Smoky Mountain News | March 8, 2023

Parker wins Cherokee special election

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Ingles Nutrition Notes

written by Ingles Dietitian Leah McGrath

WHAT IS ERYTHRITOL

Erythritol is a classified as a polyol or sugar alcohol and is a type of carbohydrate. It is found naturally in some foods like pears, melons, and grapes and can be manufactured. It has sweetness but fewer calories than sugar, so it’s often used in reduced sugar items like beverages and “keto” or reduced sugar products. Erythritol is sometimes used along with stevia and monkfruit to mask their bitter aftertaste. The amount of erythritol added to foods and beverages is usually quite small, for example, the amount of erythritol in a packet of Truvia is 3 grams, and currently the amount that is considered safe to use per day is up to about 50 grams/day. You would have to consume the equivalent of a little over 16 packets of Truvia in a day to be in the level of what is concerning.

Bottom Line: If you are trying to reduce the amount of sugar you eat, but still like sweetened beverages and foods, there are many low and no-calorie sweeteners that are available. Switch it up, don’t use anything to excess and although it sounds boring… MODERATION IS THE KEY.

Sources: Center for Science in the Public Interest (cspinet.org/article/erythritol) and IFIC: Food Insight (foodinsight.org/what-is-erythritol)

294 N. Haywood Street Waynesville Leah

McGrath, RDN, LDN

McGrath - Dietitian

CONTENTS

On the Cover:

The town of Canton is shocked after finding out the Evergreen Packaging paper mill, which employs almost 1,000 people, will shut down for good. The loss of such a major economic driver for the town, Haywood County and all of Western North Carolina, has left a lot of people wondering: where do we go from here?

News

Five years later, residents still mourn the loss of maternity unit..............................6 Pless files bill to make municipal elections partisan..................................................8 Parker wins special election in Cherokee....................................................................9 Canton mill’s closing means uncertainty for county, region..................................10 ‘We’re still here’: Businesses, residents react to mill closure..............................12 Manufacturers, community colleges could help laid-off workers........................14 Jackson applies for medication-assisted treatment grant......................................15 Schools support calendar flexibility..............................................................................17

Opinion

The mill’s legacy looms large over Haywood............................................................18 When your child blossoms, all is good in the world................................................19

A&E

Planes, drugs and bears, oh my: Hollywood film has WNC connections......24 Books vs. the winter blues — and books win............................................................27

Outdoors

Congress won’t pay for Smokies maintenance backlog — you will....................28 Up Moses Creek: Look up!............................................................................................34

Amanda Bradley.

Sophia Burleigh.

C LASSIFIEDS: Scott Collier. .

N EWS E DITOR: Kyle Perrotti.

WRITING: Holly Kays.

Hannah McLeod.

Cory Vaillancourt.

Garret K. Woodward.

ACCOUNTING & O FFICE MANAGER: Amanda Singletary. . .

D ISTRIBUTION: Scott Collier. .

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C ONTRIBUTING: Jeff Minick (writing), Chris Cox (writing), George Ellison (writing), Don Hendershot (writing), Susanna Shetley (writing)

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‘What we had here was amazing’

Five years later, residents still mourn the loss of Angel Medical Center’s maternity unit

BY CLARISSA DONNELLY-DE ROVEN NC H EALTH N EWS

Before the sun rises on a Tuesday morning in December, Amelia Cline smooches her partner goodbye and heads out the back door of her house in West Asheville. With a thermos of coffee in one hand and a handful of medical supplies in the other, she climbs into the driver’s side of a white Toyota and settles in for her hour-ish drive to Macon County.

Cline is an obstetrician/gynecologist (also known as an OB-GYN) for the Mountain Area Health Education Center, and she makes this Tuesday trek every week. She sees patients from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., spends her lunch calling people with their test results, and, once the office is closed, she makes sure the medical charts of everyone she saw that day are up to date.

The next day, she does surgeries at the community hospital in town, usually hysterectomies and other simple procedures. If complications arise in more challenging cases, she likes to see patients at Mission Hospital in Asheville.

Cline’s role as a traveling OB-GYN is part of the way women’s health care providers are trying to fill the gap in obstetric and gynecologic care in western North Carolina, and especially in Macon County.

In Macon, along with 11 other counties in the western part of the state — an area geographically larger than Delaware and Rhode Island combined — there’s nowhere to deliver a baby. It’s been that way in Macon County for the past five years, since the Mission Health system closed the labor and delivery unit at Angel Medical Center.

The clinic Cline works at, MAHEC OB/GYN specialists at Franklin, has become the medical home for many of the clinicians and community members who were left without anywhere to go once Angel’s maternity ward closed. It’s filled some of the need for the time being, but those who work there say as long as women’s health care services are inadequately funded, their efforts can only go so far.

THE NEED WAS THERE; THE MONEY WASN’T

Before Mission Health closed labor and delivery at Angel Medical Center, “it was a busy women’s unit,” Cline said. “There were four full time OB-GYNs and midwives, and they were busy. I mean, they were doing lots of [gynecologic] care, lots of surgery and delivering a lot of babies.”

In the years before the closure, births at the hospital were rising steadily — up nearly 144 percent between 2011 and 2016, according to data from the NC Department of Health and Human Services.

Macon County has a similar-size population to that of Dare County in the Outer Banks. When Angel’s labor and delivery unit closed in July 2017, the number of births there each year was comparable to the numbers at the Outer Banks Hospital, which is open and has a labor and delivery unit. In 2015 and 2016, the number of babies born at Angel surpassed the number of babies born at neighboring Haywood Regional Hospital, even though Macon County’s population is just about half the size of Haywood County’s.

Mission Health acquired Angel Medical Center in 2013, and in 2017 — before health care giant HCA bought Mission in 2019 — hospital executives informed labor and delivery staff at Angel that the unit would close that July.

At the time, Mission’s President Karen Gorby told Blue Ridge Public Radio that the hospital was losing about $1.4 million a year on labor and delivery services, making it too expensive to keep open.

At the same time, Mission said it planned to spend $46 million to build a new hospital for Angel Medical Center. That hospital opened in September 2022 and actually cost about $70 million. It does not have a labor and delivery unit.

Even though the old unit was busy, it’s not hard to believe that it was operating at a loss.

“It is universally known that, specifically, maternity care is a loss,” Cline said. Labor and delivery services are expensive. Units need to be open and fully staffed 24 hours a day.

Many hospitals decide it’s worth it, despite the financial hardship, she said. “It brings patients to the hospital, and it’s the only department in the hospital where people are happy to be there.”

Judi Layton was a midwife at Angel from 2014 to 2017. She now works with Cline at the Franklin office. Moms, she said, tend to be “the health care consumers for the family.”

“That means if you take really good care of them here, they’re going to spend their money in that same system with their kids and their husband and all the other things that need to happen with their families, because they got taken really good care of during pregnancy and labor and birth.”

It’s also widely known, those in the field say, that insurers reimburse hospitals for labor and delivery care at rates far lower than what the service actually costs — Medicaid, especially. An analysis by the nonpartisan Health Care Cost Institute found that when it comes to childbirth, North Carolina has the sixth worst payment disparity between Medicaid and private payers. In 2020, Medicaid paid an average of $4,200 for a birth, while employer-sponsored private insurers paid about $13,300.

Between 2015 and 2019, Medicaid paid for an average of 70 percent of births in Macon County. The reimbursement difference can help explain why, for a small rural hospital operating on tight margins, it can become too costly to keep delivering babies when Medicaid is the payor — even though the community wants and needs the service.

“A small critical access hospital with a labor and delivery unit doing over 300 deliveries a year, with a very high Medicaid insured population, the fact that that unit is not sustainable speaks to a greater issue of how the health care system and the insurance companies value women’s health and women’s health services,” said Katlyn Moss, who works at the Franklin clinic researching rural OB-GYN access. “That that service is not being reimbursed in such a way that it can keep happening, to me, says that the insurance companies don’t think it’s worth that much money.”‘

‘YOU’RE TALKING TO WOMEN WHO HAVE DELIVERED AT THIS HOSPITAL’

Moss was also a labor and delivery nurse at Angel Medical Center from 2015 to 2017. She gave birth to her first baby there, and she remembers the day a higher-up from Mission came to tell her and her colleagues the unit was closing.

Allie Custer (left) draws a vial of blood from pregnant patient Ana. Ana planned to deliver at Mission Hospital in Asheville. Clarissa Donnelly-DeRoven photo

“There were tears. There were a lot of questions, both about the community and what we were supposed to do,” she said. “I remember him starting to talk to us about how they were going to restructure employment, and everybody was going to get to keep their job, they would just have to maybe go to a different office.”

But going to a different office isn’t what these workers wanted. Being a women’s health provider is a passion — as Cline said, “You catch one baby, and you’re hooked.”

You can’t just reassign a labor and delivery nurse, Moss said. It’s not the same to work in an operating room or in pediatrics.

“A nurse is not just a nurse,” Moss said. “We were all working in a women’s health office because that was the area we wanted to be in.”

Job security, though, wasn’t the only thing on Moss and other employees’ minds. As the Mission official spoke, Moss interjected: “You’re not just talking to employees. You’re talking to women who have delivered at this hospital. And you’re telling us we’re not gonna get to do that anymore, and we don’t have anywhere else to go.”

Layton, the midwife, said the work environment at Angel was special. The midwives, nurses and doctors trusted each other deeply and worked well together.

“We all just felt, I think, betrayed really more than anything,” she said, “because we knew what we had here was amazing, and good for this community.”

Even though they were in a hospital, Layton said the birthing process didn’t feel as medicalized as it did in other places she’d worked: There were large tubs for water births that they used often, and there were strapless monitors, so people’s vitals could be watched while they labored, without needing to be tethered to a bed.

“Women had more independence at Angel,” Layton said, so telling her patients that they would no longer be able to deliver there was devastating.

“A lot of them were very mad, very upset — especially pregnant women,” she said. “What a horrible thing to do to somebody in their second, third trimester — I mean, at any stage. But when I’ve delivered several of their babies, and now [they have to ask] ‘Who’s going to deliver my baby? What’s going to happen?’”

CHALLENGES BEYOND A LONG DRIVE

What’s happened is that pregnant people in Macon County have to drive at least 30 minutes when they’re in labor. Unless they want to cross into Georgia or Tennessee, there is literally nowhere farther west they can go to give birth in North Carolina. They must go east: 30 minutes to Harris Regional in Sylva, 45 minutes to Haywood Regional in Clyde, or an hour and 10 minutes to Mission Hospital in Asheville.

Labor is unpredictable, as is the weather in the mountains. Moss’s due date for her second baby, for example, was Dec. 20. That weekend, the whole region was expected to get a huge snowstorm. Angel’s labor and

delivery unit wasn’t open anymore, and she wanted to deliver in Asheville so she’d be with providers she knew.

Though she hadn’t gone into labor yet, Moss considered going to stay with her brother in Asheville to avoid being snowed in. Ultimately she decided against it, staying home with her husband in far-western Clay County. But she took other precautions.

“I remember having a conversation with him, like, ‘Here’s just the really basic nitty gritty of what you’re going to have to do if we deliver on the side of the road,’” she said. “This is who you will call, this is the hospital I want to go to, this is what you should anticipate as far as the mess and the baby and the cord and all the stuff.”

Being clear about what hospital she wanted to deliver at was important, especially in this part of the state since the hospitals are owned and managed by different systems.

“The electronic records do not talk to each other,” Cline said. “We are literally relying on fax machines.”

Many patients see Cline throughout their pregnancy at the clinic in Franklin, and they

plan to drive to Asheville to deliver at Mission with her. But something can always go awry. They may end up only being able to make it to Harris, and that means they’re going to be seen by doctors they’ve likely never met and who will not have immediate access to their medical records.

“Most of the time, it’s just annoying and not dangerous. But sometimes it is dangerous,” she said. “It ends up being a lot of coordination, and I think this is particularly hard for patients who are underserved, because the same thing that makes it hard for them to access health care at all makes it hard for them to stay within one system.”

‘IT’S A DIFFICULT COMMUNITY THAT WE HAVE HERE’

Allie Custer also works at the Franklin clinic. She’s 28 years old, a medical assistant, a mom, and she’s lived in town since 2010. Like Moss, she had her first baby at Angel. But when it came time for the second, Angel no longer delivered babies.

When she went into labor, Custer’s boyfriend drove the couple an hour and a half from their house to Mission Hospital. By the time they got there, her contractions were every 30 to 15 seconds, her cervix was 10 centimeters dilated and 100 percent effaced. In nonmedical terms, that means it’s time for the baby to come out — like, immediately.

“The only thing holding her in there was my water,” Custer said. Her baby was also in breech position, meaning feet first instead of head first, and she had to have an emergency cesarean section.

“I was not prepared for that,” she said. “It was very traumatizing to me because then once she was born, they ended up taking her from me and she ended up going to the NICU.”

Her birth was difficult, but Custer was thankful that it was with providers she knew and who made her feel comfortable and supported.

“It’s giving me chills just thinking about it,” she said.

Almost delivering on the way to the hospital is obviously scary, but Moss says there’s another part of the process that is equally difficult and doesn’t get enough attention: the drive home.

“When we got discharged, it was afternoon, and it was December,” she said. Their drive from Buncombe County to Clay County took two hours, and by the time they got there, it was dark.

“I’m wearing a diaper and bleeding and still cramping and trying to establish nursing — and my driveway is very inclined and gravel,” Moss said. “I’ll never forget how sore and painful it was to drive up my driveway after two hours in the car, four days postpartum.”

Even though Custer and Moss and many other women from the community are able to get their OB-GYN care at the MAHEC clinic, and even though many end up having successful births at Mission or Harris or Haywood Regional, they say it shouldn’t have to be this difficult.

“I know people make do, and they do what they’ve gotta do,” Custer said. “But it would make it a lot, a lot easier on a lot of women here if there was labor and delivery. We have low income families here. I mean, it’s a difficult community that we have here.”

On the desk next to Custer was a pile of baby clothes her daughter had outgrown. After every growth spurt, she said, she brings in clothes to give to their patients.

“I mean, they’ve had to deliver babies in the ER over here at Angel,” she said. “Not having that labor and delivery is really hard on a lot of women in this area. That was a really bad, bad decision.

“You shouldn’t take that away.”

(Clarissa Donnelly-DeRoven covers rural health and Medicaid. She previously worked at the Asheville Citizen Times where she reported on the police, courts, and other aspects of the criminal justice system.

North Carolina Health News is an independent, non-partisan, not-for-profit, statewide news organization dedicated to covering all things health care in North Carolina. Visit NCHN at northcarolinahealthnews.org.)

Every Tuesday Amelia Cline wakes before dawn and drives through winding mountain passes from her home in West Asheville to an OB-GYN clinic in Franklin. Clarissa Donnelly-DeRoven photo

Franklin is a town of about 4,000 people. It sits in far western Macon County. Since 2017, there hasn’t been anywhere that residents can deliver a baby in the county. Clarissa Donnelly-DeRoven photo

municipal governance, where national party platforms rarely have any impact on local issues that municipal boards routinely consider.

Jim Trantham, mayor of the tiny town of Clyde, expressed similar views.

“My feelings are the same. I feel like [Pless] has been good to Clyde. He’s tried to help us in most every way he can, and I feel like the mayor and board have a good work-

It’s party time

Pless again files bill to make Haywood, Madison municipal elections partisan

BY CORY VAILLANCOURT P OLITICS E DITOR

Despite strong opposition last year, Rep. Mark Pless (R-Haywood) has again filed a bill that if passed would bring partisanship into some of Western North Carolina’s municipal governments.

“The voters have a right to know the basic principles these folks stand behind,” said Pless, whose district includes all of Haywood and Madison counties. “I’d be doing a huge disservice to the voters that put me in here if I didn’t do this.”

The bill, filed on March 2, says that the towns of Canton, Clyde, Maggie Valley and Waynesville must conduct partisan elections, effective immediately if it passes. That means it would have implications in this year’s elections in all four municipalities.

“I’m shocked that he would try to put this through again,” said Mike Eveland, mayor of Maggie Valley. “I think the majority of elected officials in Haywood County were opposed last year, and I believe they still would oppose it this year. My concern is and has always been the town of Maggie Valley and what it represents and what we need to be working on, and not on what pol-

lical parties have to say.”

Waynesville’s mayor said his feelings haven’t changed since Pless’ last attempt at the bill.

“I definitely remain opposed to this,” said Waynesville Mayor Gary Caldwell. “I don’t think it’s good for local government. I don’t see where you would need politics. Paving streets, fixing potholes, recreation — I just don’t see where you need to have that.”

Caldwell’s board passed a resolution last year unanimously opposing the measure. At the time, Alderman Chuck Dickson opined that “there is not a Democratic or Republican way to fill a pothole.”

Zeb Smathers, mayor of Canton, was opposed to the previous attempt, as was his entire board.

“It’s the same as last year,” Smathers said. “Both myself and my board are against this. People want action, not politics. I have talked with Rep. Pless, and I feel confident Rep. Pless understands those concerns, and those conversations will continue.”

Smathers made a point of noting the consequences of partisan politics in Washington, D.C. and said he didn’t want to see that kind of bitter divisiveness occur in

ing relationship with him. However, I do disagree with him on this deal, and to be honest with you, there’s five of us board members, and I couldn’t tell you if there’s an ‘R’ or a ‘D’ after their names or not.”

Trantham said he moved to Clyde in 1978 and can’t recall there ever being partisan elections or partisan strife.

“The issues at our level are not ‘D’ and ‘R’ issues, as far as I’m concerned. One of our major expenses is infrastructure, and of course you want to treat your employees right. Those are not ‘D’ or ‘R’ issues. I don’t know why you would change this now,” he said. “And it would cost more.”

If the bill were passed, each municipal election would require a partisan Primary Election if more candidates show up than are seats available. Waynesville’s Town Manager, Rob Hites, said last year he estimated the cost to the town would be around $13,000 to put on such an election.

Unlike last year’s bill, this year’s bill also includes Madison County, which Pless also represents. Madison County has three municipalities — Hot Springs, Marshall and Mars Hill.

“I am totally, totally against this,” said John L. Chandler, mayor of Mars Hill. “I don’t know why they want to disrupt a good system that we have, so you don’t have to pick a party to be able to run. It’s been real good for us. [Passing this] would be more expensive, and there’s early voting, there’s several things that will happen. I think I speak for my whole board in that we’re totally against this. I pride myself on being for the people, and if it turns to partisan, I don’t know if I would participate.”

Chandler’s fellow Madison County mayor, Abby Norton of Hot Springs, feels the same way.

“I just don’t understand the reasoning behind this,” Norton said. “I sent Rep. Pless an email last night and asked him, and he said that in the last few elections voters have requested party designations. That may be true in Marshall or Mars Hill or Haywood County but I do not think it’s true in Hot Springs.”

Like her counterparts in Haywood County’s municipalities, Norton believes that on the local level, voters choose the per-

son over the party.

“In municipal elections in small towns like ours, people vote for the person who they know is going to care the most and do the best job for the town,” she said. “I do what I think is right. I’ll pray about it. I’m a Christian. You’re not going to be able to tell how I believe just by how I’m registered and I believe that’s the case with anybody.”

Norton also raised an interesting and possibly unintended consequence of the bill.

“I work for the federal government,” she said. “Per the Hatch Act, I cannot run in a partisan election. Neither can any other federal employee.”

As an employee of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Norton said she hopes to retire at some point this year.

But municipal candidates must file their election paperwork in July, so if Pless’ bill passes before then, she’d either have to retire early or not run for reelection. If Norton files to run and the bill passes later, she’d have to drop out.

“If this goes through, in the future if someone much younger in their 40s works for the VA or the post office, they’re not going be able to run for office and I just don’t think that’s right,” she said.

Like almost every other mayor that the bill would affect, Norton is a Democrat, although Maggie Valley’s Eveland is a rarity in that he’s one of very few elected officials who’s not registered as a Democrat or Republican.

“I’ve been an independent ever since I’ve been on this board, and I would have to say that I’ve gotten to the point where I’m pretty proud of the fact, because I represent everybody,” he said.

Eveland’s board is also an outlier in that it actually has an unaffiliated majority, plus two Republicans, the husband-and-wife duo of Phillip and Tammy Wight. Last year, Phillip Wight was one of the bill’s few supporters, although it ultimately ended up going nowhere.

Canton, Clyde and Waynesville’s boards all have solid Democratic majorities.

Absent from this year’s bill is a provision included last year stipulating that the Haywood County Schools board would also have to conduct partisan elections. The Haywood County Schools board is solidly Republican, including its chairman.

Pless said that after he spoke to Sen. Kevin Corbin (R-Macon) about the bill, he agreed to leave Haywood’s schools out of this year’s edition. Corbin was formerly a longtime member of the Macon County school board.

Madison County’s school board isn’t included because it already conducts partisan elections.

Pless’ co-sponsors on the bill are former Haywood Republican Rep. Mike Clampitt, who was drawn out of Haywood last cycle but now represents Swain, Jackson and Transylvania coun-

Rep. Mark Pless (R-Haywood) speaks on the floor of the North Carolina General Assembly on Feb. 15. NCGA photo

“I think that if folks are that upset about having to tell which party they align with, at heart there’s a problem with that.”

— Rep. Mark Pless

Parker wins special election in Cherokee

BY HOLLY KAYS

STAFF WRITER

During a special election Thursday, March 2, Wolfetown and Big Y voters chose Mike Parker to fill the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Tribal Council seat vacated by former Wolfetown Rep. Bo Crowe — selecting the only candidate from the field of six with previous Tribal Council experience.

Parker took 34.7% of the votes, outpacing second-place vote-getter Carroll “Peanut” Crowe, who earned 28.7% of the vote. Behind him were Amy Sequoyah Anders with 15.3%, Frank Dunn with 10%, Kathy (Rock) Burgess with 8.5% and Theodore M. Bird “Teddy” with 2.7%. Of the 1,570 people registered to vote in Wolfetown and Big Y, 588 cast a ballot, for a turnout of 37.5%.

The Board of Elections did not receive any protests regarding election irregularities, and Tribal Council is expected to certify Parker as the winner on Friday, March 10.

Parker, 58, currently serves as the tribe’s destination marketing director and previously served on Tribal Council for a total of 10 years, including appointments as chair and vice chair. He holds a bachelor’s degree in economics and recently completed a master’s degree in project management.

Prior to the election, Parker told The Smoky Mountain News that one of his top three priorities, should he be elected, would be to work with leadership to develop a strategy for reporting and developing a spending plan for external economic development initiatives, such as the tribe’s various LLCs. He said he also wanted to introduce legislation to develop community design standards for housing and local economic development, and work with leadership to develop dividend policies and revenue distribution to the tribal government and tribal members while ensuring adequate equity to sustain growth.

As was the case with three of the other five candidates, this was Parker’s second

ties, and Rep. Keith Kidwell (R-Beaufort), who is the chair of the House Freedom Caucus. Clampitt and Pless are both members of the HFC.

Western Carolina University’s Madison Distinguished Professor of Political Science and Public Affairs Chris Cooper noted in an opinion piece last year that Pless’ bill is what’s called a local bill, and wouldn’t need the governor’s approval to become law.

To pass, local bills also require the support of the counties’ entire legislative delegations. In this case, that includes not only Corbin but also Sen. Ralph Hise (RMitchell), who represents a portion of Haywood County. Pless said he got the OK from both Corbin and Hise before introducing the bill.

As of 3 p.m. on March 7, the bill hadn’t

election campaign in three months. He also ran in the Dec. 15 special election to replace Rep. Bill Taylor. Parker took second place in that contest, coming in just 14 votes behind Andrew W. Oocumma, who now occupies the seat Taylor vacated. Both Taylor and Crowe resigned after criminal charges — stemming from separate, unrelated circumstances — were filed against them in Cherokee Tribal Court.

Parker will serve through the end of Crowe’s unexpired term Monday, Oct. 2. Filing is already underway for the election that will determine who occupies the seat for the next full two-year term. Filing began Monday, March 6, and ends Friday, March 10. The Board of Elections will certify candidates by March 31, with a Primary Election set for Thursday, June 1. Voters will choose representatives for all 12 Tribal Council seats, as well as principal chief, vice chief and three of the six school board seats. Parker declined to comment for this story.

yet been assigned to a committee and still has a long way to go before possibly becoming law.

Pless, who has gained a reputation as a blunt, straight-talking conservative, responded to critics of the bill in characteristic fashion.

“I think that if folks are that upset about having to tell which party they align with, at heart there’s a problem with that,” he said. “If they are unhappy with the party they registered with, I can’t help them with that. I am a proud Republican. If you believe in your party as we all should, why would you shudder at that? If it’s all above board and you believe in your cause, stand with your cause.”

Nancy Allen, mayor of Marshall, didn’t return a call for comment.

Mike Parker. Donated photo

Canton mill’s closing means uncertainty for county, region

of May or beginning of June, according to Racki. The Waynesville facility will see a substantial reduction in workforce, on the order of two-thirds to three-fourths of its employees, but Racki wasn’t clear about other impacts there.

“This was not just about Canton, or just about Waynesville or Pine Bluff,” he said, noting that a facility in Olmsted Falls, Ohio would close as well. “We are going to explore strategic alternatives for Pine Bluff and for the Waynesville facilities.”

The impact of the mill’s closing on Haywood County’s economy will be substantial. It’s estimated that there are around 800 jobs at stake in Canton and around 300 in Waynesville. Those numbers do not include contractors who provide services or materials to the mill.

As of December 2022 — the last month for which data were available from the North Carolina Department of Commerce — there were more than 28,600 people employed in Haywood County, down from a 2022 high of 29,327 that May.

CANTON MILL CLOSURE

Unemployment, which has been at historic lows both nationally and statewide, was listed as just 788 people in Haywood County last December, after a June high of 1,061. December’s total represents an unemployment rate of 2.7%.

BY CORY VAILLANCOURT P OLITICS E DITOR

In less than three months, PactivEvergreen’s Canton mill will cease operations after more than a century of serving as the cultural, economic and geographical center of the tiny Haywood County town of Canton.

“As we continue to confront a challenging market environment for our Beverage Merchandising business, we are faced with these difficult decisions that directly impact our employees,” said CEO Michael King in a press release on March 6. “We assess all changes to the business with considerable thought for our employees, customers, shareholders and communities, and do not take these decisions lightly. We remain committed to doing what’s right, treating everyone with respect, and delivering on all of our commit-

ments to our people, customers, shareholders and the communities where we operate.”

The move by Pactiv-Evergreen will have far-ranging implications on both the local and regional economy.

“I’m numb. Moreover, I’m heartbroken,” said Zeb Smathers, mayor of Canton, just after the news became public. “I’m heartbroken for the men and women who will go home tonight and tell their spouses and children that they won’t have a job soon. There are no words. There’s nothing more I can do than mourn and stand by the workers of Evergreen. Seeing grown men cry is not what I was expecting on a Monday afternoon.”

PAPER CUTS

Rumblings of trouble at the mill had been heard for some time. On Feb. 8, company offi-

A timeline of Canton’s paper mill

• 1893 — The town of Pigeon River is reincorporated by the N.C. General Assembly as Canton, North Carolina.

• 1893 — Peter G. Thomson of Hamilton, Ohio, incorporates the Champion Coated Paper Company.

• 1906-07 — Construction of Champion Fibre Company in Canton, N.C.

cials said that the facility would scale back production by shutting down one of its four machines, but there was no outward indication of anything larger afoot. Until March 6.

Workers were summoned to a series of meetings late that afternoon, where they were informed of the company’s decision.

“This is not at all a reflection of people in this room,” Byron Racki, president of beverage merchandising, told a group of about 40 salaried employees gathered in an auditorium in one of the company’s facilities on Park Street, just across from the union hall.

Racki said that the decision had only been made within the last week, and that it was “almost exclusively a reflection of the market conditions, along with the capital costs that would be needed to upgrade the Canton facility.”

The closing will likely occur near the end

• 1908 — The Champion pulp mill in Canton begins production.

• 1908 — Reuben B. Robertson Sr., Peter G. Thomson’s son-inlaw, becomes general manager of Champion Fibre Company in Canton.

• 1922 — Paper production begins at the Champion mill in Canton.

• 1924 — Workers at Champion in Canton strike for a threeshift day and competitive wages. After a union attempted to organize the workers, mill management promised eight-hour shifts, an adequate pay scale for those who turned in their union cards and no repercussions.

Were all of the mill’s employees to be laid off all at once, that number would probably end up over 7%. The mill is one of Haywood County’s largest employers.

A significant portion of the mill’s workforce lives outside of Haywood County, meaning the layoffs will also impact surrounding communities as well.

The tax ramifications of the mill’s absence will present a direct impact to at least two municipal governments, right in the middle of budgeting season.

“I’ve not heard specific numbers about the county, but I heard this morning Canton was looking at $1.3 million in tax base loss and maybe $300,000 in water,” said Kevin Ensley, chairman of the Haywood County Board of Commissioners. “I would think the county would be close to a couple million.”

The mill also treats the town of Canton’s wastewater. Those operations will not be impacted immediately, according to Racki.

• 1925 — The Champion Knight logo is used on a shipment of paper for the first time.

• 1931 — Peter G. Thomson, founder of Champion, dies.

• 1935 — The Hamilton and Canton operations are merged to form the Champion Paper and Fibre Company.

• 1940 — Two of the largest floods on record hit Canton and Champion within two weeks of one another. The mill is shut down for 100 hours and damage to the town is estimated at $303,000.

• 1946 — Reuben B. Robertson Sr. succeeds Logan G. Thomson as Champion’s president.

• 1950 — Reuben B. Robertson Jr. succeeds his father as the company’s president.

Since at least 1908, there’s been a paper mill at the heart of Canton. File photo

“We will continue to operate that for the foreseeable future, and we’re working closely with the city on a transition plan there,” he said. “So that will be a small group of folks who will operate that. We do not need the mill to operate just the wastewater treatment.”

Tommy Long, a Haywood County commissioner who works as an electrician at the mill, said that town officials met with mill officials early on March 7 to talk about a plan for wastewater treatment, and also said that since 1964, the town has maintained a contract with the mill that guarantees it will run the wastewater treatment plant for two years after the mill shuts down.

Racki said that the most important concern right now was for workers to continue to operate the mill safely and avoid injuries for the rest of the time it’s in operation.

“I wanted to come and share this message personally, because I can’t pretend to say I know what it’s like, other than I know enough to know it’s terrible,” he said. “And we’ve not reached this decision lightly.”

SIXTEEN TONS

Human resources professionals from Evergreen began meeting with individual employees on the morning of March 7 and will finish up by the end of the week, Racki said.

Workers will be provided with at least 60 days’ notice before their employment is terminated, per federal law. Some may be terminated sooner, but they’ll still receive full pay and benefits for 60 days.

Workers received Racki’s comments in stunned silence, albeit with at least one audible gasp from a member of the audience.

As word of the layoffs spread through the community — first by a Smoky Mountain News Facebook post at 5:50 p.m. — some were upset that Pactiv-Evergreen didn’t seem to have a solid plan for informing workers all at once.

“I think the way the message was relayed to the employees could have been handled better,” said Troy Dills, president of the United Steelworkers Smoky Mountain Local 507. “People don’t want to hear about their employment and livelihood online.”

After Racki concluded his March 6 presentation, he took questions from the workers gathered there.

The mill, he said, is not a Superfund site. The Superfund program was established in 1980 under the auspices of the U.S.

Environmental Protection Agency for the cleanup of sites that are contaminated with hazardous chemicals.

That could open a huge swath of land straddling the Pigeon River, right in the center of town, for other uses in the future — if the mill is to be demolished.

“I asked the company representative if it was their intention to tear the mill down,” Dills said. “His reply was that it was not their intention. What I’m hearing secondhand is it’s not going to be sold, and I have no confirmation it would even be offered up for sale.”

Dills’ observation about a potential sale could be valid; Pactiv-Evergreen did cite the cost of upgrading the facility as one reason for the closure, which may scare off any potential buyers. And, if the plant were sold and continued production, Pactiv-Evergreen could find its remaining operations competing against Canton.

Racki elaborated on the specific market conditions that he says are responsible for the mill’s closing.

“In the last 15 months, there was a nice rebound from COVID,” he said. “Really, since

November [or]

December, markets have gone to hell, for lack of a better way of saying that. It’s not just us, it’s everybody, from a marketing standpoint.”

There’s a lot of excess capacity in the marketplace, Racki explained, which is why the company shut down the number 20 machine in early February.

“When we’re looking at forecasts, and when things might get better, if anything, I’ll tell you unfortunately, specific to the paper side it’s only gotten flat to worse for the last 60 days,” he said.

He also said that due to challenging economic conditions generally, people are choosing to eat more at home than at McDonald’s or Starbucks — huge consumers of paper products of all sorts.

“It’s not a good market for cup stock, either,” he said. “The paper part [of the plant], [machines] 11, 12 and 20 specifically, are impacted by that. It’s just for lack of demand. People just aren’t printing things.”

GO ON, TAKE THE MONEY AND RUN

A press release issued by Pactiv-Evergreen at 9 p.m. on March 6 mentioned “restructuring” in the company’s beverage merchandising division while also boasting of a strong fourth quarter and a strong 2022 overall.

For the full year of 2022, the company reported net revenues of $6.2 billion as of Dec. 31, up 14% from $5.4 billion the previous year. An adjusted EBITDA [earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization] of $785 million represents a 48% increase over the $531 million reported the previous year.

Fourth-quarter net revenues exceeded projections, even though they were down 3% from fourth quarter 2021, and down 8% from fourth quarter 2020.

Pactiv-Evergreen’s stock price (NASDAQ: PTVE) tumbled on the restructuring news; it peaked at $11.69 per share at 9:30 a.m. on March 6, and remained at $11.38 as markets closed and workers were being informed of the layoffs.

When markets opened on March 7, PTVE opened at $11.04 but then tanked to $9.48 by mid-morning.

Four members of the company’s leadership team, however, were able to offload more than 58,000 shares of company stock on March 2 ahead of the layoffs and before the price dip, per Wall Street Zen, a market research firm. All four of them got $11.30 per share.

Michael King, president and CEO, sold 45,113 shares for $509,776. Douglas Owenby, COO, sold 3,969 shares for $44,849. Racki, who delivered the announcement to workers, sold 4,093 shares for $46,251 and Chandra Mitchell, chief legal officer, sold 5,613 shares for $63,427.

All told, the transactions represent more than $664,000 in stock sales by top execs just four days before laying off more than a thousand workers.

As far as employees go, they’ll get one week of severance pay for each consecutive year of service at the mill, according to Long.

Pactiv-Evergreen’s press release said the company expects to incur and pay cash charges in the range of $130 million to $185 million during 2023 and 2024 “for severance and associated benefits and exit and disposal and other transition costs.”

The town of Canton’s fortunes have risen and fallen along with those of the mill for more than 100 years. The mill’s closing will be transformational for the small town, in ways both immediately apparent and not. But Canton has been recognized as “the little town that wouldn’t stay down” after surviving flooding in 2004, the Great Recession in 2008, the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, and another deadly flood in August 2021.

Canton Mayor Zeb Smathers thinks that this, too, shall pass.

“Everyone knows we’re a mill town, but not because of the mill,” Smathers said. “Being a mill town is about grit, and when the odds are against you, about overcoming challenges. Ironically, the values of being a mill town are exactly what will get us through this.”

Henderson County Republican Chuck Edwards, who represents the congressional district in which the mill is located, did not respond to multiple requests for comment on this story.

• 1960 — Reuben B. Robertson Jr. is killed in a traffic accident in Cincinnati, Ohio.

• 1972 — The company is renamed Champion International Corporation.

• 1999 — The employees of the Canton mill purchase the mill and rename the company Blue Ridge Paper, Inc.

• 2004 — The Pigeon River floods twice as a result of Hurricanes Frances and Ivan. These floods cause close to $50 million in damages to Blue Ridge Paper and $20 million in damages to other businesses.

• 2006 — Workers renegotiate and pass 3-year contract to continue operations at the Blue Ridge Paper mill.

• 2007 — New Zealand’s Rank Group purchases Blue Ridge

Paper and changes name to Evergreen Packaging. Company headquarters moved from Canton to Memphis, Tennessee. Workers who were part of the Employee Stock Ownership Plan at Blue Ridge Paper received buyouts estimated to be in the $20,000 range.

• 2010 —Evergreen Packaging was acquired by Reynolds Group Holdings Limited, which already owned Pactiv and was an international supplier of food and beverage packaging and storage products.

• 2020 — Evergreen Packaging and Pactiv came together and created a public offering under the name Pactiv Evergreen. Pactiv-Evergreen trades on the NASDAQ Stock Exchange under the symbol: PTVE.

• 2021 — Flooding from Tropical Storm Fred damaged equipment and buildings at the Canton plant, shutting down operations for several days.

• February 8, 2023 — Pactiv-Evergreen announces the shutdown one paper machine at the Canton plant. Officially called a “curtailment,” the idling of PM20 could be temporary and last only a few months, plant officials said.

• Monday, March 6, 2023 — Pactiv-Evergreen officials tell employees the plant will close in the second quarter of this year.

A January 1928 issue of the mill’s monthly magazine, called The Log, boasts of the high-tech equipment inside. File photo

‘We’re still here’

Canton businesses, residents react to mill closure

BY GARRET K. WOODWARD ARTS & E NTERTAINMENT E DITOR

It’s 12:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Southern Porch restaurant in the heart of downtown Canton. Less than 24 hours ago, the mountain community received word that its century-old paper mill would close this summer.

“Our lunch is primarily mill workers, folks coming from the mill to eat, where the place is just packed,” said Michaela Lowe, co-owner of Southern Porch. “And we’ve had quite a few show up today, but everyone is really quiet. It’s sad, no one knows what to even say.”

Alongside her husband, Nathan, the couple has weathered many storms while at the helm of the Southern Porch, located just a stone’s throw from the mill itself. There was the 2020 Pandemic and ongoing labor shortage, then the massive flood of 2021 rolling through the town, and now the mill going dark, and with over 1,000 workers out of a job — the future uncertain for our beloved “Papertown.”

“The entire town, the majority of businesses and residents alike, feel like one of those clown punching bags with sand at the bottom of it — you get punched, you fall back, and just flip right back up again,” Michaela said. “And I feel like that’s been our business the entire seven years we’ve

been here — I’m sure that plenty of businesses who were here long before us feel the same way.”

Just a few blocks down from Southern Porch, on the banks of the Pigeon River and with the mill overtaking most of the horizon looking west, is BearWaters Brewing.

CANTON MILL CLOSURE

“Obviously, it’s a lot to process. And I think everybody’s kind of feeling a sense of shock about the announcement, the sudden nature of how it was closed,” said Kevin Sandefur, co-owner of BearWaters. “[The mill] is an iconic fixture in the community. It’s the backdrop to our business. We even had a Great American Beer Festival awardwinning beer called ‘Smells Like Money’ (a common refrain from locals when talking about the mill’s distinct smell) — [the mill] is such a big part of our culture.”

And, like many Canton business owners and residents, Sandefur is well-versed in how to respond to yet again another crisis in the community — with a steadfast vision and resolve to trudge ahead.

“I’ve seen the best of this community in the worst of times, especially with the flood,”

Sandefur said. “I believe in my heart that the people here are going to find a way through this. It’s hard and painful right now, but we have the resilience to figure this out — leadership is going to be critical throughout this process.”

A Canton native and bassist for marquee Haywood County bluegrass ensemble Balsam Range, Tim Surrett is a ball of emotions in the day following the mill announcement. He meanders from sadness to pride and back again, but also with cherished memories of a community and its economic driver for over a century.

“Growing up here, I can remember practicing football on the little field at the old YMCA right in the shadow of the mill,” Surrett said. “Everybody’s dad worked there or did in some related activity that revolved around the mill. My dad worked on the railroad at the mill, my grandparents ran the little country store on Old Asheville Highway that cashed the loggers’ [checks].”

Surrett noted that his brother-in-law works at the mill and will probably now have to look for further employment, with the family recently inhabiting a new home after their old house was destroyed by the 2021 flood.

“But, there’s a sense of faith here that’s stronger than fear, and that’s something that shouldn’t be overlooked,” Surrett said.

“There’s pride here in this hardworking blue-collar town, and that won’t go away with the mill — we’re a community and we’re a family”

In a somber voice, one of mental exhaustion, financial stress, and concern for her community, Michaela Lowe soon switches to a tone of persistence and determination — this signature kneejerk reaction by the fine people of Canton, North Carolina, once again in the face of an unknown tomorrow.

“We don’t know what our future looks like, and yet, somehow, we’re still here,” Michaela said. “And we look around at our friends, families, and surrounding areas. I think of my mom who worked at Dayco [in Waynesville] when they closed [in 1996]. Other towns have gone through this, have felt like we do right now, and are thriving today — that gives us hope.”

“There’s a sense of faith here that’s stronger than fear, and that’s something that shouldn’t be overlooked.”

— Tim Surrett

The Southern Porch in downtown Canton is a popular dining spot for mill workers, local residents and tourists alike. John Cayton photo

Planning the next step

Area manufacturers, community colleges could help laid-off mill workers write their next chapter

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER

When the Pactiv-Evergreen packaging plant in Canton closes this spring, 1,000 people who thought they’d secured steady work to last a lifetime will be looking for new jobs. The paper mill is handsdown the largest manufacturing employer in the region, but it’s far from the only one. Additionally, community colleges are expected to make efforts to help train former mill workers for new ventures.

“We know this is a huge change, but we are confident that our county can find solutions,” said Haywood County Commissioner Kevin Ensley. “Our great county staff are searching for ways to help the hard-working Evergreen employees find resources to help them make a smooth transition. This is not the first time we have lost an industry, and we will come out strong as before. We are praying for everyone involved.”

Haywood County and its neighbors have several large manufacturing employers — though none has anywhere near the payroll or workforce of Evergreen Packaging. Waynesville has Giles Chemical and Sonoco, and Canton has ConMet. Over in Jackson County, Jackson Paper operates in Sylva while Pratt & Whitney is building a new aerospace manufacturing center in southern Buncombe County.

“We’re interested, and we have jobs. We definitely think some of their skills would be applicable,” Carr Tyndall, chief operating officer at Jackson Paper in Sylva, said of the soon-to-be-former Evergreen employees.

“We want to extend our support and empathy to the Canton community; we understand that the closure of the Evergreen Packaging mill has been a significant loss for the community,” said Cataldo Perrone, communications manager for the new Pratt & Whitney facility in Asheville. “We welcome anyone affected by the closure to apply to our open positions and join our team.”

The Jackson Paper and Pratt & Whitney facilities both employ significantly fewer people than the Canton paper mill — Jackson Paper has 115 employees and about six open positions, while Pratt & Whitney is looking to create 800 new jobs through 2027, with 80% of the nearly 200 employees hired to date coming from the local area. Between its Canton and Waynesville facilities, Evergreen employs about 1,100 people.

Tyndall expressed his deep sympathy for the sudden news in Canton, and while he said Jackson Paper would welcome former Evergreen employees to its ranks, he urged Canton paper mill workers to pause and think through their options before sending in their applications.

“It costs us a lot to get a worker and train them, and we don’t want somebody doing something out of desperation,” he said.

“Right now, I know it’s a big blow to them, but they’ve got to go through a good bit between now and when the plant closes.”

Employees will receive severance pay equal to one week for each consecutive year with the company, and further bargaining with the labor union could also impact compensation. Unemployed former mill workers may also be eligible for government assistance. Workers will need to weigh whether quitting early, and possibly missing out on severance pay and other compensation, is in their best interest.

Plus, Tyndall said, they may wish to take some vacation time before leaping into a new job. At Jackson Paper, new employees are considered temporary for the first 90 days and can’t take vacation for the first month.

CANTON MILL CLOSURE

The company is loyal to its employees, Tyndall said, and new workers — even those with years of paper mill experience — will start at the bottom. Entry-level positions pay $19 per hour, which translates to about $40,000 per year. Workers also receive health insurance, paid time off and 401k matches. In April 2021, Evergreen said it employed 1,100 people in Haywood County with an annual payroll of $95 million, implying an average salary and benefits package totaling $86,000.

However, Tyndall said, more senior employees can make around $30 per hour at Jackson Paper, and there is opportunity to move through the ranks relatively quickly.

“We’ve been shorthanded for the last couple of years, so employees have come here and within a couple of years moved up pretty far in what we call line of progression and been able to work on some of the higher-level jobs,” he said.

Unlike Evergreen, which uses fresh wood chips to make new paper, the Sylva plant makes paper from old corrugated cardboard boxes. Positions at Evergreen that revolve around cooking and digesting wood chips don’t exist in Sylva, but many positions and skills are transferable.

Meanwhile, the casting foundry and airfoil production facility at Pratt & Whitney relies on entirely different processes than the Canton paper mill. Regardless, former mill workers may well find a home there.

“We recognize that while there may be differences in processes, equipment and operations between the two facilities, we believe that the skills and experiences gained from working in a manufacturing environment can be transferable and valuable in any similar setting,” Perrone said.

Open positions include managers, engineers, technicians, operators, supervisors

and shop floor positions. The company trains workers in-house after a position has been offered, and a partnership with AB Tech is allowing workers to prepare for employment before even applying. In February, the community college’s Advanced Manufacturing Center launched the first classes in its free Pratt & Whitey Fast Track training program, which aims to put locals on the path to fulltime employment, with benefits, in aerospace manufacturing. The program will offer additional opportunities in the near future.

Closer to home, Haywood Community College is reportedly considering how it can help former mill workers step into the next chapter of their lives. Haywood County Commissioners Kevin Ensley and Tommy Long said they spoke to HCC President Shelley White the morning after the mill closure was announced, and that White wants to help any way she can. White did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

“Even AB Tech and Southwestern [Community College] can help,” Ensley said. “The strength of our community colleges is to help during times like this.”

Additionally, there might be state funding available to help laid-off workers make ends

meet while they’re taking classes.

“We’re going to go after that,” Long said.

Rep. Mark Pless (R-Haywood) is currently in Raleigh and said he’s investigating whether any such programs are available. Pless’s father was employed at Dayco in Waynesville, and he remembers workforce retraining opportunities being available when that plant shut down in 1996.

“That’s what I’m doing today is figuring out what’s going to be available,” he said March 7. “Hopefully by the end of the week I can come home and have some answers.”

Pless said it’s imperative to find solutions that will allow people to continue to live and work in Haywood County — though for a period of time, former mill workers may need to seek employment across county lines. Haywood County still has property available for development at its industrial complex in Beaverdam that could potentially be enticing for other companies.

“There’s always opportunities to attract [new manufacturers],” he said. “We’re going to work hard over the next year to be at the table with folks looking to relocate.”

News editor Kyle Perrotti contributed to this report.

A mill worker carries out his duties. Donated photo

Jackson applies for medication-assisted treatment grant

BY HANNAH MCLEOD STAFF WRITER

The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office has applied for a grant to fund a Medication Assisted Treatment program in the county’s detention center. This comes after the Jackson County Detention Center has had five deaths in less than eight years, two of which occurred in 2022.

“The grant we have applied for is for a limited pilot MAT program,” said Sheriff Doug Farmer. “It would help our detention facility out by allowing us to offer a program for those wanting to make a lifestyle change. Inmates who have a substance abuse disorder and choose to start a journey to recovery, can voluntarily start this program while incarcerated.”

The sheriff’s office and county administration requested the board grant authorization to apply for the North Carolina Department of Public Safety MAT program. This is the second round of such funding available from NCDPS.

“This program is a limited medication assisted treatment program to be made available to inmates incarcerated in our jail,” said County Manager Don Adams. “I say limited because this is limited to a particular drug, Vivitrol, so this isn’t a full-blown MAT program, it is limited to a particular drug.”

Medication Assisted Treatment is a treatment for alcohol and opioid dependance

that combines the use of prescription medication with counseling, peer support and education. While the Food and Drug Administration has approved different medications to treat Alcohol and Opioid Use Disorders, the grant program is approved only for Vivitrol.

Vivitrol, a brand of Naltrexone, is a nonopioid medication which safely treats alcohol and opioid use disorders as an opioid antagonist. It is non-addictive, non-narcotic, blocks the subjective effects of exogenous opioids and reduces cravings for people with alcohol use disorder. It is administered once a month via intramuscular injection. According to Farmer there will be a series of six shots available to those who opt in.

“What this program does is provide funding for the sheriff to offer this treatment in the jail setting, but it also requires follow up treatment once the incarcerated person is released,” said Adams.

The North Carolina Department of Public Safety is administering this grant to Sheriff’s Offices. The first round of funding awarded five grants to sheriff’s offices in the state. There is $1,481,364 available in this round of funding. With the cost of the medication, this will likely result in one additional site receiving funds. Additional funds may be available in the future to maintain existing programs.

Grant funds must be used for employee expenses, services, contract expenses, goods and administrative fees. Funds may not be used to pay for vehicles, fund constructions, purchase weapons or any other law enforcement related equipment.

“It would employ an employee for the sheriff that works in the jail setting,” said Adams. “This grant can be expended over a three-year period. So what is being requested is for an additional employee to be added to the sheriff’s office for operations in the jail. It would be a jail-based coordinator, at a grade 24. What you have included here is a three-year salary.”

If the county is awarded funds, which would total about $1.3 million, it will likely partner with Project Lazarus, a nonprofit organization based in Wilkes County, North Carolina, for the peer support specialist to help connect people who opt into the program get connected with services following their release. The group has experience with medication-assisted treatment programs.

The grant will be awarded based on the rate of opioid-related deaths, rate of opioidrelated hospital admissions, the rate of violations of probation/parole and accessibility of mental and physical health care.

Five people have died while incarcerated in the Jackson County Detention Center over the past eight years, the most recent occurring in November of last year. Autopsy

results for Eddie Columbus Taylor, who died while incarcerated in June of last year show that he died as a result of an overdose.

“Based on postmortem examination and investigative results, my opinion is that the cause of death is acute fentanyl and methamphetamine toxicity,” the report of the Medical Examiner’s autopsy reads.

Further information in the report suggests that Taylor may have been dealing drugs within the detention center.

“According to his cellmate, the decedent had been dealing drugs and storing them in his mouth,” the report states. “The cellmate had similar material in his mouth. Postmortem examination is significant for severe hypertensive-type cardiovascular disease. No foreign material is identified in the mouth, airway, esophagus or stomach.”

In 2021, Jackson County paid $725,000 in a wrongful death lawsuit after Melissa Middleton Rice died by suicide while left alone in the jail’s booking room in 2019. There have been two other suicide deaths inside the Jackson County Detention Center in the past eight years. Charles “Chuckie” Moose died on Nov. 21, 2014, and Steve Ross on March 13, 2015.

“[This program] offers hope to those who want to begin their journey to recovery,” said Farmer. “We hope to be chosen for this grant. Participation in the program will always be voluntary.”

4BR, 4BA, 1HB | $1,100,000 |

#3902804

Schools support calendar flexibility

BY HANNAH MCLEOD STAFF WRITER

School boards across Western North Carolina are signing resolutions in support of flexibility and local control when it comes to school calendars. While this has been an issue for North Carolina public schools for many years, it is gaining traction again with new legislation introduced in the state senate.

“Local school boards are better equipped to understand the balancing act of meeting the community’s needs and maximizing student success,” reads one such resolution from Jackson County Schools. “Restoring local control of school calendars will allow the Jackson County Board of Education to meet the calendar preferences of Jackson County’s families, educators and businesses in our community while allowing for innovative experimental approaches to improve student achievement.”

North Carolina General Statute requires public K-12 schools to abide by a strict academic calendar laid out in legislation from 2004 and 2012. Schools must be in session for a minimum of 185 days, or 1,205 hours of instruction. They may start the year no earlier than the Monday closest to Aug. 26 and finish the year no later than the Friday closest to June 11. Neither charter schools nor private schools are required to follow the school calendar law. While school districts can obtain calendar waivers depending on how many days have been missed due to inclement weather over the past 10 years, these waivers are getting harder to obtain due to milder winters.

In December of last year, the North Carolina House Select Committee on An Education System for North Carolina’s Future issued its finding that the current school calendar law is not best suited to the needs of students and educators and that local boards of education should be given greater calendar

flexibility. The committee recommended the General Assembly take action and change the school calendar law.

Haywood, Jackson, Macon and Swain school boards have signed resolutions in support of school calendar flexibility. Other LEAs in the state have ignored the state-mandated calendar altogether and implemented start and end dates that suited their needs for the 2023-2024 school year.

“This is a common conversation that comes up to our general assembly every single year, that we struggle when the folks in Raleigh make mandates for us when all districts are very unique,” said Jackson County Schools Superintendent Dana Ayers. “Once the resolution is signed, if you all choose to sign it, is we share it with our community, our county commissioners and our legislators. Hopefully it will prompt them to give us a little more calendar flexibility than we already have.”

There are several reasons that public schools might need calendar flexibility. Chief among them is compatibility with local community colleges. Even with a weather waiver to begin school a few days early, k-12 public

Transitioning from Medicaid to marketplace coverage in 2023

The process of termination (unwinding) of Medicaid coverage for those enrolled in the program because of the Covid Public Health Emergency begins on April 1, 2023.

The Department of Health and Human Services began evaluating eligibility of enrolled recipients on Feb. 1, reviewing household monthly income, age, employment status, and changes in family size. As a result, many people will discover they are no longer eligible for full Medicaid coverage. Consumers are therefore strongly encouraged to apply for coverage through the Health Insurance Marketplace, or Healthcare.gov, where insurance plans are available. Most people can qualify for a plan that costs less than $10 a month.

Mountain Projects has expert insurance counselors on staff to help create an account, navigate the application, and determine eligibility for tax credits, all at no charge. This program is called GetCoveredWNC. Appointments can be made by calling 828.452.1447.

The “unwinding” of Medicaid will not happen all at once. NCDHHS has 14 months to complete the recertification

schools can rarely start the year as early as community colleges.

“Our calendar here in Jackson County Public Schools, even with the weather waiver, that allows us to start school five days earlier, our calendar has traditionally because of law made us start school after Southwestern Community College begins classes,” said Ayers. “So all of our students who participate in CCP classes or all of our early college students, they are either missing school at SCC the entire first week because we don’t provide transportation, or they’re finding their own way to get there.”

Swain County Superintendent Mark Sale also cited compatibility with community college calendars as a primary reason for the need for calendar flexibility. Whenever Swain County Schools are forced to start late in August, he said, which pushes the end of the first semester to the middle of January, that throws the schools system out of sync with community colleges.

“We have an extreme number of students right now at the high school who are taking dual enrollment classes like that,” said Sale. We really need some relief from that. If we

process. There are an estimated 300,000 North Carolinians who could lose their Medicaid between March 31, 2023, and July 31, 2024. DSS workers will be referring consumers to organizations like Mountain Projects to check their eligibility for Marketplace plans on healthcare.gov.

Persons losing Medicaid will begin receiving notices as early as February and should contact Mountain Projects’ GetCoveredWNC counselors to create an account on Healthcare.gov in advance of April 1, 2023, to avoid a lapse in coverage when their Medicaid ends.

A person who loses Medicaid may be eligible for $0 monthly premiums on the Health Insurance Marketplace. (MP) The MP cannot turn someone away because of preexisting conditions; and plans cover most services that Medicaid covers.

The Mountain Projects team of Certified Application Counselors is available to screen and enroll consumers in all seven counties of Western NC and the Qualla Boundary throughout the unwinding phase.

People who lose Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) coverage any time between March 31, 2023, and July 31, 2024, will be eligible for a Marketplace SEP. After a person is deemed eligible for the Marketplace subsidies, they will have 60 days to choose a

could just have a week before the 21t or something along those lines, we could move our exams back before Christmas and have solid semesters on both ends.”

Finishing the fall semester prior to Christmas break is another priority for public schools looking for calendar flexibility. As it stands now, most schools must schedule exams for fall semester classes in January, after a prolonged break from school. Evidence suggests this has a negative effect on academic success. If school systems had the flexibility to start the school year earlier, they would be able to administer end of course tests prior to Christmas break.

“It is well-documented through multiple studies that children will experience a phenomenon known as learning loss during breaks, which has a disproportionate impact on low-income children,” the resolution signed by the Jackson County School Board reads.

Another issue particular to public high schools is that of Advanced Placement course testing. Advanced placement classes are given on the same day nationwide and the current calendar law restricts the amount of time students have to learn the material and prepare before the exam.

Scheduling within the mandated calendar presents several challenges. Fall sports and band program schedules have not changed to coincide with the restricted academic calendar and often have events that occur before school begins.

According to Jackson County Schools administration, with little flexibility built into the calendar, scheduling workdays and professional development during the school year for faculty and staff is almost impossible during fall semester and remains challenging in the spring semester despite the significant increase in areas which faculty and staff are required by law to receive training.

Several of these resolutions note that allowing the school system to start earlier in August will not impact the overall length of the summer break as the school year will also end earlier.

plan, and their coverage will start the first day of the month after they choose a plan.

This opportunity allows people who lose Medicaid or CHIP to get enrolled anytime between March 31, 2023, and July 31, 2024, no matter when their Medicaid ended.

The SEP is triggered when someone answers “yes” to the application questions asking if their Medicaid/CHIP coverage ended recently or will end soon. People will not be required to supply documentation to verify their loss of Medicaid/CHIP.

Contact Certified Application Counselors by County:

• In Haywood County: Jane Harrison, Vicky Gribble and Jan Plummer, Coordinator: 828.452.1447 at Mountain Projects, Inc. 2177 Asheville Road in Waynesville.

• In Jackson County: Marilyn Tollie (bilingual assistance in all counties) 828.550.3686; and Susan Rose: 828.476.9194 located at 154-B Medical Park Loop in Sylva.

• In Swain and Graham Counties: Linda Fitzsimmons: 828.550.7908.

• In Macon County: Cynthia Solesbee: 828.400.4177.

• In Clay and Cherokee Counties: Linda CurtisPalmieri: 828.400.3149.

Appointments are available in-person, by phone, or by video call.

The mill’s legacy looms large over Haywood

“The mill.” In Canton, as in hundreds of other towns across America, that was the only description needed to describe the factory that drove a small town’s economy, which generations depended on for their livelihood and some for their very identity.

But when the phrase is extended into the dreaded “the mill is closing,” then the world goes topsy-turvy for the workers and an entire town, leaving people off balance and looking for a handhold, bringing forth prayers, curses and everything in between.

For folks in Canton and Haywood County, Champion-Blue Ridge PaperPactiv Evergreen has been a mainstay for three or four generations, since it opened in 1908. Yesterday, company officials announced that the paper producing behemoth that dominates the skyline of Canton will close by sometime in early summer. Approximately 1,000 workers in Canton will be displaced, perhaps more over the next few months at the coating facility in Waynesville.

The closure and its shakeout will shock this region, but most observers are likely not that surprised. Despite upgrades and renovations, even the untrained eye can see that the Canton mill is past its prime. Continued costly renovations don’t sit well in this age of corporate consolidation where those sitting in board rooms see little value in being a part of a community where a dedicated workforce is something worthwhile in and of itself. That’s a stinging indictment on corporate culture but does little for those in Canton now dealing with this new reality.

The world changes. The market for paper is shrinking. Making it is more costly than ever. People are searching for and finding alternatives. But this mill closure is about so much more than a shrinking paper market. A way of life is fading, and that is always accompanied by upheaval.

“So sad!!! Not only does it affect those souls at the mill, us who work at school and the whole Haywood County… I pray for what comes next! My family has worked at the mill for generations, I live in my family home that mill money built in the 1960s,” so read a post on our Facebook page after news broke of the impending closure.

Canton paper mill workers for generations have turned in a good day’s work and made good money, feeding families, building houses (as the quote above pointed out), sending children to college. For many it was the first and only decentpaying job they ever had as that kind of factory work was almost unheard of in this region.

Instead of having to leave for textile or manufacturing jobs in other Southern cities, these families got to stay in these mountains that so many of us love. That good Champion paycheck bought boats that populate our mountain lakes, it helped keep alive a horseback riding culture as many mill workers spent their off time in Cataloochee or the Big Creek areas of the park, allowed for hunting trips to bag white tail deer, paid for fishing trips to Montana and other areas out

West. That money kept many part-time farms going, family acreage still used for cattle and other uses that might not turn enough profit to make a living but kept people connected to the land and the hardscrabble way of life that so many embrace so dearly.

I can’t help but think of the paper mill’s close ties to the

thought the mill kept us safe from becoming a mini Asheville,” said another person on our Facebook page last night.

From a historical perspective, I think back to when Dayco closed its doors in 1996. The rubber hose manufacturer sat where Waynesville’s Walmart is now located, and when it

musical traditions of Haywood County and this region. Back when I was editor at The Mountaineer in the 1990s, we did a series called “The Legends of Mountain Music,” which included a piece on brothers Luke and Harold Smathers of Canton. They were carpenters who built many of those unique craftsman style homes in the Canton area, but they and their circle of musicians also credited the presence of the paper mill with attracting so many talented players. Steady work in one place meant musicians could gather in their off time and play without worrying about how to make a living from their music. Canton was rightfully known as a spawning ground for traditional musicians.

What happens when the shock wears off and people begin to pick themselves up and make plans for the future? Hard to say, but I’m optimistic. Canton is and always has been a beautiful town with a distinctive blue-collar mentality that won’t disappear with the mill. In fact, many worry that all-too-soon it will become a gentrified far west West Asheville.

“That is exactly why we love living here so much. I always

closed more than 600 jobs were lost. Just like now, the shockwaves reverberated around Haywood County and the region, and the community — individuals, families, churches, nonprofits, Haywood Community College and local governments — all swept in to make this seemingly doomsday event as easy on the displaced workers as they could. Lives were upended, as has happened right now in Canton, but it all worked out in the end because so many worked long and hard to ameliorate the negative consequences.

We can spin this every which way and look for the good — which there will be — but here’s the truth: a huge mill that employed up to 2,000 people in its heyday and operated for more than 100 years in a tiny mountain community in Western North Carolina is shutting down. With that closing, a way of life that was uniquely intertwined with this particular mill and this mountain community will be lost forever. We must turn the page, but let’s do so with a nod to the importance of this chapter in the history of Canton and Haywood County.

(Scott Mcleod can be reached at info@smokymountainnews.com.)

Editor Scott McLeod

The Pactiv-Evergreen paper mill in Canton has announced that it will close in the second quarter of this year, a move that will eliminate about 1,000 full-time jobs and affect untold hundreds of part-time and contract workers.

When your child blossoms, all is good in the world

The earliest expressions of our daughter’s deep and abiding affection for cute, fragile creatures were frightening and very nearly catastrophic. When she was 4 years old, she liked carrying our helpless cat, Bubby Tomas, around the house with her arms squeezing his torso tightly as if she were performing the Heimlich maneuver, his eyes wide with panic, pleading for rescue.

When she was 5, she tried feeding her baby brother oatmeal, most of which ended up plastered on the sides of his face and down the front of his giraffe-themed onesie. When we came back into the room, she was so pleased with herself that she was beaming, her face round and bright as a little sun.

By the time she made it to middle school, she started working in our church’s nursery. She peppered us on the way home with stories about baby Samuel, or little Ellie, the shy one who would hide behind things and grin like she was keeping a secret. She loved them all, and they loved her right back. More than one parent had said, “I think our child would rather go home with Kayden than with us.”

It came as no surprise, then, when she decided to major in Elementary Education at Appalachian State University. If anything, it had the ring of inevitability, especially for someone who has always loved nurturing children, while also being the center of attention (she is the family’s only extrovert). Most of all, she loves teaching, explaining things in vivid and comprehensive detail to anyone who will listen. I will always remember her description of movies she had seen and I had missed. I could have seen the actual movie in less time than it took for her to tell me about it.

Now she is in her very first classroom in one of the Watauga County schools, not yet in total control, but as an apprentice or aid or helper or whatever they are calling it these days. She is in a middle-grade classroom on Mondays and Fridays, and already she is bonding with the children at an astonishing pace, even though she wasn’t too sure whether she would do as well with kids that age as she thought she would do

with first- or second-graders.

She needn’t have worried. They love her, and she loves them. Of course, every few days we get new and exciting chapters of the “grade-school chronicles,” which run the gamut from harrowing to heartbreaking to hilarious.

Last week, one of them informed her quite matter-of-factly that she was a direct descendent of Lady Godiva and — in case Kayden didn’t know much about her — she liked to ride around on her horse without any clothes on.

It is hard to know just what to say when a kid tells you something like this, so Kayden said the first thing that occurred to her: “Well, I guess you better not do that.”

Without pausing for a moment, the girl looked at her and said, perhaps a little haughtily, “Well, I can’t help it. It’s in my blood.”

Another girl writes her long, detailed letters complete with touching drawings of the two of them walking along a quaint road in some pastoral setting, holding hands, with a giant heart looming above in place of the sun. Make of that what you will.

Yet another girl is a recent arrival from a faraway place, still in the early stages of working on her language skills and doing her best to adapt and fit in when that is the very thing most people her age are trying to do in elementary school.

Kayden spends a little extra time with her, trying to find ways to connect. She called me one night and asked me if I had any ideas, and she told me some of hers. For nearly an hour, we talked not as a father and daughter, but as an aging teacher near the end of his career and a youthful teacher at the very beginning of hers. It was one of the most thrilling experiences of my life.

Among the things you dream about for your children, surely somewhere near the very top of the list is that they find a way to make a living that feels not like a job, but like a calling, a blessing, a moral imperative, a natural extension of their own being and character. In simpler terms, when you find a job you not only do not dread, but actually look forward to doing every day in your other home, the classroom.

I like to think she can’t help it. It’s in her blood.

(Chris Cox is a writer and teacher who lives in Haywood County. jchriscox@live.com.)

Columnist Chris Cox

Planes, drugs and bears, oh my!

Hollywood film has WNC connections

BY BOB SCOTT S PECIAL TO SMN

Who would have thought a true story with a link to Clay and Macon counties would arguably be the most popular movie in the United States today?

Directed by Hollywood starlet Elizabeth Banks, “Cocaine Bear” is a blockbuster dark comedy horror flick about a rampaging black bear fueled on cocaine kicked out of a drug smuggling airplane, and all supported by a cast of odd-ball characters.

“Cocaine Bear” is receiving glowing reviews in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, and other major media outlets. It’s also playing at the Ruby Cinema in Franklin until March 2. And it’ll no doubt be available on streaming sites soon thereafter.

In the film, a drug smuggler kicks a bag of cocaine from an airplane over North Georgia where a black bear finds it and proceeds to make a picnic of it. The bear goes on a bloody, murderous, tear across a rural community fueled by the coke. The events are genuine, except for the antics of the bear, which is a Hollywood fantasy.

The real saga began with two men night fishing on Nantahala Lake in September 1985. They did not know when they heard an airplane sputtering overhead, then crash on a mountain peak west of them, that it was the beginning of a whirlwind story of power, greed, drugs, and murder from Colombia, South America, to Knoxville, Tennessee, ultimately ending on the Macon/Clay county line.

The fish were biting. So, the two men waited until morning to report the crash. “Nobody could have lived through it anyhow,” they allowed when asked why they waited till daylight to report the crash to the law, or so the story goes.

Clay County Sheriff Tony Woody called and asked if I was interested in writing about a plane crash. When I got to Woody’s office, he had put together a posse of volunteer firefighters, rescue squad members, loafers, forest service folks and deputies gearing up to hike into the remote crash site. Off we trudged expecting to find decapitated bodies all over the mountain.

Woody had a friend who kept a small airplane at the “Tusquitee International Airport.” They went aloft, spotted the crash site, and directed us to it. What was left of the twoengine airplane was scattered across the mountain top for an acre or more.

As the rescuers picked through the wreckage, Woody radioed to them, “How many were killed in that thing?”

The Rescue Squad Commander radioed back, “Sheriff, we’ve looked. There ain’t nobody on it. There’s not any blood, nothing.”

There was a moment of silence. “Boys, this is serious business — that airplane did not get there by itself.” But it did.

Later that night, we were sitting around the jail wondering how the ghost plane got there. I called in my story and was starting to leave when the executive editor called the jail to tell me there was a story on the Associated Press wire about a man found dead on a driveway — in a tangled parachute, in a residential section of Knoxville.

“Could there be a connection to your story?” the editor asked. We started to put things together and concluded that we were

sitting on the answer of where that airplane came from.

Forty-year-old Andrew Carter Thornton II, a former drug agent and law enforcement officer, had parachuted out of the Cessna 404 after putting it on autopilot. Thornton opened his parachute too late. The free fall from thousands of feet sent him crashing into a Knoxville resident’s driveway.

Thornton was killed instantly. Upon further inspection, he was wearing a bulletproof vest, night-vision goggles, a pen that fired tear gas, 100 pounds of cocaine strapped to his body, a gun or two, $4,500 in cash, and Gucci loafers. It was the usual Commando Rambo outfit. The estimated value of the cocaine was put at $14 million.

The Rescue Squad Commander radioed back, “Sheriff, we’ve looked. There ain’t nobody on it. There’s not any blood, nothing.” There was a moment of silence. “Boys, this is serious business — that airplane did not get there by itself.” But it did.

Thornton and an accomplice had kicked bags of cocaine out of the airplane along their flight path from Colombia to Knoxville. To this day, I think they had accomplices on the ground.

A 175-pound black bear clawed into a bag of the cocaine near Blairsville, Georgia. Game wardens found it dead lying next to the ripped apart duffel bag of cocaine. And that is where the “Cocaine Bear” movie starts.

The real bear never went on a rampage. It was too mellowed out. The film is far more entertaining than the facts of the bear’s demise.

(Bob Scott is a freelance writer and photographer in Franklin. A former Asheville Citizen reporter and photographer, he covered the six westernmost counties.)

Above: Dale Holland with the United States Forest Service (left) and Bud Talley of the Macon County Sheriff’s Office at the scene of the cocaine ghost airplane in September 1985.

Right: The wreckage of the drug smuggling airplane. (Photos provided by Bob Scott)

This must be the place

BY GARRET K. WOODWARD

Ode to Canton, ode to Small Town America

On Aug. 10, 2012, I took on my first assignment for The Smoky Mountain News. It was the “Papertown” album release show by Haywood County bluegrass sensation Balsam Range.

The performance was held at The Colonial Theater in downtown Canton. Truth-be-told, I had just arrived in Western North Carolina earlier that afternoon from my native Upstate New York. Immediately following a 1,100-mile solo trek, I was handed a notebook, pen and camera by my publisher in our Waynesville newsroom and told to head to Canton.

And I remember standing side-stage at the Colonial, watching a packed house of local residents cheer on the musical talents of their own:

“Stepping up to the microphone, [bassist Tim] Surrett saluted the crowd amid raucous cheers and applause. Outside, the tall steam stacks of the paper mill signal that there’s a lot more work left to do and tomorrow is new a day. ‘We grew up here and we played ball here,’ he said. ‘We live here and we think it smells just fine here.’”

Thus, for the better part of the last 11 years, the paper mill, its residents, and the rest of the proud, blue-collar community that is Canton have become part of my everyday life, whether I realized it or not. As a journalist and Haywood County resident, I’ve written numerous pieces on Canton, and always with the mill in mind.

Articles on the history of the mill, with first-hand interviews from old-timers who got a job there upon returning home from active duty in World War II. Profiles on new businesses in town, with quotes always about the tenacity of the blue-collar mill town, and so forth. And features on milestone Pisgah High School football games, the stadium within sight of the mill.

As a local resident, I’ve befriended countless folks who either worked at the mill or currently work there. So many families whose homes I’ve been invited into where, at some point in the gathering, the conversation would turn to the mill — talking points being the pride of the mill, old stories and memories, or, sadly, what may or may not happen if the mill were to leave someday.

So, to receive the news on Monday, March 6, that the mill would be closing by

this summer hit me, and hit hard. My heart goes out to those countless individuals who lost their jobs this week, and to those who will surely be affected by the undulating ripple effect of the closure and its damage to many aspects of Canton — economically, socially, and culturally.

The news of the Canton closure conjured vivid memories of my own hometown, the tiny Canadian Border community of Rouses Point, New York. For generations, we had a pharmaceutical company, Wyeth-Ayerst, who employed a good chunk of the town. With around 2,000 residents in Rouses Point, the plant employed upwards of 1,700 workers, many of which from surrounding farm communities.

By 2005, Wyeth-Ayerst decided to close the enormous facility (pictured). Many of my friends’ parents lost their jobs, as did several people in my own family tree. The company took the jobs and work overseas,

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leaving Rouses Point hanging out to dry. And, since then, the plant has been demolished, this wide-swath of a facility now an empty lot on the edge of town.

Rouses Point was never the same after the demise of Wyeth-Ayerst. Aside from positions in the federal government on the border or working in the school system, there aren’t many avenues of revenue in that small town. Whenever I do find myself back there by chance, it feels more like a ghost town than the once vibrant, thriving setting of my childhood and adolescent years.

The cut is deep, generations in depth, with the Canton paper mill now seemingly fading into the rearview mirror. In essence, the Town of Canton itself will be fine. We’re lucky enough to live in an area that is incredibly desirable — geographically, aesthetically, recreationally. These mountains will always attract new faces and business opportunities, that’s a given.

But, aside from that, it’s those workers and their families that I, and everyone else in these ancient hills, are genuinely concerned about. And what about the identity of Canton? What will it look like moving forward? As an eternal optimist, I remain head-

The “Kids at HART” production of “Children of Eden!” will hit the stage at 7:30 p.m. March 10-11 and at 2 p.m. March 12 at the Haywood Arts Regional Theatre in Waynesville.

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be uncertain and, perhaps, rocky for many. But, as I’ve seen, heard and felt over the years here in Haywood County, that push ahead with your head held high, come hell or high-water attitude of this place remains undefeated — whether it be economic downturns, a pandemic, ravaging floods, or the silencing of a century-old factory.

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Popular rock/soul act The Paper Crowns will hit the stage at 8 p.m. Friday, March 10, at The Scotsman in Waynesville.

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Meadowlark Motel (Maggie Valley) will host Anana Kaye (Americana/indie) at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, March 11.

And, in this current state of personal reflection, I recall the Balsam Range “Grit & Grace” concert fundraiser for the folks affected by the great flood of August 2021 that overtook downtown Canton. Tens of thousands of dollars raised during a free performance at Sorrells Street Park, which was underwater just weeks earlier.

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Brent Martin and John Lane will host a special discussion on the book “Coming Into Animal Presence” at 6 p.m. Tuesday, March 14, visit City Lights Bookstore in Sylva.

5 Regional country/rock act The Jon Cox Band will perform at 8 p.m. Friday, March 10, at the Unplugged Pub in Bryson City.

strong in the will and resolve of a community and people that I’ve had the utmost respect and admiration for since that warm August evening back in 2012. There are more questions than answers at this juncture of this developing story. The coming days, weeks, months, and years will

Thousands of attendees at the concert, everyone coming together for a night of nurturing live music and fellowship. As the stage emcee, I remember standing up there on the huge platform, addressing a sea of faces in the foreground, the massive mill in the background. A true sense of pride coursed through my body — as a journalist, as a Haywood County resident, but more so as a human being.

I also think of what Balsam Range bassist Tim Surrett, a Canton native, told me about the core values of the town and its people that were showcased in the wake of the flood.

“Immediately after the flood happened, people just started showing up and coming together to help each other out,” Surrett said. “When something like this happens, you don’t ask questions. You just grab a shovel, you know? And I love that about this community.”

The Wyeth-Ayerst facility in Rouses Point, New York.

(Rouses Point Historical Society photo)

Unplugged welcomes Jon Cox

Country/rock act The Jon Cox Band will perform at 8 p.m. Friday, March 10, at the Unplugged Pub in Bryson City.

The Asheville singer-songwriter rolls through an array of classic country gold

Captain Midnight returns to Nantahala

and rock melodies. Known as “high-energy outlaw music,” Cox is a rising voice in Western North Carolina.

Free and open to the public. 828.538.2488.

Rock rolls into The Scotsman

Asheville-based rock/soul act The Paper Crowns will hit the stage at 8 p.m. Friday, March 10, at The Scotsman in Waynesville.

Spiro & Nicole Nicolopoulos have returned to their jam and psychedelic roots with The Paper Crowns. The songs are a seamless blend of blues, psychedelic, Southern rock, folk, and funk — all steeped in the deep traditions of American music. The duo is also well-known regionally for their top-tier improvised jams, soulful harmonies, and richly cultivated songwriting.

The show is free and open to the public. 828.246.6292 or scotsmanpublic.com.

Popular rock act The Captain Midnight Band will perform at 8 p.m. Friday, March 17, at Nantahala Brewing in Sylva.

Internationally-ignored superstar, Captain Midnight is the world’s only known purveyor of “Waterbed Rock & Roll.”

Crunchy rock guitar riffs, thick R&B grooves and soaring vocal harmonies combine to create a unique, yet familiar soundscape for jammy anthems, sci-fi imagery and humorous adult situations.

The ensemble has opened for acts like Dark Star Orchestra, moe., Cypress Hill, Twiddle, Leftover Salmon, Marcus King, and many more.

The show is free and open to the public. For more information, go to captainmidnightband.com.

Reggae, soul at Lazy Hiker

The Natti Love Joys will perform at 7 p.m. Saturday, March 11, at Lazy Hiker Brewing in Franklin.

A roots-rock-reggae band that has been playing live since 2003, the group consists of husband and wife duo Anthony “Jatti” Allen and Sonia “Marla” Allen (formerly Sonia Abel).

Jatti was previously the bassist for the reggae group The Congos, while Marla originates from the cult all female reggae group Love Joys, where she recorded two albums

under the legendary Wackies label run by Lloyd Barnes (Bullwackie). Free and open to the public. 828.349.2337 or lazyhikerbrewing.com.

Captain Midnight. (File photo)

Jon Cox. (Wayne Ebinger photo)

The Paper Crowns. (File photo)

Natti Love Joys.

(File photo)

On the beat

• Altered Frequencies (Franklin) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. 828.342.8014 or alteredfrequencies.net.

• Balsam Falls Brewing (Sylva) will host an open mic from 8-10 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 7-9 p.m. every first and third Thursday of the month. Free and open to the public. blueridgebeerhub.com.

• Boojum Brewing (Waynesville) will host karaoke at 8:30 p.m. on Wednesdays, trivia at 7 p.m. on Thursdays and The Get Right Band (rock/indie) 9:30 p.m. March 17. All shows begin at 9 p.m. unless otherwise noted. 828.246.0350 or boojumbrewing.com.

• Currahee Brewing (Franklin) will host Bluejazz (blues/soul) 7 p.m. March 18. Free and open to the public. 828.634.0078 or curraheebrew.com.

• Farm At Old Edwards (Highlands) will host the “Orchard Sessions” on select dates. Tickets start at $25 per person. oldedwardshospitality.com/orchardsessions.

• Folkmoot Friendship Center (Waynesville) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. For tickets, click on folkmoot.org.

• Fontana Village Resort Wildwood Grill will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. Free and open to the public. 800.849.2258 or fontanavillage.com.

• Frog Level Brewing (Waynesville) will host its weekly “Tuesday Jazz Series” at 5:30 p.m., Mike Oregano (Americana/indie) March 10, Mark Bumgarner (singer-songwriter) 5:30 p.m. March 16 and Andrew Thelston Band (rock/soul) March 17. All shows begin at 6 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public unless otherwise noted. 828.454.5664 or froglevelbrewing.com.

• Frog Quarters (Franklin) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. All shows are from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Free and open to the public. Located at 573 East Main Street. littletennessee.org or 828.369.8488.

• Happ’s Place (Glenville) will host Bluejazz (blues/soul) 6 p.m. March 10. Free and open to the public. happsplace.com or 828.742.5700.

• Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort (Cherokee) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. caesars.com/harrahs-cherokee.

• Innovation Brewing (Sylva) will host “Trivia Night w/Kirk” from 7-9 p.m. every Monday, Open Mic Night every Wednesday and Andrew Wakefield (singer-songwriter) March 11. All shows begin at 7 p.m. unless other-

wise noted. Free and open to the public. innovation-brewing.com.

• Innovation Station (Dillsboro) will host “Music Bingo” on Wednesdays and semiregular live music on the weekends. All events begin at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. innovation-brewing.com.

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.

to the public. 828.246.6292 or scotsmanpublic.com.

• SlopeSide Tavern (Sapphire) will host semiregular live music on the weekends. Free and open to the public. 828.743.8655 or slopesidetavern.com.

ALSO:

• Lazy Hiker Brewing (Franklin) will host “Music Bingo” 6 p.m. Tuesdays, trivia 6:30 p.m. Wednesdays, Open Mic 6:30 p.m. Thursdays, Natti Love Joys (reggae/soul) March 11, St. Patrick’s Delight 2 p.m. March 12 and “Songwriters of Macon County” March 20. All shows begin at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.349.2337 or lazyhikerbrewing.com.

• Lazy Hiker Brewing (Sylva) will host trivia 6:30 p.m. Wednesdays, Old Time Jam 6:30 p.m. Thursdays and 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.

• Meadowlark Motel (Maggie Valley) will host Anana Kaye (Americana/indie) March 11 and Heidi Holton (blues/folk) March 18. All shows begin at 6:30 p.m. meadowlarkmotel.com or 828.926.1717.

• Moss Valley (Franklin) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. Free and open to the public. Food trucks and beverages available onsite. Bring a lawn chair. Presented by Drake Software.

• Mountain Layers Brewing (Bryson City) will host Mountain Gypsy (Americana) March 10, Heidi Holton (blues/folk) March 11, Woolybooger 5 p.m. March 12, St. Patrick’s Day Delight March 13, Twelfth Fret (Americana) March 17, Somebody’s Child (Americana/indie) March 18 and Bird In (Americana/folk) 5 p.m. March 19. 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 Captain Midnight Band (jam/soul) March 17 and Guavatron (jam/rock) March 18. All shows begin at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.641.9797 or nantahalabrewing.com.

• Nantahala Outdoor Center (Nantahala Gorge) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. All shows behind at 5 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. noc.com.

• Orchard Coffee (Waynesville) will host semiregular live music on the weekends. 828.246.9264 or orchardcoffeeroasters.com.

• Quirky Birds Treehouse & Bistro (Dillsboro) will host Open Mic Night at 7 p.m. Tuesdays

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.

and semi-regular live music on the weekends. Free and open to the public. 828.586.1717 or facebook.com/ quirkybirdstreehouse.

• 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. 828.369.6796.

• Salty Dog’s Seafood & Grill (Maggie Valley) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. Free and open to the public. 828.926.9105.

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

• Sauced (Waynesville) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. Free and open to the public. 828.246.9585 or saucedwnc.com

• The Scotsman (Waynesville) will host a “Celtic Jam” 2-5 p.m. Sundays, Bridget Gossett (singer-songwriter) March 9, The Paper Crowns (Americana/rock) March 10, “Live Celtic Jam” 4 p.m. March 11, Ryan Furstenburg (Americana/country) March 16, “One Year Anniversary Party” from 1-11 p.m. March 17 and Smashing Mouths (rock/grunge) March 18. All shows begin at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open

• Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts (Franklin) will “Newsboys w/Adam Agee” (Christian/rock) 7 p.m. March 11 and United States Air Force Heritage of America Concert Band 3 p.m. March 12 (free show). smokymountainarts.com or 828.524.1598.

• Southern Porch (Canton) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. 828.492.8009 or southern-porch.com.

• Stecoah Valley Center (Robbinsville) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. 828.479.3364 or stecoahvalleycenter.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 Country March 9, Jon Cox Band (rock/country) March 10, Rock Holler March 11, TNT March 16, Keil Nathan Smith & Sudden Change March 17 and Mile High Band March 18. All shows begin at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.538.2488.

• Valley Cigar & Wine Co. (Waynesville) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. All shows are at 2 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.944.0686 or valleycigarandwineco.com.

• Valley Tavern (Maggie Valley) will host semiregular live music on the weekends. All shows begin at 6 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.926.7440 or valley-tavern.com.

• Water’n Hole Bar & Grill (Waynesville) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. All shows begin at 9:30 p.m. 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.

• Wine Bar & Cellar (Sylva) will host semiregular live music on the weekends. 828.631.3075 or facebook.com/thewinebarandcellar.

• Yonder Community Market (Franklin) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. Free and open to the public. Donations encouraged. 828.200.2169 or eatrealfoodinc.com.

On the stage

‘Kids at HART’ presents ‘Children of Eden!’

The “Kids at HART” production of “Children of Eden!” will hit the stage at 7:30 p.m. March 10-11 and at 2 p.m. March 12 at the Haywood Arts Regional Theatre in Waynesville.

From musical theatre greats, Stephen Schwartz and John Caird, comes a joyous and inspirational musical about parents, children and faith, not to mention centuries of unresolved family business. This epic musical tells the story of Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, and the story of Noah and the flood, all of which deal with the headstrong, cataclysmic actions of their respective children.

As generations pass, faith and loyalty are tested, but the bonds of family and love remain strong. With incredibly beautiful and moving music by acclaimed Broadway composer Stephen Schwartz (“Pippin,” “Godspell,” “Wicked” and Disney films, including “Enchanted” and “Pocahontas”) this production features a talented cast of young performers who tell these timeless stories about parents, children, and their endlessly complex relationships.

The cast includes Henry Blackburn, James Cloninger, Ruby Cloninger, Ruthie Collins, Kayenta Cruz, Chelcy Frost, Drake Frost, Naomi Gevjan, Peyton Jennings, Tristan Johnson, Kade Mabe, Logan Norman, Josie Ostendorff, Reese Pifer, Luna Risch, Ezra Roth, Savanna Shaw, Noah Sheets, Emma Shell, Abby Welchel and Haiden Wood, with choreography from students James Cloninger and Ruthie Collins.

Tickets are $21.50 for adults, $11.50 for students. To purchase tickets, click on harttheatre.org or by calling the Box Office at 828.456.6322. Winter Box Office hours are 3-5 p.m. Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

The cast of ‘Children of Eden!’ (Donated photo)

On the street

‘St. Patty’s’ at Darnell Farms

“St. Patty’s Day Spring Kickoff” will be held from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, March 18, at Darnell Farms in Bryson City. Vendors, food trucks, live music, clogging, and more. Car show will be from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. There will also be a special appearance by Zeb Ross and the J. Creek Cloggers. For more information, click on facebook.com/darnellfarmsnc.

• “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.

On the table ALSO:

• “Take A Flight” with four new wines every Friday and Saturdays at the Bryson City Wine Market. Select from a gourmet selection of charcuterie to enjoy with your wines. Educational classes and other events are also available. For more information, call 828.538.0420.

• “Uncorked: Wine & Rail Pairing Experience” will be held from 11 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. For more information and/or to register, call 800.872.4681 or click on gsmr.com.

WCU Juried Undergraduate exhibition

The 55th annual Juried Undergraduate exhibition is currently being showcased through March 24 at the Fine Art Museum in the Bardo Arts Center at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee.

The exhibition is one of the longest-running Catamount art traditions. For emerging artists, this exhibition is an extraordinary opportunity to share their artwork with a larger public and to enhance their skills in

presenting artwork in a professional gallery setting.

Students’ work is reviewed by an outside art professional, one who has the challenge of making selections from the many talented students who submit an application. This year’s judge is Margaret Curtis.

Curtis is a feminist artist whose multi-layered, narrative paintings address interpersonal and societal power dynamics. She is a

OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

2021-2026 Joan Mitchell Foundation Fellow. Curtis received degrees from Duke University and The Atlanta College of Art.

She has shown at the Brooklyn Museum, The Andy Warhol Museum, The Wexner Center, The Mint Museum, and the Asheville Art Museum, among others. Curtis’ work has also been included in notable exhibitions from “Bad Girls” at the New Museum of Contemporary Art (1993) to “Start Talking” at the North Carolina Museum of Art (2022).

For more information, click on arts.wcu.edu/juried-23.

• The immersive installation ”Courtney M. Leonard — BREACH: Logbook | CORIOLIS” is currently being showcased through May 5 in the Fine Art Museum at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee.

ALSO:

Created by the Shinnecock Nation ceramic artist as part of Leonard’s BREACH series, the exhibition explores cultural and historical connections to water, fishing practices, and sustainability. Museum hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday. Free and open to the public. For more information, click on arts.wcu.edu/breach.

• Southwestern Community College Swain Arts Center (Bryson City) will host an array of workshops for adults and kids. For more information on the upcoming classes and/or to sign-up, click on southwesterncc.edu/scc-locations/swaincenter.

• Dogwood Crafters in Dillsboro will host an array of upcoming art classes and workshops. For more information and a full schedule of activities, click on dogwoodcrafters.com/classes.html or call 828.586.2248.

Monday & Saturday Dinner Service

Monday 4 p.m.-8 p.m.

Friday 11 a.m.-5 p.m.

Saturday 11 a.m.-8 p.m.

Sunday 11 a.m.-5 p.m.

Experience a Casual, Relaxing Atmosphere

perfect for all walks of life, from families to golf groups to ladies who lunch. We pride ourselves on using fresh ingredients from our gardens and supporting local farmers. The details are priority.

‘Now My Projections Will Never Come True’ by Erin Elsey. (File photo)

Books vs. the winter blues — and books win I

t’s another one of those unremarkable winter afternoons when the outside temp is identical to the inside of my refrigerator, the sky is as gray as a friar’s habit, and the wind has just enough of a whistle to sting an old man’s cheeks. It’s that kind of winter afternoon where time seems to have fallen asleep, and the slow-dripping minutes suck away all ambition until we become irritable, frowsy, and disoriented, similar to that feeling children often experience after watching an entire afternoon of television, when they shove themselves off the sofa at suppertime zonked out and monosyllabic as zombies.

Such was the mood of your pathetic columnist, namely me, an hour ago. It was time to knock out another review for the SMN, and at hand were several books I’d finished that would do nicely. A week earlier, I’d polished off Mark Twain’s “Is He Dead? A Comedy in Three Acts,” brought back from the literary boneyard by Twain scholar Shelley Fishkin. This was followed by Marc Morano’s “The Great Reset: Global Elites and the Permanent Lockdown.” Eyeopening and comprehensive, yes, but not the cheeriest read on the planet. Jenny Rosenstrach’s festive “How to Celebrate Everything: Recipes and Rituals for Birthdays, Holidays, Family Dinners, and Every Day In Between” is a delight, and a plenitude of photos and recipes made it a fast read, but even Rosenstrach, whose prose is as sweet and appealing as her strawberryalmond milkshakes, didn’t shake off my winter doldrums.

Eventually, all three books will appear in this space, but right now my enthusiasm for writing about them is as dead as the grass on the front lawn.

Considering these titles for review turned my attention to the small blue bookshelf I’ve recently installed by the dining room table where I tap away on my laptop. The bottom two shelves of this rugged piece of furniture contain 32 of my own books — yes, I just

counted them — and a three-inch high shelf above them offers an alcove for typing paper, several brochures, and two composition books.

On the top shelf, standing side by side, are 18 books. Stacked atop them are four more books and five DVDs. None of these items, which include the works of Messieurs Twain and Morano and Madame Rosenstrach, are mine. Over the last week or so, they’ve all accompanied me home courtesy of that insanely magical institution, the public library, that treasure house where a small plastic card permits patrons to carry away an armload of information and entertainment.

For whatever reason, taking stock of these borrowed riches wiped away my gloom and melancholy. It cheered me

while Ryan Holiday’s “Ego Is the Enemy” holds hands with Brene Brown’s “The Gifts of Imperfection.”

Before you put me down as greedy or book-mad, please understand that nearly all of these books are necessary for my work. At least three of them, possibly four, will appear here in the Smoky Mountain News. Others will take a bow in the articles I write for other publications. The 1938 edition of “Representative English Plays,” for instance, contains Joseph Addison’s “Cato,” one of George Washington’s favorite dramas, and I intend to write about that connection. In “Ego Is the Enemy,” which I glanced at in the library, is a fascinating chapter on George C. Marshall, Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army in World War II. That topic too is fodder for my fire.

Bear in mind as well that the library keeps track of all items checked out, useful statistics when presenting a budget to some county oversight committee. One librarian once told me that homeschoolers, who make me look like a piker when it comes to the number of books carted away, are crucial to maintaining these numbers. So you could say I’m doing my bit to keep libraries alive and well.

immensely to see these books, some of them already friends, some strangers, all waiting for my attention.

Now, some readers may be appalled by the number of library books I’d commandeered, however temporarily, thereby keeping them from the hands, eyes, and enjoyment of others. Some might even regard this hillock of paper and print as evidence of bibliomania, also known as lit-fit, that is, a temporary madness that strikes the unwary bibliophile turned loose in a large room with books begging to be borrowed.

Visitors to that top shelf might also find themselves boggled by its variety of subjects. Here “Safe Haven,” a Nicholas Sparks romance, stands alongside Jim Trelease’s “The Read-Aloud Handbook.” “How to Tell a Joke”— based on the writings of the Roman orator Cicero, of all people — is bedded down with Eric Hoffer’s “The True Believer: Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements.” A new book by Bob Dylan, “The Philosophy of Modern Song,” stands spine to spine with “Julie Andrews’ Collection of Poems, Songs, and Lullabies”

Martin & Lane in conversation

When I was a boy, my father would on rare occasions whisk our large family off to supper at the K&W cafeteria in WinstonSalem. As we children stood in line drooling over that array of fried chicken, French fries, biscuits, vegetables, and scrumptious desserts, Dad would caution us, “Remember — don’t let your eyes get bigger than your stomachs.”

Sound advice, under the circumstances. Fortunately, Dad never said anything like that about public libraries.

At any rate, just examining my library stash and writing these words has dispelled my ugly winter mood. Gone are the blues and the ennui. This evening, I’ll return to “Safe Haven” — perfect for part of a Valentine’s Day piece — or look through Trelease for his advice on reading to children, or see if Cicero really knew much about telling jokes.

That old Roman did know something about the important things in life. After all, he once wrote, “A room without books is like a body without a soul.”

Or in this case, like a winter’s day without some sunshine.

(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.)

Brent Martin and John Lane will host a special discussion at

Tuesday, March

visit City Lights Bookstore in Sylva. The duo will discuss Lane’s new book, “Coming

Writer Jeff Minick

Park it Forward

porting the idea, 34% neutral or indifferent and 15% opposed.

Of the 828 comments received from the park’s six neighboring counties in North Carolina and Tennessee, 25% were supportive, 25% were opposed and 50% were neutral. All six county governments issued formal statements opposing the parking fees, as did the North Carolina House of Representatives.

In Swain County, where a substantial chunk of the park actually sits, 40% of the 138 comments received by NPS opposed the proposal.

To some, the park’s very existence remains controversial; at least 1,200 families were evicted from their homes during its creation, and in a region where memories linger almost as long as the mountains that constitute the park, ill will remains.

Some of that ill will was ameliorated when, in 1951 and 1992, deed transfers and federal laws established the principles of a park that would remain forever free, unlike other large national parks, which on average draw more than half their budgets from fees, including entry fees.

Given that the park is but a short drive from most of Western North Carolina, residents have over the years come to consider it their own — a local attraction featuring a world-class swath of unspoiled wilderness home to more than 900 miles of trails, including 71 miles of the 2,190-mile Appalachian Trail, as well as a number of endangered species of both flora and fauna.

Congress won’t pay for Smokies maintenance backlog — you will

BY CORY VAILLANCOURT STAFF WRITER

After years of inaction by Congress led to a massive $262 million deferred maintenance backlog in America’s most-visited national park, it will now be up to visitors to pony up their own money to support the park’s most basic staffing and maintenance needs.

Effective March 1 and after substantial public input — mostly positive — the National Park Service has for the first time in the history of the 89-year-old Great Smoky Mountains National Park implemented a parking fee program.

“A hundred years from now, we hope that people, especially our employees, don’t have to think about where they might be getting the funds to do some program that they want to do, or to help maintain the trails,” said Emily Davis, an NPS public affairs specialist based in Gatlinburg. “We want this program to be so influential that when they’re looking at it in 100 years, they’re looking back at us and saying, ‘Wow, that was a really groundbreaking moment. thanks to that program, we’re able to do what we can to protect the park and our visitors are having a great experience because of it.’”

In early April, 2022, GSMNP

Superintendent Cassius Cash announced a proposed parking fee structure due to what he called “challenges” to the park in the form of “wear-and-tear on aging facilities and a strain on park resources and employees.”

At that time, the park operated on a $25 million annual budget, a combination of federal funding, camping and rental fees, concessions and donations.

Entrance to the park would remain free; however, the plan as proposed would hike backcountry camping fees from $4 to $8 per night with a $40 cap per camper and also standardize frontcountry camping fees at $30 for primitive sites and $36 for improved sites.

The plan would also institute a fee structure for anyone parking for more than 15 minutes. Tags would cost $5 for a day, $15 for a week or $40 for a year. The tags would be tied to a vehicle’s license plate number and would not be transferrable between individuals or even different vehicles belonging to the same households.

A meeting was held on April 15 to solicit input from the public. The NPS also accepted comments on the proposal via both electronic and hand-written means.

The camping fee proposal garnered more than 2,250 responses with 80% support, but the parking fee proposal was more controversial, especially among locals.

When the May 7 comment deadline passed, a total of 3,677 comments were received, with 51% of the commenters sup-

Fee Facts

■ Each parking tag issued will be tied to a specific vehicle. Households with multiple cars will not be able to pass a single tag between those vehicles.

■ Members of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians will not have to pay for a parking tag. The park will provide free tags to the EBCI government, which will then distribute them to citizens.

■ Local residents will not have access to free or discounted parking passes. The park received special permission from Washington, D.C., to offer an annual pass for $40, targeted to local families.

■ Visitors will be able to purchase tags digitally, in person or using automated fee machines in the park. The park also hopes to sell them at businesses outside the park.

■ No parking tag will be required for cemetery visits, family reunions or decoration days. People visiting for those purposes can obtain a special use permit at no charge, which will double as a parking tag.

■ Motorists driving through the Smokies or parking for less than 15 minutes will not need a tag.

For information, visit nps.gov/grsm/planyourvisit/2023-fees.htm.

The park is also a major economic driver for an otherwise sparsely populated, rural region and supports untold numbers of entertainment-related tourism businesses, like restaurants, bars, hotels, outfitters and retail establishments.

In 2022, nearly 13 million people visited the park, slightly down from the 14.1 million who visited in 2021. During the decade preceding that, visitation increased by 57%, dramatically outpacing the rest of the national park system’s 6.5% growth over that same time.

During that decade, however, funding remained flat despite regular increases. Factoring in purchasing power due to annual inflation, the $18.95 million funding the park received for 2012 would be worth $25.01 million today.

Funding the national park system, including GSMNP, is a responsibility of Congress. According to NPS, at the end of fiscal year 2022 the deferred maintenance backlog systemwide was more than $22 billion.

That’s up from an estimated $12 billion back in 2016, when mayors from four east Tennessee towns — Gatlinburg, Maryville, Pigeon Forge and Sevierville — asked their congressional delegation to help address the maintenance backlog in the park, then estimated at $232 million.

Whatever help may have been provided at that time failed to outpace growing decay in the park, leading to the current figure of $262 million, or about $4.2 million in annual growth over the past seven years.

Assuming a 30% compliance

Visitors to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park will now have to purchase parking tags. Cory Vaillancourt photo

rate, the new fee structure is expected to generate between $10 million and $14 million per year, but only 55% of that revenue will be appropriated for deferred maintenance.

Unless compliance becomes more widespread, that means only $5.5 million to $7.7 million will be spent each year on a backlog that grows on average by $4.2 million each year. Using that model, it would take between 75 and 202 years to completely clear out the backlog.

Extrapolating 90% compliance, $30 million to $42 million in revenue each year — with 55% devoted strictly to the backlog — and $4.2 million in annual backlog growth, it would still take between 14 and 21 years to set the park right without a direct appropriation from Congress.

Rep. Chuck Edwards (R-Henderson), who was elected in November 2022 to represent the congressional district that contains the North Carolina side of the park, didn’t respond to multiple requests from The Smoky Mountain News for comment.

By mid-August of 2022, upon the conclusion of the public comment process, Superintendent Cash announced the park would adopt the new fees as proposed, effective March 1, 2023.

While the long-term prognosis for the backlog may be somewhat less-thanrosy, visitors to the park should begin to see some immediate, substantial improvements because a full 100% of funds raised from visitors and locals through the “Park it Forward” program will remain in the GSMNP.

“By both our intent and by policy, these funds can only be spent on things that directly impact visitors,” said Kendra Straub, a management and program analyst with the National Park Service.

Straub said that in addition to maintenance — backlog and otherwise — there are several other ways in which the funds will improve visitor experience.

“It could be building new infrastructure where we need it, maybe new restrooms or a new parking lot where we need it,” she said. “We have an amazing amount of facilities in the park. There’s a lot going on here behind the scenes. Even like wastewater treatment, all of our water systems, hundreds and hundreds of miles of roads, snow plowing, repaving, sidewalks often need maintenance, making sure they’re safe for folks to walk our hundreds and hundreds of miles of trails, making sure our crews can get out resurface those trails as needed and clear downed trees. Those things can be funded with these funds, but also things like cleaning restrooms more frequently, making sure we can keep the grass mowed.”

Such issues are related to staffing levels. Straub said that 13 new full-time permanent maintenance positions have already been approved.

Funds can also be used to increase ranger staffing, both in a law enforcement capacity and an educational capacity. The NPS can’t currently serve all of the schools that want to participate in educational programs or tours in the park, according to Straub.

Habitat restoration is also directly related

to the visitor experience, as is supporting wildlife viewing and angling in the park, but probably the most visceral way visitors will realize the impact of the Park it Forward program is on the trails themselves, according to Davis.

“It’s very important here in this park. It’s one of the reasons people come here, to hike,” she said. “We have a variety of trail options for people of all abilities, so some of the trail maintenance might go toward paving and making trails more accessible, and may go to providing things like benches along the trails for people to sit and have a break. Overall, it’ll just make for a better visitor experience by improving trail conditions.”

Daily, weekly or annual passes can be purchased in person, at automated fee machines or online. They’re not locationspecific and are non-replaceable, nonrefundable and non-transferrable.

Once purchased, daily or weekly passes cannot be upgraded to weekly or yearly passes.

All passes must be prominently displayed on the dashboard or windshield of the vehicle. For motorcyclists, the annual passes will cling to a windscreen, but the daily and weekly passes are paper and should be taped to the windshield or another highly visible location on the bike so they don’t fall off or blow away.

Enrolled members of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians will not have to pay for a parking tag, but are still required to use them. The tags are given free of charge to the EBCI government, which distributes them to citizens.

A variety of groups can obtain a waiver for specific uses and won’t need to display the tags, including school groups, researchers and those with ancestors buried in the park. People with disabled parking placards or license plates don’t need to display the tags either.

Daily passes begin on the day of purchase and expire at 11:59 p.m. each day. Weekly passes expire at 11:59 p.m. seven days from the purchase date.

Hours vary at the nine in-person purchasing locations, which are visitor centers in Bryson City, Gatlinburg, Maggie Valley,

Townsend and Tremont or at Cades Cove, Clingman’s Dome, Oconaluftee, Sugarlands and Tremont.

Automated fee machines are available at many locations within the park, like at Oconaluftee.

Annual passes may be purchased through the Great Smoky Mountains Association, a nonprofit that supports the park. Those passes will be shipped; however, as of March 4 the GSMA was reporting an unusually high volume of orders and a backlog of their own, estimated at two weeks.

There’s also a purchase-and-print option

available through recreation.gov, but only for daily or weekly passes.

“When you purchase a parking tag, yes, it’s a parking tag — it’s something you put on your dashboard, but you’re also directly contributing to the care and upkeep of this national treasure for today, and for future generations,” Straub said. “We’re asking everyone to participate in keeping this national treasure safe and enjoyable for today’s visitors and visitors to come.”

For more information on the Park it Forward program, visit nps.gov/grsm/planyourvisit/2023fees.htm.

Automated fee machines can accept payments and dispense daily or weekly parking tags.

Cory Vaillancourt photo

On a Saturday in July 2020, cars line both sides of Newfound Gap Road near the trailhead for Alum

Cave Trail. NPS photo

Smokies record second busiest year ever

Great Smoky Mountains National Park experienced its second busiest year ever in 2022 with 12,937,633 visits. Last year’s visitation was more than 1.5 million above the park’s 10-year average and more than the visitation of Yellowstone, Yosemite and Grand Canyon national parks combined. This marks the fourth time the park has exceeded 12 million yearly visits.

“The 2022 visitation report confirms what we have long known to be true — Great Smoky Mountains National Park continues to be a special place for millions of visitors,” said Superintendent Cassius Cash. “We are thinking about what average visitation over the last ten years means for the next ten years and how we will preserve a high-quality visitor experience as well as park resources.”

The park has now implemented the parking tag program. Any vehicle parked anywhere in the park will need to display a $5 daily, $15 weekly, or $40 annual parking tag. 100% of the revenue from the parking tag program will stay in the park to improve visitor services. Another change this year to improve the visitor experience will be increased shuttle services. Several local companies will offer shuttles to some of the park’s most popular locations in an effort to reduce traffic congestion and increase parking safety.

In addition to purchasing parking tags

Cars crowd the road during a busy fall day in the Great Smoky Mountains National Parks.

Naturalist to speak on spring wildflowers

Join naturalist Scott Dean for a discussion and photos of our region’s native spring wildflowers. Dean will discuss natural history, adaptations for life in the mountains, and the folklore of these wondrous things. He will also talk about some of the animals that make the region their home.

Biologist Scott Dean has called Western North Carolina home since 1992. He was a walk leader and featured speaker for the UNC-Asheville Wildflower Pilgrimage from 1995-2015. Dean has led wildlife and wildflower walks at the Western North Carolina Nature Center, where he worked for a year building the cougar and bobcat habitats.

and taking shuttles, visitors can help take care of their park by planning ahead and coming prepared with alternative destinations in mind if parking is not available at desired sites. With over 800 miles of trails and more than 380 miles of scenic roadways, visitors have many options for other

locations that offer first-rate experiences. And carefully choosing the time of day, time of week, and time of year can help improve the chances to find safe parking. May through October are the busiest months in the park, and weekends and holidays are the busiest days.

The discussion will be held on Zoom at 7 p.m. on Thursday, April 6. This free program is open to the public. Advance registration is on WNCSierraClub.org or through this link: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tz ckdeqgqtgtgdwpypih9lt3iwh8ign01dmd. For more information, contact WNC Sierra Club Chair Judy Mattox at judymattox15@gmail.com or call 828.683.2176.

NPS photo

Volunteers needed to help track seasonal changes of trees

Great Smoky Mountains National Park is currently recruiting local volunteers to ‘Adopt-

March 11, and later field site orientations will follow. Volunteers can sign up to visit their “adopted” study plot weekly, and less during summer months, to monitor trees from the first bud in spring to the last leaf drop in fall. Volunteers will monitor when trees develop buds, leaf out, produce flowers and fruit, and when leaves change color.

Former Olympian Missy Kane to lead Smokies hikes

A-Plot’ and track the seasonal change of trees, also called phenology.

Members of the public who visit the Smokies often are encouraged to sign up to adopt a plot of trees near the roadside at Kanati Fork, Newfound Gap, Kuwohi (Dome Rd.), and other locations in the park.

Interested volunteers can attend a virtual orientation session from 10 a.m. to noon on

Data collected by volunteers will be used in collective park-wide research to interpret how changing climate and length of day affect when seasonal changes occur. Researchers are noticing seasonal and annual shifts of the timing of phenophases, the stages of the life cycles of trees in the park. Early or late phenophases can affect entire forest ecosystems because all organisms are interconnected in the food web and depend on trees to survive.

Anyone interested in this volunteer opportunity can email Angel Chaffin at grsm_phenology@nps.gov to register for the virtual phenology orientation.

For more information about phenology research efforts across the country, visit the National Phenology Network at usanpn.org.

Friends of the Smokies, an official nonprofit partner of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, is celebrating the 25th Anniversary of “Get on the Trail with Friends and Missy,” led by former U.S. Olympian and fitness expert Missy Kane.

over $245,000 for park projects and programs, including wildlife conservation, trail maintenance and preservation of historic structures throughout GSMNP.

For the 25th annual ‘Get on the Trail with Friends and Missy’ spring series, Kane will lead hikes every Wednesday in April, which will include Gatlinburg Trail (4 miles), AT Davenport Gap to Chestnut Branch (6 miles), Laurel Falls to Metcalf Bottoms (7.5 miles) and Boogerman Loop Trail (7.5 miles).

The cost for participants is $25 per hike. The series is sponsored by Knoxville News Sentinel, East Tennessee PBS, Farm Bureau Insurance, New Balance, Cabins of the Smoky Mountains, Ole Smoky Candy Kitchen and Tennessee Orofacial Myology. Proceeds benefit GSMNP.

The popular hiking series, held every Wednesday in April and October, has raised

Space is limited and hikes are expected to sell out. Learn more and register online at friendsandmissy.org.

Prescribed burns planned for Pisgah

The U.S. Forest Service is planning three prescribed burns on the Pisgah Ranger District this Spring season to reduce the risk of wildfires and improve wildlife habitat. The burns will be in Transylvania and Haywood counties and include the 1,200-acre Bear Pen unit, 750-acre Balds unit, and the 2,000-acre Pink Beds unit. The dates for the burns will depend upon weather and fuel conditions. Burn days are difficult to plan because the proper conditions are needed; wind and relative humidity are key factors in fire behavior, safety, and smoke behavior. Prescribed burning will only occur when environmental conditions permit. During the burns, proper personnel and equipment will be on site and some roads and trails may be closed to ensure safety. All prescribed burns are thoroughly planned and analyzed by a team of specialists to ensure that wildlife, fisheries, rare plants and historic sites are not harmed.

Tremont receives gift from Lawson Family Foundation

Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont has been awarded $25,000 from Lawson Family Foundation to support their efforts to connect people with nature through innovative pathways.

Tremont Institute is a nonprofit residential environmental education center located inside Great Smoky Mountains National Park. For over 50 years, Tremont has invited youth and adults to their campus for immersive, multi-day experiences designed to connect people and nature. In the last year, they have welcomed over 3,000 individuals to their programs on campus.

One innovative program that Tremont is hosting is the Environmental and Community Leaders Fellowship at Fulton High School in Knoxville. This program, which began in 2018, empowers young adults to create equitable access to outdoor

opportunities in their communities.

During their two-year fellowship, Fulton juniors and seniors develop self-awareness, civic leadership and personal connection to nature, plan and lead community events in urban green spaces, and explore related careers and opportunities to be changemakers. Participation includes afternoon meetings, day trips, service learning and a multi-day residential experience at Tremont’s campus inside Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Each summer, four students are offered paid internships inside the Smokies with Tremont and the National Park Service.

Tremont is also developing plans for a second campus in Townsend, Tennessee, that will demonstrate the organization’s commitment to sustainability and equity. The new campus will serve as an extension of Tremont’s current work in the national park, allowing for greater program capacity and new educational offerings that reach a wider audience.

To learn more about Tremont and support their work, visit gsmit.org.

GSMNP is seeking local volunteers to track the changes of seasonal trees. Donated photo

Summer brings a diversity of plant life to the park. File photo

The eastern hellbender is a distinct species from the mudpuppy, but both are species of special concern. T.R. Russ photo

Public asked to report

hellbender sightings

Wildlife biologists at the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission are asking the public, particularly anglers as opening day of Hatchery Supported Trout Waters approaches April 1, to report any sightings of hellbenders and mudpuppies. Both types of aquatic salamanders are found in Western North Carolina and listed in North Carolina as species of special concern. Commission biologists want to know more about their distribution in the state and how their populations are faring.

The largest aquatic salamander in North America and typically only found in fastmoving, clean mountain streams, hellbenders can grow to 2 feet long but average 1617 inches long. Hellbenders have flat, broad heads and flattened bodies, wrinkly skin on their sides and are brown — sometimes mottled with dark splotches. They are sometimes also referred to as “water dogs,”

“snot otters,” or “Alleghany alligators,” and because they breathe through their skin, are considered “bio-indicators” of good water quality.

Smaller than the hellbender, adult mudpuppies can grow over a foot long but average around 8-10 inches in length. Mudpuppies have light brown, smooth skin that is typically speckled with spots, and red external feathery gills they retain through their whole life. They primarily live in deep rivers, lakes, large ponds and reservoirs, but also thrive in unpolluted streams like the hellbender.

Williams asks that their location be noted (physical location or GPS coordinates), a photo snapped if possible, and any other details shared with her at lori.williams@ncwildlife.org. People can also call the Wildlife Commission’s N.C. Wildlife Helpline, 866.318.2401, and provide details of the observation.

Hatchery supported trout waters open April 1

The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission will open approximately 1,000 miles of Hatchery Supported Trout Waters at 7 a.m. April 1.

The Wildlife Commission has posted the full Hatchery Supported Trout Waters stocking schedule on its website to give trout anglers opportunities to plan fishing trips in advance. The schedule is searchable by county and month and provides information on what days each water is being stocked.

Hatchery Supported Trout Waters, which are marked by green-and-white signs, have been closed since Feb. 28 for stocking. Most trout are stocked April through June, with a few streams selectively stocked in July. Overall, staff will stock nearly 964,000 trout — 96% of which will average 10 inches in length, with the other 4% exceeding 14 inches in length.

Hatchery Supported Trout Waters are open to public fishing; however, many of

those miles are privately owned so officials with the Wildlife Commission urge anglers to respect the property they are fishing on and remember that landowners can take away access if they feel their property is being misused.

Anglers can help prevent the loss of public access to fishing by:

■ Respecting private property and landowners at all times.

■ Removing all trash and litter from fishing and parking areas.

■ Parking only in designated areas and leaving driveways open for traffic.

■ Closing and/or locking gates after use. Reporting wildlife violations by calling 800.662.7137.

For a complete list of all Hatchery

Supported Trout Waters, as well as trout maps, the complete stocking schedule, and daily stocking updates on Hatchery

Supported Trout Waters, visit the Wildlife Commission’s trout fishing page.

Up Moses Creek

BY B URT KORNEGAY

Look up!

The day dawned clear, and I was standing on the ridge behind our house looking west and waiting for the mountains to turn rosy in the rising sun, when I heard the high-pitched clucks of a pileated woodpecker winging toward me. Hoping the crow-sized bird would swoop down in a flash of black, white and red feathers to fix itself to a tree, I Iooked up and found my eye drawn not to the bird but to a strange, silent, brilliant white light hung in the sky over Moses Creek.

This was no “green comet” recently hyped by the news, said to be swinging past Earth and offering the only view of it for the next 50,000 years; and you go out in the frigid night air prepared to behold something as spectacular as the full-color image that filled your computer screen only to see, if you are lucky enough to pick it out, a smudgy dot in the star-spangled heavens. No, what hung over Moses Creek that morning was the biggest, most radiant celestial object I’d ever seen, except for the sun and moon. Standing on the ridge, I felt “like some watcher of the skies,” to quote Keats, “when a new planet swims into his ken.”

What was it? Science tells us the “Chicxuclub Impactor” (pronounced “Sheek-shu-loob”) hit the earth 60 million years ago, annihilating most terrestrial life. For all I knew, the light over Moses Creek was another massive asteroid about to strike with an obliterating flash.

Then I saw through the bare tree branches that the light was indeed “swimming” slowly through the blue from west to east, opposite the natural course of the sun, moon, stars.

The thing I wanted most at that moment was down at the house: my binoculars. Also, afraid that the strange light might suddenly zip straight up out of sight, like I hear UFOs do, leaving me to decide whether to tell anyone else about the amazing thing I’d seen, I wanted Becky to see it too — and to back me up.

I headed straight down the slope, shortcutting the trail and grabbing at small trees to slow my headlong descent to a breakneck speed, pulling myself to a stop every once in a while to make sure the light was still there, when suddenly it came to me — the Chinese spy balloon! The day before I’d read about it hovering over Montana. Was that it now over Moses Creek, radiant in the sun?

After what seemed forever, I burst into the house, rousing Becky from her newspaper and coffee, “Go out! Look up!” and grabbed my binoculars.

The white ball was still there, a bit dimmer, but continuing in its course towards the brightening east. Sitting down to catch my breath, I put the field glasses to my eyes, and the brilliant light I had first seen on the ridge — so unexpected, beautiful and mysterious that it could have been the Star of Bethlehem returned to earth — all at once came into focus as a white balloon. A ginormous balloon, to be sure, big looking even though I’d read it was 11 miles high, but a balloon in fact. I could even see a metallic shiny structure suspended below, gondolalike.

I also saw why the object was becoming less bright. At first sight the balloon’s entire side facing me had been lit up by the sun, like a full moon, only brighter. But now, as it traveled east, it was going through the

lunar phases, shrinking to gibbous and quarter and crescent, eventually to become an old moon with the new moon in its arms.

Then the word “spy” came back to mind, and I couldn’t help but wonder if some cold-eyed military analyst in China was staring back down at us, but through an instrument with far more magnification and clarity than my 8x32s. For all I knew, he might be boring through my lenses at that very moment, able to look me in the eye and, with a click, scan my retinal ID for dire future purposes.

The ancient Greeks believed that the center of the universe was a smooth boulder enshrined at their sacred temple of Apollo at Delphi. They called it “omphalos” meaning “navel.” But to one who calls this mountain cove home, Moses Creek is the nation’s navel. And the thought that Becky and I had become objects of surveillance heightened my suspicion that now we were in the crosshairs of an enemy. So goes Moses Creek, so goes America.

We watched the balloon sail toward the ridgeline, on a collision course with the thermonuclear sun.

Dr. Dennis Dawson Dr. Ma Davis

Dr. Robert Przynosch

Dr. Robert DelBene Dr. William Banks Dr. Tyler May

The Chinese balloon soars over downtown Waynesville Saturday, Feb. 4. Scott McLeod photo

COMMUNITY EVENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS

• Jackson County Green Energy Park is once again welcoming visitors. It is open to the public each week 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Wednesday through Friday. Public classes will resume this spring. JCGEP will also host live glassblowing demonstrations at Innovation Station during the Lights and Luminaries festival in Dillsboro. For more information email info@jacksonnc.org or 828.631.0271.

B USINESS & E DUCATION

• Celebrate the history of African Americans in Haywood County with “Lift Every Voice!: African American History in Haywood County” from 3-4:30 p.m. Sunday, March 12, at the Canton Branch of the Haywood County Public Library.

FUNDRAISERS AND B ENEFITS

• Haywood Pathways Center’s 5th annual Empty Bowls fundraiser will take place 5:30-7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 23, at Long’s Chapel United Methodist Church in Waynesville. For more information visit https://www.haywoodpathwayscenter.org/empty-bowlsfundraiser/ or call 828.246.0332.

• Jackson County Senior Center will host a GIANT Yard Sale from 8 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday, April 1. Proceeds from the event will fund the Smoky Mountain Senior Games which begin on Monday, April 3.

VOLUNTEERS

• The NC Guardian ad Litem Program is holding certification classes in Macon and Haywood Counties in March. Volunteers are needed to advocate for the best interest of children who have been alleged to be abused and/ or neglected. Applications can be filled out at volunteerforgal.org. For more information call Brad Renegar at 828.454.6395.

• REACH volunteer training will take place from 9:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Saturday, March 25, at First United Methodist Church in Waynesville. For further information and to register, contact Buffy Queen, REACH Community Educator, 828.456.7898, or BQreach@aol.com no later than March 21.

H EALTH AND WELLNESS

• Yoga for Posture, a weekend-long workshop will be held Friday through Sunday, March 10-12, at the Waynesville Yoga Center. Cost is $250 for the weekend. For more information or to register visit https://waynesvilleyogacenter.com/event/yoga-for-posture-immersion-workshop/.

• Reduce Stress and Pain the Somatic way with a class 1:30-3:30 p.m. Sunday, March 12, at the Waynesville Yoga Center. Class will explore movement standing, seated and lying on the floor. Space for this event is limited. Cost is $40, to learn more or register visit https://waynesvilleyogacenter.com/event/reduce-stresspain-the-somatic-way/.

• A Gentle Yoga Class will be offered noon to 1:15 p.m. Saturday, March 25, at the Waynesville Yoga Center. Cost is $22 or one class credit. To learn more or register visit https://waynesvilleyogacenter.com/class-schedule/.

• Mountain Area pregnancy Services and the WIC Breastfeeding Peer Counselor work together to provide a casual support group for prenatal and breastfeeding individuals from 1-2 p.m. on Tuesdays at Mountain Area Pregnancy Services, 177 N Main St. Waynesville. All are welcome, registration is recommended. For more information please call 828.558.4550.

n All phone numbers area code 828 unless otherwise noted.

n To have your item listed email to calendar@smokymountainnews.com

AUTHORS AND B OOKS

• Hiker and backcountry rescuer Nancy East will present her book “Chasing the Smokies Moon: A 948-mile hike fueled by love, loss, laughter and lunacy” at 6 p.m. Thursday, March 9, at the Macon County Public Library in Franklin, while also talking about hiking safety. The event is free and part of the library’s “Walking with Spring” series in partnership with the Nantahala Hiking Club and Franklin Appalachian Trail Community Council. nantahalahikingclub.org/

• Professor Bart D. Ehrman, Biblical scholar and author of six New York Times bestselling books including “Jesus” and “The Triumph of Christianity,” will speak and answer questions at 7 p.m. Friday, April 14, at the Queen Auditorium in the Folkmoot Friendship Center at 112 Virginia Ave. in Waynesville. Tickets are $10 in advance or $15 at the door Tickets may be purchased at Blue Ridge Books or by calling 828.226.5921.

• Tremont Writers Conference, an intensive five-day retreat for writers of fiction, nonfiction and poetry will take place Wednesday, Oct. 25-29. Applications to participate in the event may be submitted online now through April 30 at writers.gsmit.org.

K IDS & FAMILIES

• Creative Writing Club will take place at 3:30 p.m. on the fourth Wednesday of every month at the Macon County Public Library. The writing club is intended for ages 8-12. For more information visit fontanalib.org or call 828.524.3600.

• Move and Groove Storytime takes place 10:30-11 a.m. every Thursday, at the Canton branch of the Haywood County Public Library. Exciting, interactive music and movement story time ideal for children 2-6 years old. For more information contact Ashlyn at ashlyn.godleski@haywoodcountync.gov or at 828.356.2567.

• Mother Goose Storytime takes place 10:30-11 a.m. every Wednesday, at the Waynesville branch of the Haywood County Public Library. Ideal for children from birth to 2 years old. For more information, contact Lisa at lisa.hartzell@haywoodcountync.gov or call 828.356.2511.

• Wiggle Worms Storytime takes place 10:30-11 a.m. every Tuesday, at the Waynesville branch of the Haywood County Public Library. Ideal for children 2-6 years old. For more information contact Lisa at lisa.hartzell@haywoodcountync.gov or call 828.356.2511.

• Next Chapter Book Club Haywood is a fun, energetic and highly interactive book club, ideal for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The group meets every second and fourth Monday of the month. For more information, email Jennifer at jennifer.stuart@haywoodcountync.gov or call 828.356.2561.

• Toddler’s Rock takes place at 10 a.m. every Monday at the Macon County Library. Get ready to rock with songs, books, rhymes and playing with instruments. For more information visit fontanalib.org or call 828.524.3600.

• Culture Talk takes place at 2 p.m. on the first Wednesday of every month at the Macon County Public Library. Travel the world from inside your library. This event features guest speakers and food sampling from the location being discussed. For more information visit fontanalib.org or call 828.524.3600.

• Art afternoon takes place at 3:30 p.m. on the first Thursday of each month at the Macon County Public Library. For more information visit fontanalib.org or call 828.524.3600.

A&E

• A watercolor class will be held 10 a.m. to noon Monday, March 13, at the Waynesville Branch of the Haywood County Public Library. Registration is required. To register, email Kathy Olsen at kathleen.olson@haywoodcountync.gov.

• Paint and Sip at Waynesville Art School will be held every Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 7-9:30 p.m. To learn more and register call 828.246.9869 or visit PaintAndSipWaynesville.com/upcoming-events. Registration is required, $45.

• Mountain Makers Craft Market will be held from noon-4 p.m. the first Sunday of each month at 308 North Haywood St. in downtown Waynesville. Over two dozen artisans selling handmade and vintage goods. Special events will be held when scheduled. mountainmakersmarket.com.

F OOD AND D RINK

• The Knights of Columbus will hold its annual Lenten fish fry dinners from 4:30-7 p.m. on Friday, March 10 and Friday, March 24, at St. Francis of Assisi Church in Franklin. Adult plates are $15, child plates are $5.

• “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 6-8 p.m. every Thursday and 2-5 p.m. every Saturday at The Wine Bar & Cellar in Sylva. 828.631.3075.

• Cooking classes take place at the McKinley Edwards Inn from 6-8:30 p.m. on Thursday nights. To reserve your spot call 828.488.9626.

CLASSES AND PROGRAMS

• Chess 101 takes place from 3:30-4:30 p.m. every Friday in the Canton Branch of the Haywood County Public Library. No registration required, for more information call 828.648.2924.

• Wired Wednesday, one-on-one technology help is available at 3-5 p.m. every Wednesday at the Canton Branch of the Haywood County Library. For more information or to register, call 828.648.2924.

• Uptown Gallery, 30 East Main St. Franklin, will be offering Children’s Art Classes Wednesdays afternoons. Adult workshops in watercolor, acrylic paint pouring, encaustic and glass fusing are also offered. Free painting is available 10 a.m.-3 p.m. every Monday in the classroom. A membership meeting takes place on the second Sunday of the month at 3 p.m. All are welcome. Call 828.349.4607 for more information.

ART SHOWINGS AND GALLERIES

• “Thursday Painters” group will be held from 10 a.m.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.

Visit www.smokymountainnews.com

click on Calendar for:

n Complete listings of local music scene

n Regional festivals

n Art gallery events and openings

n Complete listings of recreational offerings at health and fitness centers

n Civic and social club gatherings

Outdoors

• A CSA fair 3:30-6:30 p.m. Friday, March 10, at the YWCA of Asheville will highlight farms participating in community supported agriculture that have pickup locations in Buncombe County. For those unable to attend or who are looking for a CSA outside of Buncombe County, online tools at asapconnections.org/csa help customers compare CSAs throughout the region, making it easier to choose a program that fits individual needs.

• See the Oconee bells in full bloom Friday, March 10, with an Alarka Institute outing led by naturalist Jack Johnson. Space is limited, and cost is $65. Sign up at alarkaexpeditions.com.

• Join Mountain True’s 17th annual caravan around the Lake Chatuge shoreline to view a variety of birds 7:3010 a.m. Saturday, March 11. Cost is $5 for MountainTrue members or $15 for nonmembers. No pets. In case of inclement weather, the outing will be held Saturday, March 25. Sign up at mountaintrue.org/event.

• The 16th annual Asheville Catholic School Shamrock 5K/10K will return Saturday, March 11, benefiting the O’Brien and William Edward Gibbs Memorial Scholarship Fund. Both races sold out last year, so early registration is encouraged. For more information or to register, visit gloryhoundevents.com.

• The Assault on BlackRock trail race will take place Saturday, March 18, at Pinnacle Park in Sylva. Cost is $25 for pre-registration or $30 on race day. All proceeds will to the Jackson County Public Schools. Register at ultrasignup.com.

• Hike the second leg of the Art Loeb Trail on Saturday, March 18, with Haywood County Parks and Recreation. All hikes are $10. Sign up at bit.ly/haywoodrec.

• Hike the new Strawberry Gap Trail on property conserved by the Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy on Wednesday, March 22, with Haywood County Parks and Recreation. Hikers will meet guides at 9 a.m. at the Lowe’s parking lot in Waynesville. All hikes are $10. Sign up at bit.ly/haywoodrec.

• The Gateway to the Smokies Half Marathon will return to its scenic course and festive start and finish in downtown Waynesville Saturday, April 1. The race will run alongside the Mighty 4-Miler to benefit the Riley Howell Foundation Fund. For more information or to register, visit gloryhoundevents.com.

• Volunteers are needed for the Plateau Pickup at 8:30 a.m. Saturday, April 15. To participate, send an email to events@highlandschamber.org or call 828.526.5841. For more information about Plateau Pickup or other Highlands events, visit highlandschamber.org.

• The Fire Mountain Inferno will take place Saturday and Sunday, April 22-23, at the Fire Mountain Trails in Cherokee. The event will feature two days of enduro downhill racing. For more information or to register, visit gloryhoundevents.com.

Market PLACE WNC

Legals

MarketPlace information:

The Smoky Mountain News Marketplace has a distribution of 16,000 copies across 500 locations in Haywood, Jackson, Macon and Swain counties, including the Qualla Boundary and west Buncombe County. Visit www.wncmarketplace.com to place your ad!

Rates:

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

• Free — Lost or found pet ads.

• $6 — Residential yard sale ads.*

• $1 — Yard Sale Rain Insurance

Yard sale rained out? Call us by 10a.m. Monday for your ad to run again FREE

• $375 — Statewide classifieds run in 170 participating newspapers with 1.1+ million circulation. (Limit 25 words or less)

• Boost Online — Have your ad featured at top of category online $4

• Boost in Print

• Add Photo $6

• Bold ad $2

• Yellow, Green, Pink or Blue Highlight $4

• Border $4

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

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

p: 828.452.4251 · f:828.452.3585

classads@smokymountainnews.com www.wncmarketplace.com

NOTICE OF ADMINISTRATION

Case No.2023 E 000069 Pamela McElroy Sim-

John Edward McElroy County, North Carolina, having claims against the Jun 08 2023, or

Fiduciary

3753 Harris Creek Rd Lawndale NC 28090

NOTICE OF ADMINISTRATION

Case No.2022 E 000091 Kenneth Charles Ra-

Charles Roy Raschke County, North Carolina,

REQUEST

having claims against the Jun 01 2023, or Administrator 28364 Falcon Crest Dr Canyon Country, CA 91351

NOTICE OF ADMINISTRATION

Case No.2023E000109

ing claims against the Jun 01 2023, or authorized by the lawsceive and administer all to the estate and these letters are issued to attest that the authority

Fiduciary Po Box 1224 Canton, NC 28716

North Carolina to receive assets belonging to the

Rachel Ann Price

North Carolina, this is to -

NOTICE OF ADMINISTRATION

Case No.2023 E 000053

Donald R Simerly North Carolina, this is to claims against the Estate

May 22 2023, or this

Fiduciary 325 Jacks Holler Marshall, NC 28753

NOTICE OF ADMINISTRATION

Case No.2023 e 000068 Pamela Mcelroy SimRuby Charlene McElroy County, North Carolina, having claims against the Jun 08 2023, or

Fiduciary

3753 Harris Creek Rd Lawndale NC 28090

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

GUT REHAB SERVICES FOR 2 HOUSES

SECOND REQUESTTsali Manor Street – Unit

F olkmoot USA seeks bids on a publishing publicity package for Folkmoot Summerfest 2023. Work will consist of designing, publishing programs for Summerfest 2023; for distribution of programs; for marketing services and for advertising sales. Proposals due Monday, March 27, 2023, for a project delivery date of June 30, 2023.

For additional information please contact Evan Hatch, Executive Director, Folkmoot USA. Evan@folkmoot.org or 828.452.2997

• Billie Green - bgreen@beverly-hanks.com

• Brian K. Noland - brianknoland.com

• Anne Page - apage@beverly-hanks.com

• Jerry Powell - jpowell@beverly-hanks.com

• Catherine Proben - cproben@beverly-hanks.com

• Ellen Sither - esither@beverly-hanks.com

• Mike Stamey - mikestamey@beverly-hanks.com

• Karen Hollingsed- khollingsed@beverly-hanks.com

• Laura Thomas - lthomas@beverly-hanks.com

• John Keith - jkeith@beverly-hanks.com

• Randall Rogers - rrogers@beverly-hanks.com

• Susan Hooper - shooper@beverly-hanks.com

• Hunter Wyman - hwyman@beverly-hanks.com

• Julie Lapkoff - julielapkoff@beverly-hanks.com

• Darrin Graves - dgraves@beverly-hanks.com

ERA Sunburst Realty - sunburstrealty.com

• Amy Spivey - amyspivey.com

• Rick Border - sunburstrealty.com

• Randy Flanigan - 706-207-9436

• Steve Mauldin - 828-734-4864

EXP Realty

• Ashley Owens Rutkosky - ashley.rutkosky@exp.realty

Keller Williams Realty - kellerwilliamswaynesville.com

• The Morris Team - www.themorristeamnc.com

• Ron Breese - ronbreese.com

• Landen Stevenson- landen@landenkstevenson.com

Lakeshore Realty

• Phyllis Robinson - lakeshore@lakejunaluska.com

Mountain Dreams Realty- maggievalleyhomesales.com

• Lyndia Massey- buyfromlyndia@yahoo.com

Mountain Creek Real Estate

• Ron Rosendahl - 828-593-8700

McGovern Real Estate & Property Management

• Bruce McGovern - shamrock13.com

Premier Sotheby's International Realty

• DeAnn Suchy - deann.suchy@premiersir.com

• Kaye Matthews - kaye.matthews@premiersir.com

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

• The Real Team - TheRealTeamNC.com

• Dan Womack - womackdan@aol.com

• Mary Hansen - mwhansen@charter.net

• Billy Case- billyncase@gmail.com

Rob Roland Realty

• Rob Roland - 828-400-1923

Smoky Mountain Retreat Realty

• Tom Johnson - tomsj7@gmail.com

• Sherell Johnson - Sherellwj@aol.com

SUPER CROSSWORD

TORCH-BEARERS

SUDOKU

Here’s How It Works:

community organizations, in service instruction, serve our community org

Home Goods

DON’T PAY

Pets

“WORKING CATS”

Asheville Humane Society has cats available who arehouse, etc. Fully vaccinated and spayed/ neutered. (828) 761-2001 adoptions@

RETRIEVER/BEAGLE

MIX – TAN/BROWN, CANELO 2 year old toys; shy and needs

Asheville Humane Society (828) 761-2001 adoptions@asheville-

Rentals

TIMESHARE CANCELLATION EXPERTS.

PREPARE FOR POWER OUTAGES TODAY-

Homes For Sale

LONG DISTANCE MOVING:

Entertainment

HUGHESNET SATELLITE INTERNET – Final-

Health/Beauty