Spongy moth infestation in Haywood to be treated Page 25
Fly fishing has always been popular in Western North Carolina, but the sport has exploded in recent years to become a crucial part of the overall tourism economy. However, with the expected closure of the Bobby N. Setzer Fish Hatchery in Transylvania County for renovations, fish stocking will be down as much as 65%. The Smoky Mountain News explores the reason for the improvements, as well as what is being done to mitigate the impact to anglers, outfitters and guides. (Page 20) Margaret Hester photo
Mill closure looms large over Canton municipal budget..........................................4
Putting in overtime: Canton leaders work late to solve mill problems..................5 State suit alleges Pactiv violated grant agreement....................................................6 Sylva declares June Pride Month....................................................................................8 Brown appointed Sylva commissioner..........................................................................9 No tax increase for Macon..............................................................................................10
Veterans commemorated by JROTC cadets............................................................11
School choice isn’t a conspiracy..................................................................................12
A&E
Fall apart together: A conversation with Tommy Stinson......................................14 Come out to Cold Mountain Music Festival..............................................................16
Trout stocking reduced as hatchery gets rebuild....................................................20 Moth infestation in Haywood to be treated................................................................25
D IGITAL MARKETING S PECIALIST Tyler Auffhammer. . . .
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D ISTRIBUTION: Scott Collier. . . .
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C ONTRIBUTING: Jeff Minick (writing), Susanna Shetley (writing), Adam Bigelow (writing), Thomas Crowe (writing)
WAYNESVILLE | 144 Montgomery, Waynesville, NC 28786
SYLVA | 629 West Main Street, Sylva, NC 28779
P: 828.452.4251 | F: 828.452.3585
I NFO & B ILLING | P.O. Box 629, Waynesville,
Question: How much sugar is too much? What should I be looking at on the label?
Answer: The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends for those 2 years of age or older to keep consumption of added sugar to less than 10% of your total calories. For example, if your calorie intake for a day was 2000 calories, up to 200 calories could be from added sugar. This would be about 12 teaspoons (approximately 50 grams) of table or white sugar Added sugar can also include honey, molasses, agave syrup, corn syrup, maple syrup and concentrated fruit juices. While we think about foods and beverages that are sweet like candy cookies, cakes, sodas, and sweet tea; there are foods be a surprising source of added sugar like bread, crackers, cereals, and condiments, so be sure to check the Nutrition Facts panel where “added sugar” will be listed in grams per
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Leah McGrath, RDN, LDN
Ingles Market Corporate Dietitian
@InglesDietitian
Leah McGrath - Dietitian
Administrators for the Town of Canton have presented a conservative fiscal year 2024-25 budget that seeks some sense of sustainability after last year’s closing of the Pactiv Evergreen paper mill, which created a substantial revenue deficit and has now forced the small town to plan for a huge new expense it’s never had to worry about before.
“This budget is based on necessity rather than wants, which allows us to ensure efficient stewardship of town funds,” said Interim Town Manager Lisa Stinnett during a May 23 meeting. “Despite the unknown future, it is still incredibly important to make fiscally responsible investments in our infrastructure, services and amenities while continuing economic development and encouraging smart growth.”
Stinnett’s budget, her first since she was promoted to interim manager during a staffing shuffle meant to free up former manager Nick Scheuer to focus on flood recovery and mill issues, contains no tax increase, utilizes no general fund balance and looks to save money wherever possible.
Penny-pinching alone, however, can’t make up for a $1.3 million decrease in revenue attributable to Pactiv, which basically wiped away more than a decade of economic growth in Canton.
Last year, before the full impact of the mill’s surprise closing set in, the town had
estimated it would collect $3.4 million in property taxes. This year, that’s estimated at $2.3 million — an amount comparable to the town’s 2012 budget.
To plug that hole, the town will use $1.3 million from its stash of General Assembly appropriations made in the wake of the closing.
The town’s water and sewer fund will bear the brunt of the fiscal crunch. Revenues are projected to be up slightly this year to $3.5 million, thanks to soaring interest rates on investments and a projected 150% increase in tap fee collections attributable to new developments, but the expense side of the equation looks far different than ever before.
In the previous budget, the town expected to spend $3.1 million on all aspects of water and sewer service, including wastewater treatment. Next year, a new $4 million line item — in case the town suddenly has to pay market rates for wastewater treatment — pushes projected expenditures to just over $7 million.
Since the mid-1960s, the paper mill’s various owners have abided by an agreement to treat the town’s municipal wastewater at nearly no charge, utilizing its on-site wastewater treatment facility. Integral to that agreement is a provision stating that the mill must continue to treat the town’s wastewater for a period of two years after any shutdown.
The clock has been ticking on that two-
year grace period, which according to a letter sent to the town by Pactiv will end on March 9, 2025. Last year, legislators procured an eight-figure appropriation for the town to construct its own wastewater treatment plant, but a site hasn’t yet been acquired. Once one is, it’s estimated that it will take from five to seven years for a new townowned wastewater treatment facility to become operational.
News two weeks ago that a potential deal between Pactiv and St. Louis-based demolition and development company Spirtas Worldwide might result in the transfer of the 185-acre mill site and its wastewater treatment facility before the agreement runs out was greeted with cautious optimism, but ultimately it provides no assurances to the town about the future of wastewater treatment.
“We don't know if we’ll have to operate it, when we’ll have to operate it,” Canton CFO Natalie Walker said. “We do know that if we had to operate it for 12 months, right now you're looking at between $4 and $5 million.”
Alderman Tim Shepard asked Walker what it would take to make wastewater treatment operations self-sufficient.
“I don’t think we could probably do that, I mean, to make it affordable to live here,” Walker said.
Currently, customers inside municipal service limits pay a base monthly water rate of $17.51 and a base monthly sewer rate of $21.51. For each additional 1,000 gallons of water over 3,000, inside customers pay $4.33. For each additional 1,000 gallons of sewer usage, inside customers pay $2.60. Outside customers pay roughly double those rates.
For a small single-person household inside city limits, a $40 monthly bill is about average. To fully absorb the monthly increase in cost, water and sewer bills could almost double.
The town will utilize water and sewer fund balance to brace for the impact — if and when it comes — but Walker said after one year of such an expenditure, the town would be tapped out.
“We can’t run it,” said Mayor Zeb Smathers. “It would bankrupt us.”
That being said, there are some modest proposed increases to water and sewer rates, both for inside and outside customers.
For inside customers, the base rate for water will climb from $17.51 to $18.04, with each additional 1,000 gallons priced at $4.46, as opposed to the current $4.33. The base sewer rate will increase from $21.51 to $22.16. For each additional 1,000 gallons, the rate will go up from $2.16 to $2.23.
For outside customers, the base rate for water will increase from $35.02 to $36.07, with each additional 1,000 gallons at $8.91, up from $8.65. The base sewer rate will also increase, from $43.01 to $44.30. Each additional $1,000 gallons will cost $4.46, up from $4.33.
The Town of Canton Board of Aldermen/women will entertain adoption of the budget at its next regularly scheduled meeting on Thursday, June 13. Per state statute, municipal budgets must be adopted no later than June 30 each year.
Several notable things happened during the Town of Canton’s regular board meeting on May 23, but the meeting was perhaps more notable for something that didn’t happen — a closed session.
In North Carolina, governments are permitted to go into closed session meetings for any of six basic reasons permitted by statute: to prevent the disclosure of confidential information, to avoid ruining the surprise when someone is to be given an award, to preserve attorney-client privilege, to engage in sensitive economic development conversations, to establish a position on the purchase of real property or to handle personnel matters.
Generally, attorney-client privilege, economic development, real estate and personnel are most common.
In Haywood County, governing boards go into closed session after the regular meeting has ended, no matter how lengthy that regular meeting has been. When there’s no closed session business to be discussed, there’s no closed session.
Since March 6, 2023, when Pactiv made its mill shutdown announcement, through May 9 of this year, Canton’s government has had plenty of closed session issues to discuss. Only twice has the board not met in closed session at the conclusion of a regular meeting.
Until last week, the last regular meeting without a closed session was held on May 25, 2023.
Over the course of the 24 regular meetings since the announcement, not including special work sessions, Canton’s governing board has put at least 1,602 minutes of time into closed session meetings, according to public records. That’s the equivalent of nearly 27 hours. By comparison, the amount of time spent in open session was 1,556 minutes.
Of those 27 hours in closed sessions, Canton’s governing board — Mayor Zeb Smathers, Mayor Pro Tem Gail Mull, alderman Ralph Hamlett and Tim Shepard and Alderwoman Kristina Proctor — spent more
than two hours on attorney-client matters, more than seven hours on personnel and more than 11 hours on economic development. Another seven or so hours were spent discussing a mixture of the three topics, which are often intertwined.
Sometimes, the closed sessions are relatively short, lasting 30 to 45 minutes. Sometimes, they’re not. The record appears to be a 174-minute closed session on Feb. 8 — after a 77minute meeting.
At the next meeting, on Feb. 22, the closed session lasted only an hour, however each of the subsequent four meetings through April 25 featured closed sessions right around the two-hour mark.
Administrators including Interim Town Manager Lisa Stinnett, Recovery Officer Nick Scheuer, CFO Natalie Walker and Tax Collector Wanda Lurvey are often present during closed sessions when required. Although Town Attorney William Morgan is paid to be there, administrators aren’t paid any extra when they have to be.
For attending the closed sessions, members of the town’s governing board are paid the same as they are for every other aspect of their duties as elected officials — nothing.
— Cory Vaillancourt, Politics Editor
Join local leaders, civic groups and citizens of Waynesville for a historic occasion — the unveiling of a new decorative arch spanning South Main Street. The original arch stood near the north end of North Main Street from 1933 until it was removed on Aug. 30, 1972. The old Downtown Waynesville Association, in conjunction with private donors, raised the money needed to commission, fabricate and install the arch — all at no cost to taxpayers. On Saturday, June 1 at 5:30 p.m., the arch will be unveiled to the public for the first time. Music by Blue Ridge Big Band. Food Trucks include Ben’s Backdraft BBQ, Frozen Josie’s, Ruthie’s Kettle Corn, The Cheesecake Mousse and Grillmore Girls. The arch is located on South Main Street close to town hall, near Watami Sushi & Noodles, at 30 S. Main St.
BY CORY VAILLANCOURT POLITICS E DITOR
Pactiv Evergreen’s shocking announcement that it would close its 115-yearold paper mill broke lots of hearts — and wallets — in Canton, but now, more than a year later, North Carolina’s attorney general is looking for some payback over broken promises.
“Taxpayers in North Carolina invested in Pactiv Evergreen to bolster our state’s economy,” said Attorney General Josh Stein in a release issued earlier today. “We held up our end of the bargain, and we cannot let Pactiv cut and run away with our state’s money. My office has been working with Pactiv over the last year to address the company’s obligations under the JMAC agreement, but it has become clear that legal action was necessary to hold Pactiv accountable.”
In late 2014 and with bipartisan support, Gov. Pat McCrory inked an agreement with Blue Ridge Paper, a subsidiary of Pactiv, granting the company $12 million from the state’s Job Maintenance and Capital Development Fund (JMAC). In exchange, Blue Ridge Paper agreed to spend $51 million of its own money over 10 years to convert two of its coal-fired boilers to natural gas.
There were other conditions, too — the company would have to pay most workers 140% of the area’s average wage and pay at least 50% of their health care coverage costs.
While Blue Ridge Paper indeed complied with those conditions, it appears to have missed or ignored one.
“The Company shall repay all Grant amounts previously received … for failure to
maintain operations at the Canton Mill for the JMAC Agreement term,” the grant agreement reads, while further stipulating the company must “retain 800 positions to qualify.”
The breach of contract suit shouldn’t have come as a surprise to Pactiv, because state leaders have been talking about it since shortly after the company’s March 6, 2023, closing announcement — some 15 months after Pactiv cashed its last check from the state. On March 8, 2023, Stein told The Smoky Mountain News that his office would do everything in its power to hold Pactiv accountable for its obligations.
The next day, David Rhoades, communications director for the North Carolina Department of Commerce, confirmed to SMN that the grant agreement was still in force through Dec. 31, 2024, and that the Department of Commerce would initiate “a full assessment.”
A week later, Gov. Roy Cooper took things up a notch with a March 16, 2023, letter to Pactiv CEO Mike King, warning that if the mill closed before 2025, it would face consequences.
“In this Job Maintenance and Capital Development Agreement (“JMAC Agreement”), Pactiv Evergreen promised to maintain operations at the Canton mill and to retain at least 800 full-time employees through December 31, 2024,” Cooper’s letter reads. “Closing the paper mill in Canton would be a clear breach of the JMAC agreement. That breach would require you to repay in full the $12 million received under the contract. If you follow through your announced plans we will demand full repay-
ment of those funds.”
Since then, Stein and his office have reemphasized that Pactiv was and would be under scrutiny. On May 17, 2023, a spokesperson in Stein’s office said they would continue to look closely at Pactiv’s obligations to its workers, the Town of Canton, Haywood County and the state.
During a May 31, 2023, visit to Canton, Stein reiterated that the state would fight to enforce the terms of the $12 million JMAC grant.
“Pactiv Evergreen signed a contract with the state of North Carolina in which it promised to employ a certain number of people through a certain date in exchange for the money,” Stein said at the time. “They failed to uphold their end of the bargain. The state is going to enforce its rights under that contract. I want you all to know that, and I want to thank Gov. Cooper, who has been on this from the very beginning.”
More recently, Stein, a Democrat locked in a tight race for governor with Republican Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, said during an April trip to Canton that he would “not hesitate to hold Pactiv Evergreen accountable for its failure to live up to its promises to the state when it accepted that $12 million.”
Robinson recalled his own financial turmoil when he lost a manufacturing job in High Point under similar circumstances and empathized with Canton workers, saying, “ … the governor and the attorney general need to keep that in mind and pursue every remedy necessary. And I can assure you, if I was the governor, I certainly would be.”
After the suit was filed, Robinson told The Smoky Mountain News that perhaps it’s
better to focus on cultivating the business environment than to focus on incentivizing companies.
“I’m a former factory worker who lost jobs to NAFTA –and while these layoffs in Canton may be different, the results for the workers are the same. Right now, families are wondering how they are going to make ends meet. I know, because I’ve been in their shoes. While incentives for companies can be an effective tool when used properly, the foundations of keeping our economy strong — cutting taxes, reducing spending and eliminating burdensome regulations — are more important. Because when incentives are used, and things go bad, the taxpayers are left holding the bag. So while we should hold companies accountable who don’t meet their obligations to the taxpayers, it’s better to not be in this situation to begin with.”
Even the candidates looking to replace Stein as attorney General — Democratic Congressman Jeff Jackson and Republican Congressman Dan Bishop — vowed strict enforcement of the terms of state law and the grant agreement during interviews earlier this year.
Bishop said there would be no difference between him and Stein on this particular issue. Jackson said the job of the attorney general is to “have people’s backs.” A statement today from Jackson’s campaign says Jackson stands behind Stein’s suit.
“The job of the attorney general is to stand up for people, especially when they’re mistreated by large corporations. Pactiv Evergreen took millions of dollars from the state, then failed their obligations and left the people of Canton out to dry. That’s absolutely wrong,” the statement read. “I support Attorney General Stein’s lawsuit and will continue to hold Pactiv accountable as attorney general.”
Rhoades, speaking on behalf of the Department of Commerce on May 23, said, “Today’s action by Attorney General Stein and the Department of Justice is an important step in maintaining the integrity of the state’s performancebased economic development incentive programs. Whenever North Carolina invests taxpayer dollars in a company, that company must be accountable and live up to its obligations. Pactiv Evergreen did not do that for the people of Canton and Haywood County. We appreciate Attorney General Stein’s action and will do everything we can to make sure these taxpayer dollars are returned to the State and reinvested to benefit those people and communities most impacted by Pactiv Evergreen’s sudden closure of the Canton Mill.”
Rhoades also pointed out that the JMAC fund is a rarely used program only employed in special circumstances when existing major employers in North Carolina must upgrade equipment and facilities or risk closure. All JMAC recipients have worked with the General Assembly to secure their appropriations.
During the period between the mill’s closing and the filing of today’s lawsuit, Stein faced questions over why the lawsuit hadn’t already been filed. It’s believed that the Town of
Canton was attempting to strike a deal with Pactiv over the future of the 185-acre mill parcel, and Stein told The Smoky Mountain News a few weeks ago that he wanted to be “part of the solution” as those conversations continued.
Last week, Canton Mayor Zeb Smathers confirmed that Pactiv had received a letter of intent to purchase the property from St. Louis-based demolition and development company Spirtas Worldwide. Spirtas has a due diligence period of about 60 days to come to terms with Pactiv on a potential sale — meaning local control of the site is off the table, at least for now.
More recently, Smathers reacted to the lawsuit as his governing board ponders a $1 million budget hole, an impending wastewater treatment crisis and economic uncertainty over the future of the parcel.
“I am supportive but not surprised. Josh Stein and the North Carolina Department of Justice from zero hour have made clear they are holding Pactiv responsible, and that has not changed with a potential buyer of the property,” he said. “Pactiv broke our spirit, broke our economy and broke promises to the state and all of her citizens. I do not care if you’re a company or the children we raise — when you make promises you keep them, and taxpayers from Murphy to Manteo deserve to have their money back.”
Should the lawsuit be successful, Stein said the proceeds would be returned to the state’s general fund; however, it’s his position that those proceeds be used to help Canton repair the damage Pactiv has done.
“Obviously, it’s the decision of the General Assembly, but Canton really took it on the chin when its largest employer shut down with not much advance notice. Lots of good jobs were lost. I’ve actually now been in Canton three times in the last year, and it’s hard for people who are not from that part of the state to understand what a massive structure this is, just sitting in the middle of town,” Stein said. “Canton is going to need a lot of help to get this property redeveloped into something really constructive.”
Gov. Roy Cooper told The Smoky Mountain News he also believes any proceeds from the lawsuit should go “to support the people of Canton and Haywood County.”
As one of the country’s fastest growing states, North Carolina and its economic development agencies routinely incentivize development that brings jobs and prosperity to the state. Stein said that today’s lawsuit sends them a message.
“We welcome many great businesses to North Carolina. There’s a really bright future here. We have an exceptionally talented workforce, we have so many assets in our favor, so we want businesses to come here, invest and hire our people and pay them good wages,” Stein said. “But when you make a deal with the state, you better live up to your end of the bargain, because if you don’t, I will hold you accountable.”
Pactiv Evergreen spokesperson Beth Kelly didn’t respond to a request for comment from The Smoky Mountain News.
“Pactiv broke our spirit, broke our economy and broke promises to the state and all of her citizens.”
— Mayor Zeb Smathers
The Town of Sylva Board of Commissioners signed a proclamation last week declaring June to be LGBTQ Pride Month, just weeks after the board denied Sylva Pride’s application for its annual march.
“Our nation was founded on the principle of equal rights for all people, but the fulfillment of this promise has been long in coming for many Americans,” the proclamation reads.
The board unanimously approved the document during its May 23 meeting, at which five people spoke in public comment urging the board to support the proclamation.
“I’m here to encourage the board to demonstrate the town’s commitment to diversity, inclusion and belonging,” said Nathan Mann. “An important first step would be to adopt the proclamation for an official Pride Month here in Sylva.”
The proclamation notes that June was selected as Pride Month to commemorate the events that occurred over 50
years ago, known as the Stonewall Riots — demonstrations that protested the targeting of LGBTQ patrons of The Stonewall Inn and Greenwich Village in New York City.
“Everyone should be able to live without fear of prejudice, discrimination, violence and hatred based on race, religion, gender identity or sexual orientation,” the proclamation states. “The Town of Sylva strives to ensure that our town is a place where all people — regardless of their sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression — are treated with dignity and respect.”
However, several speakers also noted that signing the Pride month proclamation would not solve the issue of the pride parade, which the town denied via Sylva Pride’s street closure application.
“Formally establishing a Pride Month would not be a substitute or replacement for the parade, but it would be a great way for the town to publicly show commitment to and support for the LGBTQ community,” said Mann.
Commissioners denied Sylva Pride’s street closure application in March, largely on the basis of safety, noting the dif-
ficulty of closing Main Street, the town resources involved and potentially dangerous incidents that have occurred in the past with parade participants and vehicles. During the application process, Sylva Pride agreed to pay for costs incurred by the town if it were to conduct a street closure for the event.
Some speakers at the May 23 meeting noted that while the town denied Sylva Pride’s road closure application, several other events take place downtown that involve a road closure, and thereby, similar concerns for safety.
“This board wildly underestimated the importance of the Pride Parade,” said Jessie Roberts. “Given the current political landscape this was not the time to take away something as big and important as visibility. Either you didn’t take the time to consider it, or you did and you didn’t care.”
Some Sylva residents have been protesting outside Sylva town board meetings since the decision to deny Sylva Pride’s road closure application. The group calls themselves “We Will March” and some reiterated that point at Thursday’s meeting.
“We will march anyway, you all know that,” said Jennifer Harr.
Sylva Pride has said it will not reapply for a road closure application.
Multiple speakers advocating for the Pride Month proclamation and the Pride Parade noted the events of Jackson County Schools Grad Walk which took place in downtown Sylva on Friday, May 3.
Students were bused to the old Jackson County Courthouse where they posed for a photo on the steps. After the photo, students were supposed to walk on the sidewalks down to Bridge Park where they would be greeted by parents and loved ones for a celebration and meal.
JCPS had applied for a road closure for a senior walk parade back in November, but the application was denied, resulting in the sidewalk plan.
According to the Sylva Police Department, plans for the large group of graduates walking on the sidewalks to Bridge Park went awry due to the unexpected amount of spectators taking up space around town.
“There was not enough space on the sidewalks for the graduates to walk,” the Sylva Police Department said in a Facebook post. “There were also concerns for the safety of the spectators so close to the moving traffic, especially if they had to clear the sidewalks to make room when the walk began.”
In an effort to keep everyone safe, seniors walking to Bridge Park were permitted to use the roadway for a small portion of the walk to navigate around the crowds of spectators.
“The pride parade has been a staple part of the Sylva Pride event for the last three years,” said Gracie Mann at the May 23 meeting. “People will arrive at this event this year and expect a parade. Much like we saw with the senior walk, people will spontaneously take up space. You can be proactive and ensure safety by working with the LGBTQ community on logistics to ensure this is a safe event.”
Following the resignation of Natalie Newman from the Sylva Town Board in April, commissioners have appointed Jonathan Brown to fill the vacant seat.
Three people applied for the board vacancy. Alongside Brown there was Luther Jones, who ran in the 2023 election, and Sarah Hirsch, the only applicant to address the board during its May 23 meeting when the new commissioner was selected.
“I seek to serve the Town of Sylva as a reasoned and logical mind, a problem solver and an advocate for those who are often under-represented,” said Hirsch during public comment at Thursday’s meeting.
Brown received votes from Commissioners Blitz Estridge, Mark Jones and Mary Gelbaugh. Commissioner Brad Waldrop cast his vote for Hirsch.
Brown is a physical therapist employed by Cherokee Indian Hospital. In his application he attested to be a registered voter living in Sylva, saying he has been a Sylva city voter for one year. He wrote that he has been a permanent, full-time Sylva resident on and off for around 20 years and has never run for an elective office.
“My desire is to help Sylva be the best town it possibly can — I hope to help guide the town into its best years yet,” Brown wrote in his application. “Also, to help the town through various upcoming challenges.”
Brown said his leadership positions in various settings from church to healthcare, coaching to volunteer work will make him an asset to Sylva as a member of the town board.
The issues that Brown would like to see the board address include navigating the N.C. 107 road project, facilitating small business growth, providing more opportunities for recreation, tourism that benefits residents and visitors and “protecting our mountain/ family values.”
“I have limited experience in municipal government, but I do love our town, feel I am qualified to enter this position to serve effectively, and I love to learn and grow in new ways,” Brown wrote. “I love God, love my family, and love my town. I see leadership as service and I will bring to the table a heart to serve the people of Sylva, to make Sylva an even more wonderful place to live and visit.”
In addition to her seat on the town board, Newman served as a representative for the town on the Main Street Sylva Association Board and the Southwestern NC Home Consortium.
During its last meeting the Sylva town board also voted on replacement representatives to both those boards.Estridge will take Newman’s place on the Main Street Sylva Association and Town Manager Paige Dowling will serve on the Southwestern NC Home Consortium Board.
The Jackson County Tourism Development Authority (JCTDA) announced that Kara Addy, APR, its Social Media Manager, has completed the Professional in Destination Management (PDM) certificate program from Destinations International.
The PDM program is designed for new and aspiring destination management professionals, providing a comprehensive foundation in destination organization functions, community roles and strategies for attracting visitors. Developed and delivered by industry experts, the program covers key areas such as marketing, visitor serv-
ices and economic development. Participants gain critical skills and knowledge essential for driving tourism and supporting their communities. Graduates of the program receive a Certificate of Completion that signifies their preparedness to take on advanced roles in the travel and tourism industry.
Addy’s newly acquired skills will play an important role in advancing the Jackson County TDA’s mission to attract and serve visitors, contributing to the county’s overall growth and success, according to JCTDA Executive Director Nick Breedlove.
acon County will be able to cover all its upcoming capital projects in the 2024-2025 fiscal year budget without a property tax increase, allowing it to maintain the lowest tax rate in North Carolina.
will result in more than half of revenues, about $35 million in total. Each penny on the tax rate generates just under $1.3 million.
“The most significant year of capital expenditures in the history of Macon County can be accomplished with no increase to the ad-valorem tax rate, without maxing out the county’s debt capacity and our fund balance will not fall below $25 million,” County Manager Derek Roland said in a presentation to the board May 21.
Macon County has a current fund balance of $48.7 million, which earned the county about $3.1 million in interest over the last year, and a debt capacity to support $70,100,000 of the $133,650,000 in education-related capital projects through the Capital Reserve Fund in the coming fiscal year.
A large portion of those capital project expenditures will go toward the new Franklin High School project. The county received a $62 million Needs Based Capital Grant that will also help pay for the new school.
Other items in the capital improvement plan include the need for a new East Franklin Elementary School, renovation and expansion at Cartoogechaye Elementary School, Nantahala wastewater unit and renovations and expansion at the Highlands School.
Roland reiterated to the board during the budget workshop that this financial position has been a long time in the making. After the property revaluation in 2015, Macon County saw a 19% decline in the ad-valorem property tax base leading to a tax rate of $0.349 per $100 of assessed value. At that time the fund balance was approximately $16 million, and the county had about $44 million in outstanding debt.
From fiscal year 2020-2021 to fiscal year 2022-2023, Macon County’s fund balance grew by $13.8 million, as compared to $2.8 million from 2017-2018 to 2019-2020. The county has about $22 million of outstanding tax-supported debt, which is low relative to the size of the county. Most of that debt is tied to the Macon Middle School project, and the county is scheduled to pay a significant amount of that over the next five years.
An estimated 22% of revenues will come from sales tax in the 2024-25 budget, or about $14.1 million. The sharp increase in sales tax that occurred in pandemic and post-pandemic years seems to be leveling off and Macon County is not planning for an increase in these funds over prior year revenues.
Macon County currently has an AA2 credit rating from Moody’s and an AA credit
asked for the increase to fund 26 additional positions in the coming school year. These positions were created during the COVID-19 Pandemic and funded through the Elementary and Secondary Schools Emergency Relief Fund, which is coming to an end this year.
Of those 26 positions, 19 are teaching positions, at an annual cost of $1,735,811. Since 2018, local funding has covered an average of 30 local teaching positions annually. If the county were to fund the additional teaching positions requested it would mean a 63% increase in the number of locally paid teaching positions, and about 1.3 pennies on the tax rate.
rating from Standard and Poor’s.
“You are in very good shape here on your credit rating,” Mitch Brigulio, financial advisor for the county, told commissioners earlier this year. “You have access to the market to borrow money, should you choose to do so, at attractive rates.”
Expenditures in the 2024-2025 budget will decrease by just under $50,000, despite an increase in annual inflation of 3.4% for the 12 months ending in April 2024.
Salaries and benefits account for about $33 million, or 52% of 2024-2025 operating expenditures. The funding is representative of 374 full-time positions, 106 part-time positions, 29 seasonal part-time positions and 13 vacancies, which lie in public safety and health and human services departments.
Seven of the 26 positions the school system wanted to fund from local dollars were mental health professionals at an annual cost of about $489,040, or less than half a penny on the tax rate.
“Prior to the pandemic, local funding has never paid for mental health professionals working in the school system,” said Roland. “This is very needed, nobody’s disputing that, the enhanced level of service this offers is undeniable. But the revenue conditions that we’re currently in demand a flat level of service and it is not within the revenue parameters of this budget, without a tax increase, to expand the scope of service or to increase the commitment to services in these magnitudes.”
Roland said that funding the school system’s request would signal a new level of commitment and that before he can include that in the recommended budget, that new level of commitment would need to be agreed upon between the Macon County Commission and Macon County Board of Education.
“A new Franklin High School was far more of a dream than a reality, and the Capital Improvement Plan did not yet exist,” said Roland of that 2015 budget process. “A decade of annual budgets approved by this board and implemented by this organization, while all have been unique and accompanied by their own set of challenges, are similar in that each one has been grounded in fiscal responsibility.”
Fiscal Year 2024-2025 general fund revenues are estimated at $63,704,651, a decrease of less than $50,000 from the current fiscal year. The proposed tax rate of $0.27 per $100 of assessed property value
There are two new positions in the proposed 2024-2025 budget, both of which are environmental health specialists created as a long-term solution to the backlog problem of well and septic permits at Macon County Environmental Health.
The proposed budget recommends a one-step advancement in the pay scale for full-time employees and a 2% cost of living adjustment for all employees. This will cost the county a little under $1 million.
There is an increase of $335,405 in operation funding to Macon County Schools in the 2024-2025 budget, bringing the annual contribution for operations to $10,031,774. This is the first increase to operational funding since fiscal year 2019-2020.
Even with the increased allotment, this falls short of the school system’s requested increase of $2,546,433. The school system
Southwestern Community College will see an appropriation of $526,659 from Macon County if the proposed budget is approved as is. While this is an increase in $50,000 over current fiscal year funding, it also falls short of SCC’s $1,581,951 total request.
“The fiscal year 25 recommended budget is probably the most important to me because it has been a decade in the making,” said Roland. “This budget sets the foundation for $145 million in CIP improvements.”
The Macon County Commission was set to reconvene its budget workshop at 6 p.m. May 28 to discuss the Macon County School System budget. Expected adoption of the budget will take place June 11, prior to which the commission will hold a public hearing on the proposed budget.
Retired Command Sergeant Major Willard Dockery salutes the casket of Capt. Fred Hall during his funeral at Green Hill Cemetery last fall. Hall had been listed as missing in action for 54 years until his remains were finally identified early in 2023. Cory
P
OLITICS E DITORGloomy skies and pouring rain couldn’t stop a group of about 30 people from gathering at Garrett-Hillcrest Memorial Park on Russ Avenue in Waynesville on Saturday, May 25, to pay their respects to members of America’s armed forces who gave their lives in service of their country.
Organized by members of Waynesville’s VFW Post 5202, the Memorial Day weekend event brought together veterans from nearly all service branches, as well as the very young and the very old.
“We want to show the veterans that we support them and we're here for them,” said Alicia Mills of Waynesville. Mills is a rising junior at Tuscola High School and a member of Tuscola’s Air Force Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps. She’s been in the JROTC for two years, enjoys the physical aspects of the program and wants to enlist one day. Mills was there with a group of other Tuscola cadets to serve as honor guard for the brief ceremony, held under a tent on the lawn across from the now-iconic display of flags and crosses that appears at GarretHillcrest just prior to events that commemorate the service of veterans.
Steven Robertson, Tuscola’s aerospace science instructor and leader of the JROTC program since 2015, said that Mills and more than 80 other Tuscola JROTC cadets just like her get a lot out of the program; two recently graduated cadets will attend Carson-Newman University in Jefferson,
Tennessee this fall on ROTC scholarships, and another former cadet will graduate from the United States Air Force Academy in 2025.
Although studies have shown that nearly one-third of JROTC cadets eventually end up enlisting, the program is not a formal recruitment agency for the military. Robertson said that the presence of the cadets at the memorial service serves another purpose.
“I think it lends itself to the Air Force Junior ROTC mission, and that is developing citizens of character,” he said. “And that's the mission pretty much throughout Junior ROTC. It's definitely the heart of the program. Community service, through these events, shows their pride and hopefully some patriotism as well.”
That patriotism didn’t go unnoticed by the memorial service’s guest of honor, Willard Dockery, who spoke at the ceremony. Dockery served in the Army from 1952 to 1977, including three tours in Vietnam, before retiring as a Command Sergeant Major. He’s made 397 jumps out of perfectly good airplanes and hopes to complete his 398th this fall in Lake Eustace, Florida.
“I enjoyed jumping. I did it for 22 years,” Dockery said. “Never did break a bone.”
Dockery recently turned 90 years old. When asked about how it felt to see the JROTC cadets at the event — some of whom are more than 75 years younger than him — Dockery said he was happy.
“It’s good of them,” he said. “They’re fine folks and I appreciate them.”
North Carolina is becoming a national leader in expanding choice and competition in education. For some North Carolinians, this is a source of pride. For others, it’s shameful.
Our state ranks fifth on the Center for Education Reform’s Parent Power Index. On the Cato Institute’s index of educational freedom, we rank 12th. By other measures, North Carolina is middling but poised to leap into the top echelon, powered by recent expansions of our Opportunity Scholarships and surging interest in charter schools.
I’m not going to deny that there’s a partisan dynamic at work. Most states that create or expand programs promoting choice and competition have Republican legislatures, Republican governors or both. GOP lawmakers skeptical of educational freedom tend to lose their primaries, while Democratic lawmakers who favor it tend to attract spirited primary opposition (though they don’t necessarily succumb to it).
But I will have to say that to a large extent, critics of school choice have sidelined themselves by making foolish and counterproductive arguments.
It’s not as if school choice is invulnerable to criticism. All public policies have pros and cons, upsides and downsides, potential benefits and evident risks. Program design matters a lot. There are better and worse ways of expanding educational freedom, in my view, just as there are better and worse ways of enacting any policy change.
Rather than subjecting school choice to normal policy
To the Editor:
It is amazing how people focus on the abortion issue yet ignore important issues that affect far more people. I guess focusing on abortion keeps liberals from focusing on the failures of the Biden administration and the awful state of our nation.
Our border is a disaster. I live three miles from the Mexican border for six months out of the year and six months out of the year in Haywood County. I know what is happening at the border, and it isn’t pretty. We have millions crossing and contrary to what the Dems would have you believe, they are not all poor, looking for a better life. Do you really believe potential terrorists and people who hate America are not coming through to cause mayhem?
The cartel is making money hand over fist and illegal drugs are pouring in. We are still waiting for the border czar, Vice President Kamala Harris, to take control. She said at the beginning of the opening of the floodgates that she was going to focus on the causes of people coming across. We are still waiting for that report. How many times has she been to the border?
Over 100 nationalities have crossed, and we as Americans are expected to foot the bill while
analysis, however, many critics peddle conspiracy theories. They allege that advocates are out to destroy all public schools, or resegregate schools, or use choice programs to instigate a Christian nationalist takeover of America.
These allegations are based on willful or reckless misrepresentation of the idea’s origins and public support. School choice is a popular idea, embraced by most Americans, not some fringe idea that requires extraordinary explanation. Choice and competition have long been evident in higher education, in preschool education, in health care and in other fields where government funding plays a major role but producers and consumers are free to make their own decisions about where and how services are delivered.
I’ve spent all of my adult life around school-choice proponents. Indeed, I spent my childhood around them, too, since both of my parents were public-school educators who strongly favored vouchers and other means of expanding educational opportunity. The caricatures of school-choice leaders presented by progressive critics bears no resemblance to the actual human beings I know, work with or love.
There’s no undercover scheme to be revealed here, no mystery to be solved. People favor school choice because they think it will best serve the interests of students, families, edu-
many of our own people are struggling with inflation and trying to make ends meet. The citizens who have come in legally are the most upset. They paid their dues and jumped through legal hoops to become citizens. They received little assistance and had to pay big bucks in fees. Yet, illegals are causing cities to go bankrupt because funding is going to illegals.
I was much better off under Republican leadership than Democratic. Biden and his handlers are more interested in getting votes from the illegals and college students who have had their loans paid off. Of course, Biden keeps his millions, but the taxpayers end up paying the cost, and I see no end in sight unless Republicans get back in office.
Dayna Austin WaynesvilleEveryone deserves to live a healthy life with financial security. We want to pay less for prescription drugs and live in a world that we can pass on to our grandchildren where carbon pollution is dramatically reduced. The
cators and taxpayers.
Academic achievement is certainly part of the pitch. I would submit a fair reading of the empirical evidence shows that as parental choice and school competition go up, so do average test scores and educational attainment.
For example, a series of studies by Ludger Woessmann of the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Martin West of Harvard University and their colleagues found countries that foster competition by directing tax dollars to private schools tend, all other factors held equal, to produce higher scores on Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) tests. Poor students benefit disproportionately. “Rather than harming disadvantaged students,” they concluded, “accountability, autonomy, and choice are mostly tides that lift all boats.”
Those aren’t the only outcomes we’re interested in, of course. One purpose for public finance of elementary and secondary education is to encourage responsible citizenship and community engagement. Choice and competition are helpful here, as well. Authors of a recent Educational Psychology Review study examined four civic outcomes: political tolerance, political participation, civic knowledge and skills and voluntarism and social capital. They found that, on average, “private schooling boosts any civic outcome by 0.055 standard deviations over public schooling. Religious private schooling, particularly, is strongly associated with positive civic outcomes.”
Still not convinced? Fine. Offer counterarguments. But if you charge policymakers with racism or call them other names, don’t expect them to listen.
John Hood is a John Locke Foundation board member. His latest books, “Mountain Folk and Forest Folk,” combine epic fantasy with early American history (FolkloreCycle.com).
Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), signed into law by President Biden in 2022, does just that. Are you paying less for some of your prescription medicines like Jardiance, Xarelto or Eliquis? Paying $35/month out-of-pocket for insulin? Have you received tax credits for home improvement projects like weatherization or rooftop solar? If you said yes to any one of these, you benefited directly from the Inflation Reduction Act.
The Inflation Reduction Act is a massive piece of legislation with a not-so-sexy name that covers many important areas like healthcare, the environment, IRS tax enforcement, investment in rural communities, tax credits for electric vehicles and a minimum corporate income tax. The size and scope of the legislation makes it difficult to keep track of.
So here are five ways that the IRA helps us right here in North Carolina. First, it increases access to clean energy for working people by lowering energy costs, providing $80 billion in financial rebates for millions of households to buy clean energy products like more efficient heat pumps and appliances. Second, it brings an estimated $2.7 billion of investments in clean power generation and storage. Third, it makes electric vehicles more affordable to the average person through discounts. Fourth, it supports farmers by funding and supporting climate-smart farming solutions and investments to boost clean energy and
provide energy efficient upgrades. Finally, it provides funding to protect our communities against climate change by providing flood proofing and storm resistance.
And that’s not all! The IRA allows Medicare to negotiate lower drug prices, helps to build a fairer tax code by getting corporations to pay a 15% minimum tax and cracks down on wealthy tax cheats by increasing enforcement of the tax code. According to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) prior to the Inflation Reduction Act, budget cuts prevented the agency from ensuring that large corporations and high-income individuals pay the taxes they legally owe. However, a January IRS report noted that, due to funding from the Inflation Reduction Act, the agency collected $482 million in ongoing efforts to recoup taxes owed by 1,600 millionaires, while also improving taxpayer services for all Americans.
We often complain and wonder what the federal government has done for us, and we have a hard time naming anything concrete. Well, here are concrete ways that we benefit from just this one piece of legislation.
To learn more, join Indivisible Common Ground WNC at Bridge Park in Sylva on Saturday June 1, from 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m. to spin a wheel, answer questions about the IRA and win prizes!
Nilofer Couture Cullowhee
Leaning back into his chair, Tommy Stinson tilts his head and gazes towards the sunset falling behind the Blue Ridge Mountains. The legendary rocker just finished a show on the side lawn of Yonder Community Market, located on the outskirts of Franklin.
“It’s pretty kooky when you think about it,” Stinson told The Smoky Mountain News with a slight grin. “I consider myself pretty lucky that I’ve lived this long and done all that. After all these years, I look back and it’s a little nutty.”
Longtime bassist and founding member of The Replacements, Stinson has spent most of his life immersed in rock-n-roll and the music industry at large. Stinson was only 11 years old when he picked up the bass and started playing gigs, eventually forming The Replacements at age 13 in his native Minneapolis, Minnesota.
It was 1979 when The Replacements roared onto the scene. A high-octane blend of British punk and new wave coupled with a thick thread of rock (akin to Faces, Rolling Stones and Big Star) the group was fronted by singer-songwriter Paul Westerberg, one of the most revered artists of his generation — a space inhabited by contemporary peers like R.E.M. and Dinosaur Jr.
For Stinson, he was just a young kid when The Replacements were catapulted into the mainstream radio and TV realms of the MTV generation throughout the 1980s with searing melodies like “Can’t Hardly Wait” and “Bastards of Young.” But, by 1991, the band had imploded — its music, legend and lore as vibrant today as ever.
Following the dissolution of The Replacements, Stinson fronted a couple of rock outfits in the early/mid-1990s before landing a spot as the bassist for Gun N’ Roses, a position he held until 2014.
Since then, Stinson, now 57, has pursued a flourishing solo career, with his latest Americana/indie-folk project, Cowboys In The Campfire, releasing the album “Wronger” last year.
Smoky Mountain News: When you look back on those early years, what really sticks out? I mean, you were a high school kid in a very badass band that did very big things.
Tommy Stinson: The point when I dropped out of [school] — the middle of 10th grade — to go tour. I was just talking to my mom about it earlier. My mom had to sign a document giving our manager, Peter Jesperson, sort of guardianship over me so that he could take me across state lines for shows. I think it was right around 1983. It was a crazy time. The kicker was we were already playing clubs and we were already making money doing it. So, it was like, “I can go to school and try and find something that I like that I’m going to make money at or I’m making money now and I just follow this and do that and make a living at it if I can.”
And my mom kind of was like, “Well, it’s keeping you out of jail.” Because I’d been in so much trouble when I was 10, 11 years old. It was, “Cool, all right, now you got something to do. Go do that and stay out of jail.” And that kind of worked.
SMN: There must have been some part of you, whether you realized it or not, that made a decision of, “Hell or high water, this is what I’m doing. Everything else is just details.”
TS: Yeah, I mean, obviously I wanted to do it. It was fun. The idea of being able to travel around, play music and get paid for it, be sort of the life of the party and all that. You couldn’t have written the script better than that, you know?
SMN: What does it mean for you, at this phase in your career, to still be out there playing music and to still have people show up?
TS: Dude, it means that I am free. I can go everywhere, anywhere, show up and play a gig and enjoy myself doing it because I still love what I do. It’s rewarding. I’m grateful for it.
It’s been a long adventure and a lot of fun. And I like these kinds of shows [like Yonder Community Market]. They’re low maintenance, which is key after years of traveling the world. No hassle. Plug and play. Chat with people. I’m a pretty social person, so I’d be doing that anyways. [Laughs].
And, after all these years of doing it, it hasn’t been lost on me — how fun it is still.
Rock legend Tommy Stinson and his Cowboys In The Campfire band will perform at 7 p.m. Friday, May 31, on the outside lawn at Yonder Community Market in Franklin.
General admission is $25 per person, with VIP options and upgrades available, including a meet-and-greet with the band. The market is located at 151 Hillcrest Ave. Offering local provisions, hours of operation are 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. seven days a week.
Embracing their motto of “Always family friendly. Always a good time,” Yonder will be showcasing an array of local, regional and national touring acts this summer and fall.
Concerts are free and open to the public (unless otherwise noted). Donations encouraged. Bring your own lawn chair. Wine, craft beer and cider are also available for purchase onsite, alongside a wide selection of organic snacks.
To purchase tickets and/or to learn about live music events and other upcoming happenings, call 828.200.2169 or go to eatrealfoodinc.com.
‘Running
ello from the writing desk in my humble abode apartment in downtown Waynesville. It’s warm and sunny outside on this Monday afternoon amid Memorial Day Weekend. I’ve just returned from a 2,678-mile out and back trip to the North Country.
Door-to-door, from the apartment to my parents’ farmhouse in Plattsburgh, New York, is about 1,017 miles in each direction, add in also the hundreds of miles of wandering and pondering while back to the starting line of my youth in the Champlain Valley and greater Adirondack Mountains. Onward to the final days of spring.
It was, as expected, another whirlwind trip to see my folks, my girlfriend, Sarah, again in tow for adventures along the highways and backroads of America and that of where it all began for this scruffy journalist. Not a moment after this newspaper was put to bed on a recent Tuesday, I packed up the car and hit the road.
Park just outside of Plattsburgh to disappear into the woods and dirt trails bordering the mighty Lake Champlain. Trails I’ve trotted along since I joined the cross-country team in seventh grade that many years ago. Trails I’ve continued to run down all of these faded, forgotten and tossed away wall calendars later. Trails that happily haunt my thoughts whenever I may get a little homesick on the road.
Truck stops and gas stations heading north through Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New York and back again southbound just a week later. Hurry, hurry. Assignments and deadlines are always in the rearview mirror and also appearing up ahead through the windshield of people, places and things. Interview. Write. Submit. Check out of the roadside hotel by 11 a.m. and push further and farther into the northeast.
Even though it was seven days at the farmhouse, it’s never enough time. No matter who you are or where you are, it always seems like you’re just getting the wheels spinning of conversation and interaction with loved ones, this ideal rhythm of time and space with beloved faces, when you realize tomorrow is coming quick and you must pack again and head below the Mason-Dixon Line.
Now sitting at the writing desk here in Waynesville, gazing out periodically through the old dusty windows to the ancient ridges and forest of the nearby Blue Ridge Mountains, there are visions, too many to recount or recall, of what was seen, heard and, most importantly, felt within me on this latest trek to the North Country.
Wake up that first morning in the farmhouse guestroom following the 18-hour drive to Plattsburgh from Haywood County, only to pull into my folks’ driveway around 2 a.m., the outside light still on in anticipation of our arrival. Wake up in that guestroom bed, the same mattress and bedframe I awoke on the day I left Clinton County some 12 years ago to start work at this publication.
Motor over to the Point Au Roche State
Return to the farmhouse to shower and get ready for the evening, my mother, Sarah and myself soon wandering into downtown Plattsburgh for annual margaritas at the Pepper, the local Mexican restaurant. Eat the tacos and drink the beverages with gusto. Hearty laughter and fond memories rehashed. Familiar faces also rolling in, cue the bear hugs and handshakes of this trip home.
Breakfast at the Campus Corner diner.
Decades and decades old. Greasy spoon eggs, toast sausage and homefries (with onions). Sit in the same seats I used to occupy when I was solo and in search of a career as a writer, scribbling wildly in my Moleskin notebooks about who, what, when, why and how of whatever it was I crossed paths with in the earliest days of this ongoing written word journey.
Billiards and a jukebox filled with the best of 1960s rock and country at Meron’s Lounge, all in attendance listening to my 82-year-old father spin another yarn of his trials and tribulations as a young man now covered in well-earned wrinkles and salt and pepper hair. Swing into the Fourth Ward Club for a nightcap, the sounds of the Boston Red Sox baseball games and jovial banter echoing out the open front door onto Montcalm Avenue.
A hot, humid Monday taking the ferry boat over Lake Champlain to Vermont for lunch at the Trapp Family Lodge in Stowe. My folks and Sarah grabbing a table at the restaurant, all while I laced up my running shoes and again disappeared into the vast woods behind the lodge. Beads of glorious sweat dripping down my face as I passed by old maple trees that’ll be tapped for syrup come winter.
By Wednesday, another hot day for May. Cruise down Interstate 87 to Split Rock Falls,
a popular swimming hole and lagoon near Elizabethtown. Midweek and pretty much empty of tourists. Lay out on the warm rocks. Jump into the freezing water. Memories of the first time I went there as a teenager with my father and late uncle after we had run a road race of about eight miles or so in the heat. Thursday. The final day home for this goround. It was decided to make our way to Saranac Lake, one of my favorite spots on this planet. Lace up the trail running shoes and disappear down the Bloomingdale Bog Trail. I headed one way, my mom and Sarah the other to enjoy the views and conversation. Silent, tranquil ponds and pine trees. A lone bird calls across the way. Smile in gratitude. Dinner at the Left Bank, an upscale French bistro in the heart of Saranac Lake. Dive into culinary delights. Hoist the wine glasses high and in celebration of the moment at-hand. A text mid-dinner from the dear parents of a childhood friend who call Saranac Lake home. They were going on a sunset boat cruise from their dock on Kiwassa Lake. Room for three more. Jump on the opportunity. Hop on the pontoon boat. Sunset. A cool breeze overtakes the warmth felt earlier. Tighten your jacket and count your lucky stars for another moment to pin up on the walls of your memory. Look over at Scarface and McKenzie mountains cradling the bodies of water dotting the area. Back to Carolina tomorrow. But, for now, more logs onto the fire of one’s intent. Gratitude remains plentiful.
Life is beautiful, grasp for it, y’all.
1
The annual Cold Mountain Music Festival will be held on Saturday, June 1, at the Lake Logan Retreat Center in Canton.
2
The “Concerts on the Creek” music series will present Southern Vantage (rock/country) at 7 p.m. Friday, May 31, at Bridge Park in downtown Sylva.
3
The Haywood Arts Regional Theatre will open its 40th season with the enchanting Tony Award-winning musical “The Secret Garden,” which will be held at 7:30 p.m. May 30-31 and June 1 and 2 p.m. June 2 on the Steve Lloyd Stage in Waynesville.
4
The Comedy Zone at Harrah’s Cherokee Casino will host Marc Yaffee May 30-June 5 and Southern Momma through June 26.
5 Haywood County rock/country act Outlaw Whiskey will perform at 8 p.m. Saturday, June 1, at the Unplugged Pub in Bryson City.
A community jam will be held from 6-7:30 p.m. Thursday, June 6, at the Marianna Black Library in Bryson City.
Anyone with a guitar, banjo, mandolin, fiddle, dulcimer or anything unplugged is 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 the Sawmill Creek Porch Band.
The annual Cold Mountain Music Festival will be held on Saturday, June 1, at the Lake Logan Retreat Center in Canton.
The lineup will feature Amanda Anne Platt & The Honeycutters, Toubab Krewe, Darren Nicholson, Grizzly Goat and Townes Council. There will also be a special appearance by the J Creek Cloggers.
CMMF will offer local food and drink vendors, family-friendly activities and more. Lodging is available onsite (cabins/camping), with the lake open throughout the event for recreational use.
The centerpiece of the almost 300-acre property is a mile-long lake surrounded by the Shining Rock Wilderness Area of Pisgah National Forest.
For more information and/or to purchase tickets, go to coldmountainmusic.org or call 828.646.0095.
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 — spring, summer, fall.
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.
For more information, call 828.488.3030.
Haywood County rock/country act Outlaw Whiskey will perform at 8 p.m. Saturday, June 1, at the Unplugged Pub in Bryson City.
Formed in Haywood County seven years ago, Outlaw Whiskey has emerged as a popular band in Western North Carolina and greater Southern Appalachia. A blend of original country and rock songwriting amid a bevy of cover tunes from the likes of Lynyrd Skynyrd, Waylon Jennings, Johnny Cash and other marquee acts, the essence of the group is musicianship and fellowship.
In March, Outlaw Whiskey was recognized as “Band of the Year” (New Country: 50 & Over Category) by the North America Country Music Association, Int’l (NACMAI) for the second year in a row. Mike Holt took home “Male Vocalist New Country” and Gerald Scott was awarded “New Country Rising Star Song” for the melody “Dirt In Your Hands.” Admission is $5 at the door. 828.538.2488.
• Bevel Bar (Waynesville) will host We Three Swing at 8 p.m. every first Saturday of the month and semi-regular live music on the weekends. For more information, call 828.246.0996, email cheers@bevelbar.com or go to bevelbar.com.
• Blue Ridge Beer Hub (Waynesville) will host Paul Koptak (singer-songwriter) June 1. All shows begin at 5 p.m. Free and open to the public. For more information, go to blueridgebeerhub.com.
• Boojum Brewing (Waynesville) will host Karaoke Night every Wednesday, Trivia Night 7 p.m. Thursdays and Pleasantly Wild (rock) June 8. All shows begin at 9 p.m. unless otherwise noted. 828.246.0350 or boojumbrewing.com.
• Classic Wineseller (Waynesville) will host Russ Wilson Duo (swing/jazz) 7 p.m. June 8. Tickets are $70 per person, which includes music, food, tax and gratuity. Beverages are extra. To reserve a table, call 828.452.6000 or classicwineseller.com.
• Concerts On The Creek (Sylva) will host Southern Vantage (classic rock/country gold) May 31 and Flashback Band (rock/oldies) June 7. All shows begin at 7 p.m. Everyone is encouraged to bring a chair or blanket. These events are free, but donations are encouraged. 828.586.2155 or mountainlovers.com/concerts-on-the-creek.
The Town of Sylva, Jackson County Parks and Recreation Department and Jackson County Chamber of Commerce are proud to present the 15th season of the annual “Concerts on the Creek” music series.
Southern rock/country group
Southern Vantage will hit the stage at 7 p.m. Friday, May 31, at Bridge Park in downtown Sylva.
Southern Vantage is a powerrock trio based in Northeast Georgia. They specialize in southern rock, country and classic hits, all while covering a variety of genres
and three-part harmony hits.
“Concerts on the Creek” are held every Friday night from Memorial Day through Labor Day. Everyone is encouraged to bring a chair or blanket. These events are free, but donations are encouraged. Dogs must be on a leash. No smoking, vaping, coolers or tents are allowed. There will be food trucks on site for this event.
For more information, call the chamber at 828.586.2155, visit mountainlovers.com/concerts-onthe-creek or go to the “Concerts on the Creek” Facebook page.
• Cowee School Arts & Heritage Center (Franklin) will host Jacob Jolliff Band (Americana/bluegrass) 6 p.m. June 15. For more information and/or to purchase tickets, go to coweeschool.org/music.
• Currahee Brewing (Franklin) will host The Remnants (Americana) June 1. All shows begin at 7 p.m. Free and open to the public. 828.634.0078 or curraheebrew.com.
• Farm At Old Edwards (Highlands) will host the “Orchard Sessions” with Highbeams 6 p.m. May 30. For more information and/or to purchase tickets, call 866.526.8008 or go to oldedwardshospitality.com/orchardsessions.
• Friday Night Live (Highlands) will host Byrds & Crows May 31 and The Foxfire Boys (Americana/bluegrass) June 7 at Town Square on Main Street. All shows begin at 6 p.m. Free and open to the public. highlandschamber.org.
• Frog Level Brewing (Waynesville) will host Taylor Watkins (singer-songwriter) May 29 and Mitch McConnell & The Senators May 31. All shows begin at 6 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.454.5664 or froglevelbrewing.com.
• Groovin’ on the Green (Cashiers) will host Kevin Daniel & The Bottom Line May 31 and Nero Smith & The Sunsetters June 7. Shows begin at 6 p.m. Free and open to the public. Donations encouraged. villagegreencashier-
snc.com/concerts.
• Happ’s Place (Glenville) will host Jake Matthews (singer-songwriter) May 30, The Remnants (Americana) May 31, Charles Walker (singer-songwriter) June 7 and Doug Ramsey (singer-songwriter) June 8. All shows begin at 6 p.m. Free and open to the public. happsplace.com or 828.742.5700.
• Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort (Cherokee) will host Grand Funk Railroad (classic rock) 9 p.m. May 31 and Chris Botti (jazz/pop) 9 p.m. June 7. For a full schedule of events and/or to buy tickets, caesars.com/harrahs-cherokee.
• Innovation Brewing (Sylva) will host “Monday Night Trivia” every week, “Open Mic w/Phil” Wednesdays, Tina Collins (singer-songwriter) June 1 and Adi The Monk June 8. All shows and events begin at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. innovation-brewing.com.
• Lazy Hiker Brewing (Franklin) will host Karaoke on the second/fourth Friday of the month, Ray Ferrara (rock/country) June 1 and Whiskey Mountain Band (rock/blues) June 8. All shows begin at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.349.2337 or lazyhikerbrewing.com.
• Lazy Hiker Brewing (Sylva) will host “Music Bingo” 6:30 p.m. Mondays, Bryan & Al (Americana/rock) May 31 and Whiskey Mountain Band (rock/blues) June 7. All shows begin at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.349.2337 or lazyhikerbrewing.com.
• Macon County Public Library (Franklin) will host Madison Owenby (piano/guitar) 6 p.m. June 5. Free and open to the public. 828.524.3600 or fontanalib.org.
• Mountain Layers Brewing (Bryson City) will host an “Open Mic w/Frank Lee” Wednesdays and semi-regular live music on the weekends. All shows begin at 6 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.538.0115 or mountainlayersbrewingcompany.com.
• Nantahala Outdoor Center (Nantahala Gorge) will host The Knotty Gs May 31, The Lefties June 1, Rob Seay (singer-songwriter) June 2, Terry H. (singer-songwriter) 2 p.m. June 8, Hotdog Sunrise (rock/jam) June 8 and Blue (folks/blues) 2 p.m. June 9. All shows behind at 5 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. noc.com.
• Pickin’ On The Square (Franklin) will host Paradise 56 (oldies) June 8. All shows begin at 6 p.m. at the Gazebo in downtown. Free and open to the public. franklinnc.com/pickin-on-the-square.html.
• Rathskeller Coffee Haus & Pub (Franklin) will host Karaoke 6:30 p.m. Tuesdays, Trivia Night 6:30 p.m. Wednesdays, Open Mic w/Dirty Dave 6:30 p.m. Fridays, Joe Munoz (singer-songwriter) 7 p.m. May 25. Free and open to the
public. 828.369.6796.
• Santé Wine Bar (Sylva) will host Shane Meade (indie/soul) June 2 and Taylor Knighton (singer-songwriter) June 9. All shows begin at 5 p.m. Free and open to the public. 828.631.3075 or facebook.com/thewinebarandcellar.
• Saturdays On Pine (Highlands) will host High5 June 1 and Bill Mattocks (rock/soul) June 8 at Kelsey-Hutchinson Park on Pine Street. All shows begin at 6 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. highlandschamber.org.
• Scotsman (Waynesville) will host Rick Manz Trio (Americana/rock) May 30, Nick Mac Duo (rock) May 31, Kevin Dolan & Paul Koptak (Americana/rock) June 6 and Carolina Freightshakers (classic rock/country gold) June 7. All shows begin at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.246.6292 or scotsmanpublic.com.
• Slanted Window Tasting Station (Franklin) will host Blue Jazz (blues/jazz) 4 p.m. June 8. 828.276.9463 or slantedwindow.com.
• SlopeSide Tavern (Sapphire) will host Seth & Sara (Americana) July 11. All shows begin at 6 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.743.8655 or slopesidetavern.com.
• Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts (Franklin) will host The Nashville Celts (Americana/Celtic) 7:30 p.m. June 7. Tickets start at $20 per person with upgrade options available. For more information and/or to purchase tickets, go to smokymountainarts.com or 866.273.4615.
• Stecoah Valley Center (Robbinsville) will host a Community Jam 5:30-7:30 p.m. every third Thursday of the month and semi-regular live music on the weekends. All shows begin at 7:30 p.m. unless otherwise noted. For more information and/or to purchase tickets, call 828.479.3364 or go to stecoahvalleycenter.com.
• Unplugged Pub (Bryson City) will host Karaoke w/Lori May 30 (free), Tricia Ann Band (rock/country) May 31, Outlaw Whiskey (classic rock/country gold) June 1, Second Chance (acoustic) June 6, Rock Holler June 7 and Macon County Line June 8. All shows are $5 at the door unless otherwise noted and begin at 8 p.m. 828.538.2488.
• Valley Cigar & Wine Co. (Waynesville) will host Rick Manz Trio (Americana) 5:30 p.m. May 24. Free and open to the public. 828.944.0686 or valleycigarandwineco.com.
• Yonder Community Market (Franklin) will host Tommy Stinson (singer-songwriter) 7 p.m. May 31. Family friendly, dog friendly. For more information and/or to purchase tickets, go to eatrealfoodinc.com.
• Find more at
The Haywood Arts Regional Theatre will open its 40th season with the enchanting Tony Award-winning musical “The Secret Garden,” which will be held at 7:30 p.m. May 30-31 and June 1 and 2 p.m. June 2 on the Steve Lloyd Stage in Waynesville.
Based on the famous 1911 novel and possessing one of the most glorious scores ever to hit Broadway, “The Secret Garden” is a family friendly yet sophisticated production and one of the most highly anticipated shows of HART’s 2024 season.
This literary classic, brought to life by composer Lucy Simon and Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Marsha Norman, tells a compelling tale of forgiveness and renewal. At its core lies the poignant idea that grief, like a garden, must be tended to, lest it overwhelm us.
“The Secret Garden” plants the seed of this symbolic expression of grief from its opening moments, nurturing it until it blossoms into a moving finale of healing and joy.
“This cast is full of powerhouse singers who appreciate the complexity of the overall story and are in tune with one another every step of the way, listening and responding actively,” Director Kristen Hedberg, herself a veteran of the stage, said of the performers. “That alone is enough. Combined with the beautiful and intriguing visual elements of the show, this production will transfer the audience’s and characters’ experiences or witnesses of grief to hope and beyond even that, to joy.”
To make reservations, call the HART box office at 828.456.6322 or go to harttheatre.org. HART box office hours are Tuesday-Friday from noon to 5 p.m. HART is located at 250 Pigeon St. in Waynesville.
• The Comedy Zone at Harrah’s Cherokee Casino will host Marc Yaffee May 30-June 5 and Southern Momma through June 26. Doors open at 6 p.m. Dinner and drinks will be served from 6-7:45 p.m. For more information and/or to purchase tickets, go to cherokeecomedyzone.com/events.
• Peacock Performing Arts Center (Hayesville) will host semi-regular stage productions on the weekends. All shows begin at 7:30 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and 2:30 p.m. on Sundays unless otherwise noted. For more information and/or to purchase tickets, go to thepeacocknc.org or call 828.389.ARTS.
• Highlands Performing Arts Center will host semi-regular stage productions on the weekends. For more information, a full schedule of events and/or to purchase tickets, go to highlandsperformingarts.com.
• Classic Wineseller (Waynesville) will host a wine tasting at 3 p.m. Saturday, June 1, in Waynesville. For more information and/or to reserve a table, call 828.452.6000 or go to classicwineseller.com.
• “Flights & Bites” will be held starting at 4 p.m. on Thursdays and Fridays at Bosu’s Wine Shop in downtown Waynesville. As well, there will be a special summer wine tasting w/small plate at 6 p.m. June 12 ($30 per person) and rose wine dinner June 17-18 ($78 per person). For more information on upcoming events, wine tastings and special dinners, go to waynesvillewine.com.
• “Take A Flight” with four new wines
every Friday and Saturdays at the Bryson City Wine Market. Select from a gourmet selection of charcuterie to enjoy with your wines. Educational classes and other events are also available. For more information, call 828.538.0420.
• “Uncorked: Wine & Rail Pairing Experience” will be held from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on select dates at the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad in Bryson City. Full service all-adult first class car. Wine pairings with a meal, and more. There will also be a special “Beer Train” on select dates. For more information and/or to register, call 800.872.4681 or go to gsmr.com.
• Cowee School Arts & Heritage Center (Franklin) will host its “Maker Series” from 10-11 a.m. Saturday, June 15. Coffee and conversation with local artisans and crafters. For more information, go to coweeschool.org/music.
• Nantahala Outdoor Center (Nantahala Gorge) will host a “Summer Artisan Market” from noon to 5 p.m. the second Saturday of the month (May-September). Free and open to the public. noc.com.
• “Art & Artisan Walk” will be held from 5-8 p.m. every third Thursday of the month (MayDecember) in Bryson City. Stroll the streets in the evening and discover handcrafted items, artwork, jewelry, pottery, antiques and more. Look for the yellow and blue balloons identifying participating businesses hosting artists. greatsmokies.com.
• “Art After Dark” will be held from 6-9 p.m. each first Friday of the month (MayDecember) in downtown Waynesville. Main Street transforms into an evening of art, live music, finger foods, beverages and shopping
as artisan studios and galleries keep their doors open later for local residents and visitors alike. The event is free and open to the public. For more information, go to downtownwaynesville.com.
• “Challenge Me” exhibition will run through June 2 at the Haywood County Arts Council in Waynesville. In the showcase, “Wings are used by animals and in man-made vehicles. They provide lift and propulsion through the air. Artists let their creativity take flight in an exhibit to dazzle and delight us.” The HCAC gallery is open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sundays. For more information, go to haywoodarts.org.
• “Spark of the Eagle Dancer: The Collecting Legacy of Lambert Wilson” will run through June 28 in the Fine Art Museum at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee. The showcase features works of contemporary Native American art from the collection of one of Western North Carolina’s most notable art
A cherished gathering of locals and visitors alike, “Art After Dark” will launch its 2024 season from 6-9 p.m. Friday, June 7, in downtown Waynesville.
Each first Friday of the month (MayDecember), Main Street transforms into an evening of art, live music, finger foods, beverages and shopping as artisan studios and galleries keep their doors open later for local residents and visitors alike.
The event is free and open to the public. For more information, go to downtownwaynesville.com.
enthusiasts, the late Lambert Wilson. This exhibition brings together a selection of baskets, pottery, carving, painting, photography and more. To learn more, go to arts.wcu.edu/spark. The Fine Art Museum is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday.
• Marianna Black Library (Bryson City) will host an adult arts and crafts program at 1 p.m. every second Thursday of the month. Ages 16 and up. Space is limited to 10 participants. Free and open to the public. To register, call 828.488.3030 or email vroberson@fontanalib.org.
• CRE828 (Waynesville) will offer a selection of art classes and workshops at its studio located at 1283 Asheville Road. Workshops will include art journaling, watercoloring, mixed media, acrylic painting and more. For a full list of classes, go to cre828.com. For more information on CRE828, email dawn@cre828.com or call 828.283.0523.
• Gallery Zella (Bryson City) will be hosting an array of artist receptions, exhibits and show-
cases. The gallery is open from noon to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday. For more information, go to galleryzella.com or call 517.881.0959.
• Waynesville Photography Club meets at 7 p.m. every third Monday each month on the second floor of the Haywood Regional Health & Fitness Center in Clyde. The club is a nonprofit organization that exists for the enjoyment of photography and the improvement of one’s skills. They welcome photographers of all skill levels to share ideas and images at the monthly meetings. For more information, email waynesvillephotoclub@charter.net or follow them on Facebook: Waynesville Photography Club.
• Haywood County Arts Council (Waynesville) will offer a wide-range of classes, events and activities for artisans, locals and visitors. The HCAC gallery is open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sundays. For more information and a full schedule, go to haywoodarts.org.
• Jackson County Green Energy Park (Dillsboro) will be offering a slew of classes, events and activities for artisans, locals and visitors. For more information and a full schedule, go to jcgep.org.
• Southwestern Community College Swain Arts Center (Bryson City) will host an array of workshops for adults and kids. For more information on the upcoming classes and/or to sign-up, go to southwesterncc.edu/scclocations/swain-center.
• Dogwood Crafters in Dillsboro will offer a selection of upcoming art classes and workshops. For more information and a full schedule of activities, go to dogwoodcrafters.com/classes or call 828.586.2248.
• Cowee School Arts & Heritage Center (Franklin) will host semi-regular arts and crafts workshops. For more information, go to coweeschool.org/events.
There will be a contra dance class offered from 6:30-9 p.m. Saturday, June 1, at the Macon County Public Library in Franklin.
Contra dance is considered the most accessible and sociable of all dances, with participants moving in two long facing lines or in groups, and with frequent partner changes. With its roots in the British Isles and France, contra dance has become a traditional American dance form.
Dance caller is Jennie Inglis, with Late to the Party providing live music. No experience is needed to contra dance. All dances are taught. Beginners’ lessons start at 6:30 p.m., with dancing from 7-9 p.m. No need to bring a partner, but you’re welcome to do so.
You may also bring a closed water container and snack. Wear comfortable clothes and shoes. Please don’t wear perfumes or strong scents.
Admission is by donation, which helps pay for the musicians and callers for the evening. First-time attendees and children are admitted free.
The event is produced by the Arts Council, Friends of Contra Dance in Macon County and the Macon County Public Library.
For more information, call 828.524.ARTS or email arts4all@dnet.net.
Two novels, one a classic Western set in 1885 Nevada, the other centered on Barcelona and the aftermath of the Spanish Civil war, snagged my attention this past week. I was busy, but every time I caught a break, I was on the front porch, enjoying the May weather and turning the pages.
Walter Van Tilburg Clark’s “The Ox-Bow Incident” was familiar to me. About 40 years ago, I’d watched the movie starring Henry Fonda, and even earlier, back in my childhood, I’d read the Classics Illustrated comic version.
The plot of this novel is simple and straightforward. Two cowboys, Art Croft and Gil Carter, join 26 others in the town of Bridger’s Wells to hunt down and string up three outlaws believed to have murdered a man, Larry Kinkaid, while rustling some cattle. Though operating as a posse under the guise of law, these riders are actually a lynch mob. After convincing themselves that their cause is just — a few dissenters want to see the men brought to justice, not to a noose hanging from a tree limb — the vigilantes set out, ride well into the night through some rough weather and capture the supposed outlaws sleeping by a fire.
One of these men is a Mexican with a murky past, another is an addled old man and the leader is Donald Martin, who claims to have bought the cattle and knows nothing of a murder. Despite his repeated pleas of innocence and his demands that they be taken before a judge and jury, the vigilantes hang all three men. On their return trip to Bridger’s Wells, they encounter the sheriff and learn not only that Kinkaid is alive, but the men they’ve executed were indeed innocent.
What separates “The Ox-Bow Incident” from most Westerns are its extended reflections on justice, civilization, law, guilt and mob mentality. Prominent in these dialogues are three men. Art Croft, the tale’s narrator, serves as a sort of sounding board as well as amanuensis for the mob, recording the words and feelings of some of the others through his commentary. One of these in particular is the sophisticated Major Tetley, the wealthiest man in town and the leader of the mob. Coldhearted and self-righteous,
Tetley is chief advocate for lynching the captives. A shopkeeper, Davies, whose face, unlike those of the rest of the posse, is “white from indoor work, is Tetley’s nemesis. It is Davies who argues, eloquently at times, for bringing the three men they’ve apprehended into town to face justice in a courtroom.
Yet of the 28 riders in this posse, only
four stand with Davies when Tetley demands a vote on whether to hang the men or turn them over to the law.
History gives us plenty of examples of mob rule and groupthink, that condition which can relieve participants of individual responsibility for actions undertaken while erasing their ethics and clouding their abilities to think critically. Should we moderns view ourselves as beyond such primitive impulses, we have only to remember the mobs of our time — the riots of the summer of 2020, for example, or the online gangs that viciously try to dox or ostracize some — to recover our sense of humility and shame. In “The Prisoner of Heaven” (Harper Perennial, 2013, 278 pages), Carlos Ruiz Zafon continues the saga of the Sempere
family, which he began with “The Shadow of the Wind” (Penguin Books, 2005, 487 pages) and which Gary Carden reviewed in the Smoky Mountain News in late April 2010. It’s 1957, just before Christmas, and Daniel Sempere, husband to the beautiful Bea and father of the infant Julian, is working in his family’s Barcelona bookshop alongside his aging father. With them is their closest friend, Fermin Romero de Torres, who is finally about to settle down and marry. All seems well until a mysterious stranger enters the shop. He leaves behind a message which first drags Fermin, and then Daniel, back to 1939 and the harsh aftermath of the civil war. Here we learn of Fermin’s incarceration into a hellhole of a prison, the tortures he suffered and how it happened that on his escape he became connected to the Sempere family. Having finally revealed these truths to Daniel, the two men must then scramble to track down the stranger, unravel the bundled mysteries that led to Daniel’s mother’s death, and see that Fermin has the identity documents that will legally cinch his marriage to Bernarda.
Like “The Shadow of the Wind” and Book 2 of the Sempere story, “The Angel’s Game,” “The Prisoner of Heaven” brings readers mystery, humor and bits of history. Zafon again gives us some insights into Spain’s bloody war and the fascist and communist ideologies that cleaved through that country like one of those famous Toledo steel swords. His ability to build suspense remains intact and as alive as ever. Best of all, his portrait of Fermin is, quite simply, a delight. The old rogue with the tongue of a stiletto and the heart of an angel is as always ready to drop words of advice to Daniel, skewer institutions from the government to the church and offer compliments to women befitting a Renaissance courtier.
Good reading, everyone! (Jeff Minick reviews books and has written four of his own: two novels, “Amanda Bell” and “Dust On Their Wings,” and two works of nonfiction, “Learning As I Go” and “Movies Make the Man.” minick0301@gmail.com.)
Benjamin Cutler will launch his new book of poetry, “Wild Silence,” at 6 p.m. Friday, May 31, at City Lights Bookstore in Sylva Cutler is an award-winning poet and author of the full-length books of poetry, “The Geese Who Might be Gods” (Main Street Rag, 2019) and “Wild Silence” (Trail to Table, 2024). His poetry has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize numerous times and has appeared in Zone 3, Verse Daily, Tar River Poetry and EcoTheo Review, among many others. He is also a recipient of the North Carolina Poetry Society's Susan Laughter Meyers Poetry Fellowship. In addition, Cutler is a high-school English and creative writing teacher in the Southern Appalachian Mountains of Western North Carolina, where he lives with his family and frequents the local rivers and trails. To pre-order “Wild Science,” stop by the bookstore or call 828.586.9499. You can learn more about Cutler by clicking on benjamincutlerpoet.com.
As the Bobby N. Setzer Fish Hatchery in Transylvania County readies to shut down for a lengthy renovation, local anglers, guides and outfitters have amped up their effort to raise awareness around what may be a massive blow to their business.
While the 2024 trout stocking of delayed harvest waters, set to begin in the coming days, will be normal, the next two to three seasons will not.
The regional trout fishing economy did see a boom over the last several years, especially in the early 2020s on the tail end of pandemic shutdowns when Americans sought out both more domestic vacation destinations and those that offer outdoor recreation opportunities. As The Smoky Mountain News reported in December 2023, a report released by the N.C. Wildlife Commission put the economic impact in the state’s western 26 counties at $1.38 billion, a 360% percent surge since the 2015 report. In that story, outfitters noted
that they were pleasantly surprised by the boom in the industry on the heels of COVID shutdowns. Now, they’re nervous about anglers spending their money elsewhere.
The outcry has become louder in recent months, especially in Maggie Valley, where an outfitter and some guides have been sounding the alarm. Shannon Young, co-owner of the 18-month-old Maggie Valley Fly Shop, said business has been pretty solid up to this point. While he understands the renovations to the hatchery are necessary, he worries about seeing a downturn once out-of-town anglers learn of the reduction in stocking. As of now, that reduction is estimated to be about 65% total across the western region.
“That’s the start of the problem, and then when the people quit coming here, they’ll go elsewhere to fish in other states or they’ll go out west or they’ll just stay home,” Young said.
This, Young predicted, will have a ripple effect that may hurt all businesses, from hotels to restaurants to other tourist attrac-
tions.
“All small businesses in Maggie Valley depend on tourism, so we can’t lose any facet of those dollars,” he said, adding that over two to three years, losses can mount and permanently cripple businesses.
The Setzer hatchery was constructed in the 1950s, and with that age comes a whole host of issues. While the flooding that devastated the region following a catastrophic cloud burst courtesy of Tropical Storm Fred in 2021 decimated the fish stock and damaged parts of the facility, officials interviewed by The Smoky Mountain News said the ball was already rolling on the necessary renovations prior to that.
Doug Besler, the Mountain Region fishery supervisor for the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, said that between the Setzer hatchery and the Armstrong hatchery in McDowell County, about 1 million trout are stocked across about 180 locations in North Carolina waters annually, a number that has steadily grown over the 28 years he’s worked
for the fisheries branch of the agency.
“It’s a big program and has incrementally grown over past 75 years,” Besler said. “But the [the Setzer Hatchery] is functionally obsolete now.”
David Deaton has been with the state’s hatchery program for 24 years and now serves as the fish production supervisor. He spoke to some of the specific upgrades on the horizon. While many of the buildings — particularly the hatchery building — need to be modernized and made larger, perhaps the most crucial issues are the raceways and associated pipes.
“The infrastructure itself is pretty outdated and crumbling,” he said. “We could literally have a pipe collapse tomorrow and lose everything.”
“We will be tearing out the existing raceways and rebuilding them,” he added.
The architectural plans for the renovation are now complete, and in months the project will go out to bid. Construction is slated to begin sometime around F
late fall or early winter and is expected to take 18-24 months. The aim is to increase reliability and capacity for fish production while also improving water quality downstream in the Davidson River.
Deaton said that right now, the agency is finishing up the construction document review and permitting processes.
“We are looking at putting the project out for bid late summer or early fall and looking for construction to begin either late fall or early winter of this year,” he said, adding that while it’s estimated that the project may come in at around $40 million, they won’t know for sure until the bids start coming back.
Of the estimated $40 million for the project, NCWRC is paying half and the General Assembly ponied up for the other $20 million in last year’s budget. Prior to that budget process, several legislators went out and toured the facility, including Rep. Mike Clampitt (R-Swain), who serves on the House Wildlife Resources Committee.
“We spent a whole day going through there,” Clampitt said. “The flood from Floyd destroyed some buildings, and it’s got a severe leaching problem out of the holding area where the fingerlings are at.”
Clampitt added that when it came to the budget process, there wasn’t any serious pushback and that legislators all understood the need for the repairs.
There are some ways to potentially mitigate the shortfall in trout stocking that will be seen over the next two to three seasons. First, officials plan to ramp up stocking out of the Armstrong hatchery as much as a possible, although that can create some logistical challenges in the far-flung reaches of the region.
In fall 2023,
“Those fish take longer distances to get to Cherokee County than from the Setzer hatchery,” Besler said, noting that they don’t want to compromise the health over the long distances. Basically, creative solutions will need to be explored. Either way, the strategy for stocking is relatively simple — instead of dumping the fish all at once or simply cutting certain streams off, they will scale back the number of stocking events by the same degree in each waterway. Besler said he believes that’s the only way it can be fair.
“Jonathan Creek is extremely important to Maggie Valley, just like the Catawba River is important in Marion and the Wautauga is important to Boone,” he said. “We decided early on in this we didn’t want to pick winners and losers.”
While there is some concern that poachers — who are given advance notice of stocking just like everyone else — may take an outsized portion of the fish, Besler said that likely won’t be the case and added that it’s important to let folks know when the streams will be stocked since many out-of-towners plan trips well ahead of time based on when they’ll find the best fishing.
“People historically have always known when we’re stocking,” he said, adding that local anglers may also opt to fish wild trout streams they perhaps hadn’t considered before.
Many have brought up the idea of working with private hatcheries to buy large numbers of fish to bolster the stocking. While Deaton confirmed they are talking to a few businesses about that possibility, he cautioned people against thinking that’s a failsafe solution.
“We’ve looked into that, but one thing people don’t realize is it’s a lot of fish we’d have to purchase,” Deaton said. “These private growers, they have standing customers, and they’re limited on space as well, so they don’t have a lot of space to grow fish for us. But we are working currently with three producers now looking at options.”
In the meantime, Deaton and Besler said that while they know this process will create some hardship, they’re asking people to be patient and to understand these renovations are a necessity at this point.
“We’re doing this for the long haul in that our goal is a stable, prospering trout program for decades, and the best way to do that is good infrastructure,” Besler said. “We are always available to meet with communities or individuals with concerns.”
For more information, including timely updates, visit ncwildlife.org/setzer.
Participants practiced casting, learning how to let the fly drift down to the water in a way that will have the fish biting in the future.
I'm letting go of all my troubles
I think I'll be right here to stay
Well the water keeps a churning while my poor heart is burning
Muddy water take my pain away — “Meet me at the Creek” by Billy Strings
When my wife told me she’d signed me up for a fly-fishing class, I probably let out an audible groan. I almost didn’t go — hell, Friday is usually my day to stay home and write. Why infringe on that?
I’ve always liked hiking in the Smokies, but who has the focus to stand in one place and flick a line around? I grew up fishing rivers in Washington state and have enjoyed it here and there in my adult life, but those ventures were the classic “set it and forget it,” a chance to enjoy some beer and idle conversation between tugs on the line.
But my wife figures fly fishing is a pastime that would probably suit me. Her underlying motivation may have been that the man who leads the class, Tommy Thomas, sells fly rods at the gallery she manages, Waynesville’s Twigs and Leaves. Thomas is a favorite of the gallery, and Tiffani always wants me to meet the people she respects. She arranged it so I would take the class with the gallery’s owner, Roger Reid, and his next-door neighbor, Station on Main owner Kirk Noonan, as well as Dennis and Graham Hysom, the husband and son of Tiffani’s coworker, Lenora.
The first of two days, I arrived in the small, empty parking lot off Richland Creek near the Lake Junaluska Golf Course. As I sat eating my biscuit and sipping my coffee, I side eyed the geese,
and the geese side eyed me. We’ve never gotten along, and there was an uneasy tension. Roger pulled up next to me as I crumpled up the Chick Fil A bag and tossed it in my back seat. We chatted as a mother goose wobbled up with a few goslings behind her, a developing threat. A few minutes later, Dennis and Graham arrived, and then a woman named Cindy. We stood in the parking lot and chatted for probably a half hour when Roger finally said what we were all thinking.
“Maybe we’re in the wrong place?”
I followed the others who drove with a strong sense of purpose to the Waynesville Recreation Park — the other side of the Richland Creek Greenway — where we encountered Thomas and the others. I was nervous about what I may have missed, partly because I wanted to make the most of the time and really learn the basics of fly fishing, but mostly because it sucks to write a story after feeling like you missed something.
Thomas welcomed us with no hesitation, and we set up our lawn chairs around a table displaying a bunch of books and some random fly-fishing equipment. Going clockwise around our little semicircle, we introduced ourselves. Once Thomas got to me, he excitedly spoke about my former coworker Holly Kays, who’d previously written about the class.
“I used to work with Holly Kays; she’s just a fantastic writer,” he exclaimed.
I chuckled to myself. He wasn’t wrong, but the pressure was on. Once the class began in earnest, I scribbled notes as other eager aspiring anglers did the same.
The class began with Thomas giving everyone his business card, not for self-promotion but to provide a vital resource for the future. As I’ve since learned, exploring the vast world of rods and reels and gadgets and gizmos can be overwhelming, so Thomas encouraged everyone to give him a call any time they have questions.
“Once you’re my students, you’re my students for life,” he told the class.
Thomas, absurdly spry for a 76-year-old, is not only an expert fly fisherman; he’s also an avid edu-
cator, a storyteller and a sort of modern-day philosopher. Clad in an array of gear ornamented with various flies and gear, he embodied what many in the group aspired to. He began by informing the students that they live in “fly fishing Mecca,” a beautiful place with pristine waters and plenty of trout. But that’s not what’s it’s about,
chance to think clearly and honestly amid nature, which passes no judgment. Us students, there to learn the basics, were eager to experience what still may seem like an abstract concept.
When it came to the nuts and bolts, Thomas threaded humor and trivia throughout the lessons to keep people engaged. While he taught introductory techniques and explained the basic equipment, he also
Thomas
repetition. Even when it came to tying flies, the part of the fly fishing that still feels most elusive to me, he offered encouragement — they don’t have to be pretty, he said.
“The fish will meet you halfway,” he said. “Don’t worry about it.”
That first day, we also practiced casting without flies, which was for the best, considering most of us were flinging our lines around and no doubt would have hooked a limb — tree or human — at some point. The mechanics were simple, bring your elbow right into your side and move your arm from 10 o’clock to 2 o’clock. Pay special attention to not throw the line as you would casting with a traditional rod and reel, but rather let the motion of the line drive things. The second you feel the weight shift back on the rod, move your arm forward and let the line drift down elegantly. More complex casts will come later, Thomas assured.
Thomas said, invoking a famous Henry David Thoreau quote: “Many men go fishing their entire lives without knowing it isn’t the fish they’re after.”
Thomas estimated 95% have yet to reach the enlightenment Thoreau references.
“Once you cross over to the 5%, you’ll know what this sport is all about,” Thomas said.
And it’s the solitude he referenced, a
Maggie Valley is set to host the second annual Fly Fishing and Outdoors Festival June 15 and 16.
The event will offer plenty for anglers of all levels, including those who are interested but have perhaps never flung a fly. The aim is both to bring awareness to the sport so many in the region love and also to expose more experienced anglers to the latest and greatest.
This year, the event will feature over 80 vendors. Local flyfishing legend Tommy Thomas noted that it will be the largest in North Carolina.
“Some of the top rod makers in the world are going to be at this festival,” Thomas said. “Also, people that I know who build bamboo fly rods from scratch are going to be at the festival as well.”
built in everyone a feeling of comfort and confidence. He offered the words of another great philosopher, who, when teaching a reluctant student said, “Do or do not. There is no try.” That philosopher, as some in the class seemed to know based on their quiet smiles, was Yoda.
But the message was real, and Thomas spent real time telling everyone that they can do this and do it well; it’s just a matter of
The next Friday was similar, with some time spent practicing casting and plenty dedicated to stream etiquette and navigating safety hazards, including falls, hypothermia, stolen equipment, parasitic microorganisms, snakes, bears, elk, drowning and sudden bad weather.
“Did I scare you off from fly fishing yet?” Thomas joked.
The group also ventured down to Richland Creek, so Thomas could point out the basics of reading the water, where to cast and how to let a fly drift. He even waded down into the creek to point out the nymphs that hide under the rocks.
At the end, Thomas donned his full getup, complete with waders and a fishing vest loaded with all kinds of stuff, including a pipe and tobacco. Ending the class with a gear breakdown was perfect — it showed everyone what it’s supposed to look like. Once all was said and done, everyone had all the knowledge they needed to at least get out on the water, and that’s what it’s all about.
I interviewed Thomas after the end of the second day, during which he spoke a bit about his pedagogical philosophy. While he’s been teaching this class for about five years, education has been a lifelong interest of his, even throughout his career which brought him to teaching construction management. He agreed that perhaps the most important thing is letting people know they can learn this great new hobby, no matter where they are in life.
“Everybody can do this,” he said. “I touched on every aspect of fly fishing to make sure that you were exposed to it, that you learn from it. I've had over probably 500 or 600 students come through here, anywhere from seven years old up to 85 years old, all who have just started out in it. They
In addition, women’s world champion fly fisherman, Jule Mattson, will attend. Mattson will even teach classes.
“They're actually going to be taking people down on the water and learning,” Thomas said. “She's going to teach them techniques.”
There will also be fly tying classes, additional clinics to teach casting and other techniques, food vendors and fun competitions.
For more information, visit maggievalleyflyfishingfestival.com.
all learned that yes, you can do this.”
Thomas said many of his students do take to fly fishing and have come to realize that one of the truest joys is in the continuous learning and development inherent to the sport. Thomas, who himself has mastered the crafts of fly tying and bamboo rod refurbishment understands this concept well, and he’s also created his own trademark knot and fly cast — the aptly titled Tommy Knot and Tommy Cast.
“There’s no question about it, this is individualistic,” he said. “You get your favorite rod, your favorite fly and all that, and everything becomes second nature. It’s an extension of your arm. There's no right or wrong. It's just whatever you want to do yourself.”
This is similar to my view of writing. Fly fishing, like writing, is a craft. The goal is never to be perfect, it’s to always improve, always seek the next plateau. Finding your own innovations along the way is the treat. And so here I sit, having now purchased all the basic gear — cheap stuff that can be replaced as the need arises, as Tommy recommended — ready to give this thing a go. Like most times I feel hesitant about diving into something, whether because of anxiety or simply because I feel like I have other things to be doing, I am glad I showed up, and I plan to stick with this.
See you in the stream.
Haywood County Recreation offers beginner and intermediate fly fishing courses, as well as expeditions, each for $10. Visit secure.rec1.com/NC/haywood-county-nc/catalog for schedules and details.
C BR catherine.pro 3 Catherine Proben ROKER ASSOCIATE (828) 734-9157 oben@allentate.com
White and designed by the Smokies Life creative team, the 38-page booklet serves as the official guide to the Junior Ranger program at Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Anyone that helps their team complete at least five activities and five experiences outlined in the guide can be officially sworn in as a Junior Ranger at any park visitor center. The guides are designed to be completed as a team, and there are no age limits on the Junior Ranger program at Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
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Smokies Life, formerly Great Smoky Mountains Association, received national recognition at the 2024 Public Lands Alliance Partnership Awards for its “Junior Ranger Activity Guide,” which won in a category for Outstanding Public Engagement. Public Lands Alliance (PLA) publicly announced and honored the winners of its annual awards at a virtual ceremony on Thursday, April 18.
Published in 2023, the “Junior Ranger Activity Guide” is an interactive illustrated guidebook packed full of fun activities designed to introduce kids of all ages to the Smokies. It was developed by National Park Service staff at Great Smoky Mountains National Park with support from Smokies Life and assistance from the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Cherokee Speakers Council. Featuring colorful illustrations by Jesse
The 9-by-12inch “Junior Ranger Activity Guide,” which includes 38 illustrated pages of park-related activities and a tearout postcard and bookmark, is available for $4.50 in the park’s visitor center bookstores and at Smokies Life’s online store, SmokiesLife.org.
For additional details on the 2024 Public Lands Alliance Partnership Awards, visit publiclandsalliance.org or watch the ceremony stream at facebook.com/publiclandsalliance.
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Treatments for spongy moth (formerly known as the gypsy moth) infestations in several areas across North Carolina will start as early as June 7 and could continue through June 20, according to the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. The only county in The Smoky Mountain News coverage area to be affected will be Haywood.
Prior to normal spongy moth mating periods, low-altitude fixed-wing aircraft will disperse SPLAT Gypsy Moth-Organic infused with the naturally occurring spongy moth pheromone.
The presence of the pheromone makes male spongy moths unable to follow the natural pheromone scent trails released by the females. This causes a decrease in mating success and reduces the spongy moth population. The pheromone is not harmful to humans, animals or plants, and it will not affect other insect species.
Spongy moths feed on the leaves of more than 300 different species of trees and shrubs, predominantly oaks and hardwoods. When areas become heavily infested, trees may be completely stripped of foliage, leaving yard trees and entire forests more susceptible to attacks from other pests. Severe infestations often lead to tree death.
Homeowners in the treatment areas were notified about these infestations as well as treatment options in January and February. Information sessions were held within the
affected communities and public comments from residents in the treatment areas were collected for consideration.
For more information or to request treat-
When areas become infested with spongy moths, trees may be completely stripped of foliage. File photo
On Earth Day, April 22, members of the Haywood County Solid Waste Management team worked with a local environmental group to give away more than 600 reusable bags designed to hold recyclable material at four of the county’s convenience centers. The reusable bags show what’s recyclable on one side and what is non-recyclable on the other side. The reusable bags were purchased by the county in an effort to keep single-use plastic bags out of the recycling stream. Many citizens, thinking plastic bags can be recycled too, place recyclables in “blue bags” or other plastic bags and toss them into the recycling bins at the convenience centers. Plastic bags are a hazard for the recycling machinery and have to be removed by hand.
ment notification via text or email, visit ncagr.gov/proposed-spongy-moth-management or contact the NCDA&CS Plant Industry Division toll-free at 800.206.9333.
Haywood County employees and 14 members of the Western North Carolina Environmental Action Community (EAC) worked together to hand out the reusable bags at convenience centers in Bethel, Crabtree, Hazelwood and Mauney Cove. Another reusable bag give-away is scheduled for Wednesday, June 26, at selected Haywood County convenience centers. The reusable bags are also available by calling the Haywood County Solid Waste Management office at 828.356.2138 or contacting the Haywood County Recycling Coordinator at recycle@haywoodcountync.gov.
The Haywood Community College Foundation is hosting the inaugural charity disc golf tournament, Discs in the Dogwoods, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, June 13, on the campus of Haywood Community College.
This event is HCC’s version of a golf tournament with food, fun, tee times and hole sponsorships. The 18-hole course allows for players of all abilities to enjoy some time outside on the campus and experience all the fun the sport of disc golf has to offer. With morning and afternoon tee times available (9 a.m. or 1 p.m.), groups will have multiple opportunities to enjoy the revamped course.
To support the HCC Foundation, entry fees cover the player registration cost,
lunch and includes a donation to the Haywood Strong scholarship, which supports workers families affected by the shutdown of Canton’s paper mill. Entry fees are $50 per person or $200 for a team of four. Prizes will be awarded in each tee time group for men, women and mixed groups.
Sponsorships for this event are also available and range from $450 to $1,750. Sponsors will be able to have a presence at the event and may include a team or partial team based on the level chosen.
For more information about this event or to give to the HCC Foundation, call 828.627.4544, email hebirenbaum@haywood.edu or search “Discs in the Dogwoods” on eventbrite.com.
The Future Mustang Soccer Camp, sponsored by Jackson County Parks and Recreation, will welcome local kids to build their skills on the pitch.
The camp is open to boys and girls ages 8-14. It will be held 6-8 p.m. on June 3-6. Cost is $100 per participant, and the registration deadline is 5 p.m. June 1.
Register at rec.jacksonnc.org.
Puzzles can be found on page 30
These are only the answers.
Due to forecasted inclement weather conditions, the WayneTown ThrowDown Skate Park Competition was postponed.
The makeup day is set for Saturday, June 8, at the Waynesville Skate Park.
Schedule of Events:
• Registration opens at 9 a.m. and remains open throughout the day until division starts.
• 10 a.m. Beginner Division
• 11:30 a.m. Intermediate Division
• 1 p.m. Advanced/Open Division
• 2 p.m. Best Tricks
• 3:30 p.m. Awards Presentation
5
2
The Smoky Mountain News Marketplace has a distribution of 16,000 copies across 500 locations in Haywood, Jackson, Macon and Swain counties, including the Qualla Boundary and west Buncombe County. Visit www.wncmarketplace.com to place your ad!
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NOTICE OF ADMINISTRATION
Case No.24-E-285
Iris Lorraine Schott,
Ancillary Executor of the Estate of Lester Gerald Schott, Jr. County, North Carolina, this is to notify all persons having claims against the Estate to present them before Aug 29 2024, or in bar of their recovery.
Ancillary Executor c/o Thomas M. Caune II 1009 East Boulevard Charlotte, NC 28203
NOTICE OF ADMINISTRATION
Case No.24E272
Tracy Elizabeth Davis,
Executor of the Estate of Patricia Pehl Davis
North Carolina, this is to notify all persons having claims against the Estate to present them to the Aug 08 2024, or this in bar of their recovery.
Executor 6400 Bethel Church Road Saline, MI 48176
NOTICE OF ADMINISTRATION
Case No.2024 E 000263 Robin Justice, havingistrator of the Estate of Linda Wells Hannah
North Carolina, this is to notify all persons having claims against the Estate to present them to the
Aug 08 2024, or this in bar of their recovery.
Administrator 21 Delia Wells Drive Waynesville NC 28786
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Here’s How It Works: Sudoku puzzles are formatted as a 9x9 grid, broken down into nine 3x3 boxes. To solve a sudoku, the numbers 1 through 9 must fill each row, column and box. Each number can appear only once in each row, column and box. You can figure out the order in which the numbers will appear by using the numeric clues already provided in the boxes. The more numbers you name, the easier it gets to solve the puzzle!
