Smoky Mountain News | March 17, 2021 by Smoky Mountain News

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

March 17-23, 2021 Vol. 22 Iss. 42

SUMMER CAMP GUIDE INSIDE

CONTENTS

STAFF

On the Cover It’s been a year since COVID-19 arrived in Western North Carolina and everyone’s lives changed forever. As access to vaccines improves, communities are beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel. The Smoky Mountain News checked in with people across the region to see how they’re navigating the pandemic. Diedre Harmon stands in the rain all day to check people into a drive-thru COVID-19 vaccination clinic in Haywood County. Allison Richmond photo (Page 7)

News Affordable housing coming to Howell Mill Road ..............................................11 COVID-19 killed 189 in the four-county area ...................................................14 Maggie Valley considers waterfall park proposal .............................................15 Another Dem begins campaign for Cawthorn’s seat ......................................16 Gun control bills prove divisive.............................................................................19 American Rescue Plan means millions for local governments......................23

Opinion A glimmer, and it sure feels nice ..........................................................................24

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

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

CLASSIFIEDS: NEWS EDITOR: WRITING:

ACCOUNTING & OFFICE MANAGER: DISTRIBUTION: CONTRIBUTING:

A&E Local restaurants, breweries hold steady through shutdown .......................26

Outdoors

March 17-23, 2021

Farmers report higher-than-expected 2020 sales............................................30

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March 17-23, 2021

Cottage Cheese: An Overlooked Star of Dairy? Let’s take a look at one of the top protein performers in the dairy section. HOW IT’S MADE Cottage cheese is made by acidifying fresh, pasteurized milk using lactic acid to separate the solids from the whey. Curds are then formed which are cooked to release moisture and then chilled. Salt is generally added for texture, flavor and as a preservative. Cottage cheese can be a small or large curd. https://cheesemaking.com/products/cottagecheese-recipe

IDEAS Many like to focus on savory ways to enjoy cottage cheese...using it as a dip or adding sliced tomatoes or avocados to it and a drizzle of olive oil for a snack or for lunch. Others like to stir in fresh, frozen or canned fruit and have it for breakfast or as a snack.

Leah McGrath, RDN, LDN

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Ingles Market Corporate Dietitian

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Smoky Mountain News

NUTRITION Since cottage cheese can be made from milks with different fat content; the total fat content ( and calories from fat) may vary. 1 cup of cottage cheese has 25 grams of protein (which is like eating 3 eggs or about 3 oz of meat) and cottage cheese is low in carbohydrates—about 8 g/cup. Since it’s made from milk, cottage cheese is a good source of calcium (180mg/cup). If you watch your sodium intake be sure and check the sodium amount.

172 Sylva Plaza | Sylva

828-477-4931 MONDAY-SATURDAY 11 a.m.-9 p.m. SUNDAY Noon-8 p.m. 3

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Balsam. $3,350-$3,550; ages 11-18. www.soarnc.org. SOAR Horseback Riding Camp. Jun 6-16, June 20-30, July 4-14, July 18-28, Aug. 111. Balsam. $3,650-$3,850; ages 11-18. www.soarnc.org. SOAR Expedition Camp. June 10-26, July 117, July 22 to Aug. 7. Balsam. $4,550; ages 13-18. www.soarnc.org. SOAR Academic Discovery Camp. June 8 to July 2; July 8 to Aug. 1. Balsam. $5,600. Ages 11-18. www.soarnc.org. SOAR Twice Exceptional Adventure. June 10-26, July 1-17. Balsam. $4,600. Ages 1215. www.soarnc.org. WCU typically offers an array of summer camp activities but is still deciding when and if to hold them this year. Check www.wcu.edu/engage/professional-enrichment/camps-and-programs-for-kids for updates.

March 17-23, 2021

Macon County

Summer camps Haywood County

Smoky Mountain News

• SOAR Summer Adventure Camp. Sessions start June 5 through Aug. 7. Tuition ranges from $3,100 to $4,700 depending on the program. www.soarnc.org or 828.456.3435. • Smoky Mountain Sk8way. Eight-week day camp from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. June 8 through Aug. 7. Ages 6-14. $160 a week. 828.246.9124. Enrollment form at www.SmokyMountainSk8way.com. • Camp Henry at Lake Logan. Sessions June 6 through July 27. Cost ranges from $395 to $1,275 for different camps. Scholarships available. www.camphenry.net or 828.475.9264. • Waynesville Art School. Sessions begin June 1 and run through Aug. 13. Costs vary. www.waynesvilleartschool.com/summercamp-general-info or 828.246.9869. • Camp Daniel Boone. Sessions start on June 6 and run through July 18. Most sessions are already sold out, but some remain. www.campdanielboone.com or 828.254.6189 x121. 4

Jackson County

• British Soccer Camp. June 7-11; July 19-23. Cullowhee. $97-$143. Ages 3-16. jcprd.recdesk.com. 828.631.2020. • Jackson County Fun for Kids Day Camp. Cashiers and Cullowhee. June to early August, with 2021 details TBD. Kindergarten through sixth grade. jcprd.recdesk.com. 828.631.2020. • Summer Symposium for Marching Arts. July 11-15. WCU campus. www.prideofthemountains.com. • SOAR Family Weekend Adventure. May 7-8. Balsam. $500 per family; ages 8-18. • SOAR Llama Trek Camp. June 6-15, June 20-29, July 4-13, July 18-27, Aug. 1-10. Balsam. $3,350-$3,550; ages 8-10. www.soarnc.org. • SOAR Classic Adventure Camp. June 5-15, June 19-29, July 3-13, July 17-27, July 31 to Aug. 10. Balsam. $3,350-$3,550; ages 1118. www.soarnc.org. • SOAR Canoeing Camp. June 5-15, June 1929, July 3-13, July 17-27, July 31 to Aug. 10.

• New Vision Training Center. Summer day camp opportunities for gymnastics, ninja training, bouldering, outside play, arts and crafts, games, and much more. Full days and half days. Snacks will be provided. Bring your own lunch. Ages 3-12. www.newvisiontrainingcenter.com or 828.524.1904. • Macon County Schools Summer Edventure Camp. 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. June 14 through July 31. Ages 5-12. Registration costs $30 on a first-come, first-serve basis. Tuition is $1,057. Deadline is May 28. Call Lenora Clifton at 828.524.4414, Ext. 324 or https://sec.macon.k12.nc.us. • Bascom Art Center in Highlands. Summer art camp for ages 7-14. Sessions begin June 19 through Aug. 14. $175 a week. www.thebascom.org or 828.526.4949. • Danny Antoine’s Martial Arts & Fitness Academy in Franklin. Monday through Friday starting May 28 through Aug. 23. $135 per week. Each child must be sent with a packed lunch, two snacks, and a bottle of water. To register, call 828.332.0418. • Nantahala Learning Center Summer Program. $25-$35 per day Monday through Friday. Registration fee is $50. All field trip admission, transportation expenses, and materials is budgeted into the registration fee. Call 219.689.3443 for more info or visit www.nlcfranklin.com/summer-program. • Boys and Girls Club in Cashiers Summer Camp. 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. daily June 3 through July 26. $415 per student/$350 for additional family members. info@bgcplateau.org or 828.743.2775.

Swain County

• YMCA Camp Watia. Weeklong sessions from June 13 through Aug. 13 for ages 7 to 15. Due to the pandemic, enrollment is currently capped, and a waiting list is available for families. $450-$750. Financial assistance available. www.ymcacampwatia.org. • Nantahala Outdoor Center. Whitewater

kayaking camp. Spots are limited. Five-day sessions in June and July. For ages 9 to 17. Starting at $900. 828.785.4977 or https://noc.com/courses/summer-daycamps/. • Camp Living Water Christian camp. Teen Camp (13-17) July 4-16; Junior Camp (712) July 25-30. $490 per camper. www.camplivingwater.com/summer-camp or 828.488.6012.

Buncombe County

• Asheville Music School Summer Camps: Offering many different week-long day camps for ages 4-18. Campers learn different styles of music in a fun, team-oriented group setting. Camps include Rock Camp, Ukulele Camp, Harry Potter-themed Strings Camp, Music Explorations, Pop Rock Camp, Fiddle Camp, and more. Full-day camps run Mon-Fri, 9am - 4pm, half-day camps run 9am- 12pm, or 1pm - 4pm. Price range: $190-$350. Contact Program Director Kylie Irvin: programs@ashevillemusicschool.org. Full details at ashevillemusicschool.org • Asheville Performing Arts Academy Summer Camps. June 7 - Aug. 13, prices and ages vary. Visit https://theapaa.com/programs/summer. • Discovery Camp. North Carolina Arboretum. Weekly camps 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. June 7 - July 2 and July 19 - Aug. 13. Visit https://www.ncarboretum.org/educationprograms/discovery-camp/. • WNC Nature Center Summer Camp. For students entering first grade through fourth grade in fall 2021. Camps run 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. June 14 - Aug. 6. wildwnc.org/education/summer-camp/ • Summer day camps at the YMCA of Asheville. Ages 4-14. https://ymcawnc.org/summerdaycamps • Great Smokies Young Writers Workshop. Two-week session via Zoom, for two hours/day (one hour of poetry and one hour of prose, with a half hour break in between) with dates and times TBA. This workshop is open to rising 9th graders through rising first-year college students. Visit greatsmokies.unca.edu/young-writers-workshop/ • STEAM Studio SkillSet. July 5-9 [full day] Make Your Own Guitar (girls & non-binary age 13 - 18) $520. Tools and processes include Fusion 360, CNC Router, Waterjet, soldering circuits, hand tools. No experience necessary. July 12-16 [half day] Chirps and Chimes (girls and non-binary age 11 - 15) $415. Participants will make birdhouses and copper pipe windchimes. July 19-23 Illuminations (girls and non-binary age 13 18) $520. Participants will weld a pendant lamp, construct a wood and rice paper lamp, and sew a soft circuit. July 26-30 Furniture (girls and non-binary age 13 - 18) $520. Participants will build and customize a wooden bench. Email jregan@unca.edu or visit https://steamstudio.unca.edu/projects/skillset/. • Rockbrook Camp in Brevard. An overnight summer camp for girls ages 6-16. Two-, three- or four-week sessions available. ACA accredited and founded in 1921.

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Uke Camp Rock Camp Pop Rock Fiddle Camp and MORE

Private Lessons | Bands | Outreach

CAMP 1: JUNE 21-25 CAMP 2: JULY 19-23

A Place to Live, Love & Play

CALL TO REGISTER YOUR CHILD 828.452.0545 ext. 131

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Golf, Tennis, Swimming, Games & Learning

March 17-23, 2021

2021 Sports & Activities Camp

Smoky Mountain News

Autumn 2021

March 17-23, 2021

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BY CORY VAILLANCOURT STAFF WRITER

hink back to 2019. Back when things were normal. Back when masks were only for Halloween, or for bank robbers. Back when social distancing was mostly for people who’d recently eaten ramps. Back when the biggest story in Western North Carolina was about a congressman who decided not to seek re-election.

Chinese physicians increasingly noted patients presenting with strange, flu-like symptoms. As 2020 dawned, what was then called Wuhan SARS began to spread throughout Southeast Asia. On Jan. 21, a man in his 30s in Snohomish, Washington, became the first case of COVID-19 diagnosed in the United States. By the end of the month, almost 12,000 cases would be diagnosed worldwide. On March 3, North Carolina logged its first case. A week later, President Donald Trump told reporters on Capitol Hill, “It will go away. Just stay calm. It will go away.” Thankfully, N.C. Gov. Roy Cooper decided to declare a state of emergency anyway. The next day, major corporate interests began to take note as the NBA cancelled its entire season. Major League Baseball

and the National Hockey League followed suit the day after that. Then, on March 17, around 11 a.m., Cooper announced that sitdown service at bars and restaurants would be suspended, indefinitely, at 5 p.m. that afternoon. That day was, for many, the first realization that a once-in-a-century public health emergency was upon us. After that, many of the most recognizable and important aspects of modern society — commerce, education, entertainment, travel — would be severely curtailed for months as governments struggled to control the spread of the Coronavirus Pandemic whilst simultaneously struggling to control the spread of equally dangerous misinformation. Throughout the year, everyday Americans slowly came to the realization that things were no longer normal, but they also came to the realization society wouldn’t just collapse. After all, there was trash to be picked up, and children to be taught, and beers to be brewed. Many in Western North Carolina soldiered on throughout the pandemic, through a long hot summer filled with violence and destruction and then a slow simmering fall leading up to the most contentious presidential election in history. Now, as COVID-19 cases begin to fall, and with mass vaccinations underway, it appears we’ve come out the other side into a normal not like the normal of 2019, but into a new normal like we’ve never seen before — thanks to the efforts of people we may not have noticed. These are their stories.

Trash collection picked up during the pandemic

Zach Sorrells repairs the gutters at Sylva Town Hall. Donated photo

trash day comes the crew runs one truck with three workers on board, one driver and two on the back. When the pandemic hit, the town went from running one threeman garbage truck to instead running two two-man garbage trucks, an effort to limit exposure between employees. The increase in trucks turned out to be a good thing, because when people stay home, they tend to generate more waste.

MEET Jacob Morgan Plott & Bob Plott co-authors of

Smoky Mountain Railways

SIDEWALK BOOK SIGNING SATURDAY, MARCH 20 starting at 3 p.m.

828/586-9499 • more@citylightsnc.com 3 EAST JACKSON STREET • SYLVA

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Elk Cove Pinot Noir Terroir Comparison with Wendy Dunn, CSW, WSET III

Get the "dirt" on three Elk Cove Pinot Noirs as we taste and learn about the terroir in which the grapes are grown

Artisan cheeses and bread served

A great opportunity to taste and compare Pinot Noirs

Smoky Mountain News

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER hen meetings moved to Zoom and schools shut down last March, Zach Sorrells kept on reporting to work. As a maintenance worker with the Town of Sylva, he’s responsible for jobs that simply must get done, pandemic or no — like trash collection, for instance. Overnight, it seemed, the coronavirus went from being the faraway concern of faraway people to a present danger that prompted massive lockdowns and reduced the normally busy streets to empty corridors — “definitely some eerie stuff,” said Sorrells. It was weird, but not outright scary. At least, not scary enough to make him think twice about going to work. Besides, the empty streets made it a lot easier to maneuver the large trucks. “I really wasn’t that nervous about it,” he said of his essential worker status. “It was just the changes that caught everyone off guard, having to change the way we do things.” Sorrells, 30, has worked for the Town of Sylva since September 2012, and when

Bookstore

March 17-23, 2021

When the job can’t stop

During a January budget meeting, Public Works Director Jake Scott told the town board that municipal solid waste increased by 22.5 percent in 2020, rising from 1,056 tons in 2019 to 1,293.5 tons in 2020. “It gradually increased and then it sort of finally hit a steady stream for what we more or less started calling ‘normal,’ which was more than what was really normal, but here in the past month or two months it has slowly started to come down a little bit, getting close to what it was before the pandemic,” Sorrells said. It’s been a devastating year for many, but Sorrells counts himself lucky. He only knows one person who got sick from COVID, and nobody who died from it. His 5-year-old daughter doesn’t start kindergarten until next fall, when school will hopefully be close to the way it was before the pandemic. For now, she stays with her grandmother, Sorrells’ mother-in-law, during the day. “In the year ahead, I hope we can get back as close to normal as we can,” he said. “Personally, I don’t know if we’ll ever be able to go back to the way it was before, but if we can’t get back to that, I hope we get really close.”

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Living Through A Pandemic — Year One

THE CLASSIC

828.452.6000 20 Church St. • Waynesville

March 17-23, 2021

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Using humor, finding purpose during a pandemic BY J ESSI STONE N EWS E DITOR any people in the high-risk category for COVID-19 began isolating themselves at home last March to wait out the pandemic, but not Virginia Wall. Having spent her career as a child protective social worker, no one would have blamed her for staying safe at home until restrictions lifted, but that wasn’t going to work for someone who thrives off helping others. “I really did enjoy my work as a social worker and even after I retired from that I was a teaching social worker through the state of North Carolina,” she said. “I guess I knew I wanted something where I wasn’t sitting behind a desk all day. Something where I could move around and be involved with people.” Thinking back to the beginning of 2020, things were going well for Wall. She has lived in Waynesville for 20 years and is a dedicated Guardian ad Litem volunteer advocating for children in the court system and serves on the Women of Waynesville Board of Directors. She also continues to do contract work for Jackson County DSS. “I started hearing about COVID in the news in January and by March it was starting to get scary,” she said. “I worried because I’m in the older population and I didn’t know if I got it how bad it would be. Would I end up in the hospital? Could I die from it?” With the state placing restrictions on movement in North Carolina in March, no one knew what the future would bring. Wall’s WOW meetings went virtual, GAL went vir-

‘My place in life’

Smoky Mountain News

Nursing student finds peace in COVID-19 response

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER For Malcom Skinner, the pandemic was not a pause, but rather a call to action. “I’ve been trained up to this moment,” he said. Skinner, a junior nursing student at Western Carolina University, spoke while sitting in stall seven at the WCU vaccine clinic, located at the university’s Health and Human Sciences Building. The picture of Catamount pride, he wore a gold-and-purple mask, purple scrub pants and a white scrub shirt, the golden curtains surrounding him separating his stall from the adjacent spaces where people from around the region were receiving their first Pfizer doses. Minutes earlier, he’d given me mine. This was Skinner’s second shift at the

tual and court proceedings were put on hold. For Wall, it was a tough time not being able to hug her friends, not being able to physically check in on the child she represented or even enjoy an afternoon happy hour at her favorite downtown Waynesville spots. “I would say the hardest thing for me has been going through some cycles where living alone is hard and it can be lonely, but I don’t want to feel sorry for myself,” she said. “Not gathering is hard. I want to meet with my WOW ladies and give everyone a hug.” In July 2020, Wall’s 30-year-old daughter Mary was diagnosed with cancer — Hodgkin’s lymphoma. She had to start chemotherapy in Greenville, South Carolina, and she had to do it alone because of strict hospital COVID-119 protocols. As a protective mother who wanted to be there for her daughter, it was difficult for Wall not to be by her side on those days. “I was doing a lot of traveling to Greenville during all that. It was very hard. I would hold up signs at her window sometimes during her treatments and helped her at home. She couldn’t do anything — anything she needed, we had to get for her,” she said. “She’s a different person now, but I guess we all are.” Mary’s last chemo treatment was Dec. 15 and today she is cancer-free, her hair is growing back and so far she is showing amazing progress in her recovery, something Wall is so grateful for in the midst of so much chaos and loss during the pandemic. She’s also grateful that she’s continued to help people in need. For her, staying home during COVID wasn’t an option. clinic, then in its third week, and when asked how it was going, his answer came quickly. “It’s amazing,” he said. “I love it.” In many ways, the global vaccination effort now underway has given Skinner a built-in time to shine. But just like nearly every other college student in America, for him the pandemic began with an order to pack his bags, go home and start a Zoom account. Skinner was a sophomore in Spring 2020, and he’d just been accepted into the nursing program. He was excited to start moving toward his future, but instead he had to move back in with his parents in Huntersville. “It was kind of stressful, because my mom, she had had breast cancer, so she was pretty immunocompromised,” he said. “I had to stay safer at home.” Despite the risk, each day both his parents went to work in health care settings where there was always some chance they’d catch the virus. The unsaid “what-ifs” hung heavy around the home. Now Skinner is back at school, and in keeping with the family tradition, he’s back in the trenches as well. “I always love reaching out to the community, and as a nurse that’s my main priority, is how do we touch the community,” he said. “This is the perfect example of it.”

Virginia Wall of Waynesville walks her two dogs around the greenway. Donated photo I just couldn’t make the decision to stop with what I’m doing as a volunteer if I’m taking all the precautions,” she said. “Some of the Guardian ad Litems we haven’t even seen in a year and they haven’t contacted their children and I don’t understand that. It’s extremely important. I have two cases now because we’re short on volunteers, but I can’t do them justice if I take on anymore.” In recent months, she’s been able to visit her cases at their homes — mostly outside and masked — to ensure she’s keeping an eye

on the children and their families. She’s also been working closely with local women being assisted by WOW, whether that means taking someone to a doctor’s appointment, the grocery store or simply taking a walk together to get some exercise and sunshine. “It does me just as much good to get out so it’s a reciprocatory relationship helping people,” Wall said. After receiving the second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine last Friday, she is relieved and feels like she can finally get back to some form of normalcy. “Since I’ve gotten the shots, I’m much more confident to be around people and volunteer without all the anxiety about it. I’ll still wear my mask and do what I need to do, but it lifted a lot of my anxiety,” she said. “Mary was here visiting after my first shot and she started crying because she said she was so happy for me.” She’s glad she got it and glad she didn’t suffer any lingering side effects — something she said she just didn’t have time for with her schedule. “I’m tough and I said to myself I’m not going through all that,” she joked. Wall admits that the pandemic is probably the craziest thing she’s experienced in her lifetime, but she’s seeing the light at the end of the tunnel now and plans to carry an important lesson into the future. “I guess I want to emphasize that you have to persevere. You can’t just stop everything — you have to keep going if you’re doing something you feel passionate about. You just have to find a way to make it work.”

Malcolm Skinner, a nursing student at Western Carolina University, is getting hands-on experience in his chosen profession by working at the school’s COVID-19 vaccine clinic. Holly Kays photo

Even before COVID-19 and before his acceptance into the nursing program, Skinner sought out opportunities to serve. He’s in the Honors College and participated in the program’s Book Buddies volunteer project, taking time out of his day to go

over to Smokey Mountain Elementary School and read books with the students. But COVID-19 has accelerated the pace of Skinner’s community involvement, and these experiences of getting out, helping patients and actually doing the job he’s training to do have only confirmed his convictions. Skinner remembers the “sense of calmness” he felt earlier this year, while doing a clinical rotation at Harris Regional Hospital. “I felt like this is my place in life, this is my calling in life, to help people get better,” he said.

School through a screen

Over the past year, watching sunsets from the window of their New Jersey house was often the best part of the day for Lynn Jones and her husband, especially during the winter. Donated photo

Embracing solitude Retiree finds peace in yearlong quarantine

A YEAR OF COVID-19

Katlin Roberts masks up for teaching. Donated photo

“That was pretty exhausting,” she said. “You get eye strain. I had to get glasses.” Roberts graduated in August, but when fall arrived so did a new challenge. Her boyfriend, who has asthma, contracted the coronavirus in October and became extremely sick. Roberts was an attentive nurse, checking his oxygen levels every two hours — including overnight — and constantly worrying that he was about to take a turn for the worse. “The first five days his symptoms were very bad,” she said. “He said he felt like he was drowning.” It took him two months to fully recover. Meanwhile Roberts, who slept beside him every night, even when he was at his sickest, never contracted the virus. Now cases are lower, and vaccines are rolling out, and Roberts is starting to think about what the future might look like. Longterm, she believes, her students’ language attainment and retention won’t suffer much due to the last year’s interruptions, but she’s glad to be back in-person. With vaccination rates increasing — especially on the Qualla Boundary — she’s “really hopeful” for the rest of 2021. But there is one thing from the COVID era she hopes to see continue. “I’ve been really impressed by how our community has come together and looked out for each other,” she said, “and I hope that’s something we can hold onto as we move forward.” 9

Smoky Mountain News

Jones said they were fortunate in that they never caught COVID and really didn’t know anybody who did. They don’t have children, so unlike many of their friends they weren’t struggling with missing their grandchildren. Their yo-yo schedule between New Jersey and North Carolina also worked out favorably as they often found themselves living in one state while a spike was occurring in the other. But as the light grows larger at the end of the tunnel, Jones finds herself thinking about lessons learned and the future ahead. “I see us all being a much more cautious society,” she said. “I think there’s going to be a little bit less of the casual hugging and greeting with kisses. I think we’ll all be better handwashers. I think we’ve learned to be outdoors more in cooler weather, which I think is a really positive thing.” Personally, Jones sees herself continuing to eat out less, benefiting from the healthier options available when cooking at home, and entertaining in smaller groups of six to eight people rather than planning larger parties. Also, she’ll continue to use Zoom for at least one reason. “I am hooked on Zoom exercise,” she said. “I hope I never have to go to a gym.”

March 17-23, 2021

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER n the pre-pandemic world, life was a constant swirl of activity for Lynn Jones and her husband. “Our lives were a privileged social shuffle of dinners out, parties, vacations with friends, volunteer activities and self-maintenance appointments,” she said. “The calendar was full, and we dashed from one date and one plan to another.” For decades, the couple ran an outdoor clothing store on the beach in New Jersey. Now retired, they move between their home in Cape May, New Jersey, and their house in Waynesville, where they live parttime. They were used to being busy during their working years, and retirement was no different. “My husband keeps a diary, and he was reading to me what we did last year the first week in March and the weekend before everything shut down,” she said. “It was amazing how much stuff we packed into a day.” For the past year, there have been no parties, no live music, no leisurely restaurant meals with a tableful of friends, no crowded stadiums. Since mid-March of 2020, the calendar has been empty. To her surprise, Jones found that she liked it that way. “It was nice not to have to think about making those plans, and I think you can just get caught up in your lifestyle, and you don’t think about maybe the fact that you’ve overcommitted sometimes,” she said. “I would say that my pre-COVID self would have been surprised that it wasn’t that hard for a year. Maybe it wouldn’t even be hard for two years. I don’t know.” Over the course of the year, Jones, 66, often thought of an elderly friend of hers in Waynesville who always asks why she can’t just sit down and enjoy being at home

when she’s in North Carolina, rather than filling the weeks with activity. “It was just nice to sit on the porch and read a book and do things that you haven’t had time to do,” she said. Jones recognizes that fear, isolation and the virus itself have been detrimental to many across the nation and the globe, acknowledging that, “it’s a sign of my privilege that I’m able to react this way.” It’s also a sign of the fact that she’s married to someone she’s actually compatible with — during their working years, they ran the business together, so they’re used to spending their days in tandem. “I talked to other people who don’t have health issues and some of our friends that have long-term marriages — and they’re good ones — this was actually a reaffirming time for a lot of people,” she said.

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER atlin Roberts was making coronavirus contingency plans before most people in the United States had even really heard of COVID-19. By February, she’d grown concerned enough to walk into her principal’s office and ask what would happen if the disease spread to Cherokee. They’d take precautions, she was told, but certainly wouldn’t send students home. “Less than a month later in March was when the decision was made to close the school,” said Roberts. “I don’t think anybody could have predicted when we started having cases in the United States and even in the South that this level of school closure and business closure would occur. It felt a little surreal for me personally.” The plight of teachers and students in America’s K-12 schools has been one of the most told and most compelling of the pandemic. But Roberts’ story is unique in that, in addition to teaching a roomful of second graders how to do math and science, Roberts is also responsible for passing along the increasingly endangered Cherokee language. She teaches an immersion classroom at New Kituwah Academy, and she delivers all her lessons in Cherokee. Roberts, 27, is an enrolled member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians who grew up in Cherokee’s Painttown community, but she didn’t start learning the Cherokee language until beginning her undergraduate studies at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill. “I knew that I wanted to come back to my community and give back to them, and so that was when I became interested in teaching because it felt like that was a really in-thetrenches kind of career,” she said. That desire — to dive more deeply into her culture and give back to her community — brought her to New Kituwah, where she’s been an immersion classroom teacher for the last three of her six years there. When school went online, Roberts found that teaching academic subjects in Cherokee is especially challenging when the students are no longer surrounded by the language all day, as they are at New Kituwah. “Even as an adult, it’s hard when I go home at the end of the day to switch back to English, and they’re kids,” she said. “Adults comparatively have more coping skills, so I imagine it’s very challenging for students to do that.” Add in difficulties related to internet access — many students don’t have access, and even Roberts dealt with network outages that sometimes forced her to cancel class at the last minute — and Roberts was glad when New Kituwah returned to in-person instruction Feb. 16, albeit with a different structure and sched-

ule than in the pre-pandemic days. Going from “seeing people that are like a second family to me” every day — including students, teachers and the fluent speakers who aid instruction at New Kituwah — to not seeing them at all was extremely difficult, she said. In addition to her role as a teacher, last year Roberts was a student as well, enrolled in an online graduate program through Western Carolina University. When school went remote, she found herself working for eight hours in front of the computer screen only to spend another four hours on homework, in front of that same computer, while at home with her boyfriend and three dogs.

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Cherokee immersion teacher navigates pandemic

BY J ESSI STONE N EWS E DITOR t’s not easy to slow Wendy Barker down. She’s been an EMT for 15 years. She’s used to working 24 hour shifts under some of the most stressful and strenuous conditions, so she wasn’t ready for COVID19 to put her out of commission for more than six weeks. “I work with EMS, I’ve seen it all — patients with muscle aches and problems breathing with COVID but this I didn’t expect,” she said. She and her wife Courtney — a North Carolina State Trooper — both showed COVID-19 symptoms on Jan. 17 and went to get testing. Courtney tested positive but Barker’s rapid test came back negative. They both quarantined anyway, assuming it was a false negative due to her cough and other symptoms. In the following days, they both experienced fatigue, diarrhea, fever, no appetite and more coughing. Barker retested on Jan. 21 and the test was positive as they expected. The night of Jan. 22, Barker said a severe headache set in suddenly. “It lasted probably 12 to 15 hours and it didn’t come on gradually — it was the worst I’ve ever had. I took everything I could for it, but it didn’t help,” she said. “It felt like my neck wasn’t strong enough to hold my head up.” Then the extreme neck pain set in — like big knots that couldn’t get worked out. She sat with the pain for a couple of days hoping it would eventually subside with a couple of muscle relaxers, but the neck stiffness turned into nerve pain that shot down her shoulder and arm. “The best way I can describe the pain is it was like someone had taken a hot metal rod and shoved it down my arm and started electrocuting me,” Barker said. “My arm drew into my chest and it looked like I’d had a stroke.” When the pain was too much to bear and she hadn’t slept in days, her wife convinced her to go to the emergency room. “Health care providers make for the worst patients, but unfortunately I experienced the other side of health care,” she

admitted. “The ER doc was horrible and didn’t want to do anything, just wanted to send me home with valium because he said I just needed to relax. I was in so much pain and a fog I couldn’t even advocate for myself.” A nurse ended up advocating for her to get an X-ray, which showed there was nothing structurally wrong with her neck — no slipped or bulging discs or anything else that would cause such pain. She went home, but the valium didn’t help her sleep or ease the pain. She went back to the ER two days later for a CT scan that still showed nothing. They tried giving her a host of different drugs to help the pain and even prescribed her Lexapro for her anxiety, but still the pain continued to be unbearable. “I had four babies, I’ve had kidney stones and shingles, but I’ve never had pain this severe before,” Barker said. “They did an MRI, I’ve seen the anesthesiologist at the pain clinic, I tried chiropractic care, I’m doing physical therapy now. I’ve slept on the couch 21 days because I had to sleep sitting up. Finally, I had a neurologist that say to me ‘this is what COVID did to your nerves.’” Barker has known for 10 years she has had slow stenosis in her neck — a narrowing of the spaces in your spine. While she’s never had any trouble with it before, it makes sense that the COVID virus would choose that weakness to target. Now two months after her first symptoms, she still isn’t able to be back working on an ambulance. It’s been frustrating for a woman who is so used to caring for others and working all the time. She’s tired, her brain has been letting her down and she’s been impatient with her slow recovery. “I’m taking six to eight medications four times a day with no relief. The thought that this was not ever going to stop — I’ve always felt like a mentally stable person, but — and then I think of those people who didn’t have the support system that I had through this and how they could ever navigate something like this,” Barker said. She’s finally well enough to do small things like go to the grocery store for a few things, though a recent trip left her in tears after she couldn’t recall her pin number at the register.

Smoky Mountain News

March 17-23, 2021

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Unusual COVID case wreaks havoc on Macon EMT

A YEAR OF COVID-19 Barker feels fortunate she had saved up as much sick and vacation time as she could in the past so that she didn’t suffer financially during the time she’s not been able to work. However, all the medical bills are now rolling in and all those ER visits and tests are adding up quickly. She’s also grateful that during this pandemic, Macon County has other lighter duty work options for her since she can’t work on an ambulance yet. She’s been working at the COVID-19 vaccination clinics during the week, but still struggles with her strength and energy levels. “I was used to working 24-hour shifts no problem and now those eight hours at the vaccine clinics are kicking my butt,” she said.

Barker made it a point to say she knows others who have had it so much worse during the pandemic, and she didn’t want to minimize what people with pre-existing conditions have been through and families who’ve lost loved ones or had to be on a ventilator for weeks. The point she wanted to drive home is that COVID is showing up in ways that no one ever imagined. “I lost an uncle in September to COVID, I know what that’s like as well — this has been life changing for so many of us,” she said. “My main hope for the rest of the year is for people to be kind to each other. If you believe in masks, great. If not, OK. If you believe in the vaccine, wonderful, get it because it will help. If someone told you you had a 95 percent chance of winning $100,000 in the lottery, you’d buy the ticket — those are good chances, and we all want a normal life again. Respect other people in the whole great scheme of things — you don’t know their story.”

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Macon County EMT Wendy Barker (left) and her wife Courtney, who is a state trooper, both contracted COVID19 in January. Two months later, Barker is still working toward a slow recovery after unexpected symptoms. Donated photo

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BY CORY VAILLANCOURT POLITICS E DITOR fter the results of a Town of Waynesville Planning Board meeting on March 16, Haywood County will now move into an exciting new chapter in the story of attracting affordable housing developments for its residents. “We are a completely non-profit developer,” said Adeline Wolfe, of Buncombe-based Mountain Housing Opportunities. “Any profit we do make is recycled back into the organization for other affordable housing developments. It’s always been a goal of ours to help bring affordable housing to the greater region.” Planning Board members unanimously approved an 84-unit master site plan application submitted by MHO, a group that began with volunteers in 1988. Located at the corner of Howell Mill Road and Calhoun Drive, the development will be called Balsam Edge and feature a mixture of 22 one-bedroom, 42 two-bedroom and 20 three-bedroom units — all within walking distance of Waynesville’s rec center, and the Ingles shopping center on Russ Avenue. Rents for the units (utilities are also included) will be calculated on a sliding scale to ensure that people making from 40 to 80 percent of the area median income have to spend no more than 30 percent of their income each month. According to data provided by MHO, the cheapest one-bedroom units will start at $388 a month, while the most expensive three-bedroom units will go for $963. There are a few caveats, however. MHO still has to submit a final plan to town administrators that includes an engineered stormwater plan, bicycle parking and shade tree information. A driveway permit from the North Carolina Department of Transportation is also required. There are also caveats in the project’s timeline. Wolfe said MHO submitted a preliminary application for low income housing tax credits to the North Carolina Housing Finance Agency. A final application is due May 14. If it’s successful, MHO will find out in August. If that happens, construction would begin in the summer of 2022, with completion projected by summer of 2023. If the tax credit application is not successful, Wolfe said MHO would pursue “other strategies” for funding, including other subsidies, or even reapply for the NCHFA tax credits during the next cycle. Either way, the development will end up as a customer of the town’s water and sewer services, however to do that, MHO will also need to submit an application for annexation into the town. Such a situation would also open up opportunities for town water, sewer and annexation for other property owners further up Howell Mill Road. For more information on Mountain Housing Opportunities, visit www.mtnhousing.org.

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Affordable housing coming to Howell Mill Road

Smoky Mountain News

NC-based nonprofit organization VacCorps is seeking to recruit local volunteers to help administer COVID-19 vaccinations at various vaccination sites and centers throughout Western North Carolina. VacCorps wants to enroll 200 volunteers by April 1 and then pair those individuals with vaccination providers in need of additional workers to help speed vaccination efforts. Volunteers are needed for on-site support roles such as greeting patients, checking them in and out of the facility, making sure facilities are clean and supplies are stocked, as well as for remote support roles such as scheduling patients and volunteer workers. For more information or to volunteer, visit www.vaccorps.org.

March 17-23, 2021

Nonprofit seeks vaccine volunteers

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ing herself, at Silver Bluff get through this difficult time. The encouragement from community members helped the staff that did stay, rally together and support one another. One letter, from the son of a woman who passed away of COVID-19 at Silver Bluff, laid it out particularly clear for Leatherwood. It read, “I don’t understand why, when the entire world has not been able to manage this virus, this pandemic, why would anyone think that you or any other nursing homes were going to be able to manage it when it got to your door?”

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“I just sat at my desk and cried because it is true,” said Leatherwood. “And then anytime we had a survey or whatever, they would say, ‘Oh, you’re doing everything well,’ then why can’t we get this other control?” According to Leatherwood, once the technology caught up with the problem, Silver Bluff has been able to keep cases under control. With enough PPE and available rapid testing, staff have been able to mitigate spread of COVID-19 within the facility. Silver Bluff has vaccinated 92 percent of all residents and 77.5 percent of all staff. Some families of residents do not want their family members to be vaccinated, and Silver Bluff has had to defer to that wish. The learning curve has been a steep one during this pandemic. Leatherwood and her Director of Nursing have been through several state-mandated trainings. Following the outbreak in July, staff sat down with Haywood County Health Department officials to walk through everything that happened at the facility from the very beginning of the outbreak. The result? Silver Bluff staff and health officials learned a lot about the real-life applications of the guidelines and procedures that were laid out early in the pandemic. But, this far into the pandemic, with almost all residents vaccinated at Silver Bluff, visitation rules haven’t changed. Residents still cannot congregate together, something Leatherwood hopes will change soon. “My residents are frustrated, you know, if they’ve all been vaccinated, why shouldn’t they be able to hang out together?” said Leatherwood. “I have four residents who, the only reason I got them to take the vaccine is they were used to being able to play poker every Friday night. And they had a doctor’s order, they could each have a beer while they played. They haven’t been able to do that for a year. How do you play poker when you have to wear a mask and you have to stay six feet apart? They’ve all been vaccinated, why should they not be able to sit at a four top table and play poker?”

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March 17-23, 2021

BY HANNAH MCLEOD STAFF WRITER isa Leatherwood, Administrator at Silver Bluff Village, has had a unique perspective of the mayhem that is the COVID-19 pandemic — health care worker, nursing home administrator, mother. The first thing she remembers about COVID-19, the first time it really hit home, was learning about the outbreak at a longterm care facility in Washington State. It was one of the first places in the United States to experience an outbreak, in February 2020, and Leatherwood particularly remembers the press being hard on the facility. “The press was not kind to the facility and not knowing what was going on, you think about, well, is this a fair assessment of what they were doing or are they being overly harsh for them?” Leatherwood said. Before the shutdown began in North Carolina in early March, Leatherwood’s daughters were on spring break from UNC Chapel Hill, and the family took a trip to Savannah — the last one they’ve had in the year since. “I remember being in that beautiful place, and with my family and then realizing ‘OK, I’ve got to get home and shut things down there.’” Silver Bluff was already taking important precautions. The facility had restricted visitors other than immediate family members about one month prior. Then, on March 13, it stopped visitation completely. From that point forward it was the constant change that made running a long-term care facility so difficult during a pandemic, Leatherwood says. “It’s just constant, constant worry,” she said. “Are we doing everything? Are we doing everything possible? Are we missing anything? Just constant concern for the staff, concern for the residents, physically, emotionally the whole bit.” Not only was there the physical, mental and emotional stress of trying to make sure residents and staff are guarded against the virus, as a leader, Leatherwood had the added pressure of keeping a smile on her face regardless of circumstances, reassuring everyone that everything was going to be OK. Even when she wasn’t sure herself. When Silver Bluff had its outbreak in July, the facility couldn’t get enough Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), testing mechanisms were not yet rapid and were difficult to come by, and it wasn’t yet clear what medications and treatments you could give someone suffering from the coronavirus. In addition to caring for an aging population, much of her workforce was older. Several people working at Silver Bluff were forced to leave the workforce for their own health and safety. She estimates that over 130 residents contracted COVID-19 and at least 80 staff members. Leatherwood said it was support from the community that helped everyone, includ-

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Silver Bluff administrator looks back on 2020

Contact Dean Howell at 828-452-5111 and/or email your resume to rdhowell1@yahoo.com 13

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One year later COVID-19 killed 189 in the four-county area BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER hen life as we knew it slammed to a sudden stop in mid-March of 2020, the novel coronavirus from Wuhan hadn’t yet infected a single resident of Western North Carolina, but with the virus continually expanding its territory since the United States’ first confirmed case on Jan. 21, 2020, it seemed only a matter of time. Buncombe County confirmed its first case March 16 — the patient was a visitor from New York who then traveled to Macon County to isolate — followed by Cherokee County March 18. A part-time resident of Jackson County tested positive on March 23, and Haywood County reported its first cases on April 2. Testing from the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians confirmed the first cases in Swain and Graham counties on April 25 and 26. In the year since, 11,130 residents of Haywood, Jackson, Swain and Macon counties have tested positive for the virus, and 189 have died. Statewide, there have been 886,218 confirmed cases and 11,707 deaths due to COVID-19. In the four-county area, 7.2 percent of the total population has tested positive, leaving 0.12 percent of the population dead. In confirmed cases, 1.7 percent ended in death. However, research from Columbia University released Feb. 9 indicates that official numbers severely understate the number of infections, with numbers likely five times the official count. If this is the case locally, then 36 percent of the population caught the virus, with 0.34 percent of cases ending in death. The local death rate is higher than the 1.3 percent rate for the state as a whole, primarily

Smoky Mountain News

March 17-23, 2021

due to a higher burden in Haywood County, where multiple nursing home outbreaks infected a large number of high-risk patients — including a summer outbreak at Silver Bluff Village that killed 30, only for a second outbreak to claim even more lives over the winter as additional facilities also experienced outbreaks. In Haywood County, 2.29 percent of confirmed cases ended in death. By contrast, only 1.07 percent of Macon County’s confirmed cases ended in death. “Most of our cases have been in the 25 to 49 age group, but most of our deaths were in the 75-plus age range,” said Allison Richmond, Haywood County’s public information officer for emergency management. “Cases among the elderly have resulted in much more severe illnesses and, unfortunately, death.” Statewide, 65 percent of confirmed cases have been in people 50 or younger, but that age group accounts for only 49 percent of hospitalizations. The state website does not offer an age-specific breakdown of deaths. The cases rolled in fast over the holiday season, as colder weather moved people indoors and the ties of family and tradition drove people from different households to gather together. In early January, the state would commonly tally 7,000, 8,000 and even 9,000 new cases per day, with that figure occasionally shooting into the five-digit range. Thankfully, increasing vaccine availability combined with warmer weather and distance from indoor holiday gatherings that prompted the winter spike have caused the numbers to calm down — a lot — and have given a pandemic-weary population reason to hope that an end to this crisis is indeed in sight. On March 15, 1,337 new cases were reported statewide,

Twelve months of COVID Between March 3, 2020, and March 15, 2021, the novel coronavirus has left its mark on Western North Carolina and the state as a whole. Number/percent population Number/percent population testing positive dead

Percent cases resulting in death

Haywood.................3,934/6.31 ............................90/0.14 ....................................2.29 Jackson ..................3412/7.77 .............................55/0.13 ....................................1.61 Swain.....................1,170/8.20 ............................16/0.11 ....................................1.37 Macon ....................2,614/7.51 ............................28/0.08 ....................................1.07 North Carolina .......886,218/8.45 ........................11,707/0.11.............................1.32

*Data from N.C. Department of Health and Human Services COVID-19 dashboard, using total figures posted as of 9 a.m. March 16. with zero in Swain and Macon counties and only two apiece in Jackson and Haywood. As of March 15, 19.5 percent of North Carolina’s population had been vaccinated, with much of the local area posting rates in excess of the statewide numbers. Macon County is still in the lead among the four counties in The Smoky Mountain News’ coverage area, with 24.2 percent partially vaccinated, followed by Jackson County with 20.4 percent, Haywood with 19.9 and Swain with 19.3 percent. However, county vaccination counts do not include vaccination efforts on the Qualla Boundary, located in Jackson and Swain counties, where 4,560 people are at least partially vaccinated. Increased vaccine availability has caused Gov. Roy Cooper to move eligibility dates forward on multiple occasions so far, and as of press time Groups 1, 2 and 3 were eligible to receive the vaccine. On March 17, people in Group 4 who have a high-risk medical condition will be able to get vaccinated. The rest of Group 4 will be eligible starting April 7. President Joe Biden has directed states and tribes to make all adults eligible for vaccination no later than May 1, but it appears that North Carolina was on track to meet that deadline prior to Biden’s announcement. Opening Group 4 will leave only one group

remaining before everybody is eligible. Meanwhile, the EBCI is offering the vaccine to any tribal member 18 or older, as well as to those who qualify for primary care services atf the Cherokee Indian Hospital and nonenrolled spouses of tribal members. Local vaccinations will be Moderna-heavy this week. Macon County Public Health expects to administer 500 first doses of Moderna, with Angel Medical Center and Highlands-Cashiers Hospital scheduled to receive 100 first doses of Moderna. Likewise, Haywood County and Haywood Regional Medical Center will receive a combined 600 Moderna first doses, and Blue Ridge Health expects 100 apiece for its Haywood and Jackson County clinics. Harrisw Regional and Swain Community Hospitals will receive a combined 200 doses of Moderna. The clinic at Western Carolina University will administer 100 Moderna doses this weekw but will mostly be vaccinating with Pfizer, receiving 1,170 first doses of that vaccine. An additional 100 Johnson & Johnson doses will be administered during a Sunday evening clinic in partnership with the Vecinos Farmworker Health Program which serves the largely Latino farmworker population. No vaccine distributors in the area have reported severe adverse reactions to any ofw the available vaccines.

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mining the most popular amenities, Buckwalter presented three big picture design concepts to the board. She said that in the three concepts she was presenting, “the team was really promoting a system of trails, and a way for people to safely access that system of trails.” Concept A involves the least construction, would use the two-way road construction and have nine parking spaces available. It would have 992 linear feet of trails, three overlook platforms and two trail bridges. Base construction costs are $502,000. Concept B would use the one-way, loop road construction and have 16 available parking spaces. It would have 2,257 linear feet of trails, three overlook platforms and three trail bridges. Base construction costs are $638,000. Concept C would also use the one-way, loop road construction with 16 parking spaces, three trail bridges and three overlook platforms, but this design would have 3,612 linear feet of trails. Base construction costs are $661,000.

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“From a cost perspective, it benefits you all to look at the most amount of parking you can get,” said Buckwalter. “Because if the demand is there, you’re going to have to go back and figure out, ‘how can we get more parking spots in there?’” All of these designs could include a restroom area, which would raise construction costs up to $120,000. In each design, one waterfall overlook platform would be ADA accessible. Alderman Phillip Wight asked if the town could choose some mix of the designs presented. Town Manager Nathan Clark said part of why the town gave the bid to Mosaic and Mattern and Craig Engineers is because the town would be able to choose different components of different concepts to decide on the final design. The town would also be able to choose sub packages to develop the property in the exact manner it wants. There will be opportunities for the public to voice their opinion about the proposed project at future town meetings before any decisions are made. Regardless of what the town decides, Mayor Mike Eveland has made it clear he would like to see a decision made on this property this year. At the 2021-22 budget retreat, he said the town would decide to develop the property or sell it.

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March 17-23, 2021

BY HANNAH MCLEOD STAFF WRITER aggie Valley will soon decide whether or not to develop a waterfall park on a property it has had in its possession for over 17 years. Just off of Old Still Road, the Town of Maggie Valley owns eight acres that is home to a long, cascading waterfall. The town is considering developing this land into a public park, complete with trails and waterfall observation decks. However, because the property lies within a residential area, public feedback to the idea has been mixed. Mosaic Civic Design Studio and Mattern and Craig Engineers were hired to conduct a survey to determine public interest and present the town with feasible design options for the property. At a Board of Aldermen meeting Tuesday, March 16, Mosaic shared results of the survey with the board, as well as preliminary design concepts for development. The survey was conducted online, with 261 people participating. Of those, 175 were Maggie Valley residents, 52 were visitors, 28 were community members, and 39 either own a business, or work, in Maggie Valley. Mosaic presented different design concepts to participants of the survey to determine what sort of park the public would be most interested in — concepts included hiking trails, waterfall observation decks, parking, picnic tables, rest and reflection areas with benches and overlook decks with seating. Hiking trails were most popular, with 64.8 percent of respondents choosing the amenity as one they would like to see at the park. Waterfall observation decks and parking were next in line with 60.5 and 50.6 percent respectively. In the survey to the public, Mosaic also tried to determine what would be the most popular name for the park. The three most popular names chosen were Hidden Falls Park, Moonshine Falls and Big Spring Falls. The team determined that about 21 percent of people who participated in the survey don’t want a park developed on the property at all. Parking has been a particular concern for the project. There is currently no parking near the waterfall, and the road that runs closest to it is a narrow, residential road. Mosaic presented two options for parking and road construction. One would turn Old Still Road into a loop road that would maintain one-way traffic. This design would be able to offer 16 parking spaces. The other option would create only nine parking places, would maintain two-way traffic and would involve less road construction. According to Teresa Buckwalter, the landscape architect from Mosaic that presented the information to the board, creating a loop in the road and a one-way would help keep visitor traffic out of private properties and driveways further up Old Still Road. After conducting the survey and deter-

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Smoky Mountain News

March 17-23, 2021

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Another Democrat begins campaign for Cawthorn’s seat BY CORY VAILLANCOURT POLITICS E DITOR rmy veteran and 2020 state House candidate Josh Remillard, of Mills River, has officially entered the race for North Carolina’s 11th Congressional District. “I’m running because Western North Carolina deserves better,” Remillard said in a press release dated March 10. “We deserve leaders that will uphold the Constitution and make our lives better, not someone who would incite insurrection and prey on women.” Born in Goldsboro, Remillard said he was raised in foster care until the age of 4 and grew up in Wilmington. He served eight years as an Army infantryman, including two combat tours in Iraq. After leaving the Army, he earned a bachelor’s degree in political science and philosophy from the University of Washington. Remillard’s current occupation is serving as a stay-at-home dad, but his most recent position was as a quality assurance specialist in the Mills River fulfillment warehouse of Gaia Herbs. “I’m ready to roll up my sleeves and do the hard work of strengthening our economy, fixing a broken health-care system, and improving our kids’ education,” he said. “I am running to stop Madison Cawthorn and bring honor back to the Congress.” Remillard becomes the second candidate

in as many weeks to make a formal announcement about entering the NC11 race. On March 3, Buncombe County Commissioner Jasmine Beach-Ferrara signaled her entry into the race, and a day later touted $100,000 in donations within the first 24 hours of her campaign. Remillard and Beach-Ferrara aren’t likely the only people eyeing the seat of Cawthorn, who’s drawn intense scrutiny after just two months in office; Cawthorn continues to be challenged with accusations of sexual harassment as well as condemnation from the left for his role in allegedly helping to incite the Jan. 6 insurrection. Another veteran, Jay Carey, has formed an exploratory committee on Facebook. Yet another veteran, retired Air Force colonel and 2020 Democratic nominee Moe Davis, told outlets last week he probably wouldn’t run, although his website says he’s “exploring” the idea. A report in the March 7 issue of The Mountaineer also cites another man, Henderson County native, pastor and former UNC linebacker pastor Eric Gash as possibly joining Beach-Ferrara and Remillard in the 2021 Democratic Primary Election. The Smoky Mountain News: Looking at this district over the last 10 years or so, we’ve had very similar issues, every time that we’ve had an election. The first one I want to ask

Josh Remillard becomes the second Democrat to declare formal entry into the NC11 race. Donated photo

you about is common sense gun reform. What does that mean to you? Josh Remillard: What that means to me is, I raised my right hand to serve my country when I joined the Army, and for me, you don’t serve your country in combat unless you’re willing to defend our Constitution,

our Bill of Rights, our American way of life. Obviously, we’re not going to take away guns, but we also can’t have it like it’s the O.K. Corral. There’s gotta be something in the middle so we can reduce gun deaths. I want to start the conversation there with people.

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SMN: Same question with red flag laws. Some people think they aren’t currently strong enough. JR: I need to look at the policy a little bit further. I think I do like the idea and for me, the red flag laws are the center point of where we start the conversation. I like that idea because the purpose of that is to help reduce the amount of gun deaths that we have. I think that’s a great starting point. SMN: Another one of these issues that seems to persist in this district is Medicaid expansion. How do you feel about being a proponent for maintaining that funding that in Congress, if we should ever get the Medicaid expansion that some say we need? JR: I think it needs to be upheld. I mean, you look right now at COVID, what it has done this entire time, and there are definitely some cracks in some of our policies. We have people who lost their jobs because their companies had to shut down, stores had to shut down and then what do they do? On top of that, especially out in Western North Carolina, we’ve had hospitals closed down because it’s just too expensive to continue running them. Having Medicaid expansion allows us to keep these hospitals going, and people don’t have to travel two hours out of the way to go to a hospital.

SMN: Certainly the biggest question about 2022 is, what the heck does this district look like? JR: There’s been a lot of rumors about, which counties might be cut out but honestly, it doesn’t really affect the way that I’m

I’m someone who wants to roll up my sleeves and get down, where the rest of my community is and find the problems to solve them. That’s it.” — Josh Remillard

going to run because the bottom line is we have to establish a campaign, which again, reaches out to everyone within our community. So if certain counties do get cut out of our district, then we’ll just adjust and continue talking to the counties that are within the district. SMN: Some of the counties we know can’t be cut out of the district, because there’s nowhere else to go — we’re jammed up against Georgia and Tennessee and South Carolina. We will have Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Macon, Swain, these far Western counties that are overwhelmingly Republican. What’s the best thing that you can tell those Republicans out there, a position that you may hold that makes them say, “Yeah, that’s how I feel too?” JR: This goes back to something I said in the very beginning. When I joined the Army, we all had to take the oath of enlistment. We raised our hands and we sword to defend and protect our Constitution and the American way of life. It doesn’t make any sense for someone to go and risk their life for this country and then be willing to take away the freedoms and the liberties that we as Americans have. So that’s who I am. I’m someone who wants to roll up my sleeves and get down, where the rest of my community is and find the problems to solve them. That’s it.

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SMN: You may have seen [Buncombe County Commissioner] Jasmine BeachFerrara say she raised $100,000 in the first 24 hours after she launched her campaign. That’s still not going to be anywhere near enough to defeat Madison Cawthorn, much less to run a Primary Election campaign. How do you feel about your ability to raise the money that you know you’re going to need? JR: I feel really good about my potential to raise that money. If you’re going to be a

SMN: What do you think you learned from watching [2020 Dem nominee] Moe Davis last year? JR: I was a little bit more focused on my race [for House District 117] when I was running but one of the plans that I have is putting together a 17-county strategy which focuses on reaching out to voters all over the district, building up a platform, which most accurately reflects the needs of everyone in this community.

March 17-23, 2021

SMN: The last of these persistent issues is rural broadband. Through the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund, a federal program, Western counties received a pretty good amount of money that will be used for broadband. Not everybody’s happy with how fast that’s going to move, but more what do you think can be done from a federal level? JR: I’ve always been sort of a person who thinks that it’s important to look at the data and the facts and the information in front of us. I see myself as someone who would be there encouraging us to find better ways of being able to reach some of the neighborhoods that are more sprawled out in rural North Carolina. There are issues with the fact that a lot of towns and cities are within valleys, we’re surrounded by mountains. That hurts a lot of the expansion of broadband. We need to be able to look at and be willing to adjust and find ways to expand that out to some of these more dispersed communities.

competitive person in a race like this, you have to be willing to get down, roll your sleeves up and do the work. You gotta reach out to people, contact people constantly and get them excited about your race and so that’s what I’m gonna do. I’m gonna hit the phones, contact voters as often as I can, as safely as I can, and just keep working.

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SMN: Increased background checks are currently part of that conversation. Is that something that you support? JR: Yes.

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Rep. Madison Cawthorn speaks on HR1446 on March 11. CSPAN screenshot

“There are certain aspects to increased background checks that I can get behind. You know, maybe if we could pierce the veil of HIPAA and allow people to really get an actual look into somebody’s mental health, I think that would be something that’d be very powerful and beneficial.” — Rep. Madison Cawthorn

The measure has earned the support of one of the nation’s best-known proponents of gun violence prevention policies. “With the original bill being created by our organization’s founders, we are in great support of it,” said Brian Lemek, executive director of Brady PAC. “The passage of HR8 is just a common sense solution to this very complex problem. We have gun violence, but 90 percent of Americans support expanded

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oth bills were heard in the House on March 11, and although neither mentions anything about gun confiscation, they both in essence deal with shoring up a background check system riddled with loopholes that can allow prohibited purchasers to end up armed. The first, HR8, is titled the Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2021. In substance, it says that for firearms transfers between unlicensed individuals, a licensed importer, manufacturer or dealer must take temporary possession of a firearm from a seller and run a background check on the buyer. If the check comes out good, the transfer can proceed. If it doesn’t, the firearm returns to the seller. There are several groups to which HR8 would not apply, including law enforcement officers, private security or members of the armed forces within the scope of their official duties. Exceptions would also exist for “good faith” transfers “between spouses, between domestic

partners, between parents and their children, including step-parents and their step-children, between siblings, between aunts or uncles and their nieces or nephews, or between grandparents and their grandchildren if the transferor has no reason to believe that the transferee will use or intends to use the firearm in a crime or is prohibited from possessing firearms under state or federal law.”

March 17-23, 2021

BY CORY VAILLANCOURT POLITICS E DITOR pair of gun control bills passed the U.S. House of Representatives last week and are now heading for the Senate. Republican Rep. Madison Cawthorn kept a campaign promise to vote against such proposals, delivering a fiery speech on the House floor telling Democrats that “here in real America, when we say, ‘come and take it,’” referring to a popular Second Amendment rallying cry, “we damn well mean it.” Cawthorn also said that he spoke for millions of Americans, and specifically, the 700,000 people in his district, but as debate over HR8 and HR1446 continues, there’s at least one constituent in his district who disagrees.

“Who would have known that you would be able to access all this information via the internet, including the ability to purchase a firearm? The [current] legislation does not take into consideration online sales, because there were no online sales,” he said. “There have been no changes to the legislation since its original passage in the mid-nineties, so this is just effectively taking a really good bill and making it better and bringing it up to the times.” A national poll conducted in 2015 by the Center for American Progress says that 83 percent of gun owners, and 72 percent of NRA members support increased background checks, and six different national polls conducted in 2016 and 2017 puts that figure between 84 and 94 percent. Cawthorn told The Smoky Mountain News on March 15 that he remains opposed to HR8. “I’m against bureaucracy,” he said. “There are certain aspects to increased background checks that I can get behind. You know, maybe if we could pierce the veil of HIPAA and allow people to really get an actual look into somebody’s mental health, I think that would be something that’d be very powerful and beneficial.” The other bill that passed the same day as HR8 was HR1446, the Enhanced Background Checks Act of 2021. “It would close what we call ‘the Charleston loophole,’” Lemek said. “A lot of great people were murdered in a church by a

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Gun control bills prove divisive

background checks. You wonder why we didn’t have more than eight Republicans [as cosponsors].” Brady PAC was founded in 2018 as the political arm of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, which itself was founded by James and Sarah Brady and shepherded the 1993 Brady Law through Congress. James Brady, an Illinois Republican, was serving as President Ronald Reagan’s press secretary on March 31, 1981, when a mentally troubled 25-year-old man opened fire at the Washington Hilton, wounding Reagan, Brady, Secret Service Agent Tim McCarthy and D.C. Police Officer Thomas Delahanty. All four survived, but Brady’s head wound impaired his speech and left him able to mobilize only through the use of a wheelchair until his death in 2014. The 1993 law that bears Brady’s name was an update to the Gun Control Act of 1968 and instituted the background system currently in place. “It’s the most significant piece of gun legislation ever, but times have changed,” Lemek said. “There are a couple of loopholes that exist that have made it possible for prohibited purchasers to acquire firearms. Gun shows back in the day weren’t this massive enterprise to purchase and exchange firearms and accessories, et cetera. They were really to showcase what’s new out there. They did not exist in the same format that they do today.” The other way times have changed since the adoption of the Brady Law, Lemek said, is the invention of the internet.

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Global Warming — But a Big Freeze in Texas. What’s up?

his past February an ice storm knocked out over two thousand electric customers in Haywood County. Things got back to normal pretty quickly, thanks to skilled and dedicated repair crews. Not so lucky for fourteen million people in Texas and parts of the Deep South. A little history and perspective is perhaps in order. In 1983 I was a medical student at the University of Texas in Houston when Hurricane Alicia barreled through. It caused $3 Billion in damage and was the most costly Hurricane ever to hit the continental US --up to that time. Then in 2017 Hurricane Harvey caused $125 billion in damages. It dumped a North American record of 50 inches of rain in one weekend in the Houston area.. We are very lucky to live in the mountains of WNC. We have had a beautiful four season climate and the best water anywhere. But let’s not forget the 2004 hurricane season that dumped a record 22 inches of rain here, putting seven feet of polluted water in downtown Canton. Let’s not forget the severe drought a few years back. It dried up a number of wells here, and saw huge ﬁres in Gatlinburg (started by arson?) and in Jackson County. Now, for three years running we have had unusually high rainfall. Landslides and erosion are continuing problems. Changing temperature patterns are challenging farmers planning their

growing seasons. Last year in the Upstate of SC, it hit 100 degrees in Columbia- in October! Are these climate phenomena related? Is there an underlying trend of dramatic climate changes? The vast majority of climate scientists think so- about 97% of those who spend their entire careers studying the issue. Furthermore, there is overwhelming agreement that the burning of fossil fuels since the Industrial Revolution around 1800 has accelerated these changes. One half of ALL the carbon put into the atmosphere by human activity has occurred just since 1980. Getting back to more recent historyIn 2020 temperatures reached an unheard of 100 degrees in Siberia – SIBERIA! How can that heating up be related to the big freeze in the Southern USA? The connection may seem far fetched, but then so does one bat in rural China infecting one person leading to 500,000 deaths in the USA. The fact is that what happens ‘over there’ affects us here. The arctic region is heating up TWICE as fast as the rest of the planet, and this has a direct effect on strange and dangerous weather patterns right here in the Southern USA. As explained in a recent National Geographic Magazine, as more man-made greenhouse gases enter the atmosphere global average temperatures rise. The sea ice that has covered the Arctic

area for over 13,000 years, reflecting sunlight back into space, is shrinking. More ice-free dark sea water appears. Like wearing a dark shirt on a hot sunny day, more heat is absorbed as less sun light is reflected away, raising the temperature of the water. Then more ice melts, exposing more expanses of dark water causing more heat to be absorbed and…..a “positive” feedback loop that begins to feed on itself is created. One effect of global temperature rise is the slowing down of the Gulf Stream. This massive Atlantic under sea current pushes 30 times the water volume of all the rivers in the world. It flows in a huge circle from the coast of Africa across to the Caribbean, passing by Cape Hatteras up to Massachusetts and then across to Europe and back down to the African coast. As the Gulf Stream slows, it warms and dries the air over Sub –Saharan Africa, threatening devastating drought. This may seem far away from North Carolina- except that it is the hot air from Africa, swirling into Tropical depressions that flow West into the Caribbean -that form Hurricanes. The 2020 Atlantic saw the most named tropical storms ever. Thirty. Twelve Hurricanes landed on shore in the USA. A remarkable video of this process can be seen here: www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/03/02/cli mate/atlantic-ocean-climate-change.html The US military has called climate change a national security issue. Rising sea levels

threaten naval bases in the continental US and around the world. Most of the 60 million displaced persons in the world at this moment are ﬂeeing wars caused by drought (Syria and Africa) poverty caused by deforestation and economic displacement (Central America) and rising sea levels (Eastern India, Bangladesh and Island nations). Next a time bizarre and seemingly rare climate occurrence happens, anywhere, look into the causes. Understand the link between what happens “over there” and conditions here in WNC. An informed public can help government, industry and ﬁnance make decisions that have a positive impact on the climate crisis. This is already happening. Because of public concern, ALL major oil companies and international banks have turned away from oil drilling in the Alaskan National Wildlife Refuge. Right here in WNC the city of Asheville has launched a major effort to make Solar power accessible to homes, business and public institutions.

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GOOD INFO CAN BE FOUND AT • wncclimateaction.com, drawdown.org, and skepticalscience.com.

Dr. Stephen Wall is a member of the WNC Climate Action Coaliton and Physicians for A Social Resonsibility y

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“If you look at the background check acts and see what they’re trying to accomplish, I can’t see why anybody would not support them.” — Natalie Henry Howell

Smoky Mountain News

“I think we can all agree that we want our country to be safe. We want our schools to be safe. We want our churches, we want our public venues to be safe, and this is a sensible reasonable thing to do,” Howell said about HR8 and HR1446. “If you look at the background check acts and see what they’re trying to accomplish, I can’t see why anybody would not support them. When you look at the fact that these are bipartisan bills, that more than a hundred Americans die from gun violence every day — my son being included in that count — I think that you have a different perspective when it hits you personally and that if there is any way that we can strengthen our background check system again, to make it so that people who can’t lawfully have a gun aren’t able to get one, then that’s the right thing to do.” Cawthorn said that if he could speak directly to Natalie Henry Howell’s mother, he knows what he’d say. “I would express the sorrow, how sorry I am for what she is going to have to go through,” he said. “Then I would say that I am sad that the Democrats, they always stand upon tragedy to try and get some kind of bill passed but what this bill is doing is asking law-abiding Americans to trust that criminals will not go outside of the law to acquire a firearm. With the amount of firearms that exist in the country, and especially ones that don’t have serial numbers, ones that can’t even be tracked, these bills would not have stopped the UNC-Charlotte shooting.” He’s right — like Brady’s attacker and the Charleston church shooter, Riley Howell’s killer acquired his firearm in compliance with existing law.

March 17-23, 2021

kid who should not have gotten his hands on a firearm. He should not have had that ability because he was a prohibited purchaser.” On June 17, 2015, a 21-year-old white supremacist and neo-Nazi walked into the historic Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina, and joined a dozen people in a Bible study group. When they closed their eyes in prayer, he shot them. “The FBI has three days to finish a background check,” Lemek said. “Around 90 percent of all gun checks are done in about two minutes, and 97% percent are done within at least three business days. So that leaves a very, very small percent of the population that has to deal with this, roughly 3 percent. Now, that 3 percent, it might take four days. It might take a week. It might take a week and a half.” There was some sort of initial problem with the Charleston shooter’s background check that resulted in an initial delay at the time of purchase, but as the law is written if no determination can be made through the National Instant Criminal Background Check System, called NICS, within three days, the transfer can still proceed. “Instead of waiting longer, they issued him the gun,” Lemek said. “The check came back later saying that he should not have had it.” Cawthorn thinks HR1446, if enacted, could end up holding unintended consequences. “The big problem is that there’s really no sun-setting clause on this issue, so when they’re saying that they want to have increased time on background checks and give you another 10 days, that sounds very benign, but there is language within the bill that would allow them to weaponize this and allow them to just hold it up indefinitely,” he said. “Now, do I think the FBI would do that? No, but I do believe that it’s a slippery slope we can fall into and this law would give them that loophole eventually.” When he spoke in the House in opposition to the bills on March 11, Cawthorn was more direct and absolute in his opposition to HR8 and HR1446. “If we lose the Second Amendment then the First [Amendment] will fall. I want to remind my colleagues of a simple fact that is far too often swept under the rug by the left — Americans have a right to obtain a firearm for lawful purposes,” he said. “I’ll say it again louder for those on the left sleeping in the back — Americans have a right to obtain firearms. This is my right, and Mr. Speaker this is your right, but let me be clear to everyone in this chamber: you will not take this right away from us. I know it’s easy to be sucked into the D.C. bubble but outside of here in real America when we say ‘come and take it,’ we damn well mean it.” At the conclusion of his brief speech, Cawthorn opined that the measure was unconstitutional. “I speak for millions of Americans,” he said. “I specifically speak for 700,000+ Americans in my district when I say that if you think this bastardization of the Constitution will be met with silence then

you know nothing of the America I know.” Part of Cawthorn’s statement, however, may have been a bit of an exaggeration. “No, he doesn’t speak for me,” said Haywood County resident Natalie Henry Howell. On April 30, 2019, a 22-year-old former student walked into a classroom at the University of North Carolina-Charlotte and began firing. Howell’s son, Riley, ran toward the gunman without hesitation and stopped him, but not before losing his own life in the process. Since then, Riley Howell has been universally hailed as a hero for preventing further violence. His family now operates a charitable foundation, and his mother has spoken out on gun control measures in the past — most notably in January 2020 as the Haywood County Board of Commissioners deliberated passing a so-called “Second Amendment sanctuary” resolution.

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By the numbers The full list of all governments to receive funding is downloadable in Excel format at www.democrats.senate.gov/final-state-andlocal-allocation-output-030821. ARP funding by county (in millions) • Buncombe County..........................$50.66 • Cherokee County ..............................$5.55 • Clay County......................................$2.18 • Graham County................................$1.64 • Haywood County.............................$12.09 • Jackson County ................................$8.52 • Macon County ..................................$6.95 • Swain County ...................................$2.77

President Biden signed the American Rescue Plan less than two months after his inauguration. whitehouse.gov photo

Source: democrats.senate.gov/arp or premium pay for essential workers. The first round of payments must occur no later than 60 days from the ARP’s March 11 enactment. The second round will be distributed at least 12 months after the first round. All funds must be used by the end of 2024, with state and local governments required to submit periodic reports providing a detailed accounting of how the funds end up being spent. The N.C. League of Municipalities has issued guidance for municipal officials on the ARP and will host a webinar next week to help them navigate its many provisions. The Southwestern Commission will likewise discuss the ARP at an upcoming meeting. Although funding amounts are preliminary and may change, initial estimates issued by Senate Democrats provide an early look at what those formulas suggest in terms of funding levels. Of the 50 states, North Carolina will receive just over $8.94 billion, more than 40 other states. North Carolina’s 100 counties will all

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was divided equally between counties and non-county municipalities. Counties across the country will be given $65 billion based on their share of the U.S. population as reflected by 2019 census data. Non-county municipalities with populations above 50,000 will split more than $45 billion using a modified version of the Community Development Block Grant funding formula. Non-county municipalities with populations below 50,000 — that’s almost all of Western North Carolina outside of Asheville — will receive more than $19 billion based on their share of state population. Tribal governments will receive an allocation of $20 billion, and U.S. territories, $4.5 billion. An executive summary of the ARP prepared by U.S.-based law firm Holland & Knight says there are several acceptable uses of these funds, but they appear to be very broad in scope. “We’re going to look at our master plans, but we’re also going to ask our citizens,” Smathers said. “This is an opportunity like no other, and the focus has to be on getting it right. Like other taxpayer money, it will be spent in a fair and open manner.” For example, funds may be used to “respond to the public health emergency with respect to COVID-19 or its negative economic impacts, including assistance to households, small businesses and nonprofits, or aid to impacted industries such as tourism, travel and hospitality,” according to the executive summary. Funds can also be used by local governments to ameliorate revenue deficiencies attributable to the Coronavirus Pandemic. Aside from public health-related concerns, the executive summary also says that funding can be used to “make necessary investments in water, sewer or broadband infrastructure,”

March 17-23, 2021

BY CORY VAILLANCOURT POLITICS E DITOR hile most Americans are looking forward to receiving the $1,400 payments included in President Joe Biden’s $1.88 trillion American Rescue Plan (ARP) passed by Congress on March 6, counties and towns across the country are also eagerly awaiting a stimulus package of their own. “A major part of this package is related to direct help to local municipal governments,” said Canton Mayor Zeb Smathers, who is also chair of the Southwestern Commission, a consortium of local governments in North Carolina’s seven westernmost counties. “I’ve never known a time where there would be such a direct payment. With that comes a lot of excitement, but a lot of unknowns, and this is going to kickstart dynamic conversations on how to spend that money.” Probably the best-known provision of the ARP is the one allowing for direct payments to individuals and families, but there are a host of other allocations within the bill that direct funding to a variety of recipients, including SNAP and EBT programs, schools, childcare operations, vaccination clinics, mental health and substance abuse treatment services and small businesses, to name just a few. State, county, local, tribal and territorial governments are also in line for substantial cash payments “for economic relief and to combat the virus,” according to the Senate Democrats website. Around $350 billion was allocated for state and local relief, 57 percent of which was allocated to states and 35 percent to local governments. The state portion amounts to $195 billion, with $25 billion divided equally among the states, and $169 billion divided based on the share of unemployed workers in each state from October through December 2020. The local portion of around $130 billion

ARP funding by city, town or village • Andrews .....................................$540,000 • Asheville ...............................$26,100,000 • Biltmore Forest ..........................$410,000 • Black Mountain.......................$2,390,000 • Bryson City.................................$420,000 • Canton ................................... $1,270,000 • Clyde ..........................................$380,000 • Dillsboro.......................................$70,000 • Forest Hills.................................$110,000 • Franklin...................................$1,200,000 • Hayesville...................................$140,000 • Highlands ..................................$290,000 • Maggie Valley.............................$360,000 • Montreat ....................................$250,000 • Murphy.......................................$480,000 • Robbinsville ...............................$190,000 • Sylva ..........................................$800,000 • Waynesville .............................$2,970,000 • Weaverville..............................$1,180,000 • Woodfin...................................$1,970,000

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Biden’s American Rescue Plan means millions for NC local governments

receive funding, with amounts ranging from $215 million in Wake and Mecklenburg counties to $780,000 in Tyrell County. From Asheville to Wilmington, 24 cities with populations over 50,000 will receive amounts varying from $3.65 million (Lenoir) to $148 million (Charlotte). Western North Carolina’s counties, on account of population size, will see smaller amounts that will likely have an outsized impact — Buncombe, $50.66 million; Haywood, $12.09 million; Jackson, $8.52 million; Macon, $6.95 million; Swain, $2.787 million; Cherokee, $5.55 million; Clay, $2.18 million; and Graham, $1.64 million. “I don’t think this kind of funding comes along very often, not even every few generations,” said Haywood County Manager Bryant Morehead. “I’ve been in government 20 years and don’t ever remember getting $12 million from the federal government. We owe it to taxpayers to spend this money wisely.” Morehead said the county has incurred “significant” COVID-related costs over the past year, especially with the extensive vaccination efforts now underway. “I think we should treat this as one-time money and use it for one-time cost items, not recurring costs,” Morehead said. “Of course, that’s up to the commissioners to decide.” Cities, towns and villages in Western North Carolina will also experience an impact from ARP funding — Andrews, $540,000; Bryson City, $420,000; Canton, $1,270,000; Clyde, $380,000; Dillsboro, $70,000; Forest Hills, $110,000; Franklin, $1,200,000; Hayesville, $140,000; Highlands, $290,000; Maggie Valley, $360,000; Murphy, $480,000; Robbinsville, $190,000; Sylva, $800,000; and Waynesville, $2,970,000. “I cannot speak for what council will do but if we get $1.2 million, I’m going to advocate putting it into the underserved people and areas of town,” said Franklin Mayor Bob Scott. “I need for that money to go to people who are desperately in need of help.” By comparison, Franklin’s all-funds budget is around $8 million a year, according to Scott, who said that when the first round of ARP funding hits the town’s bank account he wants to have a list of shovel-ready projects available for public input. Smathers said he’d like to look at his own list of small-dollar projects the town hasn’t quite been able to get to, especially those centering around recreation. “This is an opportunity to attack that list, but also to look and see if there are other big projects where we can partner with other municipalities,” he said. The ARP bill first passed the House on Feb. 27 by a vote of 219 to 212, with two Democrats (Oregon’s Kurt Schrader and Maine’s Jared Golden) voting no, and no Republicans voting yes. It then passed the Senate on March 6, with no Republicans voting yes. The amended bill then went back to the House on March 10, where it passed by a vote of 220 to 211, with one Democrat voting no (Golden, again) and no Republicans voting yes. The American Rescue Plan was signed by Biden on March 11, the one-year anniversary of the World Health Organization’s pandemic declaration. 23

Opinion

Smoky Mountain News

A glimmer, and it sure feels nice A

Another view on childhood poverty To the Editor: In last week’s edition of The Smoky Mountain News the editor gave us his thoughts of the bill in Congress to address childhood poverty by giving middle-income and low-income families $300 or $250 per child per month (until the child reaches 18 years of age in the original plan). Since then Congress passed the bill with a modified plan that will increase the child tax credit from what it is currently but the plan will terminate after one year. The editor is a supporter of the increased child tax credit plan and the continuation of it indefinitely. I disagree with his position on the overall effects this plan to address childhood poverty. I am not an expert on this subject but there are many groups and organizations that do study it full time and whose opinions and positions we should embrace. One of them is the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), whose poverty studies group produces a free biweekly email newsletter on the subject with not only their conclusions but also those of other experts in the field of poverty in this country. I encourage SMN readers to subscribe to that newsletter. It will give you a new appreciation for the complexities of poverty and the unintended consequences of antipoverty government programs. They also occasionally include articles about attempts to measure poverty more accurately called Supplemental Poverty Measure and Consumption Poverty. SMN Editor Scott McLeod provides us the

optimistic that we can finally see to the other side, that the tide is turning, that this weird interlude in our time here on this planet is finally being beaten back one day at a time. Medical and public health professionals are warning us, wisely, not to let down our guards. But hope and optimism are part of my DNA, so I can’t help myself. We all react differently to a crisis. Even in the early days of the pandemic, I remained confident that researchers would tame the virus. I’m not a science guy, but I’ve read articles and books over the last few years on the advances in DNA structuring, genome editing, CRISPR technology Editor and RNA sequencing and such. Surely we could quickly develop a vaccine if we dedicated the resources. These biological breakthroughs coupled with supercomputers have changed with way we can attack medical problems. More worrisome was whether politicians could cope with the economic issues that came with the shutdowns. This is from a column I wrote on March 17, 2020: It’s a frightening future when hard-working people all over the country are having to count on politicians to get them

Scott McLeod

year later. We’re still mourning the deaths and illnesses, the disruption of life as we knew it, the months of gutwrenching unknowns causing unfamiliar anxiety. It was March 17, 2020, when Gov. Roy Cooper began shutting down businesses and most of us waited for the tsunami that we could see — or at least imagine — in the distance without having any idea how horrific its final toll, when the worst of it would come, when it would finally recede, and who or what would be left standing. I’ve always been confident in my ability to take care of myself and those close to me, those who matter. My upbringing was lean, so I grew up figuring out how to scrap, how to survive and will your way to the other side when you couldn’t always see the path. So, the year of Covid, especially back last spring and early summer, I — like many others — was on shaky ground. No matter my toughness or my abilities or my planning, things were out of my control. That’s frightening. We were laying off employees, people who were my friends. I feared the business I had started and nurtured for 20 years could, perhaps, go under. I wasn’t sure how my children would get through all this, my in-laws who are healthy but in their 80s, hell, even if my wife Lori and I would be safe. But here we are, and despite the human toll — 535,000 U.S. citizens dead, 2.66 million worldwide — most of us are

LETTERS

statistics on poverty which is strictly based on a measurement of the household income. He questions how a family of four can “make it work” on $504 per week which is the poverty threshold. He fails to mention what’s called the poverty safety net of existing government programs that effectively raises the family “income” substantially. These include: EITC (Earned Income Tax Credits), SNAP for food, TANF for temporary cash assistance, HUD housing assistance programs, Pell Grants to help pay for college costs, Child Nutrition pays for school breakfast and lunch, LIHEAP – Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, and 6 others for a total of 13 programs plus Medicaid. The obvious point is that the real income of families utilizing these programs is much higher than their income from their employment. Plus, there are state programs and local charities. Taxpayers can take some comfort in knowing that the 13 federal programs plus Medicaid cost approximately $827 billion in fiscal year 2020 per the federalsafetynet.com website. Our commitment to addressing poverty through these federal programs is substantial and a positive reflection of our compassion as a society for our neighbors in need. In the column we also learned that 93 percent of U.S. children will receive a benefit under the plan. Wow. So we have a federal government that is $XX trillions in debt and the plan is to add to it by giving cash to middleincome families even though many of them may disagree with unnecessary government spending? And just who would receive the cash? The parents of course. Would they use it for the children? Is it possible that the cash

through a hard time. We’ve often heard people accuse them — the politicians — of not knowing anything about Main Street and how it works. As I look down the road and see at least four to eight weeks of shutdowns and definite slowdowns, I’m hoping we’re wrong. I’m hoping those leaders in Washington, D.C., and Raleigh get this right and provide help not only to the large industries owned by their fat-cat donors, but to the workers soon to lose their jobs and the small entrepreneurs who employ those workers and who are the bedrock of this economy. Largely, politicians did what was needed. They upped unemployment benefits, didn’t penalize businesses for laying people off, provided loans and grants on great terms to businesses large and small, provided direct payments to most taxpayers, demanded landlords not evict tenants for non-payment, gave young workers a break on paying down their student loans, and more. We can argue about the details of these aid packages and whether they adhere to one’s conservative or liberal ideology, but many small businesses — like ours — have made it through this tough year when things originally looked dismal. When the GOP was in control, needed measures were passed; when the Democrats took control, needed measures were passed. The future is always uncertain. But, a year ago most of us couldn’t see the light at the end of the tunnel. Now a glimmer, and it sure feels nice. (Scott McLeod can be reached at info@smokymountainnews.com)

payments to families will result in some parents choosing to stop working or work less? We have a substantial safety net now for low-income families. And it has been working. U.S. census data shows that before the pandemic the poverty rate was the lowest in history, down from 14.8 percent in 2014 to 10.5 percent in 2019. We don’t need payments to families from the government based on the number of children they have. Instead, our federal government needs to make revisions in the tax code to decrease marginal effective tax rates for low-income workers, reduce tax rates for families, and eliminate marriage penalties in the tax code. At the local and state level our efforts must be focused on employing our able-bodied (and able-minded) neighbors who currently are in poverty. Over the past 60 years we have learned (those who study poverty tell us) the most effective way to decrease child poverty is through jobs and employment of their parents, not government cash programs. John Johnson Lake Junaluska

Let’s do away with Electoral College To the Editor: In the recent election Joe Biden received a majority of 7.1 million popular votes and 74 Electoral College votes. With this overwhelming number of votes, he could have lost the election if his opponent had received 270 of the 538 total electoral votes. With only a 65,000-vote swing from the 7.1 million majority this could have happened. Five times in

history presidential candidates have won the popular vote and lost the Electoral College. With the four-year period between presidential elections and the absence of printed matter people have limited knowledge of the Electoral College. Very few people are aware there was a strong affiliation between the Electoral College and slavery. In 1787 selected state delegates convened in Philadelphia for a Constitutional Convention. The greatest challenge facing them was approving a system for electing presidents. Many of them were opposed to Congress being involved and also opposed to electing by popular vote. Dissension arose to the Electoral College idea because slaves, who couldn’t vote, would be counted in the tally of the overall population of the states. This count would determine the number of electors voting for a presidential candidate. Eventually, there was a compromise that enslaved blacks would count as three-fifths of a person when the population count was tabulated. With this, the Electoral College was ratified by the delegates. It appears that the strong resistance to electing a president by popular vote was the power they could attain by excessive support of the people. At the time of the Constitutional Convention in 1787 political parties didn’t exist. As these parties evolved, power was divided on a more equal basis. As this came about and after the Civil War the Electoral College should have been abolished and election of the president by popular vote enacted into law. When I vote I want my vote to be counted in the overall total and not killed by an electoral vote. Charles Miller Waynesville

A modest proposal for reviving Ghost Town in the Sky

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Smoky Mountain News

thing. I think the engineering specs may have even adjusted for the lost weight from puke, dropped phones/flip-flops, and failed romances that accrue from the nauseating ascent. I can hear the snickering and the scoffs, but I am dead serious. Think about the unique convergences. Solar works best in the bright sun which coincides precisely when tourists clog the overloaded intersections, trailheads and overlooks all around this scenic county. The excess of navigationinept, mountain-road-ignoring visitors could easily be stored atop the mountain during the daylight hours. Why not go for a twofer? Ghost Town used to offer rides for the wild “younginz” while still providing some music/street theater entertainment for the mature crowd in one ticket. Let’s update that double feature with an energy storage system that concentrates view-seeking tourists off the roads at peak times. Then, as they trickle down the mountain, substantially more energy-dense with greasy carnival food and big gulp drinks in their bellies, the turbines will turn and fuel all the AC units, bluegrass concerts, and distilleries for free. This is the rare win-win-win. Ghost Town gets its renewed investment, tourists get their sunset selfies with a thrill, and county residents get reliably timed errand runs into town along with free energy generation. The ROI is practically guaranteed because of the inexorable trend toward higher BMI. Even further, all those geotagged selfies and staged photos will inevitably attract more gawkers, rubberneckers, and in-laws. Let’s call it the FOMO dividend. #maggiegravity That’s a heckuva deal. I’m open to naming rights, but am partial to the following options: Ghost Town in Da-Skyze (say it aloud … you’ll get its sonic resonance) 2. Maggie’s Revenge (normal Maggie greets you in the valley … zombie Maggie grabs you up top) 3. The Cliffs at Buck Mountain (for the higher-paying suckers/visitors, funicular will serve Rosé) 4. Built-More (a little kitschy, but uses mountain-specific humor and built-in marketing) p.s. In case you question the scientific merits of such an energy storage enterprise, I refer you to a November 2019 article in the journal Energy titled “Mountain Gravity Energy Storage: A new solution for closing the gap between existing shortand long-term storage technologies” by Hunt et al. Let’s get on the battery bandwagon (or chairlift) and get Ghost Town cranking again. Case Brown is a Haywood County native.

March 17-23, 2021

BY CASE B ROWN G UEST COLUMNIST he on-and-off again investment deals for the embattled Ghost Town amusement park are familiar to anyone who reads these pages. Multiple meandering deals and their abrupt course corrections feel remarkably like the Black Widow ride that used to jerkily sling mountain ilk around to the soothing sounds of raging death metal picked by the latest pimpled carnie operator. Puke-inducing memories aside, I have a modest proposal for the beleaguered beast atop Maggie’s Buck Mountain. We have the unique opportunity here to increase renewable energy storage and resolve the overtourism problem burgeoning in the mountain region. It’s called “Mountain Gravity Energy Storage.” Now, hold your disbelief for a minute and hear me out … The oft-mentioned drawback with renewable energy is that the sun only shines during the day and wind only blows intermittently. The production of clean energy must be paired with some type of energy storage to make the whole system viable. Batteries are expensive, decay over time, and unfortunately drag with them a whole host of environmental impacts from rare earth minerals mining to toxic manufacturing and waste disposal. But a battery need not be based on electro-chemical energy. Batteries can use any type of energy that can be stably stored and reliably released. Gravity just happens to be the type of energy that exerts force all the time. It does so with brutal consistency — as all you weekend-warrior hikers will grumpily attest. Here comes the pitch about Ghost Town in the Sky … With a little mountain ingenuity, that grand chairlift and funicular train could carry heavy loads from the valley floor to the top of the mountain during surplus energy-generating hours (i.e., sunny/windy days). These “loads” could be stored at Ghost Town for variable periods of time. When the sunsets are over and the winds die down, gravity bestows upon us the gift of free energy. The “loads” come down off the mountain during these low energy periods, using their weight and the 1,250 feet of steep, mountainous decline to turn a massive turbine which generates electricity. I can’t see the need to come up with some cockamamie scheme to carry heavy rocks, everybody’s unused kettle bells, or superfluous chainsaw bear sculptures up the mountain. The infrastructure is already perfectly suited to carry unsuspecting tourists and overstaying guests up that vertiginous incline. In fact, you might say it was specially designed to do that very

Tale of two signs Local restaurants, breweries hold steady a year into shutdown

BY GARRET K. WOODWARD ARTS & E NTERTAINMENT E DITOR ander along Everett Street in downtown Bryson City these days and you’ll be hard-pressed to find two things: a parking spot and an open bench to sit and enjoy your sandwich. Though the dining area and main ordering room for The High Test Deli & Sweet Shop remains closed to the public (due to ongoing safety concerns amid the pandemic), an endless stream of hungry faces and fanatic foodies can simply walk up to the takeout window and select from a sea of gut-busting options. “We’re very fortunate to still have people coming up to the door and getting food,” said Helene Tetrault. “And we’re starting to get back up near the revenue numbers we had before the shutdown. But, it’s been a really long road to this point.” Alongside her husband, Barry, the Tetraults have become a pillar of the Bryson City and greater Swain County culinary scene. Launching the beloved space 14 years ago, they also had recently opened a satellite deli in Asheville, which was gaining steam in its own right. But, with the initial impact of the shutdown last March, the couple had to let go of 23 employees, locking up the Bryson City location

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Smoky Mountain News

The High Test Deli & Sweet Shop in Bryson City. until the restrictions were lifted, all while permanently closing the Asheville spot. Only two of those original 23 employees have returned, with seven (total) now running the constant hustle and bustle of the Bryson City store. “We have to feel optimistic — what else can you be to get through this? ” Helene said in a somber tone. “We really felt beat down when we had to close the Asheville location after just two years, it was such an amazing place for us. But, the people here in Bryson continue to support us.” “It’s about being part of a small town and doing the right thing for the people in your small town, where they appreciate and respect that, and do the right thing for you, too,” Barry added, in reference to abiding by strict safety protocols and trying to hold steady on the business side of things. Crossing over the one-year anniversary of the economic shutdown this week, the Tetraults are grateful to still be standing, even in the face of several unknowns as small businesses (and society in general) continue to navigate choppy waters. “Take care of your business. Take care of what you’ve got. Take care of where you live,” Barry said. “And if you continue to maintain that level of professionalism and integrity, then you’ll be fine — we’re not going anywhere.” About 15 miles or so down the Great Smoky Mountains Expressway is Balsam Falls Brewing Company on Main Street in Sylva. The taps are still flowing with high-quality craft ales, several folks sitting six-feet apart at the bar counter or outside under a temporary tent taking up a few parking spaces. “I can’t believe it’s been a year — it’s gone by really fast, but also really slow,” said Laurie Bryson. “From where we started last March to where we are now? I have to be happy with the gains we’ve been able to make in the face of everything going on. People are coming in and buying our products, and we’re making due

Balsam Falls Brewing Company in Sylva.

Helene and Barry Tetrault.

Laurie Bryson.

with whatever we can at this point.” Co-owner of Balsam Falls with her husband, Corey, Laurie grabs a seat at a nearby booth, one of the few open spots patrons can slide into and still be able to safely socially-distance themselves. “Before the shutdown, we had about 20 people working in this building between the taproom in the front and the kitchen in the back,” Laurie said. “And that was probably the saddest thing, not knowing if we’d ever be able hire them back. There were all these questions: How long are we going to be in this situation? How long are they going to be out of work?” A full calendar cycle into the shutdown, the Brysons now retain a staff of 18 (brewery/kitchen). In recent months, Balsam Falls has been seeking new avenues of revenue within its product line, now offering handmade cider and mead selections alongside its robust and ever-evolving craft beer styles. “We added 12 more taps to our already extensive tap line. And we’re officially a permanent winery, getting our winery license to make the cider and mead,” Laurie smiled proudly. “As far as the safety protocols go, we’re not taking any chances at all. Everything is constantly wiped down, everything rule is followed. We want to see full capacity again and that’s what we need to do to get there.” Though she’s holding her head a little higher these days seeing warmer weather and folks strolling by to enjoy beverages outside, Laurie can’t help but be thankful for all the local support throughout those (still) lean times and unforgiving winter months. “Even if some days are better than others, our regulars have been extremely supportive and generous — they wanted to see us still be here in their community,” Laurie said. “And since then, we’ve all been trying to pay it forward by supporting the other small businesses in town, eating at their establishments, buying their products — we’re all in this together.”

BY GARRET K. WOODWARD

It’s like I’m falling out of bed from a long and vivid dream

The beloved Gretsch Electromatic. lot of the pizza joint is once again filled to the brim with hungry patrons. Russ Avenue is a sea of Sunday drivers, locals and tourists alike. Like clockwork, my fingertips are rolling across the keyboard with whatever thought or emotion is coursing through my veins. And yet, I’m not the same person that sat in this chair, at this desk, looking out this window a year ago. None of us are. But, aside from the obvious medical and economical concerns, I think our shifting in perceptions of ourselves and what we ultimately want in this universe is a blessing in disguise — the true silver lining in a chaotic year of pandemics, politics and toilet paper shortages. For someone like myself who hasn’t slowed down in my endeavors since leaving that small Canadian Border town for college far away some 18 years ago, this last year brought immense clarity and the truest

March 17-23, 2021

t was probably one of the most uneasy beers I’d ever drank. Sitting on the back porch of Frog Level Brewing in Waynesville, myself and the rest of The Smoky Mountain News staff gathered for one final adult beverage together before we ventured into the depths of the unknown for the foreseeable future. March 17, 2020, was, at least for us in Western North Carolina, the last day of “normalcy.” If anything, it would the final page in the “before times,” a daily life (for good or ill) that would shoot off in a completely different trajectory for any and all of us moving forward. We had until 5 p.m. that day to finish our pints and make our way home, to hunker down with our loved ones, trying our best to abide by the new local, state and federal guidelines and protocols for dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic. March 17, 2020, was a Tuesday. And I remember that because it’s on Tuesdays that we put out each week’s issue of The Smoky Mountain News. We were all sitting in our offices, putting the final touches on the lastminute stories and aiming to kick the newspaper out the door to the printer: all in an effort to get over to Frog Level in time for a couple drinks before the shutdown hammer came down upon society. Huddled on benches and around picnic tables at the brewery, the conversation ricocheted between sophomoric jokes and serious concerns. Many of us didn’t want to face what the other side of this shutdown could look like. Who might lose their job? Could someone we know get sick with the virus and die? Is all hell going to break loose? Those deeply-held sentiments would surface in the banter, only to be erased by a laugh about the “impending zombie apoca-

lypse” and so forth. Saluting each other, we took the final gulp of our beers, placed the dirty glasses in the bin, walked out to the parking lot, wished each other well, shook hands goodbye, and simply went home. So, here we are, just about a year later. It’ll be exactly one year when you (who are reading this) have picked up the newspaper from the rack or from your mailbox to see the latest on not only the pandemic, but also where we stand as a society, whether locally or nationally — this new era of experience and purpose within the daily life of you, me, all of us. When everything closed up last March, I would sit at my desk and write, looking out onto an empty parking lot of the pizza joint next door, a silent nearby Russ Avenue that’d normally be buzzing with traffic, whether it be locals or tourists alike. Sit at the desk and let the fingertips roll across the keyboard, trying week in and week out to make sense of what we all were going through together, but apart. Luckily, I was able to continue working and writing throughout “all of this.” I’m sincerely grateful for that. But, it was hard to interview countless folks about the uncertainty of their small business or artistic profession. So many forlorn faces and voices speaking about perhaps walking away from their hard-earned careers, seeing as there were no customers to eat their food or drink their beer, nobody to come and watch them perform. Skip ahead to this week. Exactly a year later. A whole new world, with so many different ways we approach this world, in essence. Masks on before entering a building. Six feet apart from the next person in line. Hand sanitizer in seemingly every direction. Such an odd and foreign concept merely a year ago, now a part of our lives until further notice (with some practices probably here for the long haul). I sit at my desk and look out the window right now on this otherwise low-key and cloudy Sunday afternoon. The parking

arts & entertainment

This must be the place

sense of self I’ve yet to come across. The apartment I’ve inhabited for going on nine years in downtown Waynesville is different, too. First off, it’s a lot cleaner, with a lot of old junk tossed (whether physical or emotional) due to actually having time to do so (I’m never home, always on the road, normally). When I look in the bathroom mirror, there’s more grey hairs in my beard and atop my head. But, the smile and focus in the eyes of the reflection is stronger than it has been in years. When I look around my living room, there’s a shiny Gretsch Electromatic guitar on my couch. A year ago, I’d be dumfounded as to why that electric guitar would be there, let alone not even having the slightest inkling of knowledge as to how to actually play it. Now? I can’t put it down. And I can’t even imagine my life before playing the guitar, something I (by chance) picked up while living alone and in solitude during the shelter-in-place. Lately, I’ve been circling back to the melodic genius of English rockers Radiohead, back to the band’s seminal album “Kid A” (arguably the greatest musical statement of the 21st century thus far). On the Gretsch, I’ve been trying to learn the song “Optimistic” from “Kid A,” a tune that seems serendipitous (in nature and in practice) as we march into year two of whatever “this is.” Life is beautiful, grasp for it, y’all.

Smoky Mountain News 27

On the street arts & entertainment

Reggae, soul rolls into WNC Natti Love Joys.

The Haywood County Arts Council’s ‘Winter Member’s Show’ will be held through March 27 in the Gallery & Gifts showroom at the HCAC in downtown Waynesville. Original work from 24 local artisans. Free and open to the public. www.haywoodarts.org. Above: ‘Knee Deep’ by Jerry M. Stuart.

Smoky Mountain News

March 17-23, 2021

HCAC clay stamp class The “Inspired by Nature” clay stamp class with Jan Kolenda will be held from 1 to 4 p.m. Wednesday, March 31, at the Haywood County Arts Council in Waynesville. Participants will learn how to create slab patterns using handmade stamps and natural objects. All materials provided. Tools, clay, firing and glazing included. Finished work will be returned to you between 7-10 days. Maximum of eight participants. Masks are required. Cost is $45 per person. Please bring cash or a check in the amount of $45. Checks must be made payable to “Jan Kolenda.” To RSVP, call 828.452.0593. www.haywoodarts.org. • Balsam Falls Brewing (Sylva) will host an open mic from 8 to 10 p.m. every Thursday. Free and open to the public. www.balsamfallsbrewing.com.

• Water’n Hole Bar & Grill (Waynesville) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. 828.456.4750 or www.facebook.com/waternhole.bar.

• Elevated Mountain Distilling Company will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. Free and open to the public. www.elevatedmountain.com.

• Open call for artists to sell their work in the Carriage House Gift Shop at the historic Shelton House in Waynesville. For details, call 757.894.2293.

• Frog Level Brewing (Waynesville) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. Free and open to the public. www.froglevelbrewing.com.

• The “Spring Fling Market” will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. March 20 at the Canton Armory. Food onsite. Over 25 vendors. Crafts, jewelry, art, home decor, boutique, and more.

• Lazy Hiker Brewing (Franklin) will host Natti Love Joys (reggae/soul) March 20. All shows begin at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted. For more information and a complete schedule of events, click on www.lazyhikerbrewing.com. • Lazy Hiker Brewing (Sylva) will host Shane Meade (singer-songwriter) March 26. All shows begin at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted. www.lazyhikerbrewing.com.

• Nantahala Brewing (Sylva) will host semiregular live music on the weekends. Free and open to the public. www.nantahalabrewing.com. 28

ALSO:

• There will be a free wine tasting from 6 to 8 p.m. every Thursday and 2 to 5 p.m every Saturday at The Wine Bar & Cellar in Sylva. 828.631.3075. • “Uncorked: Wine & Rail Pairing Experience” will be held from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 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 www.gsmr.com.

The Natti Love Joys will perform at 7 p.m. Saturday, March 20, 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). The show is free and open to the public. For more information and a complete schedule of events, click on www.lazyhikerbrewing.com.

Haywood ‘Juried Artist Exhibit’ The Haywood County Arts Council (HCAC) is excited to announce an upcoming exhibition featuring original art from 12 local artists. The “2021 Juried Artist Exhibit” opens on April 2 and will run through May 1. Each of the exhibiting artists went through an extensive jury process to have their work in the gallery. Artists included in this exhibit: Joan Bazzel, Linda Blount, Mary Decker, Peggy Duncan, Gayle Haynie, Alice Herring, Betsy Meyer, Jennifer Sharkey, Debbie Skelly, Carolyn Strickland, Cheryl Summey, and Lisa Townsend. The “Juried Artist Exhibit” was launched in 2018 in order to feature juryselected artists who specialize in a wide variety of mediums from: oil, acrylic, clay, watercolor, forged steel, coldwax, collages,

wood, glass, fiber, jewelry, egg tempera, photography to mixed media. The Haywood County Arts Council believes that original art by local artisans can be both affordable and collectable. The exhibition is free and open to the public. www.haywoodarts.org.

Franklin art classes There will be a wide array of new and ongoing art classes offered in the coming weeks and months at the Uptown Gallery in downtown Franklin. To ensure health protocols there will be a limited number of students in each class. Covid protocols will be observed. Students need to be willing to wear a mask throughout the entire class. Do not come if you are experiencing any health symptoms. www.franklinuptowngallery.com or call 828.349.4607.

On the shelf

Want to be a Vendor? Food and Farm Vendors apply on our website!

LAUNCH PARTY W EDNESDAY

MARCH 24 AT 6:30PM

Local Author, Darryl Bollinger's Newest Book! to attend contact

darryl@darrylbollinger.com

Thomas Crowe

Virtual book launch party There will be a special virtual book launch party for the new novel, The Healing Tree, by Darryl Bollinger at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 24, which will be hosted by Blue Ridge Books in Waynesville. The plot is as follows: Justin Reeve, a scientist working for a small research lab, stumbles across a unique tree while hiking in the Smokies. His Cherokee friends identify it as a sacred healing tree, thought to be extinct and the source of a powerful, ancient remedy capable of curing fatal illness. Desperate to save his sister who is dying from breast cancer, Justin creates a medicine from the tree and secretly gives it to her. When her apparent recovery leaves doctors confused, evidence proves the healing tree is the reason. Unknown to him, a global pharmaceutical firm offers to buy the lab. Surrounded by lies and deception, Justin battles powerful foes willing to use any means necessary to protect their financial interests. With betrayal and death lurking in the shadows, Justin must carefully choose who to trust. To register for the virtual book launch party, email darryl@darrylbollinger.com.

Smoky Mountain News

wood. Knowing that Wayne Caldwell himself has heated his home with a woodstove for most of his life, I can hear his voice in Posey’s descriptions of splitting wood or wood heat as he probably was sitting near his winter woodstove as he wrote these poems with “words about a tree of life that gives/a man a big ole stack of — fireword — for his soul.” In poems with titles such as “Woodstove,” “Work,” “Woodstack,” “Knock on Wood,” “Tree Wood,” “Splinter,” “Firewood in Heaven,” “A Devil in Ever Fire,” “Striking a Cord,” “Logsplitter,” and the title poem “Woodsmoke,” we witness the work and the worry firsthand from one who knows — one Posey Green, aka Wayne Caldwell. “Stovewood here, backlogs there, kindling by the door./Skinny old Posey creates order from chaos.” But this book is not just about the act of chopping, splitting and stacking wood, but much more. Caldwell gives us in the character of Posey Green a true wisdom-keeper in the Euro-Appalachian style. “The hurrier I went the behinder I got ... /Let your tools do the work;/Lift with your legs, not your back./Gravity is your friend, long’s you’re on its up side” he states in describing the act of splitting wood. Or on a broader scale, these lines from a poem titled “May Fourteenth”: “I reckon the way this world’s a-going/When we run slap out of lightning bugs/We’ll have flat run out of hope.” Or in a poem speaking about his Uncle Howard: “He gave me words/To tote around a lifetime/And unload on some as yet unborn/ten-year-old tadpole/Hell-bent on conquering/The unbustable world.” Or on a not so humorous note: “Snuffy Smith ain’t fitten stuff for the funny papers./Most times it aint funny, and besides, there ain’t a lot of truth to it.” And again as the teacher; “The smell of a stack of green wood has weight/Relative to the heat it gives when dry.” And if all the above weren’t enough, Caldwell has woven a kind of intergenerational love story into the framework of his book with several poems written by Posey’s

March 17-23, 2021

ews flash: Buncombe County author Wayne Caldwell is also a poet! Evidenced by his just-released collection Woodsmoke (Blair Publications, Durham) we are treated to a life in the Western North Carolina mountains from the perspective of an elder gentleman who has lived, according to a multi-generational tradition, the old ways. Caldwell’s first person narrator, Posey Green, invites us into his inner sanctum and fills our minds with wisdom, stories and good fun. In Woodsmoke there is something for everyone, whether you are “from here” or not. If nothing else, this book is something of a dictionary of old sayings and Southern Mountain Writer Speech. A language in and of itself unique that is dying out fast with a few remaining elders and the baby boomer generation. I could literally fill the rest of this review simply citing the list of sayings and mountain colloquialisms I underlined in the book at first reading. Appalachian idoms such as “redding up the woodlot,” “confounded jaspers,” “jimmy-jawed,” “whipsawed,” “fotch” (fetch), “limb wood,” “in an eyeblink,” “raining go-devils,” “stove up a glut or two,” “knocked me arse over teakettle into the fence,” “wood hens” (woodpeckers), “hear bones” (ears), “colder than billy hell,” “splain” (explain), “polecats” (skunks), “thunderboomer” (thunderstorm), “ditch lilies,” “tomb rock” (gravestone), “skeeters” (mosquitos), “fat the hog,” “bangled-up front room pine (christmas tree), “a glory-be armload,” “scritched” (scratched), “hidey holes,” “a tall glass of mind-quiet” (whiskey), “lid to lid” (cover to cover). And if this aint enough, the list goes on.... The main focus for Woodsmoke is the process of and actions involved in heating one’s home with wood. As someone who has heated his home with wood heat for more than 40 years, this is the best book on heating with firewood I’ve ever read. In poem after poem we get a how-to, hands-on manual of the work involved in heating with fire-

arts & entertainment

Spilling words like a house afire

new younger neighbor named Susan McFalls who has bought the land up on the ridge above Posey’s place. This neighborly connection gives rise to back-and-forth poems in a kind of conversation that is reminiscent of the love poems between the French poet Yvan Goll and his wife Claire in the book 10,000 Dawns. In what is more of a friendship than a real romance, we still get a sense of Posey’s interest in a poem titled “One Bright Day” with Susan saying “I can live without a man,” to which Posey responds: “Miss Susan, please don’t take me wrong,/But if I had thirtyfive years less, I’d/Try my best to rid you of that notion.” And goes on later in the book in the poem “Lonesomes” to say: “But I’m glad to have a nextdoor neighbor./Not that I craved one to begin with,/But if I got to have one, Susan’s top-notch.” To which Susan then replies in her own poem: “He’s a bona fide, original,/Green-thumbed, beautiful soul./I love him like a father, I love him like a friend.” In the end Wayne Caldwell is a storyteller, as we’ve seen in his novels Cataloochee and Requiem By Fire, and Woodsmoke is poetic storytelling at its best. In the tradition of JimWayne Miller’s Brier, John Lane’s Old Rob Poems and the writings of James Still, Wayne Caldwell with Woodsmoke has written a classic which will be read and remembered, I swan, for generations to come. But James Still was an outlander to the Southern Appalachians. Wayne Caldwell is the real McCoy, or should I say, “the real Posey Green.” He ends the book with these words in “Swing Low”: “Me, I’m proud of a good day’s work,/Long’s I can cut and split and stack and burn/I’m all right. When I can’t?/Send that chariot right on down./I’ll climb in, you can give me my crown.” As an exclamation mark to that statement and to this review, I simply quote from an earlier and more emphatic phrase in the book: “Son, that’ll preach.” Thomas Crowe is a regular contributor to The Smoky Mountain News and author of the multi-award-winning non-fiction nature memoir, Zoro’s Field: My Life in the Appalachian Woods.

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Smoky Mountain News

Don Carringer poses with the winter squash harvest he brought in at Carringer Farms in Macon County. ASAP photo

‘Twice the work’ Farmers report higher-than-expected 2020 sales, but also higher costs BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER hen spring sprung in 2020, so did the Coronavirus Pandemic, forcing farmers to make life-altering decisions in the face of an unknown future. A recently published survey of Southern Appalachian farmers shows that those decisions built a reality that was better than anticipated but still full of challenges. When the pandemic hit in March, the Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project quickly sent an online survey to 935 farmers and farmers market vendors operating within 100 miles of Asheville. Of those farmers, 85 — just 9 percent — responded by the deadline four days later. Their answers to its questions painted a grim picture. A full two-thirds said they expected decreased sales, financial hardship or bankruptcy over the next year, with 80 percent reporting immediate decreases in customers, sales and incomes. Only eight farmers, or 9.9 percent, said they expected sales to increase due to the pandemic. A new survey, which opened on Oct. 29, 2020, and closed on Dec. 18, drew a higher response rate and a more optimistic vision of the future. Of 775 producers who received the survey link, 208 completed it for a response rate of 27 percent. “To be a farmer you have to be optimistic, because every year, it’s not if something’s

going to go wrong, but what’s going to go wrong this year,” said Molly Nicholie, codirector for ASAP. “Despite their fears, farmers really responded and pivoted their business models, knowing and being fearful of those different indicators we saw. So I was not surprised, but very pleased to see that really, there wasn’t a significant drop in total sales this year.”

HIGHER SALES, HIGHER COSTS Gross sales were higher in 2020 than in 2019 for 47 percent of survey respondents, while 27 percent said gross sales were about the same and 26 percent reported lower gross sales. It’s an encouraging response compared to the fears encapsulated in the spring 2020 survey but indicates a decline in growth from 2019, when a similar ASAP survey showed 57 percent of farmers reporting higher gross sales than in the previous year. While many farmers saw higher or stable gross sales in 2020 compared to the previous season, they also grappled with increasing supply costs, supply chain issues and timeintensive pivots from previous market outlets and customer outreach strategies. “A lot of what I heard anecdotally from farmers is, ‘Twice as much work to sell the same amount of product,’” said Nicholie. Many farmers in the mountain region had already diversified their sales outlets prior to the pandemic, with ASAP’s 2019 survey showing that on average respondents sold to three different market outlets. However, 49 percent of farmers in that survey said that restaurants were one of those market outlets, and restaurants sales were the hardest hit in 2020. In ASAP’s fall 2020 survey, 74 percent of farmers

reported decreased restaurant sales due to closures, downsizing and capacity limits. The proportion that said they sold to restaurants dropped down to 39 percent. “We have only sold directly to chefs for over a decade,” said one respondent. “When the lockdown was implemented we had to quickly change our growing plan, and scramble for individual direct sales with delivery.” The share of farmers selling at farm stores and stands as well as online markets increased compared to 2019, and most farmers who sold at farmers markets, farm stands, grocery stores, online, to distributors and wholesalers or through community supported agriculture and agritourism opportunities said that sales either increased or stayed the same compared to 2019. But again, said Nicholie, it’s important to consider that these increased sales came within a context of higher materials costs; production challenges related to sourcing supplies, processing animals and hiring workers; and greater-than-ever demands on farmers’ time as they sought to retool their processes and business models to be pandemic-friendly. “The sales and marketing piece of farming isn’t the part you see the pictures of, the images in the field, but it’s a huge amount of work, and often on top of all the production its really hard to put time to that,” said Nicholie.

REACHING CUSTOMERS In addition to entering new market outlets or expanding their footprint in existing outlets, farmers also had to find new ways to reach customers. In the 2019 survey, sampling products was rated as the most useful way to build customer relationships, with on-farm opportunities such as u-pick and tours coming in at number four and attending off-farm events such as food festivals and fairs at seven.

Read the report The full 17-page report from the Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project exploring how the pandemic impacted farmers is online at bit.ly/asapreport2020.

Similarly, the most useful strategy for finding new buyers was meeting them at farmers markets, with on-farm events at number four, cold calls and drop-ins at six, attending Grower Buyer meetings at seven and attending off-farm events at eight. Farmers had to adapt these strategies to pandemic life. In 2020, word of mouth from other farmers and recommendations from ASAP staff were the top two ways to find new buyers, and using social media and sharing your farm story the top two for building customer relationships. However, some of those other seemingly less pandemic-friendly options were high in the mix as well. Meeting buyers at farmers markets, hosting on-farm events, attending grower-buyer meetings, attending off-farm events and cold calls/drop-ins were in third through eighth places, respectively, for finding new buyers. Sampling products, offering on-farm opportunities and attending off-farm events came in third, fourth and sixth places, respectively, for building customer relationships.

THE SEASON AHEAD As the 2021 season begins, many questions remain, including how permanent some of the shifts farmers made to get through the pandemic — online stores, emphasis on direct sales, etc. — might turn out to be. “I think this will be another critical year where restaurant sales are still not back online and things are not back to normal in terms of our market environment,” said Nicholie. “I don’t think we’ll have the answer to that this year.” That said, it’s reasonable to guess that farms that had relied on selling large quantities of produce to restaurants prior to the pandemic would revert to that business model once the opportunity became available. Even if they have proven able to move that same amount of product through CSAs or on-farm sales, that approach takes more hands-on effort than filling larger bulk orders from restaurants. However, said Nicholie, the degree to which farms revert to their pre-pandemic normal will also depend on consumer behavior. “The farmers’ shift in markets will really depend on how does that consumer behavior change,” said Nicholie. “As people continue to purchase that CSA year after year, then maybe that’s a model that’s going to be more viable. If that is more people that make a point to stop at the farm stand on their way home from work before they go to the grocery, if we

S EE FARMS, PAGE 31

It’s farmers market time Haywood County

Haywood Historic Farmers Market, Waynesville Getting there: 8 a.m. to noon Saturdays, April 3 through Dec. 18, at 250 Pigeon Street in the parking lot of the HART Theatre. What’s happening: Local produce; meats, eggs, honey, dairy, value-added food products, heritage crafts and more for sale by 50 vendors at

Jackson County

Locally Grown on the Green, Cashiers Getting there: 2 to 7 p.m., Wednesdays from April 7 through the end of the growing season at The Village Green Commons on Frank Allen Road. What’s happening: Various vendors, all of which are required to grow or produce the products they sell within 125 miles of Cashiers. The larger radius allows each fruit and vegetable to be available for a longer period of time. Face masks and gloves required, with only one person per household allowed in at a time. One-way traffic pattern, no dogs and limited capacity. Ways to pay: Cash preferred, with some vendors accepting credit and Venmo payments. Contact: 828.743.3434 or www.villagegreencashiersnc.com.

OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

Macon County

Franklin Farmers Tailgate Market Getting there: 10 a.m. to noon, Saturdays during April, and then 8 a.m. to noon Saturdays May through the end of October, on East Palmer Street across from Drake Software. What’s happening: Variety of homegrown products, including fruits and vegetables, cheese, plants, eggs, trout, preserves, honey and artisan breads sold by an average of 25-30 vendors. Ways to pay: Cash/check. Contact: Christy Bredenkamp, 828.349.2049 or clbreden@ncsu.edu. www.facebook.com/franklinncfarmersmarket.

Smoky Mountain News

Jackson County Farmers Market, Sylva Getting there: Market held year-round at Bridge Park: April to October, Saturdays, 9 a.m. to noon; November to March, Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. A summer market at Innovation Station in Dillsboro is offered 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. Wednesdays, April to October. What’s happening: A variety of locally produced vegetables, meats, honey, plants and crafts. Plant starts, native plants, mushrooms, greens and other in-season veggies, spices, eggs, baked goods, occasional brick-oven fired pizza, goat cheese, flowers and local crafts such as pottery, soaps, jewelry, journals, toys, candles, bird feeders, note cards and more for sale by 30-35 vendors. During the COVID-19 pandemic, vendors will be spaced further apart and customers moved through to avoid congregating. Tokens will be sanitized.

The ‘Whee Market, Forest Hills Getting there: 3 to 6 p.m., Tuesdays year round at Prospect Western within The Village of Forest Hills, 113 Market Street, Cullowhee. What’s happening: Meats, eggs, various dairy products, vegetables, teas and tinctures, cut flowers, mushrooms, hot food and value-added products and crafts sold by an average of eight vendors. New vendors welcome. Ways to pay: Cash/check, with some vendors accepting credit and debit cards. Contact: Curt Collins, 828.476.0334. www.facebook.com/cullowheefarmersmarket.

Swain County

Smoky Mountain Farmers & Artisans Market, Bryson City Getting there: 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays, May through October, at 117 Island Street riverfront area in Bryson City. What’s happening: Local farmers and artisans, food truck, picnic tables, strolling musician, riverfront location with option for aquarium visit. Market offered rain or shine, with pets on leash welcome. Masks and social distancing required. Ways to pay: Cash/check. Contact: Rob Hawk, 828.488.3848 or rjhawk@ncsu.edu. www.facebook.com/swaincountyfarmersmarket.

March 17-23, 2021

the height of the season, all of whom produce their wares in Haywood or an adjacent county. Weekly live music, rotating community guest table and other events TBD pending changes to the pandemic situation. Ways to pay: Credit and debit card, SNAP/EBT benefits (including Double Up Food Bucks), cash. Contact: 828.655.5305 or haywoodfarmersmarket@gmail.com. Online at www.waynesvillefarmersmarket.com or www.facebook.com/haywoodhistoricfarmersmarket.

Ways to pay: Cash, credit, debit and SNAP benefits accepted. Double Up Food Bucks for SNAP recipients available Contact: jacksoncountyfarmersmarket@gmail.com. Online at www.facebook.com/thegloriousjacksoncountyfarmersmarket.

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pring is springing, and farmers markets are waking up around the region. Find one near you.

tion, or, conversely, reducing production. Farming in Western North Carolina — and in the United States as a whole — see that behavior change, that will certainwas fragile before the pandemic. In a ly influence what farmers choose to end series of interviews The Smoky Mountain up with as their market mix.” News conducted for a 2019 story, multiple The survey showed 42 percent of farmers who had been in the business for respondents saying that they will likely decades lamented that the price of A double rainbow arcs inputs like tractors, fertilizers and over Ten Acre Garden labor had escalated significantly since in Haywood County. the beginning of their careers, even as wholesale market prices had ASAP photo remained stagnant and regulatory burden ballooned. Given that context, it seemed almost a foregone conclusion that a massive crisis like the pandemic would knock a significant number of farmers out of business. But in response to ASAP’s survey, only 7 percent of respondents said their farm business would not be viable in 2021, with another 8 percent saying they weren’t sure at this time. Because the viability question isn’t part of ASAP’s previous annual survey, it’s difficult to compare that number against the typical turnover one might see in any industry year-to-year. “If I was going to compare those numbers to anything else, it would be adjust their business plan in 2021 as a those numbers in the spring (2020),” said result of the pandemic, with an additional Nicholie. “I think people are more opti37 percent saying that they may do so. mistic in general. We were able to make it The most common potential adjustments through 2020. We will still be able to included increasing direct and online make it.” sales, increasing or diversifying produc-

FARMS, CONTINUED FROM 30

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outdoors

Group reservation system takes effect at Whiteoak Sink A photographer frames a close-up shot in Whiteoak Sink. NPS photo

Prescribed burns planned for Cheoah, Tusquitee districts Over the coming months, the U.S. Forest Service plans to conduct six prescribed burns in the Cheoah and Tusquitee Ranger Districts of the Nantahala National Forest in Clay, Cherokee and Graham counties. These lowto-medium-intensity burns aim to create healthier, more resilient forests that are better able to support wildlife while also reducing the risk of wildfire. Planned burns in Cherokee County • Hanging Dog Campground and boat ramp, 1,000 acres.

Smoky Mountain News

March 17-23, 2021

Planned Burns in Clay County: • Fires Creek, 8,100 acres • Buck Creek, 350 acres Planned burns in Graham County: • Meeting House area, 2,100 acres. • Shell Stand/Cook Branch area, 1,100 acres • Cheoah Ranger District Office, 20 acres The dates and actual units burned will depend on weather conditions. Crews will wait for proper wind and humidity conditions to conduct the burns, and burns will occur only when environmental conditions permit. Some roads or trails may be closed to ensure safety while the burns take place. For updates, follow the National Forests in North Carolina on Facebook at www.facebook.com/nfnc or on Twitter at twitter.com/nfsncarolina.

A trial reservation system for group access to the Whiteoak Sink area in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park will go into effect for the 2021 wildflower season, April 12-30. Group leaders can make reservations at www.recreation.gov for a special park use permit to access the area with groups of eight to 12 people. Leaders can reserve a morning permit for access from 7 to 10 a.m. or an afternoon permit with access from 2 to 5 p.m. A fee of $50 is required for each permit, along with a $6 reservation fee, and these payments can be made online at the time of the reservation. Group

Help out at Elkmont A volunteer workday will offer Smokies fans a chance to give back, 9 a.m. to noon Friday, March 19, at Elkmont Campground in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Volunteers will help staff with tent pad maintenance, debris removal and leaf blowing, with tools and safety gear provided. All work will take place outdoors, with masks required where physical distancing is not possible. Volunteers must be 16 or older and wear sturdy footwear with clothing for changeable weather. Group size is limited, with pre-registration required with Adam Monroe, 828.497.1949 or adam_monroe@nps.gov.

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leaders may reserve two permits per season. Park managers have been monitoring sensitive wildflower species in the Whiteoak Sink area since 2016. During the first year, managers documented 62 plants damaged by trampling and 370 feet of new social trails created by visitors trying to view or photograph individual plants. Now, a cadre of volunteers helps to educate visitors about safe wildflower viewing, and signage helps remind photographers to remain on the trail. These efforts have reduced plant trampling by 80 percent, though social trail creation and soil com-

paction are still issues. By restricting group size and frequency, managers hope to further reduce trampling and soil compaction around sensitive plant populations. The trial period will help them determine if these measures are effective. During the trial period, groups of more than 12 people are not allowed in the area at any time, and no permits will be issued on weekends. Individuals and small groups of fewer than eight people may access the Whiteoak Sink area without a permit throughout the wildflower season. Volunteers will be available on site to provide safe-viewing information and to collect monitoring data. The Whiteoak Sink area is primarily accessed from the Schoolhouse Gap Trail between Townsend and Cades Cove. In addition to stewardship of sensitive wildflower populations, resource managers continue to be concerned about critical habitat for bats found at the same location. Since 2015, the area has been closed during the winter months to help hikers avoid interacting with bats infected with White Nose Syndrome. Unfortunately, recent monitoring has documented a dramatic decline in bat populations throughout the Whiteoak Sink area, and park officials have determined that the extremely low number of bats means that the full winter closure is no longer necessary. However, access within 25 yards of the Blowhole Cave opening is prohibited from October through May to reduce disturbance to remaining bats. Jamie Sanders, jamie_sanders@nps.gov, or www.recreation.gov.

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

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HaywoodBuilders.com 100 Charles St. WAYNESVILLE

Join the Assault on BlackRock

The grueling course starts from Sylva’s Pinnacle Park to traverse 7 miles of trail with 2,770 feet of elevation gain. Participants will climb rocky roadbeds and

a single-track trail to the 5,810-foot BlackRock summit in the spruce-fir forest topping the Plott Balsam Mountains. The point offers a nearly 360-degree view. T-shirts are guaranteed to those who register prior to March 1, and prizes will be awarded to top finishers. Anyone who completes the race in 101 minutes or less will get a belt buckle. While the race typically begins at 9 a.m., staggered start times might be necessary depending on where the pandemic stands at Canyon Woodard that point. descends the trail Registration during the 2018 is $25 in advance race. Donated photo or $30 on race day. The Student Emergency Fund proceeds will benefit SCC students who encounter unforeseen financial emergencies. Register at www.ultrasignup.com.

Go on a virtual wildflower hike with Olympian Missy Kane during an upcoming series on Wednesdays in April. Each Wednesday, Missy and Friends of the Smokies will be out on the trail exercising, enjoying the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and learning about the history, wildlife and nature found there, with a special focus on wildflowers. Registration is full for the limited in-person attendance option, but the virtual option is still available. All participants will receive hike swag, including wildflower-themed items and the opportunity to meet Kane. Learn more at www.friendsofthesmokies.org/getonthetrail.

New flower found in South Carolina A new flower species has been found in a South Carolina county bordering the Western North Carolina mountains, according to the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources. The only known population of Shealy’s saxifrage — Micranthes petiolaris var. shealyi — is located at Nine Times Preserve in Pickens County. Clemson University botanists Larry Cushman, Patrick McMillan, and Vincent Richards named the species for Dr. Harry E. Shealy, Jr., distinguished professor emeritus at the University of South Carolina, Aiken, for the significant contributions he and his wife

outdoors

The Assault on BlackRock trail race is set for Saturday, March 20, with proceeds benefiting the Southwestern Community College Student Emergency Fund.

Explore Smokies wildflowers

have had on the field of botany. Shealy is a longtime collaborator with SCDNR and a former Heritage Trust Advisory Board member. The Shealy’s saxifrage flowers from February to May where it grows along the canopy edges of mildly sloping granite out-

Shealy’s saxifrage is a white, delicate flower with yellow and red accents on the petals. Donated photo

croppings, on moss mats or within spring-fed crevices.

AVAILABLE

Volunteers with Partners of Joyce Kilmer-Slickrock Wilderness are raising money to replace mislabeled, missing and aging signs in the Snowbird area of the Nantahala National Forest, with a GoFundMe campaign now underway. “Limited resources for unnecessary rescues and an increase in hikers seeking safe places to recreate mean that it’s past time to knock this chore off of our to-do list,” reads a summary of the need on the campaign page. The signs are expected to cost about $1,600. To donate, visit bit.ly/3kK3OEB.

Waynesville location

PER MONTH

March 17-23, 2021

10’x10’

Help replace old trail signs

Keep the roads clean

Great Smokies

and are encouraged to follow COVID-19 safety guidance while out and about. Sign up at bit.ly/3c7vtez or call 919.707.297.

STORAGE LLC Call 828.506.4112

Weigh in on migratory bird seasons

greatsmokiesstorage.com

The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission is accepting input on proposed migratory bird hunting seasons for 2021-2022 through its online comment portal at www.ncpaws.org/paws/wrc/publiccomments/publiccomments.aspx. These regulations will apply to waterfowl, webless and extended falconry. Commissioners will review the comments and set season dates April 22. Learn more at www.ncwildlife.org/portals/0/proposedregulations/migratory-birds.

434 Champion Drive, Canton, NC 28716 21 Hollon Cove Rd, Waynesville, NC 28786

Smoky Mountain News

The annual Adopt-A-Highway Spring Litter Sweep is coming up April 10 to 24, and volunteers are needed to help the N.C. Department of Transportation remove litter from roadsides. The NCDOT heads a cleanup every April and September, with volunteers from local businesses, schools, non-profits, churches, municipalities, law enforcement and community groups pitching in to keep North Carolina’s roads clean. Volunteers will receive cleanup supplies such as trash bags, gloves and safety vests

outdoors

Invasive mussels found in aquarium products

Smoky Mountain News

March 17-23, 2021

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Invasive zebra mussels have been found in commercially available aquatic moss balls in North Carolina, and consumers who have purchased any such balls in the past month are urged to properly destroy them and clean their aquariums. Art Bogan, research curator of mollusks with the N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences, identified the mussels in packaging labeled “Marimo Moss Ball Plant Grab & Go” and “Mini Marimo Moss Balls” as zebra mussels. N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission biologists had purchased the moss balls from a PetSmart in Burlington. PetSmart is removing the product from their shelves but has not shared plans for disposal, while Petco confirmed that it will take the appropriate steps to remove and destroy the moss balls at all N.C. locations. Other retail outlets, including online retailers like eBay and Amazon, may still be selling contaminated moss. Smaller pet retailers should also be diligent in checking their stock. Because the packaging may be branded in several different ways, anybody who has purchased any moss balls at all in the past month — as well as retailers who stock the

product — should get rid of them. To properly dispose of the moss balls, place them in a plastic bag and either freeze them overnight, boil them or soak them overnight in a bleach solution of one cup of bleach per gallon of water. Then bag the balls and throw them in the trash. To clean the aquarium, remove fish, apply the bleach solution and let it sit for at

N.C. birds suffering from bacterial infection

biologists on alert. The Wildlife Commission recommends cleaning birdfeeders frequently with a dilute bleach solution that is no more than one part bleach to nine parts water, allowing the feeder to dry completely before refilling. “If you suspect salmonellosis, the only option is to remove the feeder completely for a period of two to three weeks,” said Wildlife Commission Biologist Greg Batts. Even after intensive cleaning, recontamination is common because bacteria shed through feces, and some birds are carriers. For this reason, it’s inadvisable to scatter birdseed on the ground, as birds can acquire the infection this way while feeding together. Pets that eat dead or dying songbirds may also be at risk of infection, as can humans who handle sick of dead birds. When disposing of carcasses, wear gloves and bury the animal or throw it in the trash after double-bagging it. Report suspected salmonellosis cases to the Wildlife Helpline at 1.866.318.2401 or by email to hwi@ncwildlife.org.

A concerning number of goldfinch and pine siskin birds have been reported dead across the state over the past few weeks, and preliminary results from carcass testing point to salmonellosis, a common bacterial disease linked to birdfeeders. Salmonellosis is often fatal in songbirds, leading the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission to recommend that people who keep birdfeeders clean and decontaminate them. Sick birds may appear thin, fluffed up, depressed, with swollen eyelids and difficulty passing waste. They are often lethargic and easy to approach. The Southeast Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study laboratory that conducted the testing has reported widespread cases of salmonellosis in the Southeastern United States. Their findings, coupled with the number of calls fielded by the Wildlife Commission and partner agencies, have put

While the products may be packaged in different ways, this brand was found to contain the invasive mussels. Donated photo

least an hour before pouring the water down the sink or toilet. Disinfect filters, gravel and structures in the same way. Wildlife Commission law enforcement agents will be visiting every retail pet store in the state with information about zebra mussels and how to deal with this potential threat.

WNC Calendar COMMUNITY EVENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS

• Spring Fling Market will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, March 20, at the Canton Armory, 71 Penland Street, Canton. There will be local vendors and food on sight. • The Jackson County Branch of the NC NAACP will hold its March meeting at 10 a.m. Saturday, March 20, online. The topic for discussion is “Critical Race Theory: A Primer.” Email jcnaacp54ab@gmail.com to receive instructions to join online. The public is welcome to join this meeting. • Fines Creek Annual Easter Dinner (Drive-thru) & Egg Hunt will begin at 1 p.m. Saturday, March 27, at the Fines Creek Community Center. Price for adults is $8. All proceeds benefit the local MANNA Foodbank. • Dillsboro will hold its Easter Hat Parade at 2 p.m. on Saturday, April 3, in downtown Dillsboro. For more information, call 828.506.8331, or visit visitdillsboro.com. • Opening Day of the Waynesville Farmer’s Market & Shelton House Easter Candy Give Away will take place from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Saturday, April 3. The Easter Bunny’s helpers from Shelton House will be at the opening of the Famer’s Market to pass out Easter Candy to all children. The Farmer’s Market will take place every Saturday from 8 a.m. to noon through Dec. 18 in the HART Theatre parking lot. • The Shelton House Museum, Barn and Gift Shop will hold Opening Day from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, May 1. The Shelton house will be open 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, withe tours offered on the hour.

BUSINESS & EDUCATION

• The Small Business Center at Haywood Community College, in coordination with Small Business Centers in the WNC Region, will offer a free three-part Small Business Tax virtual learning series featuring representatives from the North Carolina Department of Revenue. The Small Business Tax series will be held on Tuesdays, April 6, April 20 and May 4, 9:30-11:30 a.m. Visit SBC.Haywood.edu or call 828.627.4512 for additional information or to register today. • The Small Business Center at Haywood Community College is offering a free “Empowering Mountain Food Systems - Agribusiness” webinar series. The four-part series is designed to address the unique needs of current and prospective agribusinesses. Upcoming classes include Farmland Transition to be held 9-10 a.m. Friday, March 19, and Agritourism to be held 9-10 a.m. Wednesday, April 28. Interested current and prospective agriculture-based businesses and entrepreneurs are welcome to register for a single session or all four. Visit SBC.Haywood.edu or call 828.627.4512 for additional information or to register today.

VOLUNTEERS & VENDORS

• The annual Adopt-A-Highway Spring Litter Sweep is coming up April 10-24, and volunteers are needed to help the N.C. Department of Transportation remove litter from roadsides. Volunteers will receive cleanup supplies such as trash bags, gloves and safety vests and are encouraged to follow COVID-19 safety guidance while out and about. Sign up at bit.ly/3c7vtez or call 919.707.297.

Smoky Mountain News

n All phone numbers area code 828 unless otherwise noted. n To have your item listed email to calendar@smokymountainnews.com

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 www.gsmr.com.

ART SHOWINGS AND GALLERIES

HEALTH AND WELLNESS

• Gibbins Advisors is scheduling an informational online meeting open to all communities in Western North Carolina served by Mission Health. The webinar will take place at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 7. In the webinar, the IM team will discuss its role, provide an update on its work, and present the opportunity to ask questions. Those interested in participating can register at https://www.independentmonitormhs.com/register.

AUTHORS AND BOOKS

• Author Bob Plott will present his latest work, Smoky Mountain Railways, during a special drop-in book signing at 3 p.m. Saturday, March 20, at City Lights Bookstore in Sylva. Plott will also make an appearance at 2 p.m. Saturday, March 27, at Blue Ridge Books in Waynesville. • There will be a special virtual book launch party for the new novel, The Healing Tree, by Darryl Bollinger at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 24, which will be hosted by Blue Ridge Books in Waynesville. To register for the virtual book launch party, email darryl@darrylbollinger.com.

A&E

• The “Inspired by Nature” clay stamp class with Jan Kolenda will be held from 1 to 4 p.m. Wednesday, March 31, at the Haywood County Arts Council in Waynesville. Cost is $45 per person. Bring cash or a check in the amount of $45. Checks must be made payable to “Jan Kolenda.” To RSVP, call 828.452.0593. www.haywoodarts.org. • Lazy Hiker Brewing (Franklin) will host Natti Love Joys (reggae/soul) March 20. All shows begin at 7 p.m. For more information and a complete schedule of events, click on www.lazyhikerbrewing.com. • Lazy Hiker Brewing (Sylva) will host Shane Meade (singer-songwriter) March 26. All shows begin at 7 p.m. Free and open to the public. For more information and a complete schedule of events, click on www.lazyhikerbrewing.com. • Balsam Falls Brewing (Sylva) will host an open mic from 8 to 10 p.m. every Thursday. Free and open to the public. www.balsamfallsbrewing.com. • Nantahala Brewing (Sylva) will host live music semiregularly on the weekends. Free and open to the public. www.nantahalabrewing.com.

FOOD AND DRINK

• There will be a free wine tasting 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. • The “Uncorked: Wine & Rail Pairing Experience” will be held from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on select dates at the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad in Bryson City. Full

• The Haywood County Arts Council’s “Winter Member’s Show” will be held March 5-27 in the Gallery & Gifts showroom at the HCAC in downtown Waynesville. Original work for 24 local artisans. Free and open to the public. www.haywoodarts.org. • The “Inspired by Nature” clay stamp class with Jan Kolenda will be held from 1 to 4 p.m. Wednesday, March 31, at the Haywood County Arts Council in Waynesville. Maximum of eight participants. Masks are required. Cost is $45 per person. Please bring cash or a check in the amount of $45. Checks must be made payable to “Jan Kolenda.” To RSVP, call 828.452.0593. For more information, click on www.haywoodarts.org. •The “2021 Juried Artist Exhibit,” hosted by Haywood County Arts Council (HCAC), opens on April 2 and will run through May 1. The exhibition is free and open to the public. For more information, click on www.haywoodarts.org.

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

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

Group size is limited, with pre-registration required with Adam Monroe, 828.497.1949 or adam_monroe@nps.gov. • The Assault on BlackRock trail race is set for Saturday, March 20, and proceeds will benefit the Southwestern Community College Student Emergency Fund. Registration is $25 in advance or $30 on race day. The Student Emergency Fund proceeds will benefit helps SCC students who encounter unforeseen financial emergencies. Register at www.ultrasignup.com.

• “Connecting Legacies: A First Look at the Dreier Black Mountain College Archive” features archival objects from the Theodore Dreier Sr. Document Collection presented alongside artworks from the Asheville Art Museum’s Black Mountain College (BMC) Collection to explore the connections between artworks and ephemera.

• The “Spirit of the Smokies” certificate program is starting up again, offered by the University of Tennessee’s Smoky Mountain Field School. The program consists of eight sessions spread from March to November that explore everything from geology to wildflowers to first aid. All classes take place 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park unless otherwise noted. Registration is $449 per adult, with a discounted rate of $849 available for two adults. Register at http://bit.ly/3uXmmWs or call 865.974.1051 to receive the discounted rate. Space limited.

• The exhibition is on view in the Asheville Art Museum’s Van Winkle Law Firm Gallery through May 17. General admission is always free for Museum Members, UNC Asheville students, and children under 6; $15 per adult; $13 per senior (65+); and $10 per student (child 6–17 or degree-seeking college students with valid ID). Admission tickets are available at www.ashevilleart.org/visit.

• Go on a virtual wildflower hike with Olympian Missy Kane during an upcoming series on Wednesdays in April. Registration is full for the limited in-person attendance option, but the virtual option is still available. All participants will receive hike swag, including wildflower-themed items and the opportunity to meet Kane. Learn more at www.friendsofthesmokies.org/getonthetrail.

Outdoors

• The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission is accepting proposed migratory bird hunting seasons for 2021-2022 through its online comment portal at www.ncpaws.org/paws/wrc/publiccomments/publiccomments.aspx. These regulations will apply to waterfowl, webless and extended falconry. Commissioners will review the comments and set season dates April 22. Learn more at www.ncwildlife.org/Portals/0/Proposed Regulations/Migratory-Birds. • A series of horticulture classes aimed at home gardeners will be offered in the New Year through Haywood County Cooperative Extension. Upcoming sessions are Introduction to Home Food Preservation; March 18, Landscaping with Native Plants; April 13, Pruning Trees & Shrubs. Classes, taught by extension agents and experienced Master Gardener volunteers, will last for approximately two hours and be held via Zoom until face-to-face training is possible. Sign up by emailing mgarticles@charter.net. Cost is $10 per class. • A volunteer workday will offer Smokies fans a chance to give back, 9 a.m. to noon Friday, March 19, at Elkmont Campground in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Volunteers must be 16 or older and wear sturdy footwear with clothing for changeable weather.

• Registration is now open for Discovery Camp at the N.C. Arboretum in Asheville. Camps will be offered weekly from Jun 7 through July 2 and July 19 through Aug. 13. They’re open to rising second through seventh graders, who will spend the week exploring the great outdoors in the 434-acre Arboretum campus. Learn more or sign up at www.ncarboretum.org/educationprograms/discovery-camp.

HIKING CLUBS

• The Nantahala Hiking Club will take a strenuous 9mile hike on Saturday, March 20, on the Twenty Mile Trail in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The club will meet at 441 Sanderstown Park and Ride at 8:30 a.m. Call leader Katharine Brown, 421-4178, for reservations. Visitors are welcome. • The Nantahala Hiking Club will take an easy 4-mile Greenway stroll on Sunday, March 21, with a stop at Charlie’s Gazebo for beginning hikers and meditators. The club will meet at Tassee Shelter on Ulco Dr. in Franklin at 1 p.m. Call leader Deborah Gregory, 4210008, for reservations. Visitors are welcome. • The Nantahala Hiking Club will take a moderate 4.5mile hike on Saturday, March 27, to Round Mountain near Cashiers. The club will meet at Cashiers Recreation Park at 10 a.m. Call Leaders, Mike and Susan Kettles, 828.743.1079, for reservations. Visitors are welcome.

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ANSWERS ON PAGE 34

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Beverly Hanks & Associates- beverly-hanks.com

Brian Noland

KAREN HOLLINGSED

RESIDENTIAL & COMMERCIAL PROFESSIONAL

BROKER ASSOCIATE

bknoland@beverly-hanks.com

(828) 734-6222

828.734.5201 74 North Main Street Waynesville, NC 28786

828.452.5809

KHOLLINGSED@BEVERLY-HANKS.COM

74 N. Main St. Waynesville, NC

828.452.5809

Rob Roland BROKER

———————————————

(828) 400-1923

Ellen Sither

robroland@beverly-hanks.com BEVERLY-HANKS.COM

esither@beverly-hanks.com (828) 734-8305

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Billie Green - bgreen@beverly-hanks.com Michelle McElroy- michellemcelroy@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 - ellensither@beverly-hanks.com Mike Stamey - mikestamey@beverly-hanks.com Karen Hollingsed- khollingsed@beverly-hanks.com Billy Case- billycase@beverly-hanks.com Laura Thomas - lthomas@beverly-hanks.com John Keith - jkeith@beverly-hanks.com Randall Rogers - rrogers@beverly-hanks.com Susan Hooper - shooper@beverly-hanks.com Hunter Wyman - hwyman@beverly-hanks.com

• Rob Roland - robroland@beverly-hanks.com

ERA Sunburst Realty - sunburstrealty.com • Amy Spivey - amyspivey.com • Rick Border - sunburstrealty.com • Steve Mauldin - smauldin@sunburstrealty.com

Jerry Lee Mountain Realty • Jerry Lee Hatley- jerryhatley@bellsouth.net • Pam James - pam@pamjames.com

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

Lakeshore Realty • Phyllis Robinson - lakeshore@lakejunaluska.com

Log & Frame Homes - 828-734-9323 Mountain Dreams Realty- maggievalleyhomesales.com Mountain Creek Real Estate • Ron Rosendahl - 828-593-8700

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

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

remax-maggievalleync.com The Real Team - TheRealTeamNC.com Ron Breese - ronbreese.com Landen Stevenson- landen@landenkstevenson.com Dan Womack - womackdan@aol.com Mary & Roger Hansen - mwhansen@charter.net Juli Rogers - julimeaserogers@gmail.com Amy Boyd Sugg - amyboydsugg@gmail.com David Willet - davidwillet1@live.com

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WNC Real Estate Store

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• Melanie Hoffman - mhoffmanrealestate@gmail.com • Thomas Hoffman - thoffman1@me.com

TO ADVERTISE IN THE NEXT ISSUE 828.452.4251 | ads@smokymountainnews.com www.wncmarketplace.com

March 17-23, 2021

WNC MarketPlace

WAYNESVILLE OFFICE 74 North Main Street | (828) 634 -7333

Smoky Mountain News

March 17-23, 2021

Get details on any property in the MLS. Go to beverly-hanks.com and enter the MLS# into the quick search.

3BR, 2BA $169,000 | #3678659

2BR, 2BA, 1HB $239,000 | #3681754

Rickman-Osborne - 3BR, 1BA $349,000 | #3685988

3BR, 3BA $375,000 | #3679195

2HB $445,000 | #3679209

Pioneer Ridge - 3BR, 3BA $495,000 | #3690799

3BR, 3BA, 1HB $610,000 | #3695779

4BR, 1BA, 1HB $650,000 | #3655173

Sylva Vista Development - 3BR, 3BA $725,000 | #3563570

Junaluska Highlands - 4BR, 5BA $1,300,000 | #3660973

3BR, 3BA, 1HB $1,500,000 | #3698731

4BR, 4BA, 1HB $2,250,000 | #3652011

BEVERLY-HANKS.COM 40

3BR, 3BA, 1HB | $799,900 | #3656776

CALL TODAY (828) 634 -7333

Smoky Mountain News | March 17, 2021

Articles inside

Maggie Valley considers waterfall park proposal

American Rescue Plan means millions for local governments

Opinion

COVID-19 killed 189 in the four-county area

Affordable housing coming to Howell Mill Road