having to do with books, but has now won a position as head librarian in Tumdrum, a dreary, wet, backwater town sporting a collection of eccentrics who might upstage the Kardashians. Unfortunately for Israel, the town council has just closed the library’s doors, perhaps permanently, and he is given the task of refurbishing and operating a deathtrap of a bus as a bookmobile. In addition, all of the library’s 15,000 volumes have disappeared from their shelves. Israel is ready to call it quits, but Linda Wei, Israel’s direct superior, convinces him to stay at his post and track down the presumably stolen volumes. Staying on the job proves a difficult proposition. Israel finds himself sleeping nights in an unheated chicken coop, punched or threatened several times for inadvertently insulting the locals, and stripped of all his possessions — his wallet, his cash and credit cards, even

Jeff Minick

his clothes — in a series of comic misadventures. Meanwhile, his girlfriend back in England has cut him dead. Eventually, of course, the town folk rally

round Israel. Ted, a tough older Irishman in charge of the bus, lends a hand when Israel goes on an accidental drunk after throwing back a local bombshell ominously named The First and The Last. Though they quarrel, Linda Wei becomes one of his chief supporters, mostly, one suspects, to keep him from jumping ship and returning to England. Even George, the hard-nosed woman who has deposited him in the chick coop, warms toward the newcomer. For those experiencing their own disasters,

City Lights open mic The NetWest program of the North Carolina Writers Network will host an open mic night at 7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 22, at City Lights Bookstore in Sylva. Folks are encouraged to bring their poetry or short pieces to share. Sign-ups begin at 6:45 p.m. for 10-minute reading session. The North Carolina Writers’ Network connects, promotes, and serves the writers of this state. They provide education in the craft and business of writing, opportunities for recognition and critique of literary work, resources for writers at all stages of development, sup-

here is a story that should offer a few smiles. Ian Sansom brings a sharp wit, an eye for broad comedy, and a gift for language to this story of Israel Armstrong and his plague of woes and mishaps. Here is a word-picture that should convey, in a long single paragraph, a fair snapshot both of Israel Armstrong and the gifts of his creator: The drinks stood on the bar staring at Israel accusingly, like miserable little orphaned children waiting to be taken home, and the raven-haired barmaid and Elder and Sean were looking at him too, and Israel reckoned he’d probably toned up pretty well recently on all the whiskey he was drinking back at the farm, and so he smiled manfully at them all and steadied himself on the bar-stool and tipped back his head, and drank down the First and Last in one gulp — hoping to avoid the throat-scorching — and it worked, his throat was unscathed, and the on-lookers turned away to get on with their business … until suddenly the drink hit his stomach and Israel wished he’d sipped because it felt like something had ruptured or exploded down there, causing havoc, the fumes and the fall-out quickly working its way back up his throat, and once again robbing him of the powers of speech. The second Guinness was a great blessing though, and the third, and by the time Ted arrived Israel was four sheets to the wind, and was treating everyone at the bar to his favorite Jewish jokes. ••• Today was not a banner day for your reviewer: gray skies, a butcher-blade February wind, an approaching deadline rewriting

port for and advocacy of the literary heritage of North Carolina, and a community for those who write. 828.586.9499 or www.ncwriters.org.

Poetry reading in Sylva Dana Wildsmith and Susan O’Dell Underwood will read from their latest collections of poetry, One Light and The Book of Awe, at 3 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 23, at City Lights Bookstore in Sylva. Wildsmith is the author of a novel, Jumping, and an environmental memoir, Back to Abnormal: Surviving With An Old Farm in

Latin lesson plans for a homeschool outfit, and a lingering cough. Feeling about as enthusiastic as a cat in the rain, I went upstairs to ask my daughter a question, whereupon her 2-year-old snatched up a book nearly as tall as himself, gripped me by the finger, and pulled me toward the door to my basement apartment, all the while saying “Book. Book.” For 15 minutes, I shoved my ugly mood aside and read to him from Jan Brett’s Snow Treasury. He was unhappy when I carried him upstairs, put him to the floor, and told him I had to get back to work, but then spotted his brother playing Legos and toddled away, bobbing back and forth, as usual, like an old man after an evening of some serious drinking. Which brings me to The Enchanted Hour: The Miraculous Power of Reading Aloud in the Age of Distraction (Harper, 2019, 279 pages). Here Meghan Cox Gurdon reminds us of the power and beauty of reading aloud in our Age of the Screen. In chapters like “Reading Together Strengthens the Bonds of Love,” “Turbocharging Child Development with Picture Books,” “Reading Aloud Furnishes the Mind,” and more, Gurdon makes her case: “The time we spend reading aloud is like no other time. A miraculous alchemy takes place when one person reads to another, one that converts the ordinary stuff of life — a book, a voice, a place to sit, and a bit of time — into astonishing fuel for the heart, the mind, and the imagination.” Maybe my grandson felt some of that alchemy as I read aloud to him. Certainly some sort of magic was at work. As Gurdon points out, the greatest recipients of reading aloud are the very young and the adolescent. Yet she also offers cases where reading books, stories, and poetry to others — our loved ones while on a car trip, the elderly, our friends — creates a bond of love and fuels our minds. That quarter hour spent with my grandson, I realized later, shifted my mood for the day. For those few minutes, I stepped away from my mostly frivolous problems, and gave myself to a kid with some words and pictures about snow and winter. Good medicine. I need to keep it in mind. (Jeff Minick is a writer and teacher. minick0301@gmail.com)

the New South, which was a finalist for Georgia Author of the Year. She is also the author of five collections of poetry. Wildsmith has served as Artist-in-Residence for Grand Canyon National Park and for Everglades National Park. She lives with her family on an old farm in north Georgia and works as an English literacy instructor at Lanier Technical College. O’Dell Underwood is currently a Professor of English and the Director of the Creative Writing Program at Carson-Newman University. In addition to The Book of Awe she has published two chapbooks, From and Love and Other Hungers. For more information, visit www.citylightsnc.com.

Outdoors

Smoky Mountain News

Living soil Waynesville woman digs into worm farming

Mary Ann Smith has been growing worms from her Waynesville home since 2014. Holly Kays photo

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER alley View Worms has an origin story that’s about as unusual as the vermiculture business itself, with plotlines hinging on a Facebook post, a felony conviction and 60 pounds of red wiggler composting worms. In 2014, Mary Ann Smith was newly retired from Tuscola High School after 20 years as a math teacher. She was looking for an enjoyable part-time pursuit and stumbled on an ad for a Concord-based worm business, which for a start-up fee of $5,000 would supply worms, bins, bedding, food, technical support and the promise that the company would buy back all the compost the worms produced. Smith, a gardener, thought it sounded like the perfect opportunity. Unfortunately, it was also a scam. The company, Wormz Organic, never bought back any of the compost and its owner Jim Albert Lawhorne wound up in prison.

“I kind of made lemonade out of lemons,” said Smith. “I got my worms, I got my information. I learned how to take care of them, and when the business fell through I just thought, ‘Well, OK, next step is find my own marketing.’” Smith rose to the challenge. Five years later,

Valley View Farm is typically home to between 80,000 and 120,000 worms, as well as to Smith, her husband Don and their 15-year-old dog. “It’s so addictive,” she said. “Anybody who starts with worms, most people just go, ‘Oh, my worms. I love my worms.’”

WORM TEA AND PRIZED POOP Smith is no exception. She thinks of the worms as something between livestock and pets — she doesn’t think too hard about leaving them unattended during out-of-town trips, but she also she loves going to check on them and does all she can to keep them happy. Though in truth, it’s not that hard to keep a worm happy. “You’re trying to create a good environment for the worms, and the rest is just easy,” she said. “Once you provide suitable bedding and give them some food stock, they eat and they poop and they reproduce and they’re really happy.” It’s that worm poop that’s the prized commodity of the whole operation. Composting worms nibble through food waste like coffee grounds, apple peels and strawberry tops to excrete nutrient-rich castings with harmful toxins and pathogens removed. It’s good stuff, proven effective to improve the growth and health of plants. In fact, Smith did her own informal study to see how adding worm castings affected the growth of seedlings for her garden, planting cucumber seeds in potting soil that included 0, 5, 10 or 20 percent worm castings by volume. Sixteen days later, the seeds planted in 20 percent castings were markedly larger than any of the others. “It’s really fun to be part of that education and to take my kale to market,” said Smith, who sells produce as well as worm products at the Historic Haywood Farmers Market in Waynesville. “People go, ‘I love your kale. It’s so good,’ and I say, ‘Thank you. It’s because I grow it this way.’ You get all these benefits (from worm castings) and taste is one of them. When a plant is healthy and growing properly, you get some wonderful flavors.” In addition to selling worm and vegetable products at the Haywood market, Smith sells her worms at the North Asheville Tailgate Market, through Fifth Season Gardening in

Valley View Farm is home to about 100,000 red wigglers. Holly Kays photo

Asheville, and fills direct orders locally. Smith’s worm products include worms by the pound — a wet pound of worms contains about 1,000 individuals — worm castings and a concoction she calls worm tea. “I tell people that it’s great with honey,” she said jokingly. In reality worm tea is a drink for plants, not people. To make it she puts compost in a strainer bag along with supplements like trace minerals, azomite, kelp, comfrey and soft rock phosphate, then allows the contents to soak in aerated water overnight in order to distribute and multiply the microbes. “It’s the microbes that are the beneficial thing about worm castings,” said Smith. “So the worm tea is just a way you can spray it on. The plants can take in those microbes foliarly or through the roots, either one, and it’s amazing stuff — just amazing.” Smith credits the worm tea with

Make your own worm bin

Assembling a worm bin is a quick and easy process, and the worms do their job well — they eat quickly, and there’s no bad smell. With a few simple materials and minimal effort, anybody can become an amateur vermiculturist. • Gather a large plastic tote, about 18-20 gallons, and make sure it’s dark rather than see-through. Using a drill with a ¼-inch bit, make about 20 evenly spaced holes in the bottom of the bin as well as two rows of ventilation holes on each side near the top edge, spacing the holes about an inch apart. • Shred newspaper or cardboard to use as bedding. Cover the bottom of the bin with 6 to 8 inches of fluffed-up bedding, making sure that the paper is moist but not soggy before adding it. Try soaking it in water and then squeezing out the excess liquid to achieve this. • Wait a day, and then add the worms. A pound — roughly 1,000 worms — should do it. Worms double in population every 60 to 90 days as long as they have enough surface area available. • Cover the bedding with cardboard or black plastic. • Place the bin in a well-ventilated area where it will avoid freezing temperatures. Prop it up on blocks or bricks to allow for drainage, and use the lid as a tray to catch drips. • Bury food in different sections of the bin each week, under the cover and bedding. Feed the worms slowly at first, avoiding overfeeding. As the worms multiply, they’ll be able to handle more food. Ensure the bin remains moist. • Worms should be allowed two to three months to make good compost out of food. To harvest the compost, push it over to one side of the bin and fill the other side with moist bedding materials containing some worm-friendly food. The worms will move out of the compost and into the bedding. For more worm-related tips and information, visit www.valleyviewworms.com.

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Stalks of kale that managed to survive the winter grow in rich soil boosted by castings from Smith’s worms. Holly Kays photo eradicating aphids, cabbage worms, Mexican bean beetles and powdery mildew from her garden.

LEARNING YOUR WORMS

February 20-26, 2019 Smoky Mountain News

To most people, worms are worms are worms, but vermiculturists like Smith know better. Sources vary on the exact number, but it’s safe to say that there are thousands of earthworm species worldwide, and they’re all different. Some like to dig deep into the ground, while others stay on the surface. Some slither slowly while some move incredibly fast. Some love saturated soil while others like it drier. Smith’s farm grows red wigglers — the scientific name is Eisenia fetida — the most common species used for composting. Originally from Europe, red wigglers chomp through food quickly, prefer to live near the surface in areas rich in organic materials and do not tolerate the cold very well. They self-regulate their growth, growing and procreating faster the more surface area their bin contains. “If you put them in a bin with a lot of surface area, within a week they’ll go from small worms to big worms,” Smith said. “It’s fascinating to watch.” Smith does her best to remove the worms from the compost before harvesting it. For some people, the natural inclination is to look for a way to release composting worms into the garden itself, but that doesn’t tend to work so well. Red wigglers like to live near the surface in areas with plenty of cover that are rich in organic matter — garden beds really aren’t their scene. “If you just throw them in a garden, they might go find another place to live,” she said. The better bet is to create the best bin environment possible for the worms, producing as much compost as possible to mix into the garden’s soil. That’s good for the plants, and for the worms too. Red wigglers don’t do too well in the cold and often die when left outside in the winter, though they can sometimes be found in manure piles and other warm, organic-rich areas.

While red wigglers aren’t native to the U.S., they haven’t been found to be problematic in the Southern Appalachians. The same can’t be said for all nonnative worms, however. The Asian jumping worm, for example, has caused significant issues in the Smokies despite its usefulness as fishing bait and voracious appetite for compost. This species eats organic matter much more quickly than natives and European species like the red wiggler. According to Cornell University Cooperative Extension, Asian jumping worms grow twice as fast, reproduce more quickly and can infest soils at higher densities than other species, with heavy infestations capable of causing declines in native plants, soil invertebrates, salamanders, birds and other animals. The bottom line, then, is that you’ve got to know your worms. Fortunately, Smith definitely does. She regularly goes to the N.C. State Vermiculture Conference — the only world’s only annual training on commercial vermiculture — and does plenty of her own research, offering worm-related education through library presentations, workshops, trainings and other forums to teach as many people as possible about the importance of maintaining “living soil.” “It’s an ecosystem that you need to work on in order for your plants to thrive,” she said. The land is important to Smith, and it’s been important to her family throughout a history that’s played out on the same piece of land for nearly 200 years. Smith and her husband live on acres once owned by Smith’s great-great grandfather, Ruben Eldridge, who purchased it in the 1840s. Her grandparents built the home the Smiths now live in, and the worms reside in the basement of a building originally constructed as a chicken house in the 1930s and later converted into apartments for summer tourists — the business was called Valley View Farm. “This land goes back to the mid-1800s, so I’m thankful that we have a real sense of heritage, that we’re kind of continuing that,” said Smith. “We’ve got roots here for sure.”

outdoors

Conquer Blackrock The ninth annual Assault on BlackRock trail race will be held Saturday, March 23, with all proceeds benefiting the Sylva Police Department’s K-9 fund. This challenging course involves a 7-mile roundtrip from the Pinnacle Park parking area in Sylva to the top of Blackrock, an elevation gain of about 2,700 feet. Runners who complete the trek in 101 minutes or less will win a belt buckle, with prizes for top finishers and T-shirts for the first 100 entrants. $25 for online registration at www.ultrasignup.com or pay $30 the day of the event.

Begin in beekeeping Learn the basics of beekeeping with a daylong course Saturday, March 2, at the Swain County Extension Center in Bryson City. The class, hosted by the Smoky Mountain Beekeepers Association, will cover basic bee biology, the honeybee colony, the bee life cycle, the Langstroth hive, locating and setting up a bee yard,

Agriculture grant winners announced Five local farms are among the 39 businesses awarded a total of $216,000 in this year’s WNC Agricultural Options grant program.

bee management, bee installation, working with bees and protective clothing, feeding the feeders, swarming, queen management, pests and diseases. The course will run 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and feature Western North Carolina beekeepers as speakers. Fee covers lunch, handouts and SMBA membership. Pre-register for $25 with Jon Waldroup at 828.736.1340 or tribalmedic129@gmail.com, or register at the door for $30.

Meet modern-day dinosaurs Journey through the Jurassic with a program 1 to 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 24, at the Balsam Mountain Preserve in Jackson County. The presentation will explore the adaptations and behaviors of dinosaurs by taking a close-up look at their modern cousins — the Preserve’s resident reptiles and birds of prey. Space limited, with registration required by Feb. 22 to Michael Skinner at mskinnner@bmtrust.org or 828.631.1062. Free, with donations appreciated.

February 20-26, 2019

Local recipients include: n Long Family Farms and Gallery of the

Become a Shiitake grower Learn how to grow Shiitake mushrooms with a hands-on class 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 26, at the Macon County Environmental Resource Center in Franklin. The workshop will begin with a classroom session explaining Shiitake growing, and then the class will move outside where participants will drill their logs and inoculate them with spores. $15 materials fee with each participant asked to bring two or three fresh-cut hardwood logs that are 4-6 inches in diameter and 3-4 feet long. Donated logs welcomed. Register by Feb. 22 at the Macon County Cooperative Extension Center. 828.349.2046.

Smoky Mountain News

Haywood plant sale extended

Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, which received $3,000 toward production of mushroom and medicinal extracts and oils. n Dugan Farms of the EBCI, which received $6,000 toward mechanical cultivation for sustainable weed management. n Two Trees Farm/Sustainabilities LLC in Haywood County, which received $6,000 to create outdoor kitchen and classroom space. n Rice Family Farms LLC in Haywood County, which received $6,000 for a Bulldog Wrangler portable corral. n Bateman Girls’ Cattle Farm in Macon County, which received $3,000 for its heifer replacement program. WNC AgOptions seeks to build sustainable farming communities in the mountain region by providing resources directly to farmers. It’s funded by the N.C. Tobacco Trust Fund Commission. This year, six of the 39 farm businesses received $3,000 grants and the remaining 33 received $6,000. WNC Communities administers the program. “The WNC AgOptions program has proven success stories,” said Bill Teague, Chairman of the N.C. Tobacco Trust Fund Commission. “We continue to be amazed at how these producers utilize these funds to ensure their family farms grow and remain profitable.” www.wncagoptions.org.

Due to popular demand, the annual Haywood County Extension Master Gardener plant sale has been extended to take orders through March 11. The plant sale offers edibles such as berries, asparagus and grape vines as well as

native plants such as perennials that attract pollinators, with proceeds benefiting education-related horticulture projects in Haywood County. For order forms, contact the Haywood County Cooperative Extension Office in Waynesville at 828.456.3575 or email mgarticles@charter.net. Edibles will be available for pickup March 11 and native plants May 18.

Become a Master Gardener The Jackson-Swain Master Gardener Volunteer Program is now taking applications for its 2019 class, set to begin in April. Participants receive 38 to 42 hours of training in subjects such as bulbs, vegetables, fruits, herbs, berries, pruning, grafting, native plants, organic gardening, disease and more. After completing training, they must pass a take-home exam and complete the required hours of volunteer service to be certified as a Master Gardener. Classes will be held 8:30 a.m. to noon on Wednesdays, tentatively beginning April 3 and continuing for three months, at the Jackson County Extension Center in Sylva. Course fee is approximately $100 with applications due March 6. For more information, call 828.586.4009 or 828.488.3848.

outdoors

A drone captures an aerial view of Bobs Creek State Natural Area. FCNC photo

New state natural area achieves milestone

Congress moves forward on Land and Water Conservation Fund reauthorization

right thing by renewing America’s most successful conservation program.” The Land and Water Conservation Fund was created in 1964 to protect natural areas using revenues from offshore oil and gas extraction. The initial legislation was good for 25 years, and the program was renewed for a second 25year period ending Sept. 30, 2015. It was then given a short-term extension for three years, but efforts to permanently reauthorize it failed before the program’s sunset on Sept. 30, 2018. The bill, which is currently awaiting a vote in the House, would remove the sunset clause for the fund, allowing 12.5 percent of revenues from offshore drilling on the Outer Continental Coast to be deposited in the fund. Of that amount, at least 40 percent would be used for federal purposes and at least 40 percent would be used to financially assist the states. At least 3 percent or $15 million, whichever is greater, would go toward recreational public access projects. The reauthorization is included as part of a much larger piece of legislation titled the Natural Resources Management Act, S.47, which can be tracked at www.congress.gov/bill/116thcongress/senate-bill/47. For more about the Land and Water Conservation Fund’s importance to Western North Carolina, visit www.smokymountainnews.com/archives/item/26258-funding-conservation-federal-program-s-expirationimpacts-local-land-trusts.

The U.S. Senate voted Feb. 12 to permanently reauthorize the Land and Water Conservation Fund, an important funding source for conservation projects nationwide. The bill was introduced by Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, and Maria Cantwell, DWashington, with a bipartisan list of co-sponsors. Though Sen. Richard Burr, R-North Carolina, is not included on the sponsor list, he introduced a related piece of legislation this month that also attempted to permanently reauthorize the fund. “The Land and Water Conservation Fund may cost taxpayers nothing, but Congress’ failure to renew it would cost us all dearly,” Burr said in a press release. “Without this program, every state in the country would lose out on valuable outdoor recreation projects, beautiful natural landscapes, and easy access to state and national parks. It’s been four months since LWCF was allowed to expire despite its proven track record of success and overwhelming bipartisan support. It is long past time for Congress do the

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Zip Line Tour $20 Friday March 8 Leave at 9am Call to Reserve a Spot!

Smoky Mountain News

will allow for low-impact uses like hiking and scientific research. The property was once managed by a timber company that protected several hundred acres as a “pocket wilderness” that was open to the public for hiking, wildlife viewing and camping. Funding came from a variety of public and private sources, including $1.2 million from the Clean Water Management Trust Fund, $1 million from the N.C. Parks and Recreation Trust Fund, $240,000 from the Open Space Institute and $4,000 from the Conservation Trust for North Carolina. CWMTF has also provided $1.2 million for the second phase of the project, acquisition of an additional 2,000 acres scheduled for completion this year.

February 20-26, 2019

A recent 1,500 acre land purchase by the Foothills Conservancy of North Carolina and North Carolina State Parks marked acquisition of the first chunk of the new Bobs Creek State Natural Area in southeastern McDowell County. Over the course of several years, a conservation enthusiast purchased 6,000 acres in the area with the intention of permanently protecting the land and allowing public access. The first 1,500 acres have been transferred through a bargain sale and are now permanently conserved. N.C. State Parks will own and manage the land, but not as a traditional state park. Unlike a state park, the natural area will not provide visitor amenities such as campgrounds and picnic areas but

WAYNESVILLE

PARKS AND RECREATION

828.456.2030

or email tpetrea@waynesvillenc.gov

outdoors

Lake Junaluska Golf Course. Lake Junaluska photo

Junior golf league forming at Lake Junaluska

February 20-26, 2019

Registration is now open for a new PGA Jr. League team at the Lake Junaluska Golf Course. The team is open to any player 17 or younger, including beginners, and offers divisions for ages 13 and under and for ages 14 to 17. The season will run March 1 to July 31, with the team hosting five clinics that cover skills such as putting, chipping and playing as a team. The team will also participate in five matches to be held in Asheville-area courses and at Lake

Discounted ski rate offered for military Military personnel and their families will receive a reduced rate at Cataloochee Ski Area Thursday, Feb. 28, and Friday, March 1. To receive the rate, military personnel will have to present a valid ID. Cataloochee is located on Fie Top Road in Maggie Valley. www.cataloochee.com.

Smoky Mountain News

Sylva to host fly fishing film festival

new search functions. solely designed to help you get lost.

The International Fly-Fishing Film Festival is coming to Sylva, to be held at 7 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 23, at the Quinn Movie Theater. The festival consists of short and feature-length professional films from all corners of the globe that showcase the passion, lifestyle and culture of fly fishing. IF4 offers showings throughout the U.S. and Canada.

The Sylva showing is hosted by the Tuckaseigee chapter of Trout Unlimited, which will hold a raffle during the event to raise money for Trout in the Classroom, a program that gives students hands-on lessons in biology, chemistry, math and ecology as they raise trout in their classroom. TU is sponsoring the program in five schools in two counties. Seating begins at 6:30 p.m., with tickets sold at Tuckasegee Fly Shop in Sylva and Bryson City for $15. Remaining tickets will be sold at the door.

Fly fishing museum seeks donations Log on. Plan your escape. Feel your stress dissolve.

Junaluska. Matches are a two-person scramble format in which teammates work together, hitting the â&#x20AC;&#x153;best ballâ&#x20AC;? of each of their two shots throughout the match. Registration is $190 and includes jerseys, bag tag, performance ball cap, performance T-shirt, drawstring bag and access to the PGA Jr. League Merchandise Store. Register at www.pgajrleague.com/sign-up. Contact 828.456.5777 or ctcarswell@lakejunaluska.com for more information.

Donations are wanted to help create a display set for the Fly Fishing Museum of the Southern Appalachians and Appalachian River Aquarium in Bryson City to be used at events and trade shows. The setup will help attract more visitors and members, and the ease of setup and takedown will make it easier to recruit volunteers to staff the booth at various events. The museum and aquarium provide centers for learning the history and art of fly fishing as well as insight into the fresh waters that beckon to us all. To donate, visit www.gofundme.com/ appalachian-rivers-aquarium-trade-show-display.

WNC Calendar COMMUNITY EVENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS • Volunteers will be available to assist with federal and state income tax preparation and filing through April 12: From 10 a.m.-3 p.m. on Mondays and Fridays at the Jackson County Department of Aging and from 2:306:45 p.m. by appointment on Tuesdays at the Jackson County Public Library in Sylva. Outside of appointments, help is available on first-come, first-serve basis. Library appointments: 586.2016. Info: 293.0074 or 586.4944. • Pancake Day is from 6:30 a.m.-7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 26, at First United Methodist Church in Waynesville. Fumc-waynesville.com/events/pancakeday. • Registration is underway for a survival challenge entitled: “Can you survive one month in poverty?” The NC Poverty Simulation Experience is from 1-4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 27, at First United Methodist Church in Waynesville. Register: aensley@mountainprojects.org. • Penland School of Craft will hold its annual Community Open House from 1-5 p.m. on Saturday, March 2, in Bakersville. Hands-on activities in a variety of crafts. Info and directions: penland.org or 765.2359. • Cashiers Area Chamber is seeking feedback to improve visitors’ experiences to the area. Take the survey at: tinyurl.com/y6w4uqyo. • Registration is underway for Marriage Enrichment Retreats that will be offered three more times over the next year at Lake Junaluska. Led by Ned Martin, an expert in marriage counseling. Price is $699 per couple. Dates are March 10-12, Aug. 18-20 of 2019 and Sept. 29-Oct. 1 in 2019. Registration and info: www.lakejunaluska.com/marriage or 800.222.4930. • Fontana Regional Library now offers anyone with a library card free access to eMagazines, for reading on any mobile device or computer. This new service joins our popular eBooks and digital audiobook`s selection — all available 24/7 from the library’s digital collection. To get started enjoying digital magazines as well as eBooks and audiobooks, visit e-inc.overdrive.com or download the Libby reading app. www.fontanalib.org.

BUSINESS & EDUCATION • A presentation titled “Ethics and Insurrection: Boldly Confronting Oppression” will be offered at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 21, in Room 223 of the John W. Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center in Cullowhee. Led by Lee McBride, associate professor in the Department of Philosophy at the College of Wooster. Part of Western Carolina University’s observation of Black History Month. 227.2683 or cholder@wcu.edu. • Registration is underway for a seminar entitled “How To Start a Business” that will be offered by Haywood Community College’s Small Business Center from 5:308:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 26, at HCC’s Regional High Technology Center in Waynesville. Part of the “Are You Ready to Start a Business series. Room 3021. Register or get more info: SBC.Haywood.edu or 627.4512. • Casual Coffee Hour will feature Katy Gould from the Haywood Community College Small Business Center from 9-10 a.m. on Feb. 26 in the upstairs Lobby just outside of the DWA office area above the police department in Waynesville. Presented by the Downtown Waynesville Association. info@downtownwaynesville.com, buffy@downtownwaynesville.com or 456.3517. • Creston Lynch, associate director of university life at George Mason University, will speak on the topic “Black Migration: What Will Be Your Journey” at 6 p.m. on

All phone numbers area code 828 unless otherwise noted. Wednesday, Feb. 27, in the UC Multipurpose Room in Cullowhee. Part of Western Carolina University’s observation of Black History Month. 227.2683 or cholder@wcu.edu. • Haywood Community College Small Business Center is hosting a “Business of Organic Production” webinar series through March 6. Remaining topics are “Using Budgets and Financial Planning” from 6-7:15 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 27; are “Marketing Your Organic Products: Be Creative and Find Your Best Markets” from 6-7:15 p.m. on Tuesday, March 5; and “Social Media and the Organic Market” from 6-7:15 p.m. on Wednesday, March 6. For info or to register: SBC.Haywood.edu or 627.4512.

Smoky Mountain News

You Ready to Start a Business series. Room 3021. Register or get more info: SBC.Haywood.edu or 627.4512. • Registration is underway for a “Lean Thinking” workshop, which is offered by Western Carolina University’s Office of Professional Growth and Enrichment from 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m. on Friday, March 29, at WCU Biltmore Park in Asheville. Early bird registration is $249 before Feb. 28. After, it’s $279. For info or to register: pdp.wcu.edu or 227.7397. • Registration is underway for the Western Carolina University’s Office of Professional Growth and Enrichment’s “Creativity in the Digital Age” workshop, which is set for 9:30 a.m.-4 p.m. on Saturday, March 30, at WCU’s Biltmore Park instructional site in Asheville. Registration: $39. For info or to register: conferences.wcu.edu or 227.7397.

Visit www.smokymountainnews.com and click on Calendar for: ■ Complete listings of local music scene ■ Regional festivals ■ Art gallery events and openings ■ Complete listings of recreational offerings at regional health and fitness centers ■ Civic and social club gatherings • Evening classes for anyone wanting to obtain a high school equivalency diploma are offered from 5:30-8:30 p.m. on Mondays through Thursdays at Haywood Community College in Clyde. 627.4648.

• Registration is underway for a seminar entitled “Marketing Your Business” that will be offered by Haywood Community College’s Small Business Center from 5:30-8:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 2, at HCC’s Regional High Technology Center in Waynesville. Part of the “Are You Ready to Start a Business series. Room 3021. Register or get more info: SBC.Haywood.edu or 627.4512.

• The Western North Carolina Civil War Round Table meets at 7 p.m. on the second Monday of each month at the HF Robinson Auditorium at the Western Carolina University Campus in Cullowhee.

• Registration is underway for a Retirement Planning course that will be offered from 5:30-8:30 p.m. on April 2, 4 and 9 at Western Carolina University Biltmore Park in Asheville. Registration fee: $79. Pdp.wcu.edu or 227.7397.

• Small business owners can find materials and services to support business growth at Fontana Regional Library’s locations in Macon, Jackson and Swain Counties. Computer classes and one-on-one assistance also available. 586.2016 or www.fontanalib.org.

• Registration is underway for a two-part workshop titled: “Business Plan Bootcamp – Get Focused and Plan” from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. on Friday, March 1, at Haywood Community College’s Public Services Training Facility in Clyde. Offered by the college’s Small Business Center. For info or to register: SBC.Haywood.edu or 627.4512.

• Registration is underway for a seminar entitled “How To Find Your Customers” that will be offered by Haywood Community College’s Small Business Center from 5:30-8:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 16, at HCC’s Regional High Technology Center in Waynesville. Part of the “Are You Ready to Start a Business series. Room 3021. Register or get more info: SBC.Haywood.edu or 627.4512.

• A meeting of current and former employees of the Waynesville plant of Champion/Blue Ridge/Evergreen is held at 8 a.m. on the first Monday of each month at Bojangles near Lake Junaluska’s entrance.

• A Six Sigma Whitebelt training will be offered from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. on Friday, March 1, at Western Carolina University’s Biltmore Park in Asheville. Offered by WCU’s Office of Professional Growth and Enrichment; instructor is Dr. Todd Creasy, DM, MBA, MSc. Learn how to apply the five-step methodology of Six Sigma in product, process or service industries. Early bird registration: $249. After Feb. 1, cost is $279. For info and to register: pdp.wcu.edu or 227.7397.

• Registration is underway for a seminar entitled “Financing Your Business” that will be offered by Haywood Community College’s Small Business Center from 5:30-7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 23, at HCC’s Regional High Technology Center in Waynesville. Part of the “Are You Ready to Start a Business series. Room 3021. Register or get more info: SBC.Haywood.edu or 627.4512.

• Haywood Ramblings will feature a presentation entitled “Lost Structures of Waynesville” presented by Alex McKay from 4-5 p.m. on Thursday, March 7, in the courtroom of the Historic Courthouse on 215 North Main Street in Waynesville. 456.8647.

• Balsam Mountain Business Matters meets on Thursday, Feb. 21 at 10 a.m. Great opportunity to network with other business owners. Meeting is held in the clubhouse of Vantage Pointe Homes at Balsam Mountain located at 17 Wilkinson Pass Ln in Waynesville. lgaddy@balsammountainapartments.com.

• Haywood Community College will hold its Career Fair Open House from 1-4 p.m. on Feb. 28 at the college’s library in Clyde. Multiple industry professionals and university admissions counselors will attend. 627.3613 or jhilbert@haywood.edu. • Admissions of art, literature and performance/video are being accepted for Southwestern Community College’s inaugural Cultural Fusion Festival, which is Wednesday, March 27, on SCC’s Jackson Campus in Sylva. Theme is “How We All Got Here.” Deadline for submissions is March 1. Info: 339.4226 or s_cain@southwesterncc.edu.

• Registration is underway for a seminar entitled “How To Write a Business Plan” that will be offered by Haywood Community College’s Small Business Center from 5:30-8:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 5, at HCC’s Regional High Technology Center in Waynesville. Part of the “Are You Ready to Start a Business series. Room 3021. Register or get more info: SBC.Haywood.edu or 627.4512. • Registration is underway for a seminar entitled “Basics of Bookkeeping” that will be offered by Haywood Community College’s Small Business Center from 5:30-8:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 12, at HCC’s Regional High Technology Center in Waynesville. Part of the “Are You Ready to Start a Business series. Room 3021. Register or get more info: SBC.Haywood.edu or 627.4512. • Registration is underway for a seminar entitled “Your Small Business Taxes” that will be offered by Haywood Community College’s Small Business Center from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. on Tuesday, March 14, at HCC’s Regional High Technology Center in Waynesville. Part of the “Are

• The Jackson County Public Library in Sylva will be starting a monthly documentary series called “DocuWednesday” at 4 p.m. on the last Wednesday of each month. The movies will be shown in the beautiful movie theater in the Community Room. At the end of each movie, the staff member who selected that documentary will lead a short discussion with the public. If you would like to know what movie will be showing each month, please email Benjamin Woody at bwoody@fontanalib.org to be placed on an email list. The first showing will be “Disruption.” 586.2016. www.fontanalib.org. • Haywood Community College’s Workforce Continuing Education Department is offering a wide variety of courses. For a complete listing: www.haywood.edu. Info: 627.4669 or rgmassie@haywood.edu. • The African-American Business Association Workshop & Meetup is scheduled for 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. on the third Tuesday of every month at the Arthur R. Edington Education & Career Center in Asheville.

• Concealed carry handgun is offered every other Saturday 8:30am-5pm starting at Mountain Range indoor shooting range. Lunch provided. Class $60. 452.7870 or mountainrangenc@yahoo.com.

• One-on-one computer lessons are offered weekly at the Waynesville and Canton branches of the Haywood County Public Library. Lesson slots are available from 10 a.m.-noon on Tuesdays and Thursdays in Canton and from 3-5 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays at the Waynesville Library. Sign up at the front desk of either library or call 356.2507 for the Waynesville Library or 648.2924 for the Canton Library.

FUNDRAISERS AND BENEFITS • Tickets are on sale for Haywood Pathways Center’s inaugural Empty Bowls event, which is scheduled for 5:30-7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 21, at HART Theatre in Waynesville. $25 per person. Attendees select a bowl handcrafted by local WNC potters and enjoy various soup tastings. Bowls go home with guests as reminders of the empty bowls in the community and warm hearts that work to fill them. • A Buti Yoga Fundraiser for Folkmoot is scheduled for Friday, March 1, in Waynesville. With Waynesville Yoga. 452.2997. • Tickets are on sale now for the third annual Mardi Gras Dinner Party Fundraiser for REACH, scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 5, at Root & Barrel in Franklin. Mardi Gras attire, jazz band, New Orleans food and drink, king and queen crowning. 369.5544 or reach@reachofmaconcounty.org. • American Legion Riders will present the eighth-annual “As Bare as You Dare … Bikers in Boxers” event at noon on March 9, a 20-minute ride is through downtown Waynesville. Proceeds go to Mountain Projects to help elderly with heating costs. $20 per rider; $10 per passenger. Chili cook-off is the same day, $15 per entry. Info: Search “As Bar as You Dare” on Facebook or call 246.3842. • Registration is underway for “Bowl for Kids’ Sake,” which will have two sessions from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. on

wnc calendar

Saturday, March 16, at Sky Lanes in Asheville. $50 per person or $300 per team. Proceeds go to Haywood County Big Brothers Big Sisters. Pirate theme. Info: 273.3601. • A Luck of the Irish Fundraiser is set for Saturday, March 16, at Bear Waters Brewery in Canton. 452.2997.

VOLUNTEERS & VENDORS • Haywood Hospice is seeking volunteers to help with reception duties, grief groups, working directly with patients, running errand and other support. A training session is set for at 9 a.m. on March 25. Info: 452.5039. • Vendor and artisan applications are being accepted for the 22nd Annual Greening Up the Mountains Festival, which is April 27 in Sylva. www.greeningupthemountains.com. • Senior Companion volunteers are being sought to serve with the Land of the Sky Senior Companion Program in Henderson, Buncombe, Transylvania and Madison Counties. Serve older adults who want to remain living independently at home in those counties. • Great Smoky Mountains National Park is seeking volunteers to assist rangers with managing traffic and establishing safe wildlife viewing areas within the Cataloochee Valley area. To register for training or get more info: karl_danforth@nps.gov. • Haywood Regional Medical Center is seeking volunteers of all ages for ongoing support at the hospital, outpatient care center and the Homestead. For info and to apply: 452.8301, stop by the information desk in the lobby or volunteer@haymed.org. Anyone interested in becoming a hospice volunteer can call 452.5039.

February 20-26, 2019

• STAR Rescue Ranch is seeking volunteers to help with horse care, fundraising events, barn maintenance and more at the only equine rescue in Haywood County. 828.400.4940.

Wednesdays throughout February at Waynesville Wellness. Cost: $10. RSVP: 316.1344.

• “Breastfeeding A-Z” class will be offered from 7-9 p.m. on April 11, July 18, Sept. 12 and Nov. 14 at Haywood Regional Medical Center in Waynesville. Focusing on techniques for proper latching and comfortable positions for a baby and mom to get started. Pre-registration required: MyHaywoodRegional.com/ParentClasses or 452.8440.

• A Ladies Mission Extravaganza is set for 10 a.m.noon on Saturday, Feb. 23, in the sanctuary of the First Baptist Church in Waynesville. To attend, call: 456.9465. Info: 734.4523.

• The Macon County Chapter of the Autism Society of North Carolina will hold an info and networking event from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. on Feb. 23 at the Jump Factory in Franklin. RSVP: maconchapter@autismsociety-nc.org. • A Medicare 101 program is set for 1 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 28, in the Waynesville Library Auditorium. Learn about different plans and how to choose the right one for you. 356.2833. • A “Preparation for Childbirth” class will be offered from 7-9 p.m. on Thursdays from March 7-28, June 627, Aug. 8-29 and Oct. 3-24 at Haywood Regional Medical Center in Waynesville. Pre-registration required: MyHaywoodRegional.com/ParentClasses or 452.8440. • Registration is underway for a Community Mediation Training offered by Mountain Mediation Services from March 19-21 in Webster. Tuition: $250. Deadline: March 13. Info: 341.5717. Register: www.mountainmediation.org, info@mountainmediation.org or 631.5252. • “Your Amazing Newborn” class will be offered from 7-9 p.m. on April 4, July 11, Sept. 5 and Nov. 7 at Haywood Regional Medical Center in Waynesville. Focusing on abilities, behavior, appearance and reflexes of your new baby. Pre-registration required: MyHaywoodRegional.com/ParentClasses or 452.8440.

RECREATION AND FITNESS

• Volunteer Opportunities are available throughout the region, call John at the Haywood Jackson Volunteer Center today and get started sharing your talents. 356-2833

• An organizational meeting for ISA Adult and Church Softball Leagues is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 21, at the Waynesville Recreation Center. Info: 456.2030 or dhummel@waynesvillenc.gov.

• Phone Assurance Volunteers are needed to make daily or weekly wellness check-in calls for the Haywood County Senior Resource Center. 356.2800.

• The CommUnity Square Dance is set for 7-9 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 23, at the Old Rock School, 1528 Webster Road, in Webster. No partner or traditional square dance outfits required. Pammanottus@gmail.com.

HEALTH MATTERS • “Nourishing You” – an introductory “Yoga for Cancer” class, is offered from 1:30-2:30 p.m. on Fridays at the Haywood Breast Center in Waynesville. Taught by Kim Mulholland, Mindful Yoga for Cancer Duke Integrative Medicine Trainer. Info: 452.8691 or MyHaywoodRegional.com/YogaforCancer.

Smoky Mountain News

• Southwestern Community College’s Therapeutic

• Registration is underway for “Dance Tonight Waynesville” upcoming classes. Classes are held from 3-3:50 p.m. (rumba, salsa); 4-4:50 p.m. (foxtrot, single-time swing); and 6-7:30 p.m. (waltz and foxtrot) on Tuesdays throughout February at Laurel Ridge Country Club. Cost: $10. RSVP: 316.1344. • Registration is underway for “Dance Tonight Waynesville” upcoming classes in “East Coast Swing.” Classes are held from 6-7:30 p.m. on

Helping Seniors With Their Needs We can handle your day to day financial transactions, including assistance with check writing, payment of monthly bills and coordination of other services. If you have limited mobility, contact us about an in-home visit.

Norris Elder Services, LLC 40

Massage program is offering sessions through its student-run clinic to the public throughout the spring semester. Massages range from 30-75 minutes and cost between $10-30. Appointments: http://tinyurl.com/ycl4pmu9 or 339.4313.

828-452-2256

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

SPIRITUAL

• Registration is underway for Guided Personal Retreats, which will be offered March 18-20, July 2224, Sept. 16-18 and Oct. 21-23 at Lake Junaluska. Lakejunaluska.com/retreats or 800.222.4930.

POLITICAL • The Jackson County Board of Commissioners will hold a regular meeting at 1 p.m. on Feb. 20 at the Justice & Administration Building, 401 Grindstaff Cove Road, Room A201, in Sylva. • The Jackson County Board of Commissioners will hold a joint meeting with the Board of Education at 3 p.m. on Feb. 20 at the Department on Aging’s “Heritage Room” in Sylva. • The Jackson County Board of Commissioners will hold a budget retreat at 1 p.m. on Feb. 21 at the North Carolina Center for Advancement of Teaching at 276 NCCAT Drive in Cullowhee. Discussion of the 2019-20 fiscal year budget. • The NAACP meets at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 23, at Harris Chapel AME Zion Church in Canton. • The Macon County Democratic Women will meet at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 26, at the Macon County Public Library in Franklin. Guest is Mayor Bob Scott. • The Jackson County Board of Commissioners will hold a Quasi-Judicial Public Hearing at 1 p.m. on Feb. 26, at the Justice & Administration Building in Sylva. Purpose: To consider an application by Capital Telecom for construction of a 175-foot wireless communications tower at 19 Moose Lodge Road in Sylva. • The Jackson County Planning Department will hold a public hearing of the US 441 Gateway District Community Planning Council at 6 p.m. on Feb. 28, at the Qualla Community Center for the purpose of Unified Development Ordinance Adoption. Opportunity to give public a chance to share opinions. • Down Home Haywood holds its monthly community meetings at 2:30 p.m. on the third Saturday of each month at Canton Presbyterian Church. Tackling issues like healthcare, wages, housing and more. chelsea@downhomenc.org.

AUTHORS AND BOOKS • Dana Wildsmith and Susan O’Dell Underwood will read from their latest collections of poetry, One Light and The Book of Awe, at 3 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 23, at City Lights Bookstore in Sylva. www.citylightsnc.com.

SENIOR ACTIVITIES • Registration is underway through March 9 for the Smoky Mountain Senior Games presented by the Jackson County Parks and Recreation Center and the Cherokee Bird Town Gym. Games are April 1-May 3. Cost: $15 per person plus additional fees for some events. For ages 50-up. Info: 586.5494. • The Mexican Train Dominoes Group seeks new players to join games at 1 p.m. on Tuesdays at the Haywood County Senior Resource Center in Waynesville. 356.2800. • Book Club is held at 2 p.m. on the third Wednesday of the month at the Haywood County Senior Resource Center in Waynesville. 356.2800 • A Hand & Foot card game is held at 1 p.m. on Thursdays at Haywood County Senior Resource Center in Waynesville. 356.2800. • Senior Sale Day is on the third Friday of every month at the Friends of the Library Used Bookstore. Patrons 60 and older get 20 percent off all purchases. Proceeds benefit the Sylva Library. • Pinochle game is played at 1 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays at Haywood County Senior Resource Center in Waynesville. 356.2800. • Mah Jongg is played at 1 p.m. on Wednesdays at Haywood County Senior Resource Center in Waynesville. 356.2800. • A Canasta card game is set for 1 p.m. on Mondays at the Haywood County Senior Resource Center in Waynesville. 356.2800. • A Parkinson’s Support Group is held at 2 p.m. on the last Wednesdays of each month at the Haywood County Senior Resource Center in Waynesville. 356.2800.

KIDS & FAMILIES • Entries for Jackson County’s ninth annual Health Snack Master Competition are due by Friday, March 1, to school cafeteria managers. For students in Jackson County Public Schools. Group and individual categories. Info: 586.2311, ext. 1936. • The Bascom will hold Youth Potter from 10 a.m.noon or 3:15-5 p.m. on Feb. 20 in Highlands. Wheelthrown bowl with slip pattern. For ages 8-up. $60. 787.2865. • An overnight package is available for Boy Scouts who earn their Snow Sports Merit Badge from Friday through Sunday, Feb. 22-Feb. 24 at Cataloochee Ski Area. Offer is by Lake Junaluska. www.lakejunaluska.com or 800.222.4930. • Registration is underway for a Boy Scout Ski Retreat that will be offered from Feb. 22-24 through the Lake Junaluska Conference & Retreat Center. Get hands-on experience at Cataloochee Ski Area. Info: www.lakejunaluska.com/boyscouts or 800.222.4930.

Puzzles can be found on page 46 These are only the answers.

• Registration is now open for a new PGA Junior League golf team forming at Lake Junaluska Golf Course for ages 17-under. Season runs from March 1July 31. Registration fee: $190. Includes team practice sessions, matches, merchandise. Register: pgajrleague.com/sign-up. Info: www.lakejunaluska.com/golf, 456.5777 or ctcarswell@lakejunaluska.com. • Waynesville’s Base Camp Summer Camp will offer a variety of options for kids this year, and mandatory parent meetings are set for 6 p.m. on Feb. 26, March 5 and March 7. Camp options include Outdoor Play, Discover Camp, Explore Camp, Creative Boot Camp and STEM Camp. • Waynesville Recreation Center is offering Base Camp nights from 5:30-7:15 p.m. on Thursdays in February in Waynesville. Ages kindergarten through sixth grade experience crafts, activities and environmental education. $20 for the month. 456.2030. • The Haywood County Arts Council will hold a JAM (Junior Appalachian Musicians) for fourth through sixth graders from 3:30-5 p.m. on Tuesdays from January through May at Shining Rock Classical Academy. Cost: $85. 452.0593 or bmk.morgan@yahoo.com. • A Lego club will meet at 4 p.m. every fourth Thursday of the month, at Marianna Black Library in Bryson City. Library provides Legos and Duplos for ages 3 and up. Free. 488.3030.

• Registration is underway for Discovery Camp with weekly camps available June 10-Aug. 16 at the N.C. Arboretum in Asheville. Open to pre-K through rising eighth graders. Register: www.ncarboretum.org/education-programs/discovery-camp.

KIDS FILMS • “Ralph Breaks the Internet”, will be shown at 6:30 p.m. on March 1 & 9 and 7 p.m. March 9 at Mad Batter Food & Film in Sylva. Free. 586.3555. • “Fantastic Beast: The Crimes of Grindelwald”, will be shown at 7 p.m. on March 16 at Mad Batter Food & Film in Sylva. Free. 586.3555.

• A family movie will be shown at 10:30 a.m. every Friday at Hudson Library in Highlands.

A&E FOOD & DRINK • A German Friendship Dinner will be held on Thursday, March 7, at Folkmoot in Waynesville. 452.2997. • Bosu’s Wine Shop in Waynesville will host five for $5

• A free wine tasting will be held from 2-5 p.m. on Feb. 23 and March 2 at Papou’s Wine Shop in Sylva. www.papouswineshop.com or 631.3075. • Leap Frog Tours and Spriggly’s Beescaping will offer the “Pint & Pollinator Tour” from 1-4 p.m. every Friday in February and March. $75 Tour starts at Asheville Museum of Science and ends at Whistle Stop Brewing Company. Cost: $85 for adults; $75 for children. Tickets include educational talks, seed bombs, museum admission, one drink and transportation. Leapfrogtours.com or 246.6777. • “Brown Bag at the Depot” – an opportunity to gather with neighbors – is at noon every Friday at Sylva’s newest park at the corner of Spring and Mill Street along Railroad Ave. For info, contact Paige Dowling at townmanager@townofsylva.org. • Graceann’s Amazing Breakfast is 8-10 a.m. every Tuesday in the Sapphire Room at the Sapphire Valley Community Center. $8.50 for adults; $5 for children. Includes coffee and orange juice. 743.7663. • Free cooking demonstrations will be held from 5-7 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. • A game day will occur from 2-9 p.m. every third Saturday of the month at Papou’s Wine Shop & Bar in Sylva. Bring dice, cards or board games. 586.6300. • A wine tasting will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. on Wednesdays The Classic Wineseller in Waynesville. Free with dinner ($15 minimum). 452.6000.

ON STAGE & IN CONCERT • Mad Batter Food & Film host free live music on every 2nd and 4th Tuesday from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Located in beautiful downtown Sylva. 586.3555. • The United States Navy Band will perform at 7:30 p.m. on Feb. 21 at the Bardo Arts Center at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee. • Country music singer Jay Allen will perform at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 22, at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts in Franklin. This benefit concert has been organized by Franklin High School’s Future Business Leaders of America as part of their community service project. Tickets are $10 per student and $20 per adult. To purchase tickets, click on www.greatmountainmusic.com or call 866.273.4615. • Jim Witter will perform musing from the 1960s and ‘70s at 3 p.m. on Feb. 23 at the David Orr Belcher College of Fine and Performing Arts in Cullowhee. 227.2505 or bardoartscenter.wcu.edu. • The Highlands Performing Arts Center will present the National Theatre of London’s production of “The Madness of King George III” live via satellite at 1 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 23. Tickets are available online at www.highlandspac.org or at the door. • American singer-songwriter Will Johnson will be featured as part of the UNC Asheville Visiting Writers Series at 7 p.m. on March 5, at UNC Asheville. English.unca.edu.

Smoky Mountain News

• 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.

• A free wine tasting will be held from 1-5 p.m. on Feb. 23 and March 2 at Bosu Wine Shop in Waynesville. 452.0120 or www.waynesvillewine.com.

February 20-26, 2019

• Registration is underway for Lake Junaluska’s Winter Youth Retreats, which are held from December through February in Haywood County for middle school and high school youth groups. Two-night events start at $186 per person; three-night events start at $249 per person. To register or view schedule, including speakers, band and entertainers: www.lakejunaluska.com/winteryouth. Register: 800.222.4930.

Wine Tasting from 5 to 9 p.m. on Feb. 21 and Feb. 28. Come taste five magnificent wines and dine on Chef Stacy’s gourmet cuisine. 452.0120 or www.waynesvillewine.com.

wnc calendar

• Western Carolina University will host prospective students and their families during an open house starting at 8:15 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 23, in Cullowhee. Preregistration: openhouse.wcu.edu or 227.7317.

• The Darren Nicholson Band will perform bluegrass from 8-11 a.m. on March 9 at The Strand in Waynesville. 38main.com. • Highlands Performing Arts Center will have dinner theater performances scheduled on March 21-23 and 28-30; and the full-length play “Calendar Girls” by Tim Firth, set for May 23-26 and May 31-June 2. Highlandscashiersplayers.org.

wnc calendar

• Darren Nicholson & Marc Pruett will perform on Thursday, March 21, at Folkmoot in Waynesville. 452.2997.

donate, please bring it by the library or call them at 586.2016, dduffy@fontanalib.org and www.fontanalib.org.

• Southern Storytellers Series will feature Bob Plott on Thursday, March 28, at Folkmoot in Waynesville. 452.2997.

• One Heart Singing’s winter term is through April 10 at 89 Sierra Lane in Franklin. No audition or need to read music. Try two sessions before committing. Meets from 6:30-8 p.m. on Wednesdays. Info: 524.3691 or 360.1920.

CLASSES AND PROGRAMS • A variety of dance classes ranging from foxtrot and waltz to rumba and cha cha – as well as East Coast Swing and Salsa – are taught at multiple times and days weekly at Folkmoot Center and Waynesville Wellness. $10 per activity per person. No partner or experience necessary. For dates and times, and to RSVP, 316.1344 or dancetonightwaynesville@gmail.com.

• Artwork by Maryellen Tully will be on display in the Macon County Public Library during the month of February. Tully creates 2D work in watercolors, acrylics, oils, dyese, 3D work in clay, metal, glass and found objects.

• Watercolor classes are set for 1:30 p.m. every third Saturday at the Creative Thought Center on Pigeon Street in Waynesville. Cost: $25 or $20 if you bring your own equipment. theHouseArtist@gmail.com.

• The Haywood County Arts Council (HCAC) in Waynesville will be kicking off the new year with a variety packed show filled with the original art of 28 local artists.

• The Dave Drake Studio Barn offers a variety of ceramic and raku classes by appointment as well as weekly drawing, writers and community knitters groups. Info: 787.2865.

The “2019 Juried Artist Exhibit” will run through Feb. 23. Each of the exhibiting artists went through an extensive jury process and are delighted to have their work in the gallery. The HCAC believes that original art by local artisans can be both affordable and collectable. www.haywoodarts.org.

• Second Saturday Markets take place at 5:30 p.m. at Folkmoot in Waynesville. Info: https://tinyurl.com/yaa6soor. • The Bascom’s Photography Club meeting will be held from 5:30-7 p.m. on Feb. 20, at the library in Highlands. Featuring Dylan Lytle as guest speaker. www.dylanlytlephotography.com. 787.2865.

February 20-26, 2019

• Jackson County Cooperative Extension will offer a “Stampin’ Up!” card-making class at 10 a.m. on Thursday, Feb. 21, in Sylva. Register: 586.4009.

Smoky Mountain News

GALLERIES

• Haywood Community College is currently hosting a Professional Crafts Faculty Exhibition in the Mary Cornwell Gallery on campus in Clyde. Through April, the public is invited to view the exhibition 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday. There will be a talk with the artists at 4 p.m. Wednesday, March 27. 565.4240 or clschulte@haywood.edu.

• “Dancing Through the Ages” classes will be held at 10:30 a.m. Feb. 22 at the Macon County Public Library in Franklin. Join dance instructor Jada Bryson for a beginner dance class focusing on Baroque, Waltz, and English Country styles. They will host a grand winter ball at 7 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 23. Everyone is welcome to participate. Partner and/or friend participation is encouraged, but not necessary.

• The exhibit “Outspoken: Paintings by America Meredith” will be on display through May 3 at the Fine Art Museum Gallery B in the Bardo Arts Center at Western Carolina University. The WCU Fine Art Museum is free and open to the public from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday. Free parking is available on site. www.facebook.com/americameredithart.

• Fiber Sunday is set for 2-5 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 24, in Room 104 of the Cowee School Heritage Center in Franklin. Bring a textile project you are working on. Info: 349.3878 or bouchonnet@coweetextiles.com.

• The Western Carolina University Fine Art Museum at Bardo Arts Center is pleased to present the School of Art and Design Faculty Biennial Exhibition 2019, on display through May 3. All WCU Fine Art Museum exhibitions and receptions are free and open to the public. For further information, visit arts.wcu.edu/biennial or 227.3591.

• Ballroom Dance Lessons will be offered from 6-7:30 p.m. on Mondays through Feb. 25 at Folkmoot in Waynesville. $10 per class. Register: 452.2997. Info: dancetonightwaynesville@gmail.com.

ART SHOWINGS AND

• Paint & Pour night by Appalachian Art Farm will be hosted by Mad Batter Food & Film in downtown Sylva at 6:30 p.m. on March 5. Price for all supplies & class is $25. RSVP via Facebook. 586.3555. • “Needmore: A River Community in the 1920s” will be the top of for the March 7 meeting of the Swain County Genealogical and Historical Society. Meeting is at 6:30 p.m. on March 7 at the Swain County Regional Business Education and Training Center, 45 East Ridge Drive in Bryson City. www.swaingenealogy.com. • Beginning in March, the Jackson County Public Library in Sylva will be starting craft therapy. This get-together will be the first Tuesday of each month from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. It will take place in the Atrium at the library. Craft therapy is an evening of up-cycle crafting at the library. Drop in for the whole session or as long as you would like. Each month will have a different theme the library will supply tools and materials that you may need to create something within that theme. If you have anything craft/art related to

• The Western Carolina University Fine Art Museum at Bardo Arts Center will have a yearlong exhibition on “Defining America” through May 3 in Cullowhee. Info: 227.ARTS or bardoartscenter.wcu.edu. • The Haywood County Arts Council and Haywood County Public Library are presenting works from the following artists at the following locations through March: Russell Wyatt and Ashley Calhoun at the Canton Library and Patty Coulter, Linda Blount, Jason Woodard and Molly Harrington-Weaver at the Waynesville Library. • Through April 26, Western Carolina University’s Mountain Heritage Center is hosting an exhibit to commemorate World War I and the centennial of the end of hostilities. “I Want You! How World War I Transformed Western North Carolina” is on display in the museum’s first floor gallery in Cullowhee. 227.7129. • Entries are being accepted for The Bascom’s 2019 Member Show: “Rhythm Systems: Nature and Geometry.” Exhibition will be on display from June 15July 21. www.thebascom.org or 787.2878.

FILM & SCREEN • “Bohemian Rhapsody” will be shown at 7 p.m. on Feb. 20 at The Strand on Main in Waynesville. See website 38main.com for tickets. • “A Star is Born”, will be shown at 7:30 p.m. on Feb. 21, 23 & March 2, and 6:30 p.m. on Feb. 22 at Mad Batter Food & Film in Sylva. Free. 586.3555. • A screening of the film “Race – The Power of an Illusion” will be offered at 6 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 25, in Room 130 of the Bardo Arts Center in Cullowhee. Part of Western Carolina University’s observation of Black History Month. 227.2683 or cholder@wcu.edu. • “Can you ever Forgive me?”, will be shown at 7:30 p.m. on Feb. 28 at Mad Batter Food & Film in Sylva. Free. 586.3555. • “Bohemian Rhapsody”, will be shown at 7:30 p.m. on 7:30 p.m. March 7 at Mad Batter Food & Film in Sylva. Free. 586.3555. • “Green Book”, will be shown at 7:30 p.m. on March 14 at Mad Batter Food & Film in Sylva. Free. 586.3555. • Free movies are shown every Thursday, Friday and Saturday at Mad Batter Food & Film in Sylva. See website for listings and times at madbatterfoodandfilm.com.

Outdoors

23-24 at the Nantahala Outdoor Center near Bryson City. Slalom and downriver. Preregister for $30: www.paddleguru.com. Onsite registration: $35.

FARM AND GARDEN • The annual Haywood County Extension Master Gardener plant sale is underway through Feb. 25. Orders must be pre-paid. Pick up an order form at Cooperative Extension Office in Waynesville, call 456.3575 or mgarticles@charter.net. • A class on “Growing Shiitake Mushrooms” is set for 9 a.m.-1 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 26, at the Macon County Environmental Resource Center in Franklin Preregistration required: 349.2046. Cost: $15. • The N.C. Cooperative Extension Service will hold a seminar on establishing and maintaining a strawberry, blackberry and raspberry patch from 6-8 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 26, at the Swain Extension Center on 60 Almond School Road in Bryson City. • The Smoky Mountain Beekeepers Association will host a daylong course in beekeeping for beginners from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. on Saturday, March 2, at the Swain County Extension/SCC Swain Center at 60 Almond Road in Bryson city. Preregistration: $25. At the door: $30. Info: 736.1340 or tribalmedic129@gmail.com. • Orders are being accepted through March 8 for the Macon County 4-H club’s annual plant sale. Order forms: https://tinyurl.com/y4pjakzy. Info: 349.2046. • The annual Haywood County Extension Master Gardener plant sale has been extended to March 11. Order forms available at the Cooperative Extension Office on Raccoon Road in Waynesville, call 456.3575 or write: mgarticles@charter.net.

• A recreational racing program for skiers and snowboarders of all abilities will run from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. on non-holiday Saturdays through the end of the season. Cost: $10 for two runs or $20 for unlimited pass. Lift ticket or season pass required. Register: www.nastar.com.

• Local farmers can stop by the Cooperative Extension Office on Acquoni Road from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. every fourth Friday to learn about USDA Farm Service Agency programs in the 2014 Farm Bill. Info: 488.2684, ext. 2 (Wednesday through Friday) or 524.3175, ext. 2 (Monday through Wednesday).

• Registration is underway for the Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project’s annual Business of Farming Conference, which is from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. on Feb. 23 at the AB Tech Conference Center in Asheville. Cost: $75 before Feb. 1; $95 after. Register: https://asapconnections.org or 236.1282.

• The Macon County Poultry Club of Franklin meets at 7 p.m. on the third Tuesday of each month at the Cooperative Extension Office on Thomas Heights Rd, Open to the public. 369.3916.

• The International Fly-Fishing Film Festival is set for 7 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 23, at the Quinn Movie Theater in Sylva. Short and feature-length professional films. Hosted by Tuckaseigee chapter of Trout Unlimited. Tickets: $15, available at Tuckasegee Fly Shop in Sylva and Bryson City and at the door.

• The Nantahala Hiking Club will take a moderate sixmile hike with an elevation change of 520 feet on Saturday, Feb. 23, from Warwoman Dell to Martin Creek Falls. Info and reservations: 369.7352.

• Science Café will be hosted by Mad Batter Food & Film in downtown Sylva at 6 p.m. on Feb. 27. Come learn about ocean warming & Earth’s Greatest Mass Extinction. 586.3555. • Learn how to safely roll a kayak at 7:30-8:45 p.m. on Feb. 27 at the Waynesville Recreation Center. Free for members; daily fee charged to nonmembers. tommac207@bellsouth.net. • Cataloochee Ski Area will offer a reduced rate for military personnel and their families from Thursday through Friday, Feb. 28-March 1, in Maggie Valley. www.cataloochee.com. • Learn how to safely store your food in the backcountry with a workshop from 6:30-8:30 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 28, at REI in Asheville. $15 for members; $35 for nonmembers. Register: www.rei.com/events. • Registration is underway for a winter-plant identification workshop that will be held on Saturday, Feb. 29, at Macon County’s Serpentine Barrens. Cost: $65 (includes lunch). www.alarkaexpeditions.com.

COMPETITIVE EDGE • The Nantahala Racing Club Glacier Breaker is Feb.

HIKING CLUBS

• The Nantahala Hiking Club will take a moderate-tostrenuous 9.2-mile hike with an elevation change of 800 feet on Saturday, Feb. 23, on the Cataloochee Divide. Info and reservations: 456.8895. • The Nantahala Hiking Club will take a moderate 4.5-mile hike on Saturday, Feb. 24, in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Info and reservations: 788.2985. • Carolina Mountain Club will take a 9.5-mile hike with a 2,500-foot ascent on Feb. 24 from Good Road to Bald Knob. Info and reservations: 275.6447 or ejb5711@gmail.com. • Carolina Mountain Club will have a four-mile hike with a 600-foot ascent on Sunday, Feb. 24 to Wintergreen Falls. Info and reservations: 384.4870 or stuengo@comporium.net.

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.

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

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SUPER

CROSSWORD

BANDS TOGETHER ACROSS 1 Not meant to be heard by the audience, in a way 8 Blend in 13 Maker of stringed instruments 20 Author Huffington 21 Nary a soul 22 In a group 23 Give a nonnative a smooch? 25 Causes of sudden fear 26 Env. alerter 27 Small drink 28 Make up for 29 Defeat Dorothy’s dog decisively? 34 Trip to an underworld river? 39 Singer Buddy 40 Egg 42 Stools, say 43 Actress Mendes 44 Certain Siouan 45 “The Jerk” actor M. -Walsh 47 “Well well!” 48 Use a pool 49 Specialty of Windy City bakeries? 52 Uses Dixie diction 54 Door turner 55 Expire, as a subscription 59 Ballpark fig. 60 New princess of ‘81 63 One who doesn’t succumb to a potent toxin? 68 Clean energy org. 69 Bombard with e-junk 71 “Zip- -- -Doo-Dah” 72 Hard wood 73 Glorious state of bliss?

79 Military units 82 Prefix with hazard 83 Achieve 84 Obi-Wan Kenobi, e.g. 85 Rob 88 Desert haven mentioned in the first book of the Bible? 94 Guitars’ kin, for short 95 Actor Rob 99 Bits of matter 100 Car for a VIP 101 Mr., in India 102 Have a cow, with “out” 103 Ltr. insert 104 Arrangement 105 Ruler of the Sunflower State? 108 Palpitation? 111 Menu fish 112 Audiotapes’ successors 114 Cato’s 1,052 115 Main female character 118 Stuff hauled by Beantown trash collectors? 124 Not ceasing 125 Homer work 126 St.- -- (capital of Loire) 127 Mice and whales, e.g. 128 “The Rose” singer Midler 129 Plunder DOWN 1 Hard wood 2 Wk. day 3 Hi- -- (old LP players) 4 Moms 5 Notoriety 6 Noted berry farm founder 7 Turn a deaf -- (ignore) 8 Musical artist DiFranco

9 Barking pets 10 Doctrine that reality is one organic whole 11 Ham-handed 12 Gen -13 Certain boxing punch 14 Not firmly implanted 15 Pre-liftoff term 16 Jenna Bush -17 “Kinda” suffix 18 Ballpark fig. 19 Scale notes 24 Lay to rest 28 Skating leap 29 Ice cream flavor, briefly 30 Writer Philip 31 H.G. Wells race 32 Smart- -- (cocky) 33 At an end 35 Fashion inits. 36 Synthpop artist, say 37 Sinister 38 They may be candied 41 Wombs 45 Self-conceit 46 Unruly crowd 47 Social Security fig., e.g. 48 Delhi dress 50 Not only that 51 Vienna loc. 53 Crank (up) 56 -- upswing 57 Meat stamp letters 58 Wk. day 60 The, in Paris 61 “The Simpsons” store clerk 62 Work at as a dilettante 63 Breathe hard 64 Leave out 65 Intermission 66 Bullfight cry 67 Apt. units 70 Stew veggie

74 Eye covers 75 Bettor’s note 76 Tatty clothes 77 Strive (for) 78 U.N.’s Kofi 80 Hubbub 81 Call placer 84 Actor Parsons 85 Corn cover 86 Stew veggie 87 Part of PIN 89 Carve 90 Somber 91 In -- (as found) 92 Don of radio 93 Last year’s frosh 96 “Part II” films 97 Tightly strung 98 Squeak (out) 102 Cereal meal 103 Breaks up 104 Add to the batter, say 106 Charge at 107 School, in Nice 109 Writer Horatio 110 Calf catcher 113 ESPN datum 115 -- and haw 116 Greek vowel 117 Dream-time acronym 118 Baby’s wear 119 Lyric tribute 120 Wanna- -- (aspirants) 121 Santa -- (hot wind) 122 Big health supplement chain, familiarly 123 “I see mice!”

ANSWERS ON PAGE 40

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The vireo song means spring is coming BACK THEN watch for insects and keep an eye out for intruders like you and me. Their reputation for aloofness is unwarranted. I have had them follow me along a trail for a short ways. And even though I am a poor whistler they respond when I whistle their song. Probably they want me to pipe down. They are lovers of deep mountain gaps (like Deeplow Gaps above Bryson City in the Smokies) that Columnist enable a bird, in early spring while it’s still cold, to readily follow warm sunlight east to west throughout the day. A month or a little more from now, stop at several overlooks along the Blue Ridge Parkway at between 3,000 and 3,500 feet (Balsam Gap and vicinity would work) and you’ll hear them singing. Which gets us back to their songs. In Birds of the Smokies (1991) my good friend Fred J. Alsop III (ornithologist at East Tennessee State University and the most talented birder I’ve ever been in the field with) described the song in workman-like fashion as “higher and sweeter with longer pauses then the red-eyed vireo.” In A Natural History of American Birds (1939), Edward Forbush described the song as “matchless for the tenderness of its cadence, while in peculiarly happy moments the bird indulges in a continuous warble that is really enchanting.” Forbush’s ability to recognize a “peculiarly happy moment” in a bird’s life is in and of itself endearing. I, too, have supposed that the blue-headed vireo is a happy bird … most of the time. New England naturalist Bradford Torrey visited Highlands in the 1890s to explore the bird life of WNC. He devoted a couple of pages to what he called the “mountain vireo” (i.e., the Appalachian race) in A World of Green Hills: Observations of Nature and Human Nature in the Blue Ridge (1898). (This by the way is a delightful little book, depicting Torrey’s trip by wagon and foot from the rail terminal in South Carolina up to Highlands and on down to Dillsboro, where he caught the train to Asheville and back home.) “The mountain vireo,” wrote Torrey, “was sweet and everything that was beautiful ... there is no bird-song within my acquaintance that excels the bird’s in a certain intimate expressiveness, affectionateness, homefelt happiness and purity.” Now we’re cooking … “home-felt happiness” … amen to that! But the best in descriptive prose is yet to come in F. Schuyler Mathews’ Fieldbook of Wild Birds and Their Music, wherein the author provided hand-drawn musical notations for the bird songs he analyzed like a lit-

Blue-headed vireo. Donated photo

George Ellison

erary critic. For the blue-headed vireo he had this among other things to say: “This bird does not hesitate to do his best with his limited musical score … His music is not remarkable for pitch, precision of intervals or melody; indeed, he is simply an expert in emphatic expression … He may be classed at once among those songsters who can slur over a short passage with MUSIC

C U LT U R E

remarkable skill and leave one in complete mystery as to what tones were given! To this class belong the lazy wood pewee and the somewhat somber meadowlark. But the slur of this vireo is of another nature; like the musical swishing of a whiplash it is fraught with emphasis!” (George Ellison is a naturalist and writer. He can be reached at info@georgeellison.com.)

ADVENTURE

FOOD+DRINK

February 20-26, 2019 Smoky Mountain News

know that spring is really here when I hear the plaintive song of the blue-headed vireo up on the ridge behind the house. It’s February 19 as I write this. Within two weeks or so I’ll be listening to the song of the blue-headed vireo, which goes something like this: Look-up … see-me … overhere … high-er. Or maybe it’s more like this: See-you … cheer-ee-o … be-seein-you … so-long. No one really agrees upon what the bird is saying. And sometimes it seems like he’s making parts up as he goes along. My mnemonic renderings of the notes don’t do the song justice. But they do provide a sense of its structure — which isn’t complicated. Throw in the fact that opening notes are often slurred and things in the musical department don’t sound promising. It’s certainly not overwhelming in the manner of a rose-breasted grosbeak’s arialike renderings. And it’s not intricate and long like the crystalline song of a winter wren. But it is perfectly delightful ... so much so that all winter I’ve been looking forward to hearing it again. Musically inclined ornithologists have vied with one another for more than a century in an attempt to capture its essence. Before we sample some of those efforts, here’s some background for the benefit of those not already acquainted with the bird. The word “vireo” means “green.” Vireos are stocky, strong-legged, hook-billed birds that otherwise resemble warblers. There are nine vireo species in eastern North America. Of these, four are breeding residents of Western North Carolina: blue-headed, white-eyed, yellow-throated and red-eyed. Up until 1997 many reading this column knew what is now called the “blue-headed vireo” as the “solitary vireo.” That was the year the American Ornithologists Union made the decision — based on molecular genetic studies — that instead of three subspecies in the Solitary Vireo Group there were actually three distinct species. Not everyone agreed with that decision, but the AOU “split” the species and in the process changed the official common name of one of them from “solitary” to “blue-headed.” To make things even more interesting there are two races of blue-headed vireo: the Northern and the Appalachian. Ours, of course, is the latter — which is darker and thicker-billed. Some vireo species like the “red-eyed” winter as far south as the Amazon River Basin. The Appalachian race of the blueheaded vireo is, however, relatively hardy and winters along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts on into Florida; which is why they’re able to return so early each year and thereby extend their breeding seasons. They nest from the highest elevations down to about 2,000 feet. In the lower elevations the bird is often associated with eastern hemlock. In open hardwood settings, it moves gracefully but deliberately from limb to limb, turning its head from side to side to

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