Smoky Mountain News | February 23, 2022 by Smoky Mountain News

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February 23-March 1, 2022 Vol. 23 Iss. 39

Questions surround Our Place Inn death Page 4 Tribe eyes deal with French theme park entity Page 11

CONTENTS On the Cover: Some refer to WNC as the buckle of the Bible Belt, and it’s true that mainstream Christian denominations dominate religious life in the mountains. Look just a little below the surface, however, and you’ll discover a lively religious diversity that many likely didn’t know existed in this region. (Page 6-10)

News Some details emerge, but mystery surrounds Our Place Inn death ....................4 Tribe eyes partnership with French theme park entity ............................................11 WNC schools getting rid of masks..............................................................................13 Covid rates decreasing around the region ................................................................15 Haywood discusses debt, finances and capital needs..........................................16

Editorial Forest Service and partners have a grand opportunity ..........................................18 It’s OK to live in the past and present ........................................................................19

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

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A&E New Scottish pub opens to enthusiastic crowds....................................................20 Pancakes, with a side of ‘Craft & Culture’..................................................................27

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February 23-March 1, 2022

Momentum builds for Ela Dam removal ......................................................................28

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news February 23-March 1, 2022

Kitty (left) and Cody Currin stand outside their Maggie Valley motel on May 24, 2021. Jeffrey Delannoy photo

Some details emerge, but questions remain in Maggie Valley motel death T T M

BY CORY VAILLANCOURT POLITICS E DITOR ore than a week after an unattended death was reported at Maggie Valley’s Our Place Inn, law enforcement officials still haven’t released any details on the incident, but one of the motel’s owners has revealed the identity of the deceased. Motel owner Cody Currin placed a call to The Smoky Mountain News on Feb. 15, around six hours after unsubstantiated reports of an incident began circulating, saying his wife Catherine Bryanna “Kitty” Currin’s “demons had gotten the best of her,” and that he wanted to clear up rumors that had spread through this small community in the immediate aftermath. Cody later declined to participate in an interview about his wife’s death, which wouldn’t likely have drawn much attention but for the couple’s highly visible — and highly controversial — advocacy for police reform and unsheltered persons over the past two years. Now, as some on social media point fingers, others gloat over the death of someone with whom they disagreed politically, leav4 ing a community waiting for answers.

Smoky Mountain News

attendance were clearly overmatched, and throughout the day officers from the Town of Waynesville as well as Haywood County sheriff ’s deputies trickled onto on the scene, trying to help keep the peace — and succeeding. However, counterdemonstrators weren’t prevented from clogging the parking lot of town hall, from whence the march had commenced. When the march concluded, dozens of angry counterdemonstrators were waiting for the marchers to return and confronted them over several hours, leading to ugly exchanges and law enforcement officers standing between the two groups to prevent physical contact. Representatives from the march said that due to the visceral reaction they’d provoked, they’d be back again in the coming weeks, prompting an outcry from merchants who complained that the march had disrupted commerce and cast the town in a negative light. Maggie Valley government responded to the harrowing events of July 18 by holding a special meeting on July 30, during which Mayor Mike Eveland said that the march was “chaotic and grossly confrontational.” A series of unconstitutional measures proposed by members of the public — meant to tamp down on protests — were rejected by town attorney Craig Justus. Several public safety-oriented restrictions were enacted by unanimous vote of the board of aldermen restricting the size, shape and materials that can be used for signs and flagpoles. Kitty Currin walked into the special meeting and lauded the police, telling aldermen that police “ … need tools to keep the peace, and this [restriction] is a tool to help them keep the peace.”

he story goes back to 2016, when Cody acquired the Applecover Inn after being badly burned by a campfire there a few years prior. The court found that a negligence lawsuit against the owners of the inn was properly served, but the owners never responded to the suit, so a default judgement of $1.5 million was entered on behalf of Cody, who took possession of the inn as satisfaction of the judgement. Kitty and Cody soon moved in and began operating the rebranded Our Place Inn, but the couple first garnered notice in October 2019 when they established a “little free pantry” on the property. Basically a walk-in shed, the pantry was stocked with canned goods, non-perishables like rice and pasta, and occasionally fresh vegetables as well as clothing for the needy. “It’s a small rural town, but because it’s a vacation town there’s a really big wealth inequality gap. We have people that have their second vacation homes here, and we have people that don’t have a home but live here full time,” Kitty told The Smoky Mountain News at the time.

That pantry caught the eye of neighbors, as well as Maggie Valley town government, because it didn’t meet town ordinances for such a structure. Eventually, it was removed from the property in favor of a large travel trailer, however the Currins said they still felt they were being harassed due to their status as young people and newcomers to this tight-knit, tourism-driven community. The next year, while the nation grappled with the Coronavirus Pandemic as well as the Black Lives Matter movement following the murder of Minneapolis resident George Floyd at the hands of police, the Currins were at the center of controversy when they played a role in not one but two separate marches through the heart of Maggie Valley. The first, on July 18, 2020, nearly turned violent, but not due to the actions of the 30 or so demonstrators who showed up in support of BLM; hundreds of counterdemonstrators got wind of the action and lined Soco Road along the planned route of the march, waving “Trump 2020” signs, hurling racial slurs, spitting on marchers and threatening local media. The few Maggie Valley police officers in

he second march, which took place two days after the town meeting, was bigger and louder than the previous march, but was far less chaotic and confrontational because one lane on Soco Road was closed to traffic, providing more distance between opposing camps. The Currins’ motel served as an unofficial base for pro-BLM demonstrators during both events. No arrests or injuries were observed during either protest; however, it wouldn’t be long before Kitty went from lauding law enforcement in a town meeting to loathing them in an even more tangible way. Almost a year later, the Currins found themselves at the center of a bigger controversy when in early May they used the marquee out in front of their business to advance a vulgar, sweeping generalization of law enforcement officers — the acronym “ACAB.” “ACAB, referring to the slogan ‘All Cops Are Bastards,’” Kitty told National Public Radio on May 29, 2021. “Do I believe that every single individual cop as a person is a bastard? I don’t believe in judging the individuals themselves. They might be perfectly fine individuals, but once they put on that uniform, they’re not just an individual. They are representative of a system that is faulty.”

Currins were issued a ticket, and there was also what Kitty said was a confrontational encounter with officers of the Maggie Valley Police Department that she said she’d recorded. In the intervening months, Kitty and Cody again found themselves in the public eye when it was revealed that the Town of Waynesville’s new policy of funding overnight motel stays for unhoused persons involved Our Place Inn. The policy, and the payments to Our

“We know the public want to know more, which is why we are moving quickly to gather facts. The most professional response is to take time to thoroughly investigate this incident.”

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Cody echoed his wife’s sentiments. “When one police officer abuses authority or misuses the trust of the community and a 99 other police officers don’t stick up or say anything about it, then in my opinion, all 100 are responsible for the misuse of authority,” he said. The marquee message came at a time when a national conversation over police reform was taking place, but some in the community thought it was a step too far; it prompted outrage across Haywood County

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as well as messages of support for law enforcement on business marquees in Canton, Clyde and Waynesville, as well as in the valley. It also prompted violent threats to the Currins’ personal and professional social media accounts, including one in particular that Kitty shared with The Smoky Mountain News at the time:

hroughout the period of their advocacy the Currins complained repeatedly about what they felt was increasing scrutiny, both from law enforcement and from the community at large. There was another zoning dispute of sorts, over a compost heap, in which the

written by Ingles Dietitian Leah McGrath LEAH’S LIST OF BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS One of my “Pandemic Positives” has been reading more non-fiction books. Pre-Pandemic I’d describe my reading habits as “escapism”; I’d look for fiction, biographies and mysteries to distract me from a busy schedule of travel, speaking and writing. Since the start of the Pandemic I’ve gravitated to trying to learn more about different topics: food, hunger, health, thinking, behavior… Here are some recommendation for anyone who might be interested in learning a little more about food and nutrition. (for the full list of my “top 12” see my medium.com post: Books of 2020-2021. One of my “Pandemic Positives” has been… | by Leah McGrath | Dec, 2021 | Medium) 1. “Calories and Corsets: A history of dieting over 2,000 years” Louise Foxcroft — “New diets come and go but they’re always rehashed from the past…” 2. “The American Plate: A Culinary History in 100 Bites” Libby H. O’Connell — “Our food decisions impact not only our own lives, but the lives of people everywhere and for generations to come.” 3. “Gulp: Adventures on the Alimentary Canal” Mary Roach — “Those who know the human gut intimately see beauty, not only in its sophistication but in its inner landscapes and architecture.” 4. “Hunger: An Unnatural History” Sharman Apt Russell — “Appetite is desire, born of biology, molded by experience and culture.” 5. “Ending Hunger: The Quest to Feed the World Without Destroying It” Anthony Warner — “…it would be a brutally dystopian future if every time we gathered to eat, we had to consult some sort of algorithm to assess the impact of our diet upon the planet.” 6. “Consider the Fork: A History of How We Cook and Eat” Bee Wilson- “Good cooking is a precise chemical undertaking. The difference between a truly great dinner and an indifferent one may be 30 seconds and ¼ of a teaspoon of salt.” 7. “Food Isn’t Medicine: Challenge Nutrib*llocks and Escape the Diet Trap” Dr. Joshua Wolrich — “The misconception that food is medicine makes it easier to believe that alot of the nutribollocks could be true…”

Leah McGrath, RDN, LDN

Smoky Mountain News

After receiving an anonymous tip, the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Charlotte field office visited the Currins to discuss the threats, out of an abundance of caution. In response to the sign, a large and peaceful “Back the Blue” picnic was held by private parties in a public park just a few weeks after the message first appeared, and just a few hundred feet from the Our Place Inn. “The purpose of today is not political in any way,” organizer Steven Rich told the crowd. “The purpose of today is not to walk down the sidewalk to that hotel and wave flags. It’s not about them. We don’t need to respond to them, they have enough problems of their own.” At the same time, the Currins held a small, uneventful gathering of their own at Our Place Inn. The “ACAB” message on the Currins’ motel, and variations of it, remained throughout the rest of 2021 and into 2022, but as of Feb. 16 – the day after police showed up to investigate the death – the marquee stood blank.

Ingles Nutrition Notes

February 23-March 1, 2022

You’re f—-ing dead. I see that you posted ‘ACAB’ on your advertising billboard. Well, I for one hope you have someone rob you at gunpoint, rape your women, beat the hell out of any kids you have and then shoot your idiot ass and not one of those police ‘bastards’ you hate does a thing to protect your sorry ass.

Place Inn in particular, drew regular and vehement opposition from a small but vocal minority of citizens during recent Waynesville public comment sessions. In mentioning his wife’s so-called “demons,” Cody did say that Kitty had been diagnosed with mental illness, but he also mentioned the relentless threats and ridicule the couple endured. Facebook posts on a local blog reporting the unattended death say that “God handled it,” while suggesting that police should just “bag and tag the body and move on” and that the Currins had “earned” every nasty comment made against them. At the time of his call to The Smoky Mountain News, Cody didn’t confirm that Kitty had died by her own hand; however, a Feb. 17 press release from Maggie Valley Police Chief Russ Gilliland said that the department “does not believe there is a threat to the community from this incident.” What the press release didn’t say was that the State Bureau of Investigation had since become involved with the investigation. Gilliland confirmed on Feb. 18 that the SBI was there to assist, and that the SBI has forensic capabilities beyond those of the Maggie Valley Police Department. The release also didn’t name the victim or indicate a manner of death, be it natural, suicide, homicide or misadventure. “We know the public want to know more, which is why we are moving quickly to gather facts,” Gilliland wrote in the release. “The most professional response is to take time to thoroughly investigate this incident.” A message left for Cody Currin on Feb. 21 was returned by Waynesville attorney Josh Nielsen, who said he’d advised Cody not to speak on the matter until the investigation had concluded. Nielsen said it was his first time representing Currin, who’s appeared in court numerous times over small civil matters. Chief Gilliland and the SBI confirmed that when official details of the Feb. 15 incident at Our Place Inn are released, they’ll come from the Maggie Valley Police Department.

Ingles Market Corporate Dietitian

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

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Synagogue leaders sound the shofar during service. Mountain Synagogue photo

Smoky Mountain News

February 23-March 1, 2022

The symbol of Religious Science is painted on the rear wall of the Creative Thought Center sanctuary, surrounded by the symbols of religions from around the world. Kim Walzer photo

Keeping the faith Religious diversity flourishes in the mountains ne need look only to the hundreds of churches in Western North Carolina to see that the people of Southern Appalachia are especially devout in their religious practices. But those houses of worship don’t necessarily paint the whole picture. Not long after the turn of the 20th century, naturalist/adventurer Horace Kephart made a series of observations on religion in his seminal 1913 book, “Our Southern Highlanders.” “The mountaineers are intensely, universally Protestant,” Kephart writes. “You will seldom find a backwoodsman who knows what a Roman Catholic is.” Indeed, Kephart’s words still ring true today. The overwhelming majority of churches in the region follow Baptist or Methodist theology, however as population demographics change due to the influx of new residents from other parts of the country or world, so too change the nature of the denominations. Now, there’s a surprising array of religious diversity in these mountains, often hidden in plain sight. Jewish and Islamic congregations, both from the Abrahamic tradition that includes Christianity, are thriving. Orthodox Christianity is also represented, as are nonwestern and new-age faiths. It’s not that these congregations are without challenges — attracting new members, engaging with their communities, even ensuring the security of their congregants during worship — but as they continue to establish and expand their presence here, they’re also redefining what “keeping the faith” means to modern mountain folk.

Mountain Synagogue Jewish community growing in WNC BY HANNAH MCLEOD STAFF WRITER here aren’t many synagogues in Western North Carolina, just one west of Asheville. Mountain Synagogue in Franklin is a community of Jews practicing their faith in the All Saints Episcopal Church of Franklin. And as with most Jewish communities around the world, safety is top priority. With approximately 150 members, the congregation sees a substantial influx of practitioners during the summer months when many seek shelter from the sweltering heat of Florida in the cooler mountains of Western North Carolina. While the seasons may bring a differing number of people through Mountain Synagogue’s doors, the congregation is growing. “We’re growing,” said Harvey Morse, President of the Board of Directors for Mountain Synagogue. “Not in leaps and bounds, but we are definitely growing and we are very happy to see that happen.” According to Morse, while some new members are completely new to Judaism, many are adults who are reentering the faith of their childhood. “We are seeing a lot of adult Bar and Bat Mitzvahs,” said Morse. “Which is the coming of age that normally takes place when a person turns 13. We are having a resurrection of people that were unable to get Bar or Bat Mitzvahed when they were 13, but now have decided to reconnect with Judaism and are going through the training and everything else to accomplish that later in life.”

Morse sees two reasons for the trend. For one, as people age they tend to want to reconnect with their heritage and religion — deepening their understanding of self. On the other hand, people are aware of the latest surge in anti-Semitic sentiment and violence around the world. “They just wanna be able to have a voice in what is happening rather than just being a passive member,” said Morse. “They wanna be proud of their religion and their heritage. So they take the extra steps to learn what they need to do religiously and ritually to become Bar or Bat Mitzvahed.” That surge in anti-Semitic sentiment and violence has not spared the Jewish community in Western North Carolina. According to Morse, during the pandemic a synagogue in Asheville was hit with flyers saying that Jews were responsible for COVID-19. To protect from this atmosphere of hatred, Morse and other Jewish leaders are part of the Western North Carolina Jewish Security Task Force. Alan Escovitz serves as the convener for the task force, which is made up of representatives from Mountain Synagogue in Franklin, three synagogues in Asheville and one in Hendersonville. Both Escovitz and Morse serve on security committees at their respective synagogues in addition to being part of the task force. For security reasons, the men were reluctant to share too much information regarding the task force. “We share information among our group, have monthly meetings, and we address issues of anti-Semitism in our communities and security and safety issues,” said Escovitz.

S EE SYNAGOGUE, PAGE 9

The Creative Thought Center For many, the final step on a spiritual journey BY HANNAH MCLEOD STAFF WRITER n Sunday morning, silence falls in the Creative Thought Center, save the voice of Kim May as she leads her congregation through a meditation. This week she’s brought in a pad of sticky notes for each member containing 16 different affirmations. Members are directed to flip to one at random and ruminate on the affirmation during meditation. I flip to a page that says “I am where I am and that’s OK. I know how to get to where I want to be. I reach for relief.”

he Creative Thought Center is an interfaith community in Waynesville. The core of its teaching is based in “The Science of Mind,” a work by New Thought writer, teacher and leader Ernest Holmes (1887-1960). However, The Creative Thought center explores the truths they see permeating many of the world’s great spiritual traditions. The bottom line? “We embrace all philosophies that do not cause harm to others or the earth.” Ernest Holmes wrote “The Science of Mind” in 1926. In the book, Holmes explores his belief that God is a never-ending energy source that is present throughout the universe and in all beings. Through prayer, Holmes believed that people can connect with God and heal spiritual, mental and physical wounds. “God is not ... a person, but a Universal Presence ... already in our own soul, already operating through our own consciousness,” said Holmes. Holmes’ ideas can be understood through the lens of the New Thought Movement, a philosophical school that emerged during the 19th Century which sought to connect science, philosophy and religion. Though “The Science of Mind” is essentially religious theory, Holmes didn’t initially intend for the book to spur a religious denomination. After its publication in 1927, Holmes established the Institute of Religious Science and Philosophy in Los Angeles. However, it wasn’t until 1949 that he reluctantly agreed to the creation of a Religious Science denomination. There are now two branches of Religious Science — The United Church of Religious Science and Religious Science International. One important tenet of Religious Science is the idea that all people are incarnations of God, or the spirit, or the universal force. In this sense, God is a self-knowing power. By recognizing the divine within oneself, people

The front wall of the Creative Thought Center sanctuary is decorated with a landscape mural. Kim Walzer photo

— Practitioner Joan Doyle

explored her path in faith from being raised Presbyterian to eventually finding Religious Science, with many stops in several different denominations and faith organizations along the way. “There is a thread of truth that runs through all religious teachings,” she said. This journey from other faiths to Religious Science is not unique among members at the creative thought center. Both Kim Walzer, President of the Board of Trustees of the center, and Joan Doyle, board trustee and practitioner, were born and raised in Catholic families. Eventually, both women found themselves ill at ease with the Catholic church. “To me it felt very divisive,” said Walzer. “It was separating me from people instead of giving me an opportunity to explore my own

spirituality and how I was supposed to move through the world.” “I grew up in Ireland, I went to convent school, boarding school, all of that,” said Joan Doyle. “But about 18, I was like, this is just not my idea of God. My idea of God is so broad and it encompasses everybody. And to say ‘we are the right religion’ was, in my heart

KEEPING THE FAITH and soul, just wrong. I see God as just allencompassing and loving every individual in whatever way he can show up. And how could somebody born in India not get into heaven just because they were of a different faith? It was just wrong to me.” Both these women found Religious Science once they began to look for a deeper spiritual experience. Doyle, as she explored churches while living in Los Angeles, and Walzer after a traumatic change forced her and her husband to uproot their lives and move to Western North Carolina. She happened upon the Creative Thought Center while on a walk one day and knew immediately that it was the place for her. “There is an energy with the center,” said Walzer. “I was looking for something different that was actually going to give me some practical tools to live my life instead of rules and regulations that I didn’t think I fit into anymore. I feel like I was instantly transformed within a couple months of coming there.” Since finding the center, Walzer has had the chance to be on the other side of the door

Smoky Mountain News

ollowing Sunday morning’s meditation, there is time for fellowship. In addition to its sanctuary, the Creative Thought Center has a kitchen area with a long, community table. Between meditation and the start of Sunday service, members can be found drinking tea and coffee and chatting with their community. “There is the atmosphere of unconditional love,” said Practitioner Joan Doyle. Acceptance is huge for members at the center. They are committed to welcoming all people, regardless of sexual orientation, age, faith history or anything else. “It saddens me that we have to list that because I feel like that should just be a given,” said Doyle. “But we have to list the things that divide us. My vision is that we don’t use those words anymore. We don’t have to list.” The center does not currently have a minister, but four of its members are practitioners — members of the congregation trained to guide services and administer Spiritual Mind Treatment — with another member currently undergoing training to become a practitioner. The service that unfolds is one that any Christian church-goer would recognize. First, the practitioner welcomes everyone and leads the congregation in prayer, then song. Then, a practitioner will give the equivalent of a sermon, or a homily. On Sunday, the speaker

“I see God as just allencompassing and loving every individual in whatever way he can show up. And how could somebody born in India not get into heaven just because they were of a different faith? It was just wrong to me”

February 23-March 1, 2022

can draw on its infinite resources through affirmative prayer. Spiritual mind treatment or affirmative prayer is a form of prayer intended to clear thoughts of negation, doubt and fear, and instead perceive the ever-presence of God within oneself.

S EE THOUGHT, PAGE 9 7

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Worshippers celebrate the end of Ramadan (above) in 2017. Islamic Center members serve a meal (below). Donated photos

‘One brotherhood’ Asheville mosque offers rare prayer center for mountain Muslims

Smoky Mountain News

February 23-March 1, 2022

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER n the Muslim faith, corporate prayer is a pillar of the practice — and in Western North Carolina, there’s only one place to observe that rite. The Islamic Center of Asheville is the only house of Muslim prayer within a one-hour radius, drawing more than 100 people every Friday afternoon for the weekly Jummah assembly. Some drive as long as 90 minutes to attend. “As part of the Muslim faith, we are supposed to establish a center for prayer so we can come together wherever we go in the world,” said Timothy Garrett, who serves as khateeb, or pastor, for the congregation. “Unlike Christian faiths, we usually only have one center where everybody comes to.” Though Garrett is a leader in the congregation, he’s also a minority, part of the approximately 15% of its members who were not born into a Muslim household but instead converted to the faith later in life. Now a Canton resident, Garrett is a Florida native who found Islam in 1996 while stationed on a military base in South Korea. He’s been a khateeb for the past six years but first took his post in Asheville in 2020. “The thing that really brought me to Islam is the word ‘Islam’ is a verb rather than a noun,” he said. “And the word ‘Islam’ means to surrender, to submit, and to obey the one who created you, with sincerity.” In Garrett’s view, Islam is the religion that the Middle Eastern prophets at the root of 8 Islam, Judaism and Christianity expressed

before their message “got altered by man.” “All of the prophets, when they got in trouble, they fell on their face and prayed, just like the Muslims still do today,” he said. “And all of the prophets told the people to obey the commandments, not whatever they wanted to do, just like the Muslims are supposed to do today.” Prayer is a vital component of Islamic practice. While the weekly Jummah prayer is the center’s largest regular assembly — analogous to Sunday worship at a Christian church — the center is open for five prayers each day. Exact times vary based on sunrise and sunset, but on Tuesday, Feb. 22, listed times were 5:58 a.m. for Fajr prayer, 7:08 a.m. for sunrise prayer, 12:44 p.m. for Dhuhr prayer, 3:53 p.m. for Asr prayer, 6:19 p.m. for Maghrib prayer, and 7:30 p.m. for Isha prayer.

“Our real purpose is trying to make it to paradise in the next life, and God always wants us to succeed so he has told us to stop five times a day and kind of retune ourselves, remind ourselves why we’re really here,” said Garrett. “It’s not to build an empire here. It’s to try to make sure we have something in the real retirement home.” In addition to prayer, the Islamic center

also offers Wednesday night classes, and it hopes to expand those offerings soon. As khateeb, Garrett serves as a speaker and leader but doesn’t have the kind of formal training and learning needed to be an imam. The congregation expects an imam to arrive on March 3 — someone who has a degree in Islam, is fully trained, and has memorized the entire Koran — at which point Garrett will step aside from many of the duties he’s performing now. “We’re hoping to really expand what we do at the Islamic center in the coming months,” Garrett said. Expanded offerings could include classes in Arabic, memorizing the Koran and basic manners. Despite Islam being a minority religion in the mountains, Garrett said the congregation has received a positive reception from the community in its more than 20 years of existence in Asheville. “Even at 9/11, a lot of the churches stepped up and showed a lot of solidarity for the Muslims during 9/11, and we were really appreciative of that,” he said. “We actually used that as a time to get to know the other religious organizations in our area.” Now, he said, the Islamic Center is collaborating with Christian churches in the city to help settle the Afghani refugees some of those congregations are sponsoring. “From where I’ve been throughout the world, Asheville is an extremely accepting area,” Garrett said. “It’s a very diverse area, and they’re very open. We haven’t gotten a lot of challenges that we haven’t made for ourselves.”

KEEPING THE FAITH These prayers draw much smaller numbers than the Friday assembly, typically only one to five people, said Garrett. It’s hard to rise early enough to attend Fajr or sunrise prayers before work, or to fit the Dhuhr prayer in over a lunch break. “But that’s why they say you do something religiously when you do it constantly,” he said. The regular prayer gatherings serve an important purpose in the Islamic community. “To remind us that we’re all one brotherhood, to remind us that we’re supposed to care about each other and we’re supposed to see each other,” said Garrett. “As people come on a daily basis, you can generally know who’s sick or who’s needy. So it’s supposed to attach us as a unit, as a humanity.” It’s also supposed to offer a consistent, direct connection to God.

“Our real purpose is trying to make it to paradise in the next life, and God always wants us to succeed so he has told us to stop five times a day and kind of retune ourselves, remind ourselves why we’re really here.” — Timothy Garrett, khateeb, Islamic Center of Asheville

SYNAGOGUE, CONTINUED FROM 7

when people discover the Creative Thought Center for the first time. She often hears the phrase, “this is exactly what I was looking for.”

threats of harassment and violence, and the faith communities where so many find spiritual and social connection. “Our role is just to make sure that people can pray in safety and in a secure environment and not have to worry about the outside when they’re there to pray to God,” said Escovitz. Morse admits that the concern for his community’s safety does weigh on him a great deal. But Morse spent his career in law enforcement. He was born into a Jewish family and has been practicing his entire life. His faith is something he is passionate about, and something from which he gains a lot of value. “It gives me a sense of belonging to an affinity group of other Jewish people,” said Morse. “It’s a good feeling. I mean, for some-

Unlike many faiths, evangelism is not a tenet of Religious Science. Centers and practitioners are ready and waiting to welcome new members and explore their spiritual journey but will not try and convince otherwise content beings to walk the path of Religious Science. “Our mission is to provide spiritual tools for personal growth and transformation,” said Walzer. “Our purpose is to support individuals on their journey of self discovery. And our vision is to realize a world where all life thrives. Each one of those really encompasses the individual, instead of the ideal. We could be like many of the mainstream religions and say, ‘this is what science of mind means. This is what it represents. How do you fit into that?’ But instead we say, ‘we are here with a spiritual philosophy that works for us. How can we support you?’ So it’s kind of a different way than a lot of religions. Our job is not to transform people from who they are, to what we want them to be.” The Creative Thought Center does operate a thrift store next to the center on Pigeon Street. This outlet helps to support the center and get involved with causes in the community. The center also hosts several group meetings throughout the week on different topics. There is a Law of Attraction group, women’s groups, men’s groups, as well as a weekly Course in Miracles. “It’s all about really looking at our thoughts and our beliefs and asking, ‘how are we limiting ourselves?’” said Doyle.

body who believes in God, the existence of God, it’s a warm feeling, and all the tenets of Judaism and Christianity are to better mankind. It’s not that one is better than another, or that one is really different than another. The average person who believes in God, believes in living their life properly and doing the right thing regardless of religion.” Each Saturday, Morse gathers with his community in the All Saints Episcopal Church in Franklin, where the group has been

practicing for over 45 years. The relationship between the congregations is one of love and understanding. According to Morse, parishioners from both communities regularly attend functions and outings of the other organization. “It’s just an unbelievable relationship that we have with them,” said Morse. “We do things together, go places together, learn together, and it’s wonderful. It’s a very unique relationship.”

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he Creative Though Center began in the living room of Reverend Trish Mackey in 1999. She had convened a book club to delve into “The Science of Mind.” Eventually the group got so large that they could no longer convene in the living room, and in 2000 the group obtained their own building. That same year they drew up a charter and became affiliated with Religious Science International. “Science of Mind is a religious philosophy, a spiritual philosophy, not necessarily a religion with stagnant belief systems that don’t grow and change,” said Walzer. “We are welcoming of everybody. There are books by Dr. Ernest Holmes, which guide us, but we don’t have a stagnant book that says you have to believe this or you can’t belong. And I think that openness has just allowed it to continue to grow.” In 2012 the Creative Thought Center became an independent Science of Mind organization instead of affiliating with Religious Science International, a move that allowed the center to grow the way members wanted. The group continues to grow, if slowly, but looks forward to new faces walking through its doors. The current sanctuary can fit upwards of 80 people.

— Harvey Morse, President of the Board of Directors for Mountain Synagogue

February 23-March 1, 2022

THOUGHT, CONTINUED FROM 7

“It gives me a sense of belonging to an affinity group of other Jewish people. It’s a good feeling. I mean, for somebody who believes in God, the existence of God, it’s a warm feeling.”

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“And so on that side we’ve been doing training online with our group, and the larger communities too.” “We are also connected to the national task force that looks at anti-Semitic issues on a national and international level,” said Morse. For him, part of this work involves daily updates as to what anti-Semitic events occurred the previous day. That’s how much of it is going on, he says. “This morning, I read an article that Jewish people in Virginia were forced to go to a Christian prayer meeting,” said Morse. “They were not allowed to leave, and it was mandatory. I mean, aside from the legal or illegal issues of forcing people to attend a religious meeting of any sort of any type using state school funds, these are the things that are happening.” Anti-Semitism isn’t new, but it has been on the rise in recent years. According to the Anti-Defamation League, which tracks antiSemitic sentiment and action in the United States and abroad, 2019 and 2020 were, respectively, the highest and third-highest years on record for cases of harassment, vandalism, and assault against Jews in the United States since tracking began in 1979. “You get people who deny the Holocaust, and I had family who died in the Holocaust,” said Morse. “It’s hurtful and unnecessary. And then you get these skinheads or Nazi followers that dislike Jews, dislike black people, and it just, it’s terrible.” The task force serves as a buffer between

828.452.2313 479 Dellwood Road Waynesville 9

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East meets west at the Holy Resurrection Orthodox Church

BY CORY VAILLANCOURT POLITICS E DITOR n a small room tucked away in the corner of a nondescript strip mall in the heart of Waynesville, spindly wisps of smoke waft from an incense burner adorned with bells and suspended by chains from the hand of a deacon slinging it rhythmically, back and forth. Candles flicker as congregants offer acapella hymns in Old Slavonic tones. Goldleaf paintings of Christian icons peer forth from the walls and Dakota Holbrook, wearing a simple, white, unadorned robe over his street clothes, steps forward. As a pitcher of water is poured over his head, Holbrook becomes the newest member of the Holy Resurrection Orthodox Church. “Today, I was baptized and reborn,” he said. Holbrook is perhaps emblematic of the growth of this old-world Christian sect in a region dominated by mainstream Protestant churches; a native of Wilmington, Holbrook was raised as a Baptist, but after moving to Asheville a few years ago discovered the Orthodox faith when he was invited to a service by a friend. “From the first moment I stepped into the church, I fell in the love with it and wanted to stick with it,” he said, still dripping wet. “I hope to be able to have a better relationship with God and walk in the path of righteousness and dedicate my life to God.” Orthodox Christianity stems from disagreements among early Christians over the doctrine of the trinity, in which God the Father, his son Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit are all recognized as separate entities that together comprise the concept of God. More than 600 years after the Council of Ephesus endorsed this doctrine, a split called the Great Schism formalized the differences between the western church, which grew into Catholicism, and the eastern church, which is today known as the Orthodox Christian Church. Also among the disagreements between the two churches was the supremacy of the Bishop of Rome, known to more than a billion Catholics as the Pope. Many of the world’s 220 million adherents to the Orthodox faith instead recognize as the leader of the faith the Patriarch of Constantinople, who in contrast to the Pope is “first among equals” and has no central authority analogous to the Pope’s. Today, Orthodox Christianity is the second-largest Christian denomination in the world, behind Catholicism. Orthodox churches consider themselves as practicing the earliest form of Christianity; they’re about as far from the laser show/rock concert 10 megachurch or unadorned Baptist school-

Smoky Mountain News

February 23-March 1, 2022

“What we’re doing in Orthodoxy is a deep tradition that has been honed over time for us and our salvation. I would call it the perfect way to glorify God. As we serve together, we learn how to serve one another.” — Father Anthony Perkins, Holy Resurrection Orthodox Mission rector

Father Anthony Perkins (above) conducts a Christmas service on Jan. 7, and later baptized Dakota Holbrook (below). Cory Vaillancourt photos

KEEPING THE FAITH house manifestations of Christianity as one can get. More than half of the world’s Orthodox Christians live in Russia, where almost 80% of Christians subscribe to the faith. The Orthodox church is the largest denomination in most Eastern European and Slavic nations and has a substantial presence in Belarus, Bulgaria, Greece, Romania, Serbia and Ukraine. In the United States, Orthodoxy is an immigrant church that took hold when substantial populations left war-torn Europe to settle in the industrialized cities of the North in the early 1900s. There are more than a million Orthodox in the U.S., but they only comprise about 1.5% of American Christians. Guiding Holbrook along the path that brought him to this small Western North Carolina congregation is the man who poured the water over his head, priest and rector of Holy Resurrection Orthodox Mission Anthony Perkins — known around here as Father Anthony. Born at Fort Benning, Father Anthony grew up in Georgia in what he called a loving Methodist home. When he joined the Army during the Cold War around age 19, he began taking Russian language classes and worked as a translator and intelligence analyst, including while deployed to Afghanistan. In college, he studied Russian literature and political science. “I fell in love with the culture, but that didn’t lead to a conversion or anything,” he said. “I studied Orthodoxy, but just as something that other people did.” When Father Anthony was in graduate school, a friend invited him to an Orthodox service, which started him on his own path. “I don’t have any complaints about grow-

ing up as a Methodist. The Methodist tradition is full of music and good preaching, good fellowship and I loved it,” he said. “What my wife and I found when we had our first child was that we certainly needed more, because I had studied psychology and developed just a lick of introspection and recognized that pride is not just a theoretical problem between me and salvation — it affects my daily life and I needed more help. And as I studied Orthodoxy, I found a tradition that took my pride seriously.” Father Anthony facilitated Holbrook’s conversion as he has many others though patient, diligent instruction. “There was a little bit of homework, different things here and there,” Holbrook said. “But Father Anthony is a wonderful teacher and actually holds his own classes via his channel on YouTube. He’s made it his job every Tuesday and Saturday to hold a podcast of sorts, being able to go and delve deeper into Orthodoxy and learning the basics bit by bit. That has been very helpful to get a better understanding of it.”

Services are mostly conducted in English, and all are welcome. Membership in the church has nothing to do with ethnicity, and the best way to become acquainted with the church, according to Father Anthony, is just to show up. “I can give words, but the best thing that can help someone understand what it is we’re doing and why is just is to come and be a part of it,” he said. “What I was used to as a Protestant in the South was an intellectual faith, perhaps an emotional faith. What we’re doing in Orthodoxy is a deep tradition that has been honed over time for us and our salvation. I would call it the perfect way to glorify God. As we serve together, we learn how to serve one another.” Father Anthony lives in Hartwell, Georgia. Because Orthodox churches in the southeast remain relatively small, they can’t support the lavish, gothic cathedrals present in many northern cities; nor can they support full-time resident priests, so Father Anthony also serves an Orthodox Church in Anderson, South Carolina. The church in Waynesville is decidedly Ukrainian in its culture, and the church in Anderson is mostly Syrian. Previously, Father Anthony served parishes in Pennsylvania and Rhode Island, both with about 200 members. In addition to Holbrook, Holy Resurrection in Waynesville currently counts about 35 members, with a few dozen showing up regularly for services at the two-year-old church. “When you come to a community like this, it’s not just that the liturgy is beautiful. The community is beautiful,” Father Anthony said. “His calling to love one, another, to be patient with one another, to give sacrificially to one another and to build each other up to the glory of God is part of the culture, a natural part of the culture. And it’s a joy. It’s just a joy to serve this community.”

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Blackrock run. walk. crawl. march 19, 2022 sylva, nc

The 407 is envisioned as a road trip themed development that will become a tourist attraction alongside Interstate 40 in Sevier County. Donated rendering

French theme park company in talks with EBCI for Exit 407 project

Dubbed “The 407: Gateway to Adventure,” the 200-acre Sevier County property sits along Interstate 40 north of Sevierville, Tennessee. It’s being developed by the tribe’s business arm Kituwah LLC, after Tribal Council purchased it for $13.5 million in July 2019. Earlier that year, the tribe also bought 122 acres on the opposite

Dubbed “The 407: Gateway to Adventure,” the 200-acre Sevier County property sits along Interstate 40 north of Sevierville, Tennessee.

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HAYWOOD

andra Dennison grew up in a family of entrepreneurs and was the founder and owner of two businesses in WNC. With her entrepreneurship experience, she has Learned first-hand the challenges and rewards of owning and growing your own small business. “It brings me joy to be able to give back to the entrepreneurship community that has helped me so much. I understand the passion that drives us, and the risks and consequences continually challenge us. During the COVIC-19 and Tropical Storm Fred disasters, I and the team quickly knew that the business owners needed a trusted partner to help them move forward with the next steps and stay on track. I respect my time as an entrepreneur and know that the experience has given me the knowledge that allows me to guide a program and the team that cares so much about the business community and be of support to small business owners to help them live out their dreams”.

Sandra Dennison, MPM, EDFP REGIONAL DIRECTOR, WCU & UNCA SMALL BUSINESS & TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT CENTER (SBTDC) www.sbtdc.org

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side of the highway for $7.5 million. Since then, Tribal Council has allocated an additional $60 million to develop the property. The tribe broke ground on The 407 in November 2020, and in September 2021 the convenience store chain Buc-ees broke ground on its anchor tenant project there, which when complete will become the world’s largest convenience store. A groundbreaking for a Courtyard Marriott is likely to occur in the near future, and Kituwah LLC has nonbinding agreements for other attractions on the property, the company’s CEO Mark Hubble said in an interview last month. In December, Tribal Council voted to allow another of its LLCs, EBCI Holdings, to pursue construction of a sports betting bar on the property.

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February 23-March 1, 2022

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER epresentatives of the world-renowned French theme park company Puy du Fou met with the Eastern Band of l Cherokee Indians Tribal Council last week to discuss a potential partnership at Exit 407 in Sevier County, Tennessee. The exact nature of the proposal is not yet clear, but the parties spent about two hours discussing it in a closed-door meeting Feb. 15, said EBCI Chief of Staff Ashleigh Stephens. A spokesperson for Puy du Fou confirmed that a team was in the United States last week for a series of meetings but declined to offer any additional information at this stage of the conversation. The proposy al will come before Tribal Council for a vote at an upcoming meeting, Stephens said, likely March 3 or April 7. Puy du Fou, a historical theme park company, has twice been elected “Best Theme Park in the World” — first in Los Angeles in March 2012 and then in Orlando in November 2014. Poy du Fou “draws from the y collective imagination and stages legendary worlds in spectacular shows filled with universal emotion,” according to a press release announcing the potential partnership, and “invented a unique artistic model in the world of leisure, a new type of experience where users discover spectacular world-class y shows and are immersed in ultra-realistic realms infused with history and legend.” The y release was sent on behalf of OE Experiences, a Knoxville-based company that has represented Kituwah LLC and The 407 in search of ideal anchors for the entertainmentfocused aspects of the development.

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WNC schools repeal mask mandates S

board has opted today to go against its previously endorsed approach to masking to move to a masks-optional policy,” said the release. “Downward trends hold promise that we could get to acceptable levels soon, but case rates, test positivity, and an overwhelmed health care system remain at or near the peak of prior surges — too high to prematurely remove measures.” In making the decision, said the press release, Haywood County School “assumes full and total responsibility for medical decisions and outcomes that result from their decision” and “acknowledges that they are now the ones best able to assess the impact on health, wellbeing and medical needs for the school system.” Twenty-five people signed up to speak in public comment at the meeting, the majority of whom came to ask the board to make masks optional for students and staff. Only one parent asked the board to follow the rec-

Swain County Schools voted to make masks optional during its Feb. 14 school board meeting. Staff presented information to the board regarding updated COVID-19 guidance in the StrongSchoolsNC Public Health Toolkit, as well as current case and quarantine counts within the school system. Amber Frost, Assistant Health Director for Swain County, presented up to date COVID information to the board. “As you can see, we are coming down but we’re still pretty high,” said Frost. “And compared to the peak that we had last year, we’re just now getting down to the highest level of where we were before.” The motion to make masks optional passed 4-1 with Chairman Gerald Mckinney, Cody White, Mitchell Carson and Travis Crisp voting in favor and Kim Carpenter voting against. “I am at the point, with the good news, I think it’d be worth a try to look at a week

Haywood County Schools made masks optional on Feb. 15. HCS photo

from today, that’s the twenty-first, having masks optional,” said Mckinney. “If a week from then or five days from then all of a sudden it blows up, then we’d have to go right back to it because we’re going to protect kids and we’re going to protect staff. I think we’ve tried our best and it has worked. “This is hard,” said Carpenter. “Everybody’s gone through a lot, parents, students, faculty and staff. Through this whole process I have listened to the health care providers who I trusted with my children as they were growing up and I still trust.” Carpenter noted that case counts are still high in Swain County. “I don’t want people to have to wear masks, I don’t want to wear a mask anymore, but I think going without masks and then asking everybody to put them back on in a few weeks is going to be impossible. It’s not going to be fair to the kids at that point either. So my thought is, let’s stay the course where we’re at, we’ve done a good job so far keeping the kids in school and activities, and I think we need to stay the course until there’s a certain time that we see the numbers going significantly down,” said Carpenter. School boards will continue to address masking policies on a monthly basis. 13

Smoky Mountain News

ommendations of the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services for COVID protocols. A common tactic among almost all parents and members of the public pleading for optional masks was to take a shot at the integrity of the board members. “My recommendation to y’all is to stand up and be a man and vote,” said Cody Henson. “Wake up, school board. County commissioners, wake up. If you don’t stand up and have a backbone for the people of this county, I will personally run against y’all.” His assertion that school board members should “stand up and be a man,” is fair, only because all nine members of the school board are in fact men. This may have been the first meeting at which young students came with their parents to speak directly to the school board about masks. At least four students in elementary and middle school grades took to the podium to plead with the board. Some alongside their parents, some on their own. One said only, “you are smothering us.” Two other elementary students compared their fight for making masks optional to that of the civil rights heroes they were learning about in schools — Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Rosa Parks.

February 23-March 1, 2022

felt it necessary and appropriate that we revisit our mask policy this week.” As of Feb. 17, Jackson County Schools had one positive staff member and seven positive students. Among the total student and staff population of approximately 4,200, JCPS has a positivity rate of 0.2%. Quarantine numbers are a bit higher, totaling 39 students and staff across the district as of Feb. 16. JCPS had called its emergency meeting prior to the announcement of the governor’s press conference. According to Ayers, the meeting was called in response to positive COVID trends within the school system. JCPS will continue to notify students and staff who have been exposed to a positive COVID-19 case. According to the updated Public Health Toolkit, people who have been notified should wear a well-fitted mask for 10 days after exposure, be tested immediately if symptomatic and again on day five after exposure. During her nine months with JCPS, Ayers has refrained from making any recommendations to the board concerning masking. She regularly presented COVID-19 information and the most up-to-date data to the board but said she did not make recommendations because she wanted to have fruitful conversation with the board. Now, she said, knowing the current data and changes coming down the pipeline, she feels strongly enough to make a recommendation to the board. “I recommend JCPS move to mask optional beginning Monday, Feb. 21, to coincide with toolkit updates that are also effective that date,” said Ayers. “Families, students and staff who wish to continue wearing a mask certainly have that choice.” The board discussed the issue and voted unanimously to end the mask mandate. Board members noted that legislation still requires boards of education to vote on masking monthly and that the Jackson County School Board would revisit the issue regularly. Haywood County Schools voted to make masks optional for all students and staff during a Feb. 15 regular meeting. “Tonight, the Haywood County School Board voted to make masks optional for all students and staff effective immediately, February 15, 2022. We would like to thank the Haywood County Health Department for their assistance through the pandemic,” said Dr. Trevor Putnam, associate superintendent. Students and staff will still be expected to follow the 5+5 quarantine model adopted at the special called board meeting last week following a presentation from Haywood County Medical Director Dr. Mark Jaben and Public Health Director Sarah Henderson. In a scathing press release issued around 9 p.m. that night, Henderson and Jaben advised the board that the Health Department did not support the decision to make masks optional. “Directly opposing the health department’s best-practice recommendation, the

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BY HANNAH MCLEOD STAFF WRITER chool systems in all four counties of The Smoky Mountain News’ coverage area are no longer requiring masks in schools. The slew of decisions came on the heels of updated COVID-19 guidance and new direction from North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper. The StrongSchoolsNC Public Health Toolkit still recommends universal masking indoors in areas of high or substantial transmission rates. According to the CDC, Haywood, Jackson, Macon and Swain counties all currently have high transmission rates. However, last Thursday, Feb. 17, Gov. Roy Cooper held a press conference in which he encouraged schools and local governments to end their mask mandates. “We are taking a positive step on mask requirements to help us move safely toward a more normal day to day life,” said Governor Cooper. “It’s time to focus on getting our children a good education and improving our schools, no matter how you feel about masks.” Two weeks ago, the StrongSchoolsNC Public Health Toolkit was updated with guidance that students and staff who have been exposed to COVID-19, regardless of masking, and are not symptomatic, do not need to quarantine. Individual contact tracing and exclusion from school after an identified exposure is no longer recommended statewide in K-12 schools. This guidance took effect Feb. 21. Students and staff are still expected to follow the 5+5 quarantine model. Those who test positive can either isolate for five days and return to school wearing a mask on days 6-10 or isolate for 10 days and return to school as usual. Per federal mandate, students and staff will still be required to wear masks on school buses. These decisions came as COVID rates have been declining in the region. Haywood County currently has the highest test positivity rate of the four counties. As of Feb. 13, the state database put the two-week positivity rate in Jackson County at 18.1%. Macon’s was 19.7% and Swain’s was 23.4%. The database listed Haywood’s most recent positivity rate at 25.7%. Those figures are all higher than the statewide positive rate of 17.8%. School boards across the state are reassessing their mask policy. However, as of Feb. 22, 46 of North Carolina’s 115 School districts had mask mandates. Macon County Schools has been operating with masks optional since the school board made that decision on Oct. 25, last year. Jackson County Schools decided to repeal its mask mandate and make masks optional during an emergency board meeting Thursday, Feb. 17. “I am pleased to report that our covid data has shown drastic improvement,” said Superintendent Dr. Dana Ayers. “With the updated quarantine requirements looming, I

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Thank you to the Haywood County community for supporting the Plunge. Special thanks to our sponsors and the 126 Plungers. Together, we raised $34,000 for Kids in the Creek and our environmental education programs!

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February 23-March 1, 2022

- Haywood Waterways Association

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Cooper urges mask mandate end as Omicron subsides

regional COVID hospitalizations have seen a 38% reduction over the last two weeks, with 140 people hospitalized with COVID-19 in the 18-county mountain region Feb. 21 compared to 224 on Feb. 7. The Omicron surge brought with it unprecedented numbers of COVID hospitalizations compared to earlier surges, and caring for these patients was complicated by worsening hospital staffing shortages and larger numbers of patients seeking help for non-COVID-related issues compared to earlier stages of the pandemic. In a Feb. 16 update to the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Health Board, Cherokee Indian Hospital CEO Casey Cooper said that, while the hospital saw a large number of COVID-positive patients during the Omicron wave, overall they were less sick than patients treated during earlier surges. “Omicron has been a lot more transmissible, but it’s been less lethal,” he said. “What we saw this time was a lot of admissions where people were admitted to the hospital, and by the way they also had COVID. Which was very different than what we saw in September and October, where people were admitted because they had COVID.” Those patients “didn’t require the level of critical care and respiratory support that we were anticipating,” he said. Statewide, 32% of hospitalized adult COVID-19 patients were in the ICU during the height of the Delta wave Sept. 13, accord-

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BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER ase numbers continue to decline in Western North Carolina and statewide as the Omicron surge subsides. As of Feb. 22, in the last seven days Haywood County had recorded 158 new cases, Jackson 116, Macon 59 and Swain 76, according to state dashboard data. At the height of the surge, the counties were exceeding their current weekly numbers in a single day — Haywood County logged 194 new cases on Jan. 19 alone. While the test positivity rate remains high, it is diminishing as well, at 11.9% statewide as of Feb. 20, down from 17.8% on Feb. 13. Locally, positivity rates vary, with the state dashboard listing Haywood at 18.3%, Jackson at 11.3%, Macon at 13.7% and Swain at 16.4%. Public health managers prefer to see the rate fall below 5%. With metrics heading in the right direction and vaccines widely available, Gov. Roy Cooper gave a COVID update on Feb. 17 in which he encouraged schools and local governments to end their mask mandates. Multiple area school districts and county facilities have followed that advice (see SCHOOLS, page 13). However, federal regulation still requires masking in settings such as health care, long-term care and transportation. Though regional hospital and emergency management systems remain strained,

ing to the state dashboard. Meanwhile, the ICU rate actually decreased as Omicron took hold in late December, reaching a trough of 16% on Jan. 23 and then turning upward, with the most recent rate at 19% Feb. 22. The dashboard currently lists 40 COVID19 deaths in the four-county area since Jan. 1, though it can take a week or more for those metrics to make it into the database. Despite declining case numbers, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

still designates all North Carolina counties save Hertford and Gates in the eastern part of the state as areas of high community transmission. Vaccinations and boosters are currently available to anyone over the age of 12, with walk-in appointments available at various locations regionwide. Free testing is also available at multiple locations, including Lake Junaluska and Medical Park Loop in Sylva. Find a testing site and register for an appointment at lhi.care.

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Haywood commissioners evaluate fiscal health, budget requests BY CORY VAILLANCOURT POLITICS E DITOR ebt is rolling off the books and sales tax revenue is still through the roof, but because Haywood County will likely go to the bond market later this year to pay for its jail expansion, the fiscal year 2022-23 Haywood County budget will be an especially critical one. “We have a strong existing debt profile,” said County Manager Bryant Morehead during a Feb. 21 budget workshop held to apprise commissioners of the county’s overall fiscal health, which Morehead said was very good. Annual debt payments for fiscal year 2022 total about $5.7 million against general fund revenues of around $100 million, but drop to just over $4 million by 2026. In 2027, a sharp drop brings them down to $1.2 million, where they’ll stay through 2036, ultimately tapering to about $140,000 by 2058. Much of that debt is education-related. Removing that from the equation, Haywood County’s annual debt payments total about $1.9 million for 2023 and largely parallel the precipitous drop in total debt over the ensuing decade, to $832,000 from 2027 through 2043.

February 23-March 1, 2022

But that’s only if the county doesn’t incur any more debt in the next three decades, which it likely will. A proposed jail expansion projected to cost $16 million back in early 2021 would greatly impact the county’s debt load, and Commissioner Tommy Long warned that due to inflation and supply chain issues, the project may see a much, much higher price tag

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similar to the $20 million Waynesville sewer plant project now likely to be closer to $27 million. Even if the jail comes in at the original $16 million estimate, the county’s non-education annual debt payments would jump from $1.9 million in 2023 to $3.2 million, and would remain above $1 million through 2043. Fortunately, nearly every other aspect of the county’s finances is on solid ground. Fund balance has grown steadily over the past 15 years, from a low of 11.58% of yearly expenditures in 2006 to 40.13% today. The unassigned portion of that fund balance — which can be used for about anything — is near an all-time high at 25.11%. Property tax revenues continue to increase, and the bizarre phenomenon creating skyrocketing sales tax revenues across the entire region — first observed in the early stages of the Coronavirus Pandemic — continues. “Sales tax continues to amaze everyone,” Morehead said. “I have 19 years in North Carolina and I have never seen anything like it.” Sales tax revenues experienced an uptick around April of 2020. Over the rest of that year and throughout 2021, revenues were up year-over-year in every single month. Through the first five months of the 2021-22 fiscal year (not even counting the holiday season) they’ve reached an all-time high, topping $1.92 million in November. The county’s bond rating, last adjusted in 2018 by Moody’s Investors Service, currently stands at Aa3. Generally, the stronger the financial position of an entity, the higher the rating and the lower the interest rate. There are, however, three more steps the county could take in a positive direction with respect to its bond rating – Aa2, Aa1 and Aaa. Morehead said the Local Government Commission, charged with monitoring the financial health of local government units, will likely want a reevaluation of the county’s finances, and it’s hoped that the county can again notch another increase, which would

save money long-term. Commissioners will likely opt for limited obligation bonds, which wouldn’t require voter approval. The jail, however, isn’t the only thing that commissioners will be concerned about on the spending side of the equation, and over the next few weeks commissioners will have some tough choices to make. The consumer price index rose 7.8% from January 2021 through January 2022. That hits county employees right in the pocketbook. For each 1% COLA or merit increase, the county would need to spend an additional $360,000. To bring employee pay up to the level of meeting inflation would cost $2.8 million. Health insurance costs have been rising even faster than inflation. The county spent more than $11.7 million in FY 22, and projects a 5.7% increase next year. Every department has made requests for additional positions, led by Health and Human Services with 6, and the sheriff ’s office and EMS with 4. Granting all 28 position requests would cost $1.77 million. A seven-figure IT infrastructure upgrade is also badly needed, according to Morehead, as are four new ambulances at $325,000 each. Library renovation or expansion has been discussed for years, but the project is rapidly ballooning into a major expense if commissioners pursue it. Replacing antiquated HVAC systems would require removing the roof, likely at a cost of around $2 million. If that’s the case, it would make sense to do a full renovation at that time, but that’s projected to total upwards of $6 million.

“Sales tax continues to amaze everyone. I have 19 years in North Carolina and I have never seen anything like it.” — Haywood County Manager Bryant Morehead

Federal recovery funds of $12 million are available to the county, and a slide in Morehead’s presentation suggests using $10 million for any or all of the various projects he mentioned and the remaining $2 million to expand public safety and public health facilities. Commission Chairman Kevin Ensley said he’d prefer prioritizing matching funds for broadband access grants. Morehead said he hadn’t yet formally sat down with representatives from Haywood County Schools or Haywood Community College to evaluate their requests, but that will likely happen soon as the budget process progresses. Tentative dates for the process include work sessions on April 18 and May 2, presentation of the manager’s recommended budget on May 16, a public hearing on May 31 and a vote for adoption on June 6. By law, budgets must be passed no later than June 30, so if more work is needed, the county has room to adjust over the coming weeks.

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February 23-March 1, 2022 Smoky Mountain News 17

Opinion

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A grand opportunity for the USFS and partners BY LANG HORNTHAL G UEST COLUMNIST he USFS recently released the final version of the forest management plan for the Pisgah and Nantahala National forests After almost 10 years of adapting to the new 2012 Planning Rule, which mandated public participation and stakeholder collaboration, the fruits of their labor are finally released. And everyone is grumbling. Well, not everyone, but most people are saying the USFS didn’t do enough to protect the special places in the forest. My take is a little different in that everyone is grumbling a little, which usually spells compromise. The aforementioned 2012 Planning Rule mandated that any management involve the public and use the best scientific information available to maintain the ecological integrity of the forest for wildlife while allowing five million people a year to recreate. It also allows for timber to be harvested in support of local communities and the counties that have little to no tax base due to forestland. In a nutshell, the Forest Service couldn’t hole themselves up in a cave and write the plan. Instead, they needed to show maximum transparency and listen to the public in a way that would inform their management decisions. Now, this doesn’t mean a popularity contest and whoever screams the loudest or writes the most letters get the final say. It does mean the FS has to listen to the people and communities that benefit from the national forest and enjoy its use as it was intended. For those of you that don’t know how national forests are mandated to be managed, I direct you to the Multiple Use/Sustainable Yield Act. You can guess what it means by its name. Any management must be sustainable, whether recreation (think Max Patch) or timber harvesting. And the forest

School mask decision was a mistake To the Editor: As parents and as a teacher and health care professional, we are troubled by the Haywood School Board’s decision to remove masking, the manner in which the discussion was handled, and the unannounced removal of the online covid dashboard. School policies for health precautions should be based on scientific data for our area. In March of 2020, the decision to shut down school was handled in a similar way to this — without regard for local case numbers but based on emotion and following political trends. The board has now made the same mistake the state made then but in the other direction. Both decisions sacrifice the wellbeing of students and staff (and their extended families). Right now our county’s case numbers are still high and don’t even take into account the asymptomatic and hometested cases. Since the holiday break, there has been a surge of cases among teachers and students causing staffing problems, interruptions in learning, and difficulty with meeting testing and grading requirements. Thankfully cases are dropping, but precautions should not be eliminated until this surge ends. Personal freedom and parental rights are important, but the right to stay healthy in a

must be managed in a way that gives access and protection to those areas of the forest that are coveted by diverse groups for different reasons. The trouble is too often these areas overlap and there is conflict. The biggest rub of the current final plan is that it gives too much discretion to district foresters and project planning teams. Past conflict — and boy has there been some — has put a bad taste in the mouth of conservation focused groups. They feel slighted by having past appeals for the protection of biodiversity and old forests ignored and are slow to trust this government agency to change. And I can understand why. If you think that a majority of the Pisgah and Nantahala national forest should be cut off from certain modern forest management prescriptions for the next 20 to 30 years, then you have a right to be upset. Now, that doesn’t mean that the areas will definitely be managed in a way that could harm special places, but that they could. And at the end of the day, the Forest Service reserves the right as the responsible agency for this incredible resource to manage as they deem needed in the future. From a forester’s perspective, we don’t know what is going to happen in the forest in five years, much less 15 to 20 years. Having a diverse toolbox is important when you discover changes to the forest due to the hand of man. I am not defending past timber harvesting as there was a time that we honestly believed that our forests (and oceans) could never be depleted. We now see how generations of taking the best and leaving the rest has severely degraded our forests, introduced invasive species, and allowed for the faster growing trees to outcompete our mast producing trees (oaks and hickory) causing wildlife to suffer. And don’t be too hard on the forest products sector. They have been community leaders for generations and are supportive of reinvesting in our forests through restoration

LETTERS public school as a student or teacher has become less important than the right to keep your face uncovered. We would adamantly defend another family’s right to live (outside school) without any covid precautions, but there must be some safety measures so that their child can sit and learn beside another child whose family is taking precautions. In a public school, everyone makes a sacrifice so that there can be accommodations for some students’ needs. Shouldn’t maintaining health during high covid cases be handled the same way? There is a reason healthcare offices spend thousands on masks every year. We do not want masks forever, but our good results in slowing the spread with masking in school last year show it makes sense to keep wearing them now. We are also disappointed by the spirit of the discussion that night. Those who spoke against masks displayed a lack of respect in their tone and in their comments. There is no enforcement of masking at board meetings and people don’t respect the school policy or the clearly posted sign, so many with a differing viewpoint didn’t feel safe to go speak that night. It wasn’t until late in the discussion that speakers were reminded it is against the rules to mention specific people. Our health officials who are just trying to do their job to protect our community were ridiculed and disrespected. The board’s decision rejects the recommen-

and certified sustainable forestry. Our generation now has the hand that we were dealt and now we have to play it. If we knew when the next wildfire, hurricane, or invasive insect invasion was coming and where it would be, then we would plan for it. Unfortunately, the only thing that we know with certainty is that one, if not all, of those disasters will occur, on multiple occasions over the lifetime of this plan. In preparation, I would like to have one of those big toolboxes you see in the back of a contractor’s truck, rather than one that looks like my tackle box. The hand of man is firmly imprinted on nature and we owe it to this special place to be active stewards in its conservation and restoration. The Forest Service has an excellent opportunity to complete the use of the 2012 Planning Rule with collaborative project planning and implementation. They have said repeatedly that they cannot effectively manage the Pisgah and Nantahala with their current budgets and staffing levels. No one is holding their breath for increased government spending, so they must rely on outside partners to get the work done. Luckily, those partners are ready to help. But they want to be heard and to see where the USFS can make project level decisions collaboratively to achieve more and reduce conflict. I for one believe they will and this planning process will be an example for future planning processes. To learn more about how that is being accomplished, go to npforestpartnership.org to see the different organizations, recreation groups, and businesses that are committed to the process and sustainable forestry. Lang Hornthal is the Co-Director of and speaking on behalf of EcoForesters, a non-profit professional forestry group that helps landowners manage their forest. He is also on the Leadership Team for the Nantahala Pisgah Forest Partnership. He can be reached at lang@ecoforesters.org

dations of the very professionals who are trained to ensure the health and safety of our community. Many speakers also made unfair accusations of what life in school is like with masks. Teachers have been giving mask breaks, providing outdoor unmasked time, and working creatively to solve the learning challenges that come with masks. The way the crowd was allowed to do and say what they wanted and the way the entire board stood and removed their masks after the vote made a clear statement to those watching. The next day that tone was heard in students’ conversations. A middle-schooler was even thrown up against the wall by classmates, bullied, and mocked for continuing to wear a mask. Should we be surprised when the rhetoric the night before was repeatedly “Be a man!”? “Being a man” traditionally means protecting others, especially those weaker or more vulnerable. Many have inserted faith into the discussion, but the Bible is clear — love your neighbor and imitate Jesus by putting others before yourself (Philippians 2, not just when it’s comfortable or convenient). What does the tone of that meeting and the board’s decisions to remove safety in favor of comfort and convenience say to the child who has a medical condition or that lost a loved one to covid or that has a loved one with cancer or that simply doesn’t want to get sick and miss a sports game or social activity? When we look back at World War II

Americans were willing to give up their metal, their rights to butter and sugar, and even willingly give their lives because they wanted to care for others. They taught their children the lesson that sacrificing their comfort for the protection of others is honorable. Finally, the quiet removal of the online covid dashboard during these policy changes shows that our leaders either don’t care or don’t want accountability or liability. The school board has removed masks, stopped contact tracing, shortened quarantines for positive cases, implemented a policy of masking for 5 days after that shorter quarantine which now can hardly be enforced, and removed the only way parents and staff can know how this disease and these policies are impacting each school and as a result their families every day. All while we are still trying to come out of a surge of cases. This is a violation of the public trust. Coincidentally Haywood County government’s covid dashboard has not updated the graph of cases by age in at least a month, so we cannot depend on it for data either. Our hope is that the board’s decision is not detrimental to our students’ learning, our tired healthcare workers, and our families. It is a small inconvenience to bear for those we love, so our family will still be wearing masks to school. Dr. and Mrs. Scott Oberg Waynesville

Finding joy in the past and present

Susanna Shetley

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through the decades. In that storage building, I also found both of my boys’ baby boxes which held their tiny baby shoes, hats from the hospital and other keepsakes from their infant and baby years. I’m trying to get everything organized so that when they become curious about stages of their own lives, I’ll know exactly where to go to find photos, special items or tokens of their achievements. While cleaning out a cabinet unit that moved with me from high school to college to adulthood, I found a long-lost VHS tape of my best friend and I lip syncing to Elton John’s “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart.” We thought we’d lost it, but nope, it’s safe and sound. She and I have tickets to see Elton John this September during his final concert tour, so finding that gem of a video felt very serendipitous. In the same filing cabinet were my original iPod, notebooks of lesson plans from my years teaching and a box of 3M Macintosh hard discs with a total storage of 1.4 MB per disc, which made me laugh because these days that would not hold even one high-resolution photo. I also found my old CD collection, and let me tell you, it’s bee fun to flip through that Case Logic album and reminisce on the days of CDs when we listened to one musician for an hour or more, in stark contrast to today’s music streaming services which offer endless variety mixes. It’s funny how life unfolds so quickly that when we become my dad’s age, we finally slow down and wonder how it all happened so fast. We wish we could re-live certain moments or time periods or see our loved ones for 10 minutes just to remember what it was like to be with them in mortal form. Sometimes I feel older than I am and maybe that’s because I’ve dealt with some heavy heartaches, but I’m beginning to view this as a small blessing instead of a curse. It really helps me enjoy each day and look upon the past as a beautiful component of my life, instead of something I want to either forget or slip back into. One reason I’ve enjoyed digging through old items is because enough time has elapsed between my mom’s passing and finding these photos, videos and keepsakes. Had I tried to do this when my grief was in the earliest days, I’m not sure my heart could have handled it. We all have our own unique vessel of nostalgic images and keepsakes. As we ease into the spring season, I encourage you to not only embrace new growth but to remember days gone by. Even though we work to live for the moment, we mustn’t forget the past, present and future all work together to create this one wild and precious life. (Susanna Shetley is a writer, editor and digital media specialist for The Smoky Mountain News, Smoky Mountain Living and Mountain South Media. susanna.b@smokymountainnews.com.)

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February 23-March 1, 2022

hey say nostalgia and reminiscing can do two things to the psyche: be a buffer against ailments like depression and anxiety or exacerbate pre-existing mental health conditions. Personally, I’ve experienced both sides of the coin. Several events lately have driven me down memory lane in a helpful, positive way. My 77-year old dad is about to move into an apartment. When the pandemic struck, he’d just sold the house he shared with my mom. At that time, we thought the pandemic would only last a few months, so he alternated Columnist between living with my sister’s family in Great Falls, Viriginia, and with us in Waynesville. Fast-forward two years and he’s ready to quit traveling and have a stable place to hang his hat. When my dad’s with us, we talk a lot about his childhood and my parents’ early years of marriage, as well as fond memories of my sister and I growing up. Additionally, I’ve been renting out a cabin I own in Maggie Valley, and one of the rooms had boxes of old photo albums that I needed to clear out. In between recent tenants, I spent time organizing the boxes and found numerous family photos from the 1980s and 1990s. I thought it would be hard to look back at those old photos, especially with my mom having passed, but instead, it brought joy. It’s fun to look at that little girl’s face and think, “Is that really me?” and then remember all her happy times and how far she’s come. Furthermore, two weeks ago the owner of a storage complex in Candler called to say they were demolishing some of the older buildings in favor of newer units. I have had a storage unit there since 2017. I have wanted to clean it out, but for everyone who has a storage unit, we all know what a lofty goal that is. The man told me that I could either move my stuff to another unit or empty the unit within 10 days. It was a perfect opportunity to clean out, organize and save money to boot. In that storage building were cards, photos and memorable pieces from all stages of my life. I even found a 1983 Sports Illustrated with Coach Jim Valvano’s N.C. State basketball team on the cover after winning the NCAA championship. In that same bag were ticket stubs from a 1979 N.C. State vs. Duke game. I am an N.C. State alumnus. I can’t remember where I got those cool items, but I’m grateful to have them. I also found a coin collection, a newspaper from when John F. Kennedy was assassinated, a button from Obama’s 2008 campaign and many other unique items I’ve acquired or been given

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In search of a sense of community The upscale bar at The Scotsman in Waynesville. (photos: Garret K. Woodward)

The “Green Room.”

Highly-anticipated pub opens in Waynesville BY GARRET K. WOODWARD ARTS & E NTERTAINMENT E DITOR Serendipity is a word Makyia Blair has been using a lot lately. “I’m a firm believer in that everything happens for a reason,” Blair said. “And, so far, everything that’s happened has been serendipitous — it’s just worked out that way.” Sitting at the end of the dimly-lit bar at The Scotsman Public House in downtown Waynesville last Thursday afternoon, Blair is dealing with a wide-range of intense emotions. Alongside her husband, Scot, the couple has spent months extensively renovating the space, which was formerly The Gateway Club (also the first floor of the former Masonic Temple). “Last night was our ‘soft opening’ and it was kind of a whirlwind,” Makyia noted. “My first thought was, ‘How do we know this many people already?’ Everyone we’ve met so far was here and it was beautiful to see it all unfold. It was also really emotional, knowing how much we’ve put into this space to make our dream a reality.” Originally from Washington State, Makyia went to college for creative writing. But, upon graduation in 2008, she quickly found herself in the food/beverage industry during the crippling economic collapse that year. From there, she left behind the seemingly never-ending rainy days of the Pacific Northwest and traded it in for the signature

Makyia Blair, co-owner/general manager of The Scotsman. sunshine of San Diego, California. And it was in Southern Cali where Makyia rose through the ranks of the storied San Diego craft beer and culinary industries, eventually crossing paths with Scot. Hailing from rural Illinois, Scot joined the Marines after high school, soon to be stationed in San Diego. Following his military service, he dove deep into the food/beverage scene of the city, ultimately parlaying itself into the opening of his own brewery/restaurant. “And when the pandemic hit, I was laid off from my craft beer sales rep position, only to

start working for the family business alongside Scot,” Makyia said. “There were so many ups and downs and unknowns when COVID hit, especially with the protocols and closures in California. So, we were able to leave the business behind, to take our investment of time and money elsewhere — and we did.” With a blank canvas in front of them, Makyia and Scot started looking around the country as to where they wanted to put roots down next. In an almost “Goldilocks & The Three Bears” fashion, they came across a place not too hot, not too cold, something that was just right, in terms of the physical and economic landscape offered — Western North Carolina. “We had traveled through this area for our honeymoon, and Scot had been coming to the Smokies since he was a kid, so he knew the beauty of this region,” Makyia said. “Something about this place felt right, and we started looking around for a property to launch our next idea — a Celtic-style pub. Then, we stumbled across this building through a simple Google search.” Once the building at 37 Church Street in downtown Waynesville was discovered, Makyia and Scot jumped at the opportunity for a fresh start. They packed everything up in California and headed for Haywood County, only to immediate rent the first floor of the building and begin the long renovation process on a beloved space that had sat empty for several years. Checking the time on her smart phone, Makyia knows the doors to The Scotsman will be officially opening to the public for the first time within the next couple of hours. The

Want to go? A Celtic-style pub, The Scotsman Public House is now open at 37 Church Street in downtown Waynesville. Featuring a wide-array of British Isles pub fare on its menu, there’s also an extensive draft/bottle beer and fine spirits list. Live music and other events will also be hosted onsite. Operating hours: 4 p.m. to midnight Monday through Thursday, 4 p.m. to 1 a.m. Friday, noon to 1 a.m. Saturday, and noon to midnight Sunday. 828.246.6292 or scotsmanpublic.com.

Thursday afternoon rush will soon be here. It will be a maddening vision of people and conversations, interactions and reactions all occurring in real time. With The Scotsman now in motion, the business has already been happily embraced by the community — this vibrant beehive of humanity and a highlyanticipated addition to Waynesville’s evergrowing culinary and social scenes. “With everything that’s gone on in the world these past two years, it seems crazy to be opening a business, let alone a pub,” Makyia chuckled. “But, being behind the bar counter and interacting with people is what I enjoy doing. I love making a connection with customers and bonding with my co-workers. We want to provide that second home to this community — that feeling where everyone is welcome and belongs here.”

HOT PICKS BY GARRET K. WOODWARD

Rock and roll is here to stay, come inside where it’s okay

The Get Right Band (rock/roots) will perform at 9 p.m. Friday, Feb. 25, at The Gem downstairs taproom at Boojum Brewing in Waynesville.

Mountain Layers Brewing (Bryson City) will host Wollybooger (blues/folk) at 6 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 26.

3 4

The Andrew Thelston Band (rock/soul) will host a special Fleetwood Mac tribute show at 9 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 26, at The Gem downstairs taproom at Boojum Brewing in Waynesville. Valley Tavern (Maggie Valley) will host the “Hillbilly Jam” showcase weekend w/DJ Jason Wyatt Feb. 24 and Mile High Band Feb. 25.

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ing in the rollercoaster business that is the music industry and journalism world — often choppy waters where you need your wits about you, let alone a keen sense of self to navigate into safe harbor. By the second presentation, Waynesville Middle School Assistant Principal Barron Rogers swung by. Turns out he and Stickley knew each other and have jammed together several times in the past. It just so happened Rogers had his mandolin in his office, to which he grabbed the instrument and played with Stickley throughout the presentations. What was surreal during the sessions was how much I did and did not have in common with the modern-day teenager. Crazily enough, we actually all pretty much liked the same music. Tyler, The Creator. Kacey Musgraves. Selena Gomez. But, also all the old rock bands and hip-hop acts that were new acts I listened to when I was their age over 20 years ago — Puddle Of Mudd, Alice In Chains, Nirvana, Stone Temple Pilots, Jay Z, 2Pac, etc. And then, I found myself trying to

February 23-March 1, 2022

It was that familiar smell that conjured a slew of memories. Around 8:15 a.m. last Friday, I parked my truck in the parking lot across the street from Waynesville Middle School. It was “Career Day” and I was asked by a friend, who works for the district, to come in and talk about being a journalist, more so about finding somewhat stable ground in the elusive realm that is the music industry. I agreed to it, to not only help my friend out, but also jump into the deep end of an opportunity to get outside of myself and my daily reality, if but for a single morning spent standing up there in the middle school library and talking to eighth-graders about “the road to the here and now,” and how I wake up each day excited to provoke the chaos of my existence — personally and professionally. Park the truck. Grab my bag (filled with samples of numerous publications we put out here at the newspaper). Stroll across the parking lot. Brave the cold morning breeze. Wait for the cars to pass by and ignore the crosswalk. Up the steps to the entrance. Head to the office to get the “Visitor Pass.” And it was that familiar smell that conjured a slew of memories. It’s the scent of an old building used by a lot of people, that “school smell,” you know? Floor polisher. Dusty old gymnasiums. Shelves of aging books. Who knows? Maybe it’s more memories of the sights and smells of my old middle school, still active way up on the Canadian Border. All of these dots of humanity bouncing throughout the hallways and classrooms. It’s an overwhelming energy to those who don’t immerse themselves in that organized chaos on a daily basis. The subtle hum of countless overhead fluorescent lighting rigs. Bells ringing. Endless voices ricocheting off concrete walls. Get the “Visitor Pass” and be directed to the vast room that is the library. I was to host three morning presentations in front of three separate groups of eighth-graders. Seeing as I knew they’d be bored out of their young minds if I just stood there and babbled on, I asked a buddy of mine, renowned guitarist Jon Stickley, to come and play a few tunes for the kids, maybe speak about his

career as a professional, touring musician. Jon saunters in, guitar in-hand. Unbuckles the case and tunes up. We make small talk as the first group sits down. About 18 teenagers, all staring at you, either out of curiosity or boredom. Suddenly, I experience flashbacks of the attitudes, the trials and tribulations seen and felt by my peers when I was at that age in that school some 1,100 miles due north. But, then my instincts kick in. The years of substitute teaching before I was able to become a full-time teacher. As does my genuine love and passion for public speaking, all those times stage emceeing big concerts and giving extemporaneous speeches at the drop of a hat at some random public function where they needed “someone to just say a few words.” It was a whirlwind morning of back-andforth questions to Jon and myself, where we chatted about our respective paths to where we stand today, with sturdy and steady foot-

Rock megastar Bret Michaels will bring his “Nothin But A Good Vibe” tour to the stage at 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 25, at Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort.

arts & entertainment

This must be the place

nalist, but also working in the music industry, in general. I reminisced about getting home after school when I was in eighth grade just in time to watch the newest videos being premiered from the TRL studios, and how a by chance visit to MTV studios in Times Square when I was in high school forever shifted the trajectory of my life. And as I spoke more on the TRL experience, about being in that studio, it really brought me back to that starting line, when I was just a kid and wanted to somehow, someway figure how to find my place in the music industry — to be surrounded by the songs and artists I loved and admired, and to pursue a career where I sincerely enjoy what I do each day. Some 16 years later, I’m still a journalist, where I love this gig now more than ever before. I now work deeply in the music industry. And I remain a contributing writer for Rolling Stone magazine — my number one dream in life, ever since I was that teenage kid pouring over each issue, cover to cover. After the last presentation that morning, I exited Waynesville Middle School and headed back into my daily reality as a journalist, in search of stories through the power of the written word. Hopping back into my truck, I turned on the engine, but not before I looked into the rearview mirror — at the school, at the face staring back at me — and shook my head in awe of, well, nothing and everything. Life is beautiful, grasp for it, y’all.

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arts & entertainment

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Smoky Mountain News

February 23-March 1, 2022

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On the beat arts & entertainment

Harrah’s welcomes Bret Michaels

The Get Right Band.

Bret Michaels.

Rock, soul at Boojum Popular Asheville-based rock/roots group The Get Right Band will perform at 9 p.m. Friday, Feb. 25, at The Gem downstairs taproom at Boojum Brewing in Waynesville. Led by singer/guitarist Silas Durocher, the ensemble also includes Jesse Gentry (bass) and drummer J.C. Mears (drums). What stands out about this band is the

mere fact that nobody around this region sounds like them. Period. And it’s that “all” factor which puts The Get Right Band into a league of their own. It’s surprising when you stand there watching them perform, where you’re trying to figure out just how they’re able to get that much sound from a power trio. Free and open to the public. For more information, click on thegetrightband.com.

Final Thelston residency show

Carole King tribute concert A special tribute performance of the music of Carole King will take place at 7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 25, at the Smoky

Carole King concert, leaving your audiences with memories of the great music she wrote and recorded, including “You’ve Got a Friend,” “Natural Woman,” “It’s Too Late,” “So Far Away,” “I Feel the Earth Move” and “Beautiful” — the title song of the mega-hit Broadway musical about the life and times of one of America’s most prolific, honored, and revered singer-songwriters. Tickets start at $25. For more information and/or to purchase tickets, go to smokymountainarts.com or call 866.273.4615.

Interested in learning the dulcimer? The Pic’ & Play Mountain Dulcimer Players will be resuming in-person jam sessions at the St. John’s Episcopal Church basement fellowship hall in Sylva. The group welcomes all beginners and

experienced dulcimer players, including mountain (lap) dulcimer and hammered dulcimer players. Songs played include traditional mountain tunes, hymns, and more modern music. The group meets at 1:30 p.m. on the second and fourth Saturday of every month in the basement of St. John’s. Pic’ & Play has been playing together since 1995. The more experienced members welcome new players, help them navigate their instruments, and guide them through some of the basics of tuning, strumming, and playing. The mountain dulcimer, also known as a fretted dulcimer or a lap dulcimer, is a uniquely American instrument. It evolved from the German scheitholz sometime in the early 1800s in Appalachia and was largely known only in this region until popularized more broadly in the 1950s. For more information, call Kathy Jaqua at 828.349.3930 or Don Selzer at 828.293.0074.

Smoky Mountain News

Carole King’s “Tapestry” album cover.

Mountain Center for the Performing Arts in Franklin. Carole King is without question the most successful and revered female singersongwriter in pop music history. More than 400 of her compositions have been recorded by over 1,000 artists, resulting in 100 hit singles. Her hits include “Will You Love Me Tomorrow” for the Shirelles to “Take Good Care of My Baby” and “Run to Him” (#1 and #2 hits for Bobby Vee in 1961), “Crying in the Rain” (The Everly Brothers, #6 in 1962), “The Loco-Motion” (Little Eva, #1 in 1962), “Up on the Roof ” (The Drifters, #5 in 1962), “One Fine Day” (The Chiffons, #5 in 1963), “I’m Into Something Good” (Herman’s Hermits, #13 in 1964), “Just Once in My Life” (written with Phil Spector for The Righteous Brothers, #9 in 1965), and “Don’t Bring Me Down” (The Animals, #12 in 1966). “Tapestry: Tribute to Carole King” faithfully recreates the glorious sound of a

Andrew Thelston.

February 23-March 1, 2022

Rock megastar Bret Michaels will bring his “Nothin But A Good Vibe” tour to the stage at 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 25, at Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort. Front man of Poison, Michaels helped define the rock-n-roll scene on the Sunset Strip. One of rock’s most iconic and enduring bands, Poison’s massive success includes selling over 50 million records worldwide and numerous hit singles. Equally as successful as a solo artist, Michaels has charted multiple solo albums. As well, he co-wrote and recorded his most recent release, “Unbroken,” with his youngest daughter, Jorja Bleu. Tickets start at $35.50 per person. Opening act will be Last In Line. For tickets, go to caesars.com/harrahs-cherokee and click on the “Events” tab.

Regional rock act Andrew Thelston Band will close out its month-long Saturday evening residency in The Gem downstairs taproom at Boojum Brewing in Waynesville. Featuring an array of special guests and musical themes throughout February, the showcase will end with a Fleetwood Mac tribute set featuring Carrie Morrison at 9 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 26. Free and open to the public. For more information, click on andrewthelston.com.

On the beat

arts & entertainment

Stayat

Maggie Valley Club & Resort thisWinter!

• Balsam Falls Brewing (Sylva) will host an open mic from 8 to 10 p.m. every Thursday. Free and open to the public. 828.631.1987 or balsamfallsbrewing.com. • Blue Ridge Beer Hub (Waynesville) will host a semi-regular acoustic jam with the Main Street NoTones from 7 to 9 p.m. on Thursdays. Free and open to the public. For more information, click on blueridgebeerhub.com. • Boojum Brewing (Waynesville) will host karaoke at 8:30 p.m. on Wednesdays, trivia at 7 p.m. on Thursdays, The Get Right Band (rock/indie) Feb. 25, The Andrew Thelston Band’s “Fleetwood Mac Tribute Show” Feb. 26 and Brother Fat March 5. All shows begin at 9 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.246.0350 or boojumbrewing.com.

ALSO:

• The Classic Wineseller (Waynesville) will host Jay Brown (guitar/harmonica) Feb. 26. All shows begin at 7 p.m. Limited seating. Reservations are highly recommended. 828.452.6000 or classicwineseller.com.

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Smoky Mountain News

February 23-March 1, 2022

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• Currahee Brewing (Franklin) will host semiregular live music on the weekends. Free and open to the public.. 828.634.0078 or curraheebrew.com. • Elevated Mountain Distilling Company (Maggie Valley) will host an Open Mic Night 7 to 9 p.m. on Wednesdays and semi-regular live music on the weekends. Free and open to the public. 828.734.1084 or elevatedmountain.com. • Frog Level Brewing (Waynesville) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. All shows begin at 6 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.454.5664 or froglevelbrewing.com. • Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort (Cherokee) will host Bret Michaels (rock) 8 p.m. Feb. 25 and Gary Allen (country) 7 p.m. March 5. For tickets, caesars.com/harrahs-cherokee. • Innovation Brewing (Sylva) will host Shane Meade (indie/soul) March 9. All events begin at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. innovation-brewing.com. • Innovation Station (Dillsboro) will host Savannah Page 7 p.m. Feb. 25. All events are free and begin at 2 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Innovation-brewing.com.

LEFT TO RIGHT: GORHAM BRADLEY, KIM MANIA (MIKE'S HEATING & COOLING), CHASE KRESS

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

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• Lazy Hiker Brewing (Franklin) will host

semi-regular live music on the weekends. All shows begin at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.349.2337 or lazyhikerbrewing.com. • Lazy Hiker Brewing (Sylva) will host Rebekah Todd Feb. 25 and Arnold Hill (rock/jam) March 11. All shows begin at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.349.2337 or lazyhikerbrewing.com. • Mountain Layers Brewing (Bryson City) will host Aly Jordan (singer-songwriter) Feb. 25 and Wollybooger (blues/folk) Feb. 26. All shows begin at 6 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.538.0115 or mountainlayersbrewingcompany.com. • Nantahala Brewing (Sylva) will host “Karaoke In The Smokies” 7:30 p.m. Feb. 23 and Arnold Hill (rock/indie) Feb. 25. All shows are free and begin at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. 828.641.9797 or nantahalabrewing.com. • Rathskeller Coffee Haus & Pub (Franklin) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. Shows begin at 8 p.m. Free and open to the public. rathskellerfranklin.com. • Satulah Mountain Brewing (Highlands) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. 828.482.9794 or satulahmountainbrewing.com. • Southern Porch (Canton) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. 828.492.8009 or southern-porch.com. • The Ugly Dog Pub (Cashiers) will host semiregular live music on the weekends. 828.743.3000 or theuglydogpub.com. • The Ugly Dog Pub (Highlands) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. 828.526.8364 or theuglydogpub.com. • Unplugged Pub (Bryson City) will host Blackjack County Feb. 24, Jay Dee Gee Feb. 25, The UpBeats Feb. 26, Open Mic March 3, Blended Hemp March 4 and Mile High Band March 5. All shows begin at 8 p.m. Free and open to the public. 828.538.2488. • Valley Tavern (Maggie Valley) will host the “Hillbilly Jam” showcase weekend w/DJ Jason Wyatt Feb. 24 and Mile High Band Feb. 25. Both events begin at 6 p.m. 828.926.7440 or valley-tavern.com. • Water’n Hole Bar & Grill (Waynesville) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. 828.456.4750 or facebook.com/waternhole.bar. • Whiteside Brewing (Cashiers) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. 828.743.6000 or whitesidebrewing.com.

smokymountainnews.com

On the wall

Artwork by artist and author Ann Miller “Uncle TD” by Woodford are current- Ann Miller Woodford. ly on display in “Ann Miller Woodford: The Artist as Storyteller” at the Mountain Heritage Center’s exhibit gallery in Hunter Library on the campus of Western Carolina University in Cullowhee. This first-ever retrospective exhibition of Woodford’s work spans 60 years, tracing an artistic development from childhood to the present day. The exhibit is on display through March 4. The Mountain Heritage Center is free and is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and open Sundays in February from 2 to 5 p.m. Masks are required for entry. Woodford uses her artistic talents to turn family stories, southern heritage and social justice concerns into conceptual works of art. Each illustration invites viewers to follow Woodford on her journey through life, connecting with her through the stories they tell. Viewers can expect to be inspired, challenged and motivated by the themes presented in her works. Woodford’s most recent collection of paintings, “Black in Black on Black,” highlights the tremendous bond within the African American community with a focus on the empowerment that comes from being

Want to paint, sip craft beer? ‘Shadowed Reality’ at Jackson Library The Jackson County Arts Council (JCAC) will host the “Lois PetrovichMwaniki: Shadowed Reality” showcase through March in the Rotunda Gallery at Jackson County Public Library in Sylva. The gallery reception features the work of artist Lois Petrovich-Mwaniki in a show titled Shadowed Reality. The showcase consists of oil portraits. “In exploring the medium of oil, I began to appreciate the mixture of colors on the canvas and the control I had to either flatten or abstract the shadowed figure, or to emphasize the curvature of certain body parts using shadows,” PetrovichMwaniki said. The Jackson County Public Library

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

Robin Arramae of WNC Paint Events will be continuing her fun paint nights to bring you not only a “night out” but an experience that lifts your spirits. Join others as Arramae shows you stepby-step how to paint a beginner level painting of the evening as you sip on your favorite local craft beer. Events will be held at the following locations: 828 Market on Main (Waynesville), Balsam Falls Brewing (Sylva), BearWaters Brewing (Canton) and Mountain Layers Brewing (Bryson City). Please visit WNC Paint Events (@paintwnc) Facebook page, under “Events” for date and time of upcoming events. For pictures of previous events visit Arramae’s Instagram: @wnc_paint_events. For pricing and to sign up, go to wncpaint.events. Space is limited. Drinks sold separately. uptowngallery.com and like, follow and share the Uptown Gallery on Facebook. • A “Foreign Film Series” will be held at the Jackson County Public Library in Sylva. Each month, on the second and fourth Friday, two movies from around the globe will be shown. This program is in the Community Room and is free of charge. Masks are required in all Jackson County buildings. To find out what movie will be shown and/or for more information, please call the library at 828.586.2016. This event is co-sponsored by the Friends of the Jackson County Public Library. The Jackson County Public Library is a member of Fontana Regional Library. fontanalib.org.

ALSO:

Smoky Mountain News

JustDoOils.com

February 23-March 1, 2022

connected. Her works are supported by the N.C. Arts Council, a division of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. Woodford will be in the exhibit gallery at WCU to discuss her work from 2 to 5 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 27, and from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday, Feb. 28. Both events are free and open to the public. For more information, visit her website at annstree.com. For more information, click on mhc.wcu.edu or call 828.227.7129.

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

arts & entertainment

African American art showcase at WCU

requires masks to be worn indoors. Cookie grab bags will be available in lieu of refreshments. The showcase is free and open to the public.

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On the stage

arts & entertainment

On the street Downtown Sylva. (photo: Jeff Bean)

Open call for vendors

Smoky Mountain News

February 23-March 1, 2022

Artisans, crafters and food vendors are invited to submit their application for the Greening Up the Mountains Festival, which will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, April 23, in Sylva. Greening Up The Mountains Festival is the premiere spring festival for Western North Carolina, attracting thousands of visitors and locals alike. Sponsored by the Town of Sylva, the festivities will once again take place in historical downtown Sylva. This year’s festival seeks artisans and crafters selling their own handmade products. Arts, crafts and food vendors from the expanded Southern Appalachian area are encouraged to apply. Please visit greeningupthemountains.com to review the 2022 Vendor Policies and download your application. Applications will be accepted through March 15.

For more information, please email the event coordinator at greeningupthemountains@gmail.com. • “Love The Locals” will return for the month of February. Special discounts will be given to customers from participating businesses in downtown Waynesville. Look for the big red heart in certain storefronts. downtownwaynesville.com.

ALSO:

HART presents ‘Anne of Green Gables’ The literary classic brought to life, a production of “Anne of Green Gables” will hit the stage at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 25-26 and at 2 p.m. Feb. 27 at the Haywood Arts Regional Theater in Waynesville. “True Friends are always together in spirit.” So says the high-spirited Anne Shirley in Lucy Maud Montgomery’s classic tale. Whether you are an “old friend” of Anne’s or meeting her for the first time, HART Theatre is proud to present “Anne of Green Gables” as part of their winter studio season. Dive into the world of Anne Shirley, a red-headed orphan who is searching for friendship, love, adventure, and above all a home to call her own. The play faithfully recreates the memorable events from Montgomery’s brilliant novel. Playgoers will experience her friendship with Diana, her feuds with Gilbert, her adoration of Matthew, the mistaken wine bottle, the cake disaster, the broken leg, the scholastic achievements, and the saving of Green Gables. HART presents “Anne of Green Gables” in partnership with their Kids at HART pro-

gram, featuring Abby Welchel as Anne and Josie Ostendorff as Diana, with Drake Frost, Savanna Shaw, Chelcy Frost, Reese Pifer, James Cloninger and Lia Collier. The cast is

Ready to try theater?

Group Voice for teens and adults. Spring courses have already begun, with 12 weeks of courses through May 13, with a week off March 28-April 1 and spring break April 1115. HART also offers pay-per-class with just a $15 drop-in fee. HART is also offering free workshops in Stage Management April 2, 9 and 16. There will also be a Lighting Workshop on March 19. You can learn more about these opportunities and sign up for classes and workshops by visiting harttheatre.org and viewing the Kids at HART classes and camps page. Masks will be required for all courses. For more information, contact Artistic Director Candice Dickinson at 646.647.4546 or email candice@harttheatre.org.

The Haywood Arts Regional Theater in Waynesville is currently offering a wide variety of classes in the theater arts for all ages, young and old. Whether you are just starting out or want to hone your skills, HART has opportunities for you. Learn more about acting with Acting Classes available for K-2, Grades 3-5, middle/high School, adults, and seniors. Musical Theatre Dance and Advanced Beginner Tap are available for teens and adults so you can learn about the exciting world of Musical Theatre Dance. And classes are rounded off with Improvisation classes and Musical Theatre

On the table • Lazy Hiker Brewing (Sylva) will host a “Chili Cook Off” at 6 p.m. Thursday Feb. 24. Free and open to the public. 828.349.2337 or lazyhikerbrewing.com. • “Flights & Bites” will be held starting at 4 p.m. on Thursdays and Fridays at Bosu’s Wine Shop in downtown Waynesville. waynesvillewine.com.

rounded out with the talented Suzanne Tinsley, Stephen Gonya and Lyn Donley. Directed by Kristen Hedberg. Tickets are available now by visiting harttheatre.org or by calling HART’s Box Office at 828.456.6322. All seating is socially distanced for this show and masks are required at all performances.

• A free wine tasting will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. every Thursday and 2 to 5 p.m.

every Saturday at The Wine Bar & Cellar in Sylva. 828.631.3075. • “Uncorked: Wine & Rail Pairing Experience” will be held from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on select dates at the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad in Bryson City. Full service all-adult first class car. Wine pairings with a meal, and more. 800.872.4681 or gsmr.com.

ALSO:

On the shelf

Murder

Jeff Minick

••• In “Craft & Culture: Qualla Arts and Crafts Mutual 1946-2021” (Curatorial

InSight, 2021, 102 pages), scholar and curator M. Anna Fariello examines one of the oldest Native American artisan cooperatives in the U.S. In the first pages of her history of this mission to preserve Cherokee arts and crafts, she writes, “Qualla Arts and Crafts not only saves and preserves valued objects, it likewise encourages and preserves the cultural traditions and processes that make these objects possible.” Here are some fascinating insights into life over the years in the Qualla Boundary. Before the coming of automobiles, for example, Fariello reports that basket-makers like Lottie Stamper’s family had to carry their wares on foot to places like Waynesville and Junaluska, “a round-trip distance of 50 miles.” In her chapter “Craft in the Schools,” we learn how Cherokee schools for decades taught such arts as weaving, pottery, basket making, and woodcarving. Particularly interesting to me were her chapters on the changes brought by the construction of roads, the growth of tourism, and the interplay between these visitors and the Cherokee artisans. In addition to recounting in print the growth of the Qualla association, Fariello includes scores of photographs from its past: buildings, artisans, and the handicrafts they created. She defends the inclusion of so many photos in this way: “I believe that much can be learned from visual interpretation. From a photograph of Cora Wahnetah on page 75, for example, we not only see the paddle marks on the pot she is making, but we also see the paddle and how she holds her hands. While these can be described, I suppose I am of the mindset that a picture is worth a thousand words.” In her chapter “Keepers of Culture,” Fariello briefly mentions other key cultural establishments in Cherokee: the Museum of the Cherokee, the popular play “Unto These Hills,” the Oconaluftee Indian Village, and more. As for keeping that culture alive, we can now add another monument of preservation: “Craft & Culture.” Copies of this book may be ordered through your local bookstore, online, or from Curatorial InSight, P.O. Box 2212, Cullowhee, N.C., 28723. (Jeff Minick reviews books and has written four of his own: two novels, “Amanda Bell” and “Dust On Their Wings,” and two works of nonfiction, “Learning As I Go” and “Movies Make the Man.” minick0301@gmail.com.)

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Former Haywood educator publishes novel Asheville resident and former Smoky Mountain News columnist Jay Hardwig has published a middle-grades novel, “Just Maria,” which was released on Jan. 7 by Regal House Publishing, an independent press based in Raleigh. “Just Maria” is the story of Maria Romero, a blind sixth-grader who is trying her hardest to be normal. Not amazing. Not inspiring. Not helpless. Not weird. Just normal. Her task is complicated by glass eyes, rutabagas, rubber chickens, and a child gone missing on the streets of Marble City. The storyline for “Just Maria” was hatched in Haywood County. “I got the idea while working as a teacher for the visually impaired in Haywood County — and a good deal of it was written here too, dictated into my phone as I drove to, from, and around these mountains,” said Hardwig. Learn more about the big and how to purchase it at jayhardwig.com.

Smoky Mountain News

“As far back as I can remember,” Slade writes, “every day at my grandparents’ house would start with his making me and my brother and sister pancakes.” And these were no ordinary pancakes. The Elder Puppy would design special pancakes and make up stories about them, and these “pancake friends,” as Slade calls them, helped him grow closer to his Puppy. Inspired by these memories, Slade began making unique pancakes for his own grandchildren. In Puppy’s Pancakes, he has brought together an array of these pancake and candy sculptures: depictions in flour and sugar of the grandchildren, fairies, a ballerina, sharks and whales, and a score or more of other creatures. In the chapter “Elijah and the Jolly Old Elf,” for example, he teaches readers how to make Elijah, Santa Claus, Rudolph, Frosty the Snowman, and Woof-Woof, Elijah’s stuffed toy dog. Along with all of these creations, Slade provides a short poem, a fullpage illustration of the finished pancake, and clear and concise directions on making these visual — and no doubt, tasty — delights. One final observation: this is a sweet book — and I don’t just mean the recipes. Slade compliments his “beloved wife and the most wonderful grandmother in the world,” his children, and his “five adorable grandchildren.” And I smiled when in regard to the candies on the pancakes, Slade, like me with my ice cream breakfasts, is sure the parents told their kids, “You only get to do that with Puppy!” Here’s a cookbook not just for grandparents, but for pancake lovers everywhere.

February 23-March 1, 2022

everal years ago, when my children and grandchildren were gathering for a week at the beach in a house I’d rented, a good friend gave me a pre-vacation tip that put me in the winner’s circle with the grandkids. “Make them an ice cream breakfast,” she suggested. Following her directions, I bought vanilla ice cream, fruit toppings like blueberries and bananas, granola, M&Ms and chocolate drops, sprinkles, and whipped cream, and on the appointed morning made a buffet of all these goodies that covered the island table in the kitchen. It was a huge hit with their younger Writer crew, though some of the parents remarked that I was giving the kids a daylong sugar high. We haven’t gone back to the beach since the COVID-19 closures, but even today the kids speak fondly of Grandpa’s Ice Cream Breakfast, an event I intend to recreate this summer when visiting them, beach or no beach. Which is why I was delighted to receive a copy of “Puppy’s Pancakes” (AuthorHouse, 2021, 65 pages). Author and grandfather David Slade begins his book on artful pancakes by explaining that when he was a boy, he couldn’t pronounce the word Poppy, which is what the other children called their grandfather. “It always came out Puppy, and apparently I was pretty stubborn about it, so after a while it just stuck.” When his own grandchildren came along, he kept up this tradition and had them call him Puppy. He also handed them another tradition from his grandfather: pancakes.

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to the release and discussed the potential of imminent danger with FERC on Sept. 30. Both the N.C. Department of Water Resources and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers issued violations in relation to the incident, and FERC required Northbrook to answer a series of questions about it.

NORTHBROOK’S RESPONSE

In use since 1925, Ela Dam sits above an ecologically important stretch of river. Holly Kays photo

Tribe leads coalition to remove Ela Dam Owner Northbrook supports effort following October sediment dump BY HOLLY KAYS OUTDOORS EDITOR hat started as a groundswell of outrage over a massive sediment dump from Ela Dam in Swain County has become a united effort to get the nearly 100year-old structure removed — supported by the company that owns it and led by the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. “This is really one of those once-in-a-lifetime opportunities,” EBCI Secretary of Agriculture and Natural Resources Joey Owle told Tribal Council Feb. 3, presenting a resolution seeking the body’s blessing to start building a coalition of partners pursuing removal. The resolution passed unanimously and has been signed by Principal Chief Richard Sneed, launching a coalition that includes American Rivers, Mainspring Conservation Trust, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Dam removal is an expensive undertaking, but recent federal legislation such as the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act has made “unprecedented” levels of funding available for dam removal projects like the one proposed for Ela, Owle said. The Act allocates

hundreds of millions of dollars that could potentially go toward dam removal efforts — it’s quite possible the tribe won’t have to pay a dime. The timing has never been better to break down a dam. “I am just thrilled to be bringing this opportunity,” Owle told Council.

THE DUMP Sitting on the Oconaluftee River half a mile above its confluence with the Tuckasegee, Ela Dam was built to power the tiny logging town of Bryson City in 1925. Nantahala Power and Light Company bought the structure in 1942, and Duke Energy purchased that company in 1988. The Federal Electric Utilities Commission approved a 30-year license renewal in 2011, and in 2018 Duke sold the dam to Northbrook Energy. Northbrook also owns the Franklin Dam at Lake Emory and the Mission Dam on the Hiawassee River. Today, Ela Dam fuels the Duke Energy power grid, supplying a steady trickle of clean power just as it’s done for the better part of a century. Ela Dam is a small impoundment, tucked away along an easy-to-miss gravel drive that departs sharply downhill from Ela Road in Whittier. But it made its way into the headlines and raised the ire of conservationists when an unannounced reservoir drawdown in

October dumped a load of sediment so enormous that an N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission survey conducted 10 days later found the riverbed still blanketed with deposits. Of 71 data points the team recorded, a quarter held deposits a foot or more deep. The survey halted shortly after the Oconaluftee River’s confluence with the Tuckasegee because the sediment became so deep it threatened the team’s safety. Before the spill, little to no sediment covered the rocks and boulders lining this stretch of the Oconaluftee. It was critical habitat for an array of sensitive aquatic species that require clean, oxygenated water. Fish and wildlife experts said the event’s impact to the river’s aquatic inhabitants was likely devastating. “Because the sediment deposit is so widespread and deep, we believe it is safe to assume that future species surveys will find that some species have been extirpated from the Oconaluftee River below the Bryson Dam,” Fish and Wildlife Service Field Supervisor Janet Mizzi wrote in a Nov. 24 letter to FERC Secretary Kimberly D. Bose. The release occurred during an unscheduled emergency drawdown that Northbrook said was necessary to evaluate a breach in one of the stoplogs used to control water flow. Resource agencies like the Fish and Wildlife Service criticized the fact that they were not notified prior to the release occurring, despite public documents showing that Northbrook knew about the stoplog issue for weeks prior

In a Dec. 27, 2021, document responding to FERC’s questions, Northbrook President Chuck Ahlrichs said that pandemic labor market disruptions had made it extremely difficult to find a qualified contractor to evaluate the stoplog issue. When the company finally received a response from a qualified firm on Wednesday, Sept. 29, it arranged a site visit on the soonest possible day — Monday, Oct. 4. With only two working days to prepare, Northbrook contacted FERC, which agreed that the situation warranted an emergency, unscheduled drawdown under the dam’s Lake Level and Flow Management Plan. The plan stipulated that Northbrook could proceed with the drawdown so long as it notified resource agencies within five days of the event, Ahlrichs wrote. So, at about 9 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 3, generating units were shut down to prevent sediment release, and a controlled drawdown began through a single spillway tainter gate raised 2.1 feet. No “significant” sediment was released during the process, said Ahlrichs. The dump occurred at about 2:15 p.m. Oct. 3, when the reservoir depth measured 96.5 feet and an apparent programming malfunction caused the gates to open wide. “The headwater level transducers reached what was later found to be their minimum measurement elevations, and both spillway gates automatically and unexpectedly began opening, causing heavily sedimented water to pass downstream,” reads Ahlrichs’ response. “The plant operator, caught by surprise by the illogical and completely unexpected gate programming action, scrambled to manually override the programming and lower the gates.” According to the document, the gates were lowered within about 30 minutes, but by that time the reservoir — and much of the sediment it contained — had emptied downstream. One of the gates opened to at least 9 feet during the incident. In the months since, Northbrook has been embroiled in a tangle of communications with an alphabet soup of government agencies about requirements and recommendations for cleaning up the mess. The company engaged environmental and river restoration consultant Inter-Fluve to assess the damage and then hired Glenn Industries to correct it. Those operations began on Dec. 21, using hoses and sediment bags to vacuum sediment from the riverbed. In its response to FERC, Northbrook emphasized that the drawdown was “performed in good faith” and that the resulting sediment release has not done the company any favors.

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“The sediment release from the Bryson Event was not intended as, nor did the release provide, an operational improvement to the Bryson Project or somehow reduce Licensee’s responsibilities for sediment management,” the document reads. “Quite the contrary, this event was the first of its kind for (Northbrook) in nearly 30 years of hydropower operations, and any meaningful attempt at active remediation represents a cost in excess of the Bryson Project’s aggregate net cash flow for many years.”

NORTHBROOK SUPPORTS DAM REMOVAL

An aerial shot shows sediment deposits downstream of Ela Dam more than two months after the dump occurred, on Dec. 18, 2021. Glenn Industries photo

“When the tribe gets behind a project like this, it makes moves,” he said.

CRUMBLING VALUE Ela Dam is one of many small impoundments in the mountain region that has been churning out a steady — if slow — stream of energy since the early 1900s. “Now they’re old and they’re starting to crumble,” said Callie Moore, western regional director for environmental nonprofit MountainTrue. “They’re starting to have high repair costs, and they’re starting to be such a small percentage of revenue for these companies that removing them is becoming an option.” MountainTrue got involved with the Ela issue via a petition it started in January, making a series of four demands to FERC in relation to the incident. The petition’s 546 signatories asked FERC to ensure that the Oconaluftee cleanup continues to the satisfaction of state resource agencies; support the Army Corps of Engineers’ request for a mitigation plan to offset the impacts of sediment release; review Northbrook’s sediment management activities “or lack thereof ” and require maintenance plans protecting river resources; and set a Dec. 31 dead-

“This would be a great dam to remove,” said Moore. The discussion around dam removal is complicated, and not just because dismantling the structures is difficult and expensive. Once built, dams provide a continuous, reliable stream of renewable energy. Hydropower production doesn’t release greenhouse gases like fossil fuels, and it doesn’t pose the energy storage challenges facing solar and wind. “Larger dams have been great for energy production, and they fill the bill for clean energy,” said Ken Brown, who as executive director of the Watershed Association of the Tuckasegee River initially raised the alarm on the Northbrook sediment dump. However, dams also come with a significant environmental cost. “Dams by their very nature alter the function of river ecosystems,” said Brown. “Impoundments contribute to climate change. The evaporation rate on an impoundment is incredibly high. It changes the subsegments downstream such as the alluvial plains, that kind of thing. Marshes disappear when dams hit, and they’re one of the most effective carbon sinks there is.” Dams also cut off the upstream portion of the watershed from the downstream por-

— Joey Owle, EBCI Secretary of Agriculture and Natural Resources

line for Northbrook to develop long-term sediment management plans for its dams in Ela, Franklin and Andrews. Such plans were required under the 2011 relicensing agreement with Duke but have not been completed. When asked to comment on the petition’s demands, a FERC spokesperson said that “these issues are currently under review and will be addressed once the review is complete.”

tion, isolating populations of aquatic species and complicating natural migrations such as spawning runs for fish. “They cause more problems than they solve, dams,” Brown said. When considering any potential dam removal project, said Moore, it’s important to weigh the ecological, cultural, recreational, economic and energy-related benefits against each other before making a judgment. But in the case of Ela Dam, both

ENVISIONING A FREE RIVER Meanwhile, the environmental and recreational benefits of a free Oconaluftee could be spectacular, advocates say. Getting rid of the dam would remove a barrier that’s kept upstream and downstream aquatic life separated for nearly a century, and provide opportunity to anglers and boaters looking for a longer continuous river stretch. They point to the revitalization of the Tuckasegee River at Dillsboro following that dam’s removal in 2010 as an example of what could happen on the Oconaluftee. “The removal of Ela Dam would provide significant ecological benefits, including the return of a more naturalized flow and temperature regimen and sediment transport to the river system and would be of net benefit to the EBCI Oconaluftee watershed, its aquatic and terrestrial resources such as the sicklefin redhorse, the eastern hellbender and the Appalachian elktoe mussel,” reads the resolution Council passed. MountainTrue is “all in” on supporting dam removal efforts, and the rare sicklefin

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“This is really one of those once-in-a-lifetime opportunities.”

Moore and Brown believe that removing it is the best option. “Part of the issue also with the Bryson dam is how little electricity it actually produces,” said Moore. The dam has a licensed capacity of only 980 kilowatts, netting the company just over $55,000 per year. By contrast, nearby Fontana Dam produces a net 304 megawatts on an average day, more than 310 times the amount generated at Ela. Those numbers — placed alongside the reality of an aging structure in need of expensive upgrades and a sediment-covered river requiring pricey cleanup efforts — make the calculation simple, said Brown. “In the long run, the economics of that dam being there and them (Northbrook) running that dam are far removed from their intention to make money,” he said.

February 23-March 1, 2022

In his presentation to Tribal Council, Owle said Northbrook was looking at $1.5 million or more in cleanup costs for a dam whose estimated value is between $500,000 and $1 million. Ahlrich wrote in his response to FERC that the dam brings in only about $55,300 in annual net revenue. That dismal math is perhaps why the company so readily pledged its support to the dam removal coalition Owle’s department is leading. “In response to your call for a mitigation plan by February 11, we propose to cooperate with, and assist in the eventual removal of the Ela dam as discussed further below,” reads a Feb. 8 letter from Ahlrichs to Army Corps of Engineers Regulatory Specialist David Brown. In the letter, Ahlrichs signals his willingness to enter into a binding agreement committing Northbrook to the removal efforts. The company could dedicate net cash flow from the dam toward removal efforts, and transfer ownership of the dam assets to the entity — the EBCI — leading removal efforts, Ahrlichs wrote. He also offered to help vet contractors for in-river operations, review removal plans and work with FERC to gain any regulatory approvals required for the removal effort. “We believe FERC would cooperate with a dam removal effort led by other federal, state, EBC (sic) and/or local agencies, and we could assist with making the relevant applications and arguments to FERC as we cooperate with FERC license transfer/termination,” reads the document. “But others would need to take the lead in advocating for the appropriation of public funding sources to ultimately remove the Ela dam.” The EBCI-led partnership aims to fill that role. “I think they’re probably more excited than I am about what this opportunity is, and the work they could contribute and the funding sources that are out there,” Owle said of the partners in his comments to Council. While the coalition has received Tribal Council’s endorsement, the effort is still in its infancy. Both Owle and Northbrook declined to offer additional comment outside of those already available through public records and meetings, citing a preference to postpone interviews until formal agreements were complete. However, Owle told Council that he expects the wheels to move quickly once they start turning.

Smoky Mountain News February 23-March 1, 2022

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Students explore recycling for apartments

Students advocate for increased recycling facilities at off-campus apartment complexes. Donated photo that if even half the off-campus apartments offered recycling collection, they would collect about 95 tons of materials each year. Chad Parker, public works director for Jackson County, said he’s not sure what the future holds for recycling collection at the off-campus apartment complexes, but he’s hopeful some of them will start to offer the service for their residents. “It was something that needed to be looked into, and that’s what they did,” Parker said of the students and their capstone project. “The group did a great job with the project and we’ve got some good data out of it.” tence. “We (the partners) were just down there at lunch — kind of like wow, this is real,” he said Feb. 3. “We’re standing here looking at

Smoky Mountain News

redhorse is the main reason why, Moore said. MountainTrue is part of the Sicklefin Working Group aiming to restore the fish’s populations. The large-bodied sucker fish were historically a staple food for the Cherokee people, but today they’re rare, found only in the Little Tennessee and Hiawassee river basins of North Carolina and northern Georgia. The Fish and Wildlife Service estimates that about half of the species’ known population in the Tuckasegee River basin — which flows into the Little Tennessee — spawns in the Oconaluftee River below Ela Dam. For years, tribal resource managers have been trying to establish a population above the dam on the Qualla Boundary, but to no avail. The fish would eventually flop over the impoundment, unable to return upstream. Countless other aquatic species face the same barrier. “For 97 years, our water bodies A photo taken by prominent Swain County pharmacist have been disconnected from the Kelly “Doc” Bennett shows the Ela Dam under conrest of the world,” Owle told struction in the mid-1920s. Hunter Library/WCU photo Council. Owle — and the partners he’s this dam, and it could be down within five working with — hopes to see that barrier years.” break as the dam nears a century of exis-

February 23-March 1, 2022

E LA, CONTINUED FROM 29

However, surveys revealed widespread student support for on-site recycling collection. As of now no off-campus complexes offer that service. The students estimate

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Environmental science students at Western Carolina University took a look at the logistics of getting off-campus apartment complexes to offer recycling collections as part of a capstone class project. “A lot of the students were very surprised that the larger apartment complexes didn’t have recycling,” said junior Virginia Hawkins, of Pinetops. “I knew going into this class that I would assume the larger apartments would have recycling, because they have almost 500 beds. The fact that they don’t is very shocking.” The 24 students completed the project in partnership with staff from Jackson County, which operates eight staffed centers where residents can drop off recyclables. The students surveyed other students and reached out to property managers to gauge interest in on-site recycling collection at apartment complexes. They also identified potential grants that could pay for recycling bins and organized a trial recycling run at The Maples of Cullowhee that collected 180 pounds of recyclables in a week. “None of the apartment complexes are recycling and we’re trying to get at least some of them to,” said senior Thomas Seamon, of Mocksville. While recycling has long been central to efforts to reduce the environmental impact of waste materials, its effectiveness faces challenges, especially in recent years as multiple countries, including China, stopped importing recyclable waste, forcing some municipalities to put unsellable recyclables in the landfill.

outdoors February 23-March 1, 2022 Smoky Mountain News 32

Smokies, Parkway top visitation list for 2021

Catch up on Smokies research The Great Smoky Mountains National Park’s annual research symposium is coming up 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday, March 3, via Zoom. Co-hosted by the park’s nonprofit partner Discover Life in America, the GSMNP Science Colloquium is a chance for scientists conducting research in the Smokies to showcase their findings to the public. This year’s event features 15 presentations by scientists from a variety of regional institutions covering topics ranging from the experience of African Americans in the area to understanding how high-elevation forests intercept fog to investigating the boundaries between salamander species. In addition to the presentations, DLiA will hold a virtual workshop for teachers about the iScience biodiversity program from 44:30 p.m. that day, open to educators and parents over Zoom. All events are free, with more information and registration at dlia.org.

The two most visited national parks of 2021 are located right here in Western North Carolina, according to figures released by the National Park Service last week. Last year, the Blue Ridge Parkway recorded 15.9 million visits along its 469mile length, making it the most-visited unit in the National Park System. The figure is 13% higher than 2020’s 14.1 million, but similar to the 16.1 million visitors recorded in 2017 and well below the record 21.5 million visits in 2002. Meanwhile, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park took the number two spot with an eye-popping 14.1 million visits, a 12.4% increase over the previous record of 12.5 million set in 2019. California’s Golden Gate National Recreation Area comes in third with 13.7 million visits, and all other units had fewer than 10 million visits. Zion National Park in Utah is the only designated National Park in the top 10 aside from the Smokies, with 5 million visits. “While overall Parkway visitation has remained relatively stable over the past five to ten years, some of the park’s most popular destinations are seeing the impacts of heavy visitation,” said Blue Ridge Parkway Superintendent Tracy Swartout. “Overcrowding at popular locations can lead to diminished visitor experience and damage to park resources. These impacts

can often be avoided by recreating responsibly. With 469 miles to explore, we encourage you to find new ways to enjoy the Parkway this year.” Since 2014, camping in the Parkway is up 56.8%, with 12.4% more camping nights in 2021 than in 2019. Specifically, tent

camping was up 9.9% and RV camping up 16.3% over the two-year period. Last year saw 362 motor vehicle accidents on the Parkway, of which 102 resulted in injuries and eight in fatalities. Five of the fatalities involved motorcycles. The overall accident rate in 2021 was 17% higher than 2019 but 13% lower than 2020. High visitation combined with a short-

fall in staffing and funding is challenging national parks nationwide, according to the National Parks Conservation Association. After more than five months, the NPS and other federal agencies are still waiting for fiscal year 2022 budgets, with Congress so far approving only short-term funding at unchanged levels. Nearly 3,500 park staff positions — 16% of the Park Service’s total staffing capacity — have been eliminated over the last decade, according to NPCA President and CEO Theresa Pierno. “For so many park staff, it’s not just a job — it’s a calling. But they are continually asked to do more with less, multitasking as maintenance workers, junior ranger wranglers, traffic controllers, wildlife biologists, janitors, rescuers and beyond,” she said. “We must support people who protect some of our nation’s most irreplaceable places and resources. And Congress has the opportunity right now to right this wrong, by passing a funding bill before this bad situation gets worse.” For more information about national park visitation statistics, visit nps.gov/aboutus/visitation-numbers.htm. — Holly Kays, Outdoors editor

GET BACK TO A BETTER B PLACE

Smokies fills two leadership roles

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New inclusive trail open in Macon County A new half-mile trail created to serve people with physical disabilities is now open at Mainspring Conservation Trust’s 16-acre Queen Branch property along N.C. 28 in Macon County. Funded through a major gift from supporter Sylvia Walbolt and a grant from the Cannon Foundation, the trail includes three viewing areas along the Little Tennessee River.

Landscape designer Richard Clark and retired engineer Ed Haight, both Mainspring supporters, designed the trail and parking lot. The trail is ready for use, but a bridge, scheduled for construction in early spring, will complete the project. For more information and directions, visit mainspringconserves.org/be-amainspring/properties/queen-branch.

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park recently filled two key leadership positions — Randy Scoggins has been hired as the new chief ranger overseeing the Visitor and Resource Protection Division, and Stephanie Kyriazis will serve as the new chief of resource education. As Chief Ranger, Scoggins, who most recently served as chief ranger at Buffalo National River, will lead personnel responsible for law enforcement, wildland fire, emergency medical services, search and rescue operations, backcountry operations, and the emergency communications center. Scoggins’ hire marks a return to the Smokies, where he began his career as a seasonal law enforcement ranger in the summer of 1992. Since then, his career has taken him to national park units across the country, including Big South Fork National River, Padre Island National Seashore, Chickasaw National Recreation Area and Key Deer National Wildlife Refuge. He holds a bachelor of science degree from Western Kentucky University with a major in geology and minor in parks and recreation management, as well as several certifications in wildland and structural firefighting. He is a certified Emergency Medical Technician. “I can’t wait to return to the park where my National Park Service career began,” said Chief Ranger Scoggins. “I’m looking forward to working with old friends and colleagues, and meeting new ones, while we work

together to protect these sacred mountains.” Kyriazis has served as deputy chief of resource education since July 2020 and will now shed the “deputy” portion of her title after demonstrating “incredible leadership and forward thinking,” according to a park press release. Prior to arriving in the Smokies, Kyriazis Stephanie Kyriazis. served as the Chief of Interpretation, Education and Visitor Services at Marsh-BillingRockefeller National Historical Park and Saint-Gaudens National Historical Park, as well as serving as the Chief of Interpretation and Education at Brown Randy Scoggins. v. Board of Education National Historical Park. “Stephanie is known for building successful collaborations internally, locally, regionally and nationally,” says Acting Deputy Superintendent Lisa McInnis. “Her fervent dedication to diversity and inclusion make her the perfect choice in leading the Resource Education division.”

Kick off March with the Tuckasegee Chapter of Trout Unlimited, which will hold an in-person meeting Tuesday, March 1, and a litter pickup Thursday, March 3. n The March 1 meeting will be 6:30-8 p.m. at the United Methodist Church in Sylva, featuring Ken Brown, executive director of the Watershed Association of the Tuckasegee River, as speaker. n The cleanup of River Road between Dillsboro and Webster will take place 3-5 p.m. Thursday, March 3, with all supplies provided. The group will meet at the C.J. Harris boat launch. Email tu.lenehan@gmail.com to sign up.

Trout waters to close for stocking

WE ARE ACCEPTING NEW PATIENTS

intervals through June, as occurs annually. In 2022, the Wildlife Commission will stock about 964,000 trout, 96% of which will measure at least 10 inches with the remaining 4% exceeding 14 inches in length. Once waters reopen, anglers can harvest up to seven trout daily with no minimum size or bait restrictions until next year’s closure starting Feb. 28, 2023. The hatchery trout stocking schedule and additional inland fishing information are available on the Wildlife Commission’s website, ncwildlife.org.

N.C. to supply 2022 Capitol Christmas tree When Christmas 2022 rolls around, a tree from North Carolina’s national forests will adorn the U.S. Capitol building. The National Forests in North Carolina has been chosen to provide the 2022 tree, and with the theme of “From the Mountains to the Sea” is kicking off a year-long celebration to connect people to N.C.’s public lands. This will be the third time N.C.’s national forests have provided the tree, previously doing so in 1998 and 1974. The state’s four national forests — Nantahala, Pisgah, Uwharrie and Croatan — receive about 6.5 million visitors per year, making them some of the most visited national forests in the country. To follow the journey of the 2022 U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree, visit uscapitolchristmastree.com or follow @uscapitolchristmastree on Facebook and Instagram.

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A month-long closure of Hatchery Supported Trout Waters in North Carolina will begin at 11:59 p.m. Monday, Feb. 28, and end at 7 a.m. Saturday, April 2. During the closure, N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission staff will stock the 1,000 miles of waters, marked with greenand-white signs, in preparation for opening day. These waters will be stocked at frequent

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February 23-March 1, 2022

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February 23-March 1, 2022

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The Assault on BlackRock trail race is set for 9 a.m. Saturday, March 19, with proceeds benefiting the Jackson County Rescue Squad. The grueling course starts from Sylva’s Pinnacle Park to traverse 7 miles of trail with 2,770 feet of elevation gain. Participants will climb rocky roadbeds and a single-track trail to the 5,810-foot Blackrock summit in the spruce-fir forest

topping the Plott Balsam Mountains. The point offers a nearly 360-degree view. T-shirts are guaranteed to those who register prior to March 1, and prizes will be awarded to top finishers. Anyone who completes the race in 101 minutes or less will get a belt buckle. Registration is $25 in advance or $30 on race day. Sign up at ultrasignup.com.

Navigation course offered in Waynesville Learn how to navigate the backcountry with a course offered 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, March 5, at Allens Creek Park in Waynesville. The class will cover the fundamentals of map and compass land navigation and apply them to modern cell phone apps. The course also includes hike planning, how to avoid becoming lost, and what to do if you do lose your way. Steve Kuni, a retired Army officer and member of both the Haywood County Search and Rescue team and Carolina Mountain Club, will teach this class offered by Haywood County Recreation and Parks. Cost is $10, with a maximum of 10 participants. To register, call 828.452.6789.

Glacier Breaker returns to NOC After a long absence during the COVID19 pandemic, whitewater racing will return to the Nantahala Outdoor Center in Swain County with the Glacier Breaker Slalom and Wildwater competition on Saturday, Feb. 26, and Sunday, Feb. 27. Presented by the Nantahala Racing Club, the Glacier Breaker is a family-friendly slalom open to paddlers of all ages with a course difficulty of novice to intermediate. The slalom race will begin at noon on Saturday just above the NOC Founder’s Bridge and end upstream of the highway bridge, consisting of 18-20 slalom gates and running through the 2013 Worlds Hole. Racers should use slalom-specific boats and have at least Class II river-running skills. The wildwater race will happen at noon on Sunday. The course will be available for

practice runs at 5 p.m. Friday, Feb. 25. Registration is due by noon Friday, Feb. 25, and costs $20 payable at race check-in. All unvaccinated athletes, parents and volunteers must observe social distancing and wear masks when not on the water. Those running a fever or displaying COVID symptoms should not attend. Learn more at noc.com/events/nrc-glacier-breaker.

WNC Calendar COMMUNITY EVENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS • The Jackson County Farmers Market meets every Saturday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. November through March and 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. April through October at Bridge Park in Sylva, 110 Railroad St. Fresh, locally grown seasonal vegetables, locally produced meat, eggs, fresh bread and pastries, coffee, foraged mushrooms, flowers, starter plants for the garden, honey, jams and jellies, local artisans and more. Special events listed on Facebook and Instagram. • The Jackson Arts Market takes place from 1 to 5 p.m. every Saturday at 533 West Main Street in Sylva with live music and an array of local artists. “Guided by Pigs” will play at the market Saturday, Feb. 26, “Jackson Grimm” will play at the market Saturday, March 5. • Pigeon Community Multicultural Development Center is having a Soul Food Fundraiser to celebrate Black History Month and to support its children and senior programs at 11 a.m. Friday, Feb. 25, at the Pigeon Community Center. There will be freshly made fried chicken, mac and cheese, fresh greens, sweet potatoes, cornbread and a home-made dessert. Cost is $11. Contact pigeoncommunityd@bellsouth.net or 828.279.7087

BUSINESS & EDUCATION • SCC will hold a general career fair featuring employers from all sectors from 1 to 4 p.m. Feb. 24 at the Burrell Building on SCC’s Jackson Campus in Sylva. For more information about this event and SCC’s career services, contact Michael Despeaux at 828.229.4212 or m_despeaux@southwesterncc.edu • Western Carolina University’s Educational Leadership Programs will be hosting Equity in Education Summit from 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. on Friday, March 25, at the Crest Center in Asheville. The registration fee for the summit is $100 and includes a light breakfast and lunch. For more information contact Jess Weiler at jrweiler@email.wcu.edu. For more information about registration, visit learn.wcu.edu/equity-summit or call 828.227.7397.

VOLUNTEERS & VENDORS • Artisans, Crafters, and Food Vendors are invited to submit their application for the Greening Up the Mountains Festival to be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, April 23, in downtown Sylca. Visit the festival’s website, www.greeningupthemountains.com to review the 2022 Vendor Policies and download an application. Applications will be accepted through March 15. For more information, please email the event coordinator at greeningupthemountains@gmail.com.

HEALTH AND WELLNESS • Swain County Caring Corner Free Clinic is open Thursday’s 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Restoration House (Bryson City United Methodist Church). Office hours are Tuesday, Thursday, Friday 9 a.m. to noon. Call 828.341.1998 to see if you qualify to receive free medical care from volunteer providers. • Free Yoga class will take place at 5:15 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 23, at the Macon County Public Library. Please register ahead for this free class. https://beyondbendingyoga.com/schedule/

SUPPORT GROUPS • Haywood Hospice & Palliative Care is sponsoring a Community Grief Gathering at 1 p.m. on the second

Smoky Mountain News

p.m. unless otherwise noted. Innovation-brewing.com.

n All phone numbers area code 828 unless otherwise noted. n To have your item listed email to calendar@smokymountainnews.com Wednesday of the month at the Canton Library in the meeting room. Each month will feature a different grief topic. The Haywood County Public Library and Haywood Hospice require that masks be worn inside the building. For more information or to RSVP, please contact Dan Pyles at 452.5039 or email Daniel.pyles@lhcgroup.com • Dementia Caregivers Support Group, for those providing care for folks who are dealing with dementia, meets from 4:30 to 6 p.m. on the fourth Tuesday of every month at the Haywood Senior Resource Center (81 Elmwood Way, Waynesville). For additional information call 828-476-7985. • Al-Anon, for families and friends of alcoholics, meets every Monday night from 7-8 p.m. at First United Methodist Church, 77 Jackson St., Sylva. Enter at front of church through the door to the left of the sanctuary; meeting is first door on the right. The Church requests that you wear a mask if you are not vaccinated. • Narcotics Anonymous meetings are back “live” inperson after a year of being on Zoom only. Local meetings are 12 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays at Sylva First United Methodist Church in downtown Sylva. Entrance at back of building.

AUTHORS AND BOOKS • “Books & Brews” with beloved Jackson County author/historian Dave Waldrop will be held at 7 p.m. Feb. 23 at Innovation Brewing in Sylva. Free and open to the public.

• Lazy Hiker Brewing (Sylva) will host Rebekah Todd Feb. 25 and Arnold Hill (rock/jam) March 11. All shows begin at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.349.2337 or lazyhikerbrewing.com. • Mountain Layers Brewing (Bryson City) will host Aly Jordan (singer-songwriter) Feb. 25 and Wollybooger (blues/folk) Feb. 26. All shows begin at 6 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.538.0115 or mountainlayersbrewingcompany.com.

• Mountain Makers Craft Market will be held from noon to 4 p.m. the first Sunday of each month at 308 North Haywood Street in downtown Waynesville. Over two dozen artisans selling handmade and vintage goods. Special events will be held when scheduled. mountainmakersmarket.com. • Balsam Falls Brewing (Sylva) will host an open mic from 8 to 10 p.m. every Thursday. Free and open to the public. 828.631.1987 or balsamfallsbrewing.com.

• Boojum Brewing (Waynesville) will host The Get Right Band (rock/indie) Feb. 25, The Andrew Thelston Band’s “Fleetwood Mac Tribute Show” Feb. 26 and Brother Fat March 5. All shows begin at 9 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.246.0350 or boojumbrewing.com. • The Classic Wineseller (Waynesville) will host Jay Brown (guitar/harmonica) Feb. 26. All shows begin at 7 p.m. Limited seating. Reservations are highly recommended. 828.452.6000 or classicwineseller.com. • Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort (Cherokee) will host Bret Michaels (rock) 8 p.m. Feb. 25 and Gary Allen (country) 7 p.m. March 5. For tickets, caesars.com/harrahs-cherokee. • Innovation Brewing (Sylva) will host Shane Meade (indie/soul) March 9. All events begin at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. innovation-brewing.com. • Innovation Station (Dillsboro) will host Savannah Page 7 p.m. Feb. 25. All events are free and begin at 2

n n n n

Complete listings of local music scene Regional festivals Art gallery events and openings Complete listings of recreational offerings at health and fitness centers n Civic and social club gatherings

• Nantahala Brewing (Sylva) will host “Karaoke In The Smokies” 7:30 p.m. Feb. 23 and Arnold Hill (rock/indie) Feb. 25. All shows are free and begin at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. 828.641.9797 or nantahalabrewing.com.

drop-in format, with topics including physical education, hiking, kayaking, outdoor education and more. Those unable to stop by Feb. 23 can contact MaShon Gaddis at 828.456.2030 or mgaddis@waynesvillenc.gov.

• Unplugged Pub (Bryson City) will host Blackjack County Feb. 24, Jay Dee Gee Feb. 25, The UpBeats Feb. 26, Open Mic March 3, Blended Hemp March 4 and Mile High Band March 5. All shows begin at 8 p.m. Free and open to the public. 828.538.2488.

• An organizational meeting for an adult co-ed volleyball league is scheduled for 6 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 23, at the Waynesville Recreation Center. Donald Hummel, 828.456.2030 or dhummel@waynesvillenc.gov.

• Valley Tavern (Maggie Valley) will host the “Hillbilly Jam” showcase weekend w/DJ Jason Wyatt Feb. 24 and Mile High Band Feb. 25. Both events begin at 6 p.m. 828.926.7440 or valley-tavern.com.

FOOD AND DRINK • Lazy Hiker Brewing (Sylva) will host a “Chili Cook Off” at 6 p.m. Thursday Feb. 24. Free and open to the public. 828.349.2337 or lazyhikerbrewing.com. • “Flights & Bites” will be held starting at 4 p.m. on Thursdays and Fridays at Bosu’s Wine Shop in downtown Waynesville. For more information on upcoming events, wine tastings and special dinners, click on waynesvillewine.com. • A free wine tasting will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. every Thursday and 2 to 5 p.m. every Saturday at The Wine Bar & Cellar in Sylva. 828.631.3075.

A&E

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

• “Uncorked: Wine & Rail Pairing Experience” will be held from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 12 (and other select dates), at the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad in Bryson City. Full service all-adult first class car. Wine pairings with a meal, and more. For more information and/or to register, call 800.872.4681 or click on gsmr.com.

ON STAGE & IN CONCERT • Nantahala Brewing (Sylva) will host “Standup Comedy Night” at 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 19. 828.641.9797 or nantahalabrewing.com.

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

Outdoors

•Home school parents are invited to an open house 1-3 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 23, at the Waynesville Recreation Center to learn more about programs and trips being offered for the home-school population. The event is a

•Learn how to grow shiitake mushrooms during a hands-on workshop 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 26, in Franklin. Cost is $35. To register, contact 828.349.2049 or clbreden@ncsu.edu. • After a long absence during the COVID-19 pandemic, whitewater racing will return to the Nantahala Outdoor Center in Swain County with the Glacier Breaker Slalom and Wildwater competition on Saturday, Feb. 26, and Sunday, Feb. 27. Registration is due by noon Friday, Feb. 25, and costs $20 payable at race check-in. Learn more at noc.com/events/nrc-glacier-breaker. • The 2022 Outdoor Economy Conference is scheduled for April 4-7 at the new Cherokee Convention Center in Cherokee. Early bird pricing of $400 for the full four-day conference is available through Feb. 28. Find out more at outdooreconomy.org. • A month-long closure of Hatchery Supported Trout Waters in North Carolina will begin at 11:59 p.m. Monday, Feb. 28, and end at 7 a.m. Saturday, April 2. The hatchery trout stocking schedule and additional inland fishing information are available on the Wildlife Commission’s website, www.ncwildlife.org • The Sylva Chapter of Trout Unlimited and friends will clean River Road between Dillsboro and Webster from 3 to 5 p.m. Thursday, March 3. Rain date March 10. All supplies will be provided. Meet at C.J. Harris boat launch 2:30-3 p.m. and return by 5 p.m. Please sign up by including your name in an email tu.lenehan@gmail.com. • Tuckasegee Chapter of Trout Unlimited will hold a meeting from 6:30 to 8 p.m. March 1, at the United Methodist Church in Sylva, featuring Ken Brown, executive director of the Watershed Association of the Tuckasegee River as speaker. • Tuckasegee Chapter of Trout Unlimited’s cleanup of River Road between Dillsboro and Webster will take place 3-5 p.m. Thursday, March 3, with all supplies provided. The group will meet at the C.J. Harris boat launch. Email tu.lenehan@gmail.com to sign up. • The Great Smoky Mountains National Park’s annual research symposium is coming up 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday, March 3, via Zoom. All events are free, with more information and registration at dlia.org.

Market WNC PLACE

MarketPlace information:

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Announcements

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Business Opportunities

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

Employment THE TOWN OF FRANKLIN Is accepting applications for a Code (QIRUFHPHQW 2I¿FHU This position will perform responsible professional work interpreting, applying and enforcing the code of ordinances for the Town. The candidate chosen may be a sworn RI¿FHU RU D QRQVZRUQ civilian. An employee

in this class performs inspections to ensure compliance with the code of ordinances. The employee will be required to check for violations following complaints, and takes appropriate enforcement action when YLRODWLRQV DQG RU ¿QHV have not been resolved by the offender. Work will require considerable knowledge of local and related state laws, ordinances, and environmental issues, and extensive public contact skills and FRQÀLFW UHVROXWLRQ VNLOOV In addition, the employee will work closely with the Town Planner to identify properties that have been issued zoning FHUWL¿FDWHV DQG DQ\ RWKHU approval required. Work also includes processing enforcement paperwork and may require appearance in court cases. The employee will be exposed to inside and outside environmental conditions and irate citizens. Work

is primarily supervised by the Town Planner with some oversight by the Chief of Police in regards to Alcohol Law Enforcement laws and regulations in the event that the candidate chosen has completed requirements established by the NC Justice Training and Standards Commission IRU FHUWL¿HG ODZ HQIRUFHPHQW RI¿FHUV $SSOLFDQWV must have a high school diploma/GED with a 2- or 4-year degree preferred and a NC driver’s license. 3 to 5 years of experience in Code Enforcement is also preferred. Please submit a Town of Franklin application form to the NCWorks Career &HQWHU 2I¿FH DW :HVW Main Street, Franklin, NC 28734. Physical address is 23 Macon Avenue, Franklin, NC 28734. 2I¿FH FRQWDFW QXPEHU LV (828) 369-9534. Go to https://franklinnc.com/ human-resources-franklin-nc.html for a Town

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p: 828.452.4251 · f:828.452.3585 classads@smokymountainnews.com www.wncmarketplace.com Face coverings are required in all public indoor spaces.

www.smokymountainnews.com

February 23-March 1, 2022

WNC MarketPlace

application and to view a full job description. Please contact 828-5242516, ext. 311 for additional questions about the position. EARN YOUR HOSPITALITY DEGREE ONLINE! Earn your Associates Degree ONLINE with CTI! Great career advancement with the right credentials! Learn who’s hiring! Call 833990-0354. The Mission, Program Information and Tuition is located at CareerTechnical.edu/consumer-information. THE TOWN OF FRANKLIN Is seeking a full-time HPSOR\HH WR ¿OO WKH SRVLtion of Human Resources Director. The position is responsible for adminisWHULQJ WKH 7RZQ¶V EHQH¿WV programs, consulting department staff and management on hiring, training, wellness, training needs, disciplinary actions, grievances, performance evaluation, compensation, personnel policies and related matters. This employee will have considerable knowledge of Town government and the principles and practices of effective supervision including leadership, FRQÀLFW UHVROXWLRQ motivation, employee

communications, performance coaching and evaluation, compensation administration, and other related matters. Recruitment Selection and Guidelines Graduation from college with a BA/ BS in public or business administration or related ¿HOG DQG H[SHULHQFH LQ human resource administration; or an equivalent combination of education and experience. The position must be willing to attend courses and conferences to remain up to date on human resource administration principles, practices, and regulations. The Town of Franklin offers a compreKHQVLYH EHQH¿WV SDFNDJH to include health/dental/ life insurance, a 401(K) plan, and participates in the N.C. Local Governmental Retirees’ System. Application Instructions Applicants can submit a Town of Franklin employment application, resume and cover letter to the NC Works Career Center 2I¿FH ORFDWHG DW :HVW Main Street, Franklin, NC 2I¿FH FRQWDFW is (828) 369-9534. A complete copy of the job advertisement and Town of Franklin application can be found at www. franklinnc.com. Please contact Amie Owens, Town Manager, at 828-

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February 23-March 1, 2022

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TO ADVERTISE IN THE NEXT ISSUE

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SUPER

CROSSWORD

MUNICIPAL APPLICATION ACROSS 1 "Cabaret" performer Sally 7 Allowable 15 Egg-beating utensil 20 Carey of pop 21 Red wine, in Rouen 22 Sonja on ice skates 23 Start of a riddle 25 Western flick, in old slang 26 Like arias and anthems 27 "Go back to zero" button 28 Halloween’s mo. 29 Titan orbits it 30 Other, to Juanita 32 Bible book before Jeremiah 34 Kingly title 35 Perp pursuer 38 Riddle, part 2 43 Giraffe’s kin 45 Writer -- Hubbard 46 1998 Disney musical set in China 47 Riddle, part 3 52 Rubber-stamping item 56 No, to Nabokov 57 Worn-down pencils, e.g. 58 Raise, as a building 61 Pie -- mode 62 Maestro Kurt 64 Actress Debra 66 Second-rate flick 68 Riddle, part 4 73 Within easy reach 74 Sports facilities 75 Rudely brief 76 Chomp on 77 Begin 78 "Der --" (Konrad Adenauer’s nickname)

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ANSWERS ON PAGE 34

524-2516, ext. 305 for questions about this position. The Town of Franklin is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Hiring Range: $53,693—71,000, DOQ SERVICE OPTIONS COORDINATOR (Part time, Haywood County) Duties include liaison with funding sources and other agencies that provide services to seniors. Meet with potential clients to assess any needs and locate needed community services. Complete Satisfaction Surveys on a regular basis and measure improvements in client situations. Complete and submit required reassessments at 6 month intervals. Applicants must have effective oral and written communication skills. Experience working with elderly, knowledge of community resources necessary. Applicants should exhibit compassion and desire to help seniors remain living independently. Candidates must have high school diploma/GED, valid NC Driver’s License. Please apply by visiting: www.mountainprojects. org EOE/AA

DUMP TRUCK DRIVER B. H. Graning Landscapes is hiring a Dump Truck Driver. CDL required. Part time and/or fulltime availability. $17-$25/hour. Pay is negotiable based on knowledge and experience. For more information, please call 828.586.8303. Apply online or in person. www.bhglandscapes. com/employmentapplication.

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LANDSCAPE CONSTRUCTION FOREMAN B. H. Graning Landscapes is hiring a Landscape Construction Foreman. This position is full time employment with group EHQH¿WV RIIHUHG DIWHU 90 days. $15-$25/hour. Pay is negotiable based on knowledge and experience. For more information, please call 828.586.8303. Apply online or in person. www.bhglandscapes. com/employment-application. LANDSCAPING CREW B. H. Graning Landscapes is looking to hire Landscape Crew in both Maintenance and Construction in Canton, NC and Sylva, NC. $12-$22/hour. Part time and/or full-time availability. Flexible late start schedules are available. Pay is negotiable based on knowledge and experience. For more information, please call 828.586.8303. Apply online or in person. www.bhglandscapes. com/employment-application.

SUDOKU

Here’s How It Works: Sudoku puzzles are formatted as a 9x9 grid, broken down into nine 3x3 boxes. To solve a sudoku, the numbers 1 through 9 must fill each row, column and box. Each number can appear only once in each row, column and box. You can figure out the order in which the numbers will appear by using the numeric clues already provided in the boxes. The more numbers you name, Answers on 34 the easier it gets to solve the puzzle!

www.smokymountainnews.com

February 23-March 1, 2022

WNC MarketPlace

ASSISTANT FINANCE OFFICER: HAYWOOD COUNTY Mountain Projects Inc. is seeking a full time Assistant )LQDQFH 2I¿FHU WKDW ZLOO be responsible for asVLVWLQJ ¿QDQFLDO PDWWHUV This position performs complex professional and managerial administrative work in planning, organizing, and executing WKH ¿QDQFLDO GXWLHV RI WKH organization. Two year degree in Business Administration or Accounting preferred. Experience with multi-funded QRQSUR¿W RUJDQL]DWLRQV state and federal grant requirements is preferred. 3UR¿FLHQW RUDO DQG ZULWWHQ communication skills ability to demonstrate a working knowledge of general accounting and budget procedures. To be considered please apply at www.mountainprojects.org EOE/AA GROUP HOME STAFF NEEDED: Full time BenH¿WHG SRVLWLRQ DYDLODEOH in Waynesville. Paraprofessional will participate in the care of residents by providing guidance, supervision, medication and prompting as needed. High School diploma, driver’s license, documentation required. Interested person my contact 828-778-0260 for more information. LICENSED P&C INSURANCE AGENT Local insurance agency is looking for an individual who is motivated, energetic, and has a bright personality. Must be goal oriented and a team player! Competitive pay and bene¿WV )XOO RU SDUW WLPH License preferred. (828) 452-2815 OlgaGeorgi2@allstate.com

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Pets SARGE’S ANIMAL RESCUE FOUNDATION Pebbles is a 6 year old Rottweiler whose sweetness is as generous as her size. Pebbles is used to living with other dogs but it has been noted that she should be fed separate from the others. As is expected with the breed, Pebbles will bark and potentially be protective if she isn’t familiar with comes into her home. Pebbles has lived with cats and older children. The ideal applicant would have a fenced yard and perhaps previous experience with the breed. Pebble’s adoption fee is $200. If you’d like to schedule a meet and greet with Pebbles, please submit a dog adoption application at www.sarges.org (828) 246-9050 info@ sarges.org CALICO CAT, CHUBBY Sweet, beautiful 10 year old girl. making progress on losing weight. Gets along with cats and dogs. Asheville Humane Society (828) 761-2001 adoptions@ ashevillehumane.org

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PITBULL TERRIER MIX (TAN), TWITCH 5-yr old cutie, ready for adventures. Loves toys and people; prefer to be only pet. Asheville Humane Society (828) 761-2001 adoptions@ashevillehumane.org

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February 23-March 1, 2022

WNC MarketPlace

Smoky Mountain News February 23-March 1, 2022