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March 18-24, 2015 Vol. 16 Iss. 42
New guard gains control of Haywood GOP Page 4
Jackson volunteer charged with embezzlement Page 7
CONTENTS
STAFF
On the Cover: A trademark dispute heats up in the craft beer industry between Sylva-based nano-brewery Innovation Brewing and national Michigan microbrewer Bell’s Brewery. (Page 26) Garret K. Woodward photo
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News New guard takes over Haywood GOP ................................................................4 Faculty retention at WCU on the rise ..................................................................6 Rescue squad volunteer charged with embezzlement .................................... 7 Franklin Main Street Program takes a break ...................................................... 8 Haywood considers designated smoking area ................................................11 Elections board threatens Swain County with lawsuit ..................................12 Cherokee tribe can prosecute non-Indians ......................................................15 Food truck trend traveling to Canton ..................................................................17 Ghost Town’s cross gets downgraded ..............................................................18
Opinion Hornets fan gets royal treatment ........................................................................20
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Crafting a case..........................................................................................................26
Outdoors Work starts on Bartram Trail addition..................................................................34
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Hail, hail the gang’s still here ................................................................................47
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For better or worse, a new day dawns for the embattled Haywood GOP
Haywood County Republicans gathered for their annual convention at the Canton Armory Saturday to elect party leaders for the next two years. Jonnie Cure makes a comment from the floor during a discussion over the role of precinct chairs on the governing committee. Becky Johnson photo
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March 18-24, 2015
BY B ECKY JOHNSON STAFF WRITER new guard sewed up its takeover of the Haywood County GOP at the party’s annual convention last weekend. The Republican convention was billed as the high-stakes culmination of a two-year tug-of-war for control of the Haywood GOP — pitting moderate, mainstream Republicans against a more outspoken, ideological faction. But in the end, the mainstream camp folded. They didn’t even bother putting forward a slate of candidates for executive officers, resulting in a clean sweep of the party leadership roles by the faction. “We had a show of grit today,” said Jonnie Cure, a precinct chair from Waynesville. “The old Republican guard is stepping down. The new Republicans with passion, determination and grit are stepping up.” The new guard had been fighting for control of the local party for two years. They portrayed the old guard as too passive, too establishment, too closed. The new guard, meanwhile, has been labeled as dissidents, a minority faction trying to overthrow the mainstream party leadership. “Well how about that? That little faction just took over the whole party,” Debbie King, a precinct chair from the Canton area, said tongue-in-cheek following the convention. The convention was a “slam dunk” for the new guard, according to Monroe Miller, a 4 strategic leader of the new guard.
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“It has been a long time coming, but there is a new GOP in town,” Miller reported on his blog Haywood County Toeprints following the convention. But the takeover of the party by the new guard was partly a self-fulfilling prophecy. Mainstream members subject to name calling and personal attacks disengaged from the party over the past two years — witnessed by a host of resignations among officers and precinct chairs — leaving the faction to gain more and more control as they occupied Susan Brown the vacated positions. The morning after the convention, one member of the faction known for his frequent attack emails was right back at it, even though his target had stepped down. “Find a new hobby or get a job!” replied Susan Brown, who had been the party treasurer up until the convention. “You like to spread false rumors and innuendoes accusing everyone of misconduct … Leave me alone. I have had enough.” Brown said the constant attacks made her life hell and she was relieved to be done. The men elected chair and vice chair of the Haywood GOP both pledged to try to unite the party. “I know there has been a lot of back biting. We have to come together and start working together,” said Kenneth Henson, the new party chair. “I don’t care about what hap-
pened before. We have to start new today.” Henson said the characterization of factions within the party has been exaggerated. He personally is “his own man” and isn’t in a camp. That may be why so many people asked him to serve as chair, he said. “I’ve had people for months beg me to do this,” said Henson, who ran for chair two years ago as well. But Mark Zaffrann, who was elected vice chair, said the party can now focus its energy on promoting conservative ideals under new conservative leadership. “Today allows the movement for the conservative voice to be heard without being stonewalled,” Zaffrann said. While the new guard has won control of the party, it must now prove it can be effective. It has money to raise — the party’s bank account is down to only a few hundred dollars — candidates to recruit, a cohesive message to develop, and votes to turn out in the 2016 election. “Now the real work begins,” Cure said. “I think they are ready to go,” Henson said. “It is a lot of work. But you got to do it.” Pat Carr, the beleaguered outgoing GOP chair, said she wishes the new leaders luck and success in maintaining their momentum, for the sake of Republican candidates in 2016. “I am happy to see so much enthusiasm among the group that has taken on so much responsibility,” Carr said. “It is a lot of work.” Carr and her husband, Ted, were the last to leave the convention site at the Canton armory Saturday. As the janitors made a final pass with their dust mops, Pat folded red plastic tablecloths one by one, adding them to the boxes of convention supplies Ted was carting to their truck. The party currently Mark Zaffrann has no physical headquarters. It could no longer afford the rent and was forced to close the doors after the November election. Whether the new guard makes amends with the old guard and lets them remain involved, or whether Debbie King the old guard will even want to, remains to be seen. Some of the vacated members of the old guard say they will put their energy toward the campaigns of specific candidates instead. “Every office in the state is up next year,” said Ray Warren, a member of the old guard, who plans to volunteer directly for candidates rather than through the local party.
THE LABEL CONUNDRUM The results of the Haywood GOP convention beg the question: is the new guard still a faction, even though it has taken control of the leadership? Or is the faction in fact the new mainstream? The new guard claims to speak for the 12,000 registered Republicans in the county.
The county convention was the venue and forum for all Republicans to come and lend their voice to the party’s direction. While only 80 showed up, the new guard claims their take-over of party leadership equates to a mandate. The faction claims they were never a faction at all, but rather are the real Republican Party emerging at last. “We weren’t the minority. We have always been the majority,” said King. Still, it’s difficult to say which side more closely resembles Republicans in the county. Finding the right label for the faction — a.k.a., new guard — has always been problematic. The new guard isn’t necessarily right wing or radical — at least as a whole, despite a few extremists in the mix. Nor were they a tea party faction, as some members of both camps identify with the tea party. The faction was briefly labeled as conservative ideologues or party purists, but that didn’t fit either since some are actually Libertarian sympathizers, viewing gay marriage, abortion and marijuana use as personal choices that should be neither condemned or condoned by the government — a stance that defies traditional conservative values. In the end, there was no singular catch phrase to describe the faction, no universally shared tenant that separated them from the established mainstream of the party.
RISE TO POWER
The new guard first gained a toehold in party leadership at the annual convention two years ago. A sweeping change in the bylaws that year led to a six-fold increase in the party’s governing committee — from just five or six officers to more than 30 by anointing precinct chairs as voting members of the governing board. The new contingent of cooks in the kitchen wasn’t content to be glorified volunteers, however. They wanted a hands-on role in managing party affairs. To mainstream party members, that hands-on role felt more like nitpicking, embroiling the party in petty disputes over meeting minutes and Robert’s Rules of Order. But to the newly empowered faction, the real problem was reluctance of the old guard to pull up more chairs to the table. “Some would have you believe the disagreement was the result of some sort of ‘faction’ and a bloated executive board,” Zaffrann said at the convention. At last year’s convention, the established line of the party attempted to undo the addition of precinct chairs to the governing committee, claiming it was too unwieldy and the source of strife. But it backfired. Instead, the faction called to oust Carr. The impeachment of Carr also failed, however, and Carr and the precinct chairs remained at loggerheads, making the past year a tempestuous one.
REPLAY, WITH A TWIST The battle over precinct chairs — namely whether they would remain as members of the governing committee — promised to play out once again at
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Pat Carr folds up the final table cloths at the Haywood Republican Convention Saturday, one of her last duties at the outgoing chair of the party. Becky Johnson photo
— District Attorney Ashley Welch
“dietitian” and a “nutritionist?”
ANSWER: Great question, especially since it's National Nutrition Month! I am technically a “Registered Dietitian Nutritionist”. A person who has this title must: ■ Have a college degree. (Mine is in Human Nutrition (B.S) from the University of Maryland) ■ Be accepted to and complete an internship that usually lasts 9 months to 1 year. That supplies experience working in a variety of nutrition setting including clinical, food service and community rotations. (Mine was with the U.S Army) ■ Take and pass an nationally administered board exam. ( I passed in 1996) ■ Maintain annual continuing education credits. ( I usually get at least 25 hours of continuing education per year.) In addition, I am a member of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, the world's largest association of nutrition professionals and am licensed in the state of North Carolina. A Registered Dietitian Nutritionist can call themselves a “nutritionist” but not every nutritionist is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist. Make sure you ask or check credentials.
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this year’s convention. “The party should be in the hands of the grassroots precinct leaders. It should not be in the hands of five or six people. That is old school and it is dead school,” Cure said. When a motion came to the convention floor to allow precinct members to remain on the governing committee, it was promptly met with a counter motion. In a surprising twist, the mainstream party members proposed expanding the governing committee even more — to include precinct vice chairs, too. That would have swelled the governing board to nearly 50. “Folks, put your money where your mouth is,” challenged Carr. But the counter motion to include precinct vice chairs on the governing committee came with a caveat: upping the quorum to conduct business from a quarter of the governing committee to a third. That posed a problem. Often, only a dozen members of the governing committee show up to monthly meetings. The proposal would have raised the quorum to 16. “I don’t know if we would ever make the quorum, quite frankly,” Zaffrann said.
QUESTION: What’s the difference between a
March 18-24, 2015
“Please stop all the internal fighting. It makes our party look bad. You aren’t going to like every single decision someone makes but at the end of the day we believe in the same things.”
For want of warm bodies, the governing committee wouldn’t have the needed quorum to conduct meetings. “Are you telling me we should have 12,000 Republican voters represented by less than 16 people?” countered Carr, turning the tables with the same line the faction initially used to argue for the addition of precinct chairs. Speaking from the floor, precinct chair Andrew Jackson, affiliated with the new guard, said he agreed in theory with the idea of adding precinct vice chairs. “I believe the more people you get involved the stronger the Republican Party would be,” Jackson said, adding that while there have been growing pains, the party was “working through it.” But raising the quorum was a deal killer, and the motion to add precinct vice chairs to the governing committee failed. The long-awaited showdown between the two branches of the party was a tense affair at times, but despite a few brusque comments, there were no major flare ups. The convention was not only in the local media spotlight, but was also filmed by two official cameramen — one who kept a camera trained on the crowd — plus personal video footage taken by members of the audience. Two security guards were also present, all of which may have helped motivate good behavior. During a stint of speeches by elected officials, one speaker appealed to the Haywood GOP to come together. “Republicans have got to stand together. The people in this room are not your enemies,” said recently-elected District Attorney Ashley Welch, who is known for being open and forthright, even on sensitive subjects. “Please stop all the internal fighting. It makes our party look bad. You aren’t going to like every single decision someone makes, but at the end of the day we believe in the same things.”
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WCU bucks national trend toward more part-time hires
BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER estern Carolina University has held steady on its rate of tenured and tenuretrack professors over the last decade, keeping numbers of permanent faculty that far outstrip the national average. That’s cause for celebration, said Provost Alison Morrison-Shetlar. “I think that’s a huge plus for the stability of faculty,” she said. Overall, about 75 percent of WCU faculty work there full-time, compared to an average of about 55 percent at other masters-level institutions in the United States, according to a February article in The Chronicle of Higher Education. Of full-time faculty at WCU, about 23 percent are temporary — either part-time or fulltime hires not on track for tenure — while the remaining 52 percent are permanent hires — either tenured or on a tenure track. Those numbers have held steady between 2005 and 2014, while nationally part-time hires have slacked in favor of more full-time temporary hires. “It really has a lot to do with our location in that we don’t really have a large pool to get part-time workers from,” said Tim Metz, assistant vice chancellor for institutional planning and effectiveness. The by-product is a good one, though, Metz said, because part-time faculty tend to come and go, as most of them are constantly looking for full-time employment, and because they typically have other jobs, they’re not as available to students as full-timers with an office on campus. At WCU, permanent faculty taught about 60 percent of courses in 2013-14, a slight decrease from the 67 percent they taught in 2009-10 — Metz attributes this to growing pains from increased enrollment — but the proportion of courses taught by full-time faculty has held steady between 2008 and 2013 at 86 percent. The Chronicle article did not provide national averages on this metric. WCU also boasts a higher proportion of permanent faculty than the nation as a whole. According to the Chronicle, 39 percent of faculty at masters-level colleges are permanent, while that number is 55 percent at Western. Bruce Henderson, a veteran professor in the psychology department, is pleased to see those numbers. He believes the use of non-tenure track faculty in the academic world is a “serious problem,” and he’s written about the issue before. Though they’re cheaper to hire, he said, “Adjunct faculty don’t get the chance to do the kind of scholarship that I think is central to being a good teacher, being a good provider of service to the community. You need time to do the reading required to keep up with your field and do research in your field. Adjunct and contingent faculty are often not given those opportunities.” Gurney Chambers, a WCU alumnus who retired in 2006 from a 40-year career with the university, sees the numbers as a continuation of his university’s commitment to students. “We are student-oriented, and as long as I have been associated with the university, that 6 has been my perception of it,” he said.
Nowhere else to be
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March 18-24, 2015
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students over university reputation, and he found meaning in working with the type of students Western attracted. “It attracted a lot of first-generation college students, and I was one of those,” Chambers said. “They were teachable, they were on the whole polite and they were very appreciative of you helping them to learn.”
REASON TO GO
As enrollment at Western Carolina University increases, so is faculty loyalty, a university report said. The average age of university faculty is increasing, and the proportion of permanent employees far outstrips the national average. WCU photo
Aging WCU faculty points to job satisfaction, university says BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER hen Bruce Henderson first came to Western Carolina University back in 1978, he was just happy to have a job. The market was tight when he finished his Ph.D. at the University of Minnesota, so he took what he was offered. Within a couple years, he figured, he’d be able to move somewhere more notable than the little college in Cullowhee. “I went to the kind of graduate schools where the expectation was you would go and work at a major research university, and that’s certainly what my advisors in graduate school thought would come of me,” the psychology professor said. “But that’s not what happened.” Thirty-seven years later, Henderson’s still at WCU. He fell in love with the university’s focus on students, with the flexibility it offered his research — instead of spending years “dig[ging] a hole deeper and deeper into the same issues,” he’s had a “very varied career” — and with the mountain community. The scenery and safety made it the perfect place to raise his family. “Whenever I would apply for jobs, my wife would say, ‘Why are you applying for jobs? I don’t want to go anywhere else,’” he said. Henderson isn’t alone.
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REASON TO STAY Over the last decade, the average age of WCU’s faculty has risen from 48 among permanent — meaning tenured and tenure-track — faculty in the 2005-06 academic year to nearly 51 in 2013-14. Meanwhile, the proportion of tenured fac-
ulty has increased since 2005 as that of tenure-track faculty has decreased. “It means that we are retaining faculty,” said Alison Morrison-Shetlar, university provost. “They are happy. They are getting what they need.” The statistics don’t surprise Gurney Chambers, former professor and dean in the College of Education and Allied Professions. Chambers, who retired in 2006, first came to WCU as a student. When he got an offer to teach after completing his graduate degree, he didn’t hesitate to accept. His time at Western had meant a lot to him, and he wanted to pay it forward. “I was just an 18-year-old boy of indeterminate potential from a dirt-poor fatherless family in Wilkes County,” Chambers said. “Western convinced me that I could be more than I ever thought I could be, and it gave me the tools and desire and self-confidence to realize my potential. That’s a heck of a gift.” Coming back as a professor, Chambers appreciated the university’s emphasis on
The proportion of permanent to temporary faculty at Western Carolina University has remained fairly steady between 2005 and 2013, but the share of tenured faculty is increasing while the share of tenure-track faculty is decreasing. WCU graphic
There’s no doubt that the professors interviewed for this article love their school, or that the campus culture and mountain scenery are huge parts of why they stayed. But they might not have all agreed with Morrison-Shetler’s statement that, “While salaries might not be increasing, there’s job satisfaction because there’s opportunity for growth as an individual.” To the contrary, Henderson said, “If I were 20 years younger, I would be doing everything I could to get out of here, and I’m not talking about Western or Cullowhee. I’m talking about the university system.” The money is part of it — “we haven’t had a meaningful raise in eight years,” Henderson said — but he’s also upset by the state’s increased emphasis on vocational and career-specific training. He fears it could come at the expense of liberal arts programs that have historically been Western’s mainstay. “My attitude is we need to be preparing students for their third or fourth jobs, and we don’t do that with narrow vocational education,” he said. “Some of the rhetoric I hear at the state level is scary.” Mary Byrnes is one of those younger professors who found good reason to leave Western. Starting up as a sociology professor for her first job out of grad school, Byrnes worked for WCU from 2009 to 2011, when she moved back to her hometown of Detroit to teach at Marygrove College. It wasn’t an easy choice. “I’ve been to other places, and it’s very rare to have that kind of close-knit faculty, and it was very hard to walk away from,” Byrnes said of Western. “It was the hardest decision I’ve ever
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BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER fter allegedly depositing money meant to purchase emergency rescue equipment in a personal account, Cullowhee resident Addam Carl Holdorf, 21, is free on $20,000 bond. Holdorf, a member of the all-volunteer Jackson County Rescue Squad, was arrested March 4 following investigation of a paper trail that started in November 2014, according to a search warrant. That’s when the Rescue Squad, with which Holdorf served as treasurer and secretary, put in an order for $6,320 worth of equipment from Addam Carl Holdorf Winchester, Virginia-based Interstate Rescue, the warrant said. The company’s owner, Brian Gallamore, contacted Holdorf twice requesting payment, but by Jan. 23, the warrant said, he still hadn’t received it. Gallamore called Jackson County Emergency Management. “Immediately, I then turned it over to the Jackson County
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Sheriff ’s Department,” said Emergency Management Director Todd Dillard. Dillard, who coordinates with emergency response units in Jackson County but does not have authority over them, said he’s never seen a problem before in Jackson County with volunteers taking money. When Shane Burrell, then chief of the rescue squad, dove into the organization’s records, he found that a check for $6,700 had been written to Interstate Rescue on Nov. 18, 2014, the warrant said. Calling the bank that had received the check, Gallamore found it had been electronically deposited into a personal account. “My understanding is … there’s not a person watching that check,” Burrell said. “All it’s looking for is the routing number on the bottom of the check.” The day after learning about the missing money, Burrell said, Holdorf was suspended from the squad. Employees at the Navy Federal Credit Union asked Gallamore the name of the person he’d been dealing with, and when he gave Holdorf ’s name, the warrant says, “the representative told him he needed to contact the police.” The bank’s financial crimes unit later told Det. John Buchanan that Holdorf ’s name was the one on the account. Searches of Holdorf ’s apartment and bank records led investigators to arrest Holdorf on one count of felony embezzlement for allegedly taking a total of $6,880. “There was actually another check that had had slipped through that was for a lot lesser amount,” Burrell said, explaining the higher amount listed on the arrest warrant. Holdorf had been a volunteer with the rescue squad for several years and was just appointed to the secretary/treasurer position in September, about two months before allegedly
writing the check to Interstate Rescue, Burrell said. “This wasn’t something that occurred over a long span of time,” Burrell said. “This pretty much immediately happened.” Though some volunteer stations require their treasurers to be bonded, the Jackson County Rescue Squad does not. It does, however, go above and beyond the regulations for volunteering, which simply require that volunteers be clear of felony convictions, Burrell pointed out. Volunteers undergo yearly drivers license checks as well as background checks for felonies and misdemeanors.
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Rescue squad volunteer charged with embezzlement
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Holdorf had been a volunteer with the rescue squad for several years and was just appointed to the secretary/treasurer position in September. Burrell stepped down as chief in February after affairs were straight on the rescue squad’s end, mainly due to the immense workload the situation brought with it — during January, he said, he worked about 40 hours a week at the rescue squad in addition to his full-time job. Charles Blackburn is the new chief. “I’m a volunteer and it ate up pretty much that entire month,” Burrell said. “That whole month we were auditing and trying to figure things out. I didn’t get to see my family, my son very much during that month. It was a big burden.” Holdorf ’s court date is May 19.
Age makeup of tenured faculty, by year
CHANGES AND STATUS QUO
March 18-24, 2015
In comparison to the 40 years that Chambers taught at Western, those two years Byrnes spent in Cullowhee are just a blip on the radar. When asked about budget cuts and salary stagnation, Chambers said they were perennial issues. The things faculty members gripe about now are the same things they complained about when he first came on the payroll. “For as long as I was associated with the university, salaries was always a concern. Not enough money for professional development was always a concern,” Chambers said. “There were periods when we had more money to pursue those areas than we have at present. It is a difficult time not just for higher education but for all areas of society right now.” The pendulum swings. But not always back to the same place it started. Western has evolved wildly since Chambers first walked on as a freshman to a campus of just over 1,000 students. “Today we have over 10,000 students with a broader array of academic programs,” he said. “It’s far more comprehensive of an institution than it was in the early days of employment.” But while the university’s letting more students in, it’s also attracting a higher caliber of student, a more diverse range of students. Chambers feels that Western’s been able to do that without sacrificing the studentfocused attitude. “Western asks students, ‘How can we help you improve your life?’ rather than ‘How will our accepting you enhance our status in the broader academic community?’” Chambers said. “I like that. It’s the same beautiful, caring place that it was when I was a student.” 7
The average age of tenured faculty at Western Carolina University has increased between 2005 and 2013 while that of tenure-track faculty hasn’t changed much. WCU graphic
— Gurney Chambers, former professor and dean in the College of Education and Allied Professions
made, to leave WCU.” She began considering the switch in 2010, when faculty layoffs began in the wake of state budget cuts. Byrnes asked her department chair if she should be worried about her own job. “She was like, I don’t have an answer for you,” Byrnes recalled. A poll of her academic contacts brought a clear consensus: start applying for jobs. It was late in the application season, but a job in her hometown popped up, and she got an offer. It was tempting. Byrnes’ research was focused in Detroit, where her new college would be, and WCU had limited travel funds. Plus, there was the whole issue of job security
and the draw of a hometown. Still, she said, she liked Western, and she didn’t want to leave. She explained the situation to her dean, hoping to work out some kind of deal. A lighter teaching load, a little extra travel money, perhaps a bump in salary. But the dean, she said, didn’t offer her anything. “I wasn’t asking for a $10,000 raise or anything,” she said. “It would have put me in a bad position had I stayed after that because it would be like, ‘You can just take advantage of me and I’ll be OK.” Still, Byrnes said, she remembers WCU fondly, still sometimes wondering if she made the right choice. It’s not surprising that a lot of people have stayed as long as they have.
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“Western convinced me that I could be more than I ever thought I could be, and it gave me the tools and desire and self-confidence to realize my potential. That’s a heck of a gift.”
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Franklin Main Street Program takes a break Town agrees to keep festivals going
BY J ESSI STONE N EWS E DITOR ithout much warning, the Franklin Main Street Program board of directors decided last week to suspend the program. The board voted to place the program in “inactive status” for the time being until it could regroup and reorganize. The decision comes after several years of criticism regarding the program’s priorities and effectiveness. “At this point, I feel it would be the right time for the board to step back and assess how it wants to proceed,” said board member Sissy Pattillo in a press release. “I have been involved with the Franklin Main Street Program since it became active again. If you look where we were and where we are now, we have made great strides.” Franklin Town Manager Summer Woodard, who serves as a town liaison on the board, said she felt like the board members were all on the same page after their discussion. As for whether the board will continue to meet in order to plan for the future, Woodard said that would be up to the board. “I have very mixed feeling about it,” said Joyce Handley, a town alderman and Main Street Program board member. “I hope it won’t be long before we can get back up.” She said the states’ Main Street Program required them said to do a variety of things that she doesn’t think the organization is set up to do. Handley said board members plan to continue to meet as needed to come up with a plan. In the meantime, projects already in the works, including improving sidewalks, will continue as planned. She said one possible solution might be to change the name of the organization, get out from under the state structure and come up with a structure that works better for downtown Franklin. Another problem was that many board members had served for 10 years while others kept resigning from the board because they became frustrated by the stagnant situation. Handley said she hoped more people with fresh ideas would get involved in the next phase. “Everyone was getting tired and frustrated — that’s typical everywhere,” she said. Woodard said having an inactive status was not the same as dissolving the program completely. “We didn’t want to dissolve it — we just need to take a step back and refocus and regroup,” she said. Dissolving the program would mean forfeiting the organization’s nonprofit status, but state requirements allow Main Street programs to become inactive for any amount of time. Woodard said the group could choose 8 to be inactive for six months or six years.
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March 18-24, 2015
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Suzanne Harouff, owner of Books Unlimited in downtown Franklin, said she hoped it was sooner than later for the sake of downtown merchants. “Not being a member of the board, I’m not sure why they came to that decision,” she said. “I attended the annual workshop in February and my understanding was they were moving forward as always — trying to get their plan together.” Harouff said she was disappointed about the decision to go inactive because of all the hoops the town had to jump through to get the Main Street Program reinstated in 2005. “I hate to see all that hard work not being carried on, but we’ll survive like we always have,” she said. “But there was an advantage to having it and having some organization that had structure to help keep us alive. We’re struggling just like other main streets.” Woodard said the Main Street Program had accomplished a great deal since being reinstated, including a downtown master plan, beautification efforts, new signage and organizing many downtown festivals. “While this program has done many good things, it has become apparent that we need to take a breather and regroup,” said board member Ken Murphy in a press release. “It is the expectation of the remaining board members that the Main Street Program be revisited in the future and become active again.” Woodard said the Main Street Program board also expressed great concern over
The Franklin Main Street Program, which has helped organize events and complete beautification projects downtown, will go into an ‘inactive’ mode until the board can reorganize and plan new priorities. File photo
“From the beginning of our discussions, Mr. Angel’s advice was to have a backup plan for a worst-case scenario such as this,” Woodard said. “I want to personally assure the town’s many merchants and restaurants that the Town of Franklin will see that these events take place and that they continue to grow.” Mayor Bob Scott had warned the Main Street Program board back in September that it needed to get back to the four main principles of the pro• Organization gram or the town might consider cutting its funding. Scott and some mer• Promotion chants felt at the time that economic development and promotion princi• Design ples were being ignored while the • Economic development board focused on beautification and event planning. The North Carolina Main Street program helps Scott said he didn’t think the procommunities restore economic vitality to their gram becoming inactive, especially historic downtowns. Using a comprehensive with the town taking over the festivals, downtown revitalization process developed by would impact merchants or the public. the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Main “I don’t think anyone will be able Street encourages economic development while to tell a difference,” he said. “We have also offering historic preservation. things lined up as usual except we’ll have more town staff to do it. The only difference is the money will be coming out of a different pot.” the fate of Franklin’s downtown festivals Funding for festivals has typically come and the impact on the town’s merchants from the town anyway. As a nonprofit organand restaurants. The town is willing to ization, the Main Street Program relied on accept the responsibility of hosting the private and public donations. four standing events — Fourth of July, Woodard said the program has been a Pumpkin Fest, Veterans Day and Winter part of the town’s budget since it was reinWonderland. stated. The town gives about $90,000 a year In September 2014, the town contracted to the nonprofit with about $19,000 specifiwith Tony Angel to serve as a consultant to cally earmarked for festivals. The Main the Main Street Program after the former Street Program board agreed to return that program director Linda Schlott retired from allocated money from 2014 to the town. the position.
Four principles of the N.C. Main Street Program
“From the town’s perspective, festivals and events are crucial to the economic vitality of the town and Franklin in general, especially tourism,” Woodard said. “I’m glad the town can step up and fill that void.” Scott said he understands the board’s decision to regroup. Just as running a town has changed over 20 years, the Main Street Program can’t continue to operate like it has for the last 20 years. He said the partnership between the town and the program should also be examined — specifically, should taxpayer money go to fund a nonprofit organization or should it be independent? “Everything will be alright,” he said. “I think some good will come out of it.” Larry Hollifield, owner of American Computer Sales and a former Main Street Program board member, said he didn’t think the decision would hurt downtown merchants as long as the town picks up the festivals. “If the board felt it was being ineffective, going inactive is right thing to do,” he said. He said the program could benefit more by reorganizing and focusing efforts toward all the program’s goals. But even without the program, Hollifield said, the downtown merchants will continue to work together to bring more people to Franklin. “There’s 10 to 12 merchants throwing a St. Patrick’s Day celebration,” he said. “We didn’t ask for money and help — we just all chipped in and did our own thing.” The next step in the process will be to forward a letter of the Franklin Main Street Program’s intent to Liz Parham, state director of the Department of Urban Development, which oversees the Main Street Programs throughout the state.
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BY J ESSI STONE Commissioner Kirk Kirkpatrick said he N EWS E DITOR has generally been an opponent of establishaywood County commissioners aren’t ing a smoking ban, but after walking through convinced a designated smoking area clouds of smoke in front of the courthouse, he is needed after receiving little feedback realizes it’s a problem. on proposed changes to the county’s tobacco “But the problem is it’s become an use policy. infringement on other people,” he said. “It’s The proposed changes include banning hard not to recognize this is something we the use of all tobacco products on county need.” property and were introduced to solve the Kirkpatrick said he was afraid smokers problem of litter and cigarette smoke in front would migrate over to the other side of the of the historic courthouse and justice center street and on downtown sidewalks if the in Waynesville. county didn’t designate a place for smoking. Haywood County farmer Don Smart was “That’s not something we should do to the the only person to speak at the public hear- town of Waynesville,” he said. ing. He told commissioners that he never thought he might be arrested or fined for using smokeless tobacco while coming to the courthouse to pay his taxes. “I can’t believe you’re outlawing smokeless tobacco — there’s no secondhand harm in that,” he said. He said not allowing any tobacco products at the fairgrounds would become a problem with the tractor and truck Don Smart, a Haywood County farmer, speaks in opposition to a pulls hosted there. He said it also would be difproposed a smoking ban on county property. Becky Johnson photo ficult to enforce, as the containers used for smokeless tobacco also Waynesville Mayor Gavin Brown hold other products. There is also tobacco- addressed commissioners to discuss the free snuff to consider. town’s proposed tobacco use policy, which “I think people who smoke need a desig- would ban smoking within a 50-foot radius of nated spot and I hope smokeless tobacco any public entrance in commercial districts. folks will be left alone,” Smart said. The policy mirrors the policy adopted by Commissioner Kevin Ensley clarified that Canton last year. the fairgrounds were not included in the pro“Ours is a little stronger than yours — it posed ordinance. outlaws tobacco in commercial areas,” he Commission Chairman Mark Swanger said. asked if commissioners wanted to discuss He said the town’s proposed ordinance whether to have a designated smoking area. He didn’t designate any smoking areas and he said Superior Court Judge Bradley Letts wrote a didn’t think it would be something the town letter in support of the smoking ban but asked board would look at doing. that an area be designated for smokers. As for enforcement, Brown said he thinks Ensley said people could still smoke in the shop owners would be the main enforcers their car in the parking deck. of the ordinance with assistance of the town’s “I’m allergic to smoke … my sinuses code enforcement officers. become inflamed and I’m asthmatic too so I “If that doesn’t work, we can step it up,” guess I’m not really sympathetic to smokers,” he said. “The sheriff doesn’t stop everyone he said. from speeding down the highway, but you let Swanger said he was still concerned hav- them know it’s an offense.” ing a designated spot could place defendants Swanger asked County Manager Ira Dove and plaintiffs in the same area together. to talk to Canton Town Manager Seth “That could be volatile. It may not be a Hendler-Voss to see if the town has had any wise course of action,” he said. unintended consequences from passing the Commissioner Bill Upton said he dealt ordinance. with this issue at Pisgah High School when The commissioners will likely vote on the the campus was declared tobacco-free. He policy amendment at their next meeting — said students would find a place to smoke — currently scheduled for 9 a.m. April 6 at the including the bathrooms. historic courthouse.
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ney for the retirement system, Lay determined Weeks was a part-time employee from 1983-1992 and not eligible for county retirement benefits. According to her W-2 records, Lay said, Weeks worked fewer than 1,000 hours a year until 1990. It wasn’t until 1992 that she consistently worked more than 1,000 and became eligible for the county’s retirement benefits. Kim Westbrook Strach, the current state board of elections director, sent the Swain Board of Elections a letter in July 2014 with a somewhat different opinion than Bartlett. She urged the county and the local board to reach a mutually acceptable agreement, but she said the decision on whether to purchase retirement time for a former part-time county elections director directly belonged to the county. “Director Weeks is not only known for her excellent work in Swain County, but she is also respected statewide and often acts as a mentor for other less experienced county directors,” she wrote.
John Herrin, chairman of the Swain County Board of Elections, hands out information to the county commissioners regarding pay and benefits for Elections Director Joan Weeks. Jessi Stone photo
EMPLOYEE WAGES
Elections board threatens Swain with lawsuit
Smoky Mountain News
March 18-24, 2015
BY J ESSI STONE N EWS E DITOR “We’re not on trial here,” said Swain Commission Chairman Paul Carson. But the commissioners’ meeting room did feel more like a courtroom once Board of Elections Chairman John Herrin took a seat in front of the board last week and laid out all of the paperwork to prove his case. Herrin has three grievances with the county — he claims the county needs to retroactively fund retirement benefits for Elections Director Joan Weeks, increase wages for board of elections employees and grant autonomy to the board of elections. “I’m not here today to hunt heads,” Herrin said as he prepared his documentation to present to the board. “I’m here to be a conduit for understanding and to bring about resolution to ongoing issues that have been going on at least since 2002.” A week before the meeting, commissioners and members of the press received a hefty package of documents via certified mail outlining the board of elections’ claims. Herrin asked each commissioner individually if they had received the packet and if they had any other questions. “We got your packet,” Carson said. “The only question I have is who paid for this?” Herrin said the cost came out of the board of elections’ budget. “So taxpayers paid for it,” Carson said. “I needed assurance you received it,” Herrin replied. Herrin said the board of elections voted unanimously to pursue a resolution with the 12 county after numerous attempts to have the
issue resolved. He said if the county doesn’t agree to pay the retirement earnings owed to Weeks, the next course of action would be to take it to court. “Unless I can get satisfaction here from the county, I’ll approach the state election board and, with a majority vote, have them take it into consideration,” he said. “The attorney general will represent us to sue or satisfy the claim.” The main point Herrin tried to get across was that local boards of election are a subunit of the state Board of Elections and not a county government department. The North Carolina General Assembly established local boards of election in July 1981 and mandated county governments to fund their budgets.
RETIREMENT PAY Weeks has been the board of elections director since 1983 but wasn’t enrolled in the county’s retirement plan until 2002, when it became a full-time position. County Manager Kevin King said the county’s policy at the time was that part-time employees weren’t eligible for the retirement plan. A part-time employee was defined as anyone working less than 1,000 hours a year, which equals out to about 23 hours a week. Herrin said the state didn’t distinguish between part-time and full-time status for elections directors and that his documentation would prove the director was due her retirement since the day she started. “Either through ignorance or oversight, she was omitted from benefits she was supposed to get — I don’t think you can argue
with that,” he said. Herrin then asked commissioners how long they were aware of the problem. Commissioner Steve Moon said he was aware it had been a longstanding problem for at least eight years. Carson said he knew about it since 2006. Commissioner David Monteith became agitated by Herrin’s prodding questions and refused to answer. “I’m here to listen to you give a report,” he responded. Herrin said the board of elections had attempted to reach a resolution for several years without any official action taken by commissioners, which is why he felt it necessary to send out the packets and write a demand letter to the county.
By the numbers Board of Elections director salary/population comparisons in Western North Carolina Swain....................................$40,609/14,000 Cherokee .............................$43,831/28,570 Graham ..................................$33,800/8,861 Haywood ..............................$61,469/59,000 Jackson................................$58,330/40,919 Macon ..................................$39,222/34,459 Gary Bartlett, former State Board of Elections director, wrote a letter in 2009 urging commissioners to calculate Weeks’ retirement based upon wages earned from her initial employment in 1983 until the present. Weeks sent a form to the North Carolina Retirement System to get an estimated cost of her retirement claim. As of 2013, the estimated claim was $76,497 for 7.5 years of service. County Attorney Kim Lay responded to commissioners with her legal opinion on March 27, 2009. After researching Weeks’ W2 forms and discussions with the state attor-
Herrin also claimed Swain’s board of elections’ director and employees are underpaid when compared to other counties in North Carolina. “She (Weeks) is right now on the low side of average,” he said. “She is the second longest serving elections director in the state— she has more experience than directors in 98 other counties.” According to county documents, Weeks is paid $40,609 and the deputy director makes $24,608. The county’s population is just above 14,000 and the number of registered voters is 9,930. When looking at other counties in the region, Weeks’ salary does fall slightly below the average. However, her salary is in line with other counties with similar populations. For example, Chowan County has a population of 14,726 and pays its director $36,802. Commissioners argue that other counties in the region — like Haywood and Jackson — have a much higher population. Herrin said population was only a small factor when looking at the regulatory duties that must be carried out by a director. “We have the same responsibilities as Wake County,” he said. “If you give every raise (recommended by the board of elections) it wouldn’t be a windfall — it would only get them up to current standard.” Herrin referred to Gilbert v. Guilford County — a case in which the elections director of Guilford County sued the county for being underpaid. Gilbert was awarded about $39,000 because the courts found his salary did not comply with state statutes. The law requires the election director’s salary to be commensurate with the salaries of directors in counties with similar populations and registered voters.
AUTONOMY Herrin’s last assertion was that the local board of elections should have the ability to self-govern without the
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“Either through ignorance or oversight, she was omitted from benefits she was supposed to get — I don’t think you can argue with that.” — John Herrin, chairman of the Swain County Board of Elections
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interference of county commissioners. The law mandates that the board of commissioners fund local boards of elections. Herrin said as long as the election board’s budget requests are reasonable and can be justified, the commissioners do not have the authority to amend the budget request. “The board of elections can submit a budget for review by the county. If it was found unreasonable, you can’t amend it without my approval,” he said. “We can override your budget amendment as long as I present reasonable costs in the budget — that’s the end of it.” King said he directed a few questions to Kara Millonzi with the School of Government at UNC Chapel Hill and received a reply regarding budget appropriations. Millonzi said it is ultimately up to the commissioners to determine the elections’ budget each year. However, the law requires the board of commissioners to “appropriate reasonable and adequate funds necessary for the legal functions of the county board of elections, including reasonable and just compensation of the director of elections.”
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While Herrin said the 200 pages of documentation should make it crystal clear for the county, Commissioner Danny Burns said there were still plenty of gray areas to be examined as he looked it over. “We’ll definitely seek help from our counsel — it’s above some of our heads,” he said. Herrin said he didn’t expect a vote on anything that night and wanted to give commissioners time to absorb all the information. He said he wanted to be placed on the next meeting agenda and expected an official vote at the next meeting. Carson said he couldn’t promise the issue would be voted on at the next meeting but said commissioners would look into the matter.
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In documentation given to commissioners, King outlined how much the board of elections budget was each year and how much funding the department had left over at the end of the year. The elections board has had leftover funds every year since 2005. In 2005-06, the elections board spent only $93,315 of its allocated $141,786 budget — leaving about $48,000 remaining. In 2012-13, the board of elections had $30,663 left over in its $200,032 budget and last year $11,987 was left over in its $192,315 budget. Herrin said the board of elections staff shouldn’t have to “jump through hoops” every time they need an ink cartridge or an air filter. — King said the elections board could get the supplies it needs by presenting a purchase order to the finance officer per county policy. Millonzi backed up that statement by saying that the local board of elections is treated as a county department for the purposes of budgeting and must follow county budgeting policies, including policies for credit card use and supplies.
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New Haywood animal shelter on the fast track Fairgrounds proposed as likely location BY B ECKY JOHNSON STAFF WRITER he Haywood County Fairgrounds is being eyed as the possible site for a new county animal shelter. The fairgrounds was identified as a potential site by county leaders unbeknownst to the Haywood County Fair Board, who may have reservations about whether it’s compatible. Commissioner Mark Swanger said the site would be ideal, however. It is centrally located, flat, has water and sewer, no immediate neighbors and most importantly, the county already owns the land, Swanger said. A public hearing on the proposed location will be held at 5:30 p.m. Monday, April 20, at the historic courtroom in Waynesville. Animal advocates pitched the idea of a new shelter to county commissioners late last year. Commissioners endorsed the idea in concept, and it has since moved ahead rapidly. The county has not only chosen a potential site, but also hired Waynesville architect Randy Cunningham of Mountain Designs to begin schematics. The new animal shelter would be bigger and more modern than the current utilitarian, concrete-block shelter, which dates to the 1980s. The shelter needs more space, according to Haywood County Animal Control Director Jean Hazzard, despite a 35 percent decline in the number of animals coming through the shelter now compared to three years ago. The cost is unknown — it depends on the size, the design and final site. It would likely be more then $2 million, however. County leaders have cited a $1.1 million animal shelter built in Transylvania County last year, but added that Haywood’s would be bigger than that. How much of the cost county taxpayers would foot is also unknown. A funding campaign by Friends of the Haywood County Animal Shelter will raise a portion of the cost. Commissioners have postulated that donors will step up, but likewise, have indicated the county stands ready to contribute. “Haywood County has a demographic that would support this project. We have a lot of retired people and most of them have animals,” Swanger said.
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Tribe gains ability to prosecute non-Indians P
The new Cherokee Justice Center, which includes a jail, will open at the end of the month, but the Bureau of Indian Affairs will have to modify its guidelines before Cherokee can start housing non-Indians there. For the time being, non-Indians will likely serve time in the Swain County jail, with which Cherokee contracts. The new rules will also include an appeals process to federal court. “If somebody gets charged with domestic violence in our court system, they have the right to ask the chief District Court judge to hear the case,” Boyum explained. As to whether the Cherokee courts will have to up their staff to accommodate the new rule, Boyum has no idea, because there aren’t any numbers on how frequently these kinds of crimes happen on the Qualla Boundary. “Who knows how many cases we’ll have, because we don’t have any statistics to go
“It’s a foot in the door to full jurisdiction over everybody who is on Indian trust property, the Qualla Boundary. If you have people that come on your property and you can’t prosecute them in your own court system, that’s not fair. It doesn’t happen anywhere else in the world except on Indian reservations.” — Bill Boyum, Chief Justice of Cherokee Supreme Court
out, as well. For instance, once a non-Indian is tried and convicted, where will he serve his jail time? “At some point in time they’ll probably go in our jails, but I don’t think that time is here yet,” Boyum said.
by,” Boyum said. “I guess we’ll just have to play it by ear.” This new authority is something to applaud, Boyum said, but he doesn’t want to see the tribe’s ability to prosecute nonIndians end with domestic violence crimes.
“It’s a foot in the door to full jurisdiction over everybody who is on Indian trust property, the Qualla Boundary,” he said. “If you have people that come on your property and you can’t prosecute them in your own court system, that’s not fair. It doesn’t happen anywhere else in the world except on Indian reservations.” That’s why Native American leaders have been working for the past decade to make these changes happen. Chief among Cherokee’s activists has been Terri Henry, Tribal Council chairwoman and former cochair of the National Congress of American Indians’ Task Force on Violence Against Native Women. “The erosion of tribal government authority to address crimes committed by all persons within their jurisdictions, coupled with a shameful record of investigation, prosecution and punishment of these crimes by federal and state governments that do have jurisdiction, allows criminals to act with impunity in Indian country. This perpetuates an escalating cycle of domestic violence in Native communities,” Henry, who did not respond to a request for an interview, wrote in a 2012 op-ed for takepart.com. The VAWA reauthorization will be a big step toward righting some of those wrongs, tribal leaders say. “We’re not exactly there yet,” Henry said during the March Tribal Council meeting, “but we’re getting there.” “The reservation has a tendency to attract some kind of wackos because they know they can’t be prosecuted in tribal court,” Boyum, said. “As long as they can stay under the radar and commit what they consider to be minor offenses, no one can prosecute them.”
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BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER roponents of domestic violence prevention are cheering following the launch of a federal law that will allow tribal courts to prosecute non-Indians who commit domestic violence on tribal land. “It’s going to be a really good thing for the tribe,” said Bill Boyum, Chief Justice of the Cherokee Supreme Court. Tribal courts haven’t had authority to prosecute non-Indians who commit crimes on their land since 1978, when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in the Oliphant vs. Suquamish Indian Tribe case. If a non-Indian commits a crime on tribal land, the case goes to federal court, but federal court doesn’t prosecute all the cases referred it. Federal prosecutors already have overfull dockets, so while armed robberies and murders are likely to get their day in court, the patterns of lower-level violence that often show up in domestic violence cases don’t make the cut. In effect, these cases are unprosecutable. “They [federal prosecutors] have things that are higher on ‘things to do’ than a Friday night slapping of somebody,” Boyum said. “It’s just a fact of life.” But those unprosecutable cases make up a large share of domestic violence situations. Non-Indians are responsible for at least 70 percent of violent victimizations of Native Americans, according to a report by the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics, and Native Americans are more than twice as
likely to be victimized than someone in the U.S. population as a whole. The new rules, stemming from the 2013 reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act, went into effect March 7, but Cherokee still has some work to do before implementing them on the reservation. Mainly, they have to change their jury selection rules. “The jury selection process has to not exclude any particular group of people, and traditionally our tribal court system has only had tribal members on the jury pool,” Boyum explained. In other words, if you want to prosecute non-Indians, non-Indians have to be part of the decision-making process. Boyum said he expects Tribal Council to approve those ordinances in April’s Tribal Council, and then they will have to sit for 30 days before going into effect. There are still some other details to work
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Perpetrators of domestic violence against tribal members to be subject to tribal rule
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Maggie calls on higher power to referee ridgetop cross proposal BY B ECKY JOHNSON state then come and say ‘whoa, whoa, whoa STAFF WRITER you have to do something about this.’” lofty vision to build a 220-foot cross on So far, however, the state has declined to the mountaintop above Maggie Valley help Maggie Valley determine how high the has been downwardly revised to 125 cross can be. A clause in the ridge law feet, but it could still run afoul of the state expressly prohibits any town or county from ridge law. issuing a building permit that violates the Maggie town officials have been trying to ridge law. sort out whether a gigantic cross on the But ironically, when Maggie asked for mountain would be allowed under the state help calculating the crest elevation to ensure law. But the answer isn’t clearcut, so the compliance, state agencies said that wasn’t town has placed the burden of proof on the in their purview. person behind the idea, namely long-time “The Mountain Ridge Protection Act of Maggie businesswoman Alaska Presley. 1983 does not give a state agency the author“We are putting the onus on her. She has ity to oversee or enforce the law,” according to provide proof from the state that she is to Jamie Kritzer, spokesperson for the N.C. following their laws,” Maggie Town Planner Andrew “The town is very concerned with Bowen said. Presley conceived the taking any action to authorize your cross as a signature attraction of a Christian theme project without clear evidence that park that she hoped to build such steps would not violate the on the mountain above town. Now in her 90s, State Ridge Law. In that regard, we Presley may pursue the cross as a standalone project, howwould need for you to secure from ever, regardless of whether the State Attorney General’s office the Christian park comes to fruition. an opinion letter that your project “It has always been my plans … would be conforming to dream to leave something positive for Maggie, and this the State Ridge Law.” cross should be considered a piece of art for everyone to — Excerpt of a letter from Maggie Valley to enjoy,” Presley said in a letter Alaska Presley, who says she wants to build to the town. a 125-foot cross on the mountaintop above town Some residents believe it will detract from the mountain scenery and harm the viewshed, howDepartment of Environment and Natural ever. Resources. “Not all state laws provide for a Presley has broached her idea with the state entity to enforce those laws.” town twice so far this year, once in a sitStill, Maggie Valley doesn’t feel like it down meeting and later in a follow-up letter. should be the adjudicator of a state law. Despite previous talk of a 220-foot cross, “We just don’t feel at this point we have Presley realized that wouldn’t fly under the the authority,” Bowen said. ridge law. Whether the N.C. Attorney General’s “I acknowledge a cross of 220 feet as office will be willing to render an opinion originally planned will not be feasible,” either, however, is unknown. Presley said. “I do not know. That will just be the Instead, she said she wants to make it process,” Bowen said. 125 feet. The town has its own height limits on the That may still be too high. The state books for buildings and cell towers. ridge law says no structure can extend Buildings can’t be taller than 45 feet and cell more than 35 feet above the crest of a protowers can’t be taller than 125 feet. tected ridge. But the cross doesn’t meet the definition Calculating the elevation of the ridge of either. crest — the line between two peaks on a “If it were a cell tower or a house or hotel, given section of the ridge — isn’t as easy as it we could have handled it easily and not gone sounds, however, and the town doesn’t want through all this process,” Bowen said. to assume that risk itself. The proposed cross in Maggie appears to “If I was to write a permit that was be a precedent setting case for testing the against state law, the town could be given ridge law. some kind of putative action,” Bowen said. “I couldn’t find any other communities “We would hate for it to get built and the that had gone through this,” Bowen said.
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BY J ESSI STONE N EWS E DITOR owntown Canton could have more food options if the town board approves allowing food trucks to set up shop. The Canton Planning Board took up the topic at a recent meeting after being asked by town staff to explore the possibility. While food trucks have not been allowed in the past under the town’s zoning ordinance, the planning board voted to recommend allowing them in certain areas. “I, and the rest of the board, feel that allowing food trucks in Canton could bring an element of vibrancy. Food trucks will provide the opportunity for people to gather and will allow for more diverse food choices to town residents,” said Vicki Eastland, a Canton Planning Board mem-
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Public input wanted Canton will hold a public hearing at 6:30 p.m. March 26 during the town board’s regular meeting regarding a zoning amendment to allow food trucks.
“Food trucks will provide the opportunity for people to gather and will allow for more diverse food choices to town residents.” — Vicki Eastland, Canton Planning Board
would not be allowed in residential areas of town. Hendler-Voss also thinks allowing food trucks would be a good move for the town as it tries to ramp up downtown. “Mobile food units have become a popular attraction in many cities because of their unique culinary fare and the convenient alternative they offer to brick-and-mortar restaurants,” he said in a memo to the planning board. “They also bring vibrancy to cities by generating foot traffic, provide food to part of town devoid of dining options, and extend opportunities for entrepreneurs seeking a low capital entrance into the restaurant industry.” If approved by the board of aldermen, food trucks would be allowed to operate on private property between the hours of 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. in areas zoned for business and industry. Food truck vendors would have to have a signed health department certificate, proof of insurance, a driver’s license and written permission from a private property owner to receive a privilege license and an annual permit from the town. While trucks wouldn’t be able to park and operate in front of a business along Main Street, he said there were several ideal spots for vendors.
“There’s a few possibilities — several service parking lots downtown who would probably be willing to let them park and set up shop,” Hendler-Voss said. Hendler-Voss said the issue was brought to the town’s attention when Tina Tuten, a former restaurant owner, approached the town about her desire to expand her business with a food truck service. She’s already purchased a truck but needs the town’s permission to move forward. Tuten plans to operate Fat Belly’s from the former Mr. Paycheck property and serve an array on menu items, including 11 different types of gourmet fries and Indian fried bread as well as classics like hamburgers. Food trucks typically contract with a restaurant to serve as its commissary, which is a health code requirement. Having a restaurant base would allow the food truck vendor to store food, dump waste, clean their mobile unit and park it overnight. Hender-Voss said Tuten has proposed operating a stand-alone commissary on New Clyde Highway in the Mr. Paycheck space — a pre-fabricated metal storage unit converted to an office use. He said the arrangement would satisfy the health department’s requirements though it is atypical in most of the towns he researched.
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Food truck trend traveling to Canton
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Canton is considering allowing food trucks to set up in certain parts of town, which would allow Tina Tuten to start Fat Belly’s food truck service. Donated photo whether Canton restaurants would feel like food trucks would infringe on their established businesses. Eastland said she hasn’t heard any negative feedback from any restaurants. “The conversation was very positive — town staff did a great job of researching food truck ordinances in other locations and around the country,” Eastland said. “The discussion was mostly about what areas of town that food trucks would become an allowable use.” While the food truck business in Asheville has grown in recent years, Hendler-Voss said there are few operating in Haywood County, adding that Canton has the opportunity to serve as a catalyst for the emerging industry. The recommendation made to the board of aldermen clearly states that food trucks
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ber. “It potentially allows upstart entrepreneurs the opportunity to have a business they might not otherwise be able to afford.” The planning board unanimously recommended making amendments to the zoning ordinance to allow mobile food vending with special requirements in certain districts. Town Manager Seth Hendler-Voss said the economic impact of the mobile food industry was undisputable. In 2012, the National Restaurant Association reported that food trucks generated about $650 million in revenue in 2012 — about 1 percent of total U.S. restaurant sales. Eastland said some of the planning board’s concerns over allowing food trucks included trash, loitering and trucks being located too close to residential areas. Members also expressed concerns about
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Jack Ewing, executive director of Lake Junaluska General Assembly, center, speaks to Haywood County commissioners regarding the proposed local bill to merge Lake Junalsuka with the town of Waynesville. Also pictured are Waynesville Mayor Gavin Brown, left, and County Manager Ira Dove. Becky Johnson photo
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Overnight tourism spending strong in Haywood
The demand for hotel rooms has grown, but supply has shrunk, allowing those still in the business to raise their rates some, and in turn helped boost overall spending on overnight stays. “We’ve lost some properties in the county but that has not necessarily been a bad thing because it has driven business to other properties that have been able to raise their rates a little bit and then put that money back into upgrading their properties,” Collins explained. The spate of motel closings in Maggie is due to a variety of factors: one burned down, another closed when the owners died, and owners of the other two moved away or simply exited the industry. Collins said the outlook remains strong for the tourism industry this year. “They expect the upswing to continue,” Collins said. “The biggest problem they anticipate now is workforce. They already have some problems finding folks to work.” — By Becky Johnson, Staff writer
Haywood Habitat for Humanity is having a grand re-opening of its ReStore at 10 a.m. on Saturday, March 28, 331 Walnut Street in Waynesville. The new store offers a much larger showroom and easier access for customers and donors. The Habitat administrative offices, previously in a separate location, will be housed with the ReStore. The store sells new and gently used furniture, home accessories, building materials, and appliances to the public at a fraction of the retail price. 828.246.9135.
The Come to the Table project presents the third conference in the 2015 series “Head, Heart, and Hands” at 8 a.m. Thursday, March 19, at Southwestern Community College in Sylva. The conference agenda features 10 workshops on a variety of topics including community gardens, SNAP/EBT at farmers markets, food access and public policy issues. Conference participants will enjoy meals featuring local meats and produce prepared by Vimala’s Curryblossom Cafe. Register at www.rafiusa.org/cttt/conferences/.
Canton calling for food vendors
WCU to hold Women’s Leadership Conference
The town of Canton is looking for qualified and experienced food vendors to submit proposals to provide concessions at the recreation park. The town currently operates the concession stand but wants to sign a one-year lease with an option to renew to the selected vendor. Proposals must be submitted to the town of Canton by 4 p.m. March 27. 828.648.2363 or lisa@cantonnc.com.
Women serving in leadership roles in business, government and education in Western North Carolina will be among the speakers and panelists for the inaugural Women’s Leadership Conference March 2728 at Western Carolina University. The conference will begin with registration at 6 p.m. Friday, March 27, in A.K. Hinds University Center, followed by an opening session and reception. Activities planned for Saturday, March 28, include a series of breakout and panel sessions to be held from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. To register, visit wlc.wcu.edu.
Senior center hosting advance directives workshop An event to address Advance Directives, will take place from 1 to 4 p.m. on Tuesday, March 24, at the Senior Resource Center at 81 Elmwood Way in Waynesville. The event is free and open to the public. Participants are asked to bring two forms of identification with one of those being a photo ID; the name of their Primary Care Provider (physician, nurse practitioner, physician assistant); and names, addresses and phone numbers of family members chosen as Health Care Power of Attorney or other designee. 800.424.DOCS or 828.452.2370.
NC Supreme Court justices visit WCU The three women justices who serve on the state’s highest court will discuss how their college studies prepared them for life and careers during a forum at 7:15 p.m. on Saturday, March 28, at A.K. Hinds University Center at Western Carolina University. Justices Cheri Beasley, Robin Hudson and Barbara Jackson are expected to talk about their experiences as women living in North Carolina and serving in the state’s judicial system. 828.227.7262.
Smoky Mountain News
The Haywood tourism industry is on a winning streak. Tourism spending on overnight accommodations was up 10 percent the last half of 2014 compared to the same period the year before. It marks the third straight year of gains in tourism spending on overnight stays, but is the biggest leap so far. Tourism spending peaked in 2008 and entered a period of post-recession decline, before starting to rebound in 2012. It has been increasing steadily ever since and has now surpassed the pre-recession levels. Ironically, the loss of four hotels and motels in Maggie the previous year may actually be helping the numbers, according to Lynn Collins, director of the Haywood County Tourism Development Authority.
“We added a component that may have been self-evident to begin with. Both communities have to be supportive of this,” Waynesville Mayor Gavin Brown explained to commissioners. The election would be held in November. The 775-home community of Lake Junaluska is currently not part of a town, but the majority of residents and property owners have signaled support for merging with Waynesville. The town would not only add to its property tax base, but also benefit by adding a stable of well-educated, affluent residents to its population base. In exchange for paying town property taxes, Lake Junaluska residents would divest themselves of providing public services like trash pick-up and escape the burden of looming water and sewer line repairs. — By Becky Johnson, Staff writer
Hunger and agriculture conference comes to Sylva
March 18-24, 2015
lected government leaders in Haywood County have lined up behind a state bill to add Lake Junaluska to Waynesville’s town limits. In a show of solidarity, every town board in the county has passed a resolution backing the state bill. So has the board of the Haywood County Chamber of Commerce. Leaders from the town of Waynesville and Lake Junaluska appealed to county commissioners this week and successfully collected their endorsement as well. The merger has been floated in Raleigh twice before, but was sidelined by enigmatic political forces. This time, the bill has an added assurance aimed at quelling lingering reservations by state lawmakers: a formal vote of both Lake Junaluska residents and Waynesville residents would be required to sanctify the merger.
Haywood ReStore reopens in new location
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Lake Junaluska merger bill racks up endorsements
Help clean up Lake Junaluska
Genealogy class to be held at Canton Library
The annual Lake cleanup will be held from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, March 21, at Lake Junaluska. The entire walking path of 4.2 miles will be cleaned along with most of the shoreline. Meet at the Kern Center, next to the pool, at 9 a.m. for some light snacks, coffee, water and juice. Gloves, trash bags and pickup sticks will be provided to those needing them. Severe weather postponement date is March 28. 828.456.1952 or 828.400.5097.
A free Beginning Genealogy II class will be held at 5 p.m. Tuesday, March 24 at the Canton Branch Library. The program will be led by Dot Barnum and Stan Smith of the Haywood County Historical & Genealogical Society, who will teach how to get the early deeds of Haywood County online, as well as how deeds and wills can help with family research. The program is free and open to the public; registration is not required. 828.648.2924. 19
Opinion It just couldn’t get any better for young Hornets fan O 20
Smoky Mountain News
Chris Cox
ver the past few months, my 10-year-old son, Jack, has developed an insatiable appetite for all things basketball. We spend hours out in the driveway playing “around the world” or “pig” (an abbreviated version of “horse”), where he unveils a dazzling array of turnaround jumpers and a truly impressive aptitude for the old school bank shot. He loves going to the fitness center or church and playing pick-up basketball with much older guys, even if he is not quite ready for that level of play and spends much of his time on the court nipping at the heels of the bigger guys like a particularly relentless Chihuahua, trying to steal the ball or harass them into making a bad pass. Most of all, he loves the Charlotte Hornets. He knows all the players’ names, even their nicknames: Michael KiddGilchrist is “MKG” and Al Jefferson is Columnist simply, “Big Al.” Jack adores Big Al, the biggest guy on the team at 6-11 and the Hornets’ primary offensive threat and top rebounder. He is the biggest star the franchise has had for years, leading them to a surprising berth in the playoffs last season. When we play NBA 2K15 on Xbox, Jack likes being the Hornets so he can be Big Al. When the Hornets play on television, Jack loves cheering them on, watching carefully, studying their moves, learning more and more about the game. If I am in another room while the game is on, Jack provides helpful play-by-play commentary so I don’t miss anything. “And there goes Big Al with another slam dunk!” he yells, followed moments later with, “And Big Al gets the rebound! Big Al is DOMINATING!” A week or so ago, I told Tammy that I was going to get some tickets and take Jack to his first Hornets game in Charlotte as a surprise. I had kind of zeroed in on the Bulls game for Friday, March 13, but I had no luck landing decent tickets, so just for kicks, I checked out eBay for tickets for the Hornets and Sacramento Kings game. Sure, it was on Wednesday — a school night — but what if I found a great deal on some great seats? Sure enough, an optometrist who lives somewhere near Charlotte had tickets for sale on eBay—not just any tickets, but tickets about 12 rows from the court. I jumped on them, and then talked Tammy into an impromptu family trip to Charlotte. We’d get the kids out of school an hour or so early and hit the road, not telling them our plan until we got into the city, where Jack was sure to put the pieces of the puzzle together. Once we got through Forest City and into Gastonia, the signs for Charlotte became more frequent and more obvious.
Waynesville smoking ban just a bad idea To the Editor: For years I have promoted downtown. I tell my friends to shop locally, eat at our local restaurants and enjoy our festivals. If the smoking ban goes into effect, I won’t be doing any of those things anymore. That means I will not be coming to your store for my Christmas shopping sprees. I will no longer spend money at the kitchen store, jewelry store, fish market or general store. I will not be coming to your restaurant with my family and friends. I will not be drop-
“Dad, are we going to CHARLOTTE?” he said, with a dawning awareness and excitement building as he put each piece of the puzzle in its proper place. “Are we going to see the place where the Hornets actually PLAY? Are we going to see an actual Hornets GAME? Don’t tell me that we are really going to get to see the Hornets play in PERSON!!” We found a place to park and then had time for a nice dinner a block or so from Time Warner Cable Arena, and then Jack and I split off from the Cox women — who had designs on the mall — and entered the arena about 45 minutes early. He was literally trembling with excitement. “Why don’t we go check out our seats?” I suggested. I knew our seats were going to be good, but I had no idea just how good until we entered our section and went to the appropriate row. Hornets shooting guard Gerald Henderson was on the court taking some pregame warm-up shots, and there were a few people milling around, but we basically had the section to ourselves. “I cannot believe we are really here,” Jack said. “This is the most amazing thing ever! Dad, there’s Gerald Henderson! I cannot wait to see MKG, and Cody Zeller, and Big Al!” Just as I was explaining that the teams would probably take the court for warmups in about half an hour, we were approached by two nice women who worked for the Hornets. They asked us our names and asked Jack if he would like to be the team’s honorary captain for tonight. “Wow,” he said. “Are you serious? What would I actually be doing?” They told him that he would go out on the court just before the singing of the national anthem and would meet with the captains of both the Hornets and the Kings. He would shake their hands and get his picture taken, and his name would be announced in the arena in front of all the fans. He looked over at me for a moment to see if this was some kind of elaborate prank that I was pulling on him. It wasn’t. “Yeah, sure, I’ll do it,” he said, with a matter-of-fact shrug that indicated that he was in a complete state of shock. They told us to move down to the tunnel about 20 minutes before tipoff, where we would be instructed what to do next. When we got there, they gave him a complimentary Hornets T shirt and explained exactly what he would be doing. Even they were not sure which Hornet would be captain for tonight’s game — maybe Kemba Walker, maybe MKG, maybe Big Al. About five minutes later, they escorted him to half court, and a few minutes after that with the teams warming up on either side of the court and 16,000 fans looking on, on he went to center court to meet the captains — Ben McLemore for the Kings and, are you ready? — Big Al Jefferson for the Hornets!
ping into your pub for a local brew. I will not be bringing my out-of-town guests for a visit to quaint downtown Waynesville for shopping and dining. Think about it. I won’t be the only one. Bob Nowakowski Waynesville
Is Sen. Tom Tillis some kind of traitor? To the Editor: Sen. Tom Tillis, R-N.C., is probably not a traitor, but he surely is an embarrassment to the state of North Carolina. About as soon as his hand came down
Honorary Hornets Captain Jack Cox (center) with Charlotte center Al Jefferson (left) and Sacramento Kings captain Ben McLemore. Donated photo
He shook Big Al’s hand and tried to speak, but found that he could not. Big Al patted him on the shoulder a few times, and then put his hand on Jack’s back as they posed for a photograph, soon to be framed and on Jack’s bedroom wall until the end of days. When they brought him back over to me, I asked how it felt to meet Big Al, and how it felt to be a team captain. “He was great! It was great! I feel great!” he said in a single breath. “I am never taking this shirt off!” We returned to our seats, which as it turned out were right behind the seats occupied by Cody Zeller’s parents. Then we watched a great game which the Hornets lost when MKG got robbed on a bogus charging call in the last minutes of the game. It didn’t matter. Nothing was going to diminish this experience for the team’s honorary captain. “I bet we’ll beat the Bulls on Friday,” he said. “Dad, do you think we could go find a Big Al jersey? Do you think I could ever play for the Hornets?” “Why not?” I said. “Didn’t tonight prove that anything is possible?” “Yeah, I guess so,” he said. “But I’m still going to keep working on my bank shot.” (Chris Cox is a writer and teacher who lives in Haywood County. His most recent book, The Way We Say Goodbye, is available at local bookstores and at Amazon. www.jchriscox@live.com.)
LETTERS from swearing in, he allowed as how restaurant workers should not be compelled by law to wash their hands after a restroom visit. Government was being a big bully in this case by forcing them to wash their hands. So, if we take Tom’s logic to its logical conclusion, we shouldn’t have to pay taxes, obey speed limits, or bother with fishing regulations. That’s just government being a big bully. But the issue of Tillis being a traitor has to do with this smarmy letter to which he put his signature, the one that advises the nation of Iran to ignore the President of the United States, the chief foreign policy officer of the
nation. Citizens and even senators are constrained by law from negotiating foreign policy with foreign governments. The law has been on the books for almost as long as the U.S. has been a nation. Tillis and 46 other senators chose to ignore it. Realistically, because of his office, Tillis and the “gang of 47” will not be tried in federal court for treason. Too often holders of high office and position escape punishment due them. But there is a price to be paid for political stupidity and embarrassing those who elected you. Tillis can be tried in the court of public opinion and found to be ... irrelevant. Rick Bryson Bryson City
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tasteTHEmountains Taste the Mountains is an ever-evolving paid section of places to dine in Western North Carolina. If you would like to be included in the listing please contact our advertising department at 828.452.4251 BLUE ROOSTER SOUTHERN GRILL 207 Paragon Parkway, Clyde, Lakeside Plaza at the old Wal-Mart. 828.456.1997. Open Monday through Friday. Friendly and fun family atmosphere. Local, handmade Southern cuisine. Fresh-cut salads; slow-simmered soups; flame grilled burgers and steaks, and homemade signature desserts. Blue-plates and local fresh vegetables daily. Brown bagging is permitted. Private parties, catering, and take-out available. Call-ahead seating available. BOURBON BARREL BEEF & ALE 454 Hazelwood Ave., Waynesville, 828.452.9191. Lunch served 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Dinner nightly from 4 p.m. Closed on Sunday. We specialize in hand-cut, all natural steaks, fresh fish, and other classic American comfort foods that are made using only the finest local and sustainable ingredients available. We also feature a great selection of craft beers from local artisan brewers, and of course an extensive selection of small batch bourbons and whiskey. The Barrel is a friendly and casual neighborhood dining experience where our guests enjoy a great meal without breaking the bank.
CHEF’S TABLE 30 Church St., Waynesville. 828.452.6210. From 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday dinner starting at 5 p.m. “Best of” Award of Excellence from Wine Spectator Magazine. Set in a distinguished atmosphere with an exceptional menu. Extensive selection of wine and beer. Reservations honored. CITY BAKERY 18 N. Main St. Waynesville 828.452.3881. Monday through Friday 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Join us in our historic location for scratch made soups and daily specials. Breakfast is made to order daily: Gourmet cheddar & scallion biscuits served with bacon, sausage and eggs; smoked trout bagel plate; quiche and fresh fruit parfait. We bake a wide variety of breads daily, specializing in traditional french breads. All of our breads are hand shaped. Lunch: Fresh salads, panini sandwiches. Enjoy outdoor dinning on the deck. Private room available for meetings.
BRYSON CITY CORK & BEAN A MOUNTAIN SOCIAL HOUSE 16 Everett St.,Bryson City. 828.488.1934.
CITY LIGHTS CAFE Spring Street in downtown Sylva. 828.587.2233. Open Monday-Saturday 7:30
bbcafenc.com • 828.648.3838
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Mad Batter Food & Film presents:
MARCH 20TH 9 PM $2 COVER
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CATALOOCHEE RANCH 119 Ranch Dr., Maggie Valley. 828.926.1401. It’s winter, but we still serve three meals a day on Friday, Saturday and long holiday weekends. Join us for Breakfast from 8 to 9:30 a.m.; Lunch from 12 to 2 p.m.; and Dinner buffet from 6 to 7:30 p.m., with entrees that include pot roast, Virginia ham and herb-baked chicken, complemented by seasonal vegetables, homemade breads, jellies and desserts. We also offer a fine selection of wine and beer. And a roaring fire in the fireplace. So come enjoy mile-high mountaintop dining with a spectacular view. Reservations are required.
BREAKING BREAD CAFÉ 6147 Hwy 276 S. Bethel (at the Mobil Gas Station) 828.648.3838 Monday-Friday 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Chef owned and operated. Our salads are made in house using local seasonal vegetables. Fresh roasted ham, turkey and roast beef used in our hoagies. We hand make our own eggplant and chicken parmesan, pork meatballs and hamburgers. We use 1st quality fresh not preprepared products to make sure you get the best food for a reasonable price. We make vegetarian, gluten free and sugar free items. Call or go to Facebook (Breaking Bread Café NC) to find out what our specials are.
6147 Highway 276 S. Bethel, North Carolina (at the Mobil Gas Station)
Open Monday-Friday 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., Saturday and Sunday brunch 9 a.m. to 3p.m., Full Menu 3 to 9 p.m. Serving fresh and delicious weekday morning lite fare, lunch, dinner, and brunch. Freshly prepared menu offerings range from house-made soups & salads, lite fare & tapas, crepes, specialty sandwiches and burgers. Be sure not to miss the bold flavors and creative combinations that make up the daily Chef Supper Specials starting at 5pm every day. Followed by a tempting selection of desserts prepared daily by our chefs and other local bakers. Enjoy craft beers on tap, as well as our full bar and eclectic wine list.
blueroostersoutherngrill.com
— Real Local People, Real Local Food — 207 Paragon Parkway, Clyde, North Carolina Monday-Friday Open at 11am
617 W. Main St. Sylva 828.586.3555 www.MadBatterFoodandFilm.com
a.m. to 9 p.m., Sunday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tasty, healthy and quick. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, espresso, beer and wine. Come taste the savory and sweet crepes, grilled paninis, fresh, organic salads, soups and more. Outside patio seating. Free Wi-Fi, pet-friendly. Live music and lots of events. Check the web calendar at citylightscafe.com. THE CLASSIC WINESELLER 20 Church Street, Waynesville. 828.452.6000. Underground retail wine and craft beer shop, restaurant, and intimate live music venue. Kitchen opens at 4 p.m. Friday and Saturday serving freshly prepared small plate and tapas-style fare. Enjoy local, regional, or national talent live each Friday and Saturday night at 7 p.m. www.classicwineseller.com. Also on facebook and twitter. CORK & CLEAVER 176 Country Club Drive, Waynesville. 828.456.7179. Reservations recommended. 4:30-9 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday. Tucked away inside Waynesville Inn, Cork & Cleaver has an approachable menu designed around locally sourced, sustainable, farm-to-table ingredients. Executive Chef Corey Green prepares innovative and unique Southern fare from local, organic vegetables grown in Western North Carolina. Full bar and wine cellar. www.waynesvilleinn.com. COUNTRY VITTLES: FAMILY STYLE RESTAURANT 3589 Soco Rd, Maggie Valley. 828.926.1820 Open Daily 7 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., closed Tuesday. Family Style at Country Vittles is not a buffet. Instead our waitresses will bring your food piping hot from the kitchen right to your table and as many refills as you want. So if you have a big appetite, but sure to ask your waitress about our family style service. FROGS LEAP PUBLIC HOUSE 44 Church St. Downtown Waynesville 828.456.1930 Serving lunch 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday; Dinner 5 to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday. 5 to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Closed Sunday and Monday. Frogs Leap is a farm to table restaurant focused on local, sustainable, natural and organic products prepared in modern regional dishes. Seasonal menu focuses on Southern comfort foods with upscale flavors. www.frogsleappublichouse.com. JOEY'S PANCAKE HOUSE 4309 Soco Rd Maggie Valley. 828.926.0212. Winter hours; Friday through
tasteTHEmountains Sunday and Mondays, 7 a.m. to noon. Joey’s is a family style restaurant that has been serving breakfast to the locals and visitors of Western North Carolina since 1966. Featuring a large variety of tempting pancakes, golden waffles, country style cured ham and seasonal specials spiked with flavor, Joey's is sure to please all appetites. Joey & Brenda O’Keefe invite you to join what has become a tradition in these parts, breakfast at Joey’s. JUKEBOX JUNCTION U.S. 276 and N.C. 110 intersection, Bethel. 828.648.4193. 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Serving breakfast, lunch, nd dinner. The restaurant has a 1950s & 60s theme decorated with memorabilia from that era. MAD BATTER FOOD & FILM 617 W. Main Street Downtown Sylva. 828.586.3555. Open Tuesday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Wednesday-Saturday 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Hand-tossed pizza, steak sandwiches, wraps, salads and desserts. All made from scratch. Beer and wine. Free movies with showtimes at 6:30 and 9 p.m. with a Saturday matinee at 2 p.m. Visit madbatterfoodandfilm.com for this week’s shows. MAGGIE VALLEY CLUB 1819 Country Club Dr., Maggie Valley. 828.926.1616. maggievalleyclub.com/dine. Open daily for lunch and dinner. Fine and casual fireside dining in welcoming atmosphere. Full bar. Reservations accepted.
ORGANIC BEANS COFFEE COMPANY 1110 Soco Road, Maggie Valley. 828.668.2326. Open 7 days a week 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Happily committed to brewing and serving innovative, uniquely delicious coffees — and making the world a better place. 100% of our coffee is Fair Trade, Shade Grown, and Organic, all slow-roasted to bring out every note of indigenous flavor. Bakery offerings include cakes, muffins,
PASQUALE’S 1863 South Main Street, Waynesville. Off exit 98, 828.454.5002. Open for lunch and dinner, 7 days a week. Classic Italian dishes, exceptional steaks and seafood (available in full and lighter sizes), thin crust pizza, homemade soups, salads hand tossed at your table. Fine wine and beer selection. Casual atmosphere, dine indoors, outside on the patio or at the bar. Reservations appreciated.
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RENDEZVOUS RESTAURANT AND BAR Maggie Valley Inn and Conference Center 828.926.0201 Open Monday-Thursday 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Friday 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m.; Saturday 7:30 a.m. to 11 p.m and Sunday 7:30 a.m to 9 p.m. Full service restaurant serving steaks, prime rib, seafood and dinner specials.
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SMOKY MOUNTAIN SUB SHOP 29 Miller Street Waynesville 828.456.3400. Open from 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday. A Waynesville tradition, the Smoky Mountain Sub Shop has been serving great food for over 20 years. Come in and enjoy the relaxed, casual atmosphere. Sub breads are baked fresh every morning in Waynesville. Using only the freshest ingredients in homemade soups, salads and sandwiches. Come in and see for yourself why Smoky Mountain Sub Shop was voted # 1 in Haywood County. Locally owned and operated. SPEEDY’S PIZZA 285 Main Street, Sylva. 828.586.3800. Open seven days a week. Monday-Friday 11 a.m.-10 p.m., Saturday 3 p.m.-11 p.m., Sunday 4 p.m.-10 p.m. Family-owned for 30 years. Serving hand-tossed pizza made to order, pasta, subs, gourmet salads, calzones and seafood. Also serving excellent prime rib on Thursdays. Dine in or take out available. Located across from the Fire Station.
KICKOF F EVEN T Culinar y Gala T
hursday , March 26 5:30 to 7 :30 Laurel R pm idge Country Club Waynes ville NC TICKET S Haywoo d Cham ber Member s: $35 Non-me mbers $ VIP: $60 40
PIN HIGH
TAP ROOM SPORTS BAR & GRILL 176 Country Club Dr. Waynesville 828.456.5988. 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week. Enjoy soups, sandwiches, salads and hearty appetizers along with a full bar menu in our casual, smoke-free neighborhood grill.
Easter Brunch Buffet
Burgers to Salads Southern Favorites & Classics
Easter Brunch Buffet from 11:00am-3:00pm
-Local beers now on draft-
Live Music All Weekend! DOWNTOWN SYLVA • NC Mon.-Fri. 7-4 Sat. 8-4
SID’S ON MAIN
117 Main Street, Canton NC 828.492.0618 • SidsOnMain.com Serving Lunch & Dinner
reservations are required
828-926-4848
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284-09
FRI. MARCH 20, 7 P.M.: Cygne SAT. MARCH 21, 7 P.M.: Joe Cat
284-58
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March 18-24, 2015
MOUNTAIN PERKS ESPRESSO BAR & CAFÉ 9 Depot St., Bryson City. 828.488.9561. Open Monday through Thursday, 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Friday 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturday 8 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. With music at the Depot. Sunday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Life is too short for bad coffee. We feature wonderful breakfast and lunch selections. Bagels, wraps, soups, sandwiches, salads and quiche with a variety of specialty coffees, teas and smoothies. Various desserts.
cookies and more. Each one is made from scratch in Asheville using only the freshest, all natural ingredients available. We are proud to offer gluten-free and vegan options.
1819 Country Club Drive, Maggie Valley, NC W W W . M A G G I E VA L L E Y C L U B . C O M 284-26
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Smoky Mountain News
Crafting a case Trademark dispute heats up between local, national breweries BY GARRET K. WOODWARD STAFF WRITER Nicole Dexter and Chip Owen haven’t been able to sleep well lately. “I think all I’ve been feeling the last couple days is anxiety,” Dexter said. Tucked away last week in a booth at Innovation Brewing in downtown Sylva, the couple looks around their business. Smiling faces are everywhere and Innovation craft beers are being hoisted high. The energy and jovial spirit in the room is commonplace in this establishment. Since opening in October 2013, Innovation has become a centerpiece within the community and greater Jackson County. And though normally their exhaustion would come from getting a new business off the ground or simply brewing beer seemingly 24/7, Dexter and Owen are worn out due to something else entirely. “I didn’t sleep at all last night,” Owen said. “My mind was racing. My nerves were going. My emotions are swirling today. I even cried a little this morning on Nicole’s shoulder. It’s been a rollercoaster — it’s all surreal.” What they’re losing sleep over is a trademark dispute. Innovation Brewing, a nanobrewery making upwards of 500 barrels a year, filed a federal trademark application to register its brand name, Innovation Brewing. Bell’s Brewery, a Kalamazoo, Michigan-based microbrewery powerhouse producing upwards of 310,000 barrels a year, objected to the application. Bell’s felt it had common law ownership of the word “innovation” in terms of the craft beer industry, seeing as it has used the word in its marketing (“Bottling innovation since 1985”) for several years. Bell’s also claims its trademarked slogan, “Inspired Brewing,” may confuse consumers when comparing the two breweries. Normally, disputes such as this are solved out of the public eye. This one, however, has turned into a social media firestorm, with the microscope of worldwide media attention focused on both companies.
IN THE BEGINNING The social media wildfire began on March 10 when an article ran in The Asheville Citizen-Times about the dispute. Beer columnist Tony Kiss exposed the controversy, even though it had been brewing for well over a year already. Trademark disputes are very common in the business world. What’s differ-
ent is that this one got on the fast-moving train of public opinion and social media. Mix the general affinity many in Western North Carolina have for independent businesses over corporate giants with the congenial camaraderie common in the region’s burgeoning craft beer industry, and you have the components for a heated debate. “Basically, we filed a federal trademark application for ‘Innovation Brewing’ with the federal trademark system in 2013, and Bell’s filed an opposition against it in April 2014,” Dexter said. The application was approved by the U.S. Trademark Office and was published for opposition, a 30-day period where third parties may formally object to registration.
“If this goes to trial, then we’re moving in a very bad direction for the industry ... it may very well be the first craft brewery versus craft brewery trademark action to move to trial.” — Doug Reiser, attorney for Innovation Brewing
Want to know more? For a look at what this current trademark dispute between Innovation Brewing and Bell’s Brewery means for the past, present and future of the craft beer industry, please see “This Must Be The Place” on page 25. Bell’s filed its objection in April 2014, and its complaint states that the similar names are “likely to cause confusion and mistake, and to deceive and mislead consumers into believing that [Innovation Brewing’s] beverages originated, are sponsored by, are licensed from, or are jointly owned by or otherwise associated with [Bell’s] and/or [Bell’s] goods marked with its Inspired Brewing trademark.” Even though Bell’s does have the trademark for “Inspired Brewing,” the filing also makes a claim on the “Bottling innovating since 1985” slogan, which has been in use by Bell’s marketing (bumper stickers and on their delivery trucks) for around six years. “Nobody has said that Bell’s doesn’t have the trademark for ‘Inspired Brewing.’ We do believe that, everyone does,” said Doug Reiser, a Seattle-based brewery lawyer and co-counsel
Nicole Dexter and Chip Owen, founders/owners of Innovation Brewing in Sylva. The couple’s nano-brewery is currently in a trademark dispute with national microbrew company Bell’s Brewery, which is based out of Kalamazoo, Michigan. Garret K. Woodward photo for Portland, Oregon-based intellectual property attorney Ian Gates, representing Innovation Brewing. “We just don’t see how ‘Inspired Brewing’ and ‘Innovation Brewing’ are in any way confusing to craft beer consumers. If you look it up in the dictionary, the words aren’t even close.” Reiser pointed out that Bell’s has prided itself for years at being vigilant in registering its own trademarks on their numerous products and slogans. So, why didn’t they ever file a registration for the “Bottling innovation since 1985” slogan? Reiser also asks why go after Innovation Brewing when others also use and have registered trademarks that include “innovation” for beer? “That slogan, ‘Bottling innovation since 1985,’ is a part of their marketing and as
such should be afforded a lower amount of trademark protection,” he said. “Trademark case law has established that advertising slogans, such as used on bumper stickers, do not provide the same level of protection as trademarks used on packaging — they do not convey the source-identifying nature of trademarks and instead are simply considered laudatory phrases by consumers,” Reiser added. So, what about Bell’s claim that it has common law rights over the slogan, “Bottling innovation since 1985”? “They say ‘common law rights,’ which means they put it out in the marketplace and have been using it, and they deserve the right
S EE I NNOVATION, PAGE 26
BY GARRET K. WOODWARD
Craft beer, and all the amazing people involved in it, are some of the finest, most upstanding, salt-of-the-earth human beings you will ever meet. These folks make my job easy, and fun, in that I always look forward to writing features about craft beer, even though this column and cover story may make me feel otherwise about the whole thing. My hope is that Innovation and Bell’s finally pour each other a beer, sit down and come to a mutual agreement that not only protects both sides, but also perpetuates the intricate business traits and respectful problem-solving tactics that this industry has relied on since its inception. Support your local craft breweries, whether it be in Western North Carolina, in Michigan or anywhere in-between, because they, in turn, support you. Life is beautiful, grasp for it, y’all.
Come, stay and play! Start your North Carolina mountain journey here.
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People who live and thrive in the craft beer business, from brewery owners to employees, work hard and play hard. They love being outdoors. They love live music. They love incredible beer. And, most of all, they love each other.
March 18-24, 2015
Great people. Beautiful music. Innovation Brewing. Endless outdoors. Delicious beer. Garret K. Woodward photo Simply put, those are the exact reasons I moved to Western North Carolina from Upstate New York almost three years ago. And everyday, I’m constantly justified in that decision by those reasons reappearing in my existence here in Southern Appalachia. Over the last week, I’ve been putting together the cover story about the current trademark dispute between Innovation Brewing in Sylva and Michigan-based Bell’s Brewery. The controversy can be boiled down to Innovation applying to register its name through the federal trademark office. Bell’s has used the word “innovation” in its marketing for several years, and feel they have the commonlaw ownership of the usage in terms of the craft beer industry. Innovation, a mom-and-pop business, makes upwards of 500 barrels a year, while Bell’s, a multimillion dollar company, produces around 310,000 barrels. It’s the old “David versus Goliath” story, and we, as the public, always tune in when that theme finds itself in the media spotlight. As someone who has extensively interviewed both sides of the dispute, I find there truly are no winners. Well, maybe just Bell’s lawyers and its public relations firms, who stand to collect a big pay day when all is said and The Trail Magic Ale #10 release party will be done. To me, all four of the reaMarch 20-21 at Nantahala Brewing Company sons I love Western North in Bryson City. Carolina are the same four reasons 99.9 percent of folks who work The film adaptation of the Ron Rash novel and play in craft beer had when The World Made Straight will make its they entered the beloved industry. Western North Carolina big-screen premiere People who live and thrive in at 3 and 7 p.m. March 23 in the A.K. Hinds the craft beer business, from Center at Western Carolina University. brewery owners to employees, Screaming J’s (funk/rock) will perform at 9 work hard and play hard. They p.m. March 20 at No Name Sports Pub in love being outdoors. They love live Sylva. music. They love incredible beer. And, most of all, they love each The Smoky Mountain Rollergirls will open the other. In my years of being a jourhome season at 4:30 p.m. March 21 at the nalist, I have found no industry or Swain County Recreation Center in Bryson City. business or group of folks as gen“Pickin’ in the Armory” (bluegrass/clogging) erous, caring, supportive and full will be at 7 p.m. March 20 at the Canton of zest for life than those involved Armory. with craft beer. Which is why this dispute being dragged out over social an industry that prides itself on the key media digs so deep for everyone directly — themes of “brotherhood,” “camaraderie” and indirectly — involved. I can promise and “collaboration.” I can assure you, Chip you, from both sides of this, that neither Innovation nor Bell’s wants this controversy Owen and Nicole Dexter of Innovation and Larry Bell of Bell’s would trade all of this to get any uglier. Neither side wants to publicity and media spectacle for this whole smear the storied reputation of craft beer,
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This must be the place
thing to go away, or never to have happened in the first place. Being a journalist and a levelheaded person, I, even though I have numerous friends in the craft beer industry (and consider Chip and Nicole comrades), have to, and will, take a genuine look at both sides of the coin. As “David versus Goliath” as some people may want to paint this dispute, at the end of the day it is two independent businesses that truly want what is best for their brand, and also want to protect the intellectual property of their name on the open market. Nobody wants to see this opposition case head into October, to ultimately be decided by the federal trademark board. It is a “red button” that the industry has always known existed in the business world, but it’s also a button nobody, not one person in the craft beer world, ever thought could be close to being pushed. So, where does that leave us? Well, October is many months away. And yet, with each passing day without a solution, both Innovation and Bell’s are becoming more and more downtrodden and emotionally traumatized. I’ve spent time with Chip and Nicole, they are bewildered and beaten down by all of this. I’ve talked to Larry Bell, and he’s is genuinely shell-shocked by the media circus swirling around his company and worried about his personal safety in a modern society where that one-in-a-million irrational person does something dangerous to make a point.
BlueRidgeHeritage.com
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I NNOVATION, CONTINUED FROM 24 to keep using it,” Reiser said. “Innovation does not dispute that they have full right to use and continue using the slogan, just that the slogan legally does not restrict Innovation’s use or registration of the Innovation Brewing name. The thing that keeps getting lost is that we believe that any common law rights Bell’s own are very minimal.”
STANDING UP FOR YOUR BRAND
Smoky Mountain News
March 18-24, 2015
With the social media circus surrounding the dispute boiling over since March 10, the conversation at Innovation Brewing the next day is all about the controversy. In a show of support, the entire staff of Nantahala Brewing Company in Bryson City came down to Sylva. “You generally don’t ever see something like this in our industry,” said Greg Geiger, brewmaster at Nantahala. “It hurts all of us because Bell’s used to be one of the most-liked breweries in our business. I’ve visited there, I love their beer, and I also love Chip and Nicole — they’re some of my favorite people.” Sitting next to Geiger is Joe Rowland, coowner of Nantahala and also the president of the Asheville Brewers Alliance, a nonprofit organization of the almost 30 breweries in Western North Carolina. Rowland is close friends with Innovation Brewing and with folks over at Bell’s, including Laura Bell, vice president of Bell’s and daughter of founder/owner Larry Bell. “Bell’s was one of the first beers that got me excited about craft beer — every single beer they’ve made has been good,” Rowland said. “And it’s disappointing that what defines our industry — love, support and camaraderie — are principles that are being challenged right now with this dispute.” Rowland noted that trademark issues are pretty commonplace in the craft beer world, especially in an industry that is growing exponentially with each passing day (over 3,000 breweries and counting in the United States, with an average of 1.5 new breweries opening each day). Breweries use numerous words and slogans to name and promote their unique products and brand in an increasingly crowded business world. Those words and slogans not only need to be trademarked, they also must be defended when another brewery’s words and slogans appear too similar for comfort. “We all understand the point and purpose of trademarks. It’s there for a reason, and it’s your responsibility to go out there and protect your trademark,” Geiger said. “And if you don’t go out there and set a precedent for not protecting your own intellectual property, you could lose your trademark. We understand the purpose in all of this, but, ‘Bottling innovation since 1985’ is not a trademark, it’s not even registered.” Rowland said 99.9 percent of these disputes are simply resolved with a phone call or over a beer between the parties involved, and that it’s only been lately that certain 26 cases have received media attention (i.e. —
Larry Bell, founder/owner of Bell’s Brewery. Donated photo
“We started very small and we have worked very hard over the last 30 years to get to where we are today, and it’s unfortunate, I think, that people see us in this way.” — Larry Bell, Bell’s founder, on the negative impact of the trademark battle
Lagunitas versus Sierra Nevada, Magic Hat versus West Sixth). “The majority of these cases are solved easily and amicably, and out of the public eye,” Rowland said. “I remember a few years back when Sam Calagione of Dogfish Head said at a craft brewers conference, ‘Isn’t it a wonderful industry we’re in that it’s 99 percent asshole free?’ And as our industry becomes a hot bed, where more people may jump into it for the wrong reasons or to make a quick buck, I can see these disputes appearing more and more. But, at the end of the day, we’re making beer. What’s there to get pissed off about? Let’s sit down, have a beer and work this out.”
ESTABLISHING A TIMELINE According to Dexter, when the initial opposition from Bell’s first became a possibility in early 2014, the main point was that consumers might confuse the trademarked “Inspired Brewing” with “Innovation Brewing.” Both Dexter and Owen felt otherwise and proceeded with their federal registration. The “Inspired Brewing” conflict was at the center of the conversation when Laura Bell personally reached out to Innovation Brewing to discuss resolving the conflict. “I personally reached out to Innovation Brewing to try to settle this matter in
February 2014 and attempted to talk about this brewer to brewer instead of involving lawyers,” Laura Bell said in a public statement on March 12 via Bell’s official Facebook page. “Our efforts were rebuffed and Innovation Brewing chose to pursue this in the legal system.” Dexter confirmed that Laura Bell did indeed reach out. “Laura Bell did contact me at 7 p.m. the night before their opposition filing was due. They had already hired attorneys to represent them and file for their extension to file the opposition. We had not hired an attorney,” Dexter countered on Innovation’s Facebook page later that day. “After she advised us that she would ‘let us’ keep using the name in North Carolina only, and never expand beyond it, she said that we had until the next day at 5 p.m. to respond. That is 22 hours to find an attorney and decide on the future of our business. Innovation responded the following day that we would proceed with our application. That was the one and only attempt Ms. Bell made to contact me. From there, their attorneys took over.” Beyond the initial trademark dispute, the ultimate opposition also then included the conflict with the slogan, “Bottling innovation since 1985,” which is being placed under a common law stance. In the March 12 Facebook statement, Laura Bell made four other points, each also being addressed and countered by Innovation Brewing on its Facebook page. Some of those points and rebuttals are as follows: • Laura Bell: “We have not, and are not asking them to change their name or their logo. There is no lawsuit. We are not suing them. We have not asked them for money. We have not asked them to stop selling their beer. We are asking them to withdraw their federal trademark application.” • Innovation: “Yes, this is a [trademark] proceeding and not a lawsuit, although it is like a lawsuit, requiring legal representation, being personally deposed, and including a trial. They are asking us to withdraw our federal trademark application for our brand name.” • Laura Bell: “Over the last year, we have offered co-existence agreements and have offered to pay for their legal fees. We tried to find solutions that would work for both of us. Their response was to ask for an exorbitant amount of money and we did not feel that was a collaborative solution.” • Innovation: “Not a single co-existence agreement has ever been presented to us by Bell’s. In fact it was we who submitted a written co-existence agreement – subsequently declined by Bell’s. The only monetary compensation they have ever offered us was $2,500 which was to cover the inconvenience of being forced to abandon our trademark and go register a different one. The ‘legal fees’, as Ms. Bell puts it, brought on by their legal action against us, may exceed $50,000. We did not feel like being bought off. In the early days of this dispute, when we were asked what our brand was worth, we told them a lot. We did not expect that to be used against us as proposing a settlement figure.
Our brand was not for sale, and it’s not for sale now.” • Laura Bell: “All offers that we proposed were rejected and after more than a year of discussion regrettably, this matter has moved to the federal trademark office.” • Innovation: “This matter was before the [trademark] office one day after she began talking to us. No offer has ever been presented to us other than the offer to limit our business to N.C. or take $2,500 to start over and build a new brand. We believe in our business, so those are not really offers at all.”
BUSINESS IS BUSINESS So, what does Bell’s have to say in all of this? “Bell’s is just protecting their trademark and their brand, and that’s pretty much all that’s going on,” said John Truscott, a spokesman for Bell’s. “There are things that you can get trademarks for and there are things you can have a common law trademark for. Under the common law provision, we can protect ourselves against the current registration.” When asked about the idea of Innovation Brewing protecting its brand, Truscott noted that Bell’s is also, at the end of the day, trying to do the same thing — making the right decisions that best suit the future of the company. “Bell’s has told Innovation that they have no problem with them operating as they’ve done, and we’re in no opposition with them expanding their product over state lines,” he said, contradicting Innovation’s account of the story. “They can sell their product without having a federal trademark. All we’re asking them to do is remove the application for the trademark.” Truscott felt the Innovation Brewing application isn’t validated when you consider the common law stance of Bell’s in terms of using “innovation” for craft beer. He also noted that if Innovation Doug Reiser Brewing did win the federal trademark, it could leave Bell’s vulnerable to being sued for use of “innovation,” if things were to ever get to that point. “If Innovation gets the trademark and Bell’s loses that phrase, Innovation could get after Bell’s at that point,” Truscott said. According to Reiser, however, this is simply not how trademark law works. Innovation could never stop Bell’s from continuing to use its slogan as it has been since 2009. Truscott said if the conflict wasn’t resolved soon, then the next step would be a deposition, where lawyers for Bell’s would sit down with Dexter and Owen for questioning, a scenario that could play out in Asheville this week. From that point, preparations would be made for what would amount to a final decision trial, where federal registration of the trademark would be decided in late October
F
On the street
The Smoky Mountain Rollergirls and their junior league The Lil’ Nemesisters will open the 2015 home season with a doubleheader at 4:30 p.m. March 21 at the Swain County Recreation Center in Bryson City. The Lil’ Nemesisters will take on Gastonia’s Mini G’s in the opening bout and then SMRG plays the Appalachian Rollergirls. This event is a fundraiser for P.A.W.S Animal Shelter. Donations for items frequently used at the shelter are being collected at the door and a portion of the proceeds will benefit P.A.W.S. Items needed by the animal shelter include the following: Purina Dog Chow, Purina Cat Chow, Purina Puppy Chow, Pupperoni, Milk Bones, cat treats, Clorox, dish washing liquid and pine pellet cat litter. Tickets cost $5 at www.brownpapertickets.com or get them at the door for $7. Ages 7 and under are free. There will also be a meet and greet with both teams at the after party right down the road at Nantahala Brewing Company.
Dinner to showcase Ethiopian food, culture
A new series “Dinner Around the World” will kick off at 5:30 p.m. Friday, March 27, at the Pigeon Community Multicultural Development Center in Waynesville. The first dinner will be Ethiopian, with Dr. Joyce Hooley as the chef. Hooley has lived in Ethiopia for periods of time twice during her life. The menu will feature
injera, an Ethiopian flat bread much like a crepe; Doro Wat, a chicken and egg dish in a red pepper sauce; Alecha Shiro, roasted chick pea flour sauce; Alecha Atakilt, a vegetable dish; Habisha Gomen, greens seasoned Ethiopian style; Ki Miser, red pepper lentils; and chop salad. Tickets cost $10 per person, with donations welcome. Reservations can be made by calling 828.400.5475. If you bring family and friends along, you can choose to eat “family” style at tables of six to eight people.
Larry Bell was on vacation in Arizona when the media firestorm involving his brewery emerged. Bell is one of the pioneers of the modern-day independent craft brewery boom, and now he’s being vilified in public by consumers and brewery heads within the industry he helped create. “The last [few days] have been stressful and I’m not getting a lot of sleep. It’s been pretty hurtful and my greatest concern is safety, for me and my employees, and it has been unfortunate that I’ve had to be concerned with it,” he said over the phone from Arizona. “We started very small and we have worked very hard over the last 30 years to get to where we are today, and it’s unfortunate, I think, that
Need help with family genealogy? There will be a Beginning Genealogy II class at 5 p.m. Tuesday, March 24, at the Canton Public Library. The program will be led by Dot Barnum and Stan Smith of the Haywood County Historical & Genealogical Society, who will teach how to get the early deeds of Haywood County online. While this class is geared toward those who have started their research, it is open to all. Barnum will be available before the class
people see us in this way.” Bell was constrained in what he could say about the dispute due to the recent legal maneuvering, but his love for the craft beer industry has not wavered throughout all of the controversy. “It’s a fun industry. It’s a fascinating business, with lots of interesting things in it,” he said amid long, emotional pauses in conversation. “It’s a relationship and people business and the greatest thing I have is my employees, who are 100 percent behind us. I still love this industry — absolutely.”
THE POINT OF NO RETURN According to Innovation’s Facebook page, on March 13 it did offer a co-existence agreement to Bell’s. With the weekend to collect their thoughts and reflect on the dispute, both sides came into this past Monday silent. When asked if no statements mean anything, Reiser said on Monday afternoon that it “remains the status quo” moving into the end of legal fact-finding. If nothing is resolved, Bell’s would most likely come to Asheville this week to get depositions from Dexter and Owen. And although Reiser is currently offering his legal services pro bono, with Gates also offering a discounted rate, legal fees are mounting. Both breweries are likely paying tens of thousands of dollars to defend their case. “This dispute is losing sight of the amazing camaraderie that the craft beer industry was founded on,” Reiser said. “So, what’s important now? For Bell’s to save face and push ahead or to save their business in the public eye?” Reiser added that he believes this case will only be a landmark in the peripheral sense because it is not expected to establish new precedent if it ended up in a trial.
• The Rainbow and Ramps Elder Meal will be from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. March 28 at the Cherokee Indian Fairgrounds. The annual event has marked the traditional fishing season and the start of the year ramp or mountain leak festival. There will also be games and live music by the Ross Brothers. The J Creek Cloggers will be performing as well. The event is free, with the meal $10. 800.438.1601.
ALSO:
• There will be a ballroom dance hosted by the Haywood Dancers at 8 p.m. March 20 at Angie’s Dance Academy in Clyde. Dress is smart casual and refreshments are free. Admission is $10. 828.734.8063. • The Trail Magic Ale #10 release party will be March 20-21 at Nantahala Brewing Company in Bryson City. Craft beer release of the Russian Imperial Stout, live music, and more. Free. www.nantahalabrewing.com. • OccupyWNC will host a meet and greet at 7 p.m. March 24 at Signature Brew in Sylva. Drawings and door prizes. Attendees will learn about the issues the nonprofit group is involved in. Free. 828.369.2801.
On the stage Country Western Show returns to Tuscola The 33rd Annual Country Western Show will hit the stage at 7 p.m. March 19-21 and at 3 p.m. March 22 in the Tuscola High School auditorium in Clyde. Tuscola High School Chamber and Summit Choirs will present this year’s theme, “Country Comeback.” Summit is bringing back many memories from shows past as a celebration of the people and the spirit that is so unique to the choral program and Tuscola High School. Summit is also learning two group numbers straight from shows in the late 1990s. There will also be raffles and drawings raising funds for the Tuscola High School Choral Department. Tickets cost $10 and available through Summit and Chamber Choir Members, at the door or by calling 828.456.2408. • The Franklin High School Advanced Drama Show “Check Please” will be performed at 7 p.m. March 2021 in the FHS Fine Arts Building. $5. www.franklin-chamber.com.
Smoky Mountain News
VILIFIED BY HIS OWN
The 11th annual Melange of the Mountains culinary weekend will be March 26-29 around Haywood County. The event is the county’s premier culinary kickoff for the spring tourism season. It is a uniquely local epicurean partnership of innovative chefs, sustainable producers, crafty microbrewers and local farms. The culinary gala will be from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. March 26 at Laurel Ridge Country Club in Waynesville. As well, there will also be an array of special restaurant events and tastings March 27-29. Tickets for the gala are $35 for chamber members, $40 for nonmembers and $60 for VIP. www.haywoodchamber.com.
starting at 4 p.m. to offer one-on-one assistance to those with research questions. The library will also have examples of genealogy books on hand, as well as a few local history books. Free. 828.648.2924.
March 18-24, 2015
or early November by the U.S. Trademark Trials and Appeal Board in Virginia. “It’s really sad that it has come to this, but this is really Bell’s only recourse,” Truscott said. “From Innovation’s perspective, I don’t know why they’re pursuing it. They don’t need the federal trademark to do business. So, I think they’re heading into a very costly legal situation. From Bell’s perspective, we have to respond and protect the trademarks now, otherwise it lessens their ability to protect themselves in the future.” “If this goes to trial, then we’re moving in a very bad direction for the industry. If this went to trial, it may very well be the first craft brewery versus craft brewery trademark action to move to trial,” Reiser responded. Innovation, though, has vowed to stay the course. “Why would Innovation give up on the same dream that Bell’s had? Innovation wants to protect their brand and their expansion into new marketplaces,” Reiser said.
Melange returns with gala, culinary weekend
arts & entertainment
Rollergirls season opener is March 21
ALSO:
• CJ Deering will present her onewoman comedy “Jobs I Had for One Day” at 7:30 p.m. March 27-28 at HART Theater in Waynesville. Tickets cost $10 for adults, $6 for students. 828.456.6322. 27
Percussion Ensemble at WCU The Western Carolina University Percussion Ensemble will present a concert at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 26, at the Coulter Building recital hall in Cullowhee. The ensemble performs music specifically composed or arranged for percussion instruments, including drums, cymbals, timpani, xylophones, marimbas and bells. This year’s group includes 12 WCU music majors who study with Mario Gaetano, professor in WCU’s School of Music. The musicians will perform on March 26 under the direction of Gaetano and graduate student Dillon Ingle. Works on the program include “Fanfare” by John Alfieri for six tambourine players; “Tres Estudos,” a percussion quartet based on Brazilian folk rhythms and melodies by Brazilian composer Osvaldo Lacerda; “Ku-KaLimoku” by Christopher Rouse, which depicts the war god of Hawaiian mythology; “Music for Mallet Instruments” by North Carolina composer Lynn Glassock; and “Power Struggle” by another North Carolina composer, Nathan Daughtrey. Also during the concert, music faculty member Jon Henson and senior Andrew King will team up with Gaetano and Ingle to perform Bela Fleck’s “Metric Lips,” transcribed for four mallet-keyboard percussion instruments. Free. 828.227.3263.
Bryson City community jam A community music jam will be held from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 19, at the
Marianna Black Library in Bryson City. Anyone with a guitar, banjo, mandolin, fiddle, dulcimer, anything unplugged, are invited to join. Singers are also welcomed to join in or you can just stop by and listen. The jam is facilitated by Larry Barnett of Grampa’s Music in Bryson City. Normally, Larry starts by calling out a tune and its key signature and the group plays it together. Then, everyone in the circle gets a chance to choose a song for the group to play together. The community jams offer a chance for musicians of all ages and levels of ability to share music they have learned over the years or learn old-time mountain songs. The music jams are offered to the public each first and third Thursday of the month — year-round. This program received support from the North Carolina Arts Council. 828.488.3030.
An evening of traditional African music will be held at 7 p.m. Friday, March 20, at the Macon County Public Library in Franklin. Performer Sean Gaskell is an Ashevillebased musician who plays the West African KORA, a 21-stringed, gourd-bottomed harp which dates back more than 300 years and is native to the Mandinka people of Gambia, Senegal, Mali, Guinea and Guinea Bissau. Gaskell has studied with master Kora players in Gambia during multiple visits there, has been featured at music festivals in Gambia, Senegal, and throughout the United States, and has released an album, “Kora Music of West Africa.” 828.524.ARTS or 828.524.3600.
RESIDENTIAL HOUSECLEANING
Smoky Mountain News
Serving Haywood County Call Tanya for a free estimate—828-734-0671
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Diffie brings country hits to Franklin Country star Joe Diffie will perform at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, March 21, at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts in Franklin. With chart-toppers like “Pickup Man,” “Third Rock From the Sun” and “John Deere Green,” and 13 albums and over 20 Top 10 singles to his credit, Diffie has yet to quench the desire to make good country music. A renowned songwriter in his own right who recently turned his focus back to writing after years on the road, Diffie has written hits for artists like Tim McGraw, Conway Twitty and Jo Dee Messina. Whether it’s writing, touring or recording a myriad of projects, including his critically acclaimed 2010 bluegrass album “Homecoming,” and his recent Roots And
Joe Diffie. www.facebook.com/ joediffie
Boots acoustic tour with fellow hit makers Sammy Kershaw and Aaron Tippin, Diffie is having the time of his life. Tickets start at $20. 866.273.4615 or www.greatmountainmusic.com.
Traditional African music in Franklin
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March 18-24, 2015
arts & entertainment
On the beat
BONDED & INSURED
Angela Easterling will play March 21 in Waynesville.
Country, folk music at Waynesville library Country ballad singer-songwriter Angela Easterling will perform at 3 p.m. Saturday, March 21, at the Haywood County Public Library in Waynesville. The concert is presented by the Haywood County Arts Council. Free.
On the beat
• BearWaters Brewing (Waynesville) will have Ginny McAfee (singer-songwriter) at 7 p.m. March 21, The Get Right Band (funk/folk) 8 p.m. March 27 and Ryan Cavanaugh Duo (jazz/bluegrass) 8 p.m. March 28. www.bwbrewing.com or 828.246.0602. • Canton Armory will have “Pickin’ in the Armory” at 7 p.m. March 20. Live music by Bobby & Blue Ridge Tradition, with clogging by the J. Creek Cloggers and Green Valley Cloggers. www.cantonnc.com.
• City Lights Café (Sylva) will have Cygne (electric folk) March 20, Joe Cat (singer-songwriter) March 21 and The Freestylers (Americana) March 27. Both shows begin at 7 p.m. www.citylightscafe.com.
ALSO:
• Classic Wineseller (Waynesville) will have Ben Wilson (guitar/standards) March 20, Joe Cruz (piano/pop) March 21 and 28, and James Hammel (jazz/pop) March 27. All shows begin at 7 p.m. 828.452.6000 or www.classicwineseller.com.
• Innovation Brewing (Sylva) will have an Open Mic night March 18 and 25, and a jazz night March 19 and 26. All events begin at 8 p.m. www.innovation-brewing.com.
• Lost Hiker (Highlands) will have Dustin Martin (singer-songwriter) March 28. www.thelosthikerbar.com.
• Nantahala Brewing (Bryson City) will have The Freeway Revival (rock/blues) March 20, Fritz Beer & The Crooked Beat (rock) March
• No Name Sports Pub (Sylva) will have Screaming J’s (funk/rock) March 20, The Harmed Brothers (indiegrass/Americana) March 21 and Pony Named Olga (Americana/punk) March 27. All shows are free and begin at 9 p.m. 828.586.2750 or www.nonamesportspub.com. • Oconaluftee Visitors Center (Cherokee) will have an old-time music jam from 1 to 3 p.m. March 21. All skill levels welcomed. • Rathskeller Coffee Haus and Pub (Franklin) will have Justin Moe (DJ) March 20, Ronnie Evans March 21, Jazz Mountain March 27 and Gary Carter March 28. All shows are free and begin at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. www.rathskellerfranklin.com or 828.369.6796. • The Strand at 38 Main (Waynesville) will have The Don Juans (singer-songwriter) March 19 ($18 in advance, $20 at the door) and Linda McRae (Americana/roots) March 26 ($18 in advance, $20 at the door). All events begin at 7:30 p.m. www.38main.com or call 828.283.0079. • Tipping Point Brewing (Waynesville) will have Through the Hills (Americana/folk) at 9 p.m. March 20 and ‘Round The Fire (Grateful Dead tribute) 8:30 p.m. March 27. Free. • Tuck’s Tap & Grille (Cullowhee) will have DJ Hek Yeh March 19, Left Lane Cruiser (blues/rock) March 20, Amythyst Kiah (roots/soul) with Through the Hills (Americana/folk) March 21, DJ Flash March 26, Mangas Colorado (Americana/folk) and Homemade Wine (alternative/country) March 27, and The Freeway Revival (Americana) March 28. All shows begin at 10 p.m. • Water’n Hole Bar & Grille (Waynesville) will have Swamp Candy (blues/rock) March 20 and Tonology (metal/hard rock) March 27. All shows begin at 9:30 p.m. • Western Carolina University (Cullowhee) will have the Smoky Mountain Brass Quintet at 7:30 p.m. March 24, Percussion Ensemble 7:30 p.m. March 26 and Alec Neal Senior Recital 1 p.m. March 29 in the Coulter Building. There will also be a Vaughan Williams Choral concert at 3 p.m. March 29 at the Bardo Arts Center. www.wcu.edu.
@Smoky MtnNews
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Smoky Mountain News
• Mad Batter Food & Film will have Darren & The Buttered Toast (funk/soul, $2) and P.M.A. (funk/jam) at 9 p.m. March 20. www.madbatterfoodandfilm.com.
WIN A CARIBBEAN CRUISE
March 18-24, 2015
• Frog Level Brewing (Waynesville) will have Craig Summers & Lee Kram (singer-songwriter) at 6 p.m. March 19 and 26, and a St. Patrick’s Day party with the Bobby Sullivan Band (acoustic roots) 2 p.m. March 20. Free. 828.454.5664 or www.froglevelbrewing.com.
21 and Rye Baby (country/blues) March 28. All shows are free and begin at 8:30 p.m. www.nantahalabrewing.com.
arts & entertainment
• Balsam Mountain Inn will have Becky Hobbs, Benita Hill and Kacey Jones as part of the Songwriters in the Round series from 6 to 10 p.m. March 21. Tickets cost $47 per person, which includes a buffet dinner. 800.224.9498 or www.balsammountaininn.net.
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arts & entertainment
On the wall HCC participates in American Craft Council show Haywood Community College’s Creative Arts Professional Crafts and Continuing Education departments recently participated in the American Craft Council show March 13-15 in Atlanta. This initiative is designed by the American Craft Council to bridge the gap between educational curriculum in craft and the marketplace by providing undergraduate students a venue for a curated, collective exhibition of their work. HCC was among more than 250 of the country’s most talented contemporary jewelry, clothing, furniture and home decor artists. The platform highlighted the talents cultivated by the emerging artists in the Creative Arts Program and exposed the work generated in the program at a national level. The American Craft Council (ACC) is a national, nonprofit educational organization founded in 1943 with a mission to promote understanding and appreciation of contemporary American craft. 828.565.4240 or krrinn@haywood.edu.
Rash book turned film to make WNC screen debut he film adaptation of the Ron Rash novel The World Made Straight will make its Western North Carolina big-screen premiere at 3 and 7 p.m. Monday, March 23, in the A.K. Hinds Center at Western Carolina University. A panel discussion featuring David Burris, the movie’s director, and Rash, WCU’s Parris Distinguished Professor of Appalachian Culture, will be held in the theater at 5 p.m. The story is of a rebellious young man struggling to escape the violence of his rural Appalachian community, which is still haunted by its legacy of a Civil War massacre. Through a series of events ranging from discovering a grove of marijuana to getting caught in a bear trap, the 17-year-old forges a friendship with a disgraced schoolteacher, and together, they begin to see connections between their community’s violent past and present. Burris, a Raleigh native and Emmy-nominated producer, describes himself as a longtime fan of Rash’s work and says he feels a deep connection to the characters in the acclaimed author’s books. Formerly executive producer of the CBS reality show “Survivor,” Burris made his directorial debut with “The World Made Straight,” which was shot primarily in Buncombe, Henderson and Madison counties in the spring of 2013. The
T
crooked and straight.” Tickets for the film are $5 for WCU students, faculty and staff, and $10 for the general public. Tickets are being sold at the English department office in Room 305 of WCU’s Coulter Building (cash or check only) Andersen photo and at City Lights Bookstore in Sylva, Malaprop’s Bookstore in Asheville, and Fountainhead Bookstore in Hendersonville. Admission to the panel discussion is free. Proceeds from the fundraiser will be used to help finance professional development and travel for English department students. “The World Made Straight” was released to theaters in January, but was limited to venues in Raleigh, Charlotte and 10 major cities outside North Carolina. The movie was released nationwide on DVD in February. 828.227.7264.
The film ‘The World Made Straight,’ based off of the novel by author Ron Rash, will be screened March 23 at Western Carolina University. Ulf
movie stars Jeremy Irvine as the rebellious young man and also features Minka Kelly, Noah Wyle, Haley Joel Osment, Adelaide Clemens and Steve Earle. “‘The World Made Straight’ is about people born into a harsh world who must wrestle with hard choices,” Burris said. “I want people to leave the theater crying, and still, somehow, be happy, somehow be satisfied knowing that the world is both ugly and beautiful,
Smoky Mountain News
March 18-24, 2015
284-12
#SchooledOnSavings $ 100,000 to Schools!
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Deborah Edmonds will read from her new novel
Fires Creek
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284-51
Find us on Facebook. Federally Insured by NCUA *$100,000 will be divided between the public school systems in Haywood, Buncombe, Henderson, Jackson, Swain, Macon, Graham, Madison, and Transylvania Counties based on the number of students per system. **Loan approval based on JYLKP[^VY[OPULZZ *LY[HPU YLZ[YPJ[PVUZ HWWS` (WWSPJHISL [V SVHUZ ILPUN YLÄUHUJLK MYVT HUV[OLY SLUKLY )` \WSVHKPUN `V\Y picture to our social media pages, you give Champion Credit Union permission to use it in future promotions.
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Two locations to serve you ASHEVILLE 252.3005
WAYNESVILLE 251.9721
www.hunterbanks.com
On the wall
Workshops in scherenschnitte (paper cutting) and woodcarving will be offered by Dogwood Crafters and held at the Dillsboro Masonic Lodge. The scherenschnitte workshop will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday, March 25. Cashiers resident Lawrie Williams will be the instructor. Scherenschitte originated in Switzerland and Germany in the 16th century. This artistic tradition came to colonial America by immigrants to Pennsylvania. At the workshop, participants will use scissors to cut intricate-looking
designs from paper. Cost of the class is $12. Master woodcarver Ron Yount will lead the woodcarving class from 1 to 5 p.m. March 26-27. Participants will discover the beauty and fun of working with wood. Cost is $34, which is payable on the first day of class. Register to attend each class by calling 828.586.2435 or emailing junettapell@hotmail.com by March 20.
Craft series in Bryson City Crafter/owner of Taylor’s Greenhouse, Karen Taylor, will be the instructor for a craft series at Wild Fern Studios in Bryson City. • A wet felting workshop will be held March 21. The class explores the art of wet felting, along with needle felting and the basics that go along with making a unique piece of jewelry. • A foundations of medicine utilizing herbs and flower workshop will be held March 28. Learn to make basic tinctures, rubs and poultices from herbs. This class is a continuation of Taylor’s class on making salves and oils. Both workshops run from 2 to 4 p.m. Class fees are $20. 828.736.1605.
WCU youth art class
and “Into The Woods” (March 28) will be screened at the Mad Batter Food & Film in Sylva. Screenings are free and begin at 6:30 and 8:30 p.m. unless otherwise noted. There is also a 2 p.m. matinee on Saturdays. www.madbatterfoodandfilm.com.
The Western Carolina University School of Art and Design will host an art class for youth ages 8 and up from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. March 28 at the John W. Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center in Cullowhee. The “Inside Out” workshop will focus on nature-provided materials. Featured projects will include kite making, basketry, natural paint watercolors and earthenware clay. The workshop is $25. The registration fees include lunch in the Courtyard Dining Hall. Space is limited to the first 35 participants. www.artclasses.wcu.edu or 828.227.7397.
• The “Come Paint with Charles Kidz Program” will be at 4 p.m. March 19 and 27 at the Charles Heath Gallery in Bryson City. $20 per child. Materials and snacks included. 828.538.2054.
• There is currently an open call for artists from the Front Street Arts & Crafts Show that will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, June 20, in Dillsboro. Application deadline is April 1. 828.506.8331 or www.visitdillsboro.org or www.mountainlovers.com.
• “Imitation Game” (March 20-April 1) and “Dark Summer” (March 20-21, 2728) will be screened through March 18 at The Strand at 38 Main in Waynesville. For screening times, click on www.38main.com or call 828.283.0079.
ALSO:
• “Mad Max” (March 19), “Star Trek 3” (March 20, 6:30 p.m. only), “Penguins of Madagascar” (March 21), “The Hobbit” (March 26-27, 6:30 p.m. only)
arts & entertainment
Paper cutting, woodcarving workshops
• “McFarland — USA” will be screened through March 13-19 at the Highlands Playhouse. Showtimes are at 2, 5 and 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, and also 2 and 5 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $9. 828.526.2695 or www.highlandsplayhouse.org.
• Disney’s “The Aristocats” musical will be screened at 7:30 p.m. March 27-28 at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts in Franklin. $12. www.greatmountainmusic.com.
March 18-24, 2015 Smoky Mountain News 31
arts & entertainment
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Books
Smoky Mountain News
33
Below ‘the line,’ it’s a world unto itself spent a week reading this novel, and each time I laid it down, I expected to find a damp spot under it when I picked it up again. Rivers is about rain — unrelenting, unforgiving rain. This novel begins, “It had been raining for weeks. Maybe months. He had forgotten the last day that it hadn’t rained.” The world seemed to be dissolving around Cohen. Even the lumber that he used in his Writer futile attempts to build an addition to his house became spongy and fell away as though rejecting its own nature. Even the land had become shifting mud and flowed away. Although the critics characterize Rivers as “post apocalyptic,” the work seems to require classification as a new genre, possibly “environmental catastrophe.” The nightmarish setting is a coastal region that runs south of Hattiesburg, Mississippi, and Baton Rouge, Louisiana, — a 90-mile wide strip that has become so devastated by constant rain and storms in the years following Hurricane Katrina that the government has drawn a figurative and literal boundary called “the line” and declared all land below that boundary as “abandoned.” This action was followed by a massive evacuation. Cohen, the protagonist of this tale, lost Elisa, his pregnant wife, in a tragic accident during this exodus and ended up returning to his farm to bury her. As time passes, he grieves for Elisa while he is learning to survive in a “barter and swap” world without electricity. On one of his search for supplies, Cohen is robbed by two drifters and left for dead. Cohen manages to survive a harrowing trip through a landscape filled with feral animals and a night in an abandoned church. At home, he finds this house has been ransacked and his cherished belongings (letters and photos of Elisa) stolen. His resentment at being robbed grows and he sets out to find the people who stole his Jeep, his rifle and his belong-
Gary Carden
I
the pregnant women. Eventually, Cohen assumes the role of savior. In the process, he delivers a baby (at the cost of the mother’s life) and kills Aggie. The liberated women torch the camp and, under Cohen’s leadership, load two trucks and launch a desperate journey to “the line” and a world with medical supplies and electricity. Cohen has a new companion: Mariposa, the “woman from New Orleans” who was one of the robbers who had tried to kill him. As the two trucks wander from abandoned town to abandoned town where bands of thieves and mercenaries control vital supplies (gasoline, water, canned food, etc.), the world this band of wanderers encounters resembles that of Cormac McCarthy’s The Road. At times, the suspense and tension has much in common with “The Walking Dead” series. The world seems full of abandoned homes and a chance encounter with other people may promise refuge or threat. Indeed, when the group finally reaches “the line,” it seems to be vague and shifting. Then there are the men with the black Rivers by Michael Farris Smith. Simon & Schuster, 2014. 333 raincoats: are they government pages agents? If so, do they have their “own agenda”? ings ... and his past. Sensing that the thieves During the latter half of this novel, the readmay return, he leaves them a note: “He is not er will discover that Cohen has a secret. For dead. He is risen.” Thirty minutes after Cohen example, his obsession with his Jeep. When he rides away on his horse, Habana, the thieves is forced to abandon it during one encounter, return and find his note. he is distraught and talks a great deal about Eventually, Cohen’s search leads him into going on a life-threatening journey to reclaim a bizarre community consisting of a halfit. He tells Mariposa that he left pictures of his dozen locked FEMA trailers containing a dead wife in the Jeep and she is supportive of group of pregnant women and ruled by a his plans to turn back ... drive south instead of snake-handling minister named Aggie and north. Then, slowly the pieces come together. two young men. Aggie shoots Cohen in the leg Throughout this trek through abandoned viland then attempts to convince him to join lages, Cohen has been mindful of a recurring Aggie’s “commune.” Aggie dreams of foundimage, fields filled with excavations that had ing a new world that he rules like a biblical been dug with a backhoe. prophet ... a world created by the children of Although there were numerous reasons
Edmonds to present debut novel Deborah Edmonds will read from her debut novel Fires Creek at 3 p.m. Saturday, March 21, at City Lights Bookstore in Sylva. Fires Creek is a blend of murder, mystery and thriller set in a small town in the Smoky Mountains of North Carolina. Sheriff Harland Duncan has two crimes on his hands. The first involves the unauthorized burial of a newborn child in a graveyard with connections to the building of the Great Fontana Dam. The grave looks to be hand dug and it appeared overnight. Deputy Racheal Dehart is on the case to have a proper burial for the child. That same
evening, a young teacher, Emily Davis goes missing and her car and belongings are found on the highway by her boyfriend. 828.586.9499.
Coffee with the Poet welcomes Ricketson The Coffee with the Poet series continues with Mary Ricketson at 10:30 a.m. Thursday, March 19, at City Lights Bookstore in Sylva. Ricketson will read selections of poetry from her first full-length
why some men refused to leave the abandoned land below the line, one of the major ones had to do with a widely circulated tale about the casinos that sprung up on the coast. It was a well-known fact that the casinos were the first to leave, leaving behind those ornate structures that would be trashed and swept away by the storms that now came with regularity. But what about the money? What about the awesome sums of money that the casino owners were reluctant to take above the line where government agencies would demand an accounting. The rumor that swept through the bars and hotels was about the fact that the money never left. It was buried ... possibly near the sites of the casinos. So, men like Charlie, who was an old friend of Cohen’s family … Charlie bought a backhoe. For two years Charlie had endured both ridicule and attempts on his life. Charlie, like Aggie, had a dream. Somewhere out there was the casino money. Now, let me end this review with a single sentence that might be provocative: Cohen knows where the money is. How would Charlie feel when he learns that Cohen has known this for two years? In addition, I would like to make some critical observations on Rivers. This novel is saturated with dreams. If you squeeze this novel, the dreams drip out. Cohen’s dream of living a wildly romantic life with Elisa; Charlie’s dream of finding a buried treasure; Aggie’s dream of governing a tribe of pregnant women. Behind it all, it the recurring (literal) dream that Cohen has about Venice, a city built on water, a place he visited with Elisa and the conversation that he had with her about Thomas Mann’s novel, Death in Venice, and an old man’s hopeless obsession with a “perfect beauty” ... one that is forever beyond his grasp. In a recent interview, Michael Farris Smith said that he had intended to tell a story about an ordinary fellow (Cohen) who would have preferred to have spent his life playing baseball, fishing and driving his truck, but circumstances forced him into a world where he reluctantly performed deeds that would normally have been beyond his capabilities. He becomes courageous ... even heroic. That is what Smith intended to do. I think he did it.
collection Hanging Dog Creek. Her poems include topics about fear, hardship, courage and the joys in everyday life. Ricketson has been writing for over 20 years. Her work is inspired by nature and a profession as a mental health counselor. She won the gold medal for poetry in the 2011 Cherokee County Senior Games/Silver Arts and silver medal for 2012 and 2013, and first place in the Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest 75th anniversary national poetry contest. The Coffee with the Poet series meets the third Thursday of every month and is cosponsored by the Netwest chapter of the North Carolina Writer’s network. 828.586.9499.
34
Outdoors
Smoky Mountain News
Blazing a trail
Becky Kornegay takes in the view from the point named for her and her husband Burt.
Work starts on first Bartram Trail addition since the 1990s
Burt Kornegay photo
BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER t’s been nearly 20 years since Burt Kornegay first started looking into land along Hickory Knoll Road in Macon County, but dirt is finally moving on the Bartram Trail Society’s vision of routing a piece of the long-distance trail away from the road and over the Pinnacle and George Gray Mountain instead. “This had been years in the making,” said Kornegay, who was in the midst of his 12 years as president of the Bartram Trail Society when he bought the land. “This was going on even before these tracts of land came up.” One of the tracts in question is a 3-acre parcel that came on the market in the 1990s, just as the North Carolina Bartram Trail Society was mulling over how to reroute the trail while avoiding the pieces of private land abutting Nantahala National Forest. “Knowing that land probably would sell quickly, my wife and I got together and decided if everybody on the board would agree that the Bartram Trail Society would pay us back, she and I would go ahead and buy it immediately to secure it,” Kornegay said. They did just that, but the Society would need more than 3 acres to make its vision come true.
I
Enter a mysterious 10-acre property in the same neighborhood. Connecting two sections of national forest, acquiring it would be a coup for the project, so Kornegay and Richard Melvin, an attorney and Bartram Trail Society member, tried to figure out who owned it. Nobody, it turned out. After a little research, they found that the last owner was Nimrod Jarrett, a notable Macon County landowner in his day. But his day ended long ago; Jarrett died in 1871. No
More AT celebrations to come Thru-hiking season is nearly here, and towns along the Appalachian Trail in Western North Carolina are gearing up for their annual offerings of festivals and outdoor-related programs to help thru-hikers and townies alike celebrate the trail. With festivals in Franklin, Nantahala Outdoor Center, Fontana Dam and Hot Springs — as well as a month-long lineup of programs at the Macon County Public Library — there will be plenty going on. Trail volunteers have been at work getting the trail and shelters ready in anticipation of an uptick in AT hikers, following the movies “Wild” and A Walk in the Woods,” which chronicle long-distance hiking journeys.
Burt Kornegay. Becky Kornegay photo
heirs could be located, so with Melvin’s help Kornegay put in a quitclaim deed on the land, selling it to the Bartram Trail Society for a pittance. After holding onto the land for years and advertising the quitclaim deed in local newspapers, the Society was finally able to sell the property to the U.S. Forest Service and move forward with plans for trail construction. Now, a contract has been awarded to Virginia-based High Country Conservation, and work began in January, with an expected completion date in summer 2016. A $75,000 grant from the 2012 Federal Recreational Trails Program and $19,000 from the Bartram Trail Society will cover the cost, with the Forest Service overseeing the project. The Bartram Trail will still include about 10 miles of roadside hiking — though all but one of those miles are navigable by canoe on the Little Tennessee River — but those miles primarily traverse developed private land through which it would be near impossible to route a trail. The new section will eliminate some of those roadside miles and give hikers access to new views and special plant communities. “It’s going through a pretty diverse piece of territory,” said Dan Pittillo, a founder of the Bartram Trail and retired Western Carolina University botany professor. “That whole ridge through there maintains a pretty high diversity of plants that we don’t have very much of in the region.” Pittillo likes to be vague about the exact species so over-curious visitors won’t damage them, but he said species such as monkshood and packera millefolium give a strong showing. Trail planners took care to route the trail away from sensitive plants as much as possible, Pittillo said. “We don’t want people to abuse them, and what we try to do is keep the trail as far away from getting into a rare plant habitat as we
Be sure to pick up next week’s issue of The Smoky Mountain News for a full roundup of AT-related programs and events in the area.
AT lay-over, Fontana Dam knighted as official trail town Hiker Haze Weekend will welcome the season’s first Appalachian Trail thru-hikers at Fontana Village Resort March 25-26, along with a ceremony honoring the town of Fontana Dam as an official trail community. The two-day Hiker Haze events will include presentations on native plants and Native American artifacts, karaoke for hikers,
can,” he said. That’s why the new trail section reaches few of the bare-rock cliffs that define the Fishhawks, because those cliffs also tend to house a high number of rare plants. However, the hike does feature one fantastic view, Pittillo said. From Cedar Cliffs, a view of Tessentee Valley unfolds below, looking over toward Clayton, Georgia. Another view, located slightly off of the main trail, has special meaning to Kornegay. When he opened up his updated map of the Bartram Trail, he found a spot near the new section named Kornegay Point, a nod to the work he and Becky did to bring the project to fruition. “We’d never seen it before, so this fall we hiked out there just to see,” Kornegay said. “It was quite impressive.” It’s an adjective that applies to most of the Bartram Trail’s 80 North Carolina miles route, Kornegay said. From the Fishhawks to the Nantahala to the Cheoah mountains, the ridgetop views are plentiful and the backcountry is little traveled. “It’s a trail that is similar to the Appalachian Trail in terms of being mainly a ridgetop trail, but it’s much less hiked,” Kornegay said. “I like that.” So would have William Bartram, the 18th century naturalist for whom the trail was named. “Everywhere he looked he didn’t see the beginning of a new town or a place for a railroad to go,” Kornegay said. “He liked primitive nature. And he liked the native inhabitants in this place, the Cherokee.” Getting this new section done and ready for exploration takes the Bartram Trail Society one step closer its ultimate goal, Kornegay said: “to encourage that kind of appreciation of nature and the appreciation for the Cherokee culture that was here when Bartram was here.”
disc golf, a corn hole competition, guitar jamming and a campfire. Trail fans and local hikers are welcome to join the fun, as well as bona fide AT thru-hikers. A program at noon Thursday, March 26, will recognize Fontana Dam as the newest Appalachian Trail Community, under the auspice of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy. A short guided hike will follow at 2:30 p.m. Representatives from a spectrum of organizations will attend and speak, including the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, U.S. Forest Service, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Appalachian National Scenic Trail, Fontana Dam town council and the offices of U.S. Congressman Mark Meadows and U.S. Senator Richard Burr. www.fontanavillage.com.
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outdoors
Park firefighters monitor a prescribed burn in Cataloochee. NPS photo
Prescribed burn planned for Cataloochee A 550-acre prescribed burn will start soon near Cataloochee Valley in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Exact dates will depend on weather, but the burn could begin as early as March 18 and will continue intermittently, possibly through mid-April. It’s part of a multi-year prescribed burn project to open up the oak woodlands on upper slopes and ridges in the Cataloochee area. “This series of burns will reduce the number of fire-sensitive trees and shrubs while increasing the regeneration of oak and yellow pines along with increasing
the cover and diversity of native grasses and wildflowers,” said Wildland Fire Module Leader Shane Paxton. “Over time, this increase in herbaceous vegetation on the forest floor will improve forage for elk, which graze the nearby meadows.” The burn, to be conducted by park staff, is funded by the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation. The unpaved Wood Creek section of Cataloochee Entrance Road, beyond the Pretty Hollow Gap Trailhead, will be closed to vehicles during the burn, but all trails will remain open.
NOW IS THE
TIME
TO START
The Annual Ozone Season Kickoff will unveil the state of Western North Carolina’s air quality in 2014 with a program held 8:30 to 11 a.m. Tuesday, March 31, at the Land of Sky Regional Council office in Asheville. Ground-level ozone, a dangerous compound that forms from pollution in the presence of sunlight, can present summertime health hazards to humans and harm plant and animal life as well. North Carolina has been seeing a downward trend since 1999, with 2013 coming in as the lowest season on record — an outcome likely due to a combination of state and federal regulations to improve air quality and cool weather that summer. Speakers from the N.C. Division of Air Quality, Duke Energy, the WNC Regional Air Quality Agency and the Land of Sky Clean Vehicles Coalition will discuss conditions, trends and initiatives for their improvement. Free, with registration required. www.conta.cc/1EDBNpn
Beekeeping for beginners
Eating, catching and competing over fish will all be celebrated at the Fish Fest Youth Fishing Clinic, Fish Fry and Fishing Tournament, to be held 1-6 p.m. Saturday, March 28, at Haywood Community College’s Millpond. The day will begin with a youth fishing clinic to introduce concepts such as water safety and fishing ethics from 1 to 4 p.m., with a fish fry and tournament to follow from 4 to 6 p.m. The winner will nab the grand prize of $100 at Bass Pro Shops. Free for youth ages 6-12 with registration required. Space is limited. Includes clinic, tshirt and dinner. Entry fee for the tournament, open to kids and adults, is $8 and dinner is $7. Proceeds benefit the HCC Wildlife Club, which is hosting the event. 828.627.4560.
A crash course in beekeeping will lay out the basics for people looking to make life a little sweeter, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, March 28, at the Bryson City campus of Southwestern Community College. The beekeeping school, an annual offering of the Smoky Mountain Beekeeping Association of Swain and Jackson counties, will cover equipment, bee biology and how to locate, manage and harvest honey from hives. Weather permitting, students will have a chance to watch a beekeeper inspect a nearby hive when classes conclude. $15 for preregistration or $20 at the door, with discounts for couples and families. Bill Williams, 828.488.1391 or wlwilliams@frontier.com. swain.ces.ncsu.edu/spotlight/2015beginning-beekeepers-school
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SUPPORTED BY: Haywood County Chamber of Commerce, Haywood Economic Development Council, Haywood Community College Small Business Center, Haywood Advancement Foundation.
35
outdoors March 18-24, 2015
Hike to feature watershed exploration and tree ID A naturalist-guided 5-mile hike in Rough Creek Watershed north of Canton at 9:30 a.m. Saturday, March 28, will give hikers a chance to get outside with leaders well-versed in tree identification and ecology. The 870-acre area was first settled in the 1800s, but by the 1900s many of them had left their homesteads, and the Town of Canton designated the watershed a protected area. Remnants of settlements are still visible, and the watershed contains a diversity of plants and animals. The Rough Creek Watershed serves as a backup water supply for Canton and is protected by a conservation easement through the Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy, the Town of Canton and the North Carolina Clean Water Management Trust Fund. The event is part of Haywood Waterways Association’s “Get to Know Your Watershed� series of outdoor hikes, lectures and paddle tours. Friends of the Rough Creek Watershed is also a host. RSVP by March 25 to Christine O’Brien, christine.haywoodwaterways@gmail.co m or 828.476.4667.
Nation’s best paddlers to compete at NOC The Nantahala Racing Club’s Whitewater U.S. Open will keep the river churning at Nantahala Outdoor Center March 27-29. Elite slalom paddlers and wildwater racers will converge on that stretch of the Nantahala River, and spectators are welcome to watch them battle the rapids from the U.S. Forest Service walkway along Nantahala Falls. The slalom races will begin at 10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. March 28-29, with demo runs at 5:30 p.m. March 27 and 5 p.m. March 28. The wildwater sprint will start at 11 a.m. March 28, and the wildwater classic will begin at 11:45 a.m. March 29. www.nantahalaracing club.com/events/us-open.
A contender at a previous Whitewater U.S. Open cuts through the rapids. NOC photo. NOC photo
Ring in the spring by diving in to local hikes A story-sharing session from guidebook authors Dave and Tammy Wolfe will celebrate the first day of spring, 10 a.m. Friday, March 20, at the Macon County Public Library. The Wolfes, who have published two guidebooks of hikes, walks, waterfalls and drives in Western North Carolina and North Georgia, will share photos and tales of their adventures and dispense advice for local adventures. The program is part of the library’s “Walking with Spring� series, a partnership with the Nantahala Hiking Club and the Franklin Appalachian Trail Community. Events are planned throughout the next month to celebrate Appalachian Trail thru-hiking season in WNC. 828.524.3600.
JOIN US FOR ARTS EVENTS AT WCU MAR. 24 | TUE. 7:30PM | COULTER COULTER | FREE
Concert Concert:: Smok Smokyy Mountain Brass Quintet
MAR. 26 | THU. 7:30PM | COULTER COULTER | FREE
Concert: Concert: Percussion Percussion Ensemble
MAR. 27 | FRI. 7:30PM | BARDO ARTS CENTER | $
Smoky Mountain News
Performance: Ventriloquist Ventriloquist & Comedian Performance:
MAR. 29 | SUN. 3PM | BARDO ARTS CENTER | $
Concert Concert:: Artist in Residence Orchestra with Chorus SAVE THE DATE: APR. 16-19 | THU.–SAT THU.–SAT.. 7:30PM, SUN. 3PM | BARDO ARTS CENTER | $
PETER PAN, PAN, OR THE BOY WHO WOULD NOT GROW UP VISIT THE FINE ART MUSEUM FOR ONGOING EXHIBITS | FINEARTMUSEUM.WCU FINEARTMUSEUM.WCU.EDU .EDU
EVENTS ARE BROUGHT TO YOU BY THE COLLEGE OF FINE AND PERFORMING ARTS AT AT WCU. JOIN FRIENDS FRIENNDS OF THE ARTS TODAY! TODAAYY!
FOR MORE INFO – 828.227.7028 | ARTS.WCU.EDU 36
Come hang out with us for a day of outdoor play! Make a Mud Pie Build a Fort Explore at a Pond Scavenger Hunt Log Balance Beam & Stump Hop Fairy House & Pressed Flower Crafts Learn about organizations in our area that foster family-friendly outdoor H[SORUDWLRQ DQG ÀQG RXW DERXW UHVRXUFHV DYDLODEOH WR IDPLOLHV LQ :1&
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The Avett Brothers
Dwight Yoakam
Lee Ann Womack
The Del McCoury Band
March 18-24, 2015
BĂŠla Fleck and Abigail Washburn
The Marshall Tucker Band
The Gibson Brothers
Robert Earl Keen
outdoors
13 Stages of "Traditional Plus" Music!
Hot Rize
Sam Bush Band
Steep Canyon Rangers
North Mississippi Allstars
!LNEH MerleFest and WCC are 100% Tobacco Free. The views presented are not necessarily those of Wilkes Community College or endorsed by the college.
-ANHA&AOP KNC [ 7 E H G A O > K N K . K N P D # = N K H E J =
Willie Watson
Smoky Mountain News
The Earls of Leicester
Plus many more performers! 37
outdoors
Learn how to grow when space is tight A pair of library programs in Haywood County will give gardeners some ideas on how to get growing when gardening space is limited. Check out one of these free programs: ■ Master Gardener Joe Smiley will give a class on gardening with earth boxes, large planting containers that contain a water reservoir, at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, March 26, at the Canton Branch Library. A program of the Giving Garden, an initiative supported by a variety of organizations to teach various aspects of gardening. 828.648.2924. ■ Master Gardener Volunteer Hughes Roberts will cover how to get the greatest yield from a small space during a squarefoot gardening class at 2 p.m. Tuesday, March 24, at the Waynesville Library Auditorium. A certified square-foot gardening instructor, Roberts will lay out the principles behind growing an abundance of plants in 20 percent of the space of a conventional row garden. 828.356.2507.
The Macon County Master Gardeners will kick off a series of programs to help Macon County residents succeed with their gardens from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday, March 21, at the Macon County Environmental Resource Center. The program, “Ready, Set, Plant” will be led by Master Gardener Ellen Averill of Catalula, Georgia, and will be followed with a tour of the Environmental Resource Center gardens. Refreshments will be served. Jamie Plant, 904.962.0800.
Editor’s note: Asheville hiking guide and author Danny Bernstein is a fan of Family Nature Summits — weeklong experiences that provide age-appropriate outdoor excursions for each member of the family — as a way to discover nature with her granddaughter in locations across the country. Here, she shares her experiences from past Family Nature Summits in anticipation of the 2015 Summit, to be held at Lake Junaluska. BY DANNY B ERNSTEIN G UEST COLUMNIST When I first thought about taking my granddaughter, Hannah, on an outdoor experience, I looked at various intergenerational offerings but realized that she and I would be doing the same activities. When we started this adventure together — no parents were involved — she was only 7 years old. I’m an active hiker. That meant that if she hiked 4 miles, I would only hike 4 miles for the day; that is, if the group even walked that far. But at Family Nature Summits, the whole family doesn’t do the same thing. That’s what is so appealing. Like traditional summer camp, each person goes with her own age group during the day. This is how it works: After breakfast, I drop Hannah to her Junior Naturalist group where her counselors are elementary school science educators. This past year at Asilomar State Park in California, kids
hiked, explored tide pools, learned how to use a map and compass and had a chance to paint on the beach. Older children went camping. Steve Houser, a teacher of gifted elementary school children near Charlotte, has been directing the Summit’s Junior Naturalist program for 30 years. “I hope that the Summits pass on environmental education to the next generation,” Steve explained. “It’s an opportunity to spend a week with those who care about the environment. The children support each other in something as simple as recycling. Here they’re being exposed to highcaliber people in the natural world and renew acquaintances as well.” While Hannah is with her age group, I’m with mine. Over my years in Family Nature Summits, I’ve gone tide pooling at 6 a.m. in Asilomar, joined a birding trip as a very incidental birder in Lake Tahoe, caved in the Ozarks, kayaked in Maine and gone up to the tundra in Rocky Mountains National Park. And I did a lot of hiking. The Summits are a bit of a fantasyland, with
Children explore Rocky Mountains National Park at a previous Family Nature Summit. Danny Bernstein photo
Family Nature Summit comes to Lake J Each year, the Family Nature Summit is held in some part of the country known for its special beauty and recreation value. This year, it will be based in Lake Junaluska, June 27 to July 3. The experience includes a full schedule of activities to keep each family member engaged with the world around them in a way that suits their age and ability. Registration is open until kickoff day, but slots can fill up fast. Prices range from $350 for 3-year-olds to $675 for adults, with room and board available for an additional fee. One Craig Tufts Educational Scholarship is available for students ages 8-18, with awards based on an essay. Applications are due Friday, March 27. www.familynaturesummits.org
more activities than you could do in a month, great people and comfortable surroundings. At 3:30 p.m., the formal programs end. Older children run around, organizing informal games in a very safe environment. If the parents aren’t back from their activities, younger ones may move to “daycare,” where fun continues. After dinner, we join the evening program: square dancing, a program by a bird rescue group or a slide show on flowers of the area. The last night is always skit night. All the groups, from the preschoolers to the college students, put on a short program — this is camp, after all. This year, I’m taking Isabelle, Hannah’s younger sister, who is now in kindergarten. Hannah recalls, “My favorite thing about Family Summits is the people and the places we go. It is always fun to hike with people you know and you can talk with. I hope my sister who is joining this year can have as much fun as I am having!”
Smoky Mountain News
March 18-24, 2015
Macon gardeners launch series to help black thumbs
Nature for the whole family
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WNC Calendar COMMUNITY EVENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS • Haywood Regional Medical Center will host a job fair from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. on March 18 at the Haywood Regional Health & Fitness Center in Clyde. www.haymed.org/careers.aspx. • “North Carolina Women and Their Contributions” is the theme of Western Carolina University’s annual Gender Conference scheduled for 9 a.m. on March 18. 227.3359 or 227.3839. • Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River Casino Hotel is hosting a job fair from 10 a.m.-7 p.m. March 20, in the Enloe Building at Tri-County Community College in Murphy. www.casearsjobs.com or 497.8859. • A free Beginning Genealogy II class will be offered at 4 p.m. on March 24 in the Canton Branch Library’s meeting room. 648.2924. • Western Carolina University will host its third annual Discovery Forum, designed to encourage young people to share innovative ideas for making their communities better places to live, from 5-7 p.m. on March 24. 227.7383. • Free tax preparation by trained volunteers certified by the IRS and under guidance of the AARP Foundation will be available from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. on March 25-26 at the Cashiers Senior Center. 745.6856 • The Jackson County Arts Council will hold an informational meeting at 7 p.m. on March 26 in the arts council office at the Jackson County Library Annex in Sylva. info@jacksoncountyarts.org or 507-9820. • Southwestern Community College will host its 21st annual Job Fair from 9 a.m.-noon on March 26 at the Jackson Campus. Open to all job seekers in the community as well as employers. 339.4212 or p_kirkley@southwesterncc.edu. • The Holly Springs Community Development Club meets at 7 p.m. on the third Monday of each month at the community building at 2720 Cat Creek Road, Franklin. Commissioner Ronnie Beale will be the guest speaker. 369.2254. • An inaugural Women’s Leadership Conference will be held March 27-28, at Western Carolina University. Women serving in leadership roles in business, government and education in Western North Carolina will be among the speakers and panelists. Event starts with registration at 6 p.m. on Friday, wlc.wcu.edu. 227.2276.
EASTER • Bethel United Methodist Church is hosting an Easter Party at 10 a.m. on March 28. Games, Easter egg hunt and a visit from the Easter Bunny. • An Easter Bunny Brunch for children of all ages will be held from 9:30-11:30 a.m. on March 28 at First United Methodist Church of Sylva. Food, Easter crafts, photo booth and Easter egg hunt. Free; donations accepted to benefit church’s Vacation Bible School. 586.2358. • Children’s Easter Celebration from 2-4 p.m. March 28 at Sunny Point Baptist Church in Canton. Snacks, games, prizes, a devotion, and an egg hunt at 3 p.m. 648.7246.
BUSINESS & EDUCATION • A small business owners roundtable, an opportunity to network and learn, will be held from 8:30-10 a.m. on March 18 at the Haywood Community College’s Library Conference Room. sbc.haywood.edu or 627.4512. • “The Coming Middleman Revolution,” a presentation by Duke University economist and political theorist
Visit www.smokymountainnews.com and click on Calendar for: ■ Complete listings of local music scene ■ Regional festivals ■ Art gallery events and openings ■ Complete listings of recreational offerings at regional health and fitness centers ■ Civic and social club gatherings Michael Munger, is set for 4 p.m. on March 18 in the Multipurpose Room of the A.K. Hinds University Center at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee. • “Coaching for Top Performance,” a free workshop for managers, will be offered from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. on March 18 at Fairfield Inn & Suites in Cherokee. Presenter will be Greg Walker Wilson. To register, valerie@nonprofitpathways.org. • A resume-writing workshop has been rescheduled for 1 p.m. on March 19 at the Macon County Public Library. 524.3600. • A Women in Business Luncheon will be held from 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. on March 19 at Laurel Ridge Country Club in Waynesville. Featured guest is Phyllis Prevost, co-owner of Pisgah Inn. $25. 456.3021 or haywoodchamber.com. • A Business Essentials seminar, featuring representatives from the N.C. Department of Revenue, N.C. Industrial Commission and N.C. Department of Commerce Division of Employment Security, will be held from 10 a.m.-noon on March 19 in the 1500 Building Auditorium at Haywood Community College in Clyde. sbc.haywood.edu or 627.4512. • A training workshop for working journalists, students, community organizations, elected officials and residents will be held on March 20 at the Carolina Public Press training room in Asheville. Focus will be on understanding state and federal laws dictating what constitutes public records and data at local, state and federal levels. Two sessions are available: 9 a.m.-noon or 1:304:30 p.m. www.carolinapublicpress.org. or 279.0949. • Western Carolina University will hold an open house to prospective students and their families and friends starting at 8:15 a.m. on March 20 on the concourse of the Ramsey Center in Cullowhee. openhouse.wcu.edu or 227.7317 or 877.928.4968. • Southwestern Community College’s Small Business Center offers a free NC REAL (Rural Entrepreneurship through Action Learning) seminar entitled “Taxes & Bookkeeping Basics for Small Business” from 5:30-8:30 p.m. on March 23 at the SCC Jackson Campus. Reservations required: www.ncsbc.net. 339.4211 or t_henry@southwesterncc.edu. • A small business seminar entitled “Business Startup Issues A to Z” offered through Haywood Community College’s Small Business Center is set for 6-9 p.m. on March 24 at HCC in Clyde. sbc.haywood.edu or 627.4512. • A Business Enhancement Experience (BEE) seminar entitled “BEE Technologically Equipped” is set for 5:308:30 p.m. on March 24 at Drake Education Center in Franklin. Free, registration required: www.ncsbc.net. 339.4211 or t_henry@southwesterncc.edu. • A pro office management course will meet from 4:307:30 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays from March 24 through July 2 at Southwestern Community College’s Macon Annex in Franklin. Topics will include office management, computer business applications and several Microsoft Office software programs. Program costs $180 plus textbooks; scholarship opportunities available. 339.4296 or scotts@southwesterncc.edu.
Smoky Mountain News
• The Haywood County Chamber of Commerce Young Professionals group will meet from 8-9 a.m. March 26 at the Lake Junaluska Bookstore and Café. • A free Explore Cosmetology Day will be held from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. and from noon-4 p.m. on March 28 at Haywood Community College. Each session includes a free lunch. Participants learn about the program by being paired with an advanced student. To reserve call 627.4522. • A series of free lunch-and-learn workshops about the Cherokee language and current efforts to increase its use in North Carolina will be held from noon-1 p.m. on Tuesdays through April 21 at SpeakEasyPress in the Riverwood Studios/Oaks Gallery in Dillsboro. Learn about the Cherokee writing system. frank@speakeasypress.com.
FUNDRAISERS AND BENEFITS • Sarge’s Animal Rescue Foundation will hold its annual meeting from 6-8 p.m. on March 18, at the Shelton House Barn in Waynesville. www.sargeandfriends.org or 246.9050. • The Sunday Drive for Life will be held from 1-4 p.m. on March 22, in Lower Lot 1 of Franklin High School. Registration begins at noon. $15 entry free. 371.8198 or 371.1921.
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All phone numbers area code 828 unless otherwise noted. • The Smoky Mountain Rollergirls’ junior league squad named the Lil’ Nemesisters and the Smoky Mountain Rollergirls themselves open the 2015 season at 4:30 p.m. on March 21 with a doubleheader at the Swain County Recreation Center in Bryson City. Adult game is at 6:30 p.m. www.brownpapertickets.com. • A barbecue fundraiser to benefit the Southwestern Community College Foundation’s student emergency fund will be held from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. on March 23 at the College’s Swain Center. $5 per meal. RSVPs are encouraged: 366.2000. • The Evergreen Foundation will host a grant information session at 10 a.m. on March 25 at the Clay County Courthouse in Hayesville. dcoleman@evergreennc.org or 456.8005. • The Evergreen Foundation will host a grant information session at 1 p.m. on March 25 at the Cherokee County Courthouse in Murphy. dcoleman@evergreennc.org or 456.8005.
• Sylva Friends of the Library Used Book Store will have “Senior Sales Day” from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. on March 20.
• The Evergreen Foundation will host a grant information session at 10 a.m. on March 26 at the Swain County Administration Building in Bryson City. dcoleman@evergreennc.org or 456.8005.
• A pancake breakfast fundraiser will be held by the Holly Springs Community Development Club from 8-10 a.m. on March 21 at the community building in Franklin.
• The Evergreen Foundation will host a grant information session at 1 p.m. on March 26 at the Community Building in Robbinsville. dcoleman@evergreennc.org or 456.8005.
• A Fish Fest Youth Fishing Clinic will be offered from 1-4 p.m. on March 28 by Haywood Community College’s Wildlife Club at the college’s Millpond. 627.4560.
RECREATION AND FITNESS • A free demonstration of the TRX suspension trainer will be offered from 4-5 p.m. on March 19 at the Fitness Connection in Waynesville. Must call for appointment: 734.0073.
• A pancake breakfast is set for 8 a.m.-noon on March 28 at the Maggie Valley United Methodist Church’s fellowship hall. $8 for adults; $3 for children under 12. All-you-can-eat pancakes, bacon, sausage, coffee, milk and orange juice. 926.8036.
• Haywood County Recreation & Parks Department is offering adult coed indoor soccer pickup games from 6-8 p.m. on Wednesdays through March 25 at Old Hazelwood Gym. For ages 18 and up. 452.6789 or drtaylor@haywoodnc.net.
• A pancake breakfast sponsored by the Bethel Rural Community Organization will be served from 8-11 a.m. on March 28 at the Breaking Bread Café at the Mobil Gas Station in Bethel. All-you-can-eat pancakes plus bacon and beverages. $8 adult donation; $4 child donation. Proceeds support the BRCO Food Pantry. Janes575@gmail.com.
• Registration period for the Smoky Mountain Senior Games will be from March 16-April 10. Games are scheduled for April 24-May 15. For everyone ages 50up. 293.3053, recjacksonnc.org.
• Clyde Elementary PTO is selling Asheville Tourists baseball tickets through April 3 for $6 each. This is a discount of $2/adult and $1/child. Clyde Elementary gets $3 for each ticket sold. No limit on how many tickets can be bought. Tickets can be used at all games except for Thursday games, July 3 and playoff games. ptoclydeelementary@gmail.com or 627.2206.
POLITICAL CORNER • The Jackson County Annual Republican Convention will start at 5:30 p.m. on March 20 in the Heritage Room at the Jackson County Senior Center in Sylva. The election of Jackson County GOP officers, precinct officers and delegates to the district and state conventions are on the agenda. 743.6491. • Occupy WNC is hosting a meet and greet at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, March 24, at Signature Brew in Sylva. Free. Drawings and door prizes. 369.2801.
HEALTH MATTERS
March 18-24, 2015
• “Healing Touch,” an energy-based approach to health and healing, will be taught from 8 a.m.-6 p.m. on March 28-29 at Southwestern Community College’s Jackson Campus. Evidence-based practice that offers 18 continuing education contact hours for nurses and massage therapists. To register, visit www.southwesterncc.edu, 306.7001 or j_williams@southwesterncc.edu.
THE SPIRITUAL SIDE • The local student dance group Trivium Performing Arts will present a “worship through dance” service at 6 p.m. March 21 at Western Carolina University’s John W. Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center. www.trivi-
SUMMER CAMP YOUNG EXPLORERS: Pre-K to First Grade
Smoky Mountain News
YOUNG NATURALISTS:
Second to Fourth Grade
ADVENTURE CHALLENGERS: Fifth to Seventh Grade
JUNE 8-AUG. 4 MON.-FRI. 7:30 A.M.-5:30 P.M.
SENIOR ACTIVITIES • A Creative Living class on Advance Directives is scheduled for 1-4 p.m. on March 24 at the Senior Resource Center in Waynesville. 356.2800.
KIDS & FAMILIES • Get a chance at free tickets to Aristocats Kids performance, 7:30 p.m. on March 27 or March 28 at Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts by attending one of the following children’s programs at the Macon County Library: Mary Ann’s Book Club (3:30-4:30 on March 18) or Family Storytime (10 a.m. on March 19). • Kids Zumba for ages 4-11 is offered from 3:45-4:45 p.m. on Thursdays from March 19-May 7 through the Recreation Center in Cullowhee. $45 for members; $85 nonmembers. Register by March 19. 293.3053 or recjacksonnc.org. • The “Come Paint with Charles Kidz Program” will be at 4 p.m. March 19 at the Charles Heath Gallery in Bryson City. $20 per child. Materials and snacks included. 538.2054. • Indoor rock climbing will be held on March 29 at Climbmax Climbing in Asheville. Two hours. $22 includes transportation and equipment. Register by March 20. 293.3053, recjacksonnc.org. • Drop-in information sessions for Shining Rock Classical Academy, a new charter school slated to open in Haywood County for the coming school year, will be held on the following days/times at 52 Walnut Street in Waynesville: 8:15-9 a.m. on March 24, April
• A Youth Swim Refresher Course will be offered by Western Carolina University’s Office of Continuing and Professional Education from 6:25-7:15 p.m. on Mondays through Wednesdays till March 25 at the Reid Gymnasium pool. 227.7397 or swim.wcu.edu. • Due to poor weather conditions earlier this month, the “Under the Stars” program presented by the Asheville Astronomy Club has been rescheduled due to 6:30 p.m. on March 26 at the Macon County Public Library. Consequently, Science Club that day will be held at 7 p.m. (instead of 3:30 p.m.). 524.3600. • Registration for spring youth tennis lessons for ages 5-13 through Jackson County Parks/Recreation Department is now till March 27. Register at the Recreation Center. 293.3053. • Western Carolina University’s School of Art and Design will host art classes for youth ages 8-and-up from 9:30-2:30 p.m. on March 28 in Room 150 of the John W. Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center in Cullowhee. The March 28 workshop entitled “Inside Out” focuses on nature-provided materials. artclasses.wcu.edu or 227.7397.
KIDS MOVIES • Mad Batter Food & Film will screen “Penguins of Madagascar” on March 21 at 2 p.m., 6:30 and 8:30 p.m. www.madbatterfoodandfilm.com. • Oscar winner Animated Feature Film, Disney’s “Big Hero 6” will be screened at noon and 2 p.m. every Saturday in March at The Strand at 38 Main in Waynesville. Free. www.38main.com or 283.0079. • A children’s movie will be shown at 1 p.m. on March 27 at the Macon County Public Library in Franklin in lieu of the games for kids program. 524.3600.
We Can Help Investments IRAs Annuities 529 Plans Life Insurance CD’s and Bonds Larry East, CFP®
J. Chad Muri, CRPC Financial Advisor
Jack Webb, Financial Advisor Shannon E. Carlock
LIMITED ENROLLMENT —
Senior Registered Client Associate
REGISTRATION NOW OPEN
WAYNESVILLE 40
• Healing Mass and Anointing of the Sick is held at 2 p.m. on the third Sunday of each month at Saint Margaret of Scotland in Maggie Valley. 926-0106.
14, and April 28 as well as 4-5:30 p.m. every other Thursday from March 5-April 30.
Vice President - Investments
Early Bird (on/before April 30): $655 members; $680 non-members After April 30: $700 members; $725 non-members
PARKS AND RECREATION 828.456.2030 or email tpetrea@waynesvillenc.gov
umperformingarts.com or 371.8294.
828.456.7407 Investment and insurance products:
284-64
NOT FDIC NO Bank MAY Lose Insured Guarantee Value Wells Fargo Advisors, LLC, Member SIPC, is a registered broker-dealer and a separate non-bank affiliate of Wells Fargo & Company.
52 Walnut St., Suite #6 Waynesville, NC 28786 Next to Haywood County Chamber of Commerce
284-44
wnc calendar
• A health-centered lunch and learn will be held at noon on the third Thursday of every other month starting in February at Swain Medical Park. 586.7734 or info@westcare.org
• The first event in the “Dinner Around the World” cultural and fundraising series will feature Ethiopian cuisine at 5:30 p.m. on March 27 at Pigeon Community Multicultural Development Center in Waynesville. Tickets cost $10 per person, 400.5475.
FESTIVALS AND SPECIAL EVENTS
• Ventriloquist Lynn Trefzger and comedian Glenn Singer perform at 7:30 p.m. March 27 at WCU’s Bardo Center in Cullowhee. 227.2479 or bardoartscenter.wcu.edu.
• Spring Equinox Drum Circle and Raw-Mazing potluck dinner held at 5:30 p.m. on March 20, at Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Franklin. Bring a dish, as raw as you like, to share. sanmardan@yahoo.com or 332.7118.
• CJ Deering will present her one-woman comedy “Jobs I Had for One Day” at 7:30 p.m. March 27-28 and April 3-4 and at 3 p.m. April 5 at HART Theater in Waynesville. Tickets cost $10 for adults, $6 for students. 456.6322.
• Haywood Dancers invites all dancers to their Spring Dance at 8 p.m. on March 20 at Angie’s Dance Academy in Clyde. $10. 734.8063.
• A family-friendly performance by comedian Glenn Singer – “El Gleno Grande” – is set for 5 p.m. on March 28, at the Strand in Waynesville. www.38main.com or 283.0079.
• The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians will celebrate the arrival of the Spring season with the annual Rainbow and Ramps Elder Meal from 10:30 a.m.-2 p.m. on March 28 at the Cherokee Indian Fairgrounds. Meals are $10. 800.438.1601 or travel@nccherokee.com.
ON STAGE & IN CONCERT • Tuscola High School Chamber and Summit Choirs will present the 33rd annual Country Western Show at 7 p.m. on March 19-21, and at 3 p.m. on Sunday, March 22. Raffles and drawings will raise funds for the Tuscola High School Choral Department. 456.2408. • Grammy-winning songwriters The Don Juans (Jon Vezner and Don Henry) perform at 7:30 p.m. on March 19 at the Strand in Waynesville. 283.0079. • The Langston Hughes Project, a multimedia concert highlighting a “jazz poem” will be presented at 7:30 p.m. March 19 in the John W. Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center at Western Carolina University. www.ticketreturn.com, www.ace.wcu.edu or 227.2612.
• Local band Bird in Hand (blend of folk, rock, punk, rockabilly, country and blues) will perform at 7 p.m. on March 19 at the Jackson County Library in Sylva. 586.2016. • Sean Gaskell will perform traditional African music at 7 p.m. March 20 at the Macon County Public Library in Franklin. 524.ARTS or 524.3600. • Canton Armory will have “Pickin’ in the Armory” at 7 p.m. March 20. Live music by Bobby & Blue Ridge Tradition, with clogging by the J. Creek Cloggers and Green Valley Cloggers. www.cantonnc.com. • Country ballad singer-songwriter Angela Easterling will perform at 3 p.m. March 21 at the Haywood County Public Library in Waynesville.
• Balsam Mountain Inn will have Becky Hobbs, Benita Hill and Kacey Jones from 6-10 p.m. March 21. Tickets are $47 per person, which includes a buffet dinner. 800.224.9498 or www.balsammountaininn.net. • Western Carolina University will have the Smoky Mountain Brass Quintet at 7:30 p.m. March 24 in the Coulter Building. www.wcu.edu. • Western Carolina University will have Percussion Ensemble 7:30 p.m. March 26 in the Coulter Building. www.wcu.edu. • The Western Carolina University Percussion Ensemble will present a free concert at 7:30 p.m. March 26, in the Coulter Building recital hall. 227.3263.
• Innovation Brewing (Sylva) will have jazz night at 8 p.m. on March 19 and March 26 www.innovationbrewing.com. • Frog Level Brewing (Waynesville) will have Craig Summers & Lee Kram (singer-songwriter) at 6 p.m. March 19 and March 26. Free. 828.454.5664 or www.froglevelbrewing.com. • Tuck’s Tap & Grille (Cullowhee) will have DJ Hek Yeh at 10 p.m. on March 19. • Water’n Hole Bar & Grille (Waynesville) will have Left Lane Cruiser (blues/rock) March 20 at 10 p.m. • Water’n Hole Bar & Grille (Waynesville) will have Swamp Candy (blues/rock) March 20 at 9:30 p.m. • The Freeway Revival performs at 8:30 p.m. on March 20 at Nantahala Brewing Company in Bryson City. • Singer-songwriter Ben Wilson (guitar, vocals) performs at 7 p.m. on March 20 at the Classic Wineseller in Waynesville. • Frog Level Brewing (Waynesville) will have a St. Patrick’s Day party with the Bobby Sullivan Band (acoustic roots) on March 20 at 2 p.m. Free. 454.5664 or www.froglevelbrewing.com. • Mad Batter Food & Film will have Darren & The Buttered Toast (funk/soul, $2) and P.M.A. (funk/jam) at 9 p.m. March 20. www.madbatterfoodandfilm.com. • Tuck’s Tap & Grille (Cullowhee) will have Left Lane Cruiser (blues/rock) at 10 p.m. on March 20. • Tipping Point Brewing (Waynesville) will have Through the Hills (Americana/folk) at 9 p.m. March 20. Free. • City Lights Café (Sylva) will have Cygne (electric folk) at 7 p.m. on March 20. www.citylightscafe.com. • No Name Sports Pub (Sylva) will have Screaming J’s (funk/rock) March 20 at 9 p.m. Free. 828.586.2750 or www.nonamesportspub.com. • Rathskeller Coffee Haus and Pub (Franklin) will have Justin Moe (DJ) March 20 at 8 p.m. www.rathskellerfranklin.com or 369.6796. • BearWaters Brewing (Waynesville) will have Ginny McAfee (singer-songwriter) March 21 at 7 p.m. www.bwbrewing.com or 246.0602. • City Lights Café (Sylva) will have Joe Cat (singersongwriter) March 21 at 7 p.m. www.citylightscafe.com. • Nantahala Brewing (Bryson City) will have Fritz Beer & The Crooked Beat (rock) March 21 at 8:30 p.m. Free. www.nantahalabrewing.com.
Smoky Mountain News
• Country star/actor Rodney Carrington hits the stage at 7:30 p.m. March 21 at Harrah’s Cherokee Event Center. Tickets start at $43. 800.745.3000 or www.harrahscherokee.com.
NIGHTLIFE • Innovation Brewing (Sylva) will have an Open Mic night at 8 p.m. on March 18 and March 25 www.innovation-brewing.com.
March 18-24, 2015
• The bodhran, a traditional percussion instrument of Ireland, will be the focus of two free presentations on March 19 at Western Carolina University. At 11 a.m., Kruspe will give a presentation in the band room of WCU’s Coulter Building. Kruspe will also present a workshop at 7 p.m. in WCU’s Mountain Heritage Center. 227.7129.
wnc calendar
A&E
• Linda McRae (Americana/roots) plays at 7:30 p.m. on March 26 at the Strand in Waynesville. www.38main.com or 283.0079.
• No Name Sports Pub (Sylva) will have The Harmed Brothers (indiegrass/Americana) March 21 at 9 p.m. Free. 828.586.2750 or www.nonamesportspub.com. • Rathskeller Coffee Haus and Pub (Franklin) will have Ronnie Evans March 21 at 8 p.m. www.rathskellerfranklin.com or 369.6796.
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wnc calendar
• Water’n Hole Bar & Grille (Waynesville) will have Amythyst Kiah (roots/soul) with Through the Hills (Americana/folk) March 21 at 10 p.m. • Joe Cruz (piano, vocals) plays the best of the Beatles, James Taylor, Elton John and Sting at 7 p.m. on Saturday, March 21 and March 28 at the Classic Wineseller in Waynesville. • Tuck’s Tap & Grille (Cullowhee) will have Amythyst Kiah (roots/soul) with Through the Hills (Americana/folk) at 10 p.m. on March 21. • Tuck’s Tap & Grille (Cullowhee) will have DJ Flash at 10 p.m. on March 26.
BOOKS & AUTHORS • The Coffee with the Poet series continues at 10:30 a.m. on March 19 at City Lights Bookstore in Sylva. The March gathering features Cherokee County resident Mary Ricketson, who’ll read from her collection of poetry entitled “Hanging Dog Creek.” 586.9499. • A program entitled “The Wayward Hiker with Dave Wolfe” will be held at 10 a.m. on March 20 in the Macon County Public Library Meeting Room in Franklin. waywardguide.com or franklintraildays.com. • Waynesville author William Everett will be featured at 3 p.m. on March 21 at Blue Ridge Books in Waynesville. Everett’s newest book is entitled: “Sawdust and Soul: A Conversation about Woodworking and Spirituality,” co-authored by John W. de Gruchy. • Deborah Edmonds will read from her new novel “Fires Creek” at 3 p.m. on March 21 at City Lights Bookstore in Sylva. To reserve copies, call 586.9499.
March 18-24, 2015
• Jenny Bennett will read from her novel titled “The Twelve Streams of LeConte” at 6 p.m. on March 26 at the Macon County Public Library in Franklin. jennybennett.net or 524.3600. • Touching the Face of History: The Story of the Plott Hound, North Carolina’s Official State Dog is the title of a presentation set for 10 a.m. on March 27 at the Macon County Public Library in Franklin. bobplott.com or 524.3600.
CLASSES AND PROGRAMS • A small business seminar designed to help you do your own photography will be held from 5:30-8:30 p.m. on March 18 at the Southwestern Community College’s Jackson Campus. Free. Register at http://www.ncsbc.net. t_henry@southwesterncc.edu. • Easter Egg Dying with Silk Ties, a Jackson County Extension and Community Association craft club workshop, will be held from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. on March 19 in the Conference Room of the Community Service Center in Sylva. $10. 586.4009.
Smoky Mountain News
• The Ikenobo Ikebana Society, Blue Ridge Chapter, will hold its monthly meeting at 10 a.m. on March 19, at the First Congregational Church of Hendersonville. www.blueridgeikebana.com or 696.4103. • A three-part REAL Professional Craft Artists Series will be held from 6-9 p.m. on Tuesdays until March 24 in Creative Arts Building Room 7105 A&B at Haywood Community college in Clyde. • A workshop on woodcarving will be offered by Dogwood Crafters from 1-5 p.m. on March 26-27 at Dillsboro Masonic Lodge. Master woodcarver Ron Yount will resume a woodcarving series he began in February. Cost is $34. 586.2435 or junettapell@hotmail.com by March 20. • A workshop on scherenschnitte (paper cutting) will be offered by Dogwood Crafters from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. on March 25 at Dillsboro Masonic Lodge. Cashiers resident Lawrie Williams will be the instructor. $12. Participants learn to cut intricate-looking designs from paper. 586.2435 or junettapell@hotmail.com. • A free class on editing digital photos online using a
42 free image-editing website called Pixlr will be held at
5:45 p.m. on March 25 at the Jackson County Public Library in Sylva. 586.2016. • The Haywood County Historical and Genealogical Society will meet at 10 a.m. March 28 at the Waynesville Branch Library. 476.0048.
ART SHOWINGS AND GALLERIES • “Ends of the Earth,” a photographic display of images taken in Antarctica by Martyn Lucas, is on display through March 29 at the Bascom in Highlands. A reception and artist talk will be held from 5-7 p.m. on March 21. Free. www.thebascome.org or 526.4949. • Western Carolina University will celebrate the artwork of local students with the 2015 Jackson County Youth Art Month exhibit until March 23 in WCU’s John W. Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center. A reception will be held from 1-3 p.m. March 22 announcing the winners. 227.3598 or etapley@wcu.edu.
FILM & SCREEN • “Birdman”, rated R, will be shown at 7 p.m. on March 18 at The Strand at 38 Main in Waynesville. www.38main.com or 283.0079. • “Mad Max” (R) will be screened at the Mad Batter Food & Film on March 19 at 6:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. www.madbatterfoodandfilm.com. • “Star Trek 3” (PG) will be screened at 6:30 p.m. March 20 at the Mad Batter Food & Film on March 20. www.madbatterfoodandfilm.com. • “Dark Summer,” rated R, will screen at 9:30 on March 20-21 and March 27-28 at The Strand in Waynesville. Runtime: 1:21. www.38main.com or 283.0079. • “The Imitation Game,” rated PG-13, will be shown on March 21-22, March 24-25, and March 27-28 at The Strand in Waynesville. Screen times are 7 p.m. each day with additional showings at 4 p.m. on March 21 and 2 p.m. on March 22. www.38main.com or 283.0079. • Ron Rash’s novel turned to movie “Serena” will be shown starting March 27 at The Strand at 38 Main in Waynesville. Show times at www.38main.com or 283.0079.
Visit www.smokymountainnews.com and click on Calendar for: ■ Complete listings of local music scene ■ Regional festivals ■ Art gallery events and openings ■ Complete listings of recreational offerings at regional health and fitness centers ■ Civic and social club gatherings University Center in Cullowhee. police.wcu.edu or 227.7301. • A public program and guided hike focused on the spring’s earliest arrivals will be held at 1:30 p.m. on March 20-21, at Gorges State Park. • A public program and guided hike focused on the Southern Oconee Bells, an endangered species, will be held at 4:30 p.m. on March 20 and at 1:30 p.m. on March 22 at Gorges State Park. • A tour of an alpaca farm will be held at 6 p.m. on March 25 at Meritt Farm in Otto as part of the Macon County Public Library’s “Walking with Spring” series. 524.3600 or alpacasofmerrittfarm.com. • REI will provide a free overview of planning, preparation and gear for backpacking in the Blue Ridge Mountains from 7-8:30 p.m. on March 26. Registration required: www.rei.com/event/65220/session/110997. 687.0918. • A ceremony marking the official designation of Fontana Dam as the newest Appalachian Trail Community™ will begin at 11 a.m. on March 26. Free. Larry Barnett Duo will perform. A short guided hike starts at 2:30 p.m. www.appalachiantrail.org. • The Nantahala Racing Club’s Whitewater U.S. Open will be held March 27-29 at Nantahala Outdoor Center. Slalom races start at 10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. on March 28-29 with demo runs at 5:30 p.m. March 27 and 5 p.m. March 28. The wildwater sprint will start at 11 a.m. March 28, and the wildwater classic will begin at 11:45 a.m. March 29. www.nantahalaracingclub.com/events/us-open. • Western Carolina University’s fifth annual Valley of the Lilies Half Marathon and 5K will be held on March 28. http://halfmarathon.wcu.edu or valleyofthelilies@wcu.edu.
FARM & GARDEN
Outdoors
• A seminar on how to establish and maintain your blueberries and grapevines will be offered by the N.C. Cooperative Extension Service from 2-4 p.m. March 18 at the Swain Extension Center, room 114, Bryson City. 488.3848 or christine_bredenkamp@ncsu.edu.
• The Macon County Beekeepers’ Association will hold its annual Bee School from 6:30-9:30 p.m. on March 19 and at 8:30 a.m. on March 21. The school will be held at the Agriculture Extension Office on Thomas Heights Road. $10. 349.6403.
• A six-week spring wildflower class is being offered from 9 a.m.-noon on Wednesdays from March 18 through April 29 at Southwestern Community College’s Jackson Campus. 339.4497 or j_williams@southwesterncc.edu.
• An organizational meeting for reducing litter along area highways will be held at 5 p.m. on March 19 at Room A227 of the County Justice and Administration Building. 488.8418.
• The Come to the Table project will present the third conference in its “Head, Heart, and Hands” series from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. on March 19 at Southwestern Community College in Sylva. rafiusa.org/cttt/conferences. 919.642.3810 or cttt@rafiusa.org.
• Spring Wildflower walks are offered every Friday from March 20-May 15 (except April 3) through the Recreation Center in Cullowhee. $5 per person. 293.3053, recjacksonnc.org. • Lake Junaluska will have its annual lake clean-up starting at 9 a.m. on March 21. Light snacks, coffee, water and juice will be available at the Kern Center. Call 456.1952 before the event or 400.5091 on the event date. Severe weather date is March 28. • “Severe Weather,” a brown-bag discussion that’s part of the “Whee Safe” series, will be held at noon on March 24 in the multipurpose room of A.K. Hinds
• “Ready, Set, Plant,” a public workshop presented by the Macon County Master Gardeners and featuring Master Gardener Ellen Averill of Catalula, Ga., will be held from 1-3 p.m. on March 21, at the Environmental Resource Center between the landfill and the Sheriff’s Office. 904.962.0800. • A free class on square-foot gardening will be offered at 2 p.m. on March 24 at the Waynesville Library auditorium. 356.2507. • A seminar on establishing and maintaining a strawberry and caneberry patch will be held from 2-4 p.m. on March
24 at the Swain Extension Center at the old Almond School. 488.3848 or Christine_bredenkamp@ncsu.edu. • A free class on how to garden with earth boxes is set for 5:30 p.m. on March 26, at the Canton Branch Library in Canton. 648.2924. • A seminar on establishing and maintaining a strawberry and caneberry patch will be held from 2-4 p.m. on March 26, at the Jackson Extension Center in Sylva. 586.4009. • A crash course in beekeeping will be held from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. on March 28 at the Southwestern Community College Swain Center. $15 for preregistration or $20 at the door. 488.1391 or wlwilliams@frontier.com.
HIKING CLUBS •Carolina Mountain Club will have a nine-mile hike with a 2,200-foot ascent on March 18. 380.1452 or desraylet@aol.com. • Physical therapist and avid hiker and trail runner Doug Daniel will discuss practical strategies for preventing and healing from hiking-related injuries (lower back, knee and ankle) from 7-8 p.m. on March 19 at REI in Asheville. Free. A practical lab will follow. Registration required: http://www.rei.com/event/65277/session/111219. 687.0918. • The Nantahala Hiking Club will take a moderate-tostrenuous 5.5-mile hike with elevation change of 3,400 ft. on March 21 to Mt. Sterling in the Smoky Mountains Park for outstanding views of the Pigeon River Gorge. Call leader Keith Patton, 456.8895, for reservations. • The Nantahala Hiking Club will take a strenuous 10.2-mile hike, elevation change 1300 ft. on March 21 to Middle Prong Wilderness Loop. 369.1983. Limit of eight hikers. • Great Smoky Mountains Association invites members and anyone interested in a national park experience to go on a “Big Creek Hike” with naturalist Liz Dominique of Just Get Outdoors on March 21. www.SmokiesInformation.org or 888.898.9102, Ext. 325, 222 or 254. • The Nantahala Hiking Club on March 22 will take a moderate 4-mile hike to William’s Pulpit on the Bartram Trail from Wallace Branch with an elevation change of 900 feet and views from the Pulpit. 369.7352. • The Carolina Mountain Club will have a 9.5-mile hike with a 1,900-foot ascent on March 22. 628.6712 or knies06@att.net. • The Waynesville Parks and Recreation Department will offer a hike on March 23 to Bradley Fork in the Cherokee area. 8.5 miles. 456.2030 or tpetrea@waynesvillenc.gov. • Haywood Waterways Association and Friends of the Rough Creek Watershed are hosting a hike in the Rough Creek Watershed on March 28. The hike will be guided by naturalists with expertise in tree identification and watershed ecology. RSVP by March 25, at christine.haywoodwaterways@gmail.com or 476.4667. • Hiker Haze Week is March 25-28 at Fontana Village Resort in Fontana Dam. Activities include free disc golf lessons, educational presentation, karaoke, campfires, $1 movies and popcorn and more. www.fontanavillage.com/events/pdfs/hikerhaze2015.pdf. • Great Smoky Mountains Association invites members and anyone interested in a national park experience to go on a “Porters Creek Hike” with naturalist and former park ranger Carey Jones on March 28. www.SmokiesInformation.org or 888.898.9102, Ext. 325, 222 or 254. • The Nantahala Hiking Club will hold the Thru Hiker Chow Down for hikers on the Appalachian Trail, serving chili dogs and sweets from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. on March 28 at the Lazy Hiker. 369.2628.
PRIME REAL ESTATE Advertise in The Smoky Mountain News
ARTS AND CRAFTS
MarketPlace information: The Smoky Mountain News Marketplace has a distribution of 16,000 every week to over 500 locations across in Haywood, Jackson, Macon, and Swain counties along with the Qualla Boundary and west Buncombe County. For a link to our MarketPlace Web site, which also contains a link to all of our MarketPlace display advertisers’ Web sites, visit www.smokymountainnews.com.
ALLISON CREEK Iron Works & Woodworking. Crafting custom metal & woodwork in rustic, country & lodge designs with reclaimed woods! Design & consultation, Barry Downs 828.524.5763, Franklin NC
Rates:
■ Free — Lost or found pet ads. ■ $5 — Residential yard sale ads, ■ $5 — Non-business items that sell for less than $150. ■ $15 — Classified ads that are 50 words or less; each additional line is $2. ■ $12 — If your ad is 10 words or less, it will be displayed with a larger type. ■ $3 — Border around ad and $5 — Picture with ad or colored background. ■ $50 — Non-business items, 25 words or less. 3 month or till sold. ■ $300 — Statewide classifieds run in 117 participating newspapers with 1.6 million circulation. Up to 25 words. ■ All classified ads must be pre-paid.
AUCTION AUCTION Complete Liquidation. Injection Mold Machine, 5 Mowers, Floor Cleaning Machines, Trucks, Vans & More! Bid 3/17-3/24, Newport News, VA. Motleys, 804.232.3300x.4, www.motleys.com/industrial, VAAL#16.
Classified Advertising:
HARPER’S AUCTION COMPANY Friday March 20th @ 6:00 p.m. Get Ready for Spring Time With Great Deals: Patio Furniture, Outdoor Items, Tools, Furniture, Jewelry, Glass and Lots More!!! 47 Macon Center Dr. Franklin,NC 828.369.6999. Debra Harper, NCAL #9659, NCFL #9671. harpersauctioncompany.com
Scott Collier, phone 828.452.4251; fax 828.452.3585 classads@smokymountainnews.com
WAYNESVILLE TIRE, COO
Serving Haywood, Jackson & Surrounding Counties
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MAJOR-BRAND TIRES FOR CARS, LIGHT & MEDIUM-DUTY TRUCKS, AND FARM TIRES.
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284-43
LIVE SIMULCAST BANKRUPTCY Auction Case 13-10157, Hayes Iron & Metal, Inc. Office Bldg., Metal Frame Bldgs, Workshop, Shop Equip., Tools, Office Furnishings & Equip., Providence, NC. 3/26/15 at 10am. Auction at The Institute Conference Center Barkhouser Auditorium, Danville, VA. 800.997.2248, NCAL3936/VAAL580. www.ironhorseauction.com PUBLIC AUCTION Saturday, March 28 @ 10am. 199 S. Cherry Rd., Rock Hill, SC. Selling Vehicles, Trucks & Equipment from City of Rock Hill, SC. Chevy Impalas, Crown Vics, Vans, Garbage Trucks, Dumps, Backhoes, Tractors, Pickups, Service Trucks, Bucket Trucks, UTV's Mowers. 704.791.8825. Tony Furr. SCAL2893R-NCAF5479-5508. www.ClassicAuctions.com
AUCTION ABSOLUTE AUCTIONS Northwest, NC. Saturday March 21, 2015. Office Building & Lot. 81 West 3 Doughton Street Sparta 10am. House & Lot. 392 Hwy 88 East, Jefferson - 1pm. 2 Office Condominiums, 136 Boone Heights Dr., Boone - 3:30pm. Boyer Realty & Auction. 336.372.8888. boyerrealty@skybest.com. Col. James R. Boyer. NCAL1792. 336.572.2323. AUCTION DBI Services Fleet Realignment, March 19th, 9am, Hazelton, PA. Painting, Grinding, Trucks & Equipment. Motleys Asset Disposition Group, 804.232.3300x.4, www.motleys.com/industrial, PA#5634 ONLINE BANKRUPTCY AUCTION Case 14-31939, Metal Fabrication Equip., Vehicles, Doors, Frames, Hardware & Accessories, Charlotte NC. Ends 3/24/15 at 2pm. Items at Mr. Doorman, 700 Montana Dr., Charlotte NC. 1.800.997.2248. NCAL3936. www.ironhorseauction.com
BUILDING MATERIALS HAYWOOD BUILDERS Garage Doors, New Installations Service & Repairs, 828.456.6051 100 Charles St. Waynesville Employee Owned.
CONSTRUCTION/ REMODELING PROFESSIONAL INTERIOR PAINTING CALL DENNIS AT: LUCAS PAINTING Co.
828.421.4057 Kitchen Cabinet Painting & Restoration SULLIVAN HARDWOOD FLOORS Installation- Finish - Refinish 828.399.1847.
CONSTRUCTION/ REMODELING SAFE STEP WALK-IN TUB. Alert for Seniors. Bathroom falls can be fatal. Approved by Arthritis Foundation. Therapeutic Jets. Less Than 4 Inch Step-In. Wide Door. Anti-Slip Floors. American Made. Installation Included. Call 800.807.7219 for $750 Off. ACORN STAIRLIFTS. The Affordable solution to your stairs! **Limited time -$250 Off Your Stairlift Purchase!** Buy Direct & SAVE. Please call 1.800.291.2712 for FREE DVD and brochure. ALL THINGS BASEMENTY! Basement Systems Inc. Call us for all of your basement needs! Waterproofing, Finishing, Structural Repairs, Humidity and Mold Control. FREE ESTIMATES! Call 1.800.698.9217 DAVE’S CUSTOM HOMES OF WNC, INC Free Estimates & Competitive rates. References avail. upon request. Specializing in: Log Homes, remodeling, decks, new construction, repairs & additions. Owner/Builder: Dave Donaldson. Licensed/Insured. 828.631.0747 or 828.508.0316
PAINTING JAMISON CUSTOM PAINTING & PRESSURE WASHING Interior, exterior, all your pressure washing needs and more. Specialize in Removal of Carpenter Bees - Cedar or Log Homes or Painted or Siding! Call or Text Now for a Free Estimate at 828.508.9727
AUTO PARTS BLOWN HEAD GASKET Cracked Heads/Block. State of the art 2-part Carbon Composite Repair! All Vehicles Foreign or Domestic including Northstars! 100% guaranteed. Call Now: 1.866.780.9038 SAPA
R
WNC MarketPlace
TRUCKS FOR SALE 99-2000 GMC SIERRA SLT/Z71 For Sale by Owner - 3-Door, Great Work Truck, Runs Strong, Never Wrecked, Toolbox, Bedliner, Rail Guards. Highway Miles, NC-FL 20k/yr. 1-Owner, $3,800. For More Info Call 828.736.7000.
CARS DONATE YOUR CAR, Truck or Boat to Heritage for the Blind. Free 3 Day Vacation, Tax Deductible, Free Towing, All Paperwork Taken Care Of. 800.337.9038. TOP CASH FOR CARS, Call Now For An Instant Offer. Top Dollar Paid, Any Car/Truck, Any Condition. Running or Not. Free Pick-up/Tow. 1.800.761.9396 SAPA
EMPLOYMENT DRIVERS: $2,000 SIGN-ON! Excellent Pay/Benefits! Home Weekends!! Van/Flatbed (6mos. exp.), CDL-A. Tim 706.264.2676 or Sara 706.618.5623.
www.smokymountainnews.com
March 18-24, 2015
$1,000 WEEKLY!! Mailing Brochures From Home. Helping home workers since 2001. Genuine Opportunity. NO Experience Required. Start Immediately. www.MailingMembers.com SAPA 25 DRIVER TRAINEES NEEDED! Become a driver for Stevens Transport! No Experience Needed! New drivers earn $800+ per week! PAID CDL TRAINING! Stevens covers all costs! 1.888.748.4137. drive4stevens.com ATTN: DRIVERS $2K Sign-On Bonus $$ Make $55,000 your first year! $$ Quality Equipment w/APU's. Pet/Rider Program. CDL-A Req. 888.303.9731. www.drive4melton.mobi HIGH-TECH CAREER With U.S. Navy. Elite tech training w/great pay, benefits, vacation, $ for school. HS grads ages 17-34. Call Mon-Fri 800.662.7419
EMPLOYMENT DRIVERS: CDL-A 1yr. exp. Earn $1200+ per week. Guaranteed Home Time. Excellent Benefits & Bonuses. 100% No-Touch, 70% D&H. 855.842.8498 EMPLOYERS NEED WORK-AT-HOME Medical Transcriptionist! Get the online training you need to fill these positions with Career Step’s employer-trusted program. Train at home to work at home! Visit CareerStep.com/newcareer or call 1.866.553.8735 to start training for your work-at-home career today. LOCAL CLOTHING GIFT & ACCESSORY BOUTIQUE Seeking an experienced retail sales associate with customer service background. Must work during Holidays, enjoy helping others while building relationships, have extensive retail exp., be self-motivated and have knowledge of apparel & trend landscape. Opportunities for growth based on performance. Serious & Long Term Candidates Need Only Apply! Email Resume & Contact Info to: HBoutiqueHR@gmail.com NEED MEDICAL BILLING TRAINEES! Doctors & Hospitals need Medical Office Staff! No Experienced Needed! Online Training gets you job ready! HS Diploma/GED & Computer needed. Careertechnical.edu/nc. 1.888.512.7122 DRIVERS: CDL-A, CO & 0/0p’s $2,500 SIGN ON! Awesome New Pay Packages! Excellent Benefits! Driver Referral Program! O/OP’s Plate Program! 855.252.1634 AIRLINE CAREERS BEGIN HERE Get started by training as FAA certified Aviation Technician. Financial aid for qualified students. Job placement assistance. Call Aviation Institute of Maintenance. 877.300.9494.
EMPLOYMENT
FINANCIAL
HEAD START CENTER DIRECTORHaywood County- Must have an AA Early Childhood Education degree; prefer someone with a BS Early Childhood Education or related field. Must have Administration levels I & II, basic Word use/e-mail use, good judgment/problem solving skills, experience in classroom and the ability to work with diverse families. Prefer someone with two years supervisory experience; will be responsible for supervision of daily operations for two centers. This is a full time position with benefits. Applications will be taken at Mountain Projects, 2251 Old Balsam Rd, Waynesville, NC 28786 or 25 Schulman St, Sylva, NC 28779 or you may go to our website www.mountainprojects.org and fill out an application. Pre-employment drug testing required. EOE/AA.
DELETE BAD CREDIT In Just 30-Days !Legally & Permanently remove negatives to raise your credit score fast. Free to start! A+ Rating W/BBB Call Now! 855.831.9712 SAPA
WELDING CAREERS Hands on training for career opportunities in aviation, automotive, manufacturing and more. Financial aid for qualified students. Job placement assistance. Call AIM 877.206.4006. ATTENTION: DRIVERS $2K Sign-On Bonus Love Your Job And Make Great Money! Family Company APU Equipped Newer KW’s CDL-A Required www.drive4melton.mobi 1.888.592.4752 SAPA CAN YOU DIG IT? Heavy Equipment Operator Career! Receive Hands On Training And National Certifications Operating Bulldozers, Backhoes, Excavators. Lifetime Job Placement. Veteran Benefits Eligible! 1.866.288.6896.
FINANCIAL BEWARE OF LOAN FRAUD. Please check with the Better Business Bureau or Consumer Protection Agency before sending any money to any loan company. SAPA
REDUCE YOUR PAST TAX BILL By as much as 75 Percent. Stop Levies, Liens and Wage Garnishments. Call The Tax DR Now to see if you Qualify 1.800.396.9719 SELL YOUR STRUCTURED Settlement Or Annuity Payments For Cash Now. You don't have to wait for your future payments any longer! Call 1.800.316.0271. SOCIAL SECURITY Disability Benefits. Unable to work? Denied benefits? We Can Help! WIN or Pay Nothing! Contact Bill Gordon & Associates at 1.800.371.1734 to start your application today!
FURNITURE COMPARE QUALITY & PRICE Shop Tupelo’s, 828.926.8778. HAYWOOD BEDDING, INC. The best bedding at the best price! 533 Hazelwood Ave. Waynesville 828.456.4240
LAWN & GARDEN HEMLOCK HEALERS, INC. Dedicated to Saving Our Hemlocks. Owner/Operator Frank Varvoutis, NC Pesticide Applicator’s License #22864. 48 Spruce St. Maggie Valley, NC 828.734.7819 828.926.7883, Email: hemlockhealers@yahoo.com
HEAVY EQUIPMENT SAWMILLS From only $4397.00- Make & Save Money with your own bandmill- Cut lumber any dimension. In stock ready to ship. FREE Info/DVD: www.NorwoodSawmills.com. 1.800.578.1363 Ext.300N
PETS HAYWOOD SPAY/NEUTER 828.452.1329
Puzzles can be found on page 46. These are only the answers.
STORAGE SPACE FOR RENT
PUBLISHER’S NOTICE
CLIMATE CONTROLLED STORAGE UNITS FOR RENT
All real estate advertising in this newspaper is subject to the Fair Housing Act which makes it illegal to advertise “any preference, limitation or discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status or national origin, or an intention, to make any such preference, limitation or discrimination” Familial status includes children under the age of 18 living with parents or legal custodians, pregnant women and people securing custody of children under 18 This newspaper will not knowingly accept any advertising for real estate which is in violation of the law. All dwellings advertised on an equal opportunity basis. DEEP WATER ICW HOME AUCTION: Cape Carteret NC Canal-Dock Bulkhead Pool. WILL SELL > $399K! MAR 14. Mike Harper 843.729.4996 (NCAL8286). www.HarperAuctionAndRealty.com 67 ACRES CULLOWHEE Borders USFS, Includes 2/BR 2/BA 1,600 sq. ft. House & 480 sq. ft. Workshop. $399,000. www.918gapbranch.blogspot.com For More Details, or Call 828.586.0165 20 ACRE $0 DOWN, $128/MO Owner Financing. Money Back Guarantee Ner El Paso TX Beautiful Mountain Views FREE Color Brochure 1.800.939.2654 SAPA
LEASE TO OWN 1/2 Acre Lots with Mobile Homes & Empty 1/2 Acre + Lots! Located Next to Cherokee Indian Reservation, 2.5 Miles from Harrah’s Cherokee Casino. For More Information Please Call 828.506.0578
HOMES FOR SALE BRUCE MCGOVERN A Full Service Realtor shamrock13@charter.net McGovern Property Management 828.283.2112.
Prevent Unwanted Litters! The Heat Is On! Spay/Neuter For Haywood Pets As Low As $10. Operation Pit is in Effect! Free Spay/Neuter, Microchip & Vaccines For Haywood Pitbull Types & Mixes! Hours:
44
REAL ESTATE ANNOUNCEMENT
Tuesday-Friday, 11 - 5 pm or by Apt. 182 Richland Street, Waynesville
VACATION RENTALS CAVENDER CREEK CABINS Dahlonega, North Georgia Mountains. **WINTER SPECIAL: Buy 2 Nights, 3rd FREE** 1,2,& 3 Bedroom Cabins with HOT TUBS! Virtual Tour: www.CavendarCreek.com Call Now Toll Free 1.866.373.6307 SAPA
1 Month Free with 12 Month Rental. Maggie Valley, Hwy. 19, 1106 Soco Rd. For more information call Torry
828.734.6500, 828.734.6700 maggievalleyselfstorage.com GREAT SMOKIES STORAGE Conveniently located off 19/23 by Thad Woods Auction. Available for lease now: 10’x10’ units for $55, 20’x20’ units for $160. Get one month FREE with 12 month contract. Call 828.507.8828 or 828.506.4112 for more info.
MEDICAL ACORN STAIRLIFTS. The Affordable solution to your stairs! **Limited time -$250 Off Your Stairlift Purchase!**Buy Direct & SAVE. Please call 1.800.211.9233 for FREE DVD and brochure. SAPA ATTENTION VIAGRA USERS: Viagra 100MG and Cialis 20 MG! 40 pills + 4 Free, Only $99. No prescription needed! Satisfaction Guaranteed! 1.800.491.8751 SAPA MEDICAL GUARDIAN Top-rated medical alarm and 24/7 medical alert monitoring. For a limited time, get free equipment, no activation fees, no commitment, a 2nd waterproof alert button for free and more - only $29.95 per month. 1.800.615.3868. SAFE STEP WALK-IN TUB. Alert for Seniors. Bathroom falls can be fatal. Approved by Arthritis Foundation. Therapeutic Jets. Less Than 4 Inch Step-In. Wide Door. Anti-Slip Floors. American Made. Installation Included. Call 800.807.7219 for $750 Off.
FOR SALE CHAMPION SUPPLY Janitorial supplies. Professional cleaning products, vacuums, janitorial paper products, swimming pool chemicals, environmentally friendly chemicals, indoor & outdoor light bulbs, odor elimination products, equipment repair including household vacuums. Free delivery across WNC. www.championsupply.com 800.222.0581, 828.225.1075. ENJOY 100 PERCENT GUARANTEED, Delivered-to-the-door Omaha Steaks! SAVE 74 percent PLUS 4 FREE Burgers - The Family Value Combo - ONLY $39.99. ORDER Today 1.800.715.2010 Use code 48829AFK or visit us at: www.OmahaSteaks.com/mbfvc46 SAPA
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FROM THE HIGH $200’S 10 Minutes to Asheville 20 Minutes to Waynesville
Single Family Courtyard Homes & Townhomes
YOUR AD COULD REACH 1.6 MILLION HOMES ACROSS NC! Your classified ad could be reaching over 1.6 Million Homes across North Carolina! Place your ad with The Smoky Mountain News on the NC Statewide Classified Ad Network- 118 NC newspapers for a low cost of $330 for 25-word ad to appear in each paper! Additional words are $10 each. The whole state at your fingertips! It's a smart advertising buy! Call Scott Collier at 828.452.4251 or for more information visit the N.C. Press Association's website at www.ncpress.com
NICOL ARMS APARTMENTS
Clubhouse, Pool & Fitness Center
828.667.0770 | 61 Westfield Way Candler, NC 28715
www.VistasofWestfield.com
BROOKE PARROTT BROKER ASSOCIATE 828.734.2146 bparrott@beverly-hanks.com Visit beverly-hanks.com/agents/bparrott
Haywood County Real Estate Agents
WNC MarketPlace
SCOTTISH TARTANS MUSEUM 86 East Main St., Franklin, Open 10am- 5pm, Mon - Sat. Come & let us find your Scottish Connection! 828.584.7472 or visit us at: www.scottishtartans.org.
MAINTENANCE-FREE LIVING
PERSONAL
Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices • Eugene L. Strickland Gene@4Smokys.com BHHSGreatSmokysRealty.com
Beverly Hanks & Associates • • • • •
beverly-hanks.com Michelle McElroy — beverly-hanks.com Marilynn Obrig — beverly-hanks.com Mike Stamey — beverly-hanks.com Ellen Sither — beverly-hanks.com Brook Parrott — beverly-hanks.com
to see what others are saying!
ERA Sunburst Realty — sunburstrealty.com Haywood Properties — haywoodproperties.com • Steve Cox — info@haywoodproperties.com
284-28
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Section 8 Accepted - Handicapped Accessible Units When Available
OFFICE HOURS: Tues. & Wed. 10:00am - 5:00pm & Thurs. 10:00am- 12:00pm 168 E. Nicol Arms Road Sylva, NC 28779
Phone# 1.828.586.3346 TDD# 1.800.725.2962
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Equal Housing Opportunity
Mountain Home Properties — mountaindream.com • Sammie Powell — smokiesproperty.com
Main Street Realty — mainstreetrealty.net McGovern Real Estate & Property Management March 18-24, 2015
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kellerwilliamswaynesville.com • Ron Kwiatkowski — ronk.kwrealty.com
• Bruce McGovern — shamrock13.com
Emerson Group • George Escaravage — gke333@gmail.com
Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Life Style Properties — vistasofwestfield.com Realty World Heritage Realty realtyworldheritage.com • Carolyn Lauter realtyworldheritage.com/realestate/viewagent/7766 • Martha Sawyer realtyworldheritage.com/realestate/viewagent/7769 • Linda Wester realtyworldheritage.com/realestate/viewagent/7771
MACK A HANDSOME TUXEDO CAT, ABOUT 2 YEARS OLD, VERY CHATTY AND SOCIAL. HE'LL MAKE AN ENTERTAINING COMPANION!
Committed to Exceeding Expectations
Marilynn Obrig
Residential Broker Associate
(828) 550-2810
mobrig@Beverly-Hanks.com
www.Beverly-Hanks.com
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remax-waynesvillenc.com | remax-maggievalleync.com Brian K. Noland — brianknoland.com Mieko Thomson — ncsmokies.com The Morris Team — maggievalleyproperty.com The Real Team — the-real-team.com Ron Breese — ronbreese.com Dan Womack — womackdan@aol.com Catherine Proben — cp@catherineproben.com
smokymountainnews.com
RE/MAX — Mountain Realty JOEY IS JUST UNDER 3 MONTHS OLD AND IS A BORDER COLLIE/LAB MIX. WE THINK HE WILL BE A MEDIUM SIZED ADULT.
The Seller’s Agency — listwithphil.com • Phil Ferguson — philferguson@bellsouth.net 284-08
TO ADVERTISE IN THE NEXT ISSUE 828.452.4251 | ads@smokymountainnews.com 45
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March 18-24, 2015
WNC MarketPlace
Super
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SOUL RESCUER
CROSSWORD
89 Wasp variety 90 Suffering ACROSS 91 Capote, to his bud1 Sop up dies 7 Liquor 92 With 77-Down, does 14 Spins thorough research on 20 “Amen to that!” 94 Freezer trayful 21 Actress Hudgens 95 TV’s Spelling 22 Abate 97 Camera lens settings 23 Start of a riddle 100 Exec’s benefit 25 Batter’s miss 101 Ohio tire city 26 Do wrong 103 Riddle, part 6 27 Pol with a six-yr. post 107 Sitarist Shankar 28 Me, to Michel 109 Org. for teachers 29 Riddle, part 2 110 Coin toss call 31 Pinchpenny 111 End of the riddle 33 Sue Grafton’s “- for 115 Lucy of “Kill Bill: Noose” Vol. 1” 35 Steak order 118 - League college 36 Riddle, part 3 119 Toward a boat’s 42 Food holder back 46 Goddess with a cow’s 122 Makes glad head 123 Riddle’s answer 47 McCartney of fashion 127 Declare under oath 48 Kailua Bay locale 128 Source of licorice50 Scam flavored oil 51 Agree (with) 129 More prying 54 “Yoo- -!” (“Hey!”) 130 Sports team let55 Paintball need downs 57 Circus clown - Kelly 131 Red - (many 59 Riddle, part 4 Republicans) 63 Big-top star 132 Modus operandi 64 DiFranco of folk rock 65 More spiteful DOWN 66 “We need assis1 “Even - speak ...” tance!” 2 Atom studier Niels 69 Used a daggerlike 3 Movie draw weapon on 4 Meal leftover 73 B followers 5 Putin’s land 74 Wife of Mark Antony 6 Command 78 Consented to 7 “Law & Order: -” 79 “Nick and -’s Infinite 8 Hand part Playlist” (2008 film) 9 - -European languages 83 Riddle, part 5 10 Another name for
vitamin A 11 Suffix with fool or owl 12 Fearsome fly 13 “Don’t - didn’t warn you!” 14 Inventor Nikola 15 Radiator hoses may lead to them 16 Haifa’s land 17 Harness part 18 Leia’s twin 19 Spurt out 24 “No - to blame” 30 “- little kindness” 31 Capital of Oman 32 Alternative to a 401(k) or a Keogh 34 Envision 36 [not my error] 37 “Time - the essence” 38 Rake part 39 Inert element 40 Pipe problem 41 Ringing sound 43 - acid (vinegar flavorer) 44 Added (up) 45 Not broken 49 Zeus’ sister and wife 52 Stage actress Hagen 53 Pirate’s quaff 56 Syllabus segment 58 Gym floor covering 60 Put in a different sack 61 Mortgage-issuing inst. 62 Ewoks’ forest moon 66 “El Cid” co-star Loren 67 Five - shadow 68 Person eyeballing 70 Pirate chant starter
71 Artist Georgia 72 Ultimately reach 75 Author Rand 76 From Hanoi 77 See 92-Across 80 Lightning 81 Heady drink 82 “We need assistance!” 84 Small branch 85 Ending for major 86 Yankees slugger, to fans 87 It’s often preheated 88 Nonflowering plant 93 Sun setting 96 Sortie, say 98 Most musty 99 Fishtank pest 102 Speaks bombastically 104 Recite ritually, as a spell 105 Large sofas 106 Air Force pilot, in slang 108 Three-piece pieces 111 Ringing sound 112 Choir range 113 Slum vermin 114 “Pretty - pretty does” 116 Notion, to Jean-Luc 117 “Deutschland alles” 119 Landed (on) 120 Cut and run 121 Time in office 124 By the agency of 125 Football field units: Abbr. 126 Letter for Superman
answers on page 44
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YARD SALES MULTI-FAMILY YARD SALE At North Canton Elementary School Sat., March 21st, 7-10am in the school cafeteria. Please come out and help our 5th graders earn money for their annual trip to Camp Daniel Boone. Various household items will be for sale. Call the office 828.646.3444 if you have any questions.
WEEKLY SUDOKU Place a number in the empty boxes in such a way that each row across, each column down and each small 9-box square contains all of the numbers from one to nine. Answers on Page 42
The hordes on the ground under the feeders. Don Hendershot photo
The naturalist’s corner BY DON H ENDERSHOT
Hail, hail the gang’s still here I’ve recently been seeing lots of posts like these on Carolina Birders’ FaceBook page: “… My pine siskins have departed, I am sad to say. I have not seen one in a week... It was such a pleasure having them in abundance, this year. I hope that they return, next winter!” “… While they were here I was filling it daily, and on some days I would fill it a second time.” And quite a few who appear to be happy to be siskin-less: “… Really ... it is time for them to go!” We generally have at least a few pine siskins every winter across Western North Carolina, then there are those winters (like this one) when we experience an irruption and will be totally inundated. An “irruption” is when winter finches like pine siskins, purple finches, evening grosbeaks, red crossbills, white-winged crossbills, common redpolls and others that usually stay near their boreal nesting grounds wander down the East Coast and farther south. Irruptions seem to be linked to food shortages in the birds’ normal winter range.
Pine siskins are kinda noted for their irruptions across the east and into the Deep South and quite often, when they find a reliable food source, they’re quite content to stay … and stay … and eat … and eat. During pine siskin irruptions, I generally just go straight for the 50-pound bags of sunflower seeds – because, like the Facebook poster above, it’s not uncommon for me to put feed out a couple of times a day. Pine siskins are goldfinch-sized, brown and boldly streaked (they remind some of sparrows.) They have yellow wing bars and yellow tail coverts that flash when they flutter around the feeder or suddenly take flight. I remember an irruption four or five years ago, when I reported 80 pine siskins at my feeders during the Great Backyard Bird Count. I was flagged, and it was suggested that perhaps I couldn’t count. This year I only reported 75, but I was flagged again. I was prepared, however, and provided pictures of siskins on my hanging feeder, on my platform feeders, on my deck railing and on the ground under the feeders. This year, the record was accepted. I can relate to the, “… It is time for them to go!” sentiment expressed above, but I’m not there yet. It will probably cost me anoth-
er 50-pound bag of sunflower seed, but I like having the constant activity at the feeder. I’ve even gotten use to their continued chatter as they flit around the seeds and their loud shrieking from the treetops as they sit around planning their next soiree to the feeders. And, if you have siskins at your feeders in Western North Carolina, don’t expect them
to be gone any day soon. Of course, they could be, they’re pretty erratic at times, but we have siskins that nest in the mountains of North Carolina, so many aren’t too far from their breeding grounds now. Throw in a ready supply of ample food and there’s really no need for them to go anywhere. (Don Hendershot is a writer and naturalist. He can be reached a ddihen1@bellsouth.net.)
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March 18-24, 2015
Bill focuses on a holistic approach and specializes in:
We are excited to now have Bill Morris, pharmacist & nutritionist with us full time! Fibromyalgia Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Adrenal Fatigue Sub-Clinical Hypothyroidism Osteo & Rheumatoid Arthritis Gout ADDHD Poor Immune System/Shingles Ulcerative Colitis Acne Pain Relief
366 RUSS AVE | WAYNESVILLE | 828.452.0911 BiLo Shopping Center Find us on facebook: www.facebook.com/kimspharmacy
Smoky Mountain News
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Buy a wood-burning appliance and get your first load of wood FREE!* *Limited delivery area, ask for details.
S. MAIN ST., WAYNESVILLE
828-333-5456 • cleansweepfireplace.com 284-30
Chimney Inspections, Repairs & More
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NEW LOCATION
Our mission is to provide high quality, personalized and compassionate obstetrical and gynecological care to women beginning in adolescence and continuing through menopause. We strive to consistently exceed the expectations of all of our patients. Dr. Janine Keever earned her Bachelor's degree at Western Carolina University in 1996. After earning her M.D. at East Carolina University and completing a residency at the University of Maryland in Baltimore, she returned to the mountains to open Smoky Mountain Obstetrics & Gynecology in 2006. Since then, her main focus has been to provide the best possible health care for the women of Western North Carolina. Keever is a skilled surgeon specializing in minimally invasive gynecological procedures, including the 'no scar' vaginal hysterectomy. She is also active in community affairs. Keever lives in Sylva with her husband and adventurous 6 year old son.
Dr. Sabine Kelischek is a board certified OB/GYN physician who has practiced in WNC since 1994. She received her B.S. from Davidson College and M.D. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. While there she also studied Health Policy and International Health at the School of Public Health. Her interest in health policy took her to Washington, D.C. where she served as Legislative Director for the American Medical Student Association.She completed her residency training at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia and soon thereafter relocated to the mountains to enter private practice. Kelischek loves contra dancing and sings with the Asheville Choral Society. Other interests include gardening, quilting, and literature.
March 18-24, 2015
Leah Trombly, WHNP is a board certified Women's Health Nurse Practitioner who joined the practice in August 2014. She received her B.S. from Mount Olive College in North Carolina, and MSN from Frontier in Hyden, Kentucky. Her clinical specialties include well woman/preventative care, childbirth education, breast health, and weight management. Leah was awarded Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarships in 2005 and 2010 to study Spanish in Mexico and Nicaragua and offers bilingual services. She is an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant as well as a certified Independent Beachbody Coach. She is an avid exerciser, and is happily married with five wonderful children.
Kathy Walsh, WHNP is our newest Board Certified Women's Health Nurse Practitioner. She recently relocated to the mountains from Illinois, where she worked for 31 years in the field of collaborative and holistic care for women. She earned a B.S. from Western Illinois University and MSN from the University of Wisconsin. Her clinical interests range from OB care and birth control to menopause and integrative medicine. She is also a Certified Lactation Educator. She enjoys hiking in our beautiful mountains. Among her many accomplishments, she is especially proud of raising four fabulous children and finishing the Chicago Marathon.
Smoky Mountain News
Deborah Gregory, MSN ARP FNP-BC AE-C is a family nurse practitioner and recently came to Smoky Mountain OB/GYN. She aims to provide women with information and guidance to enable meeting health goals, like living long enough to see your grandchildren’s children; being physically independent as long as possible and being able to enjoy the fruits of your labors. Her mother and father were born and raised in this area and there is no other place she would call home, even after traveling the world as a military wife. She loves the folks in the mountains, many of which are related to her, having close to 50 first cousins. Deborah’s goal is to assist people in making it one of the healthiest places on earth.
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Yearly Exams and Paps Contraception/ Birth Control Hormone Replacement Therapy Specialized Gynecologic Surgery Minimally Invasive Surgery Prenatal Care for both Low and High Risk Pregnancies In Office Ablations and Essure Procedures Vaginal hysterectomy specialist Childbirth Education Breastfeeding Support
Both physicians are Board certified by American Board of Obstetrics & Gynecology. Both nurse practioners are Board Certified.
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