36 minute read
A&E
Frog Level Brewing finds new owners
In a move that’s been a year or so in the making, 7 Clans Brewing has recently purchased Frog Level Brewing in Waynesville. “Seven Clans are already aware of the brewing industry,” said Clark Williams, founder/owner of Frog Level Brewing. “They want to keep the name the same, [as well as] the staff, recipes and overall vibe. They’ll also add new beers and fresh ideas to the place.” Based out of Cherokee, 7 Clans Brewing, owned by Morgan and Travis Crisp, has had its ales crafted onsite at BearWaters Brewing in Canton until the business was able to find its own home for production and a taproom. As of the last calendar year, Frog Level Brewing produced 225 barrels, with production expected to increase in 2020. Its taproom currently has 10 employees.
For Williams, who launched the brewery in 2011 (the first Haywood County brewery of the modern craft beer era), seeing the business he created change hands is bittersweet. But, he’s ready for new adventures and endeavors in this next chapter of his life.
“My goal was to always make a place where I could expand people’s knowledge of Waynesville, make us a destination to come back to,” Williams said. “Seeing [all these old] photos of people enjoying our beer at the lake and at the beach or on a mountain or hike means more to me because those people choose to have fun and include our beer.” www.froglevelbrewing.com or www.7clansbrewing.com.
— Clark Williams, founder/owner of Frog Level Brewing
Folk School offers ‘Local Standby’ program
Western North Carolina residents are now eligible for halfoff tuition for all 2020 classes at John C. Campbell Folk School in Brasstown.
The Local Standby program provides full and part-time residents 50 percent off any full-tuition course on a space-available, standby basis. Students can participate in an array of week-long and weekend classes including blacksmithing, pottery, jewelry, woodworking, and cooking.
Nineteen counties are eligible for the Local Standby program, including Cherokee, Clay, Buncombe, Henderson, Macon, Jackson, Swain, Madison, Graham, and Transylvania counties in North Carolina including the Qualla Boundary; Fannin, Gilmer, Rabun, Towns, and Union counties in Georgia; and Polk and Monroe county in Tennessee.
In its 95th year, John C. Campbell Folk School is expanding on a newly finalized strategic plan to strengthen local community relations and enhance programming to diversify its student base. Created with the help of instructors, students, and local communities, the plan also includes improvements to infrastructure, development of staff and resident artists, and continued financial strength.
All students interested must request a “Local Standby” discount at the time of registration and will be confirmed 14 days before the class start date. Students must present a valid driver’s license, voter registration card, or tax bill showing their local address.
For more detail on class information and descriptions, visit www.folkschool.org or call 800.FOLK.SCHOOL.
Founded in 1925, John C. Campbell Folk School is a not-forprofit 501(c)(3) organization offering adults over 850 week-long and weekend classes year-round in traditional and contemporary craft, music, and dance.
The Folk School is a Historic District and a landmark on the National Registry of Historic Places.
Through values of joy, kindness, and stewardship in a noncompetitive environment, the Folk School hopes to transform lives and bring others together for experiences in learning that spark their self-discovery.
Jamming with friends. (photo: Garret K. Woodward)
Cast it off into the sea, bake that pie and eat it with me W ell, it appears we’re currently in the “new normal,” eh? My apartment in downtown Waynesville is about a mile or so from our newsroom. It’s a drive that I make every morning, usually amid busy streets and hurried folks on the sidewalks just starting their day.
But, today (Tuesday morning or “press day”), the streets were somewhat silent. Nobody on the sidewalks either. And it’s never been easier to find a parking spot in downtown. Some of the businesses along Main Street are closed until further notice, as are establishments where we all go to eat and drink when the day is over and we just want to kick back and relax.
It’s a surreal scene overtaking our daily lives, where each moment we’re not really sure what will happen next. This invisible enemy has such a power and grip over what you and I will do for the foreseeable future. Confusion and misinformation, and yet this eerie and calm solitude blanketing the planet remains.
One wonders how all of this will shake out. Creepy as hell? Definitely. But, I'm an eternal optimist. I hold out hope for humanity. Remember: the government is always weird and uncomfortable, no matter the situation.
And yet, I believe in the power of unity in dark times. Hunker down and ride out the storm. Looking around society, we're actually at a standstill in our modern world, probably for the first (and maybe only) time amid our current technological bombardment.
We're actually sitting still, if but for this moment and crossroads in our history. What creativity will flourish from this? What beautiful music and art will come to fruition? Shit, people are going to finally HOT PICKS 1 If your favorite restaurant is doing takeout service, be sure to purchase a gift card (and tip well). Any support for local businesses will ensure survival in the long run. 2 If you have (or know of) an elderly person (family, friend or neighbor), call them and see if they need anything, whether it be getting groceries or simply chatting over the phone about nothing and everything. 3 Take time to go for a hike or anything that involves an immersion in Mother Nature, a slight disconnection and distraction from all of the noise. Clear your head and take a deep breath. 4 Kindness breeds kindness. Don't forget that. Look around and see how you can help within your community. It all adds up. 5 Above all, remember that we truly are all in this together, and together we will prevail for the betterment of humanity.
dust off that "to do list" book on the shelf and flip to page one.
Perhaps new hobbies will emerge in people’s lives who now have time to try other things, the trails that will be hiked to clear one's head, the friendships strengthened, the family bonds tightened, the love solidified
between two souls, and so forth. I also think of the countless folks that will seize this moment to drop the monotony and oblivious nature of their everyday lives and see this as an opportunity to pursue their wildest dreams. What do you (and all of us) have to lose at this point?
Regardless, this is my focus now: quality time with loved ones. I live alone in a small apartment in a downtown. And it's been awful quiet lately here in the normally tourist packed mountain town of Waynesville. My lifeblood is human connection, conversation and music. I crave it constantly, always have and always will. And I've been starving for those three things as of late, I think we all have for good measure.
So, on Monday evening, I spent the evening amid a homemade dinner, conversation and jamming at my dear friend's cabin atop a mountain in the depths of the Balsam Mountains on the Haywood and Jackson County line. I even was up there rocking out my ukulele (beginner style) with two incredibly talented musician friends (and brothers in arms).
With bellies full of stir-fry and cold craft ales, the three of us started toying around with whatever songs were on our minds. The works of quirky rock act Ween kept popping up, which led to a “Roses Are Free” jam. It’s a melody that holds a special place in my heart, as seen by its cover in performances by jam-band Phish, a group that is a pillar of my musical existence.
And when I think of Phish, I think of back home in Upstate New York and Vermont. That band and its music are part of the foundation of where I grew up, and where the ensemble formed: the Champlain Valley.
Memories of my native North Country, of faces I dearly miss all the time, but seemingly more so in these uncertain times. I hope they are finding solace in holding steady through all of this. But, mostly, I hope they know that each of them is on my mind, usually within moments held close in my thoughts.
Standing in a jam circle in the cabin, it felt wild to learn a couple new chords and how to play "Franklin's Tower" (Grateful Dead) on the ole uke. What was even more wild? In my four hours or so up there on the mountain, I didn't think once about the outside world. It was the first inner peace I've felt all week, that heaviness in my journalist heart of genuine love and compassion.
Stay safe out there. Seek good company. Pick up that instrument. Write that poem. Grill that burger. Sip that drink with gusto. Lay low and aim high with your heart and soul. Life is beautiful, grasp for it, y’all.
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Confession is good for the soul
Some bare their souls to priests and ministers. Some seek out therapists and counselors. Some look for help from friends and family members. And some write books. Saint Augustine of Hippo is the granddaddy of all such written confessionals. In his Confessions, he writes with unblinking eyes of all the wrongs he has done in his life, from stealing apples as a child to his mistresses and his wayward path before becoming a Christian. From him are descended the likes of Thomas De Quincy and his Confessions of an English Opium-Eater, Whittaker Chambers of Witness fame, and Sylvia Plath’s account of her mental illness in The Bell Jar. Writers who undertake such a journey, who are prepared to dissect themselves and examine the pieces, undoubtedly seek to heal, to set the record straight, to look for deeper meaning as to who and what they are, and to perform last rites over a past gone wrong. The best of these memoirs are well-written, unclouded by self-pity or by narcissism, and hopeful in their quest to inspire readers facing similar trials. In Deep Cover: A Memoir of Hiding While Dying to be Seen (Author Academy Elite, 2019, 202 pages) Nadia Dean hits the bull’s eye on this target.
Here she tells of her decades-long struggle with borderline personality disorder (BPD) and complex post-traumatic stress disorder (CPTSD), and the numerous means — therapy, medication, alcohol and men — she employed to fight against a condition that for a long time remained hidden from her. Here, too, she tells of her erratic forays into the world of work: singing, photography, flight school, television news and filmmaking.
But the main thrust of her story has to do with the abusive men who for so long held Writer Jeff Minick
power over her. She sums up this situation in this way: “It is one thing to recognize that you have been betrayed by your father, your brother, your husband, your culture, and your
country. It takes a deeper level of insight to see that you have also betrayed yourself.”
Dean grew up in an American home divided by culture and religion. Her father was Lebanese and Muslim; her mother was American and Christian. Her well-educated father earned a good living as a professor, but was domineering, erratic in his mood swings, and often berated his wife and two children for minor failings.
As an adolescent, Dean lived in fear of her older brother, Sami, who frequently beat her simply for the pleasure of tormenting her. A narcissist and a psychopath, he stole money from Dean and from his mother, spent wildly on drugs, and was murdered in his twenties for the money in his wallet.
Dean’s husband was a chronic liar — he told her, for example, that he was Lebanese when he was actually Palestinian — a thief since boyhood, and a narcissist like Dean’s brother. He tricked her into marrying him so that he could enter the United States, was fired from job after job for on-site theft or from sheer incompetence, slept with other women, and may have become involved with a terrorist cell. After Dean finally threw him out of the house and out of her life, he stalked her for several years. She approached the federal government, asking repeatedly to have him deported for fraud, and became aware he had become an FBI informant and would remain in the United States.
Other men, especially a boyfriend, Cody, and a fiancé, Aswad, also abused Dean, both physically and verbally.
In Dean’s statement above, she mentions being “betrayed by her culture.” This part was a little confusing, as Dean is a product of two cultures: American and Middle Eastern. If she means her Islamic culture, then the men in her life — her father; a fiancé; her first husband; an avuncular older man, Zachariah Oweiss, an Egyptian Muslim, and Dean’s friend and physician who murders his wife Marianne in an honor killing, beating her head in with a mallet — seem to reflect customs and attitudes very much in line with their background and culture. Insistent on dominating their wives and children, these fathers and husbands give real meaning to the phrase “toxic masculinity” that some people fling about so carelessly these days.
As we follow Nadia Dean’s story, our admiration for her mother grows. She is a rock in Dean’s life, always there when she needs her, always ready to give advice or help when she is able. “My amazing mother,” Dean writes, “became my anchor, many times saving my life.” At one point, her mother, little loved in her own marriage, tells Dean, “The most important thing a father can do for his children is to love their mother.”
Her illnesses, her fears of abandonment from a tender age, clashes in the home growing up, always trying to please her father, playing into the hands of narcissistic men, looking, as the old country song would put it, “for love in all the wrong places:” Nadia Dean endured many challenges, and in the end overcame them. Deep Cover should inspire not just women who are in similar circumstances, but is a reminder to all of us to pick ourselves up when we are knocked down, dust ourselves off, and continue marching along the path of life.
At the end of Deep Cover, on her way home from her father’s funeral, Dean recollects the men in her life who have hurt her and thinks, I have survived my tormentors. Sometimes mere survival is a triumph.
(Jeff Minick is a writer and teacher. minick0301@gmail.com)
Kathryn Byer Memorial Poetry Contest
The Kathryn Byer Memorial Poetry Contest contest celebrates our mountains and our connection to them in our everyday lives. It is open to all Jackson County students, K-12. The contest is now dedicated to the memory of Kathryn Byer, whose devotion to poetry was an invaluable asset to our mountain community. The poets are divided into three categories: K-4th grade, 5th-8th grade, and 9-12th. Three winners, in addition to Honorable Mentions, will be chosen in each category. Poems should be no longer than 40 lines, but can be much shorter, of course. The deadline for submission is April 10.
Poems should be submitted to City Lights Bookstore in Sylva, either in person, by snail mail or by email to more@citylightsnc.com. Include “Poetry Contest” in the subject line. Teachers may submit poems written by their students, or the poets or family members may do so on their own. Include the name and age category of the poet. The winners in each category will receive gift certificates to City Lights Bookstore and will be invited to read at Greening up the Mountains at 3 p.m. April 25 at City Lights Bookstore. Winners will be announced by April 20.
For more information, contact at 828.586.9499.
The Chestnut Mountain property will offer hikers some beautiful vistas. SAHC photo
Keeping the doorstep green
Canton likely to receive 448 acres for outdoor rec
BY HOLLY KAYS S TAFF WRITER I f all goes as planned, Canton will soon have a 448-acre park for hiking, mountain biking and other outdoor recreation activities just a mile from town limits. The Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy hopes to close on the property, known as the Chestnut Mountain Tract and currently owned by Canton Motorsports LLC, within the next couple months.
“It’s amazing what’s going to happen, not just for quality of life and economic development, but also at the end of the day we preserve 450 acres which could have been developed by who knows what,” Canton Mayor Zeb Smathers said during a March 12 town meeting. “We kept that the way God intended it, and now we’re using it.”
SAHC has been working on the purchase for much of the past year, applying for grants and working with donors to pull together the funds needed to buy the property outright. In September, the land trust was awarded $1.2 million from the Clean Water Management Trust Fund, with the Pigeon River Fund of the Community Foundation of Western North Carolina contributing $25,000 with a grant announced in November. However, it wasn’t until last week that the land trust publicly announced the project, following a $150,000 N.C. Department of Justice Environmental Enhancement Grant.
“It’s great news,” said Hanni Muerdter, conservation director for SAHC. “We’re really thankful for all the funding that’s happening around this project.”
GIFT TO THE TOWN SAHC is still in the due diligence phase of the purchase and had hoped to close by the end of the month. However, a contract extension was necessary to resolve some details of the transaction. The land trust has secured private gifts for approximately half of the purchase price and grants for most of the remainder, said Muerdter, but it is currently fundraising for about $350,000 to complete the purchase and cover transaction costs. The Conservation Fund has offered a bridge loan to allow SAHC to go through with the purchase as it continues to fundraise the final dollars.
A native of Bethel, Muerdter said that she remembers being in high school when plans were being laid to turn the property into a speedway. Those dreams never came to fruition, and the property was never developed.
“Now that we’re working to secure the property for conservation, my hope is that the permanent protection of this land will protect wildlife habitat and water, while also allowing a place for the community to enjoy,” she said. The Chestnut Mountain Tract is one of the
The eastern box turtle is one of the many wildlife species to find a home on the property. SAHC photo
— Zeb Smathers last large-acreage properties left along the Haywood-Buncombe county line, and conserving it is important for several reasons, said Muerdter. It’s already been shown to be an important corridor for wildlife movement, and with Asheville-associated development pushing ever outward it’s important to protect these last swathes of undeveloped acreage while it’s still possible.
“If you live in the Town of Canton or Clyde or Waynesville, you have to go to the edges of the county to get to public trails or the Blue Ridge Parkway, Shining Rock, the Smokies,” said Muerdter. “There’s not much large acreage if you live close to town. But this could potentially provide that opportunity.”
SAHC plans to gift the land to the Town of Canton, with Haywood County collaborating on management. The transfer will likely take place about a year after the sale to give SAHC time to, among other things, determine what types of conservation easements to place on the property and where to locate them. As a land trust, SAHC shies away from owning places that are for public recreation, preferring instead to transfer them to public entities.
Luckily, both Canton and Haywood County are excited about the opportunity. It’s a “gamechanger,” a “tremendous opportunity,” Smathers told his board.
“It is the intent of the town with assistance from Haywood County and with some of the other partners you’ll hear about over time to turn this into a major outdoor recreation venue concentrating on mountain biking, hiking, walking,” he said. “There are a lot of things it could be. We will take this slow. We’ll have a lot of public input. I want to hear a lot of thoughts. We’ll also be applying for a lot of grants over time.”
“One of the things that the county was looking at doing with their recreation program was moving more out of a brick-andmortar and sports teams into a more outdoor recreation aspect, and this project came along at just as perfect timing as you could get,” said Haywood County Program Administrator David Francis. “Being up there, you can see a lot of potential.”
AFTER THE PURCHASE Right now, the plan is to develop trails for hiking and mountain biking on the property, with an emphasis on accessibility for all ages and skill levels. The property has some topography, but it’s not crazy steep — elevation varies between a low elevation of 2,365 and a high of 2,555.
While SAHC plans to give Canton the land outright, it won’t be providing the funds needed to turn the property into a recreation destination. Planning, building and maintaining the trails, parking areas, picnic spots or whatever else ends up being built on the land will take time and cost money.
“The idea is to try to leverage and lean on a lot of different resources to help make a thing like this happen,”
F
Riley Howell race postponed
A race scheduled for April 4 honoring hometown hero Riley Howell has been postponed due to coronavirus concerns.
Both the Mighty Four Miler, which would have raised money for the Riley Howell Foundation Fund, and the Gateway to the Smokies Half Marathon, will no longer take place as scheduled. These races will instead be held in Waynesville on Saturday, Oct. 24. Runners who are not able to race in October will be allowed to credit their entry fees toward the 2021 races. The Riley Howell Foundation Fund seeks to help people affected by gun violence in honor of Howell, who died on April 30, 2019, after he charged a gunman who opened fire in the classroom where he was a student at UNC Charlotte. Investigators said that Howell’s actions undoubtedly saved multiple lives, but he lost his own in the process.
Donations to the fund can still be made online at www.rileyhowellfoundation.org/donate or by mailing checks with “Riley Howell Foundation Fund” in the memo line to CFWNC, 4 Vanderbilt Park Drive, Suite 300, Asheville, NC 28803.
Celebrating a $150,000 grant from the N.C. Department of Justice are (from left), Canton Mayor Zeb Smathers, SAHC Conservation Director Hanni Muerdter, N.C. Attorney General Josh Stein and Haywood County Program Administrator David Francis.
said Muerdter.
However, once developed, recreational opportunities on the tract could prove pivotal for the town’s future. In his comments, Smathers compared the possible impact to that of DuPont State Recreational Forest opening in Transylvania and Henderson counties, spurring the birth of various biking shops, outdoors stores and breweries in the area.
“We are at the forefront of this,” said Smathers. “As Asheville comes our way, something we hear is we’re looking for quality of life, we’re looking for recreation. We’re putting it at the doorstep.”
If the purchase and transfer go through, the Chestnut Mountain Property would not be the only large, forested tract owned by the town. Canton also manages the Rough Creek Watershed, an 870-acre property that once served as the town’s water source. Containing a diverse plant and animal community similar to that found in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, it contains a lightly used network of hiking trails and was home to a community of pioneers from the 1800s through the early 1900s.
According to Muerdter, the properties will compliment each other nicely.
“Rough Creek Watershed is really beautiful, but it’s also hard to get to,” she said. “This property is so much more accessible, and the Rough Creek Watershed also has these high-elevation glade communities that are really ecologically significant. This Chestnut Mountain Property is ecologically important, but it doesn’t have these super significant plant communities, so the Chestnut Mountain Project is actually a pretty suitable one for conservation and recreation working together.”
Canton isn’t the only town in Western North Carolina to be getting into the outdoor recreation business. Since the 1990s, Sylva’s 1,088-acre Pinnacle Park has offered several high-exertion, high-reward hiking trails. Like Rough Creek, the area once served as the town’s water supply but is now used for recreation. Last year, Sylva increased that holding by 40 percent when it purchased the 441-acre Blackrock Creek tract, which abuts Pinnacle Park. Like Canton, Sylva is partnering with county government on the project, though no public planning process has yet begun.
Similarly, development of the Chestnut Mountain property will take time, said Francis.
“It’s a pretty exciting project that we’re working on, but the thing is that we need to remember we still haven’t bought the property,” he said. “We’re in the planning phase right now, so this is a project that is not going to be ready to go as soon as we buy the property.”
It will require public input, engineering studies, planning and fundraising to pull off.
“If we got something done in three years,” he said, “I’d think it’s great.”
written by Ingles Dietitian Leah McGrath Ingles Nutrition Notes
Leah McGrath, RDN, LDN Ingles Market Corporate Dietitian @InglesDietitian Leah McGrath - Dietitian 800.334.4936 PLAN… DON’T PANIC… Whether you’re planning for a hurricane, a blizzard or to be quarantined for a pandemic it doesn’t hurt to have some emergency food supplies on hand that can easily be turned into meals. As long as you have power and water you’ll still be able to cook meals and store your fresh and frozen foods. What are some things you might want to have on hand for easy meals for your family?
Suggestions from some of my twitter friends: • Carina Venter, PhD, RD – “…I always have dried pasta and pesto in my pantry…and of course baked beans” • Lisa Wheeler, PAC - “Kraft macaroni and cheese..” • Alyssa Haberman, RDN – “…frozen entrees… frozen meats… frozen veggies…” • Eleni Gatsios, MA, RDN, CNSC, FAND – “…all kinds of grains, nuts/nut butters, dried fruit, honey, teas…” • Elizabeth Campa – “…Individually packed scrambled egg mix…” 5 EASY MEAL IDEAS: 1. Boxed Macaroni and Cheese + frozen or fresh vegetables like broccoli or mixed vegetables 2. Baked potato topped with canned chili and grated cheese 3. Scrambled eggs or omelet + cheese + fresh or frozen vegetables 4. Frozen cheese pizza topped with fresh, frozen or canned vegetables 5. Quesadilla stuffed with mashed canned black beans, cheese & salsa #QUARANTINEKITCHEN Ingles Markets… caring about your health March 18-24, 2020
Become a Master Gardener
Participants are wanted for the 2020 Macon County Master Gardener Volunteer Program, with the first session slated for 8:30 a.m. to noon Friday, April 3.
Classes will be held during the same time period every Friday for 11-12 weeks at the Environmental Resource Center in Franklin. Students will receive 38-42 hours of training in subjects such as bulbs, vegetables, fruits, herbs, berries, pruning, grafting, native plants, organic gardening, disease and more. Master Gardener certification will be given to those who complete training, pass a take-home exam and participate in a sufficient amount of volunteer service.
The $120 course fee covers all materials, with applications due Friday, March 27. Call 828.349.2046 to request an application.
New book takes note of nature Local writer Brannen Basham will present his new book, A Guide to the Wonderful World Around Us: Notes on Nature, at 3 p.m. Saturday, March 28, at City Lights Bookstore in Sylva. The book covers 60 different naturebased topics, many of which focus on the mountains of Western North Carolina, with chapter titles including The Natural World, Fantastic Plants, Our Animal Friends, Strictly Insects (Mostly Pollinators), Human Impact & Innovation, and A Look to the Future.
“This guide is a collection of notes on nature covering flora, fauna, and the fantastic wonders of the world around us,” Basham writes in the book’s introduction. “There are some special highlights of the Southeastern United States, and even more specifically, of the region where I currently call home in the mountains of Western North Carolina.”
Basham is a regular contributor to Smoky Mountain Living Magazine and The Sylva Herald, with his work most recently featured in the pollinator-focused publication 2 Million Blossoms. He and his wife Jill Jacobs own Spriggly’s Beescaping, a nature education and habitat restoration business dedicated to increasing environmental awareness.
The book is available at regional bookstores, as well as Amazon, Etsy and Audible. www.sprigglys.com.
Grow some fruit trees
Learn how to manage a home orchard during a workshop offered 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, March 26, at the Macon County Extension Center in Franklin. The program will cover the cultural needs of apple, pear, peach and other fruit trees. Topics will include site selection; differences between dwarf, semidwarf and seedling trees; proper soil conditions; pollination requirements; differences in cultivars; chilling requirements; fertility needs; tree spacing and general pruning principles. Common disease and insect problems — and possible control options — will also be discussed.
Sign up at www.eventbrite.com/e/managing-your-home-orchard-registration-97618632959. For more information, contact Christy Bredenkamp at 828.349.2046 or clbreden@ncsu.edu.
FACES OF HAYWOOD
Stanberry Insurance CHASE KRESS & GORHAM BRADLEY
Stanberry Insurance Agency is an extremely proud member of The Haywood County Chamber of Commerce. For over 40 years Stanberry Insurance has supported individuals and businesses of Western North Carolina. The Haywood County Chamber has greatly assisted us by creating advertising opportunities and networking events to promote the products and services we offer. As an Agency who has experts in personal, business, and benefits insurance, we feel our partnership with The Haywood County Chamber has played a critical role in our ability to serve the citizens of the region.
Logo courtesy of SCC Graphic Design Students. All proceeds benefit the Jackson County Humane Society.
Jackson County TDA photo
Visit us on Facebook or email barwatt@hotmail.com for more info
Explore in silence
See what silence can do during a 7-mile hike of the Bartram Trail on Thursday, March 26.
The group, led by Alarka Expeditions, will hike from Wayah Bald to Lake Nantahala in utter silence, with breaks for observation and a chance to compare notes at the end of the day. It’s recommended to read Zen on the Trail by Christopher Ive before attending, but not required.
$35 per person, with the hike leaving at 9 a.m. and returning by 4 p.m. The hike is mostly downhill, but can be steep in places. Limited to 12 attendees.
National forest burns planned
Prescribed burns are planned for the Pisgah-Nantahala National Forest over the coming months, aiming to create healthier, more diverse and more resilient forests that better support wildlife.
Burn areas in the Pisgah Ranger District of the Pisgah National Forest are: n Balds, 550 acres in Haywood County. n Sams Knob, 200 acres in Haywood County. n Pink Beds, 2,000 acres in Transylvania and Henderson counties. n Bear Pen, 1,500 acres in Transylvania County. n Bent Creek, 117 acres in Buncombe County.
Burn dates and number of units burned will depend on weather conditions. Prescribed burning will only occur when environmental conditions related to wind and relative humidity permit.
NOC opens new outpost Nantahala Outdoor Center will mark the 2020 season by opening a new Ocoee location complete with a brand new outpost building.
“We’re all really excited about the move to a new location and the newly built facility,” said Ocoee River Manager Jesse Wilson. “This move is really a guestfocused decision for us. It will allow us to make the operations that much more convenient for them and allow for more interaction with their guides.”
Several years in the making, the new location is located directly on U.S. 64 in Benton, Tennessee, resulting in a much easier trek than the scenic drives and river crossings required to get to the previous location by Horn’s Creek.
In addition to offering a brand new building and more accessible location, NOC
URGENT CARE — NOW OPEN!
NOW OFFERING: Coronavirus testing SICK VISITS: Flu, colds, sore throat, ear pain DOT physicals On-site lab services & X-ray Much more! Serving ages 2 years and up
828-631-3181 90 E. Main Street Ste. 2 | Sylva Across from Dunkin’ Donuts Laura S. Miller, FNP-C
HOURS: Mon-Thurs: 9 a.m.-7 p.m. Fri: 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Sat & Sun: 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
The Law Offices of Jeffrey W. Norris & Associates, PLLC 828-452-2221
Estate Planning Estate Administration Trustee Services If you have limited mobility, contact us about an in-home visit.
Norris Professional Building 177 North Main St., Waynesville www.norrisandassoc.com www.norriselderservices.com
Easter Brunch
Maggie Valley Club & Resort April 12 th | 11 AM - 2 PM
BREAKFAST ITEMS Florentine Eggs Benedict, Rocky Road Pancakes & Maple Syrup, Cheesy Stone Ground Grits, Biscuits, House Baked Breads, Jellies SALADS Spring Green Salad, Caesar Salad, Dressings & Condiments, Ambrosia Salad, New Potato Salad, Seafood-Shrimp Salad, English Pea Salad, Deviled Eggs, Fruits & Cheeses SIDES Broccoli-Havarti Cheese Casserole, Herb Roasted Baby Spring Vegetables, Buttermilk Potato Mash ENTREES MVC Fried Chicken and Chicken Tenders, Grilled Whole Salmon Sides, Blackberry Beurre Rouge, Maple & Brown Sugar Glazed Spiral Ham, Prime Rib AuJus with Beefeaters Sauce, Rosemary Leg of Lamb with Mint Jelly DESSERT Grande Dessert Bar, Chocolate Bread Pudding, Cheesecake, Banana Pudding, Eclairs, Cakes, Cookies & More!
$32.95 adults | $12.95 kids, 12 & under Reservations are required, please call to RSVP 828.926.4848
Nominations sought for small game award Nominations for the Lawrence G. Diedrick Small Game Award are open through 5 p.m. May 1, seeking individuals or organizations whose actions have significantly and positively impacted N.C.’s small game populations.
The nomination period was extended from the original deadline of May 1 due to the incorrect email address listed originally. Nominations should be submitted to stacey.thorp@ncwildlife.org or mailed to N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, Wildlife Management Division, c/o Diedrick Small Game Award, 1722 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, N.C. 27699-1722. Winners are selected by the Commission’s Small Game Committee and will be recognized formally at the Commission’s business meeting in October with a plaque and wildlife print.
Nomination forms are available at www.ncwildlife.org/portals/0/news/documents/diedrick_award_form_1-fillable.pdf. Nominations should include a written explanation two pages or less detailing why the nominee should receive the award.
Wildlife experts wanted Nominations are wanted for three seats on the Nongame Wildlife Advisory Committee to the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission.
This board advises the commission on nongame wildlife conservation issues across the state. Nominations are sought for expert and at-large seats. Nominees for expert seats must have extensive expertise or experience in matters dealing with nongame wildlife conservation in North Carolina, and at-large nominees should come from organizations that provide a stakeholder voice in wildlife resource conservation.
The 19-member committee meets four times per year, typically at commission headquarters in Raleigh. New members will be appointed in July.
A nomination form is available at www.ncwildlife.org/Portals/0/News/documents/NWAC_Nomination_Form_%20202 0.pdf. Email nominations to shauna.glover@ncwildlife.org or mail them to the Nongame Wildlife Advisory Committee, Attn: Shauna Glover, Wildlife Management Division, MSC 1721, Raleigh, N.C. 27699-1700.
Puzzles can be found on page 38
These are only the answers.
The local community rallied to clean up Lake Junaluska during the annual Lake Cleanup Day Saturday, March 7, collecting 184 bags of trash.
“We are grateful for a large number of volunteers this year who came to help us with our clean up effort,” said Lake Cleanup Day Project Coordinator Jim Pearson. “The huge turnout also allowed us to clean County Road, Highway 19 and Access Road. These roads surround our lake, and need cleaning regularly. Trash carelessly thrown along Highway 19 easily migrates its way into the lake, with the assistance of a westerly breeze.”
Despite frigid temperatures and brisk winds, 112 volunteers worked the 3 miles of shoreline, hailing from Waynesville, Clyde, Maggie Valley and Asheville. Efforts were led by 71 Junaluskans and included groups from Boy Scout Troop 370, the Tuscola Key Club, Haywood Waterways Association, First United Methodist Church’s Clean & Green team and youth group and the Smokey Mountain Hiker’s Club.
Much of the trash contained in the 184 bags was Styrofoam, with other common materials including plastic bottles, broken glass, fishing lures and line, plastic straws and aluminum cans. Volunteers also removed more than 40 cubic yards of logs, driftwood and construction debris from the shoreline.
Coalition for a Safe & Drug Free Swain County
JOIN US FOR OUR QUARTERLY MEETINGS NOON-2PM at Swain Health Department • JUNE 4 • SEPTEMBER 3 • DECEMBER 3 WANT TO GET INVOLVED? Contact Trish Hipgrave (828) 488-3198 ext. 2027 trish.hipgrave@swaincountync.gov Mission: Support a safe community by implementing prevention activities, promoting safe choices, and reducing unsafe conditions for our children and families.
WAYNESVILLE TIRE, INC.
MONDAY-FRIDAY 7:30-5:00 • WAYNESVILLE PLAZA 828-456-5387 • WAYNESVILLETIRE.COM Authorized Motor Fleet Management Maintenance Tires • Brakes • Alignment •
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Public comment is wanted on migratory game bird hunting seasons in North Carolina, and the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission also wishes to inform hunters of several important changes for 2020-21.
Changes include: n The number of permits for the Atlantic Flyway in North Carolina will be reduced from 6,115 to 4,895 due to a decrease in the population of eastern tundra swans. n Scaup hunting days will be restricted due to federal frameworks. States can choose between multiple options to accomplish this. n Federal frameworks will increase the brant hunting season from 30 to 50 days with a two-bird daily bag limit. n The framework ending date for rails, gallinules and moorhens will be extended from the last Sunday in January to an ending date of Jan. 31.
Find more information or submit comments through March 27 at www.ncpaws.org/paws/wrc/publiccomments/publiccomments.aspx. outdoors
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