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April 19-25, 2017 Vol. 18 Iss. 47

Factions wreak havoc on mainstream political parties Page 8 Bryson City board backtracks on Fry Street decision Page 12

CONTENTS On the Cover: As the process gets underway to impeach Patrick Lambert, Principal Chief of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, Tribal Council members and Cherokee law experts tackle the hard legal questions and possible outcomes surrounding the rare political event. (Page 6) Members of Cherokee Tribal Council and Principal Chief Patrick Lambert join hands in prayer

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before an April 6 meeting in which the Tribal Council voted 9-3 in favor of scheduling an impeachment hearing for Lambert on April 20. Holly Kays photo

News Burrell to replace departing Canton manager ............................................................3 Retiring HVO leader reflects on company’s impact ................................................ 4 Lake residents want fire protection from Junaluska ..................................................5 Homegrown factions wreak havoc on mainstream parties .................................... 8 Sylva’s Mill Street funding approved .......................................................................... 13 Macon changes policy to include elected officials ................................................ 15 DOT land could go to Haywood County Schools ..................................................17 New Maggie police chief brings experience, focus .............................................. 20

Opinion A&E

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Steady rain keeps wildfire to normal levels .............................................................. 42

CORRECTION In the April 12 issue of The Smoky Mountain News, the article titled “The strength of home: Student center aims to reach parentless students, increase graduation rates” incorrectly stated that Homebase College Ministry is next to Cullowhee Methodist Church. Homebase is next to Cullowhee Baptist Church. SMN regrets the error.

April 19-25, 2017

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Canton keeps it moving

Assistant Town Manager Jason Burrell is getting a promotion. Cory Vaillancourt photo

Burrell to replace departing Hendler-Voss Canton’s economic rebirth — or, perhaps, at times, out in front of him — has been Jason Burrell.

MAINTAINING MOMENTUM Immediately upon Hendler-Voss’ notice of resignation, town officials gave serious thought to the process by which a new town manager would be selected; his last day was originally slated as May 31, but has recently changed to May 13.

One option was to name an interim town manager, like the Town of Waynesville did when Mike Morgan took over for Marcy Onieal until full-time manager Rob Hites was hired a few months later; Smathers said town employees were adamant that this not occur.

Another option was to conduct a prolonged candidate search, like when HendlerVoss was originally hired.

The most obvious choice was to simply promote Burrell — who’d been with the town even before Hendler-Voss, served as interim town manager when Matthews retired and was a finalist for Hendler-Voss’ position in 2014.

With aldermen and indeed Hendler-Voss himself citing the need to maintain the momentum that’s been building over the past year, why did it take an hour?

BEHIND CLOSED DOORS

department, where he was hired by the man now director of public services for the Town of Waynesville — David Foster.

From there, Burrell jumped right to the top of Warsaw, where he served as town manager beginning in 2005, and was one of the youngest — if not the youngest — in the state until he joined Canton administration in 2009, working under both Matthews and Hendler-Voss.

Burrell, much like Hendler-Voss, comes into his new job tasked with much — but with tasks of a different sort.

“In the coming years, the economic development portion of things is going to roll on as it has, probably more focused on downtown because the consensus is that’s where the most vital opportunities are,” Burrell said.

“But we’ve got so many things in the pipeline right now, it’s probably just going to be a continuation of what we’ve been doing.”

He’ll continue to serve as economic development director and will presumably aid in the decision of how, when, and if a new assistant town manager will fill his former seat and whether their duties will still include economic development, or some other skill set to add to the administration’s arsenal.

“I would very much like to continue to be involved in the economic development portion of things, because I’ve got a good handle on it and we’re making a lot of good positive progress,” he said. “I think there’s an opportunity there to look at that position becoming a planning-intensive position, I don’t know how that would flush out, but that’s an area where we could benefit from someone with that particular kind of expertise.”

Once that does or doesn’t happen, helping to shepherd the 2017-18 Fiscal Year budget through the adoption process by July 1 will be an immediate priority where Burrell’s continuity, experience and institutional knowledge will be instrumental in maintaining momentum.

“I’m very excited. I think looking back at it, it’s fallen in place exactly as it should have, or as it was supposed to,” he said. “Seth did a tremendous amount while he has been here as a result of the board, and we’re much more fortunate it playing out as it did than if I had moved in to that position three years ago.”

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Smoky Mountain News

Noticeable tension surrounded the normally placid Canton Board of Aldermen/women even before the April 13 meeting convened; hushed chats and anxious glances were shared amongst board members as Mayor Mike Ray’s gavel came down on the first meeting since Hendler-Voss’ announcement.

After attending to old and new business — the mundane tasks that constitute the bulk of municipal government work — Ray and the board, along with Hendler-Voss, Burrell and Town Attorney William C. Morgan went into closed session per N.C. law to discuss a personnel matter.

After a time, Burrell left the meeting, milling about with citizens, town employees and reporters in the lobby.

He was called back in to the meeting, and then sent away again.

Finally, after more than 45 minutes had passed, all were called back in as the board reassembled in open session.

Smathers said that at least some of the closed session discussion was devoted to the board’s legal responsibilities in hiring a manager — should the position be advertised?

Must it? Should there be public hearings and interviews and feedback sessions?

In the end, it was determined that the board had the power to act of its own accord.

That resulted in a motion — made by Smathers and seconded by Alderman Ralph Hamlett — that would appoint Burrell to the job May 13, pending successful contract negotiations.

What’s not known is what happened in

closed session that led to the motion.

Last time around, the town manager job largely came down to Hendler-Voss and Burrell. Hendler-Voss won out by a vote of 3 to 1, with Smathers voting against him.

That conflict pitted Smathers — who favored Burrell — against Mayor Ray, who didn’t so much favor Hendler-Voss as he did oppose Burrell.

Since then, the board has been cooperative, but divisions are still apparent.

Smathers, Hamlett, and Alderwoman Gail Mull seem to be on the same page frequently, occasionally opposing Ray and sometimes even Alderwoman Carole Edwards.

Further intrigue arises when the upcoming municipal elections are factored into the mix. It’s widely speculated that Edwards won’t run again, and there are lingering doubts about whether Ray will seek re-election as mayor — a seat many think Smathers is well-positioned to seek, should he so desire.

Whatever did or didn’t take place during that closed session — a lengthy one, considering the outcome — the motion to appoint Burrell passed unanimously.

“I think it was the right move,” said Hamlett. “Jason demonstrates a lot of acumen, and has proven himself. He’s essentially been on a job interview for the past three years. We know what he can do, and according to Seth, he performed second to none.”

Once the motion passed and the applause died down, Hendler-Voss was the first to speak.

“One would think, like I did after I was selected, that Jason’s going to move on and find another opportunity to be manager,” he said. “I certainly probably would have. Jason did not do that. Jason is completely loyal to the town, loyal to the employees … most folks probably would have walked away. He could have given me a very hard time. He could have held a grudge.”

Instead, Burrell’s been an active partner of both Hendler-Voss and the board, especially on the economic development side of things.

Burrell, 36, is a Candler-area native and Western Carolina University alum with a political science degree and master’s of public administration.

Right out of grad school, he secured a sixmonth internship in Asheville’s sanitation

April 19-25, 2017

BY CORY VAILLANCOURT STAFF WRITER Canton’s search for a new town manager took about an hour.

“We’ve sent a clear signal to the town and the region that we’re keeping things moving,” said Alderman Zeb Smathers of the board’s unanimous decision to tap Assistant Town Manager and Economic Development Director Jason Burrell as Town Manager Seth Hendler-Voss’ replacement.

Hendler-Voss surprised many by announcing his resignation March 24; he’d been Canton’s manager nearly three years to the day following the retirement of longtime manager Al Matthews at the end of 2013.

A protracted application process ended with the hiring of Hendler-Voss, who had previously been the park planning/development manager for the city of Asheville and bested 80 other candidates for the $89,000 job.

During his time in Canton, the town has experienced a much-needed resurgence in business development; with the highest municipal taxes in the county and an economy overwhelmingly dependent on a single large employer — the century-old Evergreen Paper mill — Hendler-Voss had his work cut out for him.

Since then, the progressive and thorough Hendler-Voss played a large role in attracting businesses and residents to Canton, both from other municipalities in Haywood County and from the Asheville area, which is seen as relatively overpriced and overpopulated when compared with Haywood.

Positioning Canton as a town where rent is lower, services are higher and officials are eager to talk business has resulted in the recent relocation of Western Carolina Freightliner from Asheville as well as drawn a brewery and a sandwich shop expansion from Waynesville; a soap company and bakery have also recently opened and will soon be joined by a custom furniture manufacturer, an upholstery store and a pizza joint.

Some of the relocation frenzy is due to infrastructure improvements also undertaken in recent months — despite funding snafus, the floor for the town’s new municipal pool was poured April 12, and a long-overdue streetscaping project has contributed to the aesthetic renewal of a quaint-but-rundown central business district.

Ancillary to all that but complimentary in nature is the socioeconomic and cultural evolution that began during Hendler-Voss’ tenure. Canton recently became the county’s first and only living-wage government, acknowledged the presence of alderwomen on its board for the first time and drew the decidedly non-traditional Yonder Mountain String Band to its century-old Labor Day festival.

Although the town manager works at the direction of the board, Hendler-Voss’ efficient administration of these initiatives has earned him praise from residents.

Alongside Hendler-Voss throughout

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Double duty: Haywood Vocational Opportunities wields social, economic impact

BY CORY VAILLANCOURT STAFF WRITER aywood County isn’t generally known as a place where multimillion-dollar local companies compete on an international scale in a burgeoning global market sector, but Haywood Vocational Opportunities has been doing just that for more than 40 years.

Now, as the one man who’s seen HVO grow from humble beginnings prepares to leave it all behind, he’s confident the company he’s nurtured will continue his legacy of maximizing profits, as well as people.

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HVO Executive Director George Marshall (left) talks to workers at the end of a shift. Cory Vaillancourt photo

THINK GLOBAL, ACT LOCAL

Smoky Mountain News

April 19-25, 2017

Born in Asheville, George Marshall did his undergrad and grad work at Western Carolina University, in what was then called “industrial education,” which focused on the tools, materials and processes used in industry.

Such was the postwar push; in the preinternet era, America’s manufacturing industry was heavily promoted as the key to maintaining international competitiveness, much as the tech industry is upheld today.

Marshall’s background led him to teach briefly in Swain County at the middle and high-school levels until 1977, when he applied for a position as a woodworking instructor with the then-nascent organization that would one day become HVO. “I had no idea about the mission or what this program did,” Marshall said.

What HVO does today is produce an array of mostly disposable products for sale to the medical industry — like ophthalmic products used in diagnostic or surgical procedures of the eye, or curtains that cover all or a portion of a patient’s body when surgeries are performed.

“If you’ve ever seen any medical show and in surgery they cover the patient with that blue or gray sheet, that’s what we make,” Marshall said.

HVO also produces sterile barrier covers for operating room equipment and transfer pads to help move patients from one position to another, or one table to another.

“We have pretty much worked with all of the major medical supply companies in the U.S.,” Marshall said.

HVO’s roughly-$35 million operating budget is impactful in a rural region more familiar with mom and pop shops than with an employer that pays roughly $13 million in wages and benefits each year and trades internationally.

“We probably ship 20 percent of our products to Belgium, and we have for the better part of 20 years,” he said.

Consistent business success aside, that mission Marshall initially knew nothing about is the real reason HVO exists today.

“Our medical manufacturing and our supply manufacturing — the revenue from that,” 4 he said, “helps support our mission side.”

THE MARSHALL PLAN The mission of HVO is to develop individuals into their fullest vocational potential, and has been since the company was first conceived back in the late 60s.

An advisory committee of about 30 people labored for more than six years before the Haywood County Sheltered Workshop first opened at Patton Elementary School in Canton in 1972.

“Sheltered workshop” is an archaic term that refers to a workplace employing disabled workers.

“I’ll credit the Kennedy administration in their work, especially the Kennedy brothers themselves, with developing the awareness of people with disabilities through the creation of the Special Olympics,” Marshall said.

“HCSW was kicked off in June 1972, with six individuals being served and like, three staff or something like that I’m told,” Marshall said. “We came along pretty much on the front end of national exposure and awareness of persons who had disabling conditions in hopes that they could elevate themselves and be more self-sufficient. With that said, in the 70s, that was really catching the front end of it, if you will.”

In 1973, the Waynesville Rotary Club spearheaded an effort to move the facility to the grounds of the Haywood Technical College, but in Washington, D.C., efforts were underway that would define the landscape of such organizations for decades to come.

The Rehabilitation Act was signed into law on Sept. 26 of that year by President Richard Nixon; among other things, it prohibits Federal discrimination of disabled individuals and provides an annual allocation to each state for vocational rehabilitation services.

“That really started pumping a lot of federal dollars into programs” like HVO’s employment and training services, Marshall said.

Through 1980, the HCSW saw continuous expansion, adding 17,000 square feet of capacity and earning accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities.

In the 1980s, HCSW partnered with Haywood County and became subject to public board governance, changed its name to Haywood Vocational Opportunities and became a public not-for-profit organization.

By 1990, HVO had moved into a 48,000 square-foot facility in the Waynesville neighborhood of Hazelwood, and in the intervening 27 years has experienced round after round of accreditation, certification, growth and expansion, including the purchase of the 117,000 square-foot former Wellco facility.

Marshall’s plan for HVO over the 40-odd years he’s helmed the company came from a mentor he’d known in the late 70s.

“It’s essentially to develop a business enterprise to support your mission through producing goods or providing services while utilizing and integrating people with disabilities or other barriers to employment into that enterprise business,” he said.

Those barriers to employment can be mental, physical or even more esoteric.

For example, Marshall explained that a single parent lacking family support structure might have logistical barriers to employment, such as affordable childcare or access to ready transportation.

WHAT THE FUTURE HOLDS Since Marshall began at HVO more than 40 years ago, public policy has transitioned away from sheltered workshops like HSCW. “Now the mental health divisions want community integration,” Marshall said.

“They’re saying, ‘We want you to ensure that people with intellectual and developmental disabilities engage in community activities.’

We did over 400-some community integration activities last year. It’s where we spent a large portion of our dollars over here, on one element of our program services.”

But those dollars — estimated at about 2 to 4 percent of revenue — aren’t coming as quickly as they did in the days following the Rehabilitation Act. “The biggest issues that this country faces today are the mentally ill, and substance

abuse. Those two classifications — versus developmentally and intellectually developmentally disabled — those two constitute greater issues in the community,” he said.

“They show up in emergency rooms, they’re arrested, they’re homeless, and that’s a real issue that affects society greatly. Tons of dollars are being pumped into it.”

Normally, Marshall said, people with intellectual and mental disabilities need support throughout their lives, but don’t contribute to the social issues that the mentally ill or drug addicted often do.

“The dollars don’t come here as quickly as they go over there for substance abuse and mental illness,” Marshall said.

During Marshall’s tenure, he says there have been at least three “disastrous” reforms of mental health services.

“We have worked to increase funding for intellectually and developmentally disabled individuals. In the last 30 years we’ve had one increasing funding. In 30 years. And that’s why we really rely so heavily on our manufacturing — to be able to offset and provide those services. That’s what we do,” he said.

“That’s why we have that side of the house, to be able to maintain and to be proactive in providing those services.”

Luckily for Marhsall, and the clients the social enterprise portion of the business serves, the manufacturing side of HVO appears to be on solid footing.

Norm Yearick has been involved with HVO for about five years, and has spent the last three as chairman of the board of directors; with a degree in industrial engineering and 35 years of experience working at and managing factories in the U.S. and abroad, he’s uniquely suited to weigh in on the future of HVO as Marshall plans his retirement.

“Manufacturing is my life,” said Yearick, who spent more than 28 years with Corning.

Yearick stressed the need to continue to grow the business.

“We need to continue to diversify, to broaden our customer base. We are pretty highly focused on one customer, who has been traditionally a very good customer, but its never been good practice to rely on just one customer, or even a few,” he said.

He also doesn’t see any impending catastrophes looming in HVO’s market sector; the medical field shows no signs of shrinking and the demand for products remains strong, both at home and overseas.

“I don’t see that changing much as far as demand is concerned, and I don’t see a global upheaval unless it gets severe to the point that we have high tariffs against our products,” he said.

Instead, Yearick thinks HVO’s greatest challenge will be to ensure continuity in leadership that will allow the company to continue developing revenue and developing a workforce that faces fewer barriers to employment.

“My greatest concern is that we can find somebody as capable as George has been over the years,” Yearick said. “He’s been running it for 40 years are we’re comfortable with his leadership and his savvy and we’ve got to find the right person the first time, so the organization can carry on as under George Marshall’s leadership.”

Opposition to Lake Junaluska fire district heard

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be given responsibility for providing fire protection instead of Waynesville.

“I understand what they’re saying, but I think Waynesville has better service, because all of their firefighters are fulltime,” said Commissioner Kevin Ensley. “I think [Junaluska] has one paid employee, and they think they can use volunteers.”

Ensley said he was still studying the issue and wasn’t yet sure how he would vote.

The Town of Waynesville estimated that at the proposed 6 cents per $100, it could take in an extra $100,000 per year, resulting in Lake Junaluska’s total cost of fire protection surging from around $50,000 per year in 2016 to around $200,000 per year, beginning July 1, 2017.

Were Junaluska to go its own way, that $200,000 wouldn’t nearly pay for the amount of full-time firefighters needed, based on Lake Junaluska. what Waynesville paid to hire eight additional firefighters of its own last summer. OSHA requirements stipulate that there must be four firefighters on the scene of any fire before two would be allowed to enter any structure and rescue victims.

Commissioner Mike Sorrells was likewise undecided, saying it would be “premature” to say how he’d vote.

“We’re just trying to bring everyone into line equitably with what everyone else pays,” Sorrells said. “I don’t want us to end up in the middle of this beauty contest.”

Waynesville may see a slight budget impact if it does not, in the end, wind up providing fire protection to the residents of Lake Junaluska.

The eight firefighters hired by Waynesville will cost about $530,000 per year over three years, or roughly $66,250 each. To pay for that, aldermen raised Waynesville’s property tax rate by just under 5 cents per $100 — an almost 10 percent hike — effective July 1, 2016.

The five proposed fire districts would have made up at least some of that extra expense, but if Waynesville doesn’t get the job at Junaluska, they’ll be out an estimated $200,000.

The remaining four districts seem to be a safe bet for passage, but if the Waynesville #2 district proposed for Lake Junaluska doesn’t materialize, another public hearing would have to be held to incorporate one, no matter who’s fighting the fires, Waynesville or the Junaluska Fire Department.

Commissioners will again take up the issue at their next regular board meeting, scheduled for 9 a.m. on May 1.

April 19-25, 2017

BY CORY VAILLANCOURT h STAFF WRITER public hearing regarding the creation of five new Waynesville rural fire disy tricts brought several residents of the Lake Junaluska Assembly before the Board s of Haywood County Commissioners to ask d for some changes.

One suggested change was to allow e Junaluska Fire Department service the area s around the lake instead of Waynesville Fire Department as proposed by the town. r “Two-tenths of a mile is better than 5 d miles away,” said Lake Junaluska resident e Ken Zulla, referring to the proximity of the s Junaluska Fire Department station to the - assembly. He e also said he’d . gladly pay 7.5 o cents per $100 n to help increase e staffing at the s Junaluska fire O station rather than let h Waynesville e provide the - service at 6 g cents per $100. d Tim Phelan, another Lake Junaluska res, ident, delivered to commissioners a petition e he said contained 147 signatures supporting the idea. , The proposed districts — including at Lake Junaluska — have been in the works o for some time due to a disparity in the rates Haywood County residents pay for fire proo tection. Waynesville property owners pay y around 10 cents per $100 in assessed props erty valuation for fire protection from the t town. t Because of clerical errors or omissions, however, some outside the town pay noth- ing, and Lake Junaluska property owners e pay a flat fee of just $8 a month per water d connection. , Earlier this year, Waynesville aldermen passed a resolution asking commissioners s to create fire service districts for the - Knollwood, Reinhart, and Shingle Cove t subdivisions, as well as Lake Junaluska.

- Before last summer, Junaluska residents had paid only $4 per water connection per t month, for many years, despite being home - to some of Haywood County’s the most - expensive parcels of land. a Hence the creation of Waynesville Rural o Fire District #2, which as proposed would completely encircle Lake Junaluska and d bring residents’ rates into line with the rest r of the county. t But some in the Lake Junaluska area had s called the Haywood County Fire Marshall in d recent days questioning the map of the new - district. During the pubic hearing April 17, e several residents asked that the district be created but the Junaluska Fire Department

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Important dates ahead news

• Tuesday, April 18: Principal Chief Patrick Lambert held a Grand Council of all enrolled members. The meeting fell after The Smoky Mountain News’ press deadline but will be covered in the April 26 issue.

• Thursday, April 20: Tribal Council will hold a hearing for the impeachment charges against Lambert and make a decision by the end of the day.

• Thursday, May 4: Tribal Council’s monthly meeting will begin at 8:30 a.m. Budget Council, on which all 12 councilmembers sit, will be held Tuesday, May 2.

• Meetings are typically broadcast online at livestream.com/accounts/10717024.

More than 1,100 members of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians gather at Cherokee High School on Tuesday for a Grand Council called by Principal Chief Patrick Lambert.

Holly Kays photo

Unstable ground

Smoky Mountain News

April 19-25, 2017

Complex questions surround upcoming Cherokee impeachment process

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BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER ore than a year of tension and fighting within the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians government will come to a head this week, with a hearing for impeachment charges against Principal Chief Patrick Lambert slated for Thursday, April 20, and Lambert calling a Grand Council of all enrolled members for Tuesday, April 18, in an attempt to save his position.

But, while some big decisions about the future of the tribe could be made by this time next week, the political fallout will likely take much longer to resolve. Much is uncertain about the events ahead — impeachments are rare, Grand Councils even rarer, and many of the laws pertaining to how they are conducted and what power they have are unclear, at best.

After talking to a variety of attorneys,

judges and tribal members familiar with Cherokee law — several of whom asked that they not be named, due either to prohibitions of their current position or an unwillingness to attach their names to the dispute — The Smoky Mountain News will attempt to answer some of the many questions raised by the current state of politics on the Qualla Boundary.

Court denies lawsuit of anti-impeachment councilmember

any business related to the impeachment of Principal Chief Patrick Lambert, holding any meetings without notifying all 12 members of Tribal Council or hiring a lawyer for the impeachment without first advertising a vote on the contract on the agenda of a regularly scheduled council meeting.

The decision, written by Temporary Associate Judge Sharon Tracey Barrett, said that the remedy McCoy sought was “extraordinary” and that it would be “highly unusual” for a court to restrict legislative activity in this way. Barrett ruled that the court had no power to rule on the issue in

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The Cherokee Tribal Court has denied a complaint that Councilmember Teresa McCoy, of Big Cove, filed asking that the court restrain the Tribal Council from taking certain types of actions.

The suit, which named nine members of Tribal Council in their official capacities, sought to prevent council from conducting

What is impeachment?

Though it’s a basic question, it’s also one without an answer in the Cherokee tribal code. Tribal law contains no definition for the word “impeach,” and the only mention of how to impeach an elected official is found in a single sentence of the tribe’s Charter and Governing Document: “Any officer of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians who violates his oath of office, or is guilty of any offense making him ineligible

to hold said office, may be impeached by a two-thirds vote of council.”

“If you impeach somebody, what’s the next step? How do you remove him from office?” asked Rusty McLean, a Waynesville attorney who grew up on the Qualla Boundary and has studied Cherokee law throughout his 40-year career.

Lambert made the same point during the April 6 Tribal Council meeting, asserting that council has the authority to impeach, but not to remove.

Reading the Charter, it’s hard to say who’s right. The sentence does not explicitly say that Tribal Council can remove an elected official but does say that an impeachable offense is one that makes the official ineligible to hold office, perhaps implying removal.

According to Merriam Webster’s dictionary, “impeach” can mean “to charge a public official before a competent tribunal with misconduct in office” but can also mean “to remove from office especially for misconduct.” However, the dictionary at law.com defines “impeach” as “to charge a public official with a public crime for which the punishment is removal from office.”

So, when the Charter says “impeach,” does it mean it in the sense of charging someone with misconduct, or in the sense of removing someone due to misconduct?

The part of the Cherokee code that dislight of the tribe’s sovereign immunity and that McCoy would be unlikely to prevail on the merits of the case.

McCoy’s lawsuit had centered on Tribal Council’s refusal to hear her protest of its decision to begin the impeachment process against Teresa McCoy Lambert and on gatherings that a majority of Tribal Council members had held to discuss tribal issues

cusses removal of judges and justices is one of the few other places where impeachment is mentioned in tribal law.

In this section, the law describes the power to “remove by impeachment,” in which impeachment is the mechanism and removal is the result.

However, others assert that the power to remove is assumed to be part of the power to impeach. If the body that is given the power to impeach has no power to follow through with any consequence for the crimes prompting impeachment, then why grant power to impeach in the first place?

“The EBCI Tribal Council has a precedent of removal of an elected official after an impeachment hearing,” said Tribal Council Chairman Dennis “Bill” Taylor in a statement to The Smoky Mountain News. “The process would entail the swearing in of a new Principal Chief or in this case the elevation of the Vice Chief to that post.”

During the 2003 impeachments of former Principal Chief Leon Jones and former Tribal Council Chairman Bob Blankenship, the law was indeed interpreted as giving Tribal Council the authority to remove elected officials from office. In the resolution setting up rules for the impeachment hearing, the 2001-2003 Tribal Council approved language stating that, if

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without advertising a meeting or inviting all 12 councilmembers.

McCoy claimed that Tribal Council’s refusal to hear her protest violated the rights guaranteed her in tribal law. She said that nine of the 12 councilmembers had been conducting secret meetings during which decisions related to the impeachment issue had been made, and that their failure to invite her to those meetings or publicly advertise them violated tribal law. She also argued that last-minute additions of agenda items — including the resolution that began the impeachment process — were illegal.

Whose decision carries greater weight, Tribal Council or Grand Council?

Again, opinion on this question is split.

“I think the Grand Council wins because that’s every member of the tribe,” McLean

Principal Chief Patrick Lambert

Is there any opportunity to appeal Tribal Council’s decision at the impeachment hearing?

This depends on who you ask.

“The Tribal Court does not have the ability to overturn a decision of Tribal Council,” said Taylor.

Smoky Mountain News

said, an assertion with which Wachacha agrees. In a video that Birdtown Tribal Council candidate Ashley Sessions posted on Facebook, Cherokee Beloved Man Jerry Wolfe supported this view.

“In the Grand Council session, whatever the people say, that’s the vote,” Sessions said in the video. “Tribal Council can’t overturn what the people vote.”

“Now, that’s the people,” Wolfe responded. “The people that make the law. We’re strong, we are.”

The opposing view, however, would be that, between Grand Council and Tribal Council, the Tribal Council’s powers are the only ones that are clearly defined in tribal law.

“The Grand Council carries no weight of authority in regards to tribal government operations,” Taylor said. “The full authority of matters concerning Tribal government operations including impeachment rests with the duly elected Eastern Band of Cherokee Tribal Council.”

So, while some may feel that a vote of tribal members gathered at Grand Council should prevail, this view says, that’s just a feeling. It’s not a law or a power granted in the tribe’s charter or code of ordinances. But Tribal Council’s authority is.

“witch-hunt” and said it’s retaliation for his Others interviewed for this story agreed attempts to expose wrongdoing in tribal govwith that assessment, saying that impeachment is a function of the legislative body and ernment — attempts that included a forensic audit of various tribal dealings that were it’s not within the court’s purview to rule on then handed over to the FBI and resulted in such a decision. an investigation that has now been going on On the other hand, if Lambert believed for more than six months. While the majorithat laws were broken in the course of conducting the investigation and then setting up ty of Tribal Council has expressed concern with the results of the Office of Internal the hearing, it’s possible that he could bring Investigation that forms the basis for a suit contending that the process itself was impeachment — the report lists contracts illegal.

When Tribal Council first passed legisla- executed without proper approval and various violations of human resources policies tion directing that articles of impeachment — Lambert has said the allegations are be drafted, in February, the resolution gave trumped-up charges that shouldn’t rise to Vice Chief Richie Sneed the power to ratify the level of impeachment. it, declaring that Lambert had “a conflict of However, the influence of the FBI investiinterest.” However, tribal law gives the gation on the impeachment process — if power of ratification to the chief, and that is indeed what is going on — could be Lambert wound up vetoing the resolution. hard to prove.

While Tribal Council overturned the veto, “I don’t see that you can,” McLean said in doing so it acknowledged Lambert’s when asked if the impeachment could be right to veto. reversed if the FBI results incriminated counHowever, the resolution introduced in cilmembers. “I don’t think you can make it April to approve articles of impeachment retroactive unless you can show some kind and set up a hearing once more gave of intent on the part of those people.”

Sneed the power to ratify, not Lambert.

This time, Lambert did not assert his Is there any potential for the federal governright to veto. ment to get involved?

It is worth noting that, during the 2003 Not likely, it seems. The federal governimpeachment of Jones and Blankenship, ment has often expressed a preference for Tribal Council took a similar action. The resolution approving rules for the impeachment During the 2003 impeachments of hearing and the hire of a special impeachment former Principal Chief Leon Jones prosecutor stated that and former Tribal Council Chairman “because the Principal Chief has a conflict of Bob Blankenship, the law was indeed interest in this matter, the Vice Chief is authorized to interpreted as giving Tribal Council ratify this resolution,” the authority to remove elected similar language used in the 2017 resolutions perofficials from office. taining to Lambert’s impeachment. staying out of what it deems to be internal For McLean, “there is no question in my mind” that the impeachment issue will wind tribal politics.

The ability of federal courts to weigh in up in court. on such affairs was at the center of the well“I just hope that the judge they select known case Santa Clara Pueblo vs. Martinez, will devote the time to analyze the historidecided in 1978, in which the petitioner Julia cal procedures of the tribe, the documents of the tribe, and work it forward to a point Martinez contended that a membership ordinance passed by the Santa Clara Pueblo in time when you can rule on the actions tribe violated the right of equal protection that were taken by council against the guaranteed under the Indian Civil Rights chief in this instance,” McLean said. “I Act. The case went all the way to the think that’s going to be the issue. Will the Supreme Court, which decided that, because judge devote such time to it in order to Indian tribes are “distinct, independent ensure it’s a decision that can be affirmed political communities” the court did not with a good basis in the law to support its have authority to rule in the case. decision?”

That’s not to say that the federal government can never intervene.

Several members of the Cherokee Tribal According to an October 2016 report Council are currently under investigation by from the Bellingham Herald in Washington, the FBI. Could the results of that investigathe Bureau of Indian Affairs decided not to tion, when concluded, have any retroactive recognize any actions of the Nooksack effect on the impeachment decision?

Indian Tribe after March 2016, as the tribe The consensus seems to be no. The had violated its constitution by holding impeachment and FBI investigation are sepTribal Council meetings without a quorum arate processes, performed by separate bodbeing present. ies, pertaining to separate allegations. The However, the situation was an “exceedoutcome of one won’t likely affect the outingly rare” one, the BIA’s principal deputy come of the other. assistance secretary Lawrence Roberts While the two are separate, they have wrote in an Oct. 17, 2016, letter, the paper been linked in the public eye. Lambert has reported. repeatedly called the impeachment effort a

April 19-25, 2017

What is Grand Council?

Grand Council, according to the Tribe’s Charter and Governing Document, is a gathering to which all enrolled members are invited and over which the principal chief presides.

But that’s where the consensus ends.

According to Lambert, the Grand Council has the power to pass, uphold or overturn an action of the Tribal Council. However, others point out that those powers aren’t stated anywhere in tribal law, whereas the Tribal Council’s legislative authority is clearly outlined.

“Some Tribes use Grand Council to permit their members to vote. We do not,” said Councilmember Travis Smith, of Birdtown, in a post to his public Facebook page. In Cherokee, Grand Council is more o a tool to get the opinion of the people, he added.

Those who say the Grand Council has authority to pass laws and even overturn decisions of Tribal Council point to both longstanding tribal tradition and to the Lloyd Welch Constitution, which members of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians passed in 1868.

“If you can go back through Cherokee history, even before the Lloyd Welch Constitution, anytime there was something important coming up or whatever, they would announce there would be a Grand Council and runners would be sent out to all the different villages, and they would say Grand Council is going to be held at such and such place, and the word would be spread,” said Mary Wachacha, a tribal member and member of the Qualla Boundary Historical Society who has spoken publicly in support of Lambert.

In Cherokee Tribal Courts, judges are asked to look to tribal customs as well as to tribal laws, so that sort of thing carries weight.

However, law is important as well, and though the Lloyd Welch Constitution does mention Grand Council, it’s fuzzy on what Grand Council actually is. The constitution starts out saying that it had been drafted by a “general council,” and that going forward a general council should meet once per year to draft and pass laws for the tribe. However, later in the document it says that “a grand council is this day organized” and that the Grand Council is made up of a finite list of delegates. Going forward, the constitution said, annual elections should be held to select delegates for

an annual Grand Council, which would meet each October to pass laws.

Thus, while the Lloyd Welch Constitution does say that Grand Council has the ability to make laws, the Grand Council described could be closer to today’s Tribal Council than to the gathering of all tribal members that Lambert held April 18.

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articles of impeachment were approved by Tribal Council, impeachment hearings would follow “for a final decision on whether these officials should be removed from office.”

Even if Lambert argued that Tribal Council did not have the power to remove him and refused to leave his office, Tribal Council would have plenty of leverage.

Council controls the tribe’s purse strings and could paralyze the chief ’s office financially if it so chose. And regardless of the removal question, the tribal code is quite clear that any official who is impeached cannot run for office again.

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The petri dish of American politics Homegrown factions wreak havoc on mainstream parties

BY B ECKY JOHNSON STAFF WRITER he recent tug-of-war for control of the Haywood County Republican Party has left many conservatives cringing and embarrassed over the portrayal of petty infighting, but it has played out like a microcosm of the national political landscape.

Factions at both extremes — bleedingheart liberals on the left and hardline conservatives on the right — have been fighting for the heart-and-soul of their parties for the past decade. From the Tea Party to the Occupy movement, they’ve proved that parties can be molded, nudged and redirected.

“It is hard to create a faction that is sustaining,” said Chris Cooper, head of the political science and public affairs department at Western Carolina University. “What tends to happen is they eventually get gobbled up by the party. But if they were successful, they pulled the party in their direction.”

Emboldened by the nation’s shifting politics, a homegrown faction of liberty-leaning, patriot-brand conservatives set out to remake the Haywood Republican Party in their own image.

They patrolled the party like the Home Guard from the Civil War, enforcing their brand of zealotry through intimidation.

Republicans who were too moderate in their eyes were publicly ridiculed and shamed, until they either got in line or left the party.

But then an astonishing thing happened.

Mainstream Republicans orchestrated a coup to oust the patriot faction and take back the party.

This shifting and shaping of a party by its coalitions and factions is how the political system works — witnessed by the right-wing House Freedom Caucus scuttling the Republican establishment’s health care bill.

But the party will only sway so far before it pushes back and self-corrects.

“That’s the dance of American politics in some ways,” Cooper said. “These groups affect the party when it is to the party’s benefit. If they are too extreme it is not going to go. Parties win by having broad coalitions of voters. You aren’t going to win with the far, far right.”

The uprising of the patriot faction in the Haywood GOP, and its ultimate rooting out, seems inevitable in some ways. There are more than 200 million registered voters in America, and they can’t all fit neatly into just two parties.

But Paul Yeager, a member of the Haywood patriot faction, disagrees.

“Ronald Reagan spoke of a big tent for the Republican Party. I don’t think there is anything in the Republican Party platform that negates the possibility of a big tent,” 8 Yeager said.

BUCKING THE SYSTEM

April 19-25, 2017

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Smoky Mountain News

Republican Party, joining the legions of Southern Democrats who are too conservative for their own party anymore.

“To me, it seems like the party left us instead of us leaving it,” Ramey said. “To me, the old Democrats back 30 and 40 years ago remind me of the new Republicans. I still have the same way of thinking I had before, but it seems like the party has changed and the new Republicans have picked up that way of thinking.”

The push-and-pull of fringe factions can move the needle within a party — whether it's the local patriot faction changing the climate of the Haywood GOP or the House Freedom Caucus led by Congressman Mark Meadows, R-Asheville, influencing the national Republican agenda.

“I don’t think there is a litmus test to being a Republican,” agreed Jeremy Davis, a leader of the patriot faction.

Still, the patriot faction often criticized mainstream Republicans for being too moderate. Haywood County Commissioner Kevin Ensley — the lone Republican on the county board of commissioners for a decade — was harangued and harassed incessantly for being too friendly with the Democratic commissioners.

“The Haywood Republican Party is like the Irish. When the Irish couldn’t find anyone else to fight, they fought each other.”

— KG Watson, Haywood County Republican

“They can shout and scream all day that I am not a Republican, but I know I am,” Ensley said.

In his view, it’s the other way around — the patriots are so radical and extreme, they’ve fallen off the edge of the Republican spectrum.

“To me a lot of these people are Libertarians, not Republicans. Maybe they need to join the Libertarian party,” said Kevin Ensley, a mainstream Republican and county commissioner.

The Libertarian Party has offered the patriots a home more than once.

“The Libertarian Party is the place you belong along with most other folks I know,” Jess Dunlap with the Haywood Libertarian Party wrote in an email to Cabe last fall.

The patriots formed a loose allegiance with the Libertarian Party two years ago, publicly backing a Libertarian candidate for county commissioner over a mainstream Republican on the ballot. It revealed the murky grey area where far right bleeds into far left.

The Libertarian party isn’t a perfect fit for the patriots when it comes to social values.

But it’s a better fit than the either-or choice offered by the two main parties, Dunlap said.

“I think people are starting to figure out they are cogs in the machine, and that the Democratic and Republican Party are kind of just one big party,” Dunlap said.

The dramatic rise in independent voters — accounting for 30 percent of voters in North Carolina — is a chip in the armor to the two-party system.

But America’s two-party system isn’t going anywhere anytime soon, if ever.

“It’s what we are going to have. Our entire political structure is set up to support two parties,” Cooper said.

Bona fide third parties occasionally manage to inject their message into the national conversation, like the Socialist Party that advanced women’s suffrage and ended child labor in the early 20th century, or Ross Perot who made the national deficit a central campaign theme during his 1995 run for president with the Reform Party.

Turning a party can be like turning an aircraft carrier, but it can be done. Terry Ramey, a lifelong Democrat who defected from his party last year, saw it happen.

When Ramey ran for Haywood County commissioner as a Democrat last year, he was accused of not really being a Democrat and lost in the primary. It was a classic case of the party’s base rejecting a candidate that didn’t reflect their ideology.

Ramey is now an adopted son of the

The ideological tug-of-war in the local Republican Party also mirrors the national upheaval of the party that played out during the Republican presidential race. The party establishment rejected President Donald Trump as an outside threat. But a groundswell of grassroots support for Trump won out.

“Nationally, the Establishment Republicans are terrified of Donald Trump. It is the Establishment vs. Conservative factions in the GOP,” Monroe Miller, a leader of the patriot faction, wrote in a complaint to the state GOP last year.

To Eddie Cabe, a primary ringleader of the patriot faction, the division comes down to the elite country club Republicans versus the blue-collar Republicans.

“There’s two completely separate categories of people in the Republican Party,” Cabe said. “You have what we call the elite or the establishment, which is made up mostly of lawyers, and then you’ve got the volunteers, which are mostly good Christian conservatives trying to make the community better.”

For too long, the party establishment treated the rank-and-file Republicans like foot soldiers who should follow orders and do the party’s bidding.

“The establishment lawyers do not want us to have a voice,” Cabe said. “It’s basically like you are a member of a country club and if somebody gives you any lip, you just tell them they aren’t a member of your country club anymore.”

But Cabe is not one to get in line and follow orders.

The concept of party hierarchy goes against the patriot faction’s grain. Instead of people orbiting a party, the party should orbit the people, Cabe said. And that’s the message the masses delivered at the polls when electing Trump as the Republican nominee last year.

Meanwhile, Bernie Sanders threw the Democratic Party establishment a similar curveball.

“It is a time of strong partisanship but weak parties,” Cooper said.

ROOM FOR TWO?

Since their ousting, the patriots have been vocal about their disdain for the official Republican Party establishment.

“Our unscrupulous county GOP leadership threw their morals out the window,” Cabe wrote in a Facebook post. “The Haywood GOP has sold out. Beware of wolves in sheep's clothing.”

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progressive tour de force has emerged across the mountains since the election of President Donald Trump.

An activist grassroots group called Progressive Nation WNC has amassed more than 100 members in Haywood County who meet weekly to focus their collective anger into action and engagement, mirroring similar pop-up movements all over the country.

“We started as a support group more than anything else,” said Chelsea White, one of the founders of Progressive Nation WNC. In the days following last fall’s election, a group of volunteers who pounded the pavement for Hillary Clinton’s campaign gathered in a Waynesville living room to process the fate now awaiting America.

“We cried, we had some wine and said ‘What are we going to do?’” recounted Amber Kevlin, 33, a mom and nursing student in Haywood County. “Sitting by and doing nothing was not an option for any of us.”

They soon found they weren’t alone.

“We heard from a lot of people who felt like ‘I have to do something and I am

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know whether the pool from which we draw donations is fixed or not. If it is a fixed pie, us collecting donations diminishes their ability to do the same.”

Some spin-off political groups work in concert with the main party. But the Haywood Republican Alliance is billing itself as an alternative to the Haywood GOP — not working in collaboration with it.

“The good grassroots Christian conservatives of Haywood County do have a place they can go and be appreciated,” Cabe wrote in a Facebook post about the newly formed group. “Myself and other liberty-loving patriots invite everyone to come join us at the Haywood Republican Alliance.”

Launching a new vehicle for their conservative cause wasn’t the easy route, Yeager said.

“Because I believe in the cause, I believe in the principles. Together we can do much more to get good people into office and bad people out of office than we can individually,” Yeager said.

The patriot faction had formed a fight bond, and staying the course under a new group allows them to keep their brotherhood in tact.

“We made lots of T-shirts, registered lots of voters, added a lot of people to the database,” Cabe said. “I enjoyed it. I had a good time and made good friends. I considered some of those guys like brothers.”

ENSLEY TIRE SERVICE

April 19-25, 2017

t An anonymous website has cropped up eas a venue for bashing the local GOP. The osite managed to snag the domain name haywoodgop.com, but issues the following tdisclaimer. y “This is NOT the official Haywood County fNC Republican Party website. This is a site mthat exposes things that HCGOP leadership bwould prefer remain in the dark,” the disclaimer reads.

- The patriot faction was faced with a stark choice after being shoved out of the local sRepublican Party. They could have gone to fthe house and given up. But instead they dregrouped under the banner of the Haywood eRepublican Alliance and registered as a politsical action committee.

- “As I see it, we basically are going to draw people who believe in Constitutional freeedoms, small well-managed government, and rpolitical honesty and integrity,” said Davis.

The new group is a slap in the face to the tofficial GOP. The name the patriots chose — Haywood Republican Alliance — could create confusion and cause identity problems for the official GOP. The patriot faction kept the Republican nParty headquarters as their own home and lco-opted the party’s official Facebook page, rebranding it as Haywood Republican -Alliance. The patriot faction said they got esome pushback over the new group from the Pmainstream party.

“We represent a threat to them,” Yeager said. “We plan to keep raising money. I don’t

going to go crazy if I don’t have someone to share these feelings with or to feel productive,’” said Natasha Bright, 40.

The movement started organically — outside and apart from the regular party structure — but already stands to invigorate and energize the traditional Democratic Party.

More than a dozen members of the new progressive group now have seats on the Haywood County Democratic Party executive committee. The progressive activists aren’t being shy about their reasons for getting involved in the local party.

They hope to move it in a more progressive direction, but they’ve been embraced by the traditional Democrats as welcome allies — including the unanimous passage of a resolution at the party’s annual convention in March pledging that the local party will work collaboratively with Progressive Nation WNC. “They have revitalized the Democratic Party,” said Haywood Democratic Chair Myrna Campbell. “I feel good about their involvement.”

Two events organized by Progressive Nation WNC this week are: • A panel style Healthcare Information Forum will be held at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, April 20, at Haywood Arts Regional Theatre in Waynesville.

• A town hall discussion and rally at the courthouse in Waynesville at 3 p.m. Sunday, April 23, to protest Congressman Mark Meadows, R-Asheville. Hundreds from across the region are expected to attend.

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Coming next week: a grassroots progressive group takes off in Haywood

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FACTIONS, CONTINUED FROM 9

The ousted patriot faction of the Haywood GOP has now formed its own group, the Haywood Republican Alliance, and converted the former party headquarters into its own home.

The patriots will have far more flexibility as activists than they did under the confines of the Republican Party. They don’t have party rules to follow or a party hierarchy to answer to, and can call out Republicans they feel aren’t being true conservatives.

“If a Republican candidate does something dishonest and I am critical of him for what he’s done, the party can then come after me and remove me from the party,” said Davis. “A PAC allows us to fundraise and support candidates of our choosing and oppose candidates of our choosing.”

WORKING TOGETHER

April 19-25, 2017

Only time will tell if the Haywood Republican Alliance has staying power. The patriots’ spite over being ousted will eventually fade. When the bitterness wears off, will their ideological dedication be strong enough to sustain the group?

In a perfect world, the patriot faction and mainstream branch of the party could piggyback off each other’s strengths and use it to the party’s advantage.

“We have been fighting amongst ourselves for six years now,” said Phillip Wight, a Maggie Valley Republican who has tried to stay neutral. “Maybe these two groups can play a role and come together one day to support issues to help the community.”

However, common ground has been elusive.

“The Haywood Republican Party is like the Irish. When the Irish couldn’t find anyone else to fight, they fought each other,” said KG Watson, a Republican from Haywood County.

Since Watson moved here four years ago, one spat or another has been playing out

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ciples seem more like stubbornness. The party would be well served if it could harness the patriot’s energy, however.

“One side is not passionate enough and goes with the flow, and the other side is so passionate that when they lose a vote they lose credibility because of how they react,” Wight said.

Ramey has a unique perspective on the infighting as a recent inductee to the Republican Party.

“I have stood up at the meetings and said, ‘Look we aren’t gaining no ground divided.’ Just think of what good they could do if everybody worked together, if everybody got out here and did what they were best at,” Ramey said. “But since it is a power struggle they don’t want to work together.

They each said if that other bunch stays in, I’m going to quit.”

Ramey feels stuck in the middle now. He plans to stay involved with both the official GOP and the newly formed Haywood Republican Alliance. But since he refused to disavow the patriot faction, he was labeled as one of them — a guilt-by-association fate shared by several who tried to stay neutral but were pigeonholed nonetheless.

“They can be upset with me because I won’t pick sides, but that’s not me,” Ramey said. “Every one of them is going to have to give to make this a successful party.”

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within the party. He’s tried to bring the two sides together, but after witnessing the scheme to oust the patriot faction, he has given up.

“I can’t help these people get together,” Watson said.

Watson isn’t the only one who’s tried.

Mark Zaffrann, a Waynesville businessman, was once hopeful that the two sides of the party could be brought together. Two years ago, Zaffrann agreed to serve as the party’s vice-chair in hopes of diffusing the ongoing polarization.

“That’s why I even bothered in the first place,” said Zaffrann, who later stepped down due to time constraints. “I’d like to believe I was perceived as an open-minded, objective conservative. I listened to both perspectives.”

Zaffrann said the tactics and style of the patriot faction can be off-putting, but credits them for being passionate and principled.

“They have a liberty-minded philosophy above all else,” Zaffrann said.

Their passion is often perceived as zealotry, however, and their unwavering prin-

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Bryson City reconsiders railroad request Town board approves Fry Street closure for Polar Express

BY J ESSI STONE N EWS E DITOR t only took about two weeks for the Bryson City Board of Aldermen to change its mind regarding a request from Great Smoky Mountains Railroad to close Fry Street during the Polar Express rides this winter.

Even with an overwhelming show of support from the Swain County Chamber of Commerce staff and its business members, the board voted to deny the railroad’s request on April 3.

The railroad says the closure is necessary to keep its passengers safe when boarding and exiting the train, but the town has been hesitant to grant the requests because of complaints from business owners on Fry Street who say their business suffers when the street is closed.

While there are five businesses on Fry Street, the Chamber of Commerce ran a fullpage advertisement in the Smoky Mountain Times last week with the names of more than 50 businesses and individuals who support the railroad and its request to close Fry Street.

With rumors spreading that the railroad might move its Polar Express event to Dillsboro for safer pedestrian options, many in the Bryson City business community feared the tourism dollars they depend on would go with them. With more than 80,000

property to have more space for equipment storage and vehicle maintenance, but the deal fell through in January because the town wasn’t able to secure an easement from the railroad because the GSMR tracks run right in front of the building and town vehicles would be crossing over them throughout the day.

The town has been hesitant to grant the requests because of complaints from business owners on Fry Street

April 19-25, 2017

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passengers a year, the railroad has a huge economic impact in the county.

Town hall was packed again Monday night with downtown business owners as the board took a unanimous vote to allow the Fry Street closure from November through January.

Alderman Janine Crisp said the town was still in negotiations with the railroad but made the motion “in good faith” to approve closing Fry Street for Polar Express as long as the railroad met three stipulations — the railroad must keep the parking lot beside

BoxCar Restaurant open to the public; not erect any event tents that would obscure visitors’ view of Fry Street merchants; and those merchants must be given a 30-day notice of the street closure.

The board unanimously approved the motion without any discussion or specifics on what the town and railroad might be negotiating. However, the town board’s very next vote was to approve the purchase of the former Powell Lumber Company building at 601 Bryson Walk.

The town has been trying to purchase the

Swain ER visits down from last year Administrators remind community ER is open 24/7

BY J ESSI STONE N EWS E DITOR till struggling to make people understand that Swain Community Hospital’s emergency room is still open 24 hours, seven days a week, administrators recently paid a visit to county commissioners.

The hospital announced months ago that the emergency department would be undergoing some operational changes beginning in January. Because of low patient volumes from midnight to 8 a.m., Hospital President and CEO Steve Heatherly said the hospital was looking to staff the ER overnight with a midlevel provider — a physician’s assistant or nurse practitioner — instead of a physician.

However, the misperception persists that the ER is no longer open during those late night hours.

“We have gotten hundreds of calls to the hospital from people needing emergency 12 care who are pausing during that emergency

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Bryson City Board of Aldermen approved purchasing 10 acres located at 601 Bryson Walk to use as storage space. Jessi Stone photo

S

to call and ask if we’re open,” said Lucretia Stargell, Swain hospital administrator. “Our point was that this is not a hospital issue, it’s a public safety issue. We asked the commissioners, like we are asking all of our community partners, to help us correct the misinformation.”

The problem is evident by comparing the hospital’s numbers from the first quarter of 2017 to 2016. Stargell said the numbers indicate that 100 more people from Swain County accessed Harris Regional Hospital’s Sylva emergency department so far in 2017, and 30 more people from Graham County have done the same.

“We believe this is due to the misinformation that has persisted in the first part of this year,” she said.

The staffing changes haven’t even been implemented yet. The ER is still being staffed with a physician and two nurses from midnight to 8 a.m. While having an ER staffed solely with mid-level providers is a common practice, Stargell said, Swain hospital is working with a staffing agency to search for highly qualified personnel. The

By the numbers Number of emergency room visits to Swain Community Hospital and Harris Regional Hospital January through March 2016 compared to visits in the same time period of 2017.

Overall visits to Harris ER: • Jan. 3-March 31, 2016.................... 4,250 • Jan. 3-March 31, 2017.................... 4,591 • Net change.....................................up 341 Overall visits to Swain ER: • Jan. 3-March 31, 2016.................... 2,400 • Jan. 3-March 31, 2017.................... 2,094 • Net change................................ down 306 change in ER personnel won’t happen until the right people for the job are hired.

Heatherly said the proposed change to the overnight staffing model would allow the hospital to invest more money in other services that are needed in Swain County, including

Town Attorney Fred Moody told the board back in January that it should look for another piece of property because of the railroad’s strict policy on right of way over the tracks. He said the restrictions were based on liability issues and the process to get the easement would be cost prohibitive for the town.

“Without a permanent easement, we wouldn’t have legal access to that property,” said Town Manager Chad Simons.

With the town now purchasing the property that seemed so out of reach, it appears the railroad and the town are working out some compromise to get both parties what they want.

The property includes about 10 acres right along the Tuckasegee River and the building is about 8,000 square feet. Simons said the town is paying for the purchase with a $200,000 loan from United Community Bank. The loan is for seven years with a fixed 2.99 percent interest rate.

more same-day access to primary care; the latest X-ray, MRI and CT scan technology; specialized services for non-surgical and surgical acute and chronic conditions; and a place close to home with physical and occupational therapy to recover from accidents, injuries or surgeries. These investments in technology alone total more than $1.5 million.

“In addition, the best healthcare means having highly-trained physicians and staff who are focused on providing an outstanding experience for patients and families,” Heatherly said.

Swain Family Care, the primary care physician practice at Swain Community Hospital, serves patients with same-day visits to family practice physicians Tammy Johnston and Dave Johnston; physician assistants Vicki McCormack and Angela Struna; and boardcertified pediatrician Brooke Budde. A third family practice physician, Benjamin Gans, will join the practice this summer.

Heatherly said the hospital has also scored higher than any North Carolina facility on a national patient satisfaction survey — Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems — when it came to nurse communication. The ranking is a result of patient responses gathered during 2015 and represents the latest data available.

Mill Street funding approved

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Smoky Mountain News

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Lane reduction work to begin soon

the lane of Spring Street that allows traffic t to travel from Main Street downhill to Mill l — which engineers believe will offset any congestion called by the lane reduction.

- BY HOLLY KAYS However, opponents of the project feel n STAFF WRITER that it will have some impact on traffic cond gestion and that the benefits don’t justify ill Street will be getting a makeover the cost to the town’s slender budget. after Sylva’s board of commissioners “This is a pretty expensive fix to a probapproved funding for the lane reduclem that I don’t see as a problem,” tion project in a 4-1 vote.

Commissioner Mary Gelbaugh said in The idea behind the endeavor is to August. Gelbaugh was the sole nay vote. increase parking near businesses along downtown’s back street while reducing speeding on the road. Mill Street merchants have long complained that scant parking along the road makes it e easier for potential cusr tomers to pass them by, - and when the right lane e was temporarily closed n and used for parking fol- lowing a fire downtown in August 2014, the arrangee ment drew favorable ” reviews from downtown business owners. y In August 2016, Sylva’s - town board passed a reso- lution endorsing permaThe lane reduction plan calls for the lane of Spring Street nently converting Mill s Street to a one-lane road. (pictured) that travels downhill from Main Street to Mill to be e Currently, the two-lane closed off, allowing the traffic light at Spring’s intersection s street runs west through with Mill to be removed. Holly Kays photo h downtown, with easty bound traffic using twod lane Main Street. However, the left lane of Nobody gave public comment on the issue during the April 13 meeting when the Main Street is reserved for left turns only, funding was approved, said Town Manager so through traffic has only one lane in Paige Dowling. which to travel.

The next step for the town will be to In total, the lane reduction project will determine when work will commence. The cost about $65,000, with $33,000 coming project will be funded through the budget from the town and $32,000 from the N.C. year that ends June 30, Dowling said, and Department of Transportation. Sylva had she plans to meet with DOT officials soon already spent $13,000, which went for new to finalize a timeline. According to Wanda pedestrian flashers at the Landis Street Austin, project team lead for the DOT, the intersection, but approval for the $20,000 town has requested that work begin after to fund lane conversion and new sidewalks the April 22 Greening Up the Mountains was still required to move forward with the Festival concludes. Austin believes construcproject. tion will take two to four weeks.

Proponents of the project believe that it “We want to minimize the impact to will boost foot traffic in downtown Sylva traffic as much as possible in the summer without substantially impeding automobile months, but this change is made to benefit traffic. Plans call for removal of the traffic the businesses,” Dowling said. “So we’ll try light at the intersection of Mill, Allen and to do it quickly.”

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Panthertown purchase gets a boost Jackson commissioners will cover funding gap ahead of April 21 closing

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER key piece of land bordering Panthertown Valley Backcountry Area will be conserved following a pledge from the Jackson County Commissioners to cover any gap between fundraising dollars and land price that still exists by the April 21 closing date.

“I know this board has expressed an interest to try to see this project come to pass. It’s a very important conservation project in Jackson County,” Commission Chairman Brian McMahan said during the board’s April 3 meeting.

Commissioner Mickey Luker agreed, making a motion to assist Mainspring Conservation Trust — which is working with Friends of Panthertown to acquire the property — with any remaining balance.

The land in question is a 15.9-acre parcel adjacent to the parking lot at Panthertown’s Salt Rock entrance. Friends of Panthertown got interested as soon as it came on the market, wanting to avoid any future development so close to the backcountry area. In addition, the Salt Rock parking lot was regu-

April 19-25, 2017

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match any money given. The Jackson County Tourism Development Authority gave $2,500.

The plan is for Mainspring to facilitate the purchase and hold the title, with the land later transferred to the U.S. Forest Service. A gravel parking lot would be built and the access road improved on part of the lot.

“We appreciate your support,” Margaret Carton, president of Friends of Panthertown, told commissioners after they unanimously approved Luker’s move to fill the fundraising gap.

“We hope to have a parking lot done in time for the season.”

Panthertown, Panthertown offers many part of the Nantahala National spectacular views. SMN photo Forest, is a 10,000acre backcountry ally slashed and the landowner agreed to sell recreation area near Cashiers. It draws more than 20,000 visitors per year to hike, bike or for the appraised value of $191,0000 plus ride horseback through its 30 miles of trails, $4,000 in transaction costs. which explore a plethora of waterfalls, ridges So far, Mainspring and Friends of and rock faces.

Panthertown have raised $165,000 toward To donate toward the project, visit the $195,000 goal, largely due to private www.panthertown.org. contributions and a donor who pledged to larly over capacity, with people parked dangerously all along the sides of the narrow dirt road leading to it. A parking lot expansion on the adjacent but rugged land already part of the Nantahala National Forest would be cost-prohibitive — the parcel for sale, meanwhile, would be perfect.

The original asking price was $350,000 — out of the realm of possibility for Friends of Panthertown — but the price was eventu-

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Bear activity reported in Panthertown Recent bear encounters in Panthertown have spurred the U.S. Forest Service to issue a warning for visitors to the area.

Though no injuries have been reported, bears have stolen food multiple times with people present, and even shredded a tent that had no food inside it. Reports indicate that bears have been staying at the site of incidents for one to two hours, and in one case a bear was undeterred by bear spray.

Most of these incidents have occurred at Panthertown Shelter.

“One or more bears has become used to people due to the close proximity of residential neighborhoods and the regular use of the same camping spots over and over,” said Nantahala District Ranger Mike Wilkins. “It is early in the year and once there is more natural food available across the forest the bears should be less aggressive.”

If a bear approaches, move away slowly to a vehicle or secure building, but don’t run — and pack up food and trash immediately after seeing a bear nearby. If necessary, scare the animal away by making as much noise as possible, and fight back if attacked, using any object available. Avoid bear encounters by properly storing food and scented items in a bearproof container — never in a tent — and by cleaning up any food residue from the campsite.

Sheriff, register of deeds get paid time off

the end because I’ve literally lost 15 years of benefits that were taken away from me but it’s going to be a little bit of an advantage to me.”

The one big benefit the accrued vacation and sick hours can have for employees is using those hours toward their payout when they retire.

“I’ve seen my officers retiring and that added time is a huge benefit to their retirement,” Holland said.

Commissioner Karl Gillespie asked if the county’s policy is consistent with other counties in the state.

Holland said a majority of sheriffs in Western North Carolina, including Swain, Haywood and Jackson, do receive PTO hours but he wasn’t sure about the rest of the state.

Jackson County allows for the elected positions of sheriff and register of deeds to accrue both vacation and sick leave. The county’s policy allows them to accrue 12 days of sick leave per year and accrual of

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BY J ESSI STONE N EWS E DITOR Macon County Sheriff Robbie Holland said he’s been trying for years to get commissioners to change the county’s personnel policy for years to allow him and the register of deeds to accrue personal time off hours like every other county employee.

While the register of deeds and the sheriff are elected officials, Holland said they work full-time hours — or more — and receive all the other benefits fulltime county employees receive. Why wouldn’t they get paid time off as well?

“I’ve spent years trying to bring us to “I’ve spent years trying to get back a this point — I’ve benefit that was taken away from me spent years trying to get back a benefit after I got elected to one of the highest that was taken away positions in the county, which is very from me after I got elected to one of the unfair in my book.” highest positions in the county, which is — Robbie Holland, Macon County Sheriff very unfair in my book,” Holland told vacation leave is based on service. commissioners back in March.

On the other hand, Clay and Cherokee Holland worked for the Macon County counties do not offer these benefits to electSheriff ’s Office for 12 years before being ed officials. elected sheriff, but because of the county’s Since elected officials are paid a salary personnel policy, he lost all the vacation that is not based on the number of hours and sick hours he accrued over the years. they put in each week, Cherokee County Holland presented a resolution to amend Manager Randy Wiggins said, they could the county’s personnel policy to give himtechnically come and go as they please. self and Register of Deeds Todd Raby the “This negates the need for accrual of same benefits as other full-time salaried and use of vacation time,” Wiggins said. employees.

“The only benefit accrual of sick time would Commissioners tabled the request last provide would be as it relates to counting month but unanimously approved the toward creditable service for retirement change at its April meeting. County purposes. If they were to accrue then I Attorney Chester Jones said the accrual of would think that you would also want to sick and vacation hours would not be ensure that they also claimed it on those retroactive — meaning Holland can’t times when they were out sick and as electrecoup the hours he lost during his tenure ed officials there really would be no way to as a deputy. monitor or confirm that.”

Holland thanked the commissioners for However, Jackson County keeps track of their decision. While it won’t give him back the sheriff ’s and register of deed’s hours in the time he lost, he said it would help the exchange for the PTO benefit by requiring next sheriff that comes into office. them to submit a time sheet. Macon County “None of you commissioners are responwill also use this method now that the new sible for that being taken away from me,” policy is in place. he said. “I’m still not going to be happy in

news

Macon changes policy to include elected officials

@SmokyMtnNews 15

news

Chief deputy graduates FBI academy Haywood County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Jeff Haynes was one of 227 law enforcement officers who recently graduated from the FBI National Academy Program at Quantico, Virginia.

Internationally known for its academic excellence, the national academy program, held at the FBI Academy, offers 10 weeks of advanced communication, leadership and fitness training for selected officers having proven records as professionals within their agencies.

FBI Director James Comey was the principal speaker at the ceremony. Haynes said attending the FBI Academy was a once-in-alifetime experience that was life changing for him on a personal and professional level.

April 19-25, 2017

Congressman meets with sheriffs U.S. Rep. Mark Meadows, R-Asheville, recently joined sheriffs and local law enforcement professionals from across his district for a roundtable to discuss the growing opioid problem in Western North Carolina.

Current studies show that an average of four North Carolinians die from a medication or drug overdose every day. Additionally, an April 2016 study notes that of the worst cities in America for opioid abuse, North Carolina contains four of the top 20 cities.

“The professionals closest to the problem are often the most well equipped to lead the charge in fixing it,” Meadows said.

BY CORY VAILLANCOURT STAFF WRITER A little rain couldn’t drown out the voices of a small group of protestors who gathered at the Historic Haywood County Courthouse on Tax Day, April 18, to demand President Donald Trump release his tax returns.

Patricia Robbins, a retired school administrator living in Hazelwood who is also a Democratic Party precinct chair, said she came to the protest to demand answers.

“Every president since Nixon has released his tax returns, and I don’t know why he has resisted so significantly,” said Robbins. “As it says on my sign, if you have nothing to hide, then put it to rest.”

Robbins thinks people are “deeply concerned” with what may or may not be on those tax returns, including foreign business ties, the amount of taxes he’s paid and alleged ties to Russia.

“These are questions about charitable donations and how much money he’s making — general points of information that the American people have a right to know,” she said. “Instead he continues to resist and deflect from this question — as a mature adult who happens to be the President of the United States.”

On Easter Sunday, Trump released yet another provocative and antagonistic tweet about his taxes, probably in response to a what the New York Times called a “groundswell” of demands for their release

Retired schoolteacher Mary Thomas helped organize the rally in conjunction with liberal group Progressive Nation WNC, which has been active in Haywood County of late and will hold a health care town hall

Mary Thomas (center, in black) helped organize the protest on behalf of WNC Progress. Cory Vaillancourt photo

in advance of this year’s filing deadline.

“I did what was an almost an impossible thing to do for a Republican-easily won the Electoral College! Now Tax Returns are brought up again?” read the tweet.

at the courthouse at 3 p.m. on April 23.

“He’s got something to hide,” Thomas said, adding that she’d paid her taxes already this year and had no business deals in the works with Russia.

Mountain Projects acquires building

BY CORY VAILLANCOURT STAFF WRITER A Waynesville-based regional social services agency will finally get that new building its been after.

“I actually kept thinking this morning, ‘Did that happen?’ because I’ve worked on this for so long,” said Patsy Davis, executive director of Mountain Projects, which has been in operation for 52 years, has a roughly-$13 million annual budget, and touches the lives of more than 7,000 people a year.

The previous night, April 17, was an eventful one for Davis and Mountain Projects; she and board chairman Gavin Brown went before Haywood County commissioners to ask for a big favor, which was unanimously granted.

Last year, Mountain Projects agreed to purchase from the county the old health department building on Asheville Road for $325,000, but the USDA loan the nonprofit was counting on fell though quite unexpectedly, at the last minute.

Davis and Brown asked for the county to 16 sell Mountain Projects the building and also

Smoky Mountain News

Tax Day cometh, but not for Trump

carry the note — in essence, offering owner financing.

Although Mountain Projects has $325,000 earmarked for the building project, Davis said the building needs around $630,000 in renovations, including a new roof, HVAC improvements, possible asbestos remediation and some drainage issues.

What Davis also wants is an upgrade for workers who’ve spent lots of time in Mountain Projects’ current Old Balsam Road facility — a century-old building that’s damp, cramped and drafty.

“I want it to be pretty,” she said.

Commissioners agreed to carry the loan at USDA interest rates — currently 3.25 percent — for a 40-year term with a five-year balloon payment, which will allow Mountain Projects to use its own money to begin work on the new digs immediately.

Brown estimated the organization’s monthly mortgage payment would be $1,210.

“This would not have been feasible without the county,” Davis said.

During the meeting, Commissioner

Kevin Ensley pointed out that the Mountain Projects’ deal isn’t an outlay by the county — the building is owned outright, has sat vacant for several years, and hasn’t received any offers for purchase. Furthermore, it costs money to maintain.

Ensley also noted that the county extended the same financing plan to Mountain Projects when it moved into its current facility in the mid-70s.

Brown said Mountain Projects would attempt to pay for the balance of the renovations as well as the building, which comes with 1.077 acres of land, through a fourpronged fundraising approach.

First, there’s Mountain Projects’ $325,000 earmark; Brown said the organization would also “aggressively” market the sale of its existing building as well as engage in some community fundraising efforts, the extent of which may be determined by the outcome of a recent $150,000 request to Jackson County commissioners.

One of those commissioners — who also serves as vice chairman of Davis’ board — said he felt the request was received favorably by commissioners.

“I think so,” said Jackson Commissioner Charles Elders. “The sense I walked away with was full support from all five commissioners.”

Elders said the request would probably be considered as part of the county’s annual budget process, which must by law be complete by July 1, meaning Mountain Projects might not hear back about the money until late June.

Nevertheless, Elders stressed the importance of the services Mountain Projects provides in his county.

“There’s a lot of things, from Head Start to the feeding of the hungry,” he said. “We can’t just let them suffer.”

The new building will also have about 13,000 square feet of space; although Mountain Projects estimates it only needs about 10,000, Brown said the board may consider partnering with other nonprofits and rent the extra space out, citing the need to be more innovative in fundraising and providing services.

Davis said that she’s excited about the move, but in no rush; she’s hopeful to move in within the next year.

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Smoky Mountain News

BY CORY VAILLANCOURT STAFF WRITER arking may get easier and safer for Junaluska Elementary School parents if a bill introduced

by Rep. Mike Clampitt, R-Bryson City, makes it through committee.

HB 623, introduced by Clampitt on April 6 and co-sponsored by Rep. Michele Presnell, RBurnsville, would convey to the Haywood County Board of Education a 3-acre chunk of land currently owned by the North Carolina Department of Transportation for the sum of $1.

“We had talked back when Joe Sam Queen was our representative, and asked him if he could get it declared surplus,” said Board of Education Chairman Chuck Francis.

Francis said it didn’t work out at the time, which he guesses was about seven years ago, but the thought still lingered.

“It’s been an ongoing situation,” Clampitt said, noting that someone from the DOT advised him recently that the land could probably be declared surplus.

Clampitt drove out to the site before introducing the bill.

“It’s the right thing to do for the Haywood County Schools,” he said.

The bill requires HCS to use the land, which lies east of Asheville Road and runs from Francis Farm Road to Sims Circle Road, for “education-related purposes” or it would revert back to state ownership, which would prevent the school board from conveying the property to someone else or otherwise profiting from it.

Presnell, in her regular newsletter to constituents, said she co-sponsored the bill because the land wasn’t really being used; it usually serves as an infrequent and temporary home for the occasional bulldozer, or semi truck.

“The land is currently sitting idle and unused by the DOT, I’m sure Haywood County Schools will get more use out of it than the state,” Presnell said in her email.

Clampitt thinks that the area would make a good place for parking, especially when Junaluska Elementary’s nearby ball fields are in use.

“I believe it will give better access for parking, making it easier and safer,” he said. “It will be an advantage for those participating in activities.”

Francis largely agreed, saying that it would be relatively inexpensive to grade the grassy area and lay some gravel.

But Francis cautioned that the parking lot idea was only speculation, as the school board had not met since the introduction of the bill, which Francis said he learned about on Facebook and not from Clampitt.

“The way I look at it, nothing bad can come of it,” Francis said, adding that in the future, he may try to find some money to pave the lot.

As of press time, HB 623 sat in the Committee on State and Local Government II, but Clampitt thinks it has a good chance of success.

“I don’t see any potential hurdles,” he said.

“There shouldn’t be any real issues — there’s no cost to the state, and no cost to the school board, but for a dollar, and I think they can find that. I’d even come out of pocket on that if I had to.”

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DOT land could go to Haywood schools

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BY CORY VAILLANCOURT STAFF WRITER The straightforward Russ Gilliland is a fifth-generation Haywood County resident, but his path to becoming Maggie Valley’s newest police chief has been anything but.

“I’ve always had a heart for law enforcement,” said Gilliland, who hopes his diverse experience both in and out of the law enforcement community will benefit his small department that doesn’t see a lot of big-time crime, but does but does see large summer festival crowds.

Gilliland took over for the retiring Chief Scott Sutton just a few weeks ago, and is no stranger to law enforcement, having served stints with the Waynesville and Maggie Valley Police as well as with the Haywood County Sheriff ’s Office since 1983.

But he left law enforcement in 1986 for a 14-year sojourn in the private sector, working as an electrician and troubleshooter at the BASF research facility in nearby Enka.

After acquiring his N.C. electrical contractor’s license and starting an electrical/HVAC firm with a business partner, Gilliland returned to the MVPD in 2006, working his way up from patrolman to captain and finally, to chief.

It seems an unlikely path for Gilliland, but he said his work in the private sector would certainly color how he plans to run the department.

Smoky Mountain News

nal justice administration from Western Carolina University. Currently, Gilliland has an associate degree in criminal justice technology.

Making the MVPD more efficient and proficient in its duties has never been more critical. Gilliland says that, like much of the

— Russ Gilliland

New Maggie Valley Police Chief Russ Gilliland is putting his experience to work.

MVPD photo.

As a small business owner, he stressed that staying current with emerging trends and vigorously pursuing educational opportunities for both his employees and himself was key to the success of his company.

Leading from the front, Gilliland recently returned to school and in just two weeks will graduate with his bachelor’s degree in crimi-

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Gilliland served under local legend I.C. Sutton — Maggie Valley’s first police chief — as well as his son Scott, who in March retired as Maggie Valley’s most recent chief.

That institutional knowledge has shown Gilliland that the role of a modern police department is not only to chase down bad

“We’re not just law enforcement. We also want to minister to the community. We want them to come to us and talk to us, and we want to establish public trust — not only public safety, but also public trust.”

TWO GREAT PROPERTIES, TWO GREAT JOB FAIRS.

April 19-25, 2017

news

New Maggie police chief brings experience, focus

nation, the use and trafficking of drugs presents a growing problem, especially as Maggie Valley serves as the gateway to and from the Qualla Boundary, where issues with addiction continue to haunt residents.

To that end, on April 17, the Maggie Valley Board of Aldermen passed a police mutual assistance resolution designed to assure cooperation with other departments when needed.

“What it does is allows us to enter into an agreement for law enforcement assistance with other departments,” Gilliland said of the coordinated approach to crime fighting in Haywood County.

guys, but also to cultivate relationships with the good guys.

“We’re not just law enforcement,” he said. “We also want to minister to the community. We want them to come to us and talk to us, and we want to establish public trust — not only public safety, but also public trust.”

The Town of Maggie Valley is home to 1,150 residents, according to the 2010 census; although many are only part-timers.

The town is home to a number of summer festivals and events that draw thousands to the town’s hotels, restaurants and tourist attractions.

governance.

Maggie Valley’s Citizens Academy isn’t a new idea in the world of municipal government; cities and counties across the country and across the state have been conducting such programs for decades.

In Haywood County, the Chamber of Commerce’s “Leadership Haywood” program has for several years been churning out graduates newly-armed with knowledge of how the county’s institutions and governments function.

Folkmoot — best known for its yearly international folk dance festival — has recently begun a similar program focused on the cultural landscape of the region, and the Waynesville Police Department holds a civilian police academy, but Maggie Valley will become the first municipality in the county to make such a program available.

“We’re really excited about trying this program out and developing a curriculum,” Clark said.

Space is still available in the program, but the deadline to register for the free series of informational meetings is Friday, April 21.

The meetings will involve some walking, so participants should dress comfortably and wear appropriate footwear; graduates will be recognized at the town’s regularly scheduled Board of Aldermen meeting at 6 p.m. on June 12.

Those interested in joining the inaugural class should visit the town’s website, www.maggievalleync.gov, or call Vickie Best at 828.926.0866.

Learn how to naturally detox

munity.

The free event is scheduled to take place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, April 22, at the Robert C. Carpenter Building parking lot located on the Georgia Road on 441 South.

A

Linda Sparks, Naturopathic Doctor at Blue Ridge Natural Health, will present the program “Detox Naturally” from 2 to 3 p.m. Friday, April 21, at the Waynesville Library.

The program is free and open to the public.

Refreshments provided by the Friends of the Library.

828.356.2507.

Safe Kids Macon County has teamed up with the Rotary Club of Franklin Daybreak to host a Safety Town Day on April 22.

The daylong event will be all things kids, and all things safety. According to Safe Kids Macon County Coordinator Deputy Josh Stewart, nearly 30 businesses and organizations will be on hand with safety information, free giveaways, and activities for the community. The sheriff’s department and Franklin Police Department will be hosting a medicine take back event to give residents a chance to properly dispose of their unwanted medications. Safe Kids will also have free gunlocks for the com-

Denim Day planned for sexual assault awareness All residents, businesses, agencies, students and school personnel are invited to participate in the sexual assault awareness/prevention campaign on April 26 called “Denim Day” by wearing jeans or denim.

On this day, the last Wednesday in April, millions across the country will participate and wear denim to address one of the major misconceptions about sexual assault, which is that what someone wears is an excuse for rape. The international campaign is being promoted locally by the Haywood County Domestic Violence/Sexual Assault Task Force, including REACH of Haywood and Haywood Community College.

Take a picture of you and friends wearing denim on that day and send it to www.reachofhaywood.org for display on their Facebook page.

828.456.7898.

Smoky Mountain News

Safety Town Day in Macon County

April 19-25, 2017

BY CORY VAILLANCOURT STAFF WRITER new program by the Town of Maggie Valley offers citizens a candid look at what the town does, how it does it and how it pays for it.

“When we were setting our goals last year for each department, we were trying to think of something I could do outside of my clerk duties as a goal for this coming year,” said Vickie Best, Maggie Valley’s town clerk.

An N.C. Certified Municipal Clerk, Best’s been in the business for almost a quarter-century; she and Town Manager Nathan Clark explored the possibility of hosting an educational academy to give residents and business owners a deeper understanding of how a municipality functions by improving their knowledge of the town’s services and programs.

Starting May 2, Maggie Valley will hold its first “citizens academy” at 1 p.m. on each of the five Tuesdays in May. “I think the intention of it is to better inform the citizenry about what services town provides, how it provides them, and how it pays for those services,” said Clark.

“It’s a platform for citizens to be better connected to their government.”

Sessions will include visits to the Maggie Valley Police Department, the Public Works and Sewer departments and the town’s various parks and greenways; presentations on the zoning and planning process as well as the budget will also give participants a better understanding of modern municipal

news

Get a peek behind the curtains of Maggie Valley government

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Smoky Mountain News April 19-25, 2017

news

Health

Smoky Mountain News

Pisgah receives ‘Safe Sports School’ award Pisgah High School, which receives athletic trainer coverage from Pardee Sports Medicine, received the National Athletic Trainers’ Association Safe Sports School Award.

The award recognizes secondary schools that provide safe environments for student-athletes and reinforces the importance of providing the best level of care, injury prevention and treatment. Emmylou Wilson, ATC, provides athletic training services at Pisgah High School.

Macon Health holds ‘Ladies Night Out’ The next Ladies Night Out Program will be held at 4 p.m. and again at 6:30 p.m. April 25 in the cafeteria at Angel Medical Center in Franklin.

Guest speaker Jennifer Turner will talk about domestic violence and sexual assault. REACH’s shelter needs include: detergent pods, dish soap, wipes and diapers, all- purpose cleaner, trash bags, feminine products, pillows, towels, and reading materials. Monetary donations are also welcomed.

Ladies Night Out is a partnership between Macon County Public Health and Angel Medical Center to provide free monthly programs on a variety of health topics for women with an emphasis on the importance of regular health screenings.

Free ‘Healthy YOU’ classes offered Starting in April, a new health initiative is starting in Haywood County. Healthy YOU Series is series of classes designed for getting the individual in better financial, physical, mental and dietary health. Through a targeted class series on one topic once per week, participants will be lead and introduced to new and existing concepts and principles that are designed and proven to aid in specific areas of growth and health.

All classes are free and were designed for the whole family health in mind.

Visit www.healthyyouseries.com, call 828.283.0719 or email Corey Lewis at clewis0077@gmail.com.

Mission launches walk-in care in Franklin Mission Health recently launched a new initiative called Mission My Care Now, ensuring patients can access primary care services when

they need it most — outside of normal business hours and on the weekends — and with no appointment necessary.

With four locations across Western North Carolina, patients can be seen for symptoms spanning colds and flu to minor injuries.

Locations and hours of operation: n Mission My Care Now Biltmore Park, 310 Long Shoals Road, Suite 110, Arden n Mission My Care Now McDowell, 472 Rankin Drive, Marion n Mission My Care Now Blue Ridge, 189 Hospital Drive, Spruce Pine n Mission My Care Now Angel, 195 Franklin Plaza Drive, Franklin 828.213.4444 or visit MissionMyCareNow.org.

Preventing Diabetes The Haywood County Health Department is offering a Diabetes Prevention Program where participants learn about dietary changes and physical activity.

Instructor Megan Hauser is a trained lifestyle coach through the National Diabetes Prevention Program. The program’s goals for each participant are 150 minutes of weekly physical activity and a 7 percent weight loss, which is enough to prevent or delay Type 2 Diabetes.

The next class will be held from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 2, at the Canton Library. The program has a $50 fee, refundable if participants complete the program. Scholarships are available for those with demonstrated financial need.

Harris Orthopaedics offers Lunch & Learn Harris Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine will offer a free educational event on hip replacement and the new surgical, less invasive, anterior approach at noon Tuesday, April 25, in the Harris Regional Hospital boardroom on the first floor of the hospital. Orthopaedic surgeon Dr. Anthony McPherron will present the session. Lunch will be served. Call 828.631.8894 to register.

Red Cross to hold blood drives Eligible blood donors of all blood types are encouraged to give blood through the American Red Cross this spring to help ensure a sufficient supply for hospital patients. The following blood drives are scheduled in April: n Canton — 1 to 5:30 p.m. April 28 at North Canton Elementary School, 60 Thompson St. n Waynesville — 4 to 8 p.m. April 20 at American Legion Post #47, 171 Legion Drive n Cashiers — 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. April 20 at Cashiers Baptist Church, 213 U.S. Hwy 64 E. n Cullowhee — Noon to 6 p.m. April 19 at Western Carolina University Hinds University Center, Highway 107 n Cherokee — 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. April 26 at Cherokee Indian Hospital, Hospital Road.

Harris launches pet therapy program Harris Regional Hospital in Sylva is now offering pet therapy for patients and families in partnership with certified dog trainer Jane Finneran and her 4-year-old Sheltie named Kahlua.

Finneran and Kahlua, who are registered volunteers with the hospital, provide pet therapy 2 to 3 p.m. Tuesdays on the pediatrics, main nursing unit, and Intensive Care Unit floors.

Finneran has been a physical therapist for 35 years and a certified dog trainer for 20 years. Pet therapy at Harris Regional Hospital involves patients and family members simply petting Kahlua.

Contact Krysta Cooper at 828.631.8893.

Harris staff receives top satisfaction scores Staff caring for patients on Harris Regional Hospital’s third floor won the Blue Ribbon Award presented to departments receiving the highest scores on patient satisfaction surveys.

The staff of 3 East, caring for pediatric patients and patients recovering from surgery, accomplished a perfect score on the survey question related to overall rating. All of the patients who responded provided the unit with the highest scores possible, resulting in a 100 percent positive ranking.

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• Harris Palliative Care will provide free living will assistance 9 a.m. to noon on Wednesday, April 19, in Harris Regional Hospital’s private dining room on the first floor of the hospital.

This event will allow people to come in and complete their advanced directives specific to care in the case of a life-altering situation.

• Dr. David Kirk and Jody Schmit, Certified Nurse Midwife of Haywood Women’s Medical Center will be presenting the Talk with a Doc dinner seminar “Latest Advances in Women’s Health” at 6 p.m. Tuesday, May 16, at the Haywood Regional Medical Center Café. To attend this complimentary dinner seminar, call 800.424.DOCS (3627) to register.

ALSO:

• Harris Regional Hospital earned North Carolina Maternity Center BreastfeedingFriendly 4-Star Designation. This designation is supported and promoted on a national level and an honor that the staff and providers at Harris Regional Hospital are proud to offer the families in western North Carolina.

Bill to expand health care options A bill that will help to assure the safe, effective practice of Naturopathic Medicine in North Carolina has been introduced by the North Carolina General Assembly.

SB 258, the Enact Naturopathic Doctors Certification Act, would increase citizens’ access to safe and effective alternatives in health care, improve public safety in seeking out these alternatives, and decrease health care costs through a strong focus on preventative medicine and the utilization of natural, low-cost therapies.

Specifically, the bill establishes educational, board certification, and continuing education standards, which are consistent with established national standards for Naturopathic Doctors.

Blue Ridge Health opens new Sylva site Blue Ridge Health recently opened its newest site in Sylva.

The new clinic is a result of a collaborative effort by BRH, Good Samaritan Clinic of Jackson County and Harris Regional Hospital to strengthen and expand access to comprehensive, affordable health care for low-income and uninsured residents in the region.

The new clinic provides primary care services under a patient-centered model of care for all residents of Jackson County and neighboring communities. Patients will ultimately have access to family medicine, psychiatry, counseling, pharmacy, nutrition and educational outreach. The clinic accepts all types of insurance plans, including Medicaid, Medicare, and Tricare.

To schedule an appointment, call 828.477.4334.

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Opinion

Smoky Mountain News

Boiling days down to simple routines

Patriot faction not being honest To the Editor: Each of Ms. Becky Johnson’s two articles about the Haywood Republican Party were well researched and accurately reported. The actions demonstrated the strength and resolve of the “mainstream Republicans” and the ineffectiveness of the “patriot faction.”

Some of the comments received by Ms. Johnson are comical: • “Corrupt” — Ms. Joy Diettle should provide specific details of corruption to have credibility.

• “Christian conservative” — the Christians that I go to church with do not publish the vile, uncivil, fact-free, slanderous and libelous rants that come from the patriot faction.

• “Commies,” “socialists,” “crooked,” “underhanded” — not true.

• “Deceitful” — hardly. Proper notification of precinct meetings was made giving each side time to muster support.

• “Cheat sheet” — did the patriot faction already forget the thousands of voter guides that were handed out at the November elections?

• “Set up” — the patriot faction had every opportunity to recruit support.

• “Exorcism” — that’s what you do to a cancer, cut it out.

• “It is too soon to say whether the sides are ready to put the past behind them.” The first test was at the initial meeting of the newly formed Executive Committee. Only one of the two precinct chairmen from the patriot faction even deigned to attend. A motion was made that no recording devices be

ing mode, pull the anchor and finally get underway.

It wasn’t just our bodies that had undergone a kind of transformation over the previous five days, though.

Anyone who has camped or hiked for several days has experienced the same “de-complicating” of life down to a routine of basic tasks. On a sailboat you are always aware of the weather, the engine, fuel, food and water as you map out the day ahead. Then you think Editor about your next destination and how to get there, gauging wind direction and how to trim sails, almost never able to manage a straight line.

And so Lori’s admonition — “The ONLY thing is, we don’t have to go all the way to Adam’s Creek” — made me laugh out loud as I held the wheel, checked our course and gazed ahead, trying to spot the next Neuse River marker. When is a day boiled down — at least in this moment — to one thing, the ONLY thing? With perfect weather in store once again — clear skies with a few clouds, mid- to high-70s, 5 to 10 knot winds, seas 1 to 2 feet — we were both in a relaxed, comfortable place. We had our routine down and we had at least an eight-hour day ahead of us before we got back to dock.

Some people don’t look forward to a day — much less nearly a week — of simple routines like these, but for the two of us who work full time and are always on the go, it’s a slice of

Scott McLeod

“The ONLY thing is, we don’t have to go all the way to Adam’s Creek,” my wife Lori said. We had just shut down the motor after passing the last marker leading out of Broad Creek and into the Pamlico Sound. The sails were up and closely hauled as we headed into a 10-knot wind.

We were on day five of a spring break sailing trip, heading back up the mouth of the Neuse River toward Duck Creek Marina near New Bern, where Lori’s father Bill docks “Tranquilo.” The boat is a 32-foot Bayfield, a full-keeled sturdy Canadian line from the Great Lakes that handles rough water and gusty winds with a reassuring strength. She’s not decked out with all the niceties some expect in a sailboat, but if boat and owner are supposed to have similar personalities, well, then Doc Sullivan and Tranquilo are a pretty good match: strong yet spry, pragmatic, intelligent, fun.

We had motored out that morning at sunrise. After four nights on the water, our biological clocks had self-adjusted comfortably to early nights and early mornings, each night a bit earlier to bed, each morning a bit earlier getting up. On this final morning on the water, I was wide awake a few minutes after 6 a.m., before sunrise (7:40 a.m.) and before Lori — a first for this trip.

This morning, I had gotten the water going on the propane burner that is attached niftily to a gimbal on the below-deck portion of the mast to keep the pots contents from spilling as the boat rolls. Coffee first, then oatmeal, then we take care of the few tasks required to move Tranquilo from sleeping to sail-

used. Chairman Ken Henson made a point of stating that he had no objection to recording the meeting. The motion passed with a 15 to 1 vote, but that did not deter Monroe Miller from publishing in an email that “dictator Henson” would not allow recording the meeting.

However, revenge, not healing or unity, appears to be a motivator. Readers will remember Mr. Miller from an article by Ms. Johnson on Jan. 28, 2015.

Mr. Miller was quoted as saying: “You see, my mom loved politics and was heavily involved. That was about the time when the GOP told my parents, ‘You are not from here. We don’t want you. Leave.’ Every time I think of that, it strengthens my resolve to do something about that here and now.”

Time will tell.

Ted Carr Bethel

Rep. Presnell should not politicize school boards To the Editor: As a former teacher of children with learning disabilities in Alabama, I have experienced the politicization resulting from school board elections. Shame on you, Rep. Michelle Presnell, for introducing a bill to politicize the school board by making elections partisan.

By April of the first two years I taught, we teachers were having to buy or to go without materials as basic as notebook paper and pencils for student in a district with all low-income children. Of course, we bought them. But we could not clone ourselves so children had enough teachers.

It is yet another attempt to get people elected

heaven. There were a plethora of seabirds to observe, and more dolphins than we had ever seen while in the Pamlico and Neuse area. Other boats and barges would pass. The great weather meant we could spend lots of time listening to music and reading. We are in the habit of reading aloud to each other while sailing, sharing books that hopefully provoke some discussion. I was finally reading Harper Lee’s Go Set a Watchman, and the second half of that novel is all about race relations, Southern history and society, and civil rights — all as relevant today as when it was written in 1957.

The boat’s name comes from stories Lori told upon returning from her first trip to Spain while in college. She and a couple of girlfriends were bumming around the country with backpacks, and armed with just rudimentary Spanish they would barrel into train stations in small towns and big cities, rushing to find out departure times and hurrying to buy tickets. Time and again the Spaniards they came into contact with would eye the three excitable American girls, hold up a hand and tell them, “tranquilo, tranquilo,” which roughly translates to “calm down, relax.” It’s all-too-likely those girls didn’t quite understand what those older Spaniards from a different culture were trying to convey, that it’s important to slow down, embrace the moment, enjoy the journey.

But Doc Sullivan understood perfectly when he heard his daughter’s stories and when he named his sailboat, and I’m pretty sure I get it now. Tranquilo.

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

who want to annihilate public education. Your bill isn’t being fiscally responsible — it is antiChristian, anti-democracy, and inhumane.

In Alabama we had bumper stickers that read “If you think education is expensive, try ignorance.”

I know I cannot change your mind as you yourself have conjured up with this piece of ideological legislation, but I promise you that your every act of ignoring the wishes of your constituents is putting another nail in your political future’s coffin. We are retired and have all the time in the world to campaign against you. We have already begun.

Mary Jane Curry Waynesville

Trump’s trips are a waste of taxes To the Editor: White House budget director Michael Mulvaney recently said in an interview that: “When you start looking at places that we reduce spending, one of the questions we asked was, ‘Can we really continue to ask a coal miner in West Virginia or a single mom in Detroit to pay for these programs?’ The answer was ‘No.’” Of course, he was referring to cutting funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. If this is considered the current criteria for what should be curtailed or eliminated from the federal budget, perhaps there are several other items that we should examine.

The weekend trips to Mar-a-Lago by Mr. Trump cost the federal taxpaying public a bit more than $3 million for each outing, according to CBS News. He

has made five trips to this resort in the first eight weeks of his presidency.

The Washington Post reports that the cost of just two of these trips would fund the Interagency Council on Homelessness for one year. This is an agency that is currently slated to be defunded. For what has been spent on these trips to date Meals on Wheels could feed 5,967 senior citizens for a year or 114,583 school children through school programs for that same period. Both of these programs are proposed to be cut in the current budget proposal.

The Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office says that they have spent $570,000 to help security measures for Mr. Trump’s visits, plus it costs approximately $60 thousand per day when he is at Mar-a-Lago. The current total is over $1 million of the Sheriff’s Office budget at this time and is growing with each trip. Add to this that every time Airforce One flies into Palm Beach, the airport is required to close down, disrupting not only travel to and from Palm Beach, but those businesses that depend on the airport and the airport travel.

I realize that Presidents must travel and must have security. I do not begrudge them of that. I do begrudge the waste incurred in this travel. If Mr. Trump wishes to play golf (which he seems to do on each trip to Mar-a-Lago), he could go to the Trump International Golf Course which is on the outskirts of Washington, D.C. To paraphrase Mr. Mulvaney: “… one of the questions we asked was, ‘Can we really continue to ask a coal miner in West Virginia or a single mom in Detroit to pay for these programs?’ The answer was ‘No.’” Luther Jones Sylva

Chaos comes in several shapes and sizes

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Chris Cox

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Marty, it would be “gregarious.” He immediately set out to make friends of every person, animal, and thing in our house, sniffing, pawing, and licking everything and everybody in sight, his cinder block body gyrating madly and his tail whirring like a bee’s wings.

Both of our children fell in love with him immediately, fighting over who would get to sleep with him first. Our beagle, Walter, also bonded with Marty instantly, although in all fairness, Walter is about 105 in people years and will make friends with a pine cone if there is one nearby when he is stretched out in the noonday sun. He seemed to regard Marty as a bizarre toy or a cartoon, the Tasmanian Devil from Bugs Bunny set loose in his back yard, spinning out of control. Marty would dart around him, lunge, back up, fashion a figure eight, and then come back to see what kind of impression that made. Walter just sat, clearly amused.

The real test would be Frody, our miniature dachshund, who tolerates Tammy and me on good days. He can barely disguise his disdain for the kids. Now, he and Walter are old friends, but he is deeply skeptical of every other living thing, be it man or beast.

Regardless of how many attempts Marty made to engage him, Frody rebuffed him, keeping a wary and respectable distance. Or as Deputy Barney Fife of Mayberry once put it, he was “giving this interloper the big freeze.”

Marty ended up staying with us for a couple of weeks and, due to an adoption snafu of some sort, was eventually joined by an eight-pound chihuahua mix with the best name I have ever heard bestowed upon a dog: Steely Dan. Now the house is in complete chaos, of course. The dogs seem to have worked out a manageable truce, though I believe that I can detect certain cliques beginning to form. Even Frody has taken a softer stance toward these visitors. I think he secretly enjoys seeing the people in the house utterly overwhelmed by the animals, but maybe I’m just being paranoid.

There are rumors that both Marty and Steely Dan might be adopted this week. I must admit that we’ll miss them. Like Frody, I was learning to adapt to this new, frenetic environment. One day, when the chaos reached a level I could no longer stand, I grabbed the keys and made for the front door.

“Where are you going?” my wife said.

“I’m going to get that recliner,” I said.

I’m going to name it “Lynyrd Skynyrd.”

The foster dogs will probably love it even more than I do.

(Chris Cox is a writer and teacher. jchriscox@live.com)

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April 19-25, 2017

s all successful couples understand, the key to happiness is mastering the art of communication. When facing a Big Decision — like whether or not to foster shelter dogs, for example — the successful couple will sit down with flexible minds and full hearts, outlining all of the issues in neat and revealing columns, so that each point can be thoughtfully and compassionately considered and, if necessary, debated until compromises can be forged and a decision is reached.

As Stephen Covey, the esteemed author of the bestColumnist seller The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, once wrote, “People will support what they help create.” Or maybe Calvin Coolidge said that. I forget, but it seems like a good idea in theory.

So when my wife sent me a text last week that read, “I am on my way home with a surprise for you,” naturally, I assumed that she had bought me a new recliner for my aching back. Or had picked up pizza and a movie, since it was my night to cook.

Next came a quick succession of three photos of a small, black and white, but moderately overfed, dog with enormous, pointy ears that were on full alert as he stared at birds or cows or whatever through the passenger window of her car. The last photo reminded me of my sixth-grade school picture, his head slightly askew, eyes puzzled, and mouth open and not quite smiling.

“His name is Marty,” the next text said, as if this bit of intelligence explained everything.

“I thought maybe you were getting me that recliner,” I texted back. “He looks more like an ottoman. With ears.”

My wife has been talking off and on about fostering dogs for the past two or three years. She even picked up some brochures and an application a while back, but I didn’t think much of it, figuring it was just a phase of some kind. We already have two dogs, a cat, a turtle, and a fish. We barely can keep up with them. For that matter, we barely manage to keep our plants alive. Why would anyone entrust us to foster a dog? Isn’t our ecology fragile enough as it is?

Compelling as these questions might appear to be, they changed nothing of the reality of the moment, and at the moment, Tammy was pulling into the driveway with Marty riding shotgun. It had become official. We were now dog foster parents.

If I were given just one word to describe

Check out our NEW Epson Wide Format

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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 AMMONS DRIVE-IN RESTAURANT & DAIRY BAR 1451 Dellwwod Rd., Waynesville.

828.926.0734. Open 7 days a week 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Celebrating over 25 years. Enjoy world famous hot dogs as well as burgers, seafood, hushpuppies, hot wings and chicken. Be sure to save room for dessert. The cobbler, pie and cake selections are sure to satisfy any sweet tooth.

Smoky Mountain News

April 19-25, 2017

APPLE ANDY’S RESTAURANT 3483 Soco Road, Maggie Valley located in Market Square. 828.944.0626. Open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; closed Wednesday and Thursday.

Serving the freshest homemade sandwiches, wraps, and entrees such as country fried steak and grilled flounder. Full salad bar and made from scratch sides like potato salad, pinto beans and macaroni and cheese. www.appleandys.com BLOSSOM ON MAIN 128 N. Main Street, Waynesville.

828.454.5400. Open for lunch and dinner from 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Sunday. Mild, medium, to hot and spicy, our food is cooked to your like-able temperature.

Forget the myth that all Thai food is spicy.

Traditional Thai food is known to be quite healthy, making use of natural and fresh ingredients, paired with lots of spices, herbs, and vegetables. Vegetarians and health conscious individuals will not be disappointed as fresh vegetables and tofu are available in most of our menu as well as wines and saki chosen to compliment the unique flavors of Thai cuisine.

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.

craft beers on tap, as well as our full bar and eclectic wine list.

BOGART’S 303 S. Main St., Waynesville. 828.452.1313.

Open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Carry out available. Located in downtown Waynesville, Bogart’s has been long-time noted for great steaks, soups, and salads. Casual family atmosphere in a rustic old-time setting with a menu noted for its practical value. Live Bluegrass/String Band music every Thursday. Walking distance of Waynesville’s unique shops and seasonal festival activities and within one mile of Waynesville Country Club.

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.

BOURBON BARREL BEEF & ALE 454 Hazelwood Ave., Waynesville, 828.452.9191. Lunch served 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.; Monday through Saturday. Dinner 5 to 9 p.m., Monday through Saturday.

Closed on Sunday. We specialize in hand-cut, all natural steaks from local farms, incredible burgers, and other classic american comfort foods that are made using only the finest local and sustainable ingredients available.

BREAKING BREAD CAFÉ 6147 Hwy 276 S. Bethel (at the Mobil Gas Station) 828.648.3838 Sunday 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday-Saturday 8 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.

BRYSON CITY CORK & BEAN A MOUNTAIN SOCIAL HOUSE 16 Everett St.,Bryson City. 828.488.1934.

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

CITY LIGHTS CAFE Spring Street in downtown Sylva.

828.587.2233. Open Monday-Saturday 7:30 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.

Wednesday through Saturday serving freshly prepared small plates, tapas, charcuterie, desserts. Enjoy live music every Friday and Saturday night at 7pm. www.classicwineseller.com. Also on facebook and twitter.

COUNTRY VITTLES: FAMILY STYLE RESTAURANT 3589 Soco Rd, Maggie Valley.

828.926.1820 Winter hours: Wednesday through Sunday 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. 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.

FERRARA PIZZA & PASTA 243 Paragon Parkway, Clyde. 828.476.5058.

Open Monday-Saturday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Real New Yorkers. Real Italians. Real Pizza. A

Country Vittles RESTAURANT

FRANKIE’S ITALIAN TRATTORIA 1037 Soco Rd. Maggie Valley.

828.926.6216 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Monday-Saturday. Father and son team Frank and Louis Perrone cook up dinners steeped in Italian tradition. With recipies passed down from generations gone by, the Perrones have brought a bit of Italy to Maggie Valley. frankiestrattoria.com 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.

GUADALUPE CAFÉ 606 W. Main Street, Sylva. 828.586.9877.

Open 7 days a week at 5 p.m. Located in the historic Hooper’s Drugstore, Guadalupe Café is a chef-owned and operated restaurant serving Caribbean inspired fare complimented by a quirky selection of wines and microbrews.

Supporting local farmers of organic produce, livestock, hand-crafted cheese, and using sustainably harvested seafood.

J. ARTHUR’S RESTAURANT AT MAGGIE VALLEY U.S. 19 in Maggie Valley. 828.926.1817.

Open for dinner at 4 p.m., Thursday through Saturday; noon to 7 p.m. on Sundays. Worldfamous prime rib, steaks, fresh seafood, gorgonzola cheese and salads. All ABC permits and open year-round. Children always welcome. Take-out menu. Excellent service and hospitality. Reservations appreciated.

JOEY’S PANCAKE HOUSE 4309 Soco Rd Maggie Valley.

828.926.0212. Winter hours: 7 a.m. to 12 p.m., closed Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. 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,

APPÉTIT Y’AL N L BO

& GIFT SHOP

Featuring a Full Menu with Daily Specials PRIVATE DINING ROOM AVAILABLE FOR EVENTS

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CHURCH STREET DEPOT 34 Church Street, downtown Waynesville.

828.246.6505. 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Mouthwatering all beef burgers and dogs, hand-dipped, hand-spun real ice cream shakes and floats, fresh handcut fries. Locally sourced beef. Indoor and outdoor dining. facebook.com/ChurchStreetDepot, twitter.com/ChurchStDepot.

full service authentic Italian pizzeria and restaurant from New York to the Blue Ridge.

Dine in, take out, and delivery. Check out our daily lunch specials plus customer appreciation nights on Monday and Tuesday 5 to 9 p.m. with large cheese pizzas for $9.95.

207 Paragon Parkway, Clyde

Monday-Sunday 7:00-2:00pm Closed Tuesday

828-456-1997

3589 SOCO RD. MAGGIE VALLEY

blueroostersoutherngrill.com

828.926.1820

Monday-Friday Open at 11am

Real Local Families, Real Local Farms, Real Local Food

WAYNESVILLE’S BEST BURGERS

tasteTHEmountains Joey’s is sure to please all appetites. Join us for 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 8 p.m.

Monday through Saturday; Sunday 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. 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 Monday through Thursday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.; Sunday brunch 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Handtossed pizza, steak sandwiches, wraps, salads and desserts. All made from scratch.

Beer and wine. Free movies Thursday trought Saturday. Visit madbatterfoodfilm.com for this week’s shows.

MAGGIE VALLEY CLUB 1819 Country Club Dr., Maggie Valley.

828.926.1616. maggievalleyclub.com/dine.

Open seasonally for lunch and dinner. Fine and casual fireside dining in welcoming atmosphere. Full bar. Reservations accepted.

NEWFOUND LODGE RESTAURANT 1303 Tsali Blvd, Cherokee (Located on 441 North at entrance to GSMNP).

828.497.4590. Open 7 a.m. daily.

Established in 1946 and serving breakfast, lunch and dinner seven days a week.

Family style dining for adults and children.

PAPERTOWN GRILL 153 Main St., Canton. 828.648.1455 Open 7 days a week 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Serving the local community with great, scratch-made country cooking. Breakfast is served all day. Daily specials including Monday meatloaf, chicken and dumplings on Thursdays and Friday fish.

RENDEZVOUS RESTAURANT AND BAR Maggie Valley Inn and Conference Center 70 Soco Road, Maggie Valley 828.926.0201 Home of the Maggie Valley Pizzeria. We deliver after 4 p.m. daily to all of Maggie Valley, J-Creek area, and Lake Junaluska. Monday through Wednesday: 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Thursday: 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. country buffet and salad bar from 5 to 9 p.m. $11.95 with Steve

Mon.-Fri. 11 a.m.-9 p.m.

Saturday 12 p.m.-10 p.m.

Closed Tues.

Sun. 12-9 p.m.

Sandwiches • Burgers • Wraps 32 Felmet Street (828) 246-0927

SALTY DOG’S SEAFOOD & GRILL 3567 Soco Road, Maggie Valley.

828.926.9105. Open seven days a week from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday through Thursday; 11 a.m. to midnight Friday and Saturday. Full service bar and restaurant located in the center of Maggie Valley.

Featuring daily $6 lunch specials and daily dinner specials such as $1 Taco Tuesdays and 45¢ Wednesday Wings. Backyard Bar is open every weekend thru October. Join us for every NFL game.

TAP ROOM BAR & GRILL 176 Country Club Drive, Waynesville.

828.456.3551. Open seven days a week serving lunch and dinner. 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Tucked away inside Waynesville Inn, the Tap Room Bar & Grill has an approachable menu designed around locally sourced, sustainable, farm-to-table ingredients. Full bar and wine cellar. www.thewaynesvilleinn.com.

We’re open every evening for dinner until 9 p.m.

Join us for tasty burritos, tacos, quesadillas or crepes!

3 E JACKSON ST. • SYLVA, NC

www.CityLightsCafe.com

FREE MOVIE

TRAILHEAD CAFE & BAKERY 18 N Main Street, Waynesville.

828.452.3881 Open 7 days a week Monday-Saturday 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. You will find a delicious selection of pastries & donuts, breakfast & lunch along with a fresh coffee & barista selection. Happy Trails!

VITO’S PIZZA 607 Highlands Rd., Franklin.

828.369.9890. Established here in in 1998. Come to Franklin and enjoy our laid back place, a place you can sit back, relax and enjoy our 62” HDTV. Our Pizza dough, sauce, meatballs, and sausage are all made from scratch by Vito. The recipes have been in the family for 50 years (don’t ask for the recipes cuz’ you won’t get it!) Each Pizza is hand tossed and made with TLC. You’re welcome to watch your pizza being created.

WAYNESVILLE PIZZA COMPANY 32 Felmet Street, Waynesville.

828.246.0927. Open Monday through Friday; 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Saturday, noon to 10 p.m.; Sunday noon to 9 p.m.; closed Tuesdays. Opened in May 2016, The Waynesville Pizza Company has earned a reputation for having the best hand-tossed pizza in the area. Featuring a custom bar with more than 20 beers and a rustic, family friendly dining room. Menu includes salads, burgers, wraps, hot and cold sandwiches, gourmet pizza, homemade desserts, and a loaded salad bar. The Cuban sandwich is considered by most to be the best in town.

MON.-SAT. 11 A.M.-8 P.M.

34 CHURCH ST. WAYNESVILLE 828.246.6505 Mtwitter.com/ChurchStDepot C facebook.com/ChurchStreetDepot

Celebrating Earth Day 2017 FRIDAY, APRIL 21 7 P.M. Reservations Recommended

828.586.3555 • Downtown Sylva MadBatterFoodFilm.com

Saturday April 22 5pm - Until? b $5 Singles Ol’ Dirty Bathtu Live Music featuring:

& Noon Day Sun Special Guests:

BREW DAWGZ

Presented by:

$7 Couples Kids 12 & Under are FREE!

$3 Beer Specials 628 East Main St. Sylva, NC soulinfusion.com

Real New Yorkers.

Real Italians. Real Pizza.

Dine-In ~ Take Out ~ Delivery

An Authentic Italian Pizzeria & Restaurant from New York to the Blue Ridge.

Just to serve you!

Featuring: Calzones · Stromboli Subs · Pasta and More

Smoky Mountain News

PATIO BISTRO 30 Church Street, Waynesville.

828.454.0070. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Breakfast bagels and sandwiches, gourmet coffee, deli sandwiches for lunch with homemade soups, quiches, and desserts. Wide selection of wine and beer. Outdoor and indoor dining.

SAGEBRUSH STEAKHOUSE 1941 Champion Drive, Canton 828.646.3750 895 Russ Ave., Waynesville 828.452.5822. Sunday through Thursday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Carry out available.

Sagebrush features hand carved steaks, chicken and award winning BBQ ribs. We have fresh salads, seasonal vegetables and scrumptious deserts. Extensive selection of local craft beers and a full bar. Catering special events is one of our specialties.

April 19-25, 2017

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.

Whiddon on piano. Friday and Saturday: 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m.; Sunday 11:30 to 8 p.m. 11:30 to 3 p.m. family style, fried chicken, ham, fried fish, salad bar, along with all the fixings, $11.95. Check out our events and menu at rendezvousmaggievalley.com

NOW OPEN SUNDAYS NOON to 8 P.M. Monday-Saturday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

243 Paragon Parkway | Clyde

828-476-5058

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GREENING UP THE MOUNTAINS

SPRING FESTIVAL

T

he 20th annual Greening Up the Mountains festival will fill the streets of downtown Sylva from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. this Saturday, April 22. This historic Jackson County town’s largest festival of the year typically draws thousands of visitors to this free familyfriendly event.

Organized by the Town of Sylva, Greening Up the Mountains features 220 vendors, representing arts, crafts, demonstrators, local schools, business, community, environmental, health, safety, children’s activities, and more. The festival will also provide many tasty food options and a plethora of regional musical acts performing on two stages.

Greening up the Mountains began as an Earth Day celebration, and continues to keep its focus on environmental protection, sustainability, and promotion of local businesses and civic groups.

Smoky Mountain News

April 19-25, 2017

Jackson County TDA photos by Nick Breedlove

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Music lineup rom folk, rock, bluegrass, blues, country and Americana, some of Western North Carolina’s most talented musicians will perform on two stages beginning at 10 a.m.

F

MAIN STREET STAGE NEAL HEARN, EMCEE

Schedule • 8 a.m. — Registration for Cub-Mobile Downhill Race A Cub-mobile Downhill Race is hosted by the Boy Scouts of America, Cataloochee District. The race will be begin at 9 a.m. at Schulman Street, in Sylva. Open to all registered Cub Scouts.

• 8:30 a.m. — Shuttle starts from the Justice Center & Jackson Plaza Shuttle service available from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. by the Jackson County Transit Service. $1.

• 9:30 a.m. — Mountain Youth Talent Contest Main Street Stage. Emcee is Heather Gordon.

• 10 a.m. — Main Street and Railroad Avenue Booths Open, including Farmers Market Over 100 booths plus over 100 arts and crafts booths and displays.

• 10 a.m. — “Green Thumb” Raffle for Earth Day This 20th year, in conjunction with it’s

• 10 a.m. — “Kid’s Zone” and “Safety Zone” Sections Families can visit the “Kid’s Zone” on Railroad Avenue where children can enjoy an inflatable slide, balloons, a candle-making workshop, arts & crafts workshop, and much more. Law Enforcement of Jackson County will be out to meet the public, and more in the “Safety Zone.” A play area will be provided for the very young children.

• 10 a.m. — Traditional Heritage Walk Catch the Spirit of Appalachia Inc. and Dogwood Crafters are hosting a Traditional Heritage Walk in the Sylva Herald parking lot. All of the crafters will be demonstrating and selling their traditional arts. Here you will find crafters in vintage clothing sharing arts and crafts that have been passed down through the years: chair caning, wood carving, weaving, spinning, crocheting, forging, quilting, needle crafts galore, sewing, corn shuck dolls, and old fashioned churned ice cream.

• 10 a.m. — Free Mother’s Day photo cards for children Catch the Spirit of Appalachia, with photographer Etheree Chancellor, is offering free Mother’s Day photo cards for children. Located in the Traditional Heritage Walk, the booth offers a photo taken and then transformed into a Mother’s Day card.

10 a.m. until 3:30 p.m.

• 10:30 a.m. — Open Mic An open mic will also be offered for those wishing to share their musical talents on the southern end of the festival on Main Street in the Traditional Heritage Walk (Sylva Herald Parking lot). The open mic will be led by musician Ron Brown and assisted by Appalachian singer Betty Brown. It will run from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

BRIDGE PARK STAGE KELLY DONALDSON, EMCEE • 10-10:45 a.m., Karen Barnes (acoustic originals and classic covers) • 10:45-10:55 a.m., Encore Dance • 11-11:45 a.m., The Maggie Valley Band (folk/Americana/bluegrass) • 11:45-11:55 a.m., Encore Dance • Noon-12:45 p.m., PMA (reggae/fusion) • 12:45-12:55 p.m., Triple Threat (dance) • 1-1:45 p.m., Kick the Robot (rock) • 1:45-1:55 p.m., Triple Threat (dance) • 2-2:45 p.m., Ol’ Dirty Bathtub (country, bluegrass, Americana) • 3-4 p.m., Colby Deitz Band (country, rock, Americana) • 10 a.m. — Food spread throughout festival There will be much more to enjoy at this year’s festival. For the second year, there will be a crawfish boil featuring traditional dirty rice, corn on the cob, boiled potatoes and crawfish on Back Street (in between Dixie Mae’s and Fitzgerald’s). Heinzelmannchen Brewery will also be providing beer and root beer for the event. Festival foods will be strewn throughout both areas, including funnel cakes, peanuts, pork rinds, kettle corn,

• Noon — Record Store Day/Fly By Night Rounders On Main Street, In Your Ear Music Emporium is hosting a Record Store Day celebration, which is a multinational event highlighting independently owned record stores with vinyl exclusives. In Your Ear will have the Fly By Night Rounders, a high energy acoustic folk/bluegrass band from Asheville, playing from noon until 2 p.m., in the store, as well as giveaways and special offers all day.

April 19-25, 2017

• 9 a.m. — 5K Run $15 plus a $2.50 sign-up fee. Online registration ends April 19 at 11:59 p.m. https://runsignup.com/race/ nc/sylva/greeningupthemountains. Race participants should arrive to check-in to the event for registration at 8 a.m. Mark Watson Park.

overall focus of the “greening” of spring and earth-friendly family learning experiences, the town is offering an “Earth Day” raffle featuring scrubs — rhododendron and azalea — and flowering trees — dogwood — as prizes for replanting (tickets are only $1).

Sponsored by Country Road Farms in Sylva, these scrubs and trees will add year-round beauty to any landscape. Tickets are on sale at two information booths. Winners announced on both stages.

• 9:30-11 a.m., Mountain Youth Talent Show • 11-11:45 a.m., Kim Shuler (classics) • Noon-12:45 p.m., Ashley Heath (country, blues, Americana, folk) • 1-1:45 p.m., Andalyn (country/rock) • 2-2:45 p.m., The Log Noggins (blues/rock) • 3-4 p.m., Bird In Hand (Appalachian folk)

cotton candy, pop corn, snow cone and ice cream. All this plus great food in our many restaurants.

GREENING UP THE MOUNTAINS

Ol’ Dirty Bathtub.

• 4 p.m. — Festival ends For more information call 828.631.4587, email greeningupthemountains@gmail.com, visit the website at www.greeningupthemountains.com, like the event on Facebook or call the Town of Sylva at 828.586.2719.

Smoky Mountain News 29

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A&E

Smoky Mountain News

Greening Up the Mountains

Reggae/soul act PMA (aka: Positive Mental Attitude) is (from left) Kyle Coleman (drums), Phil Thomas (singer/lead guitar), Spencer Bradley (percussion), Matt Yelen (bass) and Miller Watson (singer/rhythm guitar). Garret K. Woodward photo

Take it all in The art of Positive Mental Attitude (PMA)

BY GARRET K. WOODWARD STAFF WRITER It’s about finding your center.

Though they’re hundreds of miles from the closest ocean, the members of Sylva-based Positive Mental Attitude (PMA) have concocted a formula of reggae soul unique to the mountains of Western North Carolina. It’s more about an uplifting and relaxed state of mind rather than actual sandy toes and salt water.

That’s what true reggae preaches — spreading the word of inclusiveness and one-ness amid a space of different backgrounds, intents and pursuits. It’s about finding common ground within those around you. And, perhaps, letting the troubles of the day slowly fall from your current physical and emotional location, ultimately dissolving into the dirt beneath your feet.

For PMA, it’s bringing together their friends, family and strangers alike into one moment, where, in that moment, you realize that most of your daily stress is made of the little things when you should be focusing on the big picture and your place within it.

Smoky Mountain News: Where does it all begin with PMA? Phil Thomas (lead singer/guitar): Kyle Coleman (drums), Matt Yelen (bassist), and I met in middle school in Charlotte [in 2008].

The only real exposure I had to reggae music was listening to Bob Marley & The Wailers’ “Exodus” album growing up. Despite this, I

decided to give it a shot and we started performing. Kyle and Matt thought that “PMA” would be a great name for the group. We all were big fans of the band Bad Brains, who promoted the ideology of keeping a “positive mental attitude.” PMA really means looking for the best things in life, even in the most unfortunate circumstances.

SMN: And how has the meaning of the name PMA shifted as the band has grown and evolved, as the audiences have grown and evolved?

Miller Watson (rhythm guitar): The beauty of having PMA as our band name, is that the name is constantly there as a reminder. Just like any group of friends, we have our ups and downs, but PMA has become more than a band name for us, rather a way of life. PMA has taught us that with the right mental attitude we can conquer a lot. Negativity is all around the world and PMA is not about blocking out the bad stuff and hard lessons we encounter, but rather about having the foundation we need to help us face these things head on.

SMN: On the surface, one might surmise your music as something with a playful beach vibe, especially with the reggae influences. But, what about that playful sound applies to what you’re doing in Western North Carolina?

MW: Our music is full of inspiration from these mountains. Water, mountain landscapes, nature, trails. They all take part in the inspiration process for us. We are proud to call Sylva home and our sound could not be what it is without this town. It’s really cool to see the similarities in bluegrass music and reggae and how they took shape from the development of African banjo. It's also nice to bring a touch of reggae to these mountains.

SMN: As PMA has pushed further out, into new markets and farther down the road, what are you seeing out there as a musician trying to make it?

PT: One thing I will say is that it hasn’t been easy working towards becoming professional musicians. We’ve sacrificed a lot of time, energy, and effort to work towards our mission of lifting people up. While it has been difficult, it has all been worthwhile. Traveling together in a 1980s RV with your best friends, doing what you love — there’s nothing better. As far as measuring success, if we have a great time playing a show, have a great crowd, and, overall, a great time, that’s all that matters. [And] there have been so many people that have helped us along the way.

SMN: Y’all are based out of Sylva. What sets that town apart from other places? Why here, why this scene, and why right now?

Matt Yelen: With most of us graduating from Western Carolina University, we naturally fell in love with the area, particularly Sylva. It still has the small mountain town charm, but has an amazing local music and culture scene that we’ve come to know and love.

PT: There’s nothing quite like Western North Carolina. When you’re driving down Balsam Mountain on U.S. 74, there’s just an instant feeling of belonging, like you know you are where you’re supposed to be. The community here has embraced and supported us fully. Everyone really looks out for one another, and I don’t think there’s another place on Earth like it.

Editor’s Note: PMA will perform at noon during Greening Up the Mountains in Sylva on Saturday, April 22. Their upcoming album, “Take It All In,” will be released this summer. www.facebook.com/pmamusic.

The 20th annual Greening Up the Mountains festival will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, April 22, in downtown Sylva.

This festival celebrates the arrival of spring in the mountains, when the greening leaves work their way up the mountainsides in the Great Smokies. It also celebrates the greening of the environment, with information about sustainable living and presentations by environmental groups.

Drawing over 10,000 visitors each year, this is a celebration of the local economy, sustainability, and traditional heritage crafts. Three full music stages will feature Jackson County bands, children’s performances, heritage dance, annual Youth Talent Show, and more.

Children’s activities include storytelling, face painting, an inflatable slide, the recycled materials Superhero Costume Contest, volunteer projects and more. This year’s event also hosts the annual Greening Up the Mountains 5K Run, sponsored by the Jackson County Recreation and Parks Department. And, for the first time ever, a cornhole tournament, which will raise funds for local charities.

Live music will include: MAIN STREET STAGE • 9:30-11 a.m. — Mountain Youth Talent Show • 11-11:45 a.m. — Kim Shuler (classics) • Noon-12:45 p.m. — Ashley Heath (Americana/folk) • 1-1:45 p.m. — Andalyn (country/rock) • 2-2:45 p.m. — The Log Noggins (blues/rock) • 3-4 p.m. — Bird In Hand (Appalachian folk) BRIDGE PARK STAGE • 10-10:45 a.m. — Karen Barnes (acoustic/classic covers) • 10:45-10:55 a.m. — Encore Dance • 11-11:45 a.m. — The Maggie Valley Band (Americana/folk) • 11:45-11:55 a.m. — Encore Dance • Noon-12:45 p.m. — PMA (reggae/soul) • 12:45-12:55 p.m. — Triple Threat (dance) • 1-1:45 p.m. — Kick the Robot (rock) • 1:45-1:55 p.m. — Triple Threat (dance) • 2-2:45 p.m. — Ol’ Dirty Bathtub (Americana/bluegrass) • 3-4 p.m. — Colby Deitz Band (Americana) There is no admission charge to attend. For more information and the full schedule of events, visit www.greeningupthemountains.com.

BY GARRET K. WOODWARD

No time for eggplant parm, let’s talk the cosmos

There will be an “Earth Day” celebration hosted by Hoppy Trout Brewing and Andrews Brewing from 1 to 7 p.m. Saturday, April 22, at Hall Park in Andrews.

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I had just reached for the eggPMA (reggae/rock) will perform at 8 p.m. plant parmesan sandwich when it Friday, April 21, at Nantahala Brewing (Bryson was asked.

City) and 9:30 p.m. Saturday, April 22, at No “What do you think about Name Sports Pub (Sylva).

God?” I set the sandwich back down April is National Poetry Month and the on the counter and reached for a Marianna Black Library will host a “Poetry sip of my beer. My Easter Sunday Slam” at 6 p.m. Tuesday, April 25, at the afternoon hunger could wait a litlibrary auditorium in Bryson City. tle while longer as I felt the immediate urge to dive deep into this Currahee Brewing (Franklin) will host Redleg conversation.

Huskey (Americana) at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, “Well, that all depends on if April 22. you see God as a guy atop a cloud The Hooten Hallers (rock/blues) will perform overseeing everything down here at 9 p.m. Friday, April 21, at The Water’n Hole on Earth, or you see it as energy, (Waynesville) and 9:30 p.m. April 24 at No which would be everything that’s Name Sports Pub (Sylva). swirling around us,” I countered.

I was raised in a God-fearing family. Up along the cold Canadian Border, I also assuring us we weren’t going to hell because we didn’t clean our plates at dinner was baptized Catholic, attended Catholic school until sixth grade, and went to Sunday or got into some adolescent trouble.

It wasn’t much longer after my greatmass every single week (not counting the bigrandmother and grandmother passed away weekly confession mass). As I kid, I felt that my immediate family decided to stop guilty for committing any sort of sin, which, going to mass. It was a group vote in the back then, was mostly a mumbled swear kitchen one Sunday morning, with the tally word or not being nice to my kid sister. at 3-to-0 to stay home (my father was the And then there was my 103-year-old great-grandmother. A “suffering Catholic” as lone Methodist who sat and read newspapers all Sunday). we regarded her, she looked at your current My logic, even then, was that I don’t have daily life as something where one must experience sacrifice, hardship and sincere guilt to to go to church every Sunday to prove that I “got the message” and be constantly scared ultimately get bestowed with an eternal parthat every move I make is being watched by adise in the afterlife. That “fire and brimGod. I subscribe to the idea that the real stone” intensity cooled down through the “church” is your interactions and everything subsequent generations, with my mother in your daily reality outside of the church. still taking us to mass with our family, but

April 19-25, 2017

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I don’t think you have to go to church to prove your loyalty or understanding of what it is that religion teaches. I think you can get a strong foundation of it as a kid, or even as an adult, and push into your reality with the knowledge that “kindness breeds kindness” and that the “Golden Rule” (treat others the way you’d want to be treated) is the only true currency in this world.

And yet, there are those who do need that weekly mass, where it provides them with a kind of comfort, solace and peace-ofmind. When applied correctly (which isn’t always the case), religion can be a useful tool in one’s life. Notice I said “tool” and not the “end-all-be-all” of “you versus me” if we come from differing backgrounds. I’ll be the first to admit, with the right kind of uplifting priest/preacher/rabbi, you will walk out of a service refreshed, usually with a balance found within your body, mind, and soul.

Religion is at the basis of humanity’s highwater marks and also its deadliest lows. But, with the idea of God, we as mere mortals here on Earth will forever chase after the energies and unknowns of the Universe. Surely, there is some meaning or answer to the incredible power that is love, friendship, a mountaintop at sunset or the ocean at sunrise.

I don’t think that beauty in this world is coincidental. Nor do I think everything we do is for nothing. Because if that were the case, we’d never get out of bed each morning, missing out on the momentary splendor or happenstance cosmic serenity we eventually come across.

Life is beautiful, grasp for it, y’all.

arts & entertainment

This must be the place

The message remains the same during mass — year-in-and-year-out — so why not just apply that message into further travels and encounters that stretch beyond the boundaries of the church?

Do I think there is some guy named God sitting on a cloud high above me? No. But, I also think God does exist, though not in the form we’re told. I look at the Bible and the idea of God as placeholders for the unknowns we either will never know or won’t know the answer to until all is revealed upon your transition from this life into whatever awaits you thereafter.

God is everything around us.

All the energies, sounds, scents, Garret K. Woodward photo mountains and faces you see. It’s the good, and the bad, with both sides showing you the awesome power of God (aka: The Universe). And, as someone who is fascinated by human and universal energies, I find the more positive energy you project, the more positive energy comes back to you, almost like a magnet.

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Western Carolina University’s 15th annual Jazz Festival will bring a day of master classes and performances to campus from noon to 10 p.m. Saturday, April 22, at the John W. Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center.

Featured artists include vocalist Carly Johnson, bassist Mike McGuirk and drummer John Riley, along with the WCU Jazz Ensemble under the direction of Pavel Wlosok. The jazz festival is an annual event founded and organized by Wlosok, WCU professor of music.

“Jazz is an original American art form, which means, like America, it draws upon universal and international inspiration and has an appeal that reaches around the world,” he said. “The significance of the experience provided by the Jazz Festival is for the community to enjoy tremendous music and for WCU students to share the stage with world-class professional musicians as the students develop their own performing concepts and become future musicians and educators.”

This year’s lineup includes experienced and emerging artists with a diversity of talent. Johnson, who hails from Louisville, Kentucky, is best known for her versatile renditions of jazz classics and her recording with the rock group My Morning Jacket on the song “Holding On To Black Metal” on their 2011 Grammy-nominated album “Circuital.”

Riley moved to New York City in 1976 to join the Woody Herman Band and has played and recorded with legendary jazz

musicians Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, John Scofield and Stan Getz. McGuirk, also a New York City-based musician, won the 1997 International Society of Bassists jazz bass competition and is frequently in the recording studio or playing live. Wlosok, a Czech-born American pianist, composer, arranger and educator who lives in Sylva, has played for international audiences and routinely records as a group leader or as an accompanying musician.

In 2012, the Wlosok/Riley/McGuirk Trio released the locally recorded “Live At The Grey Eagle: Jubilee Suite” album on the European label New Port Line to critical acclaim.

The festival schedule is as follows: Black Box Theater at Bardo Arts Center • 1 p.m. - Riley teaches a jazz drumming master class, intended for WCU percussion studio majors but open to all students and the public.

• 2 p.m. - Johnson teaches jazz vocal master class, intended for WCU voice and musical theatre majors but open to all students and the public.

Performance Hall at Bardo Arts Center • 3 p.m. - WCU Jazz Ensemble rehearsal and sound check with featured artists.

• 4:30 p.m. - Wlosok/Riley/McGuirk Trio sound check and rehearsal.

• 7:30 p.m. - Concert with the WCU Jazz Ensemble featuring guest artists Carly Johnson on vocals and John Riley on drums, as well as the Wlosok/Riley/McGuirk Trio.

For more information, contact Wlosok at 828.227.3261 or pwlosok@wcu.edu.

HAYWOODCHAMBER.COM/THE-CHAMBER/PROGRAMS INITIATIVES/BUSINESS-ECONOMIC-DEVELOPMENT

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On the beat

Enso String Quartet.

Swannanoa Chamber Music Festival

Jazz, big band in Franklin

Macon Arts welcomes Harlan Collins The Arts Council of Macon County will host an evening with acclaimed songwriter and Atlantic and Sony Records recording artist Harlan Collins at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 27, at the Macon County Public Library Meeting Room in Franklin.

Collins, who arranged music for the cult

Rapper Wale at WCU Grammy-nominated rapper Wale will perform at 8 p.m. Thursday, April 20, at Western Carolina University’s Ramsey Regional Activity Center in Cullowhee.

Wale signed with Rick Ross’ Maybach Music Group in 2011 and his second album, “Ambition,” produced the Grammy-nominated single, “Lotus Flower Bomb (featuring Miguel),” as “Best Rap Song.” In 2013, his album “The Gifted” debuted No. 1 on Billboard’s Top 200 Albums chart. His latest album, “The Album About Nothing,” was released in March of 2015 and also debuted

Junior Appalachian Musicians, Inc. is presenting the JAM Kids Day Camp on Saturday, May 13, at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee.

This event is completely free and open to JAM students, as well as other children learning traditional Appalachian music throughout North Carolina and beyond. The JAM Kids Day Camp will start at noon with activities and workshops led by master teaching artists from the region. Students

No. 1 on Billboard’s Top 200.

Tickets purchased in advance are $20 for floor seats and $15 for arena seats for WCU students; $27.50 for floor seats and $22.50 for arena seats for the public. On the day of the concert, tickets are $25 for floor seats and $20 for arena seats for WCU students; $32.50 for floor seats and $27.50 for arena seats for the public. Doors will open at 7 p.m.

The concert is sponsored by the offices of Campus Activities and Residential Living as part of Student Appreciation Week. Wale will be joined by special guest Niykee Heaton.

Tickets can be purchased at the Ramsey Center box office or online at ramsey.wcu.edu.

Folkmoot and Blue Ridge Big Band In partnership with the Blue Ridge Big Band, Folkmoot will host “Dancing through the Decades,” a live big band music and dance experience, at 7 p.m. Saturday, April 29, at the Folkmoot Friendship Center in Waynesville.

The Blue Ridge Big Band is comprised of 17 musicians who share a love of big band music and performing. Musicians hail from Haywood, Jackson, Buncombe, Macon and

Henderson counties and range in age from the young to the young-at-heart. Chris Ulery, band director at Canton Middle School, is the musical director. The Big Band’s mission is to entertain audiences with a wide variety of musical styles from traditional big band music and contemporary jazz to popular music of the last few decades.

“Dancing through the Decades” will begin with appetizers and no-host bar. Guests can sit back and enjoy the musical performance or dance to music from the 1940s, ‘50s, 60s and 70s from swing to rockabilly and discostyle dancing. Dance instructors will be on hand to demonstrate dance steps and styles.

Please dress to impress. This event is $30 for pre-sale tickets only. Tickets can be purchased at www.folkmoot.org or by phone, 828.452.2997.

Folkmoot’s year-round programming initiatives have been made possible by Haywood Regional Medical Center, the Community Foundation of Western North Carolina and the Cherokee Preservation Foundation.

Folkmoot is a nonprofit organization dedicated to celebrating many cultures in one community. The Folkmoot Friendship Center is located in the Historic Hazelwood School at 112 Virginia Avenue in Waynesville. Staff can be reached by phone at 828.452.2997 or by email at info@folkmoot.org.

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Smoky Mountain News

Denver and the Mile High Orchestra will hit the stage at 7:30 p.m. Friday, April 21, at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts in Franklin.

The group first wowed all of America when it became a finalist on the Fox “American Idol” spinoff, “The Next Great American Band.” They have a unique style with jazz and big band roots that has allowed them to cross over into many different genres and earn fans of all ages across the world.

Tickets start at $20 per person. www.greatmountainmusic.com or call 866.273.4615.

classic film “This Is Spinal Tap,” and has been a musical guest on “Saturday Night Live,” will perform some original songs and share personal insights into the art and business sides of his long career in the music industry.

Admission is by donation, $5 is suggested. Light refreshments will be served.

This event is produced by the Arts Council of Macon County, supported by the North Carolina Arts Council, a division of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.

Contact the Macon Council for details, arts4all@dnet.net or 828.524.ARTS (2787). www.harlancollins.com.

JAM Kids Day Camp

April 19-25, 2017

In partnership with the 47th annual Swannanoa Chamber Music Festival and Warren Wilson College, the Haywood County Arts Council will be hosting a “2017 Festival Kick-Off Celebration” at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, April 29, at the Haywood Arts Regional Theatre in Waynesville.

Inessa Zaretsky, pianist and artistic director of the festival, will be joined onstage by Jasper String Quartet members Rachel Henderson Freivogel (cello) and J Freivogel (first violin). The program will highlight works of Hayden, Rachmaninoff and Tchaikovsky.

Featured performers this summer will include a soprano who has sung at Spoleto, a pianist who is a Van Cliburn Gold Medalist, and a violinist who has won the International Tchaikovsky Competition, as well as the Jasper, Enso and Tesla String Quartets.

Hosting the Swannanoa Chamber Music Festival is one of the many ways the Haywood County Arts Council fulfills its mission of expanding our cultural horizons. Tickets are $25 o each. You can purchase them by visiting www.scm-festival.com/tickets.

Country star Sara Evans will perform at 7:30 p.m. Friday, April 28, at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts in Franklin.

Evans is an award-winning country music singer and songwriter with a stellar career fueled by one of the most compelling female vocals of her generation. Over the years, Evans has developed a reputation for delivering thoroughly satisfying albums brought to life by her distinctive voice.

She has sold nearly six million records and her last four albums have been certified Gold, Platinum, or multi-Platinum. Some of her number one hits include, “Suds in a Bucket,” “A Real Fine Place to Start,” “No Place That Far” and “A Little Bit Stronger.”

Tickets start at $30. www.greatmountainmusic.com or 866.273.4615.

will also have the opportunity to jam with new friends and perform for an audience.

Students will be able to choose three workshop activities, such as North Carolina Banjo Songs (Susan Pepper, Sylva), Jump Right Into Singing and Songwriting (Dusk Weaver, Cherokee), Beginner or Intermediate Fiddle (Kalia Yeagle, Johnson City, Tennessee), Beginner or Intermediate Guitar (Cary Fridley, Asheville), Basics of 3-Finger Banjo (Trajan Wellington, West Jefferson), Mandolin (Liam Purcell, Deep Gap), String Band (Geraud Barralon and Zach Kilmer, Murphy), Playing the Doghouse Bass (Eliot Smith, Boone), and the Art of Performing (Cane Mill Road Band).

Parents are welcome, but not required, to attend with their children, and additional arts/crafts activities will be available for younger siblings. Sign-in begins at 11 a.m.

May 13. Children should bring their own musical instrument to participate. The event will occur at the Forsyth Building on the WCU campus.

Participants must pre-register by April 28 at www.jamkids.org/wcu in order to receive a meal at no cost.

Junior Appalachian Musicians, Inc. offers a variety of learning and performance activities for students, teachers, program directors, and volunteers involved in the 40 after school JAM programs throughout North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia.

For more information about the organization or this event, visit www.jamkids.org or contact Brett Martin, Executive Director of JAM at 276.773.0573 or brett@jamkids.org.

arts & entertainment

Franklin welcomes Sara Evans

On the beat arts & entertainment

• Andrews Brewing Company (Andrews) will host Andrew Chastain (singer-songwriter) April 21, Earth Day Celebration at Hall Park featuring Rob Tiger & Friends (2 p.m.) and The Harmed Brothers (5 p.m.) April 22 and Open Mic with Heidi 4 p.m. April 26. All shows are free and begin at 5 p.m. unless otherwise noted. www.andrewsbrewing.com.

• The Canton Armory will host “Winter Pickin’ in the Armory” at 7 p.m. every first and third Friday of the month. The event includes mountain music, vintage country, clogging and dancing. Doors open at 6 p.m. Free. www.cantonnc.com.

• The Classic Wineseller (Waynesville) will host Dulci Ellenberger & Kevin Williams (piano/guitar) April 21, Joe Cruz (piano/pop) April 22 and 29, and Sheila Gordon (piano/vocals) April 28. All events are free and begin at 7 p.m. 828.452.6000 or www.classicwineseller.com.

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• Currahee Brewing (Franklin) will host Redleg Huskey (Americana) April 22 and Ryan Sheley (singer-songwriter) April 29.

Shows are free and begin at 7:30 p.m. www.curraheebrew.com.

• Derailed Bar & Lounge (Bryson City) will have music at 7 p.m. on Saturdays.

828.488.8898.

• Frog Level Brewing (Waynesville) will host Darren Nicholson & Caleb Burress (Americana/folk) April 28. All shows are free and begin at 7 p.m. www.froglevelbrewing.com.

• Heinzelmannchen Brewery (Sylva) will have live music and a potluck from 6 to 8 p.m. April 20 and 27. www.yourgnometownbrewery.com.

Smoky Mountain News

• Innovation Brewing (Sylva) will have an Open Mic night April 19 and 26, and a jazz night with the Kittle/Collings Duo April 20 and 27. All events are free and begin at 8 p.m. www.innovation-brewing.com.

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• Lazy Hiker Brewing (Franklin) will host Karaoke with T&J April 21 and “Appalachian Trail Days” with Log Noggins (blues/rock), Kick The Robot (alternative/indie) at 8 p.m.

April 22, Rachel Stewart (singer-songwriter) April 28 and Northside Gentleman (funk/soul) April 29. All shows are free and begin at 8 p.m. 828.349.2337 or www.lazyhikerbrewing.com.

• Nantahala Brewing Company (Bryson City) will host PMA (reggae/rock) April 21, Chalwa (world) April 22, Lie & Tie April 26, Somebody’s Child (Americana) April 28 and Urban Soil (reggae/soul) April 29. All shows are free and begin at 8 p.m. www.nantahalabrewing.com.

• No Name Sports Pub (Sylva) will host Chris Monteith Karaoke April 21, PMA

Bryson City community jam A community music jam will be held from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 20, 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.

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, an agency funded by the State of North Carolina and the National Endowment of the Arts.

828.488.3030.

(reggae/rock) April 22, The Hooten Hallers (rock/blues) April 24, Humps & The Blackouts (psychobilly) April 28 and Grandpa’s Cough Medicine (bluegrass, $2 cover) April 29. All shows are free and begin at 9:30 p.m. unless otherwise noted. www.nonamesportspub.com.

• Satulah Mountain Brewing (Highlands) will host “Hoppy Hour” and an open mic with Susan at 6 p.m. on Thursdays and live music on Friday evenings. 828.482.9794 or www.satulahmountainbrewing.com.

• Sneak E Squirrel Brewing (Sylva) will host line dancing every Friday at 7 p.m. and contra dancing every other Friday at 8 p.m.

828.586.6440.

• The Strand at 38 Main (Waynesville) will host an “Open Mic” night from 7 to 9 p.m. on Saturdays. All are welcome.

828.283.0079 or www.38main.com.

• The Water’n Hole Bar & Grill (Waynesville) will host The Hooten Hallers (rock/blues) April 21, Andrew Rickman & Friends (rock/acoustic) April 22 and The Local Metal Showcase April 28. All shows begin at 9 p.m.

• Western Carolina University (Cullowhee) will WCU Jazz Combo 7:30 p.m. April 19, Guitar Ensemble Recital 7:30 p.m. April 20, Low Tech Ensemble 7:30 pm. April 21, Flute Recital 5 p.m. April 22, Wind Ensemble 3 p.m. April 24, Evan Blades Trumpet Recital 5 p.m. April 24, Wind Ensemble 7:30 p.m. April 24, Ty Kiaku Recital 5:30 p.m. April 25, WCU Choirs 7:30 p.m. April 27 and Ian Jeffress Faculty Recital 7:30 p.m. April 28 in the Recital Hall of the Coulter Building. www.wcu.edu.

On the street locally to inspire girls to be physically and mentally prepared for life’s challenges.

“I’ve spoken to several teachers in Haywood County who have praised this program, but they need help. Many of the girls who could benefit most from Girls on the Run may not be able to afford it,” Stone said.

“WOW wants to help more young girls grow into strong women and this is a powerful way to do that.”

Tickets for the Kentucky Derby fundraiser are $35 each and can be purchased at www.eventbrite.com/e/kentucky-derbygala-fundraiser-tickets-33061166840.

Craft beer and Earth Day There will be an “Earth Day” celebration hosted by Hoppy Trout Brewing and Andrews Brewing from 1 to 7 p.m.

Saturday, April 22, at Hall Park in Andrews.

Live music by Rob Tiger & Friends (2 p.m.) and The Harmed Brothers (5 p.m.).

Craft beer and wine will be available for purchase.

Admission is free. www.hoppytroutbrewing.com or www.andrewsbrewing.com.

For more information or to become a sponsor for the event, call 828.550.9978.

Since forming in 2012, WOW has raised more than $150,000 for local charities in Haywood County.

To find out more about WOW, visit www.womenofwaynesville.org or follow them on Facebook.

Diane E. Sherrill, Attorney

Is a Will Enough?

‘Color of Spring’ dinner The Inn at Tranquility Farm will host the “Colors of Spring” dinner from 6 to 9 p.m. Thursday, April 20, in Waynesville.

• Hors D’oeuvres: Fava bean puree with crispy leeks and toasted baguette. Smoked salmon napoleon with lemon crème.

• Courses: Grilled apricot salad with

• Free cooking demonstrations will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. on Saturdays at Country Traditions in Dillsboro. Watch the demonstrations, eat samples and taste house wines for $3 a glass. All recipes posted online. www.countrytraditionsnc.com.

.22 Pistol League and Cowboy League

May 24 & June 14

Call to join or inquire about more information.

828.586.4051

nctrustlawyer.com

28 Maple St. • Sylva

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Smoky Mountain News

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• A wine tasting will be held from 2 to 5 p.m.

April 21 and 28 at Papou’s Wine Shop in Sylva. $5 per person. www.papouswineshop.com or 828.586.6300.

• The Classic Wineseller (Waynesville) will host a wine tasting on Wednesdays and a craft beer tasting on Thursdays. Both events run from 4 to 8 p.m. There will also be tapas from 2 to 5 p.m. on Saturdays. www.classicwineseller.com.

FREE LUNCHEON SEMINAR

11:30 AM

• There will be a free wine tasting from 1 to 5 p.m. April 21 and 28 at Bosu’s Wine Shop in Waynesville. www.waynesvillewine.com or 828.452.0120.

April 19-25, 2017

Women of Waynesville, a nonprofit organization that supports the needs of women and children in Haywood County, will present its inaugural “Kentucky Derby Gala Fundraiser” from 4 to 8 p.m. Saturday, May 6, at The Waynesville Inn. The event will be held out on the terrace of Waynesville Inn overlooking the golf course and gorgeous mountain views. Guests can help themselves to an array of heavy southern hors d'oeuvres and a cash bar with everything you’ll need to make a mint julep.

Attendees can watch the races throughout the afternoon on big screen TVs and will have an opportunity to place bets on four The Waynesville Inn. different Kentucky Derby races with a chance to win amazing prizes. The event will also feature a Derby Hat and Derby Bowtie contest judged by local stylish celebrities.

“WOW is excited to offer yet another unique fundraiser idea to the community this year,” said WOW President Jessi Stone. “What better way to spend Kentucky Derby Day than outside the country club on a beautiful spring afternoon?”

Proceeds from the event will benefit Girls on the Run, a program that trains young girls to run a 5K race and also builds self-confidence. Several Haywood County elementary schools have utilized this national curriculum

arts & entertainment

WOW Kentucky Derby fundraiser

arugula, prosciutto, and peppered ricotta cheese. Mustard seed glazed shrimp, roasted fingerling potatoes with chive puree. Pan seared breast of chicken with buttered morels and watercress salad. Oven roasted asparagus with mint butter. Warm artichoke and farro salad with lemon. Served with assorted New Harvest rolls and butter.

• Dessert: Rhubarb and strawberry tart. Lavender crème custard.

Dinner is $80 per person, which includes dinner, fine wine and tax. Tables may be reserved in advance for parties of 8 or more. To RSVP, 828.564.1105 or sutton@innattranquilityfarm.com. www.innattranquilityfarm.com.

17 Palmer Rd. Waynesville | 828-452-7870 Hours: M-W:11-6 Th.& Fri:11-8 Sat.:10-6 Sun:1-5

www.mountainrangewnc.com

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CMA scholarships are available Cullowhee Mountain Arts of Sylva announces eight scholarships available for the Cullowhee Mountain Arts Summer Arts Workshop Series at Western Carolina University.

Three weeks of workshops will run during the month of June beginning June 11.

Application deadline is May 5. Through the Jackson County Arts Council Grassroots grant, CMA is matching funds to provide eight, halftuition scholarships open to all regional artists living in Jackson County. To apply, go to the JCAC webpage or the CMA webpage: www.cullowheemountainarts.org/scholarships or call Director Norma Hendrix 828.342.6913.

The Summer of 2017 Cullowhee Mountain Arts Summer Arts Series will be held at Western Carolina University mid-June to the end of June, bringing 16 artists, their students, and their workshops to our region.

Since 2012, CMA has attracted international attention for its unique format and distinguished level of art workshops and programs held locally on the WCU campus, nearby Waynesville at Lake Logan Episcopal Retreat Center, Sante Fe/Taos, New Mexico and Gloucester, Massachusetts. CMA is offering several workshops this year along the eastern seaboard in Snow Hill, Maryland. In

what has become an annual event, this past January saw CMA travel across the globe to hold two weeks of workshops in Takapuna, New Zealand.

Cullowhee Mountain Arts (CMA) is a local, but internationally recognized grassroots nonprofit organization providing the Summer Artists Workshop series at WCU, an established annual summer event on the Western campus introducing artists and educators from all walks of life to the Western North Carolina Region.

CMA and its Board of Directors believe the arts energize every facet of our community life, and CMA is committed to the idea that arts invigorate communities.

Controlled Chaos Film Festival returns

Want to make a berry gathering basket?

Local crafter and instructor Junetta Pell will be teaching a new “Berry Gathering Basket” workshop from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

April 27-28 at the Jackson County Extension Office in Sylva.

This basket is a unique design that includes a hard bottom, tightly woven sides and a handy strap to gather those fresh berries as you pick them.

Call the Extension Office at 828.586.4009 to register and for the supply list. Cost for this project is only $15. Class size is limited.

Films created by Western Carolina University students will be screened at the ninth annual Controlled Chaos Film Festival at 7:30 p.m. Friday, April 28, at the John W. Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center in Cullowhee.

Several of the films have mature subject matter and are not suitable viewing for children. For more information, contact the Film and Television Production Program at 828.227.7491.

Tickets are $12 at the door. Proceeds and donations benefit the Motion Picture Student Project Fund, which helps students in WCU’s Film and Television Production Program with the cost of creating their senior thesis films. www.wcu.edu.

Smoky Mountain News

April 19-25, 2017

arts & entertainment

On the wall

April 28, 29 & May 5, 6, 11,* 12, 13 at 7:30 pm April 30 & May 7, 14 at 2:00 pm Adults $24 Seniors $22 Students $11 *Special $16 tickets for all Adults on Thursdays.

Special $8 Tickets for all Students on Thursdays & Sundays.

The Performing Arts Center at the Shelton House 250 Pigeon St. in Waynesville, NC

For More Information and Tickets:

828-456-6322 | www.harttheatre.org 36

This project was supported by the N.C. Arts Council, a division of the Department of Natural & Cultural Resources, with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts.

On the wall

• There will be an exhibit showcasing the work of painter Sharon Ann Volker through the month of April at the Macon County Public Library in Franklin. Volker is a selftaught artist. She began working with pastels in the early 1990s, experimenting first with the human form and then with a variety of still life and landscape subjects. Volker is a full-time resident of Otto and can create detailed reproductions and original works of art. She may be contacted at 828.524.5078 or by email at volkerks@frontier.com.

ALSO:

• The Jackson County Extension Office is offering a workshop on for a “Spring Door Hanging” from 10 a.m. to noon Thursday, April 20, in Sylva. Instructor is Alicia Maney.

Cost is $6. To register, 828.586.4009.

• The 49th Annual Student Reception will be from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, April 20, at the Western Carolina University Fine Arts Museum. The exhibit will be on display through April 28 in the museum. The exhibi-

• The “Healing Through Art” exhibit will be held through April 29 at the Gallery & Gifts showroom at the Haywood County Arts Council in downtown Waynesville. See artistic pieces aimed at touching the lives of people through creativity, all while healing individuals and communities. www.haywoodarts.org.

arts & entertainment

tion is supported in part by the Western Carolina University Office of the Chancellor Arts & Cultural Events at WCU, WCU College of Fine & Performing Arts WCU School of Art & Design. museum@wcu.edu or 828.227.3591.

• Artists Maryellen Tully will lead an “Ancient Art of Silk Painting” demonstration from 1 to 3:30 p.m. Sunday, April 23, at the Uptown Gallery in Franklin. All are welcome to attend and participate. Free. 828.349.4706.

• “Paint Nite Waynesville” will be held at 6:30 p.m. on Thursdays at Frog Level Brewing in Waynesville. There will also be “Painting at the Porch” at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesdays at the Southern Porch in Canton.

Sign up for either event on the Paint Night Waynesville Facebook page (search event: Brush N. Brew) or call Robin Smathers at 828.400.9560. paintnitewaynesville@gmail.com.

• There will be a “Thursday Painters Open Studio” from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 6 to 9 p.m. at the Franklin Uptown Gallery. Bring a bag lunch, project and supplies. Free to the public. Membership not required. For information, call 828.349.4607.

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On the wall Judaculla Art Competition Artists from Western Carolina University and across the region are invited to submit entries in the Judaculla Art Competition being sponsored by WCU’s Cherokee Center.

Artwork on paper, canvas or in standing sculpture form can be turned in at the Cherokee Center, located at 1594 Acquoni Road in Cherokee, through Monday, May 1.

The artwork should be based on Judaculla Rock, a large soapstone boulder located near WCU’s Cullowhee campus that contains some of the best preserved petroglyphs (rock carvings) east of the Mississippi River.

Winning artwork will become the property of WCU and will be displayed in various locations around the WCU campus in Cullowhee and at the Cherokee Center.

For more information, contact Sky Sampson, director of the Cherokee Center, at 828.497.7920 or snsampson@wcu.edu.

Meadows art competition

April 19-25, 2017

US. Rep. Mark Meadows, R-Asheville, has announced his annual Congressional Art Competition for 2017.

The 2017 Artistic Discovery Contest is

open to all high school students who reside in the 11th District. All entries must be original in design, concept, and execution, with open categories such as painting, drawing, print, and more.

There will be a reception for all the students who enter, as well as their teachers and families, on April 29. The overall winner will receive two roundtrip tickets to the National Reception in Washington, D.C., a $3,000 scholarship to a prestigious Southeastern art college, and their art will be displayed for one year in the U.S. Capitol.

All entries must be received by 5 p.m. on April 21 at Rep. Meadows’ main district office located at 200 North Grove Street, Suite 90, Hendersonville, N.C. For more information, visit Meadows’ website at meadows.house.gov/services/artcompetition.

Macon painter exhibit There will be an exhibit showcasing the work of painter Sharon Ann Volker through the month of April at the Macon County Public Library in Franklin.

Volker is a self-taught artist. She began working with pastels in the early 1990s, experimenting first with the human form and then with a variety of still life and landscape subjects.

She may be contacted at 828.524.5078 or by email at volkerks@frontier.com.

HCC ‘Crafting Your Success’ summit Haywood Community College’s Small Business Center will hold a Professional Craft Artist Summit, “Crafting Your Success,” from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Wednesday, April 26, in the Creative Arts Building on campus.

Experience a one-day conference specifically designed to address needs and challenges faced by current and prospective craft artist business owners. Arts-

based businesses are unique ventures and require special business planning methods. This one-day event will provide the tools needed to move your business forward. Take this opportunity to network with fellow and prospective craft artists, learn skills and the power of collaboration along the way.

Deanna Lynch, owner of Deanna Lynch Textiles, will present at the summit. Enjoy a powerful keynote session from Brad Dodson of Mud Dabbers Pottery & Crafts, who has launched a successful venture

while mentoring fellow artists and diversifying their product mix to meet the everchanging needs of the market.

Sessions will include: • Image — Speakers, Jessy Duque, HCC Marketing and Andie Robbins, Write Simple • Sell — Speakers, Terri Gess, HCC Professional Crafts and Carrie Keith, Twigs and Leaves Gallery • Money — Carolina Small Business Development Fund and Deanna Lynch, Deanne Lynch Textiles • Plan — Russ Seagle, Sequoyah Fund & Kelsey Schissel, Plays in Mud Pottery • People — Tonya Wilson Snider, Ten Biz • Protect — Sarah Pacifi, Sheppard Insurance and Norman Leonard, Ward & Smith There is a registration fee of $25.

Registration deadline is April 24. Lunch and light snacks provided. Visit sbc.haywood.edu for more information or email kmgould@haywood.edu.

This event is sponsored by the Small Business Center Network, HCC Foundation, Western Women’s Business Center, Haywood County Arts Council, the Sequoyah Fund and The Smoky Mountain News.

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On the stage

Are you ready for ‘Artrageous’?

Brussels, Madrid, Macau, Tokyo, New Delhi, Thailand, Oman, Tanzania, Panamá, Dominican Republic, Los Cabos, Cancun, Guanajuato, Bermuda, Bahamas, Virgin Gorda, Toronto and Vancouver among others.

Tickets are $8 for students/children, $20 for WCU faculty/staff and $24 for adults/seniors.

For tickets or further information, visit the Bardo Arts Center box office Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. or one hour prior to each ticketed performance.

Tickets can also be found online at bardoartscenter.wcu.edu or by calling the box office at 828.227.2479.

April 19-25, 2017

The “Artrageous: An Interactive Art and Music Experience” will be held at 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, April 29, at the Bardo Arts Center at Western Carolina University.

The “Artrageous” troupe of artists, musicians, singers and dancers pay tribute to a variety of art forms, pop icons and musical genres culminating in a gallery of finished paintings. The Troupe was formed in 1980 in the Kitsilano district of Vancouver, British Columbia, by current Artrageous members Daniel K. Moyer and Deborah B. Noble.

Artrageous has produced over 2,500 shows both nationally and internationally, including performances in Paris, Salzburg, Monte Carlo,

MET VIA SATELLITE CONTINUES IN HIGHLANDS

• Comedian Jeff Foxworthy impersonator Jamie Simpson will hit the stage at 6 p.m.

Saturday, April 22, at the Rendezvous Restaurant in the Maggie Valley Inn. The event is a fundraiser for the Star Ranch Horse Rescue. $30 ticket includes all-you-can-eat buffet, drink, tax and tip. 828.734.0194.

ALSO:

• A production of “The Nerd” will hit the stage at 7:30 p.m. April 28-29 and 2 p.m.

April 30 at the Haywood Arts Regional Theatre in Waynesville. One of the funniest plays ever written, this extraordinarily inventive, side splitting comedy has had audiences laughing for years. Suitable for all audiences. Tickets are $25.68 per person. www.harttheatre.org or 828.456.6322.

mobile technology to help you get a lot less mobile.

Smoky Mountain News

The Highlands Performing Arts Center will continue the “Live via Satellite” series with the MET Opera’s production of “Eugene Onegin” by Tchaikovsky at 12:55 p.m.

Saturday, April 22. A pre-show discussion on the performance will be held at 12:30 p.m.

Tickets are available online at www.highlandspac.org, at the door or by calling 828.526.9047.

Log on. Plan a trip.

And start kicking back.

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Books

Smoky Mountain News

Pondering the power of forgiveness n Charles Martin’s novel A Life Intercepted (Center Street Publishers, 2014, 326 pages), college senior Matthew “the Rocket” Rising has everything going for him. He’s one of the best college quarterbacks the gridiron has ever seen, the NFL has made him the number one pick in the draft, and various sports companies are salivating to have The Rocket endorse their products. Best of all, Matthew is married Writer to Audrey, his high school sweetheart, his helpmate and anchor whose love for him seems bottomless.

Until, that is, the police arrest Matthew Rising for a terrible crime. Despite his claims of innocence, the evidence is nearly foolproof, and he is found guilty and sentenced to prison for 12 years. Audrey remains single, but refuses to have anything to do with him, at least to the best of Matthew’s knowledge.

After serving his sentence — his reputation in tatters, his career seemingly over, his wife gone — Matthew returns to his home of Gardi, Georgia, where with the help of a couple of loyal friends he tries to regain some part of his lost life. Despite the town’s hostility toward him, Matthew does make some headway in his quest to rebuild his shattered life. He tracks down Audrey, and though she still refuses to believe his claims of innocence, she at least speaks to him again. He also begins privately coaching a high school quarterback, Dalton Rogers, though because of his crime and the conditions of his parole Matthew is forbidden to be alone with minors and so jeopardizes his newly gained freedom.

During this time of recovery and redemption, Matthew remains plagued by Ginger Redman, captain of the cheerleaders in high school, member of the debate team, and number three in her class. Spurned by Matthew when they were in school together, Ginger Redman never loses her simmering hatred for Matthew and for Audrey. Now a national talk

Jeff Minick

I

show host, she leads the attack on Matthew’s decision to return home, rousing a mob against him, determined to make him crawl away and never return.

A Life Intercepted will not appeal to everyone. A good part of the story focuses on football, which may put off some readers.

Others may think the story contrived or engineered, with too many coincidences.

I am not one of these readers. A Life Intercepted struck me as an exceptionally good piece of fiction for several reasons.

First, there is the writing itself. Charles Martin tells his story in first person, and by doing so, brings Matthew Rising alive on the page. By dint of Martin’s fine writing, we experience the devastating pain of Matthew’s imploded life, his time in prison, and his difficult return to his hometown. He is a good man, a man with flaws and who misjudges some people and situations, but a man who generally tries to do the right thing, who remains loyal to his friends, who tries to understand the misguided hatred of those around him.

Martin once played football, and his abiding affection for the game and his knowledge of the skills involved on the playing field is another reason to try A Life Intercepted. Fans of the game will enjoy the flashbacks to Matthew’s football days, his feats in the prison yard with one of the guards, Gage, and his coaching of Dalton Rogers.

Another fine aspect to Martin’s novel is his treatment of today’s South. His dialogue, his descriptions of the Georgia towns and fields, the racial harmony found among many of the characters, the portraits of the townspeople: all of these have a fine-tuned feeling of someone who knows and loves this part of the country. In A Life Intercepted, Martin captures the South and gives readers a valid picture of life in today’s

Dixie.

Finally, this account of a man’s ruined life should cause readers to pause and wonder how they might face such destruction. Few of us encounter the trials undergone

by Matthew Rising. Few of us in America lose in one stroke — an hour, a day — everything we hold dear: our home, our livelihood, the respect of our community, the love and trust of our friends and our families, our self-respect and honor. Matthew is innocent — we know he was framed from the beginning of the novel — but innocent or not, this ordeal can kill the spirit. Martin’s portrayal of Matthew — his battles with doubt, his struggles to recover some small portion of his lost self, his regrets over what he has lost — is a vivid depiction of how quickly and savagely fate can strip away what we take for granted, leaving us to contend alone with darkness and despair.

In an “Author’s Note” at the end of A Life Intercepted, Charles Martin recounts his love of football, his hopes for his son, and his great respect for a certain friend, Dave. But his most important insight in this mini-biography has to do with forgiveness. In regard to A Life Intercepted and his own life, Martin writes: “I am speaking from experience when I say that forgiveness offered — especially when so undeserved — cuts chains off the human heart that no other power in any universe anywhere can rattle much less break. Dave forgave me when he had every right not to. That day in Tallahassee, love did what hatred could not and never will.”

Forgiveness offered cuts chains off the human heart that no other power in any universe anywhere can rattle much less break.

Something to ponder.

Something, once pondered, for some of us to put into action.

(Jeff Minick is a writer and teacher.

Minick0301@gmail.com.)

Illicit history of moonshine Barbara Mulder and Frank Stephenson Jr. will present their new book North Carolina Moonshine: An Illicit History at 3 p.m. Saturday, April 22, at City Lights Bookstore in Sylva.

North Carolina holds a special place in the history of moonshine. For more than three centuries, the illicit home-brew was a way of life. NASCAR emerged from the illegal moonshine trade as drivers such as Junior Johnson, accustomed to running from the law, moved to the racetrack.

A host of colorful characters populated the state’s bootlegging arena, like Marvin “Popcorn” Sutton, known as the Paul Bunyan of moonshine, and Alvin Sawyer considered the moonshine king of the Great Dismal Swamp. Some law enforcement played a constant cat-and-mouse game to shut down illegal stills, while some just looked the other way.

Mulder and Stephenson are longtime employees of Chowan University in Murfreesboro. Both grew up in rural Hertford County when moonshine was big business and moonshine stills could be found anywhere. While growing up, they heard numerous moonshine stories and knew people who were involved in moonshine one way or another. Their personal experience of and deep appreciation for the rural southern life experience was the catalyst for their writing this book.

To reserve copies of North Carolina Moonshine, call City Lights Bookstore at 828.586.9499.

Teen Poetry Night The annual Teen Poetry Night, an openmic event for high school-age poets and poetry lovers, will be held at 7 p.m. Monday, April 24, at The Rathskeller Coffee Haus & Pub in Franklin.

To celebrate National Poetry Month, young poets are invited to read or recite their original works, as well as share their favorite works by other poets, earning RAT Bucks to be spent at the event on The Rathskeller’s beverages, sandwiches, snacks and desserts. There’s no pre-registration, participants are given stage time on a first-come basis. Family members and friends are invited to come and cheer their teens on.

Admission is free. This event is sponsored by the Arts Council of Macon County, supported in part by the Grassroots Arts Program of the North Carolina Arts Council, a division of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.

Contact the Macon Arts Council for details, 828.524.ARTS or arts4all@dnet.net.

• Writer Bren McClain will present her latest work One Good Mama Bone at 3 p.m. Saturday, April 29, at City Lights Bookstore in Sylva. In the book, McClain gives us the story of Sarah Creamer, a recently widowed and dirt-poor single mother struggling to survive in rural South Carolina in the 1950’s.

Sarah has been told by her own mother that she’ll never have “one good mama bone” in her, and Sarah believed it. But when she buys a steer for her son to enter into the local cattle show and sale, hoping it will help them with their money troubles, the calf’s mother follows and what Sarah needed to know about compassion and good mothering she learns from watching Mama Red.

ALSO:

Joy to read new work Acclaimed Jackson County author David Joy will read from his latest novel, The Weight of This World, at 3 p.m. Saturday, April 22, at Blue Ridge Books in Waynesville.

A combat veteran returned from war, Thad Broom can’t leave the hardened world of Afghanistan behind, nor can he forgive himself for what he saw there. His mother April is haunted by her own demons, a secret trauma she has carried for years.

Between them is Aiden McCall, loyal to both but unable to hold them together.

Connected by bonds of circumstance and duty, friendship and love, these three lives are blown apart when Aiden and Thad witness an accidental death.

The event is free and open to the public.

April 19-25, 2017

Smoky Mountain News

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Outdoors

Smoky Mountain News

Smoke rises from the Dobson Knob Fire. Donated photo

“A lot of those heavy fuels on the ground are drier than normal, so we’ve got a lot of potential (for fire),” Wilkins said, “but we’ve had regular rain.”

That rain has kept the fire at bay and wildfire frequency to normal levels.

That’s good for air quality and for residents’ peace of mind. It’s also good for Wilkins’ ability to get his district back in shape after the fall.

The 2016 wildfires left the Nantahala District with miles of exposed dirt where firefighting crews had dug firebreaks through the forest, roads impacted from the steady traffic of firefighting equipment, and burned-up infrastructure. The observation area at Whitewater Falls near Cashiers was completely destroyed, prompting the Forest Service to close the popular area until it could be rebuilt.

The tower roof at Wayah Bald burned up, as did the seven interpretive signs posted there.

According to Wilkins, the work is going well. Crews began rehabilitating the fire lines last year as the fires dwindled down but then stopped as winter moisture kicked in. Rehab started up again about three weeks ago and there are another three weeks or so of work to go. Come May, crews will turn their attention unhealthy or unhealthy for sensitive groups, to the gated roads that doubled as fire lines when no such days were recorded in 2013, last fall. More than 40 miles of line were built 2014 or 2015. In 2012, air quality was on 50 miles of road, and the Forest Service unhealthy for sensitive groups on two days. will work with the N.C. Wildlife Resources “We haven’t had that nighttime inversion Commission to reseed those disturbed areas. too bad so far,” Wilkins said of the season.

“There’s not too much for erosion issues, Spring fire season typically goes throughbut they need to re-establish the drainage, get out the month of April into early May. Once those (plants) growing again,” Wilkins said. the trees leaf out, fire danger diminishes as Up at Whitewater Falls, a contract to rebuild is out for bid. The Forest Service hopes to have the work done by July 4, with a price tag likely between $150,000 and $200,000. About 55,000 people visit the site each year.

Wilkins is still looking for funding to replace the lost interpretative signs, which will cost $10,000 to $12,000.

However, a partnership is While the drought situation has coming together to restore improved, much of Western North the roof that burned off of Carolina is still in severe drought. Wayah Tower.

Donated graphic Jeff Johnson Timber Frames, of Franklin, has voltrees retain moisture in their leaves and unteered to create a frame for the roof, with humidity increases between the canopy and the Forest Service buying materials and the forest floor. So, if this year’s early spring company’s staff offering its nights and weekresults in an early leaf-out, spring fire season ends to make the frame. The Forest Service could even be cut a bit short. will then hire a contractor to put the roof in Things are still drier than they should be. place and shingle it.

Haywood, Jackson, Swain, Macon, Graham, “It will have the same look, just a couple Clay and Cherokee counties are all in severe feet taller to match the historical look,” drought, the second designation on the fourWilkins said. tier drought scale. But that’s an improvement When the fires finally ended last year, over the fall, when the six westernmost counWilkins’ office had its work cut out for it. And ties were designated as experiencing excepwith uncertainty as to what the spring wildfire tional drought, the most dire of the four classeason would bring, it was hard to say when it sifications, and the nine adjacent counties — might all get done. Now, with leaf-out immiincluding Haywood — were just one designanent, Wilkins is feeling optimistic. tion below that with extreme drought.

“We’re busy,” he said, “but we’re on track.”

Spring fire season arrives Steady rain keeps wildfire to normal levels as region recovers from historic fall blazes

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER hen rains finally quelled the flames of 2016’s historic fall fire season, firefighters breathed sighs of relief and mountain residents rejoiced in the newly smokeless air, but land managers were already looking ahead to springtime, when wildfires are typically even more severe and damaging than in the fall.

At the time, the region was plunged in the most severe drought designation possible — even the days of steady rain that ended the fire season made barely a dent in it — and long-term forecasts were calling for a dry future.

Now, halfway through the spring fire season, the prognosis is positive. A repeat of last fall is not anticipated.

“We’ve had rain about every three to five days, so that kind of kept a lid on it. The leaves are starting to pop out. So far it’s been a pretty normal fire season,” said Mike Wilkins, district ranger for the Nantahala Ranger District of the Nantahala National Forest.

A normal fire season. But not a nonexistent one.

Things kicked off with the Sugar Cove Fire’s ignition Jan. 28 when a brush burn escaped near Marion. The fire reached 577 acres over the next four days until it was controlled. A couple weeks later, the humancaused Cold Mountain Fire ignited in the Shining Creek Wilderness Area in Haywood County, reaching 132 acres before it was contained. The lightning-caused White Creek Fire in Linville Gorge burned for nearly two weeks before being contained at 5,538 acres March 28, and as of press time the Dobson Knob Fire near Marion, whose cause is under investigation, was 85 percent contained at 1,760 acres.

While the bigger fires have thus far stayed

W

in the eastern part of the region, Wilkins has been dealing with blazes in his neck of the woods as well. The Appalachian Trail between Winding Stair Gap and Wayah Gap was closed all day Tuesday, April 11, due to the 446-acre Muskrat II Fire that started off of Boardtree Road, a U.S. Forest Service Road that branches off of U.S. 64 just west of Franklin. Working with the N.C. Forest Service, structures threatened on the private land adjoining the national forest were protected and the fire was contained.

“It’s still under investigation, but at this point in time I feel like it was an arson fire,” Wilkins said. “I feel like they went into the road a ways and set that. It wasn’t lightning, it wasn’t an accidental fire from a vehicle, so we strongly suspect arson. So it is under investigation.”

Wilkins has had a few other blazes pop up recently, as well, but they’ve all been minor.

Last week, a couple of one-tenth-acre fires were put out, as well as another that was roughly half an acre. That last one was technically on private land but started a couple hundred feet from the national forest boundary.

Causes for those fires are under investigation, but Wilkins said, “We strongly suspect arson.”

Over in Clay county, 30 firefighters are battling the 279-acre State Line Fire, which started April 15 and was 80 percent contained as of press time.

However, the spring fire season hasn’t come close to approaching the severity of fall 2016, when roughly 48,000 acres burned through the national forests west of Asheville, with tens of thousands more east of Asheville and in Georgia, Tennessee and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. According to the Western North Carolina Air Quality Agency, in 2016 Buncombe County recorded eight days with air quality that was either

Become a junior ranger

Meet the birds of Buck Creek

Wildflower Whimsy returns A two-day event offering wildflower walks, a native plant auction, a guest speaker and cocktail reception will celebrate the coming of spring May 5-6 at the Highlands Biological Station.

A bumble bee buzzes around a pinxter azalea. Clay Bolt photo

Rendezvous with rattlers An up-close encounter with a captive rattlesnake and hike through rattler habitat will be offered 2-3:30 p.m. Saturday, April 29, during the Radical Rattlers program at Balsam Mountain Trust, located within the Balsam Mountain Preserve.

One of the region’s most misunderstood creatures, timber rattlesnakes play a critical role in mountain ecosystems. Program participants will get to meet the Balsam Mountain Trust’s resident rattler, learn about the species’ natural history — including what to do when encountering one — and take a quick hike to identify rattlesnake habitat. $5 suggested donation with reservations required by April 27. RSVP online at www.balsammountaintrust.org or call Jen Knight, 828.631.1061.

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The 3rd Gateway to the Smokies Half Marathon follows nearly the exact same course as previous years, begining on Main Street in beautiful downtown Waynesville and winding through neighborhoods & scenic farmlands to finish in Frog Level, a revitalized railroad district listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

New this year is the 4-Miler, which starts and finishes at the same place as the Half Marathon.

Smoky Mountain News

Wildflower Whimsy will kick off at 5:30 p.m. Friday, May 5, with a guided tour of the Highlands Botanical Garden, a repository of more than 450 native species, with a reception featuring live music and wine to follow. The next day, three guided wildflower walks will be offered with a special focus on fire ecology, and participants will also have the chance to join a wildcrafting workshop.

$75 for Highlands Biological Foundation members; $100 for nonmembers. All proceeds benefit the Foundation’s mission to foster research and education focused on the rich natural heritage of the Southern Appalachians. www.highlandsbiological.org/wildflower-whimsy/ or 828.526.2221.

Saturday, May 27

April 19-25, 2017

A birding walk ambling through open fields, forested habitats and a bog will be offered beginning at 8 p.m. Monday, April 24, at Buck Creek off of U.S. 64 in Clay County.

Led by naturalist and Smoky Mountain News columnist Don Hendershot, as well as Brent Martin, director of the Sylva-based regional office of The Wilderness Society, the walk will likely include sightings of Louisiana waterthrush, hooded warbler, black-throated green, indigo bunting, scarlet tanager, brown thrasher and many more.

Organized by the Franklin Bird Club, with a carpool leaving from Franklin. RSVP at 828.524.5234.

outdoors

ed special park partners, including the A new crop of Junior Rangers will learn University of Tennessee’s Astronomy how to explore, learn and protect their Department, Great Smoky Mountains national park during Junior Ranger Day, 10 Institute at Tremont, Smoky Mountain a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, April 22, in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

A Junior Ranger Events at the Oconaluftee, investigates an Sugarlands and Cades Cove animal skull. NPS photo visitor centers will offer free, hands-on activities including ranger-guided walks, historic toy making, a chance to talk with a real wildland firefighter, creating a personal bandana and visiting touch tables with animals skins, skulls and scat.

Children can earn a free Junior Ranger badge by completing three specifically Field School and the National Parks planned activities. For older visitors who Conservation Association to provide special still wish to participate, the park also offers presentations and activities. a patch for completing the “Not-So-Junior Visitors should bring water, sunscreen Ranger” program. and sturdy shoes.

In celebration of Earth Day and this Ranger Joshua Contois, year’s upcoming total solar eclipse, Great Joshua_Contois@nps.gov or 865.436.1252.

Smoky Mountains National Park has invit-

STRAWBERRY JAM FESTIVAL & PLOW DAY

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outdoors

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Get the inside scoop on community gardening Local plant expert Adam Bigelow will discuss the joys and benefits of community gardening at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 27, at the Jackson County Public Library in Sylva.

Bigelow’s talk will focus on the Sylva and Cullowhee community gardens, of which he is the director. He’ll cover the work that people do in these gardens, who it benefits and how to get involved or start a new community garden.

Free. Co-sponsored by Friends of the Jackson County Public Library. 828.586.2016.

Get rid of old pesticides

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Smoky Mountain News

April 19-25, 2017

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Mountain residents can dispose of unwanted pesticides for free during Haywood County Pesticide Collection Day, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Thursday, April 27, at the Haywood County Cooperative Extension Office in Waynesville.

Nearly all pesticides will be collected, including banned and out-of-date materials.

Save any portion of the label in order to assist with disposal — unknown materials cannot be accepted. Contact the extension office before April 27 for information about disposing pressurized pesticide gas or containers larger than 5 gallons.

Residents of Haywood County and all surrounding North Carolina counties are encouraged to participate.

Bill Skelton, 828.456.3575.

Plant sales coming to the mountains Plants a-plenty will be on sale in Western North Carolina next weekend, offering ample opportunity to stock up on quality specimens for the coming growing season. n The Spring Crafts and Plant Sale will come to Haywood Community College 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Friday, April 28, with plants available in the Nix Horticulture Complex.

Plants are organically grown by HCC horticulture students, with annuals, perennials, vegetables, herbs and houseplants on sale.

Proceeds benefit the horticulture department and club. 828.627.4625. n The Corneille Bryan Native Garden will hold a plant sale 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, April 29, at Lake Junaluska. The sale will be at the top of the garden where J.B. Ivey Lane and Country Road meet. Janet, 828.778.5938. n The Sylva Garden Club will hold a plant sale 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, April 22, in conjunction with the Greening up the Mountains Festival in Sylva. Perennials, herbs, container plants, fairy gardens and pecans will be available. At 11 a.m. Annie Burrell of Rabbit Creek Pottery will demonstrate how to put together a whimsical fairy garden, and at 1 p.m. Kathy Montgomery, garden club president, will demonstrate pruning basics.

Proceeds benefit club beautification projects. The booth will be on Main Street between Sassy Frass and First Citizen’s Bank.

Find a farmers market

Haywood County Haywood Historic Farmers Market, Waynesville Getting there: 8 a.m. to noon, Wednesdays and Saturdays now through the end of October, at 250 Pigeon St. in the parking lot of the HART Theatre.

What’s happening: Local produce; meats, eggs, honey, dairy, value-added products, heritage crafts and more for sale by 30 to 40 vendors at the height of the season, all of whom produce their wares in Haywood or an adjacent county.

Ways to pay: Credit and debit card, SNAP/EBT benefits, cash.

Contact: haywoodfarmersmarket@gmail.com.

Online at www.waynesvillefarmersmarket.com or www.facebook.com/haywoodhistoricfarmersmarket.

The Original Waynesville Tailgate Market, Waynesville Getting there: 8 a.m. to noon, Wednesdays and Saturdays May 17 to the end of October at the American Legion Parking Lot on Legion Drive off Main Street.

What’s happening: Haywood County vegetables, fruits, eggs and cut flowers for sale. Kids

Corner Market will be offered on the first Saturday of the month June through September to provide farm-related, kid-friendly activities about local food. New vendors are wanted.

Ways to pay: Cash, check, WIC and senior coupons from the Haywood County Department of Health and Human Services.

Contact: Vicky Rogers, 828.456.1830 or vrogers12@att.net.

Jackson County Jackson County Farmers Market, Sylva Getting there: Saturdays, 9 a.m. to noon at Bridge Park through the end of October; 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Community Table November to March.

What’s happening: A variety of locally produced vegetables, meats, honey, plants and crafts.

Plants, mushrooms, greens, spices, eggs, baked goods, goat cheese, flowers and local crafts such for sale by 20-35 vendors. Family Art at the Market offered some Saturdays from 10 a.m. to noon. A Taste the Market fundraiser occurs on the second Saturday of each month.

Ways to pay: Cash, credit, debit and SNAP benefits accepted.

Contact: Lisa, 828.393.5236 or jacksoncountyfarmersmarket@gmail.com. www.facebook.com/thegloriousjacksoncountyfarmersmarket, or www.jacksoncountyfarmersmarket.org.

The ‘Whee Farmers Market, Cullowhee Getting there: 4 p.m. to dusk, Tuesdays through

Macon County Franklin Farmers Tailgate Market Getting there: 8 a.m. to noon, Saturdays though the end of October on East Palmer Street across from Drake Software.

What’s happening: Variety of homegrown products, including fruits and vegetables, cheese, plants, eggs, trout, preserves, honey and artisan breads sold by an average of 25-30 vendors.

Contact: Alan Durden, 828.349.2049 or alan_durden@ncsu.edu. www.facebook.com/franklinncfarmersmarket.

Swain County Swain County Farmers Market, Bryson City Getting there: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Fridays May 5 through October 27, at the barn on Island Street in Bryson City.

What’s happening: Local produce, nursery plants, herbs, trout, eggs, honey and artisan crafts such as jewelry, wood carvings and gourds sold by anywhere from eight to 15 vendors.

Ways to pay: Cash/check.

Contact: Christine Bredenkamp, 828.488.3848 or christine_bredenkamp@ncsu.edu. www.facebook.com/SwainCountyFarmersMarket.

Local food roundtable scheduled A community roundtable to gather information about local food and healthy living assets in the Cashiers area will be held 9-11 a.m. Thursday, April 20, at the Cashiers/Glenville Recreation Center.

The event is part of a series of community roundtables gathering information to support agriculture-related businesses in the seven western counties. Anyone who is in an agriculture-related business, serves local food, is a market manager or is an elected official, is welcome.

Organized by the Southwestern Commission and the N.C. Rural Center.

828.586.1962.

outdoors

Flowers are blooming, leaves are unfurling and farmers markets are starting up across Western North Carolina. No matter what county you live in, there’s a place to go for a weekly opportunity to purchase fresh, local produce and handmade crafts.

the end of October, at the University Inn on 563 North Country Club Drive.

What’s happening: Meats, eggs, cheeses, vegetables, value-added products and crafts sold by an average of eight vendors.

Ways to pay: Cash/check, with some vendors accepting credit and debit cards.

Contact: Curt Collins, 828.476.0334. www.facebook.com/CullowheeFarmersMarket.

Get gardening Garden spaces are available at the Hunter Community Garden near Canton.

Located off of Newfound Gap Road, one-third mile away from I-40, the garden offers family-size plots with underground irrigation lines, hoses and sprinklers. Garden tools are available for use, including a tiller, and initial plowing and tilling is provided. $35 fee defrays fuel and irrigation pump costs. Sign up by May 1 with Sarah Scott at the Haywood County Cooperative Extension Center, 828.456.3575.

April 19-25, 2017 Smoky Mountain News 45

outdoors

Prepare for the eclipse

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Enrique Gomez, associate professor of astronomy and physics at WCU, will present “The Great American Eclipse of 2017: The science of the upcoming solar What to Expect and How to Experience It.” eclipse will take center stage during a free The event will cause a narrow but lengthy swath of North America to experience a period of total darkness during daytime hours on Monday, Aug. 21.

“My intent for this presentation is to talk primarily about the science of an eclipse and how to experience the eclipse safely,” said Gomez, who has witnessed two total solar eclipses in his lifetime – in Mexico City in 1991 and in Austria in 1999.

This will be the first total solar Enrique Gomez. WCU photo eclipse on the continental United States since 1979, and the first in Cullowhee since 1506. Astronomers say program at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 25, in Cullowhee’s next total solar eclipse won’t be the theater of A.K. Hinds University Center until 2153. at Western Carolina University.

Kick off spring with Beer, Bluegrass and BBQ An all-day celebration of spring and the outdoors will commence Saturday, April 29, at Outdoor 76 in Franklin with the return of Beer, Bluegrass, BBQ. The event will kick off at 11 a.m. with nature-related crafts for children, live music and a showcase of Oskar Blues Brewery by Rock House Lodge. From noon to 5 p.m., members of the Nantahala Hiking Club, N.C. Bartram Trail Society and The

Fish Fest coming to Haywood A fishing clinic, fish fry and fishing tournament will liven up the Haywood Community College campus Saturday, April 29, at the HCC millpond.

The day will begin with the fishing clinic, 1-4 p.m. Open to children ages 6-12, the clinic is free, with dinner included, and will introduce lessons in water safety, fishing ethics and respect for the outdoors. The fish fry and tournament will follow from 4 to 6 p.m., with a tournament grand prize of a $100 Bass Pro Shop gift certificate.

Clinic space is limited. Register at 828.627.4560. Tournament fee is $8, and dinner purchase is $8. Proceeds benefit the HCC Wildlife Club.

Smoky Mountain News

Shout it out on the Nantahala

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Wilderness Society will be offering presentations on the area’s trail systems, land and water. And from 5-7 p.m., barbecue from Appalachian Smoke will be on sale. Live music will be playing all day until the event wraps up at 9 p.m., with bands including Midnight Sun, Travers Brothership and Nitrograss.

A portion of the proceeds will benefit Mainspring Conservation Trust, which will also be holding a raffle during which two winners will take home an Old Town kayak.

Free, with food, beer, T-shirts and raffle tickets available for purchase.

A weekend of freestyle clinics and competition on the Nantahala River will be held at the Nantahala Outdoor Center Saturday, April 22, and Sunday, April 23.

Organized by the Nantahala Racing Club, the Nantahala Freestyle Shoutout is designed for people of all ages and ability levels. On Saturday, paddling clinics will cover rules,

offer competition tips and allow time for practice runs before competitive events.

Sunday will consist of competition with high-end judges, great prizes and fun for all.

Simultaneously, the NOC Trail Festival will be going on April 21-22, and competitors in the 212-mile Smoky Mountain Relay will be crossing the finish line at NOC around 11 a.m. April 22.

A full schedule for the Freestyle Shoutout is available at nantahalaracingclub.com/event/nrc-freestyle-competition.

Weekly trail closures planned in the Smokies A demolition project in the Elkmont Historic District of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park will result in closure of two trails this spring.

The Little River Trail will be closed Monday through Friday from the trailhead to its junction with the Cucumber Gap Trail, weekly through May 5. The Jakes Creek Trail will be closed Monday through Friday from the trailhead to its junction with Cucumber Gap Trail from May 8 to May 26.

All backcountry campsites and shelters will remain open and are accessible using routes that do not include the closed sections. Both trails will be open on weekends.

WNC Calendar COMMUNITY EVENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS • Information sessions for Evergreen Foundation grants will be offered at 10 a.m. on April 19 at Macon County Public Library in Franklin; 12:30 p.m. on April 19 at Jackson County Public Library in Sylva; and at 2 p.m. on April 19 at the Haywood County Public Library in Waynesville. Proposals are due at 5 p.m. on May 31. dcoleman@evergreennc.org or 421.7483. www.evergreenfoundationnc.org.

• Haywood Habitat for Humanity will hold information sessions for applicants at 2 p.m. on Sunday, April 30, at the Canton Library, and at 6 p.m. on Thursday, May 18, at Long’s Chapel United Methodist Church in Waynesville. 452.7960.

• The Haywood County Public Library Foundation’s inaugural presidential volunteer service awards ceremony is at 6:30 p.m. on April 19, at the Colonial Theatre in Franklin. 356.2504.

Jackson Campus. j_burgess@southwesterncc.edu.

339.4426 or l_downs@southwesterncc.edu.

• Applications are being accepted through April 24 for one Commercial Use Authorization that will be granted to a temporary food and beverage operation to serve the public during the Aug. 21 solar eclipse event at the Clingmans Dome parking area in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Approximately 1,600 people are expected to be shuttled into Clingmans Dome that day. www.nps.gov/grsm/getinvolved/dobusinesswithus.htm, 865.436.1209 or GRSM_Concessions@nps.gov.

• A community roundtable to gather information about the local food scene and other healthy living assets will be held by the Southwestern Commission from 9-11 a.m. on April 20 at the Cashiers/Glenville Recreation Center. 586.1962.

•The Jackson County Public Library is hosting a Women’s Positivity Group starting at 6 p.m. April 20.

586.2016.

• A Career Fair will be held from 3-6 p.m. on Tuesday, April 25, at Haywood Community College’s Regional High Technology Center in Waynesville. 565.4021.

• Deadline to enter the Congressional Art Competition is April 21. Entries must be original in design, concept and execution. Entries can be painting, drawing, print & more. Overall winner receives two round-trip tickets to the National Reception in Washington, D.C. and a $3,000 scholarship to a prestigious Southeastern art college; and their art will be displayed for a year in the U.S. Capitol. Entries must be received by 5 p.m. at U.S. Rep. Mark Meadows’ main district office at 200 N. Grove Street, Suite 90, in Hendersonville. https://meadows.house.gov/services/art-competition.

• A Professional Craft Artist Summit entitled “Crafting Your Success” will be offered from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. on Wednesday, April 26, through Haywood Community College’s Small Business Center at the Creative Arts Building on HCC’s campus in Clyde. $25. Registration deadline is April 24: sbc.haywood.edu or kmgould@haywood.edu.

• Denim Day, in support of “Sexual Assault Awareness Month,” is April 26. Wear jeans or denim to support awareness. NOMORE.org or DenimDayinfo.org.

ReachofHaywood.org or 456.7898.

BUSINESS & EDUCATION • A “Cash Flow Management” lunch-n-learn will be offered by the Sequoyah Fund from 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. on April 19, at the Sequoyah Fund offices in the Ginger Lynn Welch Complex at 810 Acquoni Road in Cherokee. 359-5003. http://tinyurl.com/k94jpw2.

• A business planning workshop for craft artists will be offered by Southwestern Community College’s Small Business Center from 2-5 p.m. on April 20, at the Swain Center in Bryson City. www.ncsbc.net. t_henry@southwesterncc.edu or 339.4426.

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$30. 734.0194.

All phone numbers area code 828 unless otherwise noted.

• Nick Hawks, “The eBay Guy,” will be the presenter during Southwestern Community College’s online selling series on April 24-25 at the Jackson Campus. Sessions include: “A Guide to Selling on Etsy” (1-4 p.m. on April 24); “A Guide to Selling on Amazon” (6-9 p.m. on April 24); “eBay for Beginners” (1-4 p.m. on April 25); and “eBay Build Your Business” (6-9 p.m. on April 25).

Register: www.ncsbc.net. Info: t_henry@southwesterncc.edu or 339.4426.

• A presentation about an upcoming total solar eclipse will be offered by Western Carolina University astronomer Enrique Gomez at 7:30 p.m. on April 25, in the theater of A.K. Hinds University Center in Cullowhee.

Eclipse is Aug. 21.

Smoky Mountain News

• “Business 101 for Craft Artists,” a workshop, will be offered by Southwestern Community College’s Small Business Center from 2-5 p.m. on April 27, at the Swain Center in Bryson City. at the Swain Center in Bryson City. www.ncsbc.net. t_henry@southwesterncc.edu or 339.4426.

• Western Carolina University will hold multiple information sessions for parents interested in enrolling their children in the Catamount School, a new laboratory school being established for grades six through eight at Smoky Mountain High School. Sessions are at 6:15 p.m. on April 25 at the Jackson County Public Library and at 5:30 p.m. on May 4 at Cullowhee Valley School.

227.7311.

• The Maggie Valley Chamber and Maggie Valley Police Department will conduct a responsible server/seller training for on-premise and off-premise business owners from 10 a.m.-noon on April 25 at the Maggie Valley Inn and Conference Center. RSVP: 926.1686 or teresa@maggievalley.org.

FUNDRAISERS AND BENEFITS

• A “Women’s Business Networking Luncheon” will be offered at the HCC Regional High Technology Center in Waynesville from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. on April 20SBC.Haywood.edu or 627.4512.

• An Empty Bowl 2017 fundraiser to benefit The Community Table in Sylva will be held from 4-8 p.m.

April 21. For $20 at the door (cash or check) enjoy a choice of ceramic bowl donated by local potters. Assorted soups, breads, and desserts will be served. Enjoy live music by Geoff McBride, and Kim Shuler. communitytable.org.

• A discussion on Saudi Arabia, part of the Great Decisions Series, is scheduled for 5:15-6:45 p.m. on April 20, at the Waynesville Library. 356.2507 or kolsen@haywoodnc.net.

• Bi-Lo of Franklin’s Relay for Life team is raffling a 40-inch flatscreen television. $1 per ticket or six tickets for $5. Raffle is May 19. Stop by the store and ask for Tony in the bakery or call 399.9560,

• The therapeutic massage program at Southwestern Community College will offer a continuing education workshop from 9:30 a.m.-4 p.m. on April 22, at the

• Jeff Foxworthy will bring comedy to the Star Ranch Horse Rescue’s Horsin’ Around! Event at 6 p.m. on April 22, at Rendezvous Restaurant in Maggie Valley. Tickets:

• Tickets are on sale now for the Ducks on the Tuck “Duck Draw Raffle” to benefit Southwestern Community College’s New Century Scholars program that assures last-dollar tuition to middle school students in Jackson, Macon and Swain Counties. More than 30 prizes available including a 50-inch smart flatscreen television.

Drawing is May 12. Tickets are $5 each or $25 for six.

339.4227 or k_posey@southwesterncc.edu. A related “Where’s Tucker” social media selfie photo contest starts April 17. More at www.southwesterncc.edu/ducksonthetuck.

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

• A Garden Party Luncheon and Fashion Show – a REACH event – is scheduled for 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. on April 25 at The Inn at Tranquility Farm in Waynesville. Raffle and silent auction. Tickets: $60 and includes mimosa bar and lunch. Fashion by High Country Style.

• Diabetes classes will be offered from 1-3 p.m. on Tuesdays, through May 23, at the Haywood County Health & Human Services Agency in Clyde. 356.2272.

• Children’s Hope Alliance, the largest foster care provider in North Carolina, will host its annual “Giving Them Hope” luncheon from 11:45 a.m.-1 p.m. on April 25, at Southwestern Community College’s Burrell Conference Center in Sylva. 231.5413 or www.ChildrensHopeAlliance.org.

• Haywood Community College’s Wildlife Club will hold a Fish Fest from 1-6 p.m. on April 29, at the college’s mill pond in Clyde. Fishing clinic from 1-4 p.m.; fish fry and tournament from 4-6 p.m. Clinic is for ages 6-12. $8 entry fee for trout fishing tournament, which is open to kids and adults. Fish dinner is $8. Proceeds benefit the HCC Wildlife Club. 627.4560.

• Feline Urgent Rescue (FUR of WNC) is hosting a cat food drive throughout April at 79 Branner Drive in Waynesville. 844.888.2287 or www.furofwnc.org.

• Women of Waynesville, a nonprofit organization that supports the needs of women and children in Haywood County, will present its inaugural “Kentucky Derby Gala Fundraiser” from 4 to 8 p.m. Saturday, May 6, at The Waynesville Inn. Tickets are $35 at www.eventbrite.com/e/kentuckyderby-gala-fundraiser-tickets-33061166840. www.womenofwaynesville.org • Tickets are on sale for “Sharing Our Passion for Compassion” – a charity dining event to benefit Hospice House Foundation of WNC. Event is at 6:30 p.m. on May 10 at Canyon Kitchen in Cashiers. $175 per person. www.hhfwnc.org, 524.8261 or micheleralderson@gmail.com.

VOLUNTEERS & VENDORS • Volunteers are needed for the Jackson County Special Olympics Spring Games, which are April 28 at the Smoky Mountain High School track. 293.3053.

• The Downtown Waynesville Association is seeking heritage themed vendors for the annual Appalachian Lifestyle Celebration that will take place Saturday, June 10, on Main Street. 456.3517 to request an application or visit the event calendar at www.downtownwaynesville.com. Applications accepted until April 28.

HEALTH MATTERS • A series of wellness workshops to help you learn how to use essential oils will be offered in Haywood County.

Essential Oils 101 is at 6 p.m. on April 19; Emotions + Oils is at 6 p.m. on April 20 and 26; and Earth Day Soiree – how to reduce the toxic load in your home to boost overall health – is at 6 p.m. on April 22.

275.6496.

• The American Red Cross will hold a blood drive from noon-6 p.m. on April 19 at Western Carolina University’s Hinds University Center in Cullowhee.

• Harris Palliative Care will provide free living will assistance from 9 a.m.-noon on April 19, in Harris Regional Hospital’s private dining room in Sylva.

586.7145 or www.nhdd.org.

• The American Red Cross will hold a blood drive from 4-8 p.m. on April 20 at American Legion Post No. 47 in Waynesville.

• The American Red Cross will hold a blood drive from 11:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. on April 20 at Cashiers Baptist Church in Cashiers.

• A “Detox Naturally” program will be offered from 2-3 p.m. on April 21, at the Waynesville Library.

• The American Red Cross will hold a blood drive from 1-6 p.m. on April 24 at Veteran’s building on Moose Branch Road in Robbinsville.

• A Lunch and Learn event on hip replacement and a new surgical, less-invasive, anterior approach will be offered at noon on April 25, in the Harris Regional Hospital boardroom. 631.8894.

RECREATION AND FITNESS • The High Mountain Squares will host their Spring Fling Dance from 6:15-8:45 p.m. on April 21, at the Memorial United Methodist Church in Franklin.

342.1560, 332.0001 or www.highmountainsquares.com.

POLITICAL • Indivisible Swain County NC meets at 6 p.m. on April 19 at the Historic Calhoun Hotel in Bryson City. Topics: environmental and healthcare issues. 488.1118.

• Concerned Citizens for Health Care is presenting a Health Care Forum at 5:30 p.m. April 20 at HART Theater in Waynesville.

• N.C. Rep. Mike Clampitt of Bryson City will have a quarterly meeting for Swain County from 4-6 p.m. on April 21 at the Chief Joyce Dugan Cultural Arts Center in Cherokee. 554.5032.

AUTHORS AND BOOKS • The Book Review Committee of the Junaluskans will feature Sara Jenkins, who will review “Small is Beautiful: Economics As If People Mattered” by E.F. Schumacher at 10 a.m. on April 19, in the Susan Todd Lounge of the Harrell center at Lake Junaluska. clauser@charter.net.

• Jackson County author David Joy will read from and discuss his new novel “The Weight of This World” at 3 p.m. on April 22, at Blue Ridge Books in Waynesville.

456.6000 or www.blueridgebooksnc.com.

• Barbara Mulder and Frank Stephenson Jr. will present their new book North Carolina Moonshine: An Illicit History at 3 p.m. Saturday, April 22, at City Lights Bookstore in Sylva. To reserve a copy call 586.9499.

wnc calendar

• Marianna Black Library will host a “Poetry Slam” at 6 p.m. April 25, at the library auditorium in Bryson City. Featuring Janet Smith’s fifth grade class from the Mountain Discovery Charter School. 488.3030.

SENIOR ACTIVITIES • Harris Palliative Care will provide free living with assistance from 9 a.m.-noon on April 19, in Harris Regional Hospital’s private dining room. 586.7145.

KIDS & FAMILIES • Registration is underway through April 21 for a girls volleyball league through the Jackson County Recreation Department. $30. League is on Thursday evenings from May 4-June 8 at the Cullowhee Recreation Center. www.rec.jacksonnc.org.

• Kindergarten registration is at 8:30 p.m. on April 19, at Iotla Valley Elementary School.

• Kids’ Introduction to Fly Fishing will be offered to ages 8-15 from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. on April 18 at the Pisgah Center for Wildlife Education in Brevard. http://tinyurl.com/jq4r6x3. Info: 877.4423.

• A program on Tracking will be offered to ages 8-15 from 1-3 p.m. on April 19 at the Pisgah Center for Wildlife Education in Brevard. http://tinyurl.com/jq4r6x3. Info: 877.4423.

• A family science night will be offered at 6 p.m. on April 20, at the Macon County Public Library in Franklin. 524.3600.

• The Biltmore Volleyball Academy’s annual Jr. Hi Neighbor tournament is April 22-23. coral@darbycommunications.com.

• Kindergarten registration for South Macon Elementary School will be at 9:15 a.m. on April 21.

• Safety Town is from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. on April 22, at the Macon County Community Building in Franklin.

April 19-25, 2017

• Young Child Children’s Fair is April 25 at the Cherokee Indian Fairgrounds in Cherokee.

KIDS MOVIES • A family movie will be shown at 3:30 p.m. on April 25, at Marianna Black Library in Bryson City. Movie is about a Hawaiian girl raised by her teenage sister after the death of their parents in an auto accident.

Info, including movie title: 488.3030.

A&E Smoky Mountain News

FESTIVALS AND SPECIAL EVENTS • An NC Science Festival Event featuring a portable planetarium show is scheduled for 5-7 p.m. on April 20, at the Macon County Public Library in Franklin.

524.3600.

• The High Country Quilt Guild Monthly Meeting will be held at 6:30 p.m. April 20 at The First Methodist Church in Waynesville. It will feature a trunk show of crazy quilts

by Sandra Baker. www.highcountryquilts.wordpress.com.

• Greening Up the Mountains Festival is from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. on April 22 on the streets of downtown Sylva. Food, children’s activities and multiple regional music acts. www.greeningupthemountains.com; 631.4587 or greeningupthemountains@gmail.com.

• Western Carolina University’s 15th annual Jazz Festival will bring a day of master classes and performances to campus from noon to 10 p.m. April 22, at the John W. Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center.

48 227.3261 or pwlosok@wcu.edu

• The 23rd annual Southeastern Mini Truckin’ Nationals is April 22-23, at the Maggie Valley Festival Grounds. Open car and truck show. 865.742.7403, minitruckinnats@gmail.com or look up the event on Facebook.

FOOD & DRINK • The Inn at Tranquility Farm will host the “Colors of Spring” dinner from 6 to 9 p.m. Thursday, April 20, in Waynesville. Meal will include Hors D’oeuvres, main course, and dessert for $80 per person, which also includes fine wine and tax. Tables may be reserved in advance for parties of 8 or more. To RSVP, 564.1105 or sutton@innattranquilityfarm.com. www.innattranquilityfarm.com.

ON STAGE & IN CONCERT • Western Carolina University (Cullowhee) will WCU Jazz Combo 7:30 p.m. April 19, Guitar Ensemble Recital 7:30 p.m. April 20, Low Tech Ensemble 7:30 pm. April 21, Flute Recital 5 p.m. April 22, Wind Ensemble 3 p.m. April 24, Evan Blades Trumpet Recital 5 p.m. April 24, Wind Ensemble 7:30 p.m. April 24, Ty Kiaku Recital 5:30 p.m. April 25, WCU Choirs 7:30 p.m. April 27 and Ian Jeffress Faculty Recital 7:30 p.m. April 28 in the Recital Hall of the Coulter Building. www.wcu.edu.

• Grammy-nominated rapper Wale will perform at 8 p.m. on April 20, at Western Carolina University’s Ramsey Regional Activity Center in Cullowhee. Tickets available at the ramsey.wcu.edu.

• A community music jam will be held from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 20, at the Marianna Black Library in Bryson City. 488.3030.

• Denver and the Mile High Orchestra will hit the stage at 7:30 p.m. Friday, April 21, at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts in Franklin. www.greatmountainmusic.com or 866.273.4615.

• “Cantus Terrae,” an Earth Day concert featuring Blue Ridge Orchestra conducted by Milton Crotts, is scheduled for 3 p.m. on April 22-23, at the Folk Art Center on the Blue Ridge Parkway. 732.3354 or www.blueridgeorchestra.org.

• Dusk Weaver will perform Americana at 3 p.m. on April 22, at the Waynesville Library. HaywoodArts.org.

• The MET Opera’s production of “Eugene Onegin” by Tchaikovsky will be presented live via satellite at 12:55 p.m. on April 22, at The Highlands Performing Arts Center in Highlands. Pre-opera discussion at 12:30 p.m. www.highlandspac.org or 526.9047.

• In partnership with the Blue Ridge Big Band, Folkmoot will host “Dancing through the Decades,” a live big band music and dance experience, at 7 p.m.

April 29, at the Folkmoot Friendship Center in Waynesville. The event begin with appetizers and nohost bar. Guests can sit back and enjoy the music or dance to music. Dance instructors will be on hand to demonstrate dance steps and styles. This event is $30 for pre-sale tickets only. www.folkmoot.org or 452.2997.

• Artrageous: An Interactive Art and Music Experience will be presented as part of the Galaxy of Stars Series on April 29, in the Bardo Arts Center at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee. Tickets available at bardoartscenter.wcu.edu or 227.2479.

• Tickets go on sale April 21 for Leslie Jones’ comedy performance, which is July 1 at Harrah’s Cherokee Casino. www.ticketmaster.com or 800.745.3000.

CLASSES AND PROGRAMS • A Spring Door Hanging workshop is scheduled for 10 a.m.-noon on April 20. $6. Register: 586.4009.

• Arts Adventure will be presented by the Franklin Uptown Gallery from 1-3:30 p.m. on April 23.

Maryellen Tully will present the “Ancient Art of Silk Painting.” 349.4706.

• “Paint Nite Waynesville” will be held at 6:30 p.m. on Thursdays at Frog Level Brewing in Waynesville. There will also be “Painting at the Porch” at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesdays at the Southern Porch in Canton. Sign up for either event on the Paint Night Waynesville Facebook page (search event: Brush N. Brew) or call Robin Smathers at 400.9560. paintnitewaynesville@gmail.com.

• There will be a “Thursday Painters Open Studio” from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 6 to 9 p.m. at the Franklin Uptown Gallery. Bring a bag lunch, project and supplies. 349.4607.

• An artist demonstration will Melissa Moss is scheduled for 11 a.m. on April 25 at the Haywood County Arts Council Gallery. HaywoodArts.org.

• Cullowhee Mountain Arts of Sylva announces eight scholarships available for the Cullowhee Mountain Arts Summer Arts Workshop Series at Western Carolina University. Three weeks of workshops will run during the month of June beginning June 11. Application deadline is May 5.To apply www.cullowheemountainarts.org/scholarships or Director Norma Hendrix 342.6913.

• Artists from Western Carolina University and across the region are invited to submit entries in the Judaculla Art Competition being sponsored by WCU’s Cherokee Center. Artwork on paper, canvas or in standing sculpture form can be turned in at the Cherokee Center, located at 1594 Acquoni Road in Cherokee, through Monday, May 1. The artwork should be based on Judaculla Rock. 497.7920 or snsampson@wcu.edu.

ART SHOWINGS AND GALLERIES •The 49th Annual Student Reception will be from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, April 20, at the Western Carolina University Fine Arts Museum. The exhibit will be on display through April 28 in the museum. museum@wcu.edu or 227.3591.

• A reception for the 49th annual Juried Undergraduate Exhibition “Spring Watercolor Painting” from 6-8 p.m. on April 20, at the John W. Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee. Pre-registration required for students (tcbowers1@catamount.wcu.edu) or community members (hensley@wcu.edu).

• Sharon Volker art and jewelry are on display throughout April in the Macon County Public Library Meeting Room in Franklin. 524.3600.

• “Coming Together: Healing Through Art,” an exhibit featuring a variety of local artists, will be on display through April 29 at Haywood County Arts Council Gallery & Gifts in Waynesville. 452.0593, info@haywoodarts.org or HaywoodArts.org.

FILM & SCREEN • The new documentary “Dispatches from the Gulf” will be screened at 2 p.m. on April 27, at the Macon County Public Library in Franklin. 524.3600.

Outdoors

• Learn about “Spring Wildflowers of Southern Appalachian” with Adam Bigelow in a six-week course that will be offered in two separate sessions: 9 a.m.-1 p.m. on Mondays through April 24 or on Tuesdays through April 25. Cost is $150 for the series. Singleday rates available. bigelownc@gmail.com.

• A Bird Walk along the Greenway will be offered at 8 a.m. on April 19 in Franklin. Meet at Salali Lane; parking is off Fox Ridge Road just south of Franklin Flea

Market on Highlands Road. http://franklinbirdclub.com or 524.5234.

• A planetarium program entitled “Back to the Moon for good” will be presented by former Saturn/Apollo launch team member Kurt Volker at 2 p.m. on April 20, in the Macon County Public Library Living Room in Franklin. 524.3600.

• A public forum on the role of renewable energy in Western North Carolina will be presented by Carolina Public Press from 8:30-10:30 a.m. on April 21, at Lenoir-Rhyne University’s Center for Graduate Studies of Asheville.

• A weekend of freestyle paddling clinics and competition will be held on April 21-22, at the Nantahala Outdoor Center. Full schedule: nantahalaracing club.com/event/nrc-freestyle-competition.

• Gadugi Earth Day is on April 21 at the Acquoni Expo Center in Cherokee.

• Family Fly Fishing Day is from 9 a.m.-noon on April 21 for ages 8-older at the Pisgah Center for Wildlife Education in Brevard. Learn the basics of fly fishing from experienced instructors. http://tinyurl.com/jq4r6x3. 877.4423.

• The NOC Trail Festival will kick off with a movie night at 6 p.m. April 21, at the Nantahala Outdoor Center and rev into high gear the following day with a gear repair and vendor fair, cornhole tournament, hiker’s feast and bonfire — events will run from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. www.noc.com/events/at-foundersbridge-festival.

• The annual Trailfest weekend in Hot Springs will start with a cheap and delicious spaghetti dinner on April 21, and roll into Saturday, where a full slate of activities celebrating hiking, biking, skateboarding, hula hooping, river rafting, soccer, yoga and more will take place. The weekend will include pancakes, a float trip and family soccer on Sunday. 506.1492 or www.madisoncclc.org/trailfest-2017.

• Registration is underway for a women-only fly-fishing weekend, which is April 21-23 at the North Mills River Recreation Area and Campground in Henderson County. $125 registration fee. Preregistration required: www.ncwildlife.org/bow. bb.gillen@ncwildlife.org or 919.218.3638.

• The Western Carolina Dog Fanciers Association will hold its annual dog show from 8 a.m.-3 p.m. on April 22-23 at the Haywood County Agriculture and Activities Center in Waynesville. http://WCDFA.org or infodog.com.

• “Foraging for Food and Farmacy,” a one-day class, will be led by wildcrafter Ila Hatter from 9:30 a.m.-4 p.m. on April 22, through the Smoky Mountain Field School. $79. smfs.utk.edu.

• The Traditional Heritage Walk will be held during the 20th annual Greening Up the Mountains Festival on April 22 in Sylva. Demonstration and vendors.

631.4587, greeningupthemountains@gmail.com or www.greeningupthemountains.com.

• The Adult Riding Club of WNC will hold a gathering of horse enthusiasts from all disciplines and skill levels at 5 p.m. on April 23 at 84 Frank Mann Rd. in Canton. events@anniesplacewnc.com.

• Boating safety course will be offered from 6-9 p.m. on April 24-25 in Building 3300, Room 3322, at Haywood Community College in Clyde. www.ncwildlife.org.

• Don Hendershot will lead a birding walk on April 24 at Buck Creek off U.S. 64 in Clay County. 524.5234.

• Casting for Beginners: Level 1 will be offered to ages 12-older from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. on April 25 by the Pisgah Center for Wildlife Education in Brevard. Program is at Lake Imaging in DuPont State Recreational Forest. http://tinyurl.com/jq4r6x3. 877.4423.

• A bird walk along the greenway is scheduled for 8 a.m. on April 26. Meet at the Macon County Public Library parking area. https://franklinbirdclub.com or

wnc calendar

Viewpoint Villas - 2BR, 2BA $149,900 #3265542

Balsam - 3BR, 2BA $179,000 #3265523

Waynesville - 2BR, 2BA $240,000 #3267493

Maggie Valley - 2BR, 2BA $245,000 #3266457

The Glade - 3BR, 3BA $250,000 #3267109

Bethel - 3BR, 1BA, 1HB $258,000 #3266466

Clyde - 3BR, 2BA $274,900 #3269201

Clyde - 2BR, 2BA $275,000 #3264627

Waynesville - 4BR, 3BA $309,000 #3245132

Panther Creek Estates 3BR, 3BA, $349,000 #3265550

Canton - 4BR, 3BA, 1HB $439,000 #3269148

April 19-25, 2017

Canton - 3BR, 1BA, 1HB $135,000 #3268068

Laurel Ridge 3BR, 4BA $895,000 #3143307

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

bev beverly-hanks.com everly-hanks.com

74 North Main Street (828) 634-7333

Smoky Mountain News

DISCOVER COMMUNITIES… AT HOME AND ON THE GO!

EQUAL HOUSING

OPPORTUNITY Y

49

wnc calendar

These are only the answers.

newsdesk crafts

April 19-25, 2017 Smoky Mountain News 50

Puzzles can be found on page 54.

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3.

2.

1.

4.

#193 - free table leveler

PRIME REAL ESTATE Advertise in The Smoky Mountain News

LEGAL NOTICES

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.

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.

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.

Classified Advertising: Scott Collier, phone 828.452.4251; fax 828.452.3585 classads@smokymountainnews.com

THE FINES CREEK VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT Will be accepting Sealed Bids for the Mowing Contract for the years 2017 and 2018 mowing seasons. Bids will be taken until April 19. As to further info as to what shall be included in this contract contact Betty Heatherly at 828.627.6213 or 828.400.6318 or Robbie Greene at 828.400.2294.

ANNOUNCEMENTS HUGE ESTATE SALE Wed. - Sat., 9am - 3pm Daily.

Upper & Lower Level of Home, Must Sell All! New Finds Daily!

Partial Listing: Vintage Items, Art, Furniture + 2 Garages Full of Tools - Including Riding Mower.

Located @ 60 Spruce St., Canton Presented by Frog Pond Estate Sales and Downsizing

AUCTION 139+/-ACRES TIMBERLAND AUCTION Carteret County with Waterfront. Prime Mature Timber with Cruise-Report, Immediate Income.

Offered Divided, Online Bidding APRIL 19 thru MAY 2 www.HouseAuctionCompany.com 252.729.1162 NCAL#7889

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AUCTION

ABSOLUTE AUCTION TRACTORS Farm Equipment - Personal Property Saturday, April 22, 2017, 10:00am 950 CC Camp Road, Elkin, NC. Boyer Realty & Auction 336.372.8888. boyerrealty@skybest.com Col. James R. Boyer NCAL 1792. 226.572.2323 2 AUCTIONS, Sam Bass Collection Bankruptcy Auctions, NASCAR Art, Sheet Metal, Guitars & More, Begins Closing 5/3/17 at 11am, Live w/ Online Simulcast, NASCAR Art, Racing Art, Memorabilia, Die Cast Cars & More, Begins Closing 5/9/17 at 11am, Online Only, ironhorseauction.com, 800.997.2248, NCAL 3936 AUCTION Construction Equipment & Trucks BID ON-SITE & ONLINE! 4/25 @ 9AM, Richmond, VA Excavators, Dozers, Road Tractors, Loaders, Dump Trucks, Trailers, & More! Accepting consignments through 4/21 3600 Deepwater Terminal Road www.motleys.como 804.232.3300 ext.4 VAAL#16 ONLINE W/BID CENTER AUCTION, 12+/-Acre Commercial Property in Mountain City, TN, Begins Closing 5/8/17 at 2pm, Bid Center at Johnson County Welcome Center in Mountain City, TN, ironhorseauction.com, 800.997.2248, TNAL 2268

FROG POND ESTATE SALES HELPING IN HARD TIMES

DOWNSIZING ESTATE SALES CLEAN OUT SERVICE • COMPANY TRANSFER • DIVORCE • LOST LOVED ONE

WE ARE KNOWN FOR HONESTY & INTEGRITY 828-734-3874 18 COMMERCE STREET WAYNESVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA 28786 WWW.FROGLEVELDOWNSIZING.COM

AUCTION 2 HEAVY EQUIPMENT AUCTIONS Number 1- Wednesday, April 26th, 9:30AM. 3500 N HWY 27, Carrollton, GA 30117. CAT, Komatsu, John Deere, Bobcat Construction Equipment and more. NUMBER 2New/Unused Cat Replacement Parts Auction. Online Bidding Only.

April 27, (9AM) - May 5, (2PM EDT).

678.673.9194.www.joeymartinauctioneers.com. GA2627

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

BUILDING MATERIALS HAYWOOD BUILDERS Garage Doors, New Installations Service & Repairs, 828.456.6051 100 Charles St. Waynesville Employee Owned.

CONSTRUCTION/ REMODELING ACORN STAIRLIFTS. The affordable solution to your stairs! **Limited time -$250 Off Your Stairlift Purchase!** Buy Direct & SAVE. Please call 1.800.615.4064 for FREE DVD and brochure.

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 WATER DAMAGE IN YOUR HOME? Call now for a free, fast quote.

Insurance approved. Help restore your piece of mind! 844.889.4905

WNC MarketPlace

CONSTRUCTION/ REMODELING

CARS -

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 BATHTUB REFINISHING Renew or change the color of your bathtub, tile or sink. Fiberglass repair specialists! 5 year warranty.

Locally owned since 1989.

CarolinasTubDoctor.com.

888.988.4430.

CARS A-1 DONATE YOUR CAR For Breast Cancer! Help United Breast Foundation Education, Prevention, & Support Programs.

Fast Free Pickup - 24 Hr Response Tax Deduction 855.418.0760.

April 19-25, 2017

CARS/TRUCKS WANTED!!!

Top Dollar Offer! Free Towing From Home, Office or Body Shop. All Makes/Models 2000-2016. Same Day Pick-Up Available! Call Now: 1.800.761.9396

EMPLOYMENT

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888.203.1373

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EMPLOYMENT AIRLINE MECHANIC TRAINING Get FAA certification to fix planes.

Approved for military benefits. Financial Aid if qualified. Call Aviation Institute of Maintenance 866.441.6890

INDY - A BIG BOY ABOUT A YEAR OLD. HE IS SUPER HANDSOME & A REAL LOVER, ESPECIALLY IF YOU'LL SCRATCH HIS CHEST! HE WAS SURRENDERED TO SARGE'S WHEN HIS OWNER HAD A TERRIBLE ACCIDENT SO HE'S BEFUDDLED BY THE SUDDEN CHANGE IN HIS CIRCUMSTANCES. BECAUSE OF HIS SIZE, HE'LL DO BEST IN A HOME W/ ADULTS & OLDER KIDS

www.smokymountainnews.com

MEDICAL BILLING TRAINEES NEED! Train at Home for a new career now at CTI! No Experience Needed! Online Training can get you job ready!

1.888.512.7122 HS Diploma/GED & Computer needed. careertechnical.edu/nc

FULL-TIME ACCOUNTS PAYABLE/ PAYROLL SPECIALIST 2 Years Quick Books & Accounting Experience Preferred. Call DisAbility Partners to Request an Application at 828.631.1167.

ON-CALL CNA - 1YR. EXP. REQ. For a busy home care agency.

Get paid $4/hr. to be available from 7:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. Mon. - Fri. Pay will be $12/hr. during actual work time. Flexibility is a must. Also, need CNA’s & InHome Aides in Jackson & Swain Counties. For more info, call 828.586.1570 or apply in person at Disability Partners/Home Care Partners, 525 Mineral Springs Drive, Sylva, NC 28779.

FTCC Fayetteville Technical Community College is now accepting applications for the following positions: Computer Support Technician II Dept. Chair-Industrial Systems Technology Mathematics Instructor For detailed information and to apply, please visit our employment portal at: https://faytechcc.peopleadmin.com/ Human Resources Office Phone: 910.678.7342 Internet: http://www.faytechcc.edu An Equal Opportunity Employer

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FTCC Fayetteville Technical Community College is now accepting applications for the following positions: Director of Center for Innovation, Entrepreneurship & Small Business For detailed information and to apply, please visit our employment portal at: https://faytechcc.peopleadmin.com Human Resources Office Phone: 910.678.7342 Internet: http://www.faytechcc.edu An Equal Opportunity Employer

MAD BATTER In Downtown Sylva is now hiring for Full-Time Kitchen Help.

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Is the bank threatening foreclosure? CALL Homeowner’s Relief Line now for Help 855.282.4732

BRUCE MCGOVERN A Full Service Realtor, Locally Owned and Operated mcgovernpropertymgt@gmail.com McGovern Property Management 828.283.2112.

BUYING A HOME And need a mortgage? Or, have a home and want to lower your monthly fees and refinance? Getting a mortgage is quicker and easier than ever. Call now!

844.251.5563 LOOKING FOR A MINI FARM? This rustic house and land is located in the Henson Cove Area of Canton, NC. Includes a Barn, 2 Acres, 2 Streams, a Pond and a Forest of Bamboo. Asking $195K. For more info or to preview house and property, call Alesia at 828.400.9943

Section 8 Accepted - Rental Assistance When Available -

Offering 1 & 2 Bedroom Apartments, Starting at $400

Handicapped Accessible Units When Available

Section 8 Accepted - Handicapped Accessible Units When Available

Metal Art & Home Decor

860 Tunnel Road, Asheville, NC

MOVING OUT OF STATE? Best Interstate Moving and Storage offers a FREE Quote and A Price Plus Promise. Call 877.648.6473 Now!

BEAUTIFUL 4/BR 2/BA HOME 15 Boxwood Terrace, Canton, NC. Ready to move in with 2,300 sq. ft., Newly renovated with Master Suite, Laundry & Walk-in Closet.

Adequate Storage & Lots of Character. Walking Distance to Library & Main Street. $274,000 Call Alesia for more info 828.400.9943

NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS

TL’S

Includes Free Multi-point Inspection

LEASE TO OWN 1/2 Acre Lots with Mobile Homes & Empty 1/2 Acre + Lots!

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For More Information Please Call 828.506.0578

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NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS Offering 1, 2 & 3 Bedroom Apartments, Starting at $400

Equal Housing Opportunity

$

AUCTION: 162 Acres Divided 12 Tracts - 1025 Acres in Each. Buy in any combination. Recreation, Farm, Residential Real Estate. Stokes Co., Madison, NC April 25, 7pm. United Country-Rogers Auctioneers, Inc www.RogersAuction.com 919.545.0412 for more info.

NCFL7360

HOMES FOR SALE

NICOL ARMS APARTMENTS

Phone # 1-828-456-6776 TDD # 1-800-725-2962

SERVICE SPECIAL OIL CHANGE

REAL ESTATE ANNOUNCEMENT

CAVALIER ARMS APARTMENTS

OFFICE HOURS: Wednesday 12:30pm - 4:00pm & Friday. 8:00am- 4:00pm 50 Duckett Cove Road, Waynesville

LUCKY - A SHORT-HAIRED KITTY DRESSED IN FORMAL ATTIRE, ABOUT SIX YEARS OLD. HE IS QUITE SOCIABLE AND FRIENDLY, AND ENJOYS HUMAN ATTENTION. HE'LL BE A TERRIFIC FAMILY COMPANION KITTY.

52

EMPLOYMENT

Great treasures for the home and garden.

Fun gifts for that special someone or occasion.

www.tlsmetalart.com

2723 Soco Rd. MAGGIE VALLEY

Store: 828-944-0701 Cell: 828-734-1665

OFFICE HOURS: Monday & Wednesday 8:00am - 4:00pm 168 E. Nicol Arms Road Sylva, NC 28779

Phone# 1.828.273.3639 TDD# 1.800.735.2962 This is an Equal Opportunity Provider and Employer

HOMES FOR RENT

COMM. PROP. FOR RENT PROFESSIONAL MEETING SPACE Located in Waynesville, Holds up to 90 People. Suitable for Seminars, Family Gatherings, Worship, Ect. Kitchen Area, Wifi/ Screen. For More Information and Rates for ROOM 1902 Call 828.454.7445 or 828.551.8960

STORAGE SPACE FOR RENT CLIMATE CONTROLLED STORAGE FOR YOU 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

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

FINANCIAL

Thomson

Haywood County Real Estate Agents

BROKER/REALTOR®

Cell (828) 226-2298 www.ncsmokies.com homes@ncsmokies.com

Beverly Hanks & Associates

WAYNESVILLE NORTH CAROLINA

FURNITURE COMPARE QUALITY & PRICE Shop Tupelo’s, 828.926.8778.

Dan Womack

HAYWOOD BEDDING, INC. The best bedding at the best price!

533 Hazelwood Ave. Waynesville 828.456.4240

BROKER

828.

243.1126

MEDICAL MOUNTAIN REALTY

26 N. Main St. • Waynesville, NC

WELLNESS ADVOCATE

828-564-9393

mydoterra.com/blueridge wellness A PLACE FOR MOM. The nation’s largest senior living referral service. Contact our trusted, local experts today! Our service is FREE/no obligation. CALL 1.800.319.8705

kellerwilliamswaynesville.com • Julie Lapkoff - julielapkoff.yourkwagent.com • Yvonne Kolomechuk - yvonneksells.yourkwagent.com • The Morris Team - www.themorristeamnc.com

Lakeshore Realty • Phyllis Robinson - lakeshore@lakejunaluska.com

Mountain Home Properties mountaindream.com • Sammie Powell - smokiesproperty.com SFR, ECO, GREEN

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Realty World Heritage Realty 147 WALNUT STREET • WAYNESVILLE

GOT KNEE PAIN? Back Pain? Shoulder Pain? Get a pain-relieving brace at little or NO cost to you. Medicare Patients Call Health Hotline Now! 800.480.7503

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Keller Williams Realty

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TO ADVERTISE IN THE NEXT ISSUE 828.452.4251 | ads@smokymountainnews.com 53

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WNC MarketPlace

Super

54

CROSSWORD

86 Gleaming 87 New Mexico or Colorado county ACROSS 88 Pompom user’s cry 1 Sinks in mud 89 Steve of country rock 6 Baloney 91 Stork’s kin 14 Place to exit 94 Like a piano score 20 As a whole full of black notes?

21 Information collec101 Relaxing facilities tion 104 “— Na Na” (TV 22 Jumbo size at oldie) Starbucks 23 College for chumps? 106 Stoop (to) 107 Pop singer Cassidy 25 Keep in custody 26 “The plan was OK’d” 108 Record one’s finest film scene?

27 Race pace 113 Org. backing arms 29 Clark of film 114 Rival of Advil 30 Classic Olds 31 Like a bathing fish? 115 “How sweet —!”

116 Start of a famous 38 “... unless I’m JFK quote wrong” 119 Grieve for 41 “It’s — bet” (“You 121 Result of a supercan’t lose”) hero’s careless dressing?

42 Musical knack 43 “... — ye be judged” 127 Card game akin to whist 44 Pudgy bodies?

128 Peruse 48 Steeped drinks 129 Hall’s partner in 50 Pitcher Warren pop 51 Mauna — 53 City in Southern Iraq 130 Realty listing 131 Lengthy journeys 57 — -faire (tact) 132 Extort (from) 60 House with a leaky roof?

DOWN 66 Make revisions to 1 “Number two” golf 67 Sea, to Jules club 68 Obscure 2 Gestating 69 Wine cask 70 Fighter giving people 3 Ice-T number 4 Philosopher Zeno’s the willies?

75 Santa — Mountains home 5 Garden pest 76 Some raincoats 6 401, to Livy 79 Nickel source, e.g.

7 Loo 80 Frequently 8 Consumed 82 Drink mishap in a 9 Hole statistic Silicon Valley office?

KP DUTY

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32 Curse word 33 Organized bodies: Abbr.

34 “— -leeze!” (“Spare me!”)

35 Time span 36 Funds added to a bank acct.

37 Afore 39 Director Welles 40 Slightly warm 45 Alpine river 46 Giant Manning 47 Junior, often 49 Help in crime 52 James with a 1958 Pulitzer 54 Tiers 55 “Oh, God!” director Carl 56 Obscure 57 Starts, as a task 58 Charm 59 Grand Canal city 61 Trauma-trained pro 62 Long, thin fish 63 Hosp. area 64 Wichita-to-Houston dir.

65 Bounce 70 “— Mir Bist Du

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105 Conductor Toscanini 109 Gossipy type 110 Two-legged creature 111 Op-ed piece 112 Large playing marble 117 Skiing base 118 1980s Chrysler 120 — Aviv 122 Carders ask to see them 123 Two, to Juan 124 Eden exile 125 Actress Susan 126 Choice words?

answers on page 50

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Answers on Page 50

Princess Tree is an exotic pest Editor’s note: This article first appeared in an April 2003 edition for The Smoky Mountain News.

George Ellison

“What’s that tree growing along roadsides with the upright, purple, flowering clusters” is a question one often hears in mid-spring in the Smokies region.

Or the alternative question about the same tree is "What kind of tree is that with leaves like an elephant's ears?"

The answer to both queries is princess tree (Paulownia tomenColumnist tosa), which displays dozens of upright, flower clusters this time of year. Although wisteria is a vine with flower clusters that are pendant, the color of princess tree flowers is very similar. And princess tree saplings do display huge leaves that are almost elephantine. The leaves of mature trees are of more average size.

In winter, look for the very conspicuous spherical, black seed cases. These remain on the upright branches long after the leaves have fallen and seeds dispersed. The tree is very common in the lower elevations, espe-

BACK THEN

the species was first introduced into North America during the early 19th century. One has it that the tree was introduced as an ornamental. The other maintains that it was introduced when porcelain tea containers

cially along waterways or disturbed areas such as roadcuts. Perhaps the largest concentration of princess trees in this region is along the lower Nantahala River between the raft put-in and the Nantahala Outdoor Center.

Although not as invasive by any stretch of the imagination as kudzu, princess tree is classified as an “exotic pest” by the National Park Service. This means that it's subject to eradication by almost any means.

Nevertheless, the tree is eyecatching, and it does have an interesting history. The common and scientific names honor Anna Paulowna (1795-1865) of Russia, princess of the Netherlands. Other common names are empress tree, royal paulownia, cottonwood (because of its pulpy wood), and tung tree (tung oil derived from Princess tree bloom. Donated photo the tree is used as a substitute for linseed oil in paint and varwere packed in the soft-bodied seed containnish).

It is a native of China that has been culti- ers for shipment to Chesapeake Bay. Perhaps both versions are factual. At any rate, the vated in Japan and Europe for several hundred years. There are two versions as to how tree has as of now spread throughout the

eastern United States from the Massachusetts to Florida and westward to Texas and Missouri.

Princess trees have a market value of about $8 per board foot in Japan, where the soft wood is used to make musical instruments, furniture, craft items, and sandals.

Derivatives from the tree are used to prepare medicinal balms.

For this reason, there is a profitable outlet for harvested princess trees; so much so, in fact, that trees on either private or public lands are subject to tree “rustling.”

The most infamous episode in the region occurred back in the early 1990s. Fifty-five huge princess trees valued at perhaps $32,000 were chainsawed down on United States Forest Service lands in the Nantahala Gorge and hauled off. Talk about chutzpa!

Now, you tell me, by what line of reasoning does one determine that it's worth the risk involved to take several big trucks onto Forest Service land and fell 55 trees for future shipment to the Orient? The “rustlers” were, of course, arrested by federal authorities and persecuted. But that’ll give you something to think about the next time you spot the tree with the upright, purple, flower clusters or leaves like an elephant’s ears.

George Ellison is a naturalist and writer. He can be reached at info@georgeellison.com.

April 19-25, 2017 Smoky Mountain News 55

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