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June 11-17, 2014 Vol. 16 Iss. 02

Haywood reps out from Pigeon River Board Page 4 Appalachia celebrated in Waynesville Page 28

CONTENTS On the Cover North Carolina Republicans whooped it up in Cherokee during the party’s annual convention. Delegates devoured pep talks delivered from the GOP’s celebrity bench and hitched their wagons to N.C. House Speaker Thom Tillis’s star in hopes the U.S. senate candidate can help flip the Democratic majority in D.C. (Page 6)

News Waynesville considers raising property tax rate 3 percent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Haywood GOP Chairman Pat Carr survives a close call . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 A mother in Sylva questions her daughter’s park banishment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Macon teachers sit N.C. Sen. Jim Davis down for an education . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Cell phone tower regulations are on the planning table in Jackson . . . . . . . . . 12 Is Raleigh playing politics with the Pigeon River Fund Board? . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 A Haywood developer remembers the heyday, and the days after . . . . . . . . . 16 Towns lose out as business license fees disappear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Evergreen hopes for $12 million from state . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Opinion If war is not the answer, then what is? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

A&E Appalachian culture celebrated with Waynesville festival . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Outdoors A bear’s appetite for birdseed ends with buckshot in Maggie Valley . . . . . . . 36

June 11-17, 2017

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June 11-17, 2017

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Budget dilemma forces time of reckoning for Waynesville

BY B ECKY JOHNSON STAFF WRITER aynesville leaders will face a tough choice in coming weeks: either raise the property tax rate by 3 cents or cut town services and amenities.

That’s the message Town Manager Marcy Onieal shared with Waynesville aldermen at a budget workshop last week.

“In no way do I want you all to feel like we have painted you in a corner,” Onieal told the board. “But we are at a point where we either have to have more money to do what we have been doing — or we have to have a very difficult conversation about what we are willing to do without.”

The town has until June 30 to pass a budget for the coming fiscal year. Onieal recognized the difficult choice town leaders face.

All four aldermen and the mayor are up for election next year.

“I know it is politically difficult,” Onieal said of her tax-hike suggestion.

Waynesville leaders did a lot of listening and not much talking during the two-hour budget workshop last Friday. None of the aldermen indicated what their position might be on a tax increase.

A public hearing on the proposed budget was scheduled for Tuesday night (June 10) with a follow-up workshop next week.

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Waynesville is facing a litany of losses to its bottom line: lower sales tax collections,

Haywood GOP faction loses bid to oust chair

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BY B ECKY JOHNSON STAFF WRITER An ongoing tug-of-war for control of the Haywood County Republican Party reached a finale last week.

A faction of conservative activists failed in their bid to wrest the chairman’s seat away from Pat Carr, who represents the mainstream party establishment. Carr now hopes the party can overcome the internal division that has plagued it for more than a year.

“I believe we absolutely must work together. There is no way to be successful without working together,” Carr said.

But those calling to remove Carr aren’t ready to tow the unity line.

“As long as it is the ‘Pat Carr GOP’ and not the ‘Haywood County GOP’ there will be a problem,” said Eddie Cabe, a precinct chair in the party.

A vote to remove Carr was held at the party’s executive committee meeting June 3. The vote was 13 to 11 in favor of Carr remaining chair.

Jonnie Cure, a precinct chair in Waynesville who disapproves of Carr’s leadership, said the vote is misleading.

“There are people who voted for her to remain because 4 they just don’t want a disturbance,” Cure said.

Waynesville Town Manager Marcy Onieal has a ‘difficult conversation.’ Becky Johnson photo

Tax rate snapshot Waynesville’s property tax rate is currently 40 cents per every $100 of property value.

Under a proposed 3-cent property tax increase, town taxes on a $250,000 house would go from $1,000 a year to $1,075 a year. Here’s some other town property tax rates in greater WNC: Canton .........................................58 cents Maggie.........................................39 cents Sylva ............................................30 cents Franklin........................................25 cents Bryson City...................................35 cents Murphy.........................................42 cents Brevard ........................................45 cents Black Mountain............................37 cents Shelby ..........................................43 cents Kings Mountain............................40 cents Rutherfordton...............................56 cents Hickory .........................................50 cents

Those who back Carr also say the vote is misleading, but in the other direction, claiming that the anti-Carr faction is not representative of average Republicans in Haywood County despite their undue influence within the executive committee.

Signs of conflict within the party manifested almost two years ago, following a concerted effort to expand the ranks of volunteers at the precinct level. Some of those coming on board were hard-charging conservative purists and found themselves at odds with the party establishment.

Cabe said he does not support the “agenda” of the party under Carr, which he considers “socialist.”

The faction claims they have brought new energy and vigor to the local party. But mainstream Republicans accuse the faction of being disruptive, negative and critical.

Carr is not the only one who has crossed swords with them, but one of the few who didn’t back down.

Cure said the turmoil over Carr has been harmful and Carr should have stepped aside for the good of the party.

“I would not have pit-bulled my position and stayed in there in spite of everybody,” Cure said.

Carr said she believes in the mission of the local party and it was worth standing up for.

“Hopefully we can come up with some common goals that will help us defeat Democrats and get our good conservative candidates elected,” Carr said. “I would certainly hope everyone would see the benefit of working together to further the position of our Republican candidates.”

But some of the disaffected party members — on both sides of the divide — aren’t ready for reconciliation. They

into town coffers.

• $175,000 decline in annual interest income on investments. Dismal market rates mean the town makes almost nothing on its investments and savings compared to 2008.

• $120,000 in cuts to business license fees. The state has ended municipal business license fees, effective next year.

• $200,000 reduction in sales tax collections compared to 2008. A portion of the state sales tax is remitted to local governments. As consumer spending shrunk during the recession, that meant less sales tax coming back to the town.

• $80,000 cut from the county for trash hauling. Starting this year, the county will no longer cover the cost of transporting trash from a centralized drop-off point to the landfill.

• $110,000 has been lost in phone franchise fees since 2009. A surcharge tacked on to customers’ phone bills is remitted to local governments. As the public increasingly jettisons their tradi-

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June 11-17, 2017

CRUNCH TIME

county budget cuts for trash hauling, the loss of liquor store revenue, dwindling annual interest on investments, and the anticipated loss of business license fees — just to name a few. All told, nearly $1 million in annual revenue has been lost over a five-year period.

Onieal said it is impressive the town has made it this far on just small sacrifices.

“We have tried to maintain the same level of service, but we have done about all the absorbing we are able to do,” Onieal said.

“Right now, we are sort of out of magic tricks.”

The town budget grows organically through construction, which adds to the town’s property tax base. But with development in the doldrums, this natural growth hasn’t been enough to offset the various losses the town has seen in other revenue streams and to keep up with inflation.

Waynesville’s annual budget has grown by half-a-percent a year over the past five years, and that’s not enough growth to keep up with things like rising health insurance costs for employees or rising fuel costs, said Town Finance Director Eddie Caldwell.

Waynesville’s plight is not unique.

“A significant number of cities across North Carolina have had to raise property taxes either last year or this year,” Onieal said. “The fact is the state legislature has taken so many revenues away and we have lost revenues, we don’t have many other tools at our disposal.”

Here are some of the revenue hits the town has seen: • $70,000 cut from the county for recreation. Since town taxpayers subsidize parks

and recreation facilities used by county residents at-large, the county used to make an annual contribution for recreation, but quit doing so during the recession.

• $150,000 lost in liquor store profits. The town makes money off its ABC store, but the town built a new ABC store last year in hopes of increasing sales in the long-run and eventually saving on rent. But in the short-term, ABC profits are being used to pay off the construction loan instead of going

will support Republican candidates, but not through the auspice of the party.

“My attention and money and campaigning will be for candidates,” Cure said.

Likewise, those who feel the party has been overrun with a radical conservative faction have said the same — vowing to support candidates but not the local party.

Lisa Womack, who was elected vice chair of the local GOP last month after the previous two vice chairs resigned, wants to bring everyone back to the table and is hopeful.

“After the meeting broke up there did seem to be a coming together. A lot of people from both sides were talking with each other,” Womack said of last week’s turn of events.

Womack said some were just glad to put the issue to rest, but admitted some still had frustrations.

Some may never forgive Carr for her role in a failed attempt to undo the influence of the activist faction within the party by stripping them from the executive committee, a proposal made at the local party convention in March. The faction, angered by the attempt to oust them, retaliated by calling for Carr’s ousting.

The faction secured a voice in the party last year by orchestrating a major expansion of the executive committee — it went from seven to 30 members by adding precinct chairs as voting members.

While the issue is dead for now, either side could try to advance their position within the party at next year’s local convention when the party chair and precinct chairs are officially up for election.

else,” he told them. “All I was told was that she was littering and she wouldn’t pick it up.”

Sylva Police Chief Davis Woodard was also unable to add much to the discussion.

“I know very little about it,” he told the board. “I’ve tried to stay out of it.”

The teen’s mother proceeded to tell the board that she sympathized with their efforts to protect town parks from vandals.

Woolverton agreed there were problem elements present in the parks — people “all doped up” and sometimes with weapons — and said she was concerned for her daughter’s safety.

“I gave her a small pocket knife to keep her safe,” Woolverton said. “I mean, I’m a mother hen.”

After hearing the woman’s concerns, commissioners were inclined to take another look at her banishment from the park.

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NEW SPENDING The budget includes some new spending that could be considered nonessential.

Examples include: • 1 percent cost-of-living raise for employees.

• $75,000 for a parks and recreation master plan.

• $25,000 grant toward construction of a second theater building for Haywood Arts Regional Theater.

• $25,000 grant to help Folkmoot USA international folk festival with a capital investment in its headquarters.

• $25,000 for Haywood Helps, the broadbased non-profit initiative to convert the former state prison into a homeless shelter and half-way rehab house.

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tional landlines for cell phones, the amount collected has gone down.

While the town is out $1 million in various revenue streams compared to five years ago, the three cent increase on the tax rate would only bring in an extra $330,000.

Onieal said the town should see an improvement to its bottom line by 2017. Sales tax should creep up, economic activity should drive new construction and debt from past capital projects will be paid down.

“We are talking about a period of time that we have got to get over. The question is how do you want to get over it?” Onieal said.

“We have reached a level of service in this community that people value. When you talk about cuts you are talking about cutting programs, cutting services.”

Franklin’s Finest 55+ Community

June 11-17, 2017

BY J EREMY MORRISON N EWS E DITOR fter her teenage daughter was banned from Poteet Park for a year, a Sylva mother sought an audience with the town’s commissioners.

“Everywhere I try to address my concerns, I’m ignored,” Deborah Woolverton told Sylva commissioners during a recent board meeting.

The woman relayed how her daughter had been accused of either trespassing, littering or damaging property, but was innocent of those acts. She had already had this conversation with Public Works Director Dan Schaeffer.

“He told me I could believe my daughter if I saw fit, but it was his job to believe his employee,” Woolverton said.

Recently, Schaeffer alerted the board to the continued vandalism of town parks. He suggested banning teenagers from the parks, but commissioners decided Deborah Woolverton instead to purchase defends her daughter at a more cameras for Sylva town board meeting. three different parks Jeremy Morrison photo — at a cost of more than $13,000.

“I think it all needs to be reviewed, myself, Schaffer also told the board that there were “only a certain few causing trouble.” before we make a conclusion, because you Woolverton told the board that she was sure sound like a good momma,” said her daughter was not among those causing Commissioner Harold Hensley.

Sylva Mayor Maurice Moody ultimately trouble at the park, that she would not vandirected Schaeffer, Woodard and Town dalize city property.

“I would’ve taken her butt down there and Manager Paige Roberson to “investigate” and made her clean it up,” Woolverton told com- “just handle the situation.”

The next week, Roberson reported that missioners.

The mother read some of her comments the teen’s ban had been reduced to one from a five-page, single-spaced, typed state- month. Her actions at the park, however, ment. It laid out the chain of events, her expe- remain unclear.

“There was video, but the cameras weren’t riences dealing with the town thus far and her zoomed in far enough,” Roberson said, feelings about the overall issue.

When the woman finished, commission- adding that she had to “take the word of my employees, of course,” but also felt the girl’s ers looked to Schaffer for a response.

“I don’t know anything about anything reduced punishment was a “good idea.”

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Sylva mother questions park ban

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One-liners and the warpath State Republicans relax, ready for revolution at Cherokee convention

BY J EREMY MORRISON N EWS E DITOR hom Tillis has a recurring daydream.

The Republican Speaker of the North Carolina House of Representatives and candidate for the U.S. Senate, laid out his fantasy during the GOP’s annual convention held last weekend in Cherokee.

“It goes something like this: I’m standing in the Senate chamber,” Tillis said, “and Harry Reid is looking for his seat. And I get to say, ‘Mr. Minority leader, it’s somewhere back there.”

The Speaker’s approaching battle with sitting Sen. Kay Hagan is a big deal. It’s among a handful of races that could decide whether the GOP takes control of the U.S. Senate come November.

This fact has turned Tillis into a bit of a rock star. “’You’re a groupie of mine? You win this race, you’ll be the king of groupies,’” conservative-darling Bill Bennett said of Tillis.

That chance to flip a pivotal seat and shift the majority in the U.S. Senate served to energize the faithful in attendance at Harrah’s Resort and Casino in Cherokee, the only time in recent memory the state GOP has met in Western North Carolina.

“We can’t afford to let Harry Reid sit in the front of the room one more day,” former Arkansas governor and 2008 GOP presidential candidate Mike Huckabee demanded during dinner at the convention. “You absolutely have to retire Kay Hagen.”

While other business was tended to — shaking out the party platform, for instance — the recent GOP convention was largely meant to rally what Tillis refers to as the “foot soldiers in this revolution.”

“This is a time when we have to get out and get our base enthused,” said Jackson County GOP Chairman Ralph Slaughter as he awaited Huckabee’s convention address.

Not everyone was enthused about the GOP’s visit to Cherokee. A group of protesters — unhappy with the direction Republican legislators have steered the state — received permission from the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians to assemble on a corner across the street from the valet parking lot.

“This is all part of Moral Monday energy,” said protester Steve Norris of Fairview. “Bad things in government cause rebellion.”

The corner rebellion remained only a rumor within the confines of the convention.

Inside Harrah’s, the GOP could whoop up the home team without risking the public displays that haunt them in Raleigh.

“Not a good idea,” said a member of Harrah’s security team, explaining that any protests on the property would draw both federal and tribal prosecution.

No, inside the convention the GOP was 6

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June 11-17, 2017

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Gov. Pat McCrory preaches to the choir during the N.C. GOP’s recent convention in Cherokee.

Jeremy Morrison photo

left to cultivate a celebration that was equal parts pep-rally and war dance. Republicans took the opportunity to plot the revolution — a revolution built on the backs of what Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal calls the “good, decent, God-fearing people” — and pray that North Carolina might play some part in shifting the larger political landscape.

“I sense there’s a rebellion brewing,” Jihndal told the crowd in Cherokee. “Thank you for fighting the good fight.”

RIDING THE LIGHTNING WITH GOV. CORNDOG The seniors playing slots near the casino’s side entrance seemed oblivious to the action going on upstairs. Past the slot machines and the floor tile that glittered like diamonds, up a 68-foot waterfall and tucked discreetly into cubbies within the casino, the annual state convention was in full swing.

Just as the players downstairs were missing the GOP show, convention attendees could manage to go about their weekend with little notice of gambling. Since selecting the Cherokee resort for the convention, the hypocrisy of venturing to a casino when some members of the party have reservations about gambling had not gone unnoticed.

“What’s the big deal?” shrugged Dodie Allen, acknowledging the conflict but preferring to move beyond it.

There are a number of awkward schisms that aren’t being discussed at the GOP convention. No one is talking about the variations between the wings of the party. There are better things to discuss than inner-party drama like the divides that exists between Gov. Pat McCrory and Republican legislators

over issues like Medicaid reform and education funding.

Allen, who recently lost her primary bid for the N.C. 119 House seat representing this region, isn’t sweating such disconnects — besides the party ended up softening platform language on gambling during the convention — and would rather focus on the un-conflicted mission of flipping the national senate.

Mike Clampitt, the candidate who beat Allen in the GOP primary and will now face Rep. Joe Sam Queen, D-Waynesville, in the fall, agreed.

“Every family has its squabbles,” Clampitt said, taking a break from delegation proceedings over the weekend. “But when it comes down to being united for a common goal and direction, the members of the party will unify.”

That goal of course, is electing Republicans. Especially Tillis.

“A lot of energy comes from the TillisHagan race, and that will trickle down to local elections,” said Clampitt Halfway through the weekend, N.C. Sen. Jim Davis, R-Franklin, had a good feeling about the party’s chances to pull off something special.

“The party seems to be united, and they’re gonna have to be this fall,” Davis said. “I think what’s going on in our country has them energized.”

Whether spurred by the Tillis-Hagan race or the Obama-era in general, Allen could feel that energy lit up like lightning in a bottle. She’s been hitting political conventions for a while — “That’s my Goldwater pin, I’ve had it since the 60s” — and knew this one was special.

“We are attracting people who are on the national scene,” said Allen, a Swain County resident, Sylva business owner and delegate to the convention.

Allen pointed to the roster of speakers slated for the weekend as indicative of the state’s overall importance nationally. It was a passable collection Republican-circuit notables, two of them regarded as presidential contenders.

In addition to Huckabee, Bennett and Gov. Jindal, attendees would hear from former speaker of the house Dennis Hastert. The keynoters had been brought in to light a fire under the North Carolina Republican base.

Bennett started it off as delegates dined on a lunch of molasses-glazed pork loin and wheat berry pilaf. The former U.S. secretary of education recently relocated to North Carolina from Maryland.

“Why’d you leave Maryland?” Bennett said. “It’s like that old joke — I won’t tell you the whole thing, it wouldn’t be right — but the last line is ‘I’ve enjoyed about as much as I can take.’”

Bennett bemoaned recent political changes in his former home that he disagreed with, before working the theme up to the national level. He painted a bleak assessment of America in the Obama era, ticking off a list of grievances: “Immigrations laws are not being enforced … there’s a war on coal … the redline in Syria was not a redline … ‘don’t dare move on Ukraine, Mr. Putin.’ Mr. Putin moves on Ukraine … we’ve been embarrassed on the national stage because of our president’s impotence … get the millennial out of your basement, in case he’s there staring at that Obama poster — remember that part of Paul Ryan’s speech?”

“It’s painful,” Bennett told the lunch crowd. “It’s a painful litany. It’s hard to listen to and it’s hard to endure.”

The political pundit and host of the “Morning in America” radio show also threw out some fresh headlines guaranteed to cause delegates to gag on their field greens and grape tomatoes. As further evidence of America’s decline, Bennett pointed to the recent exchange of Bowe Bergdahl, a U.S. service member and prisoner of war held captive for five years in Afghanistan, for five prisoners — “the Taliban dream team” — held at Guantanamo Bay. “We know for sure it is a mess,” Bennett said. “It may be a catastrophe and a disaster and a disgrace.”

With the crowd warmed up, Bennett turned it over to Gov. Jindal during desert. The Louisiana governor began by stumping for Tillis, who had just introduced the speaker.

“He’s taken over the state legislature and now we need to help him take over the U.S. Senate,” Jindal said of the weekend’s cause celebre.

Jindal — at times a name mentioned during presidential speculations — relayed his personal story to the convention attendees.

He told them about how his parents had migrated from India to Baton Rouge, La. “The American Dream I learned about is one where we leave more opportunity for our children than we received from our parents,”

The Keynoters The North Carolina GOP managed to snag some solid B-list conservatives. They came to inspire. They came to enlighten. They came to pose for souvenir photos with delegates.

Mike Huckabee Formerly the governor of Arkansas, Huckabee ran for president in 2008. He hosts a show on the Fox News Channel, is the author of multiple books, plays bass in a band named Capitol Offense and is considered by some a presidential contender.

While at the N.C. GOP convention, Huckabee talked about lessons on behavior modification he learned from raising children and owning pets.

“If there’s a behavior you want more of, reward the behavior,” he said. “And consequence the behavior you want less of.”

Huckabee made reference to his father — whom he noted was a patriotic man — and what he considered to be fairly successful discipline methods.

“The man laid on the stripes and I saw stars,” he said.

Huckabee said he thought North Carolina was acting appropriately in its tough-love approach to cutting unemployment benefits.

“Once people were not getting paid for not working, they found something that was better than the nothing they were getting,” said Huckabee.

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal Jindal in considered to be a potential presidential contender in 2016. He enjoys popular support in his home state and on the national Republican stage.

During his visit in Cherokee, Jindal discussed fellow Louisianans — and “personal family friends” — the Robertson family of “Duck Dynasty” fame. The governor recalled how he was “one of the loudest defenders” when Phil Robertson recently took heat after making anti-gay remarks during an interview.

Jindal pivoted from “Duck Dynasty” to President Obama’s campaign remarks about conservatives clinging to guns and religion.

“I know it’s suppose to be a joke,” he said, “but in the state of Louisiana we’ve got plenty of both guns and religion and we’re proud of it.”

Bill Bennett

Dennis Hastert Hastert’s appearance at the Cherokee conference wasn’t a red-hot affair. The former Speaker of the House is more schlumpy than sexy. During his remarks, the one-time high school coach laid out his four P’s of politics: Passion, Purpose, Persistence, Patience.

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Not only was Bennett the secretary of education under President Ronald Regan, he also served President George H. W. Bush as the nation’s first director of the National Drug Control Policy, otherwise known as the national drug czar.

“Great job, crazy title,” Bennett told convention attendees.

Bennett joked that he had dubbed his wife and kids as the “czarling” and “czardines.”

The former drug czar also talked about recent shifts toward rethinking drug laws he was once focused on upholding. North Carolina legislators, he said, should resist considering softening the state’s laws pertaining to marijuana.

“Colorado and Washington will be a mistake,” Bennett predicted.

June 11-17, 2017

went up to Washington, D.C., and said, ‘This is cynical, immoral and hypocritical,’” Jindal said. “I’m not sure I’ll be invited back to the White House.”

After the afternoon’s convention agenda was tended to, delegates returned for dinner with Hastert and Huckabee. The former Speaker was announced early on, and maintained his top-billing Saturday night slot, but it was fairly obvious that Huckabee — the former governor, preacher, presidential candidate, bass player, Fox News personality and late sign-on to the convention — was the main attraction.

“Denny Hastert is a past name,” Allen had noted earlier. “Not many people probably remember who he was.”

Huckabee spoke first during the evening meal session. The amiable Republican ran through a mix of political observations and comic relief. And he killed.

Huckabee talked about foreign relations: “Nobody trusts us anymore and nobody respects us anymore and nobody fear us anymore.”

And about millennials: “A lot of them voted for Barack Obama because he promised hope and change and right now they’re just hoping they can find some change in their parents’ couch.”

About the American Dream: “We need to raise a generation of kids that are optimistic and hopeful about the future and where they don’t have to worry about daddy not having a job.”

About bobsledding on a f 2002 Winter Olympics course in Utah: “We got up to top f speed and he said, ‘Governor, are you ready?’ I said, ‘To what?

Meet Jesus?’”

And about nicknames: “They tried to call me Gov. N.C. House Speaker Thom Tillis was annointed as the Corndog for a while.”

GOP’s goldenboy in Cherokee. Jeremy Morrison photo Huckabee also discussed a recent trip to China. He said “We can’t accept that if we want to be a while he had reservations about the nation, fsuperpower and want to maintain our quality he found the infrastructure and economy to of life,” Jindal said. be “pretty amazing.”

The governor explained how Louisiana “So, they’re buying Prada and they’re buyhad created a statewide scholarship program ing Louis Vuitton,” Huckabee said. “It’s like to enable students and their parent the Fifth Avenue on steroids.” chance to enroll in a charter schools.

The governor drew lines between China “We’ve got to trust parents to be the first and and America, arguing that while China had best educators of their children,” Jindal said, made improvements, the U.S. was sliding in explaining that his state now had record num- the wrong direction. He charged that history bers of students opting for charter schools. was being scrubbed in the U.S. — “we forgot The governor also described the opposi- to tell this generation that this country was tion his education reforms encountered in founded as one nation under God” — similar Louisiana. to the information blackout surrounding the “Make no mistake, the Left doesn’t think 1989 Tiananmen Square uprising in China. we’re smart enough to be trusted, they don’t He drew parralls between legalized abortions think we’re smart enough to decide,” Jindal in the U.S and China’s one-child policy. said, recalling opposition from teacher “Here’s what I came back with: China is unions. “There were so many protestors I becoming more like America use to be and began telling my children, ‘that’s just a America is becoming more like China use to parade for daddy.” be,” Huckabee said. “I don’t worry that China He relayed how the teachers union tried to is becoming strong, I worry that America is recall him. And about his legal wranglings becoming weak.” with the feds — “we beat the Justice Huckabee also urged convention attendees Department in federal court” — over his edu- to strive for that same American Dream that cation reforms.

“When Eric Holder took us to court, I S EE CONVENTION, PAGE 8

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Jindal said. “If you work had, there’s no limit to what you can do in this country.”

The governor argued that the version of the American dream he was familiar with was not the same one being offered under the leadership of President Obama.

“In his worldview, the American dream is managing the slow decline of a once-great economy,” Jindal said.

The governor also spoke about how he had cut his budget by 26 percent and achieved the “strongest pro-life bills and the strongest prolife laws year after year in the state of Louisiana.” His remarks traversed topics like the Fast and Furious arms fiasco and how the Obama Administration had blamed the violence in Libya on an inflammatory YouTube video. He accused Obama of using the Internal Revenue Service to go after conservative organizations and discussed Hobby Lobby’s stance on the new healthcare laws and the “unprecedented attack on our religious liberty.”

Jindal also talked about education, a subject of constant conversation these days in North Carolina. The governor pointed to the country’s steady decline in international educational rankings, and connected a quality education with the achievement of the American Dream.

7

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A group of protesters, led by the Canary Coalition, gathered across the street from the GOP convention. Jeremy Morrison photo

Jindal had described earlier. The American Dream he too recalls from his childhood.

“We were living in a country in which we believed America could put its mind to anything and do anything,” he said, leaning heavily on the country’s 1969 moon landing.

The pitch was simple: elect Republicans, return to a more idyllic Eden. It’s not too late, there’s still hope.

“I’m convinced, by the way, that this country is not on its last leg,” Huckabee said.

ENJOYING A MOMENT IN THE HORNET’S NEST While the political celebrities brought in for the convention’s keynote addresses got attendees’ attention, it was the in-state leadership that seemed to really raise a room’s temperature.

Huckabee and company were surreal celebrities to watch while enjoying a meal.

The likes of Speaker Tillis and Gov. Pat McCrory was something to get do get down right worked up about.

7

Delegates from across the state filled Harrah’s event center to hear the men speak.

Tillis — North Carolina’s contribution to the GOP’s aim of upsetting the U.S. Senate’s Democratic majority in D.C. —would take the opportunity to request support in his race against Hagan, while McCrory would simply bask in the glow of the state’s Republican revolution he helped lead.

The attendees were psyched. And they were assured that McCrory was backstage “fired up” as well.

The governor didn’t disappoint when he took the floor.

“I want you to know, I am enjoying every single moment,” McCrory exclaimed.

The governor relayed some advice he received from advisor Jack Hawke, who died last November: even when things get rough, enjoy the moment.

McCrory then proceeded to list off a number of reasons why he was enjoying himself so much currently, building Hawke’s advice into a refrain. He talked about hugging veterans and lower corporate tax rates, he talked about fracking and increasing teacher pay.

“Jack, I’m enjoying the moment!”

McCrory said.

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The governor touched on health care — “This week I met with over a hundred doctors who came over to the mansion, doctors who are concerned about Obamacare” — jobs and the swelling wave the state’s Republicans seem to have been able to ride in recent years.

“If we continue this way,” he said, “this is going to be a Carolina miracle.”

After McCrory’s pep talk, the room awaited the man the state party is pinning their national hopes to. Tillis waited out his lengthy introductions, spending time on the sideline posing for selfies with supporters.

When the senate candidate took the stage, he let delegates know he was excited about the race.

“Interestingly enough,” Tillis said, “I’m from Mecklenburg County, which is known as the ‘hornet’s nest.’ Well, Barack Obama and Kay Hagan have stirred up a hornet’s nest!”

Across the state in Raleigh where the Democratic convention was being held almost simultaneously, Sen. Hagan also stressed the stakes of the race and rallied her own troops.

She never mentioned President Obama.

Tillis, however, made a point of tying his rival to the President, as well as the Democrat-controlled Senate.

“In North Carolina, does a senator who votes with Barack Obama represent our values? They’ve had it their way for the last six years and now it’s time for us to have it our way,” Tillis said. “And ladies and gentlemen, that’s why I’m running for U.S. Senate.”

NOWHERE TO HIDE FROM THE HIDDEN Republican-spearheaded legislation has sparked protest for more than a year in Raleigh. Weekly displays and demonstrations have become commonplace at the state’s capitol. During the Cherokee convention, protesters were provided an intersection next to a closed down steakhouse at the intersection of Paint Town Road and Casino Trail.

The Canary Coalition, a Western North Carolina environmental organization, applied for the appropriate protest permit from the tribe a couple of days before the convention began. They were joined at the intersection by local firemen pacing the turn lanes with boots held up in hopes of donations.

“They thought they were safe from protest,” said Avram Friedman, head of the

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Canary Coalition. “We’re here to tell them they have nowhere to hide. Take note of the big sign we have.”

Nearby the cluster of demonstrators was a tent sporting a sign: ‘McCory, Tillis, Berger Nowhere to Hide From What You Have Done.’ Nearby, a cardboard cutout of Rep. Mark Meadows, the Republican congressman from Cashiers, rested against a street sign, holding tea bags and burning $100 bills.

“The agenda of the current leadership in Raleigh is backwards, bringing us backwards in time,” Freidman said.

The protesters raised issue with lawmakers’ decisions regarding issues such as healthcare, education and fracking. They complained about recent voting laws and cuts in social programs.

“I grieve for those lawmakers who have lost their moral compass,” said Maggie Valley resident Mary McGlauflin.

Protester Steve Norris held a sign that read ‘Welcome to N.C., the new Trail of Tears.’ He acknowledged it was a delicate comparison to make in Cherokee.

“This isn’t quite that bad,” Norris allowed. “Except some people say a few thousand people may die because of not expanding Medicaid.”

During his convention speech, Gov. McCrory had noted a recent encounter with another group protesting Republican policies.

“Yesterday, I was really enjoying the moment,” the governor said, describing the confrontation. “One guy was yelling at me, just screaming at me and he was expecting me to walk away and so was my staff. And I said, ‘No, let’s go talk to him.”

McCrory discussed fracking with the protester. He explained his position that the state can “no longer sit on the sidelines of energy exploration” and the protester laid out a case to the contrary.

The governor told the state’s Republicans that he’s getting accustomed to such vocal and consistent opposition to the party’s politics.

“I hear from the left-leaning protesters, the left-leaning editorial writers, The New York Times, Rachael Maddow, Bill Maher and other self-proclaimed geniuses,” McCrory said.

He defended the party. And urged North Carolina Republicans to stay their course.

“We’ll duck and weave, but we’re gonna charge forward in a respectful way for this state,” McCrory said.

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Schoolhouse standoff Macon County teachers sound off to Sen. Davis Sen. Jim Davis listenes to Macon teacher Jon DeVille in a meeting last week that 50 Macon County Schools employees attended. Holly Kays photo

that we can no longer feel like we can be an advocate for children, because every time we open up our mouth we might be liable to have our job taken away from us,” said Mary Price, school counselor at Iola Elementary. “In my opinion, you are not giving the children in North Carolina what they need, which is an advocate when they don’t have one.”

Unanimous applause greeted Price’s comment at the crowded school library. Though the meeting had been scheduled just 24 hours beforehand, after Davis found out the Senate schedule had been altered to allow him to be home in Franklin at that time, at least 50 school employees attended it.

TO FUND A RAISE

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER en. Jim Davis, R-Franklin, faced a group of 50 Macon County teachers and staff last Tuesday in the library of South Macon Elementary School, and it was not a happy crowd.

“I’m not looking for a fight or a DemocratRepublican debate,” said Angela Phillips, who has taught second grade at Cartoogachaye Elementary School for 22 years. “I’m telling you I’m hurt. We feel totally disrespected.”

The meeting came on the heels of a proposed budget that would give teachers the largest raise, at least in terms of dollar amount, in the state’s history. The Senate’s 2014 budget proposal would boost teacher pay by 11.2 percent, a $468 million increase statewide. Though it remains to be seen how that number will translate into reality — the House unveiled its own plan June 10 that would instead grant an average 5 percent increase — the Senate proposal elicited some strong reactions.

On the face of it, giving teachers a historically huge raise sounds like a pitch more likely to garner yeas than nays. After all, North Carolina currently ranks 47th out of 50 states for teacher pay. Davis was surprised, he said, by the nearly universally negative reaction he’s gotten for supporting the appropriations bill that includes the pay raise.

“I am astounded that tenure is so important that we’ve gotten so much backlash, not one email thanking me for a $5,800 average salary increase,” Davis said.

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June 11-17, 2017

S

TUG-OF-WAR OVER TENURE

Though the teachers agreed that the pay hike would be welcome — in six years, North Carolina teachers haven’t gotten any raise at all save a 1.2 percent increase effective July 2012 — they weren’t happy about the criteria for receiving it or the way the cost would be covered under the Senate version of the bill.

Though the House version would not require any trade-off to receive the 5 percent raise pro10 posed under that plan, the Senate plan would

Tracking the bill • May 14: The Appropriations Act of 2014 is filed as Senate Bill 744. The 275-page bill covers all state funding for 2014-15, not just education funding.

• May 15: S744 passes first reading in the Senate.

• May 28-30: Amendments are proposed and committee hearings held.

• May 30: S744 passes second reading.

• May 31: S744 passes third reading with one additional amendment added.

• June 2: House passes S744 on first reading.

Source: ncleg.net require teachers to voluntarily give up tenure in order to receive an 11.2 percent raise.

Tenure, or career status, makes it harder for teachers to be fired by requiring that the school system prove that a firing is not due to personal, political, religious, arbitrary or capricious reasons. By contrast, non-tenured teachers bear the burden of proof. Unlike the private sector, in which a boss can fire his employees for any reason he deems valid, firing a tenured teacher requires the agreement of the school principal, the district superintendent and the school board and can be done only for certain performance-based reasons.

From Davis’ point of view, though, tenure simply makes it harder to fire teachers who actually deserve to be let go without offering much protection that good teachers wouldn’t already have.

“You can’t find more polar opposites than me and you, but I would be a fool to get rid of you because I hear from a lot of sources that you’re a good teacher,” Davis told John DeVille, a history teacher at Franklin High School who organized the meeting. “Your job performance is your best job security.”

But not in all cases, at least according to multiple other teachers who voiced their opinions at the nearly two-hour-long meeting.

“If you take away our tenure, you take away that ability to feel like we have a voice,

Though the Senate’s appropriations bill would offer teachers a pay hike, it wouldn’t furnish the education budget with the hundreds of millions of dollars required to supply them. Rather, the money would come from other places in the education budget.

“Part of the money would come from [reducing teachers assistants],” Davis said on his way back to Raleigh. “Part of the money would be new revenue and part of the money would come from reducing administrative costs.”

Statewide, the Senate version would cause North Carolina schools to lose 7,400 teachers assistant positions. The House version, meanwhile, would keep those positions intact and rely partially on increased lottery sales to fund the raises.

According to Davis, the Senate bill would limit state funding for teachers assistants to kindergarten and first grade classrooms.

However, the teachers said, those are already the only places they can be found.

“Macon County has cut teacher assistants,” said Melissa Faetz, a first grade teacher. “We’re already down to bare bones.

We’re already down to K-1.”

So, while the teachers agree they’d like a little more fat in their paychecks, they don’t view the Senate proposal as increasing the monetary value of their work.

“It looks like, ‘We’re going to give you this raise, but you’re going to work ten times harder because we’re taking away all your school personnel,” said Jennifer Garrett, a nurse in Macon County Schools whose husband is an elementary music teacher.

Phillips told Davis that she used to have a full-time assistant in her second grade classroom, but now she has one part-time helper for a few hours per week. Recently, she said, she found herself teaching class while clamping a tissue around a child’s bloody nose. One hand on the tissue, she used the other to gesture children up to the board to work their math problems.

“It’s embarrassing to me to come across as confrontational to you,” Phillips told Davis.

“I don’t want to do that.”

“You’re frustrated,” Davis said.

“I’m frustrated and I’m hurt,” Phillips replied.

Rexanna Duvall spoke to share her story of a recent call to the plumber to work on the pipes in her home. He and his assistant worked for about an hour and charged $225, a pretty penny considering that, she said, he’s likely several levels of education below her.

“I’m thinking, ‘I have taught 20 years. I have two college degrees, am a fairly intelligent person, and often I feel like I get lumped in with the parasites who are sucking off the tax dollars,’” Duvall said. “I feel like we are perceived as the slack part of the slackers, the Medicaid/welfare folks who are sucking off the poor innocent taxpayer, rather than we are the poor taxpayer. A lot of us do have to work two jobs.”

To wit, kindergarten teacher Francis Seay had to throw in her two cents on the way out the door, as she was soon due at her second job.

“We’ve cut paper, we’ve cut copies, we’ve cut everything,” she said. “We’ll go out and buy it and continue to teach.”

OBSTACLES TO INSTRUCTION

Davis, whose wife was a public school teacher for years, retiring in the 1980s, mentioned earlier in the discussion that she had taught for all that time without a teacher assistant. Some of those years, he said, were spent in southern California in classrooms full of children learning English as a second language, but she routinely handled classes of 35 solo.

That’s why he thought teachers assistants seemed like logical positions to trim.

However, Phillips contended, the landscape of the classroom has changed since the 1980s.

“These children that we’re dealing with now are a different socioeconomic level than we had when your wife taught 35 with no assistant,” Phillips said. “It’s challenging. I love it. And I want to continue to do it. But I don’t feel respected or supported at all.”

Increases in divorce, single-parent homes and other disruptions at home have all translated to the classroom, Phillips said, and that makes it harder for teachers.

“A lot of the problems we’re dealing with in education are societal problems,” Davis agreed in a later interview. However, he said, he doesn’t believe that it’s the school system’s job to address those problems.

“It’s totally unfair for anybody, including government, to expect society to be able to dump their problems on the schoolhouse doors and for the school to fix it,” he said. “It’s just not going to happen. We don’t have enough money to do that. We’ll never have enough money to do that. We have to quit enabling people.”

Teachers are also facing pressure from larger class sizes and increased testing requirements, the meeting attendees said.

“I have nine more students in my class this year than I did last year,” said third grade teacher Charlotte Rhoden. “Add to that the Read to Achieve, add to that the parent meetings I’ve had to have with all this. My living room is like this” — Rhoden motioned to waist-height — “with paperwork because I don’t have a teacher assistant.”

Third grade is the level at which students must pass an end-of-grade reading test or be automatically held back. Students who fail the test go to a mandatory summer school program where they work to catch up, but if that doesn’t work they must repeat the third grade.

“My job is a comparative walk in the park compared to what third grade teachers have to do,” DeVille said.

A recent history of teacher tenure

BASIS FOR DIALOGUE

What it comes down to, the teachers said, is what they see as a lack of respect for their profession from Raleigh.

“I think it’s unfair to characterize what the legislature is doing as they don’t respect teachers,” Davis said. The comment was met with laughter, one member of the audience commenting, “Oh, he’s a comedian.”

“The point everybody is trying to get across is we want you as our senator, a member of our community of Franklin, North Carolina to make decisions and make votes

A third grade teacher tells Sen. Davis of her dissatisfaction with the Senate proposal.

Holly Kays photo

based on how it affects us, how it affects Macon County,” Faetz said.

However, Davis reminded the teachers, a budget is made of many moving parts, and education is just one of those parts. It’s certainly a large one, accounting for 38 percent of the proposed budget, but there are plenty of other issues in play, too.

“Some of you are really criticizing me for voting for the budget,” Davis said. “Let me tell you how sausage is made in Raleigh.”

Different committees hear different bills related to different parts of the budget, and inevitably, the final product will contain some

parts that each individual legislator agrees with and others with which the same individual disagrees. But somehow, a budget must get passed.

“If I didn’t find anything in the bill that I wasn’t comfortable with, I’d never vote for anything,” Davis said.

Davis is on six different standing committees, including two of which he is a co-chairman. Education is not one of those committees, and because the time to make changes to budget bills is while they are in committee, it’s difficult for him to become informed about the issues, take a stand and make something happen while still attending to all of his other

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• July 2013 S.L. 2013-360 is signed into law. The law includes provisions to discontinue granting tenure to non-tenured teachers and to invalidate tenure for all teachers beginning in 2018.

• December 2013 The N.C. Association of Educators files a lawsuit against the state, claiming it is illegal to take away tenure from teachers to whom it had already been granted.

• May 2014 Wake County Superior Court rules that repealing tenure for all teachers is unconstitutional, though the ruling does not protect tenure for teachers who move to another school or job or who have not yet earned it.

• May 2014 The Senate version of the Appropriations Act of 2014 proposes a historic raise for public school teachers who waive their tenured status.

• June 2014 The House version of the Appropriations Act of 2014 proposes an average 5 percent raise, which teachers would receive without having to waive their tenured status. Both versions, however, state that no more teachers will be granted tenure after 2013-14.

responsibilities. Not that it’s impossible.

“Have we steered you enough to have that conversation?” asked school nurse Mary Tyson.

“I already have in the past,” Davis replied.

And, he said, he did the same after the meeting ended and he drove back to Raleigh.

“I listened and I took their concerns to my fellow legislators,” Davis said. “I just talked to them, especially the ones in the House.”

Because the House had yet to pass a budget bill, Davis said, discussions there would have more effect on the final outcome.

The June 3 meeting wrapped up more out of necessity than out of flagging interest in continuing to ask Davis questions, and though it was nearly 5:30 p.m. on a Tuesday before it ended, many teachers stayed around, talking to each other and waiting for their one-on-one with Davis.

All in all, the teachers left with their resentment of the pay plan — and of Davis’ stance on it — in tact, but also with a respect for the Senator’s willingness to meet with them.

“Kudos to you for showing up,” Faetz said.

“I was kind of waiting for you to have some meeting to go off to at the last minute.”

“We talk about you being brave, and we think you are,” Sutton said. “I respect that part of you. I will tell you this though: We’re braver.”

Davis, likewise, left with a willingness to look more deeply into the issue but with his fundamental thoughts about educational priorities unchanged.

“What I heard in there would cause me to examine my position more and to get more of the facts,” he said, “but my bias remains that a good teacher does not need tenure.”

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No detail has been spared in bringing this 18th-century Cherokee village to life. In Oconaluftee Indian Village, visitors can see the Cherokee prepare for war, watch exciting blowgun and stickball demonstrations, and participate in scenes from ancient times made real before your very eyes.

For tickets, times, and to start building your (very full) itinerary, check out the new VisitCherokeeNC.com.

12

Jackson assesses cell tower regulations

BY J EREMY MORRISON N EWS E DITOR conversation has begun in Jackson County regarding the revision of the county’s regulations pertaining to cell phone towers.

“We’re just barely into it,” said Ed Weatherby, a member of the Jackson County Planning Board.

The planning board picked the issue back up recently —the conversation was initiated last year — looking to switch gears after commissioners shied away from the steep slope ordinance rewrite the board had been tending to.

“It got put off, so we started on the cell tower,” explained planning board member Ron Story.

The planning board will be assessing Jackson County’s current tower ordinance and looking at tower issues such as height and placement. They will discuss the possibility of towers being built on ridgetops, and they will take a look at land disturbance and access issues. They will consider both monopole and lattice structures, as well as exploring the relationship between tower height and coverage.

The planning board initially got into this discussion last summer. Members discussed increasing the allowable height from 120 feet to 130, 150 or 160 feet. They also talked about weather or not to allow towers on ridgetops.

Since the tower discussion was dropped, there has been some turnover on the planning board. Green described the recently revived discussions as “largely new.”

“How long it will take is anybody’s guess,” he said.

In the meantime, telecommunication companies continue to feel out the area.

Verizon recently conducted a balloon test in Cashiers — floating a large balloon at the potential tower site for a visual representation — to evaluate possibly locating a tower in the area.

“We’d like to be able to expand capacity and expand coverage to some of the more rural areas,” said Karen Schulz, a Verizon spokesperson.

The company’s balloon test entailed floating a balloon up to the allowable tower height of 120 feet. The balloon enables people to visualize what a cell phone tower might look like.

“To the north and west is Whiteside Mountain,” explained Green. “The question is whether the tower would effect the view.”

On the day of the balloon test, Julie Mayfield, co-director environmental organization Western North Carolina Alliance, hiked Whiteside.

“You could see it really clearly from the little spur trails,” she said.

The planning board will next discuss tower regulations at 6 p.m., June 12, at the county administration building in Sylva.

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Rocking the river fund boat Raleigh boots midterm members off Pigeon River Fund board

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER t’s been more than a month since seven of the Pigeon River Fund Board’s nine members learned that a dictum from Raleigh was booting them off midterm, but the restructured board is still raising eyebrows and ire. Typically, the board recommends replacements to fill vacancies when a member’s three-year term ends in August, and the secretary of the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources approves them. This go-around, however, that didn’t happen.

“We had two board members last spring whose first terms were going to be up in August, and we had strongly recommended they were going to be reappointed for second terms,” said board member Kathy Ross.

“We didn’t get any response on those appointments.”

The seats were never filled by those or any other candidates, and the board went from 11 members to nine. That’s when Ross started to get suspicious that something was up, but she never guessed that nearly all of her colleagues would soon be gone.

“I had some concerns then that politics might be playing a role in that delay,” Ross said, “but I had no idea that the folks at DENR would go to the extremes that they did.”

That “extreme” occurred in April, when Tim Richards got word of another change.

Richards, who is the senior program officer for the Community Foundation of Western North Carolina, which manages the Pigeon River Fund, learned then that DENR was removing most of the sitting members and replacing them with people selected by the agency, not by the Community Foundation or the Pigeon River Fund. The changes were effective immediately, the turnover happening in the midst of a grant cycle rather than waiting until August, when appointments typically took effect.

“The secretary made the decision to restructure the board to make it smaller and more efficient and did so in keeping with the requirements of the FERC license,” Jamie Kritzer, DENR’s public information officer, said in an emailed statement. “All new board members were selected carefully only after consultation with residents and government officials from western North Carolina.”

There is no debate that it is certainly within the secretary’s purview to appoint whoever he wants. Just because past appointments have merely been a rubber stamp approval of the board’s recommendation doesn’t mean that DENR is required to accept them.

However, the timing of the appointments, the geographical representation of the new members and questions of political motivation 14 have ruffled feathers and raised eyebrows.

Smoky Mountain News

June 11-17, 2017

I

Haywood Waterways volunteers clean up Richland Creek. The Pigeon River Fund is a mainstay of Haywood Waterways’ funding. File photo

A QUESTION OF GEOGRAPHY For starters, none of the newly appointed members are from Haywood County. The Pigeon River Fund is supposed to primarily benefit Haywood County, and previously, the board’s community representatives have been mostly from Haywood County. Of the nine members remaining after August, six were designated as community representatives. Four of those lived in Haywood County.

After the restructuring, Ross, who lives in Clyde, is the only Haywood County resident on the board.

“The agreement states that if they’re good grants, 50 percent of the money has to go to Haywood County,” said former member Peggy Melville. “I guess from that I would have thought there would be more than one person appointed to the board.”

According to DENR, however, the intent was to have equal representation from each of the three counties. The lopsided outcome was simply a mistake.

“We believed one of the individuals screened lived in Haywood County but realized after the appointment that the new member was from a different county,” Kritzer’s statement read. “However, Haywood County is well represented by an existing member and, as I understand it, one of the members from the utility is also a resident of Haywood County.”

The Pigeon River Fund was created in 1996 as a way to mitigate the environmental impacts of a hydropower dam that CP&L, the predecessor of Progress Energy, built on the Pigeon River. The effects of the dam include miles of low-flow riverbed, a result of river water diverted through pipes over miles of land en route to the powerhouse. Diverting the water this way allows it to drop a greater

distance and therefore create more power, but it also drastically changes the environment that would have surrounded the river.

The utility pays a portion of its profits into the trust fund every year, and the board then grants money out to fund various water quality improvement projects in the impact area of Haywood, Buncombe and Madison counties, an amount totaling $4.6 million between 1996 and November 2013. Because most of the dewatered stretch occurs in Haywood County, the license states that more than half

The Pigeon River Fund was created in 1996 as a way to mitigate the environmental impacts of a hydropower dam built on the Pigeon River. of the money in each bi-yearly grant cycle must go to Haywood County projects, provided that the board receives enough quality grant applications from that county.

But none of the newly appointed members are from Haywood County. Rather, they’re all from Madison and Buncombe counties, which means they’re less likely to be familiar with areas and projects in Haywood County.

INOPPORTUNE TIMING Indeed, only one of the new members made it to site visits in Haywood County last month, which members were invited to participate in before spring grants were awarded.

However, Richards said, that fact alone is nothing to get upset about.

“Normally the board is appointed effective in August for that next year, and we work with the same board throughout the year and we have an opportunity to do orientation and get on everybody’s calendar,” Richards said.

“This year, unfortunately, because of the change in administration they did not finalize the board until the end of April.”

However, DENR contends, the changes were, in fact, timely, going into effect in advance of the spring site visits.

“The restructuring had been planned since early this year and the changes were made in the spring so new members would be in place before the board’s next batch of site visits,” Kritzer’s statement read.

But Richards said the new members had less than two-weeks notice of the dates for the visits. Regardless, though, it had never been the norm for board members to visit sites outside their own counties.

“I think all of us felt that whatever county we were from, that was the one we should visit instead of having to travel,” Melville said.

Ross doesn’t fault the new members for not attending the visits — rather, she praises them as being knowledgeable, hardworking and invested in the process — but she does fault DENR for rocking the boat in the first place.

“They really seem to be fine board members, but that doesn’t change the fact I’m really unhappy about what happened to the previous board,” Ross said.

“I think it would have served the Pigeon River Fund better to have let us all rotated off at end of term and replaced them in an orderly manner,” Melville said.

When the changes took effect, the board was in the thick of reviewing grant applications.

Spring applications were due March 15, and the final vote took place May 28. The shake-up would have been even more disruptive, Ross said, if she had resigned. She almost did.

“I thought very highly of the members I had served with,” Ross said, “and because I knew how hard-working and dedicated they were, I was upset they were removed.”

She eventually opted to stay on the board, however, because there was no guarantee that a Haywood County resident would replace her seat.

“It would have potentially left Haywood County with no resident representing the county on the board, even though the county is supposed to get at least 50 percent of grant money,” she said.

DS AND RS

But why shake up a board that all accounts point to as knowledgeable and functional, especially in the middle of a granting cycle?

According to a statement from Kritzer, DENR Secretary John Skvarla made the change in order to make the board “smaller and more efficient.” The restructuring made official the switch from an 11-member board to a nine-member board, which became the de facto structure in August when two board members’ terms were allowed to expire. But no official rationale has come down from DENR for choosing the new members over those already serving.

But Ross has her own suspicions. The booted members were

board will have to award Haywood the majority of the funds, so Ross is hopeful that the proportion will continue to stay on track.

“We were worried about it, but with their latest grant cycle and what they awarded at least in the spring, the concern was unfounded,” Haywood Waterways Executive Director Eric Romaniszyn said of the new board’s dearth of Haywood residents. “Now what that means long term, I don’t know. I guess there’s always going to be that concern.”

The Pigeon River Fund is instrumental to Haywood Waterways work. The organization leverages the fund money to use as matches for other grants, multiplying the dollars they’re given to ten times that amount. In fall 2013, Haywood Waterways received $56,000 from the Pigeon River Fund.

Haywood Waterways tries to play it cautious, though, Romaniszyn said. Grant funding is always tenuous, no matter the source, so as the organization has grown it’s worked to wean itself off of grant funding as a main source of income, starting an endowment fund and looking into options such as estate giving.

“Nothing’s ever guaranteed,” Romaniszyn said. “There’s always a concern we’re not going to get a grant or maybe not all we request.”

At this point, board representation is, likewise, not guaranteed. Ross’s three-year term expires next August, and because this is her second consecutive term she’ll have to come off afterward. There’s no telling whether her replacement will also be a Haywood resident.

“I think it will be very important at that time to make sure someone else from Haywood County is on the board,” Ross said.

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all registered Democrats, according to the N.C. State Board of Elections. Of the new members who are registered voters, all are Republican.

“I can’t speak for DENR,” Ross said.

“What I do know is that I’m a registered Republican, and I have to say I suspect that was the reason I was kept on the board.”

But the Pigeon River Fund isn’t a political board. Its members are tasked with reviewing grant applications, visiting sites and deciding which projects to fund. The members tend to be united by their knowledge of or interest in water quality, not by their politics.

“Politics never came in, I can tell you that,” Melville said. “The recommendations [for board appointees] came in from people that had an interest in the water quality.”

“We never discussed politics,” Ross agreed.

Despite the board’s geographic and political shift, however, Haywood County’s grant funding did not suffer in this most recent cycle. All grant applications coming from the county were approved, Richards said, comprising more than 50 percent of total spring funding. Combined, Haywood County has received 54 percent of grant funding given for fall 2013 and spring 2014.

“There was very good participation from all the members, including the new members, at reviewing the grants, reading them online, preparing themselves for the discussion,” Richards said.

As long as Haywood County organizations — principally, Haywood Waterways fAssociation, which sprung up mainly as a conduit through which to turn money into results — continue writing quality grants, the

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Avalon at Junaluska Highlands is among the elite ranks of revived developments. news

Becky Johnson photo

Development done right Failed projects open door for those taking the long view

Smoky Mountain News

June 11-17, 2017

BY B ECKY JOHNSON STAFF WRITER andy Best was a rare bird in the development heyday of the 2000s. Where others just saw dollar signs, Best actually saw land.

“I would spend a month walking a piece of property after we bought it. I walked every inch and when I was done, I knew where every house site was going to be, where every septic was going to be, how the roads would lay,” said Best, a Haywood County native.

Best read the land like a book. He could tell where seasonal seeps were likely to be by the feel of the earth under his boots. He could tell where large boulders were hidden below ground by the type and size of trees that grow in thin soils.

Armed with nothing but flagging tape and an inclinometer, he would start marking off the roads and lots, eyeing the layout like an artist’s canvas, fiddling until it was just right. It was all self-taught — something he stumbled into by happenstance and discovered he had a real talent for. But Best had something else, something out-of-town developers could never duplicate.

“I am from here,” Best said. “I love land, too. That’s a passion of mine. I love land. I hate to see a development butchered.”

Best planned and built four developments in Haywood County during the 2000s, all of them known for quality roads and thought-out lot designs.

But Best wasn’t immune from the real 16 estate bust. He and his two partners, also

R

Over coming months, join The Smoky Mountain News as we explore the lasting and farreaching implications of the real estate boom and bust in the mountains. The summer-long series will examine what went wrong, what can be learned, and where we go from here. local Haywood County men, pulled off four successful developments over an eight-year period. They paid cash when they could, funding the upfront cost of raw land and roadwork for their next development with the profits from the previous one.

But they had just launched their fifth project when the market crashed, and they were stuck with land — this time bought on bank loan — but no lot sales coming in to make the payments.

“Whenever the recession hit we thought maybe it would be a year or two, so we held out, but it rocked on and didn’t get better and we thought one more year,” Best said.

“Here it is six years later. No one really saw it coming, except maybe my wife.”

Best’s heritage follows the classic story of mountain men in Haywood County. His grandparents were farmers, but his dad, like so many of that post-WWII generation, went to work for Champion Paper Mill.

Best also chose the path of industry and became a welder, briefly traveling the country as a young man to work on big industrial jobs.

At 24, he came back home and got a job at Champion Paper Mill like his father. But his life changed the day he got a bulldozer.

“I bought a little bulldozer for my mountain place to clear the hawthorns off,” Best said.

As often happens to a guy with a bulldozer, people began asking him to do small jobs on their land, maybe smooth out their driveway or grade a spot for a shed.

Best liked running equipment, and he was good at it. He started picking up jobs on weekends and evenings. Those small jobs became bigger jobs, and his small bulldozer turned into a bigger one.

Soon the jobs were more than he could do on the weekends, so he hired men to run his growing fleet of machinery, and that’s how he ended up with a successful grading company, Randy Best Excavating.

He eventually quit his job at the paper mill in the late ‘90s and went into the development business with two other local men as partners.

By the time the boom was in full swing, the playing field was a crowded one, with speculative investors descending on the mountains to make their fortunes.

But unlike these big city developers who swooped in from the outside when the market was hot, Best wasn’t going anywhere. He was born here, and planned to die here.

Every development he did had his name on it, and he cared about his reputation.

“I wanted to build good roads,” Best said. “If I do bad work, then I won’t get any other calls.”

Unfortunately, not everyone shared Best’s code of ethics. The honor system was no match for the stark lack of regulations during the early 2000s. Some developers didn’t know any better and hired unqualified graders. Others cut corners intentionally.

“It was just going too wild back then and everybody with a little bit of money came in and started buying tracts of land and they were all going to be developers,” Best said.

“A lot of them didn’t know what they were doing or who to get to do the work. Most of the good grading contractors were tied up, and they started hiring anybody they could.”

BY THE BOOTSTRAPS Unlike most developers who pulled up their stakes and moved on, Best has stayed with it, reviving the abandoned subdivision of Avalon, which straddles a mountainside above Lake Junaluska.

Turnaround stories are hard to come by in the wake of the real estate bust. Dozens of unfinished developments are trapped in purgatory with no clear way out, languishing under the column of “distressed assets.”

It’s rare for a new buyer to come along and pick up the reins of the development as Best and his new partners have with Avalon.

Best has seen a lot of foreclosed developments come on the market, but none with the potential of Avalon. The roads were wellbuilt initially — a must in Best’s book. But they were abandoned when the developer went under.

“He ran out of money and hit the wall. Then the roads got worse and worse and worse,” said Donny Ray, a homeowner in Avalon.

Avalon was one of half a dozen developments in the repertoire of Robert Ullmann, an Atlanta developer who amassed more than 4,000 acres in Haywood, Jackson, Macon and Swain counties during the mid2000s. He launched the developments concurrently, but when the bust came, he lost most of them in foreclosure or to short sales.

On Avalon, Ullmann owed SunTrust more than $4 million at the time it foreclosed in 2010.

SunTrust wanted to sell it for whatever it could get. But the roads needed maintenance, and that’s when Best first entered the picture.

“The bank hired me to go in and get the development shaped up, and so we got all the grading done and back into shape, and they said they wanted to sell it,” Best said.

That year, 2010, was one of the worst for real estate. Economic forecasters had finally stopped predicting a turn-around and wizened up that the Great Recession would be with us for the long haul.

For mountain real estate, the hit was doubly bad. Prices didn’t merely fall, but crashed from ridiculous heights given the vastly overinflated, speculative prices of the boom days.

And it was in this climate that Best and two partners plunked down $900,000 cash for Avalon. It was a steal, but that was the nature of 2010.

“They were wanting to dump it and get rid of it,” Best said.

FALL FROM GRACE

Avalon was a winner when it was started in 2006. The lots in its first phase sold effortlessly — about 30 in all, going for an average of $190,000 a pop.

But by 2010, the market was at rock bottom and Avalon was at a standstill. With the development in foreclosure, lot owners were in limbo and afraid to build homes. The

decades at the Central Intelligence Agency in Virginia. They had no kids, plenty of savings and planned to retire on the early side.

They began looking for property in 2004, when they got wind of Avalon.

“His dad cut out an ad in the Atlanta newspaper and put it in an envelope and sent it to us. We said, ‘Huh, that sounds interesting,’” Mindy recalled.

They found their dream lot and bought it on the spot. Planning their retirement home became an all-consuming hobby. Donny spent every weekend poring over house designs. They made regular trips to Haywood County, often spending the afternoon sitting on their lot in lawn chairs with a bucket of Kentucky Fried Chicken, imagining what their home would be like.

But then the recession came, and they hit an unexpected snag. They went to bank after bank — seven in all — seeking construction

“It depresses you,” Mindy added. “We were in total limbo. We paid all this money for the land and didn’t know what was going on with the development.”

When Best and his partners bought Avalon out of foreclosure, their worrying wasn’t over yet.

“It could have ended up being a fly-bynight outfit,” Donny said.

But it wasn’t. Roads were fixed, and the new owners quickly established an onsite presence.

“I can call, I can send a text, I can send a note and they respond immediately,” Donny said. “They are in it for the long haul.”

Although confidence has been restored in Avalon — the Rays finally got their loan and built their house — there are just four homes in the development to date. The Rays would like to have more neighbors.

“Hopefully, people will start buying and

Randy Best.

Becky Johnson photo

DASHED DREAMS

Retirement was a highly planned affair for the Rays, who both worked for three

"I am from here. I love land. I hate to see a development butchered.”

— Randy Best, Haywood County developer

loans to no avail.

“We were in no man’s land for a while trying to get a loan,” Donny said. “They just didn’t want to loan money. They would come up with something that would shoot you down.”

They often seemed close, but banks would get cold feet. Once, at the end of a long loan application process and after forking over money for yet another appraisal, they were approved. But the vice president of the bank said he wanted to visit the lot personally before signing off.

By then, the development was in foreclosure and the road system was in disrepair, rutted and muddy, passable only by fourwheel drive in parts.

“He said, ‘I don’t like what I see, so no loan,’” Donny recounted.

The Rays were forced to sideline their retirement plans.

“We pulled in our papers and kept on working,” Donny said.

building,” Donny said.

They have become de facto ambassadors for the development. During winter, they sent photos of Avalon in the snow to out-ofstate lot owners. And they’ve extended an open invitation to neighbors to stay with them when coming up to check on their lot or meet with builders.

ON THE WAY UP The new owners of Avalon have just launched a major marketing campaign this summer. They haven’t sold a lot yet but have several serious buyers in the wings, according to Andy Baker, the owner of TFM Carolina, a real estate and development firm that’s handling Avalon’s marketing and sales.

TFM — which stands for Terra Ferma Management — is billed as a one-stop shop for developments trying to make a come back. Whether a bank has a development and doesn’t know what to do with it, or a new developer has come into an abandoned subdivision mid-stride, Baker helps them chart a new course.

Baker’s seen an interesting shift over the past few years in the type of lots buyers want. The idyllic notion of a mountain getaway on a far-flung ridgetop or hidden valley now comes with a caveat: can I still get to town in 10 minutes?

Avalon’s lots aren’t as cheap as some on the market, particularly in bank-owned developments where lots are unloaded at fire sale prices. But Avalon offers buyers security in the uncertain landscape of abandoned developments.

“They want to know more than ever who is behind the project, financially is it secure, and they want to see the infrastructure in,” Baker said. “To take that one step further, who are the developers? They want to put a face to a name.”

While Best cut his teeth in the development business behind the levers of a bulldozer, his real forte is his human nature, which makes him one heck of a salesmen for Avalon, even if he doesn’t mean to be.

“To introduce Randy to any of these folks you get a sense of trust and that speaks volumes … and knowing that the person, believe it or not, actually cares about the community,” Baker said.

Best’s pride in Avalon is clear. Touring the development recently, he was like a kid showing off his new Christmas presents. He paused at a favorite homesite to show the great views and rattle off the names of distant mountains, checked on the fish stocked in the community pond and couldn’t help point out the good, paved roads winding up the mountain.

“I plan on being right here. This is my retirement,” Best said.

17

Smoky Mountain News

roads were deteriorating, and any hope of a quick rebound in the real estate market had been dashed.

Some lot owners in Avalon quit paying on their own bank loans and let their lots fall into foreclosure. Others sold their lots for pennies on the dollar compared to the price they’d paid just four years earlier.

A quick gander through the property records of lots in Avalon shows some stark examples of the plummeting lot prices. A lot that sold in 2006 for $190,000 was sold in foreclosure for just $8,500 in 2010. Another lot that sold for $190,000 in 2006 was unloaded by its owner for $10,000 in 2010.

But when Best and his partners came on the scene in late 2010, the tide turned.

“Before we took it over, it looked like a ghost town in there,” Best said. “People were waiting to see what was going to happen.

They are very glad we took it over.”

Since then, four of those initial 30 lot owners have built homes in Avalon. Among them are Donny and Mindy Ray, who are now living their retirement dream from an $800,000 mountain-top home at 3,800 feet.

But their view wasn’t always so rosy.

SECRET WEAPON

June 11-17, 2017

Donny and Mindy Ray are now enjoying their dream home in Avalon at Junaluska Highlands after living through the emotional ups and downs of the troubled real estate bust in the mountains. Becky Johnson photos

“Location is one of the top things,” Best said. “Used to be that didn’t matter as much, but people are changing their minds on that.”

Avalon’s proximity to town — on the edge of Waynesville and less than 10 minutes to the grocery store — gives it huge leverage, according to Baker. When he’s taken prospective buyers to see more remote developments, they get weary of driving up and down gravel roads to get to a lot.

“We looked at developments where it was like, ‘Wow, are we there yet?’” Mindy Ray recalled. “If I can’t be at the Super Walmart in 15 or 20 minutes, forget it.”

Its proximity to town allows Avalon to tap a different sort of home-buyer: working professionals with families.

Baker said he’s seen the average age of buyers in mountain subdivisions trend younger, with more couples in their 40s and 50s with school-aged kids buying into the former second-home and vacation market.

“I think is interesting from a demographic standpoint,” he said.

The crash in second-home demand led to lower prices, which means real estate in what were once high-end developments has come within reach for professional couples with families.

Today’s developers are retooling the kind of communities they offer. The fancier, high-dollar amenities once considered ubiquitous aren’t as important to the younger buyers.

“They say, ‘Is there a club house?’ and we say, ‘No’ and they say, ‘Good,”” Baker said.

“The idea of golf courses and club houses is changing to things like community farms and trail systems for biking and hiking.”

news

Avalon was a gem — a platted 400-acre subdivision on the edge of Waynesville with wide roads, good views, underground utilities and even city waterlines already installed.

Best — along with Hal Roberts, who owns a large tract of land right adjoining Avalon, and Lee Farnsworth — formed a three-man partnership dubbed RFB, borrowing the initials of their last names, and relaunched the development.

news

State law eliminates business license fees

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER usiness license fees will disappear in North Carolina following the recent passage of the Omnibus Tax Law Changes. Currently, towns and cities use any of a number of schemes for calculating how much a business must pay for the privilege of doing business in municipal limits. The majority of legislators agreed that this patchwork of regulations was too inconsistent, led to exorbitant taxes and needed to be addressed.

“Some municipalities were abusing that, and they were enforcing it in some businesses very selectively,” said Sen. Jim Davis, RFranklin. “That business license fee needs to be cleaned up.”

The initial Senate version had gone about that cleaning up by putting a $100 cap on all business license fees, regardless of the size of the business. That would be a tax hike for some — businesses in Waynesville grossing less than $1 million pay only $25 for their fee — and a huge break for larger enterprises like Wal-Mart, which can pay in the tens of thousands of dollars.

The House version, however, solved the issue by completely taking away municipalities’ ability to charge business license fees.

That’s the version that ended up getting passed and signed by Gov. Pat McCrory.

Under the new law, municipalities will be able to continue collecting fees as they have been until July 1, 2015, but after that they won’t be able to charge business license fees at all.

June 11-17, 2017

B

A BITE OUT OF BUDGETS That reality is getting some negative reactions from town leaders, who will have to fig-

ure out how to address the $60 million-plus shortfall the tax repeal will cause statewide.

Though business license fees make up a relatively small portion of local budgets, they’re still a piece of the pie.

“Eventually it’s going to cost everyone because, like they say, it’s going to have to be made up either by higher tax rates or higher rates for services that a city provides, or cutbacks,” said James Robertson, tax collector for the town of Waynesville.

In Waynesville, business licenses made up $138,000 of the town’s $15 million budget in 2013-14, about 1 percent of the total. For Franklin, they account for 0.44 percent of the $8 million budget, about $35,000. And in Sylva, business licenses make up nearly 2 percent of the budget, totaling $66,500 of the $3.5 million budget.

“In Sylva, we don’t have water and sewer or electricity,” said Sylva Town Manager Paige Roberson. “Our only means of revenue are property taxes and then fees.”

The law would take quite the bite out of Sylva’s budget when it goes into effect next year, and Roberson is not happy about it. The town charges $50 per year to businesses grossing less than $3 million per year, while businesses making more than that pay a fee calculated as a percentage of their gross receipts. For most businesses in town, $50 is the rate that applies.

“I think that a $50 fee is not going to deter anyone from doing business in city limits,” Roberson said. “If they want to do business, I think it’s fair for them to pay a fee because they have their services, they’re using town services, streets and police protection.”

The town also uses the business license application as a tool to pull contact information for business owners in case of emergency, such as a break-in, and to provide a

Downtown businesses — and all others in the city limits of North Carolina municipalities — will no longer pay a business license fee following passage of a new law. Margaret Hester photo base line for compliance with regulations such as zoning laws and fire inspections.

“We’re going to have to work out what’s going to trigger those compliance issues that are mainly for safety,” Roberson said. “The privilege license was what started the process.”

A MIXED BAG FOR MERCHANTS Though the North Carolina Retail Merchants Association applauded the tax repeal as getting rid of an “arbitrary” and “hodge-podge” system, not all local retailers agree.

“As far as from the business standpoint they’re going to get that tax one way or the

other,” said Boyd Sossamon, owner of Radio Shack in Sylva.

He doesn’t necessarily see the change as a win for business, because municipalities will likely raise taxes or service charges in other areas to make up the shortfall. So, while Sossamon welcomes the prospect of keeping a little more cash in his pocket, he’s wary about whether the net outcome will actually be positive.

“It’s like the state is regulating what towns and the local government can or can’t charge for or tax, and it’s like the state’s getting more control over it and some of the local communities are losing out on that,” Sossamon said. “I’m always glad to

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pay less taxes and less fees, but it was not an “Their bill was unbelievable, what they exorbitant amount anyway.” got from the town,” Presnell said.

That aspect of loss of local control also has Business license fees for individual busiBob Scott, mayor of Franklin, cringing. nesses are not public record, because disclos“I’m not sure I understand why this is a ing them would reveal sales numbers, but matter for the General Assembly to be taking Wingate said he had been experiencing what up when it’s a matter that the officials of he considers higher-than-fair fees since the municipalities are elected to handle,” Scott town went to its current system. said. “If the General Assembly is serious “I love this town,” Wingate said. “ I want about local control, they’ve just taken a local it to be good. I just want it to be fair.” control away from a municipality.”

“There were some good goals for reform, OT A FINAL SOLUTION but that’s not what they’ve done,” said Rep. Joe Sam Queen, D-Waynesville. “They just What, exactly, fairness looks like could eliminated it entirely, and that leaves local remain to be seen. Though the Omnibus Tax government hanging.”

Law Changes have been signed into law, the While the previous system of localities business fee aspect wouldn’t go into effect deciding on a business tax that worked for until a year from now, and even legislators them had been good for many, it hadn’t who supported the bill admit that a complete served everybody. repeal may not be the Case in point is final solution.

Danny Wingate, who “I don’t take my posiowns Haywood Building tion lightly, and I’m not Supply in Waynesville. YES inclined to force my will Waynesville charges a • Sen. Jim Davis, R-Franklin on municipalities or $25 business license fee • Rep. Michele Presnell, R-Burnsville counties, but I have an to all businesses grossing • Rep. Roger West, R-Marble obligation to protect the less than $1 million NO folks as well,” Davis annually and then moves • Rep. Joe Sam Queen, D-Waynesville said. “This bill is not a to a rate of 50 cents per final solution.” $1,000 after that. That • Senate: 38-7 “Of course we want system works for many • House: 84-29 the cities to have enough businesses, but revenue to work and get Wingate’s business sells often-expensive all their things they need to do,” Presnell building equipment to individuals and con- agreed. “I don’t think that was the intent [to tractors in the community. So, regardless of harm cities]. I would look for it to be restruchow well his profits are doing, his gross tured.” receipts always come in high.

For the next year, though, municipalities “I’m glad they repealed the business will continue to do business as usual while license tax in its current form because every- keeping a wary eye on the horizon. one’s not paying it,” Wingate said. “There’s “I think it just happened so quickly, the too many exemptions. It’s an unfair tax. move on signing it, and I am glad there is Gross receipts have nothing to do with gross another year that it doesn’t really take place profit.” until July 2015,” said Buffy Phillips, executive Wingate’s story is part of the reason that director of the Downtown Waynesville Rep. Michele Presnell, R-Burnsville, support- Association. “It will be interesting to see what ed the tax repeal. happens.”

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How they voted

June 11-17, 2017

Past commissioners to Free Robotics and discuss Macon County Machining Summer Former Macon County commissioners Camp at HCC will offer their insights during a June 12 Haywood Community College in Clyde will offer a free robotics and machining summer camp June 23-27. The camp is open to rising high school sophomores and juniors.

Students will learn about electronics, programming, robotics, 3-D prototyping and machining through fun, innovative activities. Campers will be engaged in different projects each day involving the use of Lego Mindstorm Robots. There will be a BOT Challenge, a friendly competition scheduled for the last day of camp.

Parents are invited to attend the competition and award ceremony. The summer camp is funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation. For more information or to register, call 828.627.4631 or email hightech@haywood.edu.

Smoky Mountain News

League of Women Voters forum.

Former county commissioners Harold Corbin, Allen Bryson, Janet Greene, Mark West and Bob Simpson will offer their thoughts on the changes Macon County government has faced, the issues that were prominent during their time in office, and how citizens and leaders viewed each other and the county.

“These individuals are uniquely positioned to reflect on our recent history,” said Franklin town board member Barbara McRae, who helped organize the program.

“I think their comments will be invaluable for our understanding of the issues facing the county today.”

The meeting will be held at noon in Tartan Hall in Franklin. The public is invited.

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Canton paper mill seeks state aid in costly air pollution upgrades

BY B ECKY JOHNSON Waynesville. It’s the largest factory in Western STAFF WRITER North Carolina. Fear of losing the mill lurks vergreen Packaging paper mill in Canton behind every new environmental regulation. could get $12 million in state assistance “We want to do everything we can to keep to offset the cost of converting from coal Evergreen right where it is in Haywood to natural gas, if a proposal pending in the County,” said Davis, who sees the state grant General Assembly goes through. as an economic development move. “It is a lot “The chances are excellent,” said N.C. less expensive to keep jobs we have than try to Sen. Jim Davis, R-Franklin, who sponsored a recruit new ones.” bill on the mill’s behalf.

The paper mill estimates it will cost $50 EW AIR POLLUTION CAPS million to convert its coal-fired boilers to natural gas in order to meet stricter industrial air Haywood County has some of the highest pollution limits coming down the pike. levels of industrial air pollution in the state. It Evergreen paper mill is currently the ranks fourth out of 100 counties statewide in largest industrial air toxin polluter in toxic air emissions, and third statewide in the Western North Carolina and one of the level of known carcinogens emitted into the largest in the state, according to federal emis- air, according to Environmental Protection sions reporting.

Davis said he supports the use of state tax dollars to help Evergreen meet new federal regulations.

“If the government is going to require them to do this and that is embedded in the cost of doing business, we should be ready to support that effort,” Davis said, citing the mill’s vital role as a major employer.

Davis hopes to help Evergreen land $2 million a year for six years from Evergreen Packaging might get $12 million in state funds to the state, but it’s taking convert from coal to natural gas. Margaret Hester photo some legislative footwork.

Currently, Evergreen doesn’t qualify for state assistance designed to Agency emissions data for 2010. help large manufacturing employers with Stricter industrial air pollution limits by major capital upgrades. Under the existing cri- the EPA are forcing coal-fired factories across teria, the fund is only available to factories in the nation to clean up their stacks. economically-distressed counties that are However, a study by the American Forest making a capital investment of $65 million and Paper Association in 2010 warned that over three years. the new industrial air pollution limits could Davis has proposed a language change threaten nearly 17,000 jobs at pulp and paper that would loosen the criteria and thus make mills nation wide — half of those being in the Evergreen eligible. The new criteria already South — and could force 30 mills to close. passed unanimously in the Senate, and Davis Most major industrial plants already use is hopeful it will pass the House. natural gas or otherwise meet the new stanHaywood County Commissioner Mark dards. The EPA estimates about 1,000 coalSwanger said the current criteria are too nar- fired or wood-fired boilers nationwide don’t row and supports the change. meet the impending rules.

“I think it recognizes the reality that there While it’s possible to install pollution conare businesses in the western part of the state, trol devices, doing so can be just as costly as specifically in Haywood County, that are on a making the switch to natural gas. The switch level playing field now and would benefit to natural gas has other perks, from lower fuel from this, which in turn helps our economy costs to less maintenance in the long run. and tax base,” Swanger said.

The $50 million price tag for a natural gas If successful, the $12 million grant would conversion of the mill is just an estimate. The come on top of a $2.8 million grant already mill recently began the engineering phase — pledged to help Evergreen with the natural a $2 million process in itself — which will gas conversion — with $2.1 million coming determine the exact scope of work and cost. from the N.C. Department Commerce and a The rough estimate of $50 million includes $700,000 match committed by Haywood some soft costs the mill would incur in-house.

County.

Meanwhile, unionized paper mill employThe paper mill has century-old roots in ees and Evergreen officials are currently in conCanton. It employs 1,000 workers there, with tract negotiations for a new labor agreement, a another 200 at a satellite factory in process that rolls around every five years.

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The Extra Help program can increase cost savings by paying for all or part of the monthly premiums and annual deductibles and can provide lower prescription co-payments under a Medicare prescription drug plan.

To qualify for Extra Help, income must be limited to $1,458.75 a month for an individual or $1,966.25 a month for a married couple living together. Additionally, the total resources must be limited to $13,440 for an individual or $26,860 for a married couple living together. (Resources do not include a primary residence or a vehicle.)

If you believe someone you know may qualify for the Extra Help program, SHIIP can help them apply. For further information, call John at the Haywood County SHIIP office at 356-2833.

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Customer will be reimbursed for the ETF reflected on final bill up to $350/line. Reimbursement in form of a U.S. Cellular MasterCard® Debit Card issued by MetaBank™ Member FDIC pursuant to license from MasterCard International Incorporated. This card does not have cash access and can be used at any merchant location that accepts MasterCard Debit Cards within the U.S. only. Card valid through expiration date shown on front of card. Allow 12-14 weeks for processing. To be eligible, customer must register for My Account. Retail Installment Contracts: Retail Installment Contracts (Contract) and monthly payments according to the Payment Schedule in the Contract required. If you are in default or terminate your Contract, we may require you to immediately pay the entire unpaid Amount Financed as well as our collection costs, attorneys’ fees and court costs related to enforcing your obligations under the Contract. 4G LTE not available in all areas. See uscellular.com/4G for complete coverage details. 4G LTE service provided through King Street Wireless, a partner of U.S. Cellular. LTE is a trademark of ETSI. Kansas Customers: In areas in which U.S. Cellular receives support from the Federal Universal Service Fund, all reasonable requests for service must be met. Unresolved questions concerning services availability can be directed to the Kansas Corporation Commission Office of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection at 1-800-662-0027. Limited-time offer. Trademarks and trade names are the property of their respective owners. Additional terms apply. See store or uscellular.com for details. ©2014 U.S. Cellular

Smoky Mountain News

The National Science Foundation has awarded a grant of more than $625,000 to Western Carolina University for a project designed to boost the number of students pursuing degrees in engineering and technology fields as part of an effort to address a growing need for more American scientists and engineers.

The four-year grant in the amount of $625,179 will provide academic and financial support to engineering and engineering technology students at WCU through a project called Scholarship Program Initiative via Recruitment, Innovation and Transformation, or SPIRIT. SPIRIT represents a focused approach to the recruitment, retention, education and placement of engineering and technology students who have demonstrated both academic talent and financial need, said Chip Ferguson, associate professor of engineering and technology and associate dean of WCU’s Kimmel School of Construction Management and Technology.

“This program will help develop domestic, workforce-ready engineers by providing scholarships that will assist qualified SPIRIT scholars to reduce their financial burden for obtaining an undergraduate education,” Ferguson said. “The project promotes diversity in science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields, specifically for lower-income students in those fields.”

Through the effort, 27 new and continuing students will be recruited and retained into cohorts that will be developed based upon the Kimmel School’s focus on project-based learning, with students not only studying theoretical aspects about engineering and technology, but also applying those theories in hands-on projects designed to help solve real problems faced by industry partners across Western North Carolina, under the oversight of faculty mentors.

The student cohorts will be integrated both horizontally, with same-year students from different disciplines (such as electrical engineering and mechanical engineering) collaborating in an environment that reflects how engineers work in the real world, and vertically, with different-year students working together on the various stages of a project.

The NSF funding is the second major grant awarded to WCU’s Kimmel School for its engineering program this academic year. A previously announced $500,000 grant from the Golden LEAF Foundation will help expand engineering education across Western North Carolina through a partnership with regional community colleges.

The Golden LEAF funding will support WCU’s efforts to ensure a seamless transition for community college students who want to earn four-year degrees in engineering through the implementation of engineering pathway courses at community colleges and the recruitment of qualified students into the program. Asheville-Buncombe Technical, Blue Ridge and Isothermal community colleges are initial partners in the effort.

The latest grant comes as work continues to convert nearly 11,000 square feet of former retail space at Biltmore Park into classrooms and laboratory space to enable WCU to offer undergraduate engineering to students in the Asheville-Hendersonville area. The facility, located on the ground floor of the same building that houses WCU’s instructional site at Biltmore Park Town Square, is scheduled to open in August.

For more information about engineering education at WCU, visit engineering.wcu.edu.

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WCU gets grant for engineering education project

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Opinion

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If war is not the answer, then what is?

A

Standing up for Haywood GOP and its future To the Editor: I am a 55-year-old native of Haywood County, who has been a registered Republican from the time I turned 18. I am writing this in response to all the negative articles written about the Haywood GOP and Mitchel Powell’s letter to the editor in the June 4 Smoky Mountain News titled “Group is hurting Haywood GOP.” In my humble opinion, The people who are hurting the Haywood GOP are not the hard-working volunteers who give of their time so freely to fight against high taxes, over-spending, over-regulation, the massive county debt and the job-killing ideals of our government leaders and tax-gouging bureaucrats!

The proud patriots named in Powell’s letter are working with one goal in mind — to save Haywood County for our children and grandchildren, and not leave them overburdened with debt and regulation.

I have been a precinct chair for four years and during that time I might have seen Mr. Mitchel Powell at only two or three meetings where he tried to push his socialist tax-and-spend agenda with no success at all.

Then he quit his job as vice chair with a very damaging resignation letter.

Conservative, patriotic, freedom-loving Americans must band together to stop these socialist jokers who are bent on turning America into a nanny state where everyone draws a check from the government, and the government draws their check from all of your tax dollars.

I am a defender of the Constitution and individual freedom, and I support the Republican Party platform! I also support the Libertarian Party platform:

The first of these comes out of the savage war in Kosovo back in 1998-99. It took place in the town of Decane, where the abbot of the Serbian Orthodox monastery sheltered scores of ethnic Albanian villagers from the brutality of Serb troops. Then, after those soldiers were gone, the monastery became a haven for the Serbian townspeople, protecting them from threats of revenge by the ethnic Albanian Kosovo Liberation Army.

While the retreating Serb soldiers were robbing, looting, raping, and burning down the mosque (acts against Columnist civilians that too often accompany war), Abbot Theodosia turned the monastery into an oasis of safety and peace for Serbs and Albanians alike.

He sent cars to the homes of threatened families to bring 150 Albanians to shelter inside the monastery. In town, Serbian monks stood guard outside the gated courtyards of Albanian families who were hidden inside. When the soldiers came looking for them, the monks told them no one was home.

What makes this all the more remarkable is that for both the Orthodox Christian Serbs and the Muslim Albanians, faith and nationality are usually identical. But to Abbot Theodosia, “they were honest people of all faiths and nations,” and to save them

Doug Wingeier

group calling ourselves “Neighbors for Peace” have been holding a peace vigil in front of the Haywood County Courthouse nearly every Wednesday — rain or shine — since before the start of “Shock and Awe” in March 2003. At first we were met with some hostility by passersby who supported the Iraq War and thought that being for peace was unpatriotic.

But gradually, over the 11 years since then, we have received more and more support and affirmation — in the form of waves, honks, V for victory signs, thank yous and some who stop to converse and even join us.

We still get the occasional finger, catcall, obscenity or argument, however. And recently a person walked up to us and angrily shouted several times in our faces, “You are offensive” — giving us no opportunity to respond. Some who stop are veterans home from Iraq or Afghanistan, and most of these — having personally experienced the horror and insanity of war — voice agreement with us.

One of the signs we carry, put out by the Friends Committee on National Legislation (a Quaker group), reads “War Is Not the Answer.” Sometimes a passerby asks,“"If war is not the answer, then what is?” This calls for a long conversation, which most don't want to take the time for. In this column — and perhaps in others to come — I propose to deal with this question, not in the form of argument, but rather by way of stories.

“As Libertarians, we seek a world of liberty; a world in which all individuals are sovereign over their own lives and no one is forced to sacrifice his or her values for the benefit of others.” Just for the record, I took an oath to defend the Constitution of the United States of America, and as an “Oathkeeper,” I also support the Constitutionalist Party platform. And as a Christian I also support the Holy Bible as God’s own holy word (and this trumps everything else).

As with all organizations, the Haywood GOP has some problems, But as for me I am proud to call these people my friends and brothers. The people accused of wrongdoing in Powell’s letter, well they are the backbone of the Republican Party, the tireless volunteers who are out working for your rights and freedoms every day, and working to get honest conservative candidates elected to govern our great county.

Like the three candidates running for election on the Republican ticket this year — Denny King, and Phillip Wight for county commissioner and Michael Mathews for Haywood County tax collector. And let us not forget we have four liberal tax-and-spend incumbents that must be replaced this year (and my goal is to replace them all).

In addition to the three Republicans named above, Haywood County has only one more great candidate running for Haywood County Commissioner — Dr. Windy McKinney, running on the Libertarian Party ticket.

With the election of these four conservative candidates, Haywood County will have the conservative majority for the first time I am able to remember. May God bless America, and get out and vote. Only you can save Haywood County.

Eddie Cabe Haywood GOP Precinct Chair

from violence was “the human thing to do. We are happy we could help them.” Throughout the fighting, the abbot aided the Albanians, giving them food, visiting their homes, and asking them on the street if they were all right. “They risked their lives for us,” said one Albanian of the Christian monks.

Remembering the monastery’s courage and kindness in harboring them, the local Albanians, who were Muslim, vowed to protect the monks. One villager said, “If they are going to kill them, they must kill us first. They saved us.” One humane act evokes another, and peace is multiplied.

One day Serb soldiers came to the monastery gate, but not to force their way in. Instead, they told the monks barring their way that they had come to ask forgiveness for what they had done.

It took both compassion and courage for these weaponless monks to risk their lives, defy armed rampaging soldiers out to kill, and offer protection to persons of another faith and ethnicity--courage as great, if not greater, than that of the warrior.

It is said that “wars will cease when, finally, people refuse to fight.” Abbot Theodosia and his monks not only did not fight, they went the second mile and aided antagonists and victims on both sides of the conflict.

Yes, “War Is Not the Answer.” Compassion is.

(Doug Wingeier is a retired seminary professor. He can be reached at dcwing@main. nc.us.)

Bear shooter should be prosecuted To the Editor: On Monday June 2, a man shot and killed a bear because she supposedly tried to attack him on his porch in Maggie Valley. He also said that she had been in his bird feeder and then retracted that statement.

Well sir, which is it? Was she in your yard at the bird feeder or on your porch trying to attack you?

This was a she bear that had three cubs. She was shot dead with a double odd buck shotgun. This man is not being charged. Two cubs were caught and now have to be raised, and the third cub is still at large and more than likely will not survive. How sad this is for all three cubs. Even sadder that their momma was shot and killed for being hungry and doing her best to provide for them.

These three cubs now have a slim to none chance for survival. The worst thing is that this man is not being held accountable for his actions. He should be charged and held accountable ethically and financially for all four bears.

Had this man just left them alone, because he was in their world, they would have sauntered off in search of more food. Why did he not just shoot in the air? They would have run off.

Furthermore, why did he not contact

LETTERS our Wildlife Resource officers and advise them he had a nuisance bear with three cubs as a first alternative as opposed to taking matters into his own hands?

Would this man shoot a fisherman for being in the creek fishing? Had it been an elk he killed for being in his yard, he would be in a world of trouble. The Wildlife Resource officers and our federal government would be all over a person in that situation. The bears were here before the elk. Why should one be protected and not the other? What is the difference between bear, elk, deer, or turkey? There is none. Our officials make the rules.

They should be applied to everyone.

My biggest problem with this situation is that had this been one of our local hunters, which I am, we would have been arrested and held ethically and financially responsible for all four bears. What is the difference with this man? A bear was shot and killed out of season, and this man is getting away with it. He is equally responsible for his actions as we would be had it been a local hunter that shot and killed a bear out of season.

Let us make our voices heard and insist on this man being held accountable for his actions, or incidents like this will only give permission to every

S EE LETTERS, PAGE 24

opinion

LETTERS, CONTINUED FROM PAGE 24 outsider who moves in to our area to kill a bear without any consequences for being on their porches or getting into their bird feeders.

Let us insist to our Wildlife Resource officers that this man be held ethically and financially responsible for his actions, or lack thereof, as we would be.

Apparently there is no difference between an individual with a license to hunt and an individual who does not want a bear on their private property.

Catherine Miller Waynesville

GOP leaders take on regulatory reform

June 11-17, 2017

To the Editor: Now that the state legislature is in short session, one of the themes is regulatory reform. Let’s examine what their version of reform has meant to you so far.

Until the ash spill, Duke Power has gotten off the hook for their groundwater contamination. Your corporate neighbor can contaminate groundwater up to your property boundary — like it will stop there. We’re still waiting to see whether they’ll take serious action to address this ongoing hazard to your health.

Gas exploration companies can explore under your land without your permission. If most of your neighbors agree to allow

LOOKING FOR OPINIONS The Smoky Mountain News encourages readers to express their opinions through letters to the editor or guest columns. All viewpoints are welcome. Send to Scott McLeod at info@smokymountainnews.com., fax to 828.452.3585, or mail to PO Box 629, Waynesville, NC, 28786. drilling for fracking on their land, you may be forced into a contract to allow fracking on your property. Your tax dollars are currently being spent to explore WNC for the gas companies. Your tax dollars will be used to pay for the increased road repairs, police protection and emergency services that go along with fracking.

That’s what Gov. Pat McCrory, Rep. Thom Tillis and Sen. Jim Davis have done so far for their owner, Art Pope.

It’s important to remember why we have regulations. In a less complicated society our family and neighbors enforced the “community rules.” Now we have things like speed limits, noise ordinances, building codes, etc., that are enforced by government agencies (e.g., police) and represent the agreed-upon standards of behavior that are intended to protect the health and safety of the citizens.

In the best of worlds, individuals and companies would take full responsibility for their actions. For example, a company

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should discharge air and water of the same quality that it took in for its process. They would fully clean up any messes and hazards they leave behind. This personal responsibility is a core principal of conservatism but seems to be entirely lacking in this Republican legislature. Rather, they intend to transfer the cost and risk to you, the citizen, through increased contamination of your air, groundwater and surface water.

John Gladden Franklin

The flim-flam men at work in Jackson To the Editor: I thought that I would warn you about a multimillion dollar foreign-owned operation that is attempting to con and manipulate elected officials here in Jackson County out of millions of your money for their personal gain.

Heery International, ostensibly based in Atlanta yet actually owned and controlled by Balfour Beatty, a globalist operation based in London, presented the Jackson County commissioners with a “customized survey” in April alleging that we must expand our justice and administration building (used to be known as a county courthouse) by almost 36 thousand square feet and more than $11 million in construction and remodeling costs because allegedly the current building won’t meet our needs in 2024.

Concerning this “customized survey,” some the many questions I have are: was this “customized survey” paid for by an independent organization, who wrote it, how was the questionnaire/survey designed (what ‘slant’ of questions was used), and most importantly was this “customized survey” based on any independent accurate and meaningful information?

According to the promotional material handed out to myself and others at the April commissioners meeting where this was presented, this “customized survey” was allegedly confirmed by interviews, tours and an overall facility assessment. How convenient!

Methinks Heery International wanted this faux survey confirmed by non-existent quantitative data so that they could try to sell us something that we don’t need.

One of the claims that we need new courtrooms is that the current courtrooms aren’t wheel chair accessible (ADA) or large enough. Poppycock. Simply extend the front part of the jury boxes to be wide enough to accommodate wheelchairs and build ramps. This can be done by local contractors for a few thousand dollars — not the millions that Heery International wants to soak us for. Besides, catch any prosecutor on a day where you’ve bought him lunch and he’s just pled a big criminal case that’s going to make him look very good politically and, well I think that you see what I mean. Attorneys on both sides prefer overwhelmingly to plead out cases — saves them time, they don’t have to do the research for a trial and it makes them look good — because of this much less courtroom space is needed than worried superior

court judges fear.

What we have here is an overseas operation that stands to make a killing off of you and I utilizing what is in effect hearsay evidence, non-scientific data and irrational inferences to con our elected office-holders into committing you to pay for it. These johnnie-come-lately con men aren’t the first such carpetbaggers that have slunk into Jackson County. Send these flim-flam men packing before they pick your wallet or worse.

Carl Iobst Cullowhee

Franklin Gem Museum is a gem indeed

To the Editor: What to do? On a recent pouringdown-rain Saturday when my daughter and grandsons were here for their annual three-day visit ... the boys opted for “let’s go to the movies” and moaned and groaned when I dragged them down to the Franklin Gem and Mineral Museum on Phillips Street ... only because I had been there fleetingly just once and many people have said it is really a special place to learn more about the rocks and minerals in the “Gem Capital of the World.”

Wow! What a great afternoon spent in the best-kept-secret destination in Franklin! As soon as we walked in the front door, three staff members greeted us with questions about where we were from, what the boys might be interested in and would we like the grand tour? Other groups there were accorded the same courteous welcome. Our guide was a most enthusiastic and knowledgeable gentleman who told interesting stories about how rocks, minerals and fossils were formed and preserved, showed us local gems, even Native American artifacts, and the beautiful display of fluorescent rocks found locally and around the world. Our guide took us upstairs to “the slammer,” and enlightened us on a little of Franklin’s “true crime” history as the museum is located in the old jailhouse building, built in 1859 and listed on the national historic register.

The Gem Museum is filled with unusual precious stones, minerals and artifacts that cannot be found in one place anywhere in this state. I was awed with the rare collection and attractive displays and my grandsons were bursting with all they learned in such a fun-filled way because of our class A teacher-guide. It is obvious the volunteers love the museum and their “work” of helping others to appreciate the amazing beauty, value and diversity of rocks and minerals all around us. What a wonderful asset for our community.

I hope the schools and youth groups schedule field trips to the Gem Museum and that people like me who live here don’t wait for visitors to help us discover this hidden treasure right in our own hometown. You’ll never look at a plain old stone the same old way ever again.

Debby Boots Franklin

tasteTHEmountains

A TASTE OF NEW ORLEANS 67 Branner Ave., Waynesville, 828.246.0885. 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., 7 days a week. Curtis Henry opened A Taste of New Orleans to cater to the locals and become the place that’s always open that you can rely on for different, flavorful dishes every day. Serving Cajun, French and Creole Cuisine in a lovingly restored space, Curtis looks forward to serving you up a delicious dish soon.

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

828.926.0734. Open 7 days a week 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Celebrating over 25 years.

Enjoy world famous hot dogs as well as burgers, seafood, hushpuppies, hot wings and chicken. Be sure to save room for dessert.

The cobbler, pie and cake selections are sure to satisfy any sweet tooth.

BLUE ROOSTER SOUTHERN GRILL 207 Paragon Parkway, Clyde, Lakeside Plaza

at the old Wal-Mart. 828.456.1997. Open Monday through Friday. Friendly and fun family atmosphere. Local, handmade Southern cuisine. Fresh-cut salads; slow-simmered soups; flame grilled burgers and steaks, and homemade signature desserts.

Blue-plates and local fresh vegetables daily.

Brown bagging is permitted. Private parties, catering, and take-out available. Call-ahead seating available.

BOGART’S 35 East Main St., Sylva. 828.586.6532.

Sunday through Thursday 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.; Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Serving classic American food and drink in a casual environment. Daily lunch and dinner specials. Children’s menu available.

Call for catering quotes. Private room available for large parties. Accepts MC/Visa, Discover and American Express.

BOURBON BARREL BEEF & ALE 454 Hazelwood Ave., Waynesville, 828.452.9191. Lunch served 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Dinner nightly from 4 p.m. Closed on Sunday. We specialize in hand-cut, all natural steaks, fresh fish, and other classic American comfort foods that are made using only the finest local and sustainable ingredients available. We also feature a great selection of craft beers from local artisan brewers, and of course an extensive selection of small batch bourbons and whiskey. The Barrel is a friendly and casual neighborhood dining experience where our guests enjoy a great meal without breaking the bank.

UPCOMING EVENTS

SATURDAY, JUNE 14: Live music with Blue

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83 Asheville Hwy. Sylva Music Starts @ 9 • 631.0554

CATALOOCHEE RANCH 119 Ranch Dr., Maggie Valley.

828.926.1401. Family-style breakfast seven days a week, from 8 to 9:30 a.m. – with eggs, bacon, sausage, grits and oatmeal, fresh fruit, sometimes French toast or pancakes, and always all-you-can-eat. Lunch every day from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.

6306 Pigeon Road Canton, NC

(828) 648-4546

Hours:

MON-SAT: 7 A.M.-9 P.M. SUN: 8:30 A.M.-3 P.M.

jukeboxjunctioneat.com June 11-17, 2017

Karaoke w/ Chris Monteith

BRYSON CITY BAKERY AND PASTRY SHOPPE 191 Everett St., Bryson City. 828.488.5390 Offering a full line of fresh baked goods like Grandma used to make. Large variety to choose from including cakes, pies, donuts, breads, cinn-buns and much more. Also serving Hershey Ice Cream. Open seven days a week, 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.

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ITALIAN

FRIDAY, JUNE 13:

BREAKING BREAD CAFÉ 6147 Hwy 276 S. Bethel (at the Mobil Gas Station) 828.648.3838 Monday-Thursday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday & Saturday 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. closed Sunday. Chef owned and operated. Our salads are made in house using local seasonal vegetables. Fresh roasted ham, turkey and Roast Beef used in our hoagies.

We hand make our own Eggplant & Chicken Parmesan, Pork Meatballs and Hamburgers.

We use 1st quality fresh not pre-prepared products to make sure you get the best food for a reasonable price. We make Vegetarian, Gluten Free and Sugar Free items. Call or go to Facebook (Breaking Bread Café NC) to find out what our specials are. We are now open for dinner on Friday and Saturday nights by customer request, so come join us and find out what all the talk is about.

opinion

Taste the Mountains is an ever-evolving paid section of places to dine in Western North Carolina. If you would like to be included in the listing please contact our advertising department at 828.452.4251

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MEDITERRANEAN

STEAKS • PIZZA CHICKEN • SEAFOOD SANDWICHES OPEN FOR LUNCH & DINNER 7 DAYS A WEEK 1863 S. MAIN ST. WAYNESVILLE 828.454.5002 HWY. 19/23 EXIT 98

Lunch is Back!

-Local beers now on draft-

Classic local American comfort foods, craft beers & small batch bourbons & whiskey.

Prime Rib Thursdays.

Live Music

SID’S ——————————————————

ON MAIN

244-151 236-50 244-329

Winedown Wednesdays 1/2 price bottles ($60 and under) Throw Down Thursdays $2 domestic beers $3 specialty beers

Lunch: 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. • Dinner Nightly at 4 p.m. • CLOSED ON SUNDAY 454 HAZELWOOD AVENUE • WAYNESVILLE Call 828-452-9191 for reservations

117 Main Street, Canton NC 828.492.0618 • SidsOnMain.com Serving Lunch & Dinner

Margarita Mondays $6 Tini Tuesdays $6 house specialty martini's

Smoky Mountain News

Burgers to Salads Southern Favorites & Classics

11:30 A.M.-2:30 P.M. DINNER NIGHTLY AT 4 P.M. MONDAY-SATURDAY Weekly Drink Specials

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tasteTHEmountains Evening cookouts on the terrace on weekends and Wednesdays (weather permitting), featuring steaks, ribs, chicken, and pork chops, to name a few. Bountiful family-style dinners on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, with entrees that include prime rib, baked ham and herbbaked chicken, complemented by seasonal vegetables, homemade breads, jellies and desserts. We also offer a fine selection of wine and beer. The evening social hour starts at 6 p.m., and dinner is served starting at 7 p.m. So join us for mile-high mountaintop dining with a spectacular view. Please call for reservations.

sandwiches. Enjoy outdoor dinning on the deck. Private room available for meetings.

CHEF’S TABLE 30 Church St., Waynesville. 828.452.6210.

From 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday dinner starting at 5 p.m. “Best of” Award of Excellence from Wine Spectator Magazine. Set in a distinguished atmosphere with an exceptional menu. Extensive selection of wine and beer. Reservations honored.

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

Open Monday-Friday 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., Saturday and Sunday brunch 9 a.m. to 3p.m., Full Menu 3 to 9 p.m. Serving fresh and delicious weekday morning lite fare, lunch, dinner, and brunch. Freshly prepared menu offerings range from house-made soups & salads, lite fare & tapas, crepes, specialty sandwiches and burgers. Be sure not to miss the bold flavors and creative combinations that make up the daily Chef Supper Specials starting at 5pm every day. Followed by a tempting selection of desserts prepared daily by our chefs and other local bakers. Enjoy craft beers on tap, as well as our full bar and eclectic wine list.

CITY BAKERY 18 N. Main St. Waynesville 828.452.3881.

Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Join us in our historic location for scratch made soups and daily specials.

Breakfast is made to order daily: Gourmet cheddar & scallion biscuits served with bacon, sausage and eggs; smoked trout bagel plate; quiche and fresh fruit parfait. We bake a wide variety of breads daily, specializing in traditional french breads. All of our breads are hand shaped. Lunch: Fresh salads, panini

CITY LIGHTS CAFE Spring Street in downtown Sylva.

828.587.2233. Open Monday-Saturday 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., Sunday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Tasty, healthy and quick. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, espresso, beer and wine. Come taste the savory and sweet crepes, grilled paninis, fresh, organic salads, soups and more.

Outside patio seating. Free Wi-Fi, pet-friendly.

Live music and lots of events. Check the web calendar at citylightscafe.com.

CORK & CLEAVER 176 Country Club Drive, Waynesville.

828.456.7179. Reservations recommended.

4:30-9 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday. Tucked away inside Waynesville Inn, Cork & Cleaver has an approachable menu designed around locally sourced, sustainable, farm-to-table ingredients. Executive Chef Corey Green prepares innovative and unique Southern fare from local, organic vegetables grown in Western North Carolina. Full bar and wine cellar. www.waynesvilleinn.com.

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

828.926.1820 Open Daily 7 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., closed Tuesday. Family Style at Country Vittles is not a buffet. Instead our waitresses will bring your food piping hot from the kitchen right to your table and as many refills as you want. So if you have a big appetite, but sure to ask your waitress about our family style service.

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

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

Monday-Saturday. Father and son team Frank and Louis Perrone cook up dinners steeped in Italian tradition. With recipies passed down from generations gone by, the Perrones have brought a bit of Italy to Maggie Valley. frankiestrattoria.com FROGS LEAP PUBLIC HOUSE 44 Church St. Downtown Waynesville 828.456.1930 Serving lunch 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday; Dinner 5 to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday. 5 to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Closed Sunday

and Monday. Frogs Leap is a farm to table restaurant focused on local, sustainable, natural and organic products prepared in modern regional dishes. Seasonal menu focuses on Southern comfort foods with upscale flavors. www.frogsleappublichouse.com.

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

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

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

HERREN HOUSE 94 East St., Waynesville 828.452.7837.

Lunch: Wednesday - Saturday 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday Brunch 11 a. m. to 2 p.m.

Enjoy fresh local products, created daily. Join us in our beautiful patio garden. We are your local neighborhood host for special events: business party’s, luncheons, weddings, showers and more. Private parties & catering are available 7 days a week by reservation only.

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

Lunch Sunday noon to 2:30 p.m., dinner nightly starting at 4:30 p.m. World-famous prime rib, steaks, fresh seafood, gorgonzola cheese and salads. All ABC permits and open year-round. Children always welcome. Takeout menu. Excellent service and hospitality.

June 11-17, 2017

Big Results...

BRING DAD FOR A

Smoky Mountain News

FATHER’S DAY

TREAT

Fresh. LOCAL. Yours.

Visit your local Farmer’s Markets.

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452.3881 OPEN DAILY MAIN STREET WAYNESVILLE WWW.CITYBAKERY.NET

To learn more about your local farmer’s markets, visit

mountainwise.org

...small investment.

Advertise your business in the smoky mountain news

828.452.4251

tasteTHEmountains

MAD BATTER FOOD & FILM 617 W. Main Street Downtown Sylva.

828.586.3555. Open Tuesday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Wednesday-Saturday 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Hand-tossed pizza, steak sandwiches, wraps, salads and desserts. All made from scratch. Beer and wine. Free movies with showtimes at 6:30 and 9 p.m. with a Saturday matinee at 2 p.m. Visit madbatterfoodandfilm.com for this week’s shows.

MOUNTAIN PERKS ESPRESSO BAR & CAFÉ 9 Depot St., Bryson City. 828.488.9561.

Open Monday through Thursday, 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Friday 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturday 8 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. With music at the Depot. Sunday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Life is too short for bad coffee. We feature wonderful breakfast and lunch selections.

Bagels, wraps, soups, sandwiches, salads and quiche with a variety of specialty coffees, teas and smoothies. Various desserts.

ORGANIC BEANS COFFEE COMPANY 1110 Soco Road, Maggie Valley.

828.668.2326. Open 7 days a week 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Happily committed to brewing and serving innovative, uniquely delicious coffees — and making the world a better place.

100% of our coffee is Fair Trade, Shade Grown, and Organic, all slow-roasted to bring out every note of indigenous flavor.

Bakery offerings include cakes, muffins, cookies and more. Each one is made from scratch in Asheville using only the freshest, all natural ingredients available. We are proud to offer gluten-free and vegan options.

RENDEZVOUS RESTAURANT AND BAR Maggie Valley Inn and Conference Center 828.926.0201 Bar open Monday thru Saturday; dining room open Tuesday thru Saturday at 5 p.m. Full service restaurant serving steaks, prime rib, seafood and dinner specials.

SMOKY MOUNTAIN SUB SHOP 29 Miller Street Waynesville 828.456.3400.

Open from 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday. A Waynesville tradition, the Smoky Mountain Sub Shop has been serving great food for over 20 years. Come in and enjoy the relaxed, casual atmosphere. Sub breads are baked fresh every morning in Waynesville. Using only the freshest ingredients in home-made soups, salads and sandwiches. Come in and see for yourself why Smoky Mountain Sub Shop was voted # 1 in Haywood County. Locally owned and operated.

11 Memory Lane • 828-454-6769 Game Room • Next to the pool

Food Truck-Stravaganza!

OUR FIRST LIVE MUSIC EVENT EVER!

SATURDAY JUNE 21 @ 8:30 PM

THE WINE BAR 20 Church Street, downtown Waynesville.

828.452.6000. Underground cellar for wine and beer, served by the glass all day.

Cheese and tapas served Wednesday through Saturday 4 p.m.-9 p.m. or later. info@classicwineseller.com.

VITO’S PIZZA 607 Highlands Rd., Franklin.

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

Kick off summertime, and enjoy delicious food, drink and Live Music!

www.CityLightsCafe.com JUNE 13 • 7 P.M.

LOCAL

Karen “Sugar” Barnes & Dave MaGill JUNE 14 • 7 P.M. Andrew Chastain JUNE 17 • 6 P.M UINTA Beer Tasting

JUNE 18 • ALL DAY/NIGHT Plates for the Parkway

THE FUNK JAM MOUNTAIN BAND

POSITIVE MENTAL ATTITUDE

DOWNTOWN SYLVA • NC Mon.-Fri. 7-4 Sat. 8-4

Proceeds go toward the Mad Batter Food Truck!

586 3555

617 W. Main St., Sylva, NC www.madbatterfoodandfilm.com

Café

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Deli & So Much More

SPEEDY’S PIZZA 285 Main Street, Sylva. 828.586.3800.

Open seven days a week. Monday-Friday 11 a.m.-10 p.m., Saturday 3 p.m.-11 p.m., Sunday 4 p.m.-10 p.m. Family-owned for 30 years. Serving hand-tossed pizza made to order, pasta, subs, gourmet salads, calzones and seafood. Also serving excellent prime rib on Thursdays.

TAP ROOM SPORTS BAR & GRILL 176 Country Club Dr. Waynesville 828.456.5988. 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week. Enjoy soups, sandwiches, salads and hearty appetizers along with a full bar menu in our casual, smoke-free neighborhood grill.

& More!

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Hot Dogs Ice Cream

PATIO BISTRO 30 Church Street, Waynesville.

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

NEW DINNER SPECIALS: Char Broiled Ribeye Steak

Father’s Day Brunch

Grilled Atlantic Salmon

Full Brunch Menu with Specials

Shells stuffed with Sausage & Ricotta Dinners include salad, starch & vegetable

Sunday, June 15 FREE “Cookie Queen” Cookies for Dads

DINNER SERVED ON FRI. & SAT. ONLY, 5-8 PM

94 East St. • Waynesville

6147 Highway 276 S. Bethel, North Carolina

828-452-7837 www.herrenhouse.com

Mon-Thr 8-5 • Fri & Sat 8-8 • Sun Closed

(at the Mobil Gas Station)

bbcafenc.com • 828.648.3838

Serving Lunch Wed-Fri 11:30-2 & Sunday Brunch 11-2

Welcome back. To 1932.

Smoky Mountain News

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

828.497.4590. Open 7 a.m. daily.

Established in 1946 and serving breakfast, lunch and dinner seven days a week. Family style dining for adults and children.

Pretzels Smoothies

June 11-17, 2017

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

828.926.1616. maggievalleyclub.com/dine.

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

NOW OPEN!

68585

LOS AMIGOS 366 Russ Ave. in the Bi-Lo Plaza.

828.456.7870. Open from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. for lunch and 5 to 10 p.m. for dinner Monday through Friday and 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Soda Shop

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JUKEBOX JUNCTION U.S. 276 and N.C. 110 intersection, Bethel. 828.648.4193. 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Monday through Saturday. Serving breakfast, lunch, nd dinner. The restaurant has a 1950s & 60s theme decorated with memorabilia from that era.

PASQUALE’S 1863 South Main Street, Waynesville. Off exit 98, 828.454.5002. Open for lunch and dinner seven days a week. Classic Italian dishes, exceptional steaks and seafood (available in full and lighter sizes), thin crust pizza, homemade soups, salads hand tossed at your table. Fine wine and beer selection. Casual atmosphere, dine indoor, outside on the patio or at the bar.

Reservations appreciated.

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JOEY'S PANCAKE HOUSE 4309 Soco Rd Maggie Valley.

828.926.0212. Winter hours; Friday through Sunday and Mondays, 7 a.m. to noon. Joey’s is a family style restaurant that has been serving breakfast to the locals and visitors of Western North Carolina since 1966. Featuring a large variety of tempting pancakes, golden waffles, country style cured ham and seasonal specials spiked with flavor, Joey's is sure to please all appetites. Joey & Brenda O’Keefe invite you to join what has become a tradition in these parts, breakfast at Joey’s.

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Come take a wagon ride with us, back to the very beginnings of the Ranch. In celebration of our 80th season, we’ll be serving up twice-monthly “Way Back When” dinners in an authentic re-creation of Mr. Tom and Miss Judy’s first primitive fishing camp. Just call us for reservations, then come join us on June 12 for mountain trout and mountain music. And Cataloochee Ranch enjoy old-fashioned hospitality a mile high.

1 19 Ranch Drive, Maggie Valley, NC 28751 | www.CataloocheeRanch.com | (828) 926-1401

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A&E

Smoky Mountain News

Tell it from the mountain

BY GARRET K. WOODWARD STAFF WRITER It all started with a drum solo.

“My mother was of the big band generation, and she’d watch all of these movies when I was a kid with big bands in them,” said Michael Reno Harrell. “I remember seeing Gene Krupa do a drum solo and I decided that’s what I wanted to do.”

At 66, Harrell has spent a lifetime in music — exploring it, creating it, recording it and performing it. Though he didn’t become a storied jazz drummer, he did become a renowned singer-songwriter and storyteller of Appalachian history, lore and musical heritage.

Harrell will be one of the key performers at the Appalachian Lifestyle Celebration on June 14 in downtown Waynesville.

Featuring an array of string music, authors, storytellers, cloggers, traditional foods, artisans and demonstrations, the festival stands as not only a tribute to Southern Appalachia, but also a way to share with others the beauty of creativity and customs in their own backyard.

“What I’m doing onstage is trying to evoke emotions, trying to trigger things in our own brain,” he said. “A lot of people call it nostalgic, but what I’m trying to do is let you see validity in the nice things in your own life.”

LONG WAY FROM GREENWICH

Raised in Eastern Tennessee, Harrell wasn’t necessarily brought up in a musical household. Music wasn’t so much played as it was generally appreciated. But, that love for performance did reside in Harrell’s genetics, with his grandfather being in a successful Buncombe County band in the late 1910s/1920s with his great uncle, who was also a three-time North Carolina fiddle champion.

“Music wasn’t in my generation, it was mostly in my grandfather’s,” Harrell said. “What I wanted to do was become a jazz drummer and yet there wasn’t a whole lot of jazz going on in Southern Appalachia at that time.”

Harrell’s parents soon gave him a snare drum, but they quickly realized that might not have been the best choice of instrument to give their son.

“For my 13th birthday they gave me a pocketknife and a card that read, ‘Do you know what’s inside a snare drum?’” he chuckled.

But that didn’t deter Harrell. His brother soon handed him a record by The Kingston Trio. The group was at the forefront of the early 1960s folk movement, mainly headquartered in Greenwich Village in New York City. Soon, Harrell began tracking down everything the Trio played, as well as the music of Peter, Paul and Mary and other acoustic icons of the day.

He eventually crossed paths with a girl who had recently moved to Eastern Tennessee from New York City. She brought with her numerous folk albums from Folkways and Vanguard, record labels who released works from Woody Guthrie, Joan Baez and Pete Seeger. Harrell was now experimenting with the acoustic guitar and the two decided to put together a folk duo.

“We sang at high schools, Lion’s Clubs, that sort of thing,” he said. “I was lucky later that a folk group in my town, the hottest group in that part of the state, had their guitar player leave for college, so I got to take his slot, playing college coffee houses.”

After high school, Harrell decided to forego college and become a road scholar. It was the late 1960s and the possibilities for creativity and chance seemed endless.

“I just wound up going on the road and playing,” he said.

“Just traveling and listening to folk and bluegrass, and you couldn’t even give away bluegrass at that time.”

While on the road, Harrell performed anywhere, all the while soaking in the sounds of the bluegrass greats when he was

Bush at the Roanoke Bluegrass Festival in 1965 where the youngster won the fiddling competition.

“Bluegrass music just has that drive, it has so much energy — it was like hillbilly jazz. We called it dance music because we’d play for everyone to dance to,” Harrell said. “If you played bluegrass, you could play whatever you wanted, there wasn’t as much structure as there was in country music at that time.”

MAKING THE CONNECTION

Singer-songwriter/storyteller Michael Reno Harrell.

Donated photo

“The audience, especially with spoken word, a lot of the time they’re laughing because they understand, they’ve been there, they agree with you.”

— Michael Reno Harrell

able to see them hit the stage. Names like Bill Monroe, Peter Rowan, Flatt & Scruggs and The Stanley Brothers roll off his tongue as he reminisces about their shows, techniques and stage presence. He even remembers running into a 13-year-old Sam

Want to go?

The Appalachian Lifestyle Celebration will be from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, June 14, in downtown Waynesville.

Featuring an array of traditional artisans, demonstrations, cloggers, foods and children’s activities, the festival will also offer a full day of live music, with the performance times as follows: MAIN STAGE • 10-11 — Darren Nicholson Band • 11:15-12:25 — Michael Reno Harrell • 12:30-1:30 — Darren Nicholson Band • 12:45 — J Creek Cloggers • 1:45-2:55 — Michael Reno Harrell • 3-4:30 — Darren Nicholson Band

And as the years have rolled along, Harrell has honed his craft into an intimate stage performance of spoken word and melodic tones. Between his acoustic songs, he’ll tell a story, anecdote or slice of history, all in an effort to make a connection between him and the audience.

“People love to listen to stories, it’s in our genes. In folk and bluegrass, storytelling makes people more interested in the songs,” he said. “It’s more about how the people like you than how good you are at your craft. If they like you, you can get away with anything.”

Harrell noted the power of the energy that cycles back and forth with the audience during a show. It’s a powerful feeling for him, and for those finding truth and camaraderie in his stories.

“It’s like talking to an old friend, we’re just talking. If I put some energy out there, that’s what comes back to me — it’s all about that circle of energy,” he said. “In the audience, especially with spoken word, a lot of the time they’re laughing because they understand, they’ve been there, they agree with you.”

When performing, Harrell lets the audience dictate the timing of his show. He’ll throw something out there, some idea or thought, and let it see where it sticks.

“If you give them something to chew on, let’em chew on it for a bit before you take off again,” he said. “We’re all alike, all living lives and having things in common. No matter what, we’re all having that human experience. I’m just trying to take snapshots of the human condition, songs about life and people.”

Harrell points to his wife of 20 years, Joan, as the driving force behind his continued success and exploration of the world around him and the creativity within.

“I’m very lucky to have found her, she’s the driving wheel in all of this,” he said. “Because of her, I get to write songs, make up stories and perform — she does all the hard work.”

With the Appalachian Lifestyle Celebration quickly approaching, Harrell is looking forward to once again returning to the stage in Waynesville.

“It’s always great to be invited to the celebration. It lets me know the people are getting what I’m trying to do, and it’s always nice to be a Southern Appalachian boy accepted in his own backyard,” he said. “I’m just staying on the way and bringing it to the people.”

• 3:15 — Fines Creek Flatfooters Cloggers • 3:30 — Joe Sam Queen (Square Dance) • 4:30-5 — The Ross Brothers SOUTH END TENT • 10-11 — The Ross Brothers • 11-11:45 — Productive Paranoia • Noon-1 — Nick Chandler and Delivered • 12:45 — Fines Creek Flatfooters Cloggers • 1:15-1:45 — Anne & Rob Lough • 2-3 — Nick Chandler and Delivered • 2:30 — J Creek Cloggers • 3-4 — JAM Students (Junior Appalachian Musicians)

• 4:15-5 — Nick Chandler and Delivered NORTH END TENT • 9:30-12:30 — Radio Hill JAM • 12:30-1:15 — Mike Pilgrim • 1:15-2 — JAM Students (Junior Appalachian Musicians) • 2:15-3:15 — Productive Paranoia • 3:30-4 — Bob Plott & Plott Hound • 4:15-5 — JAM Students (Junior Appalachian Musicians) THE STRAND AT 38 MAIN • 2, 5 and 7:45 — “Cataloochee” (documentary) www.downtownwaynesville.com

BY GARRET K. WOODWARD

SMN: If Waylon Jennings were alive today, what would he say about modern country music?

WM: He said the same stuff back in the day when he was alive. He knew it back then, it was changing. The thing is, today I’d even take Garth Brooks over any of these guys on the radio any day of the week. I don’t get it. I don’t come from that world. I call it “frat country.” It’s just pop music that they throw a little twang in it, a fiddle, and call it country.

I don’t get it. I get so tired when people say there isn’t any country music anymore. It’s like walking out of the Olive Garden in the middle of Manhattan and saying there’s no good Italian food in New York City. Go look for it. It’s not going to be there right for you.

Go find it.

“I just love to tour and make fans that appreciate what we’re doing, and appreciate the old types of music and genres I like.”

Whitey Morgan.

Garret K. Woodward photo

Owner of the Sun will perform at 8 p.m. June 14 at Nantahala Brewing Company in Bryson City.

The Sunburst Trout Farms “Summer Solstice Soiree” will be at 5:30 p.m. June 21 on Route 215 in Lake Logan.

My Highway will perform at 9 p.m. June 21 at No Name Sports Pub in Sylva.

The Village Square Art & Craft Show will be from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. June 14-15 at KelseyHutchinson Park in Highlands.

Dominic Frost will perform at 7 p.m. June 13 at The Classic Wineseller in Waynesville.

Smoky Mountain News: What’s your definition of country music?

Whitey Morgan: It’s a sound, a way of life,

mostly. That’s the way it started out in the old days when my family was up around here in these mountains. It’s definitely what it’s not today on the damn radio. I don’t even like the

Potted Plants, Stems, Bunches & Garland Just Retired

including two new Spring patterns

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784 N. Main Street Waynesville, NC

828-452-5720 • Mon.-Sat. 10-5

— Whitey Morgan

SMN: You’re using Kickstarter to get the new album released?

WM: I got sick of my label. They weren’t doing for me what I wasn’t already doing on my own, and I was giving them money. It got kind of old. They are a good label for other artists, but I expect more. I come from a hard working background. I work hard for every dollar and I don’t just give it away to someone that just claims they’re doing their fair share.

I just love to tour and make fans that appreciate what we’re doing, and appreciate the old types of music and genres I like.

SMN: What has a life playing music taught you about being a human being?

WM: I’ve grown up a lot on the road, that’s for sure. It’s taught me to not take shit for granted, to appreciate every day. There are people out there that will never see a tiny fraction of the things I’ve seen and the places I’ve been. I used to be a real introvert, real quiet and shy in public. Now, I just fall in love with every town we go to. A lot of hard work has happened so far, and there’s a lot of hard work that it’s going to take to bring it to the next level. The shows are getting bigger. I’ve never felt a downhill. It’s always going uphill, slowly, but always going uphill.

Manicures & Pedicures Pamper Yourself Before the Big Day! At The Waynesville Inn Golf Resort & Spa

Smoky Mountain News

HOT PICKS 1 2 3 4 5

Spring Bloom

June 11-17, 2017

Waylon Jennings is alive.

Figuratively. Not literally, folks. Strolling down Haywood Road in West Asheville one evening last summer, I came across the Double Crown, a dive bar of the most enjoyable proportions. And I love dive bars, places where I feel as welcomed as the beer is cold.

I heard a booming sound echo out of the front door and onto the busy thoroughfare. Someone was taking their bass guitar for a stroll, as the kick drums, pedal steel and guitar chugged along with a fiery presence. Stepping across the threshold of the Double Crown, I turned to the corner stage as a larger-than-life voice howled from the microphone. It was Whitey Morgan & The 78s — a honkytonk band of honesty, grit and soul, everything Jennings represented.

With a tone that would steal your girlfriend and drink all of your beer in a single song, but also give you the shirt off their back, the Flint, Mich., group has been traversing the country for the better part of a decade. During that time, they have attracted legions of fans who thirst for something more Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson and less Luke Bryan and Blake Shelton.

Morgan and his boys will be releasing a new album before year’s end. Filled with the usual helping of razor-sharp pedal steel and backcountry rock-n-roll, the record is just another step in an already bountiful career, one seemingly destined to achieve their goal of simply bringing good music to good people.

The Smoky Mountain News caught up with Morgan during a recent performance in Western North Carolina. He spoke about being on the road, why Kickstarter was the way to go for launching his next album and why Jennings would be rolling over in his grave if he tuned into a modern country radio station.

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arts & entertainment

This must be the place

label “country” music anymore. I hate the label “outlaw,” it doesn’t mean today what it meant back then. People today think an outlaw musician is someone who is loud and an asshole onstage, that’s not an outlaw, that’s just an asshole. We’re a honky-tonk band.

• OPEN TO THE PUBLIC •

828-456-3551ext 6

www.BalsamSpa.com 243-222

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arts & entertainment

On the beat

Gin Blossoms, Spin Doctors to play Harrah’s June 19

Bluegrass in Cherokee Festival returns The Bluegrass in Cherokee Festival will run June 12-14 at the Happy Holiday RV Village in Cherokee.

Showcasing some of the finest bluegrass, gospel and Appalachian music in the Southeast, the festival will include Lorraine Jordan & Carolina Road, Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver, Paul Williams & Victory Trio, Lonesome River Band, David Holt & Josh Goforth, Raymond Fairchild, Gentleman of

Bluegrass, Lou Reid & Carolina, Steve Dilling & Sideline, Bluegrass Brothers, The Churchmen, The Marksmen, Deadn Osbourne Band, Jesse Alexander Band, Jim & Valerie Gabehart, Remington Ryde, Bluegrass Mountaineers, Williamson Branch, HWY 58 and Nick Chandler & Delivered.

Camping is available. Tickets are $25 per day or $30 at the gate, with a three-day pass $70 in advance or $85 at the gate. Kids ages 13-18 are half-price, and free if under age 12. A special free performance by a handful of the festival bands will also take place Wednesday evening. www.bluegrassincherokee.com.

The Gin Blossoms (pictured) and the Spin Doctors will play Harrah’s Cherokee on June 19.

Smoky Mountain News

June 11-17, 2017

Donated photo

Alternative rock bands Gin Blossoms and Spin Doctors will perform at 8 p.m.

Thursday, June 19, at Harrah’s Cherokee.

Gin Blossoms broke out in the early 1990s with the hits “Hey Jealousy,” “Allison Road,” “Until I Fall Away,” “Mrs. Rita,” and “Found Out About You.” The melodies rocketed the band into the mainstream and went on to sell over four million copies, making the band a 90’s radio mainstay. The smash hit “Til I Hear It From You” was later released and appeared on the platinum sound track for the film “Empire Records.”

In 1996, the band released “Congratulations I’m Sorry.” The album brought two more hits, “Follow You Down” which spent ten weeks in the Top Ten and “As Long As It Matters,” which earned a Grammy nomination for Best Performance by a Duo or Group.

The Spin Doctors are the multi-million-selling band behind hits like “Two Princes” and “Little Miss Can’t Be Wrong,” both off of the seminal 90s rock album “Pocket Full Of Kryptonite.”

Tickets are $19.50, $24.50, $32.50 and $40. www.harrahscherokee.com or 800.745.3000.

The Haywood Community Band plays June 15 in Maggie Valley. Donated photo

Legendary banjoist Raymond Fairchild will perform at the Bluegrass in Cherokee Festival, which takes place June 12-14. Garret K. Woodward photo

Haywood Community Band plays Maggie The Haywood Community Band will perform at 6:30 p.m. Sunday, June 15, in the Maggie Valley Pavilion.

The June concert, with the theme of theme “Travelin’ Around,” will take the audience on a musical journey, with selections including “Jamaican Rumba,” John Philip Sousa’s “The Belle of Chicago March,” numbers from the musical “Oklahoma,” The Girl from Ipanema,” “Companions on the Journey,” “Queen City March,” R. Vaughn

• Three Sum, Natty Love Joys, Caleb Crawford, Rolling Nowhere, PMA, My Highway and The C Notes will perform at No Name Sports Pub in Sylva. Three Sums will play June 13, with Natty Love Joys June 14, Crawford June 15, Rolling Nowhere June 19, PMA June 20, My Highway June 21 and The C Notes June 22.

All shows begin at 9 p.m. Free.

828.586.2750 or www.nonamesportspub.com.

• Curtis Blackwell and The Dixie Bluegrass Boys will perform during Pickin’ on the Square at 6:30 p.m. June 21 at Town Square 30

in Franklin. Free. www.franklin-chamber.com or 828.542.2516.

ALSO:

• Dominic Frost and the James Hammel cabaret show will perform at The Classic Wineseller in Waynesville. Frost will play June 13, with Hammel June 21. All shows begin at 7 p.m. and have a $10 minimum purchase, which includes food, wine and merchandise.

828.452.6000.

• Rob Nance, Owner of the Sun and Angela Esterling will perform at Nantahala Brewing

Company in Bryson City. Rob Nance will play June 13, with Owner of the Sun June 14 and Esterling June 21. All performances begin at 8 p.m. Free. 828.488.2337 or www.nantahalabrewing.com.

• Mangas Colorado, ‘Round the Fire, Josh Wager and The Spontaneous Combustion Jam will be at BearWaters Brewing Company in Waynesville. Mangas Colorado will play June 13, with ‘Round the Fire June 14 and Wager June 21. The jam runs from 8 p.m. to midnight every Monday, with all players welcome. 828.246.0602 or www.bwbrewing.com.

Williams’ “Folk Songs from Somerset” and “I Left My Heart in San Francisco.”

The 2014 season presents the largest membership in the band’s history. All musicians played their instruments while in school and the welcomes new performers to join. Contact Band President Rhonda Wilson Kram at 828.456.4880, if interested.

Rehearsals are held from 7 to 8:30 p.m. each Thursday evening in the Parish Hall of Grace Episcopal Church on Haywood Street in Waynesville. Concerts are held each third Sunday evening through the summer and fall with a program of new selections. www.haywoodcommunityband.org

• Appalachian soul group Soldier’s Heart will perform at Groovin’ on the Green at 6:30 p.m. June 20 at the Village Commons in Cashiers. Free. www.mountainlovers.com.

• Friday Night Jazz! with The Kittle & Collings Duo will be from 6 to 9 p.m. June 13 and 20 at Lulu’s on Main. www.mountainlovers.com.

• Craig Summers & Lee Kram, Dylan Schrader, The Mixx, Celeste Underwood and Boob G will perform at Frog Level Brewing Company in Waynesville.

Summers & Kram play June 12

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On the beat

• Karen “Sugar” Barnes & Dave McGill and Carolina Dusk will perform at City Lights Café in Sylva. Barnes & McGill will play June 13, with Carolina Dusk June 21. Free. www.citylightscafe.com or 828.587.2233.

• The Buchanan Boys will perform at Concerts on the Creek at 7:30 p.m. June 13 at Bridge Park in Sylva. Free. 828.586.2155.

arts & entertainment

and 19, with Schrader June 13, The Mixx June 14, Underwood June 20 and Bobby G June 21. Free. 828.454.5664 or www.froglevelbrewing.com.

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Bookstore SAT., JUNE 14 • 3 P.M.

Robbin Monteith (a.k.a. Carly Robbins) of Bryson City will present her book, Secrets of Those That Are. 3 EAST JACKSON STREET • SYLVA

828/586-9499 • citylightsnc.com

• The Korey Warren bluegrass/Appalachian music album release party and show will be at 7:45 p.m. June 12 at The Strand at 38 Main in Waynesville. $12 per person.

828.283.0079 or www.38main.com.

• Anthony Harp, Rolling Nowhere and Tony Poole will perform at the Water’n Hole Bar & Grill in Waynesville. Harp will play June 14, with Rolling Nowhere June 20 and Poole June 21. All shows begin at 9 p.m. 828.456.4750.

• Still Water will perform at 7 p.m. Thursday, June 12, at the Marianna Black Library in Bryson City. Traditional Appalachian/bluegrass music. Free 828.488.3030 or www.fontanalib.org.

• A drum circle and raw-mazing potluck will be held Friday, June 13, at 355 Trails End Lane in Cullowhee. Attendees are asked to bring a dish, as raw as you’d like. 941.894.2898.

11,000-year-old come out and play.

June 11-17, 2017

• The Honeycutters will perform as part of the Western Carolina University summer concert series at 7 p.m. Tuesday, June 24, at the Central Plaza in Cullowhee. Free. www.joebasilemusic.com or 828.227.3618.

• Celtic/Americana group Juniper and Appalachian string band The Freight Hoppers will perform at the Bryson City Train Depot.

Juniper will play June 14, with The Freight Hoppers June 21. Both shows are free and begin at 6:30 p.m. www.greatsmokies.com.

• Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper will perform at 7 p.m. June 21 at the Historic Cowee School. $15 per person. www.coweeschool.org or 828.349.1945.

• The Director’s Circle Jazz Brunch will be from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Sunday, June 22, at The Bascom in Highlands. shill@thebascom.org or 828.526.4949.

• Guitarist Kelly Jewel-Timco will perform from 3:30 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, June 17, at the Cowee Farmer’s Market in Franklin. There will also be hula/fire hoop demonstrations, singalongs and children’s activities.

Cherokee Voices Festival

Smoky Mountain News

• Singer/songwriter Logan Murrell and southern rockers The Aaron Tracy Band will perform at Fontana Village Resort. Murrell will play June 13, with the Aaron Tracy Band June 14. Both shows begin at 7 p.m. www.fontanavillage.com.

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On the stage

Smoky Mountain News

June 11-17, 2017

arts & entertainment

All proceeds will support the theatre’s building fund. The group had hoped to see its new second stage well under construction by now but delays in finalizing design plans, building permits and the construction loan have kept the project in a holding pattern.

HART remains undeterred, and is using the delay as a chance to raise more funds so they have to borrow less money down the road.

HART has raised over $700,000 towards the $1 million project and is working to close the gap.

Tickets for the event are a $35 donation per person.

828.456.6322 or www.harttheatre.com.

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WCU Bardo Center receives acclaim

HART celebrates 30 years

The Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center at Western Carolina University was recently named among BestValueSchools.com’s list entitled “The 25 Most Amazing University Performing Arts Centers.”

Located in Cullowhee, the center opened in October 2005 with a headlining dedication by Jay Leno of NBC’s “The Tonight Show.” World-class performers and artists come to the center to offer concerts and theatrical productions to the university and community. A 1,000-seat performance hall provides a world-class venue for concerts and performances, and the center is a place for all art disciplines to come together. Situated along the Joyce Kilmer National Forest, the center combines a state-of-the-art space with a naturally beautiful setting to promote the arts and arts education throughout the region. www.bestvalueschools.com/25-most-amazing-university-performing-arts-centers.

The Haywood Arts Regional Theatre will celebrate 30 years with a “Hart Hat Party” from 6 to 8 p.m. June 12 in Waynesville.

The event will include performances by the leads in the theatre’s three summer musicals, “Breaking Up is Hard to Do,” “Grand Night for Singing,” and “Hello Dolly.” In addition there will be backstage tours, hors d’oeuvres and champagne. Everyone gets a complimentary HART Hat, featuring the theatre’s new logo design.

Waldrop brings teen event to Sylva

Singer-songwriter/author Dave Waldrop will perform a teen event at 6 p.m. Thursday, June 19, at the Jackson County Public Library in Sylva Waldrop will be presenting a game he invented called Song Search. Song Search is a fun, highly educational game that uses music to promote the development of thinking and the reasoning processes. This is a teen event only, due to the sometimes-complicated nature of the game.

This event is co-sponsored by the Friends of the Jackson County Public Library. Free. www.fontanalib.org or 828.586.2016.

On the street

A L OH A ISL A ND F L AVOR F E AT UR ING CHEF TONY O’NE AL

arts & entertainment

Cherokee Voices Festival showcases artists, storytelling

The Cherokee Voices Festival will be June 14 at the Museum of the Cherokee Indian.

Margaret Hester photo

The Cherokee Voices Festival will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. June 14 at The Museum of the Cherokee Indian.

The event will consist of traditional dances, storytelling and music, with more than 25 demonstrations of Cherokee arts and

crafts. The Warriors of AniKituhwa will also perform their ceremonial dance.

Admission is free and open to the public.

Sponsored by the N.C. Arts Council and The Museum of the Cherokee Indian. www.cherokeemuseum.org.

F R I D AY 4 : 3 0 p m – 11p m S AT U R D AY 3 p m – 11p m

PlottFest returns to Maggie Valley

The Village Square Art and Craft Shows is June 14-15 in downtown Highlands.

Artists and crafters from Highlands and all over the mountains will display fine art, folk art, a variety of crafts, rustic furniture, birdhouses, jewelry, metalwork and much more.

Saturday morning will also feature some Farmers Market vendors.

Sponsored by the Macon County Art Association. 828.787.2021.

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

June 14 and 21 at Papou’s Wine Shop and Bar in Sylva. 828.5867.6300 or www.mountainlovers.com.

Balsam Range. many more. Children’s activities and food vendors will be onsite.

Tickets are $20 for Saturday, $10 for Sunday or $25 for a two-day pass. www.plottfest.org.

At Chefs Stage Buf fet , chefs take center stage !

Ever y delectable dish is prepared right in front of your eyes at globally inspired stations, making it the freshest all-you-can-eat fare possible.

HarrahsCherokee.com H a r r a h s C h e r o k e e.co m • The Women’s Work Festival will be all day June 21 at the Mountain Farm Museum in Cherokee. Walk the grounds of the museum and watch demonstrations of open-hearth cooking, spinning, sewing, corn shuck doll making and more. www.greatsmokies.com.

ALSO:

• The Sunburst Trout Farms’ Summer Solstice Soiree will be from 5:30 to 10 p.m.

June 21 at its headquarters on Route 215 in Lake Logan. A benefit for the Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project, the dinner features food and drink from Sunburst, Biltmore Wines, Waynesville Soda Jerks, Highland Brewing Company and Hudson’s Smoked Tomato Jam. $100 per person or $850 for a 10-person table. www.asapconnections.org.

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Smoky Mountain News

Highlands to host crafters for shows

ony for live cooking This weekend, join Chef T To demos, insider cooking tips, and recipe cards so you can recreate your new favorite dish at home.

June 11-17, 2017

A benefit for Head Start of Haywood and Jackson counties, PlottFest will be held June 21-22 at the Maggie Valley Festival Grounds. Gates open at 9 a.m. Saturday and at noon on Sunday.

Celebrating the locally bred Plott Hound, the state dog of North Carolina, the festival combines an array of hound competitions, showcases and events. There will also be a full day of live music, featuring performances from Balsam Range, Eddie Rose & Highway 40, The Primitive Quartet and

33

On the wall arts & entertainment

Sylva exhibit features creative work of local women A new exhibit featuring the creative work of local women from the late 19th century will run through July in the Jackson County Historical Society’s display area of the Jackson County Public Library Complex in Sylva.

The exhibit, titled “A Lasting Legacy,” features the work of Iwi Katalsta, a potter from Cherokee; Rebecca Ashe, a weaver from the community of Love’s Field; and Victoria

Casey McDonald, a local author, artist and educator. The exhibit includes images of the techniques and tools used by Katalsta to create traditional Cherokee pottery, samples of Ashe’s weaving and McDonald’s three books that are set in Jackson County. The exhibit also includes a mailbox used by Edna Monteith in Dillsboro.

The exhibit was created by Western Carolina University’s Mountain Heritage Center in partnership with the Appalachian Women’s Museum in Dillsboro. Katie Bell and Emily Baker, two graduate students in the history program at WCU who work for the Mountain Heritage Center, curated the exhibit.

828.227.7129.

• A Sculpted Masks and Performance youth arts class will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. June 23-27 at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee. Children will learn to make clay masks, then rehearse and perform an original play. The class is part of the Cullowhee Mountain ARTS summer series. $225 per child, with materials included. www.cullowheemountainarts.org.

Cullowhee metalsmith William Rogers will be held from 1 to 5 p.m. June 13-14 at The Bascom Center for the Visual Arts in Highlands. Class participants will make a copper pendant or badge that can be worn, using methods practiced by prehistoric Americans to form copper panels and gorgets. For more information about the class and to register, call 828.526.4949.

• The Sip & Shop fundraiser for Catch the Spirit of Appalachia will be from noon to 5 p.m. Saturday, June 14, at J. McLaughlin of Highlands. Fifteen percent of sales during that time will be donated to the nonprofit organization. 828.526.0844.

June 11-17, 2017

ALSO:

• The Haywood County Arts Council’s “Mountain Made” exhibit, featuring an array of local crafters and artisans, will run through June 28 at Gallery 86 in downtown Waynesville. The showcase will also include prints, paintings and photographs from the Bethel Rural Community Organization.

Smoky Mountain News

• The Village Square Art & Craft Show will be from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. June 14-15 at Kelsey-Hutchinson Park in Highlands.

Regional artisans, demonstrations, live music, food vendors, and children’s activities. Free. Sponsored by the Macon County Art Association and the Highlands Area Chamber of Commerce & Visitor Center.

34

• Jewelry maker Diane Herring will explain the traditional healing properties of the minerals she uses from 1 to 4 p.m.

Saturday, June 14, at Tunnel Mountain Crafts in Dillsboro.

• The films “Cataloochee” and “The Lego Movie” will be screened at The Strand at 38 Main in Waynesville. “Cataloochee” will be screened June 13-14, with “The Lego Movie” June 20-21. Screenings are at 7:45 p.m. on Fridays and 2 p.m., 5 p.m. and 7:45 p.m. on Saturdays. Tickets are $6 per person, $4 for children. 828.283.0079 or www.38main.com.

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• A two-day course in hammered copper by

• The films “The Lego Movie” and “300” will be shown at 9 p.m. in the Central Plaza at Western Carolina University. “The Lego Movie” will be screened June 12, with “300” June 19. Free. corelli@wcu.edu or 828.227.3618.

• There will be an art class at 9 a.m.

Thursday, June 12, at the Sapphire Valley Community Center. Class will encompass watercolor, acrylic and oil painting. Pauline Marr will be the instructor. $40 per person or $150 for five sessions. 828.743.7663.

• The Western North Carolina Carvers will hold their monthly meeting from 1:30 to 4 p.m. Sunday, June 22, at the Harvest House in Asheville. Presentation will be on planning, designing and showcasing your carvings. Open carving to follow meeting. Free.

828.665.8273.

• The Sylva Photo Club will present a photography program, entitled “Tips and Tricks Used by Professional Photographers to Make People Look Their Best,” from 3 to 5 p.m.

June 14 at the Coggins Office Park. sylvaphotoclub@gmail.com or 828.226.3840.

• The Cullowhee Mountain Arts Summer Faculty Exhibition will run June 19-July 25 in the Fine Arts Museum at Western Carolina University. An artist reception will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. June 19 at the museum.

The exhibit features the work of over 23 artists, with medium ranging from ceramics to printmaking, painting to mixed media. www.wcu.edu.

• “Business After Hours” will be held from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, June 12, at The Bascom in Highlands. visitor@highlandschamber.org or 828.526.2112.

Smoky Mountain News

35

Trio of quality books explore facets of faith ack in the day when the “culture wars” focused more on literature, music and movies — Tipper Gore, for example, then the wife of Al Gore, in 1985 led a crusade advocating age-appropriate labels on popular music — Christians often criticized the arts for their neglect of faith and their secular morality. Many churchgoers rejected mainstream culture altogether, turning instead to “Christian” books, films, and Writer songs, nearly all of which were secondrate, didactic works lacking in real artistry.

These Christian critics, however, did have a point. Our increasingly secularized culture has become cruder, less given to nuance and offensive to many of “the religious right.”

Yet too often these same Christian critics have ignored or missed mainstream writers who do grapple with religious issues, who write sympathetically about religious faith.

Susan Howatch, for instance, composed a series of novels on the Church of England in the twentieth century, books that wrestled with all manner of religious issues, and Marilyn Robinson’s Gilead has become a minor classic.

Mainstream writers, in fact, often deliver religious themes in their work, but hide these beliefs behind plot and character. Let’s look here at three new books, two from the bestseller lists, which reach large audiences but

B

Jeff Minick

f

Books should resonate with Christians and with other readers.

First up on the list is Richard Paul Evans’s A Step of Faith (Simon and Schuster, 2013, 279 pages, $19.99). This is book number four in the “Walk” series, the story of Alan Christoffersen, an advertising executive who has lost his wife, his business and his home.

Consequently, he sets out to walk from Seattle to Key West, hoping by this odyssey to leave his broken past behind him. A Step of Faith records Alan’s adventures on the road and the people he meets, including a religious fanatic, a wise and lovely hospice worker, and a young woman on the run. Alan himself also lands in a hospital, diagnosed with a brain tumor that proves to be benign.

A Step of Faith won’t appeal to all readers.

As in his other books, Evans sometimes descends into bathos, yet he has found a wide readership, and this particular tale contains some bits of wisdom. Alan keeps a journal, and I particularly relished some quotes such as this one: “Sometimes it seems as if my life has been more intermission than show.”

Best-selling novelist Dean Koontz frequently includes spiritual struggles in his novels, and Innocence (Bantam Books, 2014, 338 pages, $28) is no exception.

Here we meet Addison Goodheart, a young man driven to live beneath the streets of a great city because his face repels his fellow human beings. Raised by an alcoholic mother who could barely stand

the sight of him, and then adopted by a man with a similar likeness, Addison survives by emerging from his shelter only at night, hiding his face and avoiding contact with people.

Until he meets Gwyneth. She is a young girl, an heiress, who is being pursued by a maniac who wants what remains of her fortune. Together she and Addison fight back against this man and his thugs. While we follow them in their flight through the city, Addison sees what he calls the Clears and the Fogs, which seem to be angels and demons.

To reveal more of the plot of Innocence would give away the ending. Suffice it to say that Koontz, like Evans, is not for everyone, but again he clearly appeals to tens of thousands of readers.

Finally, there is Anne Emery’s Blood on a Saint (ECW Press, 2013, 322 pages, $24.95).

This novel, which I pulled with great good luck from the shelves of the public library, is the latest in Emery’s CollinsBurke mystery series. Father Brennan Burke is a hard-drinking, cigarettesmoking priest in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and Monty Collins is his best friend, an attorney with a love of the blues who is frequently involved in murder cases.

Emery, who lives in Halifax and is also an attorney, begins her tale when a young woman announces that she has seen a vision of the Virgin Mary in the courtyard of Father Burke’s church. Soon, as often happens, the courtyard becomes a circus of believers, reporters and conmen. Meanwhile, another woman, also claiming to see the Virgin Mary, is murdered, and a grungy television talk show host is arrested on suspicion of that killing. When Monty finds himself defending

Monteith to present vampire tale WNC finalist for Author Robbin Monteith (a.k.a Carly Robbins) will present her PEN/Bellwether Prize book Secrets of Those That Are at 3 p.m. Saturday, June 14, at City Lights Bookstore in Sylva.

When nurse Katelynn Anthony befriends an elderly patient, she discovers a unique bond with her charge. Her evenings with Lera McConnell are spent recalling the elderly woman’s fascinating past.

Soon though, Katelynn begins to realize there is a purpose to Lera’s recollection and central to it all is Navar, the love of Lera’s life.

Navar is not simply a long lost lover, though. He is a vampire, hundreds of years old, a knight and the Lord of Go-Barth Castle. The power hidden in the secrets of Lera’s story attracts an evil that looms over both women.

828.586.9499.

Annette Saunooke Clapsaddle, executive director of the Cherokee Preservation Foundation in Cherokee, is a finalist for the 2014 PEN/Bellwether Prize for Socially Engaged Fiction. The author is an enrolled member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and graduated from Yale University and the College of William and Mary.

Clapsaddle’s novel, Going to Water, resurrects 1920s-40s Chicago and Cherokee as the setting for the fictional account of an enormously ambitious Cherokee man, Osley Sololoneet, and the vibrant characters who fill his world.

Born and raised on the Qualla Boundary, Osley recognizes that he yearns for more than the safety of the Great Smoky Mountains.

this man, whom he despises, Father Burke joins forces with him to help solve the case.

Emery has a particularly sharp eye for people and for ridiculous situations. One high point of this mystery — and there were many — occurrswhen the bishop requires Father Burke to appear on television with Pike Podgis, the show host, to explain the Church’s teachings on Marian apparitions. Anyone familiar with talk show hosts and the crude and rude way they sometimes treat their guests will find several laughs here.

Faith enters this novel through the hardnosed Father Burke. At one point, during Burke’s homily at Mass, a baby begins crying.

Burke goes on for a bit, but when the baby continues crying, he leaves the pulpit, approaches the mother, and takes the baby with him back to the pulpit. After a few remarks about the love of mother and child, Burke looks at the parishioners.

“There wasn’t a sound in the church except for his voice. Everyone looked at him, rapt with attention.

‘When anyone does anything to hurt another human being, when anyone takes another person’s life, this is who they are hurting, this is who they are killing. This is the life that is destroyed. Every one of us starts life as a helpless child like this. Any time we are tempted to mistreat a person, to lash out, to do a person harm verbally or physically or any other way, we must stop and think, that this is how we all began, this is who we all are.

Everyone is precious in the eyes of God, and everyone should be precious to each and every one of us. If we can’t see the face of Christ in every person, and I admit it is difficult with some, then we should do our best at least to see the face of the child.’

“Monty took a quick look at his fellow choristers. To a man, to a boy, they had their eyes fixed on Father Burke. They were stunned into silence and immobility.”

Good scene. Good book.

(Jeff Minick is a writer and teacher. His first novel, Amanda Bell, is available regional bookstores and at Amazon.com.)

He comes to believe that “the only true death is a static existence.”

Osley, a character inspired by the erratic legacy of the author’s grandfather, simultaneously undertakes careers in professional wrestling, tribal government and souvenir peddling, finding that they are all inextricably linked in the world of love, politics, and identity. Laced with humor, Going to Water explores the hazy borders fusing self-preservation, familial love and tribal citizenship.

The PEN/Bellwether Prize for Socially Engaged Fiction is presented biennially to the author of a previously unpublished novel of high literary caliber that promotes fiction that addresses issues of social justice and the impact of culture and politics on human relationships. The winner will be announced later this summer and will be honored at the PEN Literary Awards Ceremony in New York City on Sept. 29. The award was established in 2000 by Barbara Kingsolver, and is funded entirely by her.

36

Outdoors

Smoky Mountain News

Colliding worlds Maggie Valley bear conflict ends with dead mom, orphaned cubs

A

bear away during the night, he was met with a full-grown female black bear, charging him head-on. So, he raised the gun and shot the bear, which then died in his front yard.

Unfortunately, Cooper soon discovered,

“Those bears were there for the birdfeeders,” Helton said. “This guy had suet blocks up that smelled like peanut butter, and had he taken them in that night, it would have been fine.”

— Andrew Shelton, N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission

the noise hadn’t come from an otter. The screams had come from the bear’s three cubs.

Around 9 a.m., Shelton got the call and drove to Cooper’s home to investigate the incident — and to try and catch the cubs.

WRC officials caught two of the three, which are now staying in a rehabilitation facility in Caswell County, but the third eluded capture.

“We feel like that same cub got hit there [by a vehicle] at Soco Gap,” Shelton said.

No charges will be pressed, Shelton said, because Cooper fired the shot in self-defense.

Legally, landowners have a right to enjoy their property as they see fit, so if an animal such as a bear is destroying property or threatening the person’s safety, the person has the right to shoot it.

“Five-thirty in the morning, a big black blob is coming at you, you have a shotgun — you’re going to do what you can to protect yourself,” Shelton said.

Though Cooper could have avoided the

Bear with your neighbors Black bears are large and capable of plenty of damage when provoked. They’re usually not looking for a fight, though. By giving bears their space and removing incentives for them to come into yours, people and bears have a better chance of living together peaceably.

■ Don’t feed or approach bears.

■ Store garbage and recyclables in bear-proof containers or keep them inside.

■ Take trash outside on pickup day, but don’t leave it out the night before.

■ Bears are most active between April and January, so refrain from feeding birds during those months.

■ Keep pet food secure by feeding pets inside or portioning it out one meal at a time.

■ Don’t add food to compost piles.

NC Wildlife Resources Commission ■ Keep the grill clean and store it inside when you’re not using it.

encounter by staying inside, Helton said, “A landowner has a right to do what he wants to on his property, and the bear should not keep a landowner captive in his house.”

This wasn’t the first time Cooper had had issues with bears. He’d called the WRC last year, complaining that bears were tearing down his bird feeder. Cooper and his wife come up from Florida every year and enjoy watching the birds gather at the feeder in their yard. However, birds aren’t the only animals that enjoy a taste of suet now and then.

“Those bears were there for the birdfeeders,” Shelton said. “This guy had suet blocks up that smelled like peanut butter, and had he taken them in that night, it would have been fine.”

COLLIDING WORLDS The incident is just another installment in an endless series of episodes in what happens when human and wildlife worlds collide. In 1980, an estimated 5,000 bears lived in the state. Now, that number sits at about 15,000, and it’s far from stagnant. North Carolina bear populations are growing at an annual rate of about 6 percent. They’re rebounding from decades of overhunting and also, perhaps, responding to the more available — albeit illicit — food supplies that accompany human communities.

“When bears have a good steady food source, they can respond by having more than two or three cubs, and now we’re seeing three, four and

F

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER black bear — and possibly one of its cubs — is dead after a run of bird seed raids resulted in a confrontation with a Maggie Valley homeowner’s 12-gauge.

“Everyone has a right to protect their property, and it was clear to me this individual felt threatened and it was either his life or the bear’s life,” said Sgt. Andrew Shelton of the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission.

According to Shelton, a noise outside woke Jim Cooper up at about 2:30 a.m.

Monday, June 2. He got out of bed and watched a startled black bear jump off his porch. He went back to bed but was woken up again, half an hour later, by the same noise.

This time, the bear was lying under a porch swing that hangs just 5 feet from his bedroom window. Cooper went outside, and the bear jumped over the railing and left.

“When it was breaking daylight, he hears another noise. He grabs his 12-gauge and loads two rounds of buckshot in it, and he walks out on his porch,” Shelton said.

Cooper walked down the porch steps, Shelton said, which end just about 12 yards from Jonathan Creek.

“He hears all this screaming and this individual had never heard cubs scream before, so he didn’t know what was going on,” Helton said.

Cooper thought the noise was coming from the bear killing an otter in the creek, perhaps, and he went down to investigate. But instead of the easy job he’d had of scaring the

Plates for the Parkway outdoors

Food will turn into funds for the Blue Ridge Parkway with the Third Annual Plates for the Parkway event, June 16-19. Restaurants and cafés in Sylva, Waynesville and other communities along the Blue Ridge Parkway will donate a percentage of proceeds during select days to the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation, which funds projects on the parkway.

In Sylva, City Lights Café will donate 20 percent on June 18 and Guadalupe Café will donate 20 percent during dinner June 17. Jack the Dipper will donate 10 percent June 1619, and Mad Batter Food & Film will donate 10 percent June 19. In Waynesville, Panacea Coffee Company will donate 15 percent June 18. www.platesfortheparkway.org.

Smokies license plate make programs possible

GETTING ALONG WITH THE NEIGHBORS Though individual bears, like individual people, can be naturally aggressive, most black bears are more placid types that are driven mainly by a desire to find food and to protect their young. By understanding those drives and taking the precautions nec-

essary to be a good neighbor, McVey said, most situations like the one in Maggie Valley can be avoided.

“Potentially all of these negative bear interactions could be avoided if we just removed our food sources,” McVey said.

“When people call in, honestly they just don’t know any better. They get really excited about having a bear so close to their house, and I just turn on that broken record speech.”

Which is: secure trash, bring in dog food, empty bird feeders … basically, remove anything from your yard that a bear could interpret as a free buffet. Especially in the spring and summer, when bears are scrounging everywhere for food. By the time fall rolls around, mast foods come in, and the bears feast on those.

The main message, McVey said, is to be a good neighbor.

“When you put your house on the side of the mountain in great bear habitat, you’re going to have interaction,” he said.

The law does allow people to fire a bullet to protect themselves and their property, but it’s always important to take precautions to keep the conflict from getting that far.

“Unfortunately, bears can’t read those ‘No Trespassing’ signs,” McVey said. “While you do have the legal right to shoot a bear if it’s threatening your safety, if you know how to coexist with the bears, there’s no need for that.”

June 11-17, 2017

even five cubs being born,” said Justin McVey, WRC district wildlife biologist.

Of course, that cause-and-effect relationship is just speculation, McVey cautioned, but what is not speculation is the steep increase in bear nuisance complaints his office has seen over the past 20 years or so.

“We see tons of people having bear problems — or perceived bear problems,” McVey said.

In 2013, McVey’s office handled a record number of calls, more than 450, compared to just under 150 in 1997. In 1998, the office handled only 50 calls, but the volume, on average, has increased every year since, dipping and spiking based on mast production, the name for nuts such as acorns and hickory.

Few of those calls ever involve situations that escalate to a level in which a bear dies.

In Buncombe County last year, only about four bears got shot that way, Shelton said, “and I’m not sure that we had one last year in Haywood.”

244-306

Bear conflicts have risen steadily since 1997. NCWRC graphic

First quarter sales of Friends of the Smokies specialty license plates are $90,160, with total contributions now topping $3.6 million since the program launched in 1999.

Contributions fund projects in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, including support for 26 seasonal internship positions. Interns gain hands-on work experience while providing cost-effective labor to the park.

“These positions provide an incredible opportunity for the next generation to gain Robin Lenner, a park ranger intern in the Great Smoky valuable, hands-on experiMountains National Park whose position is supported ence, while also providing critical field support for park pro- through speciality license plate sales, conducts a “Parks As Classrooms” program with students from Cherokee. NPS photo grams that allow us to better serve our visitors and protect resources,” said Management Assistant Dana Soehn.

Plates are available at any North Carolina license plate office or www.ncdot.gov/dmv/vehicle/plates.

Purchasing or refinancing a home?

Let us help!

College students pursuing conservation careers have a chance for a $1,000 scholarship from the North Carolina Wildlife Federation. Need, academics and extra-curricular involvement are considered to select full-time students in North Carolina colleges and universities who are majoring in wildlife, fisheries, forestry, conservation or environment. Both graduate and undergraduate students, including those seeking two-year degrees, are eligible.

The application deadline is June 25. www.ncwf.org/programs/ncwf-scholarship-grants

Conservation Voters release legislator rankings The North Carolina League of Conservation Voters has released its 2013 scorecard for North Carolina legislators, a number based on the legislators’ voting record on key environmental issues.

This year, a record number of legislators — 82 — earned a score of zero. Among them were Sen. Jim Davis, R-Franklin; Rep. Michele Presnell, R-Burnsville; and Rep. Roger West, R-Marble. Previously, West and Davis had seen somewhat higher scores of 30 and 10, respectively. This is Presnell’s first term. Rep. Joe Sam Queen, D-Waynesville, earned a score of 89, a jump from his previous high of 82. nclcv.org.

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Smoky Mountain News

Scholarships for natural resources students

37

outdoors June 11-17, 2017

WCU professor’s new book spotlights Alfred Russel Wallace A book by Western Carolina University biology professor and Highlands Biological Station director James Costa titled Wallace, Darwin and the Origin of Species has been published by Harvard University Press.

The book provides an indepth look at the work of 19th-century English naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace, who co-discovered the principle of natural selection in 1858. Costa analyzes the James Costa development of Wallace’s thinking through the lens of the naturalist’s “Species Notebook,” the field notebook and journal in which Wallace recorded his evolutionary ideas during his eight years of exploration in Southeast Asia in the 1850s.

“This engaging and very accessible book is the most comprehensive and well-balanced account of the development of Wallace’s early evolutionary thinking ever

written,” said George Beccaloni, curator and director of London’s Natural History Museum A.R. Wallace Correspondence Project.

James Costa, 828.526.2602 or costa@email.wcu.edu.

Nature-inspired poetry readings held in Waynesville Michael Beadle, a local poet and educator, will read poetry that speaks to the mystery of nature and wildness 4 to 6 p.m.

Thursday, June 19, at the Haywood Public Library in Waynesville.

“Call of the Wild” will feature poets such as Mary Oliver, William Stafford and Wendell Barry. It is Michael Beadle part of the ongoing Conversations with Poetry series put on by Friends of the Library.

Free. stanandlinda@charter.net or 828.456.5311.

To Benefit Head Start of Haywood & Jackson Counties A Mountain Music Festival Celebrating Western North Carolina’s Heritage.

Showcasing the Official NC State Dog - the Plott Hound, Children’s Fly Fishing Instruction with Alex Bell

Saturday, June 21 • Sunday, June 22

Smoky Mountain News

Gate Opens 9am Saturday - Noon Sunday Crafters • Food • Seed Exchange • Exhibitors 3374 Soco Rd, Maggie Valley, NC 28751

Entertainment By: Balsam Range Eddie Rose and Highway 40 The Primitive Quartet Dismembered Tenesseeans Jon Byrd • Davis Raines Walking by Faith Visit the Don Ledford Memorial Jam Tent

Kids’ Zone!

Admission: Saturday Only: $20 Sunday Only: $10 Two-Day Pass: $25 Rain or Shine!

Showcasing the NC State Dog the Plott Hound

APA sponsored Baying Events • AKC Dog Agility Demonstration • NPHA Sponsored - UKC Sanctioned Bench Show NPHA & APA Sponsored Kid’s Bench Show

Bring Your Lawn Chair - We’re Gonna Have a Great Time - Rain or Shine!

38

FUN FOR ALL AGES! For more details call 828-506-1820 or visit www.PlottFest.org

outdoors

Past Awards 2012

Not your cookie-cutter newspaper…

First Place First Place First Place First Place First Place First Place Second Place

General News Reporting News Feature Writing Education Reporting Investigative Reporting Sports News Reporting General Excellence for Websites Education Reporting

2011 First Place First Place First Place Second Place Second Place Third Place Third Place Third Place Third Place Third Place

Education Reporting Investigative Reporting Appearance and Design General Excellence General Excellence for Websites News Feature Writing Education Reporting News Enterprise Reporting Headline Writing News Coverage

2010

2013 NC Press Association News, Editorial and Photojournalism Contest

to our award-winning staff!

News Enterprise Reporting

SECOND PLACE News Enterprise Reporting Becky Johnson SECOND PLACE News Feature Writing Garret K. Woodward SECOND PLACE Profile Feature Garret K. Woodward SECOND PLACE Special Section Garret K. Woodward, Travis Bumgardner, Micah McClure THIRD PLACE Education Reporting Caitlin Bowling, Becky Johnson, Andrew Kasper THIRD PLACE General News Reporting Becky Johnson THIRD PLACE Investigative Reporting Becky Johnson, Andrew Kasper THIRD PLACE General Excellence for Websites Travis Bumgardner THIRD PLACE Best Niche Publication Garret K. Woodward, Travis Bumgardner, Micah McClure, Emily Moss

Media and the Law Award Andrew Kasper

COVERING HAYWOOD, JACKSON, MACON & SWAIN COUNTIES

828.452.4251

www.smokymountainnews.com

First Place Second Place Second Place Third Place

News Enterprise Reporting Community Service Investigative Reporting Appearance and Design

2008 First Place First Place Second Place Third place

Community Service News Enterprise Reporting General News Reporting Investigative

2007 First Place Second Place Second Place

Community Service News Enterprise Reporting Profile Writing

2006 First Place First Place Third Place Third Place Third Place

General News Reporting Sports Columns Investigative Reporting News Enterprise Reporting Criticism

2005 First Place Second Place Third Place

General News Reporting Investigative Reporting Editorial Writing

2004 First Place First Place Second Place Second Place Second Place Third Place

Smoky Mountain News

Congratulations

FIRST PLACE Andrew Kasper

2009

June 11-17, 2017

…not your average staff

First Place General News Reporting First Place Education Reporting First Place Investigative Reporting Second Place Feature Writing Second Place News Enterprise Reporting Second Place Editorials Second Place Serious Columns Second Place News Coverage Third Place News Feature Third Place A&E Reporting Third Place Sports Feature Writing Third Place General Excellence for Websites Media and Law Award Duke Divinity Award

General News Reporting Investigative Reporting Investigative Reporting Sports News Reporting Lighter Columns Serious Columns

39

outdoors

Wilderness camp trains for adventure and evangelism

Steve O’Neil shows off a snake.

Program to prove “icky” creatures merely misunderstood

Smoky Mountain News

June 11-17, 2017

The program “Misunderstood Wildlife” will explore the flip side of creatures people love to hate at 2 p.m. Saturday, June 14, at the Collins Creek picnic shelter on the North Carolina side of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

“You’ll meet the wildlife you love to hate — from snakes and salamanders to roaches and ‘possums,” said Steve O’Neill, who is director of Earthshine Nature Program. “You will learn the truth about some of the most misunderstood creatures that share our world.”

Hosted by the Great Smoky Mountains Association. $10 for GSMA members; $35 for nonmembers with complimentary membership.

Free for children under 15 accompanying an adult. Limited to 50 participants. www.smokiesinformation.org or 888.898.9102, ext. 325.

Outdoor Mission Camp, an affiliate of Youth For Christ USA based in Maggie Valley, is offering a wilderness camp for Western North Carolina students, grades 6 to 12, on a donation basis, as well as a 10week wilderness discipleship course for college-age students.

■ Wilderness 101, a week-long camp for teens, has sessions July 7-12 and July 21-26.

The camp is an introduction to wilderness that includes team building on the challenge course, backpacking in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and rafting.

■ Camp Expedition is a two-week camp June 22 to July 3 for students who love wilderness. The camp includes a week of backpacking, followed by a week of rock climbing and paddling. Both weeks focus on discipleship as well as skills.

■ The intensive SHERPA Wilderness Discipleship Training trains college-age par-

ticipants in wilderness first aid, swift water rescue, top rope belaying and raft guiding on the Nantahala as well as in counseling skills, evangelism and leadership. A critical part of their training is to put these new skills right into practice with young people that come to camp.

Apply online at www.outdoormissioncamp.org. 828.926.3253.

numerous magazine and journal articles.

The Zahner Conservation Lecture Series serves to educate and inspire the public through a series of talks from well-known regional scientists, conservationists, artists and writers. They are held weekly at 6:30 p.m. on Thursdays at the Highlands Nature Center. www.highlandsbiological.org or 828.526.2221.

Mr. Jefferson and the Giant Moose: Natural History in Early America

Cullowhee Native Plant Conference registration gears up

A summer lecture series dedicated to natural history and conservation will kick off with a talk from Dr. Lee Alan Dugatkin at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, June 19, at the Highlands Nature Center.

Dugatkin is a biology professor at the University of Louisville, where he researches the evolution of social behavior, and is the author of the popular book Mr. Jefferson and the Giant Moose and The Prince of Evolution, as well as two textbooks and

Registration is up and running for the 31st Cullowhee Native Plant Conference to be held July 16-19 at Western Carolina University.

Workshop topics include native plant propagation, nature photography and garden design tips, while field trips will include visits to areas where new plant life is emerging, canoe trips and hikes to notable plant communities. Presentations will cover growing and caring for native plants; the connections between birds, insects and native plants; managing pests; engaging children in native plants and more.

Conference participants are encouraged to dress comfortably. On-campus housing in Balsam Hall is available and registration is open through July 11.

Register online at www.nativeplantconference.wcu.edu or hensley@wcu.edu.

Campers enjoy a day in the rain. Donated photo

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Youth to reenact ancient fishing practices

A participant gets some first-hand experience with aquatic creatures in a previous year’s program. Donated photo

remnants of the underwater rock walls are still visible today. A surviving weir in the Webster area in Jackson County has been the site of a kids program exploring the historic fishing practices for six years. It is offered by

the Watershed Association of the Tuckasegee River and free to children ages 8 to 13.

The day will consist of a series of handson learning stations. Children will examine bugs and fish collected from the river, imagine the Cherokee village located near the weir that depended on it for food and reenact an ancient fish harvest.

The harvest involves assembling upstream from the weir, a v-shaped rock wall in the stream, and thrashing the water to scare fish downstream to be trapped in the weir’s funnel point.

Free, with preregistration and signed permission slips required.

Limited 35 children.

Chaperones welcome. WATR will provide a free lunch, through donations are appreciated. The program will be moved to June 30 in case of high water.

RSVP to Malia Crowe, WATR Program Coordinator, mlcrowe2@catamount.wcu.edu.

Canoeists from around the country will gather on the Nantahala River for the American Canoe Association Open Canoe Downriver Nationals June 17-19. The event will feature sprint and distance courses with class II and III rapids. Participants are encouraged to race in as many classes as possible during three days of competition.

Competition begins at 7:30 a.m. each day.

Mountain bikers to test their technical skills at NOC rodeo Mountain bikers of all ages and ability levels will test their skills navigating a variety of obstacles during the second annual Bike Trials Nantahala Open on Saturday, June 14, at Nantahala Outdoor Center outside Bryson City.

Bike trials is an agility-based bicycle sport where participants negotiate natural and man-made obstacles including rocks, logs, water, even scaffolding or automobiles. Riders strive to negotiate each section within a designated amount of time without touching the ground with any part of their body.

All classes, ranging from beginner to

pro, will complete six sections a total of two times. The competition will run from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., and the awards ceremony will be held at 2 p.m. Live music will follow at 6 p.m. at Big Wesser BBQ. $20. All ages and abilities welcome. www.noc.com/events/bike-trials-nantahala-open. 828.785.5082

outdoors

Children will get a chance to learn firsthand about Cherokee fishing traditions by re-enacting a fish harvest on an ancient stone fishing weir at 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Monday, June 23, on the Tuckaseegee River.

Stone weirs were built by early Native Americans on most rivers in the region and

Downriver nationals coming up at NOC

Mountain bike trail system now open at Lake James State Park Lake James State Park has opened 15 miles of newly constructed mountain biking trails.

The trail system consists of a four-mile, beginner-level trail loop and an 11-mile intermediate loop as well as a parking area for 30 vehicles.

“This mountain biking trail system is part of an expanding menu of recreation activities at Lake James,” said Carol Tingley, acting state parks director. “A 2005 master plan developed in concert with community partners’ lists trail systems for both hiking and mountain biking as priorities, and it’s gratifying to see this level of progress.”

It represents an investment of $210,000 from the N.C. Parks and Recreation Trust Fund and two years of work by park staff and volunteers.

Waynesville tennis courts get makeover

Moss Knob Shooting Range set to reopen

June 11-17, 2017

Waynesville’s tennis courts are now reopen with an improved look. Their cracks are repaired and they have a new surface. The courts are now blue with green boundaries. The Waynesville Tennis Association and the Town of Waynesville funded the project. Parks and Recreation Department employees also painted the fence and light poles black, also placing engraved bricks outside the courts.

Following months of repairs, the Moss Knob Shooting Range near Franklin will reopen July 1.

Located in the Nantahala Ranger District of Nantahala National Forest, the range now has a new access road, range surface and earthen mounds installed. The U.S. Forest Service did the project in cooperation with the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission and the National Rifle Association.

Range passes are available for $3 per day or $25 annually. 828.524.6441, ext. 424.

Jan Eagle got a scare when a tree fell on her campsite at Cataloochee Campground during her stay at Great Smoky Mountains National Park May 30. Eagle, who lives in Tucson, Ariz., was on the first day of her 12day stay when the tree fell where she had been sitting moments before. She had moved away from the spot and was uninjured from the incident.

The Smokies national park has an active hazard tree-monitoring program and cuts down hundreds of hazardous trees annually at a cost of more than $500,000. However, no program is perfect.

“The park is a natural environment, though, and while we constantly work to reduce risks for visitors, we are unable to elim-

A tree lies in the middle of Jan Eagle’s campsite after a sudden fall. Donated photo

Smoky Mountain News

Falling tree gives Arizona woman a fright

inate them all,” said Molly Schroer, concessions management specialist. “We are grateful that nobody was injured in this incident.”

The tree had not previously been reported to the park as a risk, Schroer said, but was removed the same day the park learned of the incident.

41

The Barn at the Mountain Research Station, on Raccoon Road in Waynesville, will serve as the hub for ticket purchasing, vendor presentations and tour directions.

The station includes a range of soil types and elevations and a diversity of horticultural, field and forage crops and animals, with a variety of research program in progress.

Schedule a tour at 828.456.3942, or mountain.resst@ncagr.gov.

Grace Episcopal Church Gardens: Beauty, Peace and Service. The grounds of this Waynesville church have been tended and developed by church members for more than 160 years. The church has several distinct gardens, including a circular drive and lawn with magnificent flowering almonds, flowering cherry trees and hollies at the Haywood Street Entrance. The understory contains a bed of blue and white iris along with Stella d’Oro and many multi-colored daylilies, as well as yellow callas and evergreens of all types. A memorial garden offers beauty and peace, shade-loving ferns and hellebores, and a pet wall cemetery — providing visitors with several places for quiet contemplation. The lower grounds are busy with a food pantry garden where children, adults and volunteers grow food and flowers for clients in the community.

The Christopher and Marjorie Carrie Garden: The Wild Cultivated Garden. This high woods garden at the edge of Haywood County is the work of Christopher Carrie. A

June 11-17, 2017

outdoors

Annual garden tour a go in Haywood

,000 Over 1

vegetable garden complete with “Uncle Ernie,� the metal art bird scarecrow, is near the entrance of the home, and across a small creek is the woodland garden of Carrie’s mother Marjorie, which includes drifts of scilla and vinca, black-eyed Susans, phlox,

Susans, rhododendrons and anise hyssop.

An exceptional gingko tree is showcased in the front lawn and the backyard opens on a path around a large, semi-shaded pond with a fire pit, picnic area, bog garden, Adirondack chairs and peaceful native land-

The Haywood County Garden Tour will show off the best of Haywood County with an eye to this year’s theme of “Forest, Flowers and Food.� The program, presented by North Carolina Cooperative Extension Foundation and Haywood County Master Gardeners, will be held 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. June 21, rain or shine, in locations across the county.

iris, hostas, flame azaleas, mountain laurel, rhododendrons, and many woodland wildflowers. Paths lined with black locust and poplar and fringed with butterfly weed, echinacea and aster also make for a beautiful stroll.

Fitts Garden: Well-Mannered Town Garden. This stone home in Waynesville is landscaped with hostas, azaleas, black-eyed

scaping. The green lawns and tranquil trout pond are accented with geranium, Japanese maple and shafts of sun. The yard also features a shade bed, fascinating lichen specimens, bat houses, a garden shed, garden art and more.

The Fangmeyer Garden: An Abundant Mountain Manor. Stone pathways lead to a beautiful raised-bed vegetable garden, a

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grape arbor and pergolas. The landscaped swimming pool is next, then closer to the house echinaceas and daisies flow near rhododendrons and spruce trees. A creek and natural pond near the house contain water lilies and a family of koi near a waterfall. A greenhouse landscaped with garden pinks, roses, sage and more is around front, and suri alpacas graze nearby. Across the drive is a deceptively casual perennial cutting bed that includes iris, day lilies, specimen evergreens, roses and phlox. Down the hill, hostas grow and goats graze on the hillside.

Finally the horse stable with another garden above an impressive rock wall completes the picture. There are bird feeders and houses, occasional lamps that direct the eye, tuteurs, statuary, fencing, stone pathways and walls.

Hazelwood Elementary School Garden: Young Gardeners Dig It! Students plant this garden as first graders and then come back as second graders to harvest and eat what they’ve grown. They learn how to use tools, about plant life cycles, insects, kinds of plants and garden care. Learn how to prepare your soil using the Lasagna Gardening method, learn how to use earth boxes to grow vegetables, observe several different ways to build raised beds, and how to plan and plant in square foot gardens.  Ask a young gardener to show you what they’re learning and what’s growing this year in the ever-expanding Hazelwood School garden. $15. No pets or smoking allowed, though cameras and note-taking are encouraged.

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Bird club takes a gander at the Little T Paula Gorgoglione will lead a bird walk along the Little Tennessee Greenway in Franklin at 8 a.m. June 18 starting at Salali Lane.

The Franklin Bird Club sponsors these bird walks every Wednesday from April to October, taking advantage of the diverse habitat the greenway provides to spot a variety of species. To date, the bird club has seen 125 species on this route, including eight sparrow species and 24 warblers. The latest

The Dendro for a Day workshop will teach the tree-curious how to identify the species in the mountains around them.

The Haywood Community College Foundation and the Arts, Sciences, and Natural Resources Department are sponsoring a Dendro for a Day Workshop on Saturday, June 28, on the HCC campus. Two sessions will be offered. The morning session will be held from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. and the afternoon session will be from 12 until 4 p.m. Both sessions will include lunch with a guest speaker, classroom instruction, and walking tour field instruction.

Workshops will be led by HCC’s natural resources instructors.

Free, but space is limited. 828.627.4522.

Vertical gardening class to be offered in Canton A free introductory class will cover garden structures and vertical gardening at 5:30 p.m.

Tuesday, June 18, at the Canton Library with Tim Mathews, coordinator of the Haywood County Extension Master Gardener Volunteer Program.

Vertical gardening allows gardeners to use space more efficiently, increase crop quality and yield and make it easier to monitor for pests and harvest crops. Mathews will discuss what to consider when designing and installing garden structures, like a trellis.

828.648.2924.

“How to Eat and Act Like We Live in the Forest: a Brief Introduction to Permaculture in Southeast Appalachia” will be held at 6 p.m. June 18 at the Jackson County Public Library in Sylva.

Justin Holt will discuss permaculture methods and will explain how everyone can create a natural (and edible) landscape that sustains itself. Learn to work within the native landscape in harmony with the ecosystem, Co-sponsored by the Friends of the Jackson County Public Library. 828.586.2016.

Local agriculture robust in WNC

Larry East, CFP®

Vice President - Investments

J. Chad Muri, CRPC Financial Advisor

Jack Webb, Financial Advisor Shannon E. Carlock

Senior Registered Client Associate

828.456.7407 Investment and insurance products: NOT FDIC NO Bank MAY Lose Insured Guarantee Value Wells Fargo Advisors, LLC, Member SIPC, is a registered broker-dealer and a separate non-bank affiliate of Wells Fargo & Company.

52 Walnut St., Suite #6 Waynesville, NC 28786 Next to Haywood County Chamber of Commerce

Smoky Mountain News

Local food sales are surging in Western North Carolina, and agriculture is alive and well.

Direct farmer-to-consumer food sales in the region increased nearly 70 percent between 2007 and 2012, growing from just under $5 million to more than $8 million, according to the Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project’s analysis of the recently released 2012 Census of Agriculture.

Direct sales include growers selling directly to customers through farmers’ markets, coops or produce stands, and directly to restaurants or value-added food producers.

Statewide, however, North Carolina saw only a slight increase in direct sales; taking away data from the 23 westernmost counties results in a net decrease for the state. Per capita, WNC customers buy about three times as much food directly from farmers as do their counterparts in the rest of the state.

Accompanying this trend is a local reversal

of a nationwide loss in farm acres. Between 2007 and 2012, Western North Carolina added more than 10,000 acres of farmland while the rest of the state lost acreage.

“The 2012 Census of Agriculture verifies what we see every day in Western North Carolina — the local food movement is growing,” said Charlie Jackson, ASAP’s Executive Director. “We just never imagined it would be this dramatic.”

According to ASAP, consumers spent over $170 million on local farm products in 2013, a 42 percent increase from the previous year.

ASAP’s own data shows that local farms and locally grown food are defining features of life for the people who live in the region.

In every category of local food sales there have been large increases. More restaurants, universities, hospitals and public schools are embracing local food as well.

“Local food is more than just a trend, it is now a movement,” said Jackson. www.asapconnections.org/local-foodresearch-center or www.appalachiangrown.org.

CD’s and Bonds

June 11-17, 2017

Permaculture redux to be held in Sylva

Investments IRAs Annuities 529 Plans Life Insurance

244-336

Birders raise their binoculars along the greenway. Donated photo

Dendro for a day: a unique take on trees

We Can Help

outdoors

surprise sighting was an American Bittern.

Meet at the parking area off Fox Ridge Road, just south of Franklin Flea Market on Highlands Road.

828.524.5234.

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WNC Calendar

Smoky Mountain News

COMMUNITY EVENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS • Jackson County Genealogical Society, 7 p.m. Thursday, June 12, Community Room Jackson County Courthouse, Sylva. 631.2646.

• Overbay Insurance 4th annual Customer Appreciation Day, Thursday, June 12. Catered by Kanini’s.

• The NC ABC Commission free Responsible Alcohol Seller/Server Program class, 9:30 to 11:30 a.m., Thursday, June 12, Meeting Room, Murphy Public Library, 9 Blumenthal St., Murphy. 586.2345 Ext. 24 or jharrison@mountainprojects.org, http://abc.nc.gov/education/RASP/.

• Cherokee School Teachers Reunion potluck lunch, 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Saturday, June 14, Cherokee Youth Center, for all current and former staff of the Cherokee Central School Syste. Dee Smith, 736.3391, Betty Allen, 206.909.4354, Frela Beck, 497.4761, or Mary Wachacha, 497.5350.

• Haywood Habitat for Humanity annual meeting, 5:30 p.m. Monday, June 16, Haywood Community College Creative Arts Building, Room 7105. RSVP to 452.7960 or email admin@haywoodhabitat.org.

• Aviation Historical Society meeting, 10:30 a.m.

Tuesday, June 17, Macon County Airport, featuring raconteur pilot Bob Scott. 506.5869.

• Silas McDowell Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution bi-monthly meeting, 5 p.m. Monday, June 16, Broiler Room Restaurant, Franklin, featuring Robert Shook, author of “A Journey of Courage.” www.ncssar.org/chapters/Silas.htm.

• North Canton Fire Department will test fire hydrants and water lines June 17 in the Upper Beaverdam area (Great Oak Drive to Rice Cove Road).

• Adopt a cat during the month of June and qualify for a special July 1 drawing for cat goodies from Sarge’s Animal Rescue Foundation. Other specials. 246.9050.

All phone numbers area code 828 unless otherwise noted.

• American Legion Riders Day, registration 11 a.m., kickstands up at noon, Saturday, June 21, American Legion Post 47 Waynesville. $10 per bike or car and $5 extra per passenger. Donations to chosen charities.

246.0690.

• Benevolence Fundraiser: Tickets are on sale to win a 2001 Ford Ranger XLT 4X4. Proceeds to benefit Macon/Jackson Fraternal Order of Police Lodge #81.

Tickets are $10 each or six for $50. Drawing, Sept. 23.

Tickets available from John O’Conner, 369.0698; Joe Hall, 332.8568; or Larry Miller, 369.6924. Truck will be displayed at various places around town for certain events.

RECREATION & FITNESS • Co-ed softball league organizational meeting, 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, June 17, Waynesville Recreation Center.

Season begins July 8. Games played Tuesday and Thursday evenings at Vance Street softball field.

456.2030 or email dhummel@waynesvillenc.gov.

THE SPIRITUAL SIDE • Connecting with God in Nature with Sr. Fran Grady, SCL AND Freeman Owle, Monday, June 16 – Sunday, June 22, Living Waters Catholic Reflection Center, Maggie Valley. 926.3833 catholicretreat.org.

SENIOR ACTIVITIES • Father’s Day Banquet, 5:30 p.m. Thursday, June 12, Department of Aging, Senior Center, 100 County Services Park, Sylva. Sponsored by Jackson County Senior Center. Reservations at 586.4944.

KIDS & FAMILIES BUSINESS & EDUCATION • Haywood Chamber Ribbon Cutting, 4 p.m. Tuesday, June 10, 461 Moody Farm Road, Maggie Valley.

• Business After Hours, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, June 12, The Bascom, 323 Franklin Road, Highlands.

RSVP to visitor@highlandschamber.org, 526.2112.

• Quick Books for Small Business, 5:30 to 8:30 p.m., June 16, Jackson Campus Southwestern Community College, Founders Hall 123. Free. Register, 339.4211 or t_henry@southwesterncc.edu.

• Free program on estate planning, 11 a.m. Tuesday, June 17, Waynesville Recreation Center. 456.2030.

• Free 90-minute computer class: Excel II, 5:45 p.m.

Wednesday, June 11, Jackson County Public Library, Sylva. Register, 586.2016 • Free 90-minute beginner class on Microsoft PowerPoint, 5:45 p.m. Wednesday, June 18, Jackson County Public Library computer lab. Register, 586.2016.

• Haywood Chamber Young Professionals, 8 to 9 a.m.

Friday, June 20, Coffee Cup Café, 48 Haywood Park Drive, Clyde.

FUNDRAISERS AND BENEFITS • BINGO fundraiser for KARE, 1:30 TO 4:30 P.M. Saturday, June 14, Waynesville Armory. $10 per set of nine games. 456.8995.

• “Sip and Shop” fundraiser for Catch the Spirit of Appalachia, noon to 5 p.m. Saturday, June 14, J. McLaughlin, 318 Main St., Highlands. 526.0844.

• Pellet Rifle Shooting Range, 1 to 2:30 p.m.

Wednesday, June 11. Ages 8 and older. 877.4423, or ncpaws.org/reservations/pisgah/CalendarView.aspx.

• Woodsy Owl’s Curiosity Club, 10:30 a.m. to noon and 1:30 to 3:30 p.m., Thursdays, June 12 through Aug. 14, Cradle of Forestry, Pisgah National Forest, 25 miles southeast of Waynesville, Highway 276 South. For children ages 4-7 years old. $4 per child for each program.

Register, 877.3130, www.cradleofforestry.com/site.

• ‘Weird Animals Vacation Bible School,’ 6 to 8:30 p.m.

June 14-18, Bryson City First Baptist Church, for children age 6 to 11. 488.2679.

• Archery, 10 to 11:30 a.m. or 1 to 2:30 p.m. Saturday, June 14, NC Wildlife Resources Commission, Pisgah Center for Wildlife Education, 1401 Fish Hatchery Road, Pisgah National Forest. Ages 8 and older. 877.4423, or ncpaws.org/reservations/pisgah/CalendarView.aspx.

• Teen-only event, 6 p.m. Thursday, June 19, Community Room, Jackson County Public Library, Sylva, featuring Dave Waldrop, local author, poet and singer-songwriter.

586.2016.

• Nature Nuts: Raising Trout, 9 to 11 a.m. June 21 and 27, N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, Pisgah Center for Wildlife Education, 1401 Fish Hatchery Road, Pisgah National Forest. For ages 4-7. Register, 877.4423, /ncpaws.org/reservations/pisgah/CalendarView.aspx.

• Eco Explorers: Stream Investigation, 1 to 3 p.m. June 21 and 27, Davidson River, Pisgah National Forest. For ages 8 to 13. Sponsored by N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission. Register, 877.4423 or ncpaws.org/reservations/pisgah/CalendarView.aspx.

• Free Robotics and Machining Summer Camp, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. June 23 – 27, Haywood Community College, for rising high school sophomores and juniors, using LEGO MINDSTORM ROBOTS. 627.4631 or email hightech@haywood.edu. www.haywood.edu.

• A Week in the Water, 9 a.m. to noon June 16-20 or June 23-27, Davidson River, NC Wildlife Resources Commission. Flyfishing. Ages 8 to 15. Register, 877.4423 or ncpaws.org/reservations/ pisgah/CalendarView.aspx.

Summer Camps • Smoky Mountain Sk8way summer day camp, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. June 16- Aug. 15. Registration, 7 p.m. June 11. 246.9124.

• Western Carolina University’s Division of Educational Outreach camps: www.wcu.edu/academics/edoutreach/conted/campsand-programs-for-kids/.

• Western Carolina University’s Athletics sports camps: www.catamountsports.com/camps/wcar-camps.html.

• Summer Day Camp for elementary school children, ages 6 to 12, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. June 12 to Aug. 8, Cullowhee United Methodist Church. One-time registration fee of $75 (or $10 per week if less than 8 weeks). $650 for the summer, $95 per week, or $25 per day.

Full payment for registered dates due before June 12.

293.9215, www.cullowheeumc.org/summer-camp2014/.

• Cullowhee Mountain ARTS Summer Youth ARTS Series, 2, 4 and 5-day art camps for ages 5 – 12, Western Carolina University’s Bardo Arts Center and the School of Art and Design. www.cullowheemountainarts.org or 342.6913.

Visit www.smokymountainnews.com and click on Calendar for: ■ Complete listings of local music scene ■ Regional festivals ■ Art gallery events and openings ■ Complete listings of recreational offerings at regional health and fitness centers ■ Civic and social club gatherings Recreation Center, Waynesville. For boys and girls in third through ninth grades. $150, $25 registration deposit to Kevin Cantwell, academy7@live.com.

• British Soccer Camp, full-day, half-day, July 21-25, Waynesville Recreation Center. Boys and girls ages 3 to 14. Register, www.challengersports.com, 456-2030 or email dhummel@waynesvillenc.gov.

• The Jackson Soil and Water Conservation District Camp WILD (Wilderness, Investigating, Learning, Discovery) for rising seventh graders in public, private, charter or home schools. July 28 through Aug. 1, Jackson County Recreation Center parking lot, Cullowhee. $25, register with Jane Fitzgerald, 586.5465 or email janefitzgerald@jacksonnc.org.

• Summer Writing Adventure for Swain County rising freshmen students, 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. and noon to 3 p.m. (one session only required), Aug. 4-8. Breakfast, lunch provided. Register by June 25. Sonya Blankenship, 488.3129 ext. 240 or email at sblankenship@swainmail.org.

Literary (children)

• Ms. Arty Pants Creation Station, half day Summer Art Camps, 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. June 16-20, July 14-18 and Aug. 44-8, in Waynesville. Ms. Arty Pants Creation, S. Main St., Waynesville. 400.6232.

• Children’s Story time, 11 a.m. Friday, June 13, Jackson County Public Library. 586.2016.

• TetraBrazil Soccer Camp, half-day camp 9 a.m. to noon; full-day camp 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., June 23 – 27, Waynesville Recreation Center. Half day, $152 per camper; full day, $202 per camper. 3 vs 3 tournament, 6 to 8 pm for ages 8 to 15. $52 per camper. challengersports.com. 456.2030 or email recathletics@townofwaynesville.org.

• Summer Reading Program kick off, “Fur, Feathers, and Scales,” with Rose Wall of Balsam Mountain Trust.

11 a.m. Thursday, June 19, Community Room of the Jackson County Public Library, Sylva. Tickets available starting at 10 a.m. on the morning of the event at the Youth Services desk in the library. 586.2016.

• 22nd annual Crossfire Basketball Camp, 1 to 4:30 p.m. June 30 to July 3, Waynesville Recreation Center.

For boys and girls age 6 to 12. $75 per person. 4562030 or email recathletics@townofwaynesville.org.

• Highlands Nature Center Day Camps, 526.2623 or, visit summer camps webpage at www.highlandsbiological.org.

• Haywood County Arts Council Jam Camp, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday, July 8 – Friday, July 11, Canton Middle School, 60 Penland St., Canton. $75. For students in grades fourth through eighth. Register at Haywood County Arts Council, 452.0593.

• Innovative Basketball Training Summer Basketball Camp, 9 a.m. to noon, July 7-9, Waynesville Recreation Center, Waynesville. For boys and girls ages six to 13.

Space is limited. Coach Derek Thomas. $125 per person. Register 8 to 9 a.m. July 7, Waynesville Recreation Center. 246.2129 or 456.2030.

• Summer Reading Program “Fizz, Boom, Read,” June 14-27, Macon County Public Library.

• Liquid Launch, 11 a.m. Monday, June 16, Marianna Black Library, Bryson City. For rising third through fifth graders.

• Mad Scientist, Tuesday, June 17, Marianna Black Library, Bryson City. For students in kindergarten through second.

• Motion of the Ocean, 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, June 18, Marianna Black Library, Bryson City. For preschool children.

• Ronald McDonald, 11 a.m. Thursday, June 19, Marianna Black Library, Bryson City.

• Spark a Reaction, 3:30 p.m. Thursday, June 19, Marianna Black Library, Bryson City. For rising sixth through twelfth grade students.

• Children’s Story time, 2 p.m. Saturday, June 14, Jackson County Public Library, Sylva. 586.2016.

• Children’s Story time, 11 a.m. Tuesday, June 17, Jackson County Public Library, 586.2016.

• Puppet-making camp, July 14-18, Highlands Playhouse, ages 9 to 12. $250. 526.2695.

• Children’s Craft Time, 1 p.m. Tuesday, June 17, Jackson County Public Library, Sylva. 586.2016.

• Summer Soccer Day Camp, July 14-18, Swain County Recreation Park, ages 5 to 18. Half day or full day sessions. scline@sclinesoftware.com, 736.0455, or www.ncsoccer.org/recreation/recCamps/.

• It’s All Art: Teen Arts and Craft Program, 4 p.m.

Tuesday, June 17, Jackson County Public Library, Sylva.

586.2016.

• Waynesville Recreation Center Basketball Camp.

Kevin Cantwell. 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. July 14-17, Waynesville

• Hands in Science: Children’s Science Program, 11 a.m. Wednesday, June 18, Jackson County Public Library, Sylva. 586.2016.

• Noon Thursday, June 12 – Decorate Gift Bags, Lunch and Learn ECA, Conference Room of Community Service Center, Sylva.

• 1 p.m. Monday, June 16 – Sew Easy Girls ECA, Conference Room of Community Service Center, Sylva.

• 6 p.m. Tuesday, June 17 – Picnic, Cane Creek ECA, location to be announced. For location information, call the Extension Office.

• 10 a.m. Thursday, June 19 - ECA Craft Club Workshop – Cards, Conference Room of Community Service Center, Sylva (call Extension Office for more information and to sign up for the workshop).

• Women’s Work Festival, Saturday, June 21, Mountain Farm Museum, Cherokee. www.greatsmokies.com.

• Legacy Dance Camp, program for intermediate to advanced dancers who want to train in the precision style, Sunday, June 22, through Saturday, June 28, Western Carolina University. Must be at least 14 years old with a minimum of five years of training in tap, jazz and ballet. Commuters, $550. Boarders on campus, $850. 227.7397 or visit camps.wcu.edu.

• Cherokee Bonfire and Storytelling, 7:30 to 9:30 p.m.

Thursday through Saturday nights, through Aug. 30, Oconaluftee Island Park, US 19 and 441 N.

GOP

• Taste of Scotland & Celtic Festival, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Saturday, June 14, downtown Franklin. Scottish foods, see demos of Highland Games, Scottish apparel and goods, plus Scottish and Celtic music.

TasteofScotlandFestival.org.

• Macon GOP and Gem Country Republican Women will march in the Taste of Scotland Festival parade at 10 a.m. Saturday, June 14, in Franklin.

• Cherokee Voices Festival, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. June 14, The Museum of the Cherokee Indian. www.cherokeemuseum.org.

Others

• 4th annual Appalachian Lifestyle Celebration, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, June 14, Main St., Waynesville. Barbecue, ice cream, music. 456.3517.

POLITICAL GROUP EVENTS & LOCAL GOVERNMENT

• Past county commissioners to discuss how Macon County has changed, noon Thursday, June 12, Tartan Hall, First Presbyterian Church, Church Street, Franklin. Sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Macon County.

• Jackson County Patriots Flag Day Rally, Saturday, June 14, Highway 107 and Webster Road by Ingles.

SUPPORT GROUPS • Prepared Child Birth Class, 6 to 8 p.m. Thursdays, June 12, 19 and 26, Angel Medical Center Dining Room. 369.4421 or email Elizabeth.penningtontrip@msj.org.

A&E • Taste of Scotland & Celtic Festival Clan Dinner, Thursday, June 12, Tartan Hall, First Presbyterian Church, Franklin. Tickets, $20, adults and $10, children 12 and under. TasteofScotlandFestival.org.

• Taste of Scotland & Celtic Festival Ceilidh (kay-lee), 7 p.m. Friday June 11, Stewart Street just off Main Street in downtown Franklin, featuring music of Juniper Trio. TasteofScotlandFestival.org.

• Bike Fest & Swap Meet, June 13-15, Maggie Valley Festival Grounds. 736.2217 or www.maggievalleybikefest.com.

• Drum Circle and Raw-Mazing potluck held, Friday, June 13, Spring Water Farm and Retreat, 355 Trails End Lane, Cullowhee. Rain or shine. Bring a raw dish to share. Tamera Nielsen, 941.894.2898.

LITERARY (ADULTS) • Book signing with “Southern Mountain Living” author Lynn Monday, 5 p.m. Tuesday, June 10, Cashiers Chamber of Commerce, with tastings by Olive&Oil, Shocolaate & Candy Bar. • The Write Ones: Adult Creative Writing Group, 6 p.m.

Thursday, June 12, Jackson County Public Library, Jackson County Public Library, Sylva. 586.2016.

• “Write What You Don’t Know,” 10:30 a.m. to noon, June 12, Haywood County Public Library, Waynesville.

Potluck lunch. Register, 356.2507.

• Author Gary Carden will present his newest book Appalachian Bestiary, 7 p.m. Thursday, June 12, Macon County Public Library, Franklin. www.fontanalib.org.

• Robbin Monteith (a.k.a Carly Robbins), of Bryson City will present her book, Secrets of Those That Are, 3 p.m. Saturday, June 14, City Lights Bookstore, Sylva.

586.9499.

• Retired Great Smoky Mountains National Park wildlife biologist Kim DeLozier will sign copies of his book, “Bear in the Back Seat,” and “Bear in the Back Seat II,” from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday, June 17, Sugarlands Visitor Center, Gatlinburg, Tenn.

SmokiesInformation.org or 888.898.9102, Ext. 222 or 254.

• Appalachian Trail thru-hiker Jeff Alt will sign his books, “A Walk for Sunshine” and “Get Your Kids Hiking,” from 10 a.m. to noon Sunday, June 22, at Sugarlands Visitor Center and 1 to 3 p.m. Sunday, June 22, Clingmans Dome Visitor Center, Sunday, June 22. SmokiesInformation.org or call 888.898.9102, Ext. 222 or 254.

• Conversations with Poetry, with Michael Beadle, local poet and educator, Thursdays, June 12, 19, and 26, and July 3, Haywood Public Library auditorium, Waynesville. 452.5169, www.haywoodlibrary.org, beadlewriter@yahoo.com.

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Smoky Mountain News

FESTIVALS, SPECIAL & SEASONAL EVENTS

• Village Art & Craft Show, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. June 1415, Fifth and Pine streets, Kelsey-Hutchinson Park, Highlands.

June 11-17, 2017

• Free Skills Clinic, 6 to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 25, Republican Party South, Jackson Headquarters, in Laurel Terrace in Cashiers. www.eventbrite/e/heritageaction-sentinel-skills-clinic-cashiers-nc-tickets11780633191?aff=WeeklyEMail. Ginny Jahrmarkt, Box547@aol.com.

wnc calendar

ECA EVENTS Extension and Community Association (ECA) groups meet throughout the county at various locations and times each month. 586.4009. This month’s meetings, listed by date, include:

• HCC’s Appalachian Music Program: Introduction to Sound Recording/Engineering, 6 to 7:30 p.m. July 7 – Sept. 17; The 7 Absolutes Your Musical Career Requires, 6 to 7:30 p.m. July 8-Sept. 16; Mandolin for Beginners, 6 to 7:30 p.m. July 9-Sept. 17; and Clogging 101, 6 to 7:30 p.m. July 1-Sept. 18. Online music classes include: Introduction to Guitar or Music Made Easy, which are available monthly. Register for online music classes, 565.4241. Register for Appalachian Music program classes, 627.4669, 564.5091 or email bapinkston@haywood.edu.

newsdesk crafts

• Experimental Times: Teen Science Program, 3 p.m.

Wednesday, June 18, Jackson County Public Library, Sylva. 586.2016.

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wnc calendar

• Friends of the Library Used Book Store special sale through June 14, hardcover mysteries. $2 each. 536 W. Main St., Sylva. Profits benefit the Jackson County Public Library.

ON STAGE & IN CONCERT • Free gospel concert, 5 p.m., followed by the Marksmen Quartet at 6 p.m. Wednesday, June 11, Bluegrass in Cherokee Festival, Happy Holiday RV Village, 1553 Wolfetown Road, Cherokee. Free.

919.779.5672 or visit bluegrassincherokee.com.

• Cherokee Bluegrass Festival, June 12-14, Happy Holiday Campground, US 19 East, Cherokee.

• “Hart Hat Party,” 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, June 12, HART Theater, to celebrate its 30th anniversary.

Tickets, $35 donation per person with all proceeds going to the building fund for the new second stage.

456.6322 or go online at www.harttheatre.com.

• Little Shop of Horrors, June 12-29, Highlands Playhouse. $32.50 for adults and $15 for children up to 12. Tickets, 526.2695 or at the Box Office, 362 Oak St., Highlands.

• Breaking Up Is Hard To Do, 7:30 p.m. June 13-14; and 3 p.m. June 15, HART Theater, Performing Arts Center at the Shelton House, 250 Pigeon St., Waynesville. Tickets, $24 for adults, $20 for seniors, $10 for students. $8 discount tickets for students, Thursdays and Sundays. 456.6322 for reservations. www.harttheatre.org.

• Haywood Community Band, 6:30 p.m. Sunday, June 15, Maggie Valley Pavilion. 456.4880, www.haywoodcommunityband.org.

June 11-17, 2017

• Michael Cleveland and Flamekeeper, 7 to 9 p.m.

Saturday, Jun 21, Macon County Heritage Center at the Historic Cowee School, Franklin. Tickets, $15 general admission, CoweeSchool.org, Franklin Chamber of Commerce or at the door. 349.1945.

• ‘An Appalachian Evening’ concert with The Kruger Brothers, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, June 28, Stecoah Valley Center, Schoolhouse Road Robbinsville. Tickets, $25 adult, $10 for students, K-12, plus tax. 479.3364, www.stecoahvalleycenter.com.

• Unto These Hills outdoor drama, 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday, through Aug. 16, Mountainside Theater, Cherokee. General admission tickets, $20 for adults, $10, children ages 6-12 and free for children under age 5. Reserved tickets available at 866.554.4557 or www.visitcherokenc.com.

• Balsam Range, 7:30 p.m. Friday, June 13, Isis Music Hall Upstairs Lounge, 743 Haywood Road, Asheville.

• 38 Special, 7:30 p.m. Friday, June 13, Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts, Franklin.

Tickets start at $35. GreatMountainMusic.com, 866.273.4615.

Smoky Mountain News

• Jim Gaffigan, 9 p.m. Saturday, June 14, Harrah’s Cherokee Event Center, 777 Casino Drive, Cherokee. www.Ticketmaster.com.

• Gin Blossoms & Spin Doctors, 8 p.m. Thursday, June 19, Harrah’s Cherokee Event Center, 777 Casino Drive, Cherokee. Tickets start at $19.50. 800.745.3000.

NIGHT LIFE • Concert on the Slopes, June 11-12, Sapphire Valley Resort. Barbecue, live music, hikes, boat rides, golf tournament and more. www.SapphireValley.com.

• Summer Music Series featuring Still Water, 7 p.m.

Thursday, June 12, Marianna Black Library, Bryson City. 488.3030 or visitwww.fontanalib.org/brysoncity.

• Craig Summers & Lee Kram, June 12; Frog Level Brewing Company, Waynesville. Free. 454.5664 or www.froglevelbrewing.com.

• Anthony Harp, June 14, 9 p.m., the Water’n Hole Bar & Grill in Waynesville. 456.4750.

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• Mangaas Colorado, 8 p.m. June 13; and Round the

Fire, 8 p.m. June 14, BearWaters Brewing Company in Waynesville. Spontaneous Combustion jam, 8 p.m. to midnight every Monday. 246.0602 or www.bwbrewing.com.

• Three Sum, June 13; Natty Love Joys, June 14; and Caleb Crawford, June 15; 9 p.m., No Name Sports Pub in Sylva. Free. 586.2750 or www.nonamesportspub.com.

• Dominic Frost, 7 p.m. June 13, The Classic Wineseller, Church Street, Waynesville. $10 minimum purchase. 452.6000.

• Korey Warren CD release, 7:45 p.m. June 12 ($12), The Strand, 38 Main, Waynesville. 283.0079 or www.38main.com.

• Celtic/Americana group Juniper, 6:30 p.m. June 14 and The Freight Hoppers, 6:30 p.m. June 21, Bryson City Train Depot. www.greatsmokies.com.

• The Director’s Circle Jazz Brunch, 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Sunday, June 22, The Bascom in Highlands. shill@thebascom.org,526.4949.

• Karen “Sugar “Barnes & Dave MaGill, June 13; Carolina Dusk, June 21; and Eric Hendrix & Friends, July 5, City Lights Café, Sylva. 7 p.m. www.citylightscafe.com or 587.2233.

• Open Mic Night, 6 p.m. signups, Thursday, June 19, The Strand, 38 Main St., Waynesville. 283.0079 or www.38main.com.

• Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper, 7 p.m. June 21, Historic Cowee School. $15 per person. www.coweeschool.org or 349.1945.

OUTDOOR MUSIC CALENDAR BRYSON CITY • 6:30 p.m. Saturdays, Train Depot June 14 — Juniper (Celtic/Americana) June 21 — The Freight Hoppers (Americana/bluegrass)

CASHIERS • Groovin’ On The Green, 6:30 p.m. Fridays, Village Commons June 20 — Soldier’s Heart (Americana/folk)

CHEROKEE • Music on the River, 8 p.m. select nights, Oconaluftee River Stage June 13 — Eastern Blue Band June 14 — An Evening with Elvis June 20 — A-36 Band June 21 — Eastern Blue Band

FRANKLIN • Pickin’ on the Square, 7 p.m. Saturdays, Town Hall June 14 — Taste of Scotland (festival) June 21 — Curtis Blackwell & The Dixie Bluegrass Boys

HIGHLANDS • Friday Night Live, 6 p.m. Fridays, Town Square June 20 — Southern Highlands • Saturdays on Pine, 6 p.m. Saturdays, KelseyHutchinson Park June 21 — Well Strung

SYLVA • Concerts on the Creek, 7:30 p.m.

Fridays, Bridge Park June 13 — Buchanan Boys June 20 — Johnny Webb Band

DANCE • Hawaiian dance party, 7 to 8:45 p.m. Saturday, June 14, Waynesville Recreation Center. Music provided by Paul Indelicato. $10 per person. Wear your Hawaiian shirt or something floral. Bring a finger food. RSVP to 456.2030 or email tplowman@waynesvillenc.gov.

wnc calendar

Experience Matters.

In or out of the Courtroom.

828.339.1010 | EarwoodandMoore.com | Sylva Sylva and Cullowhee

June 11-17, 2017 Smoky Mountain News

12 Old Charlotte Highway, Ste. H, Asheville, NC 28803

Highlandbrewing.com | Free tours offered daily, check website for details

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FOOD & DRINK wnc calendar

• Sunburst Trout Farms Second Summer Solstice Soiree for ASAP, 5:30 to 10 p.m. Saturday, June 21, Sunburst Trout Farm, 128 Raceway Place, Canton.

Tickets, $100 per person, or 10-person table for $850.

Reservations at asapconnections.org. All proceeds will benefit ASAP. Rain or shine.

ART/GALLERY EVENTS & OPENINGS • June Art Stroll, 6:30 to 8 p.m., Friday, June 13, downtown Sylva. Galleries, restaurants and businesses open later for residents and visitors alike. www.mountainlovers.com.

• Haywood County Arts Council’s “Mountain Made” exhibit, featuring local crafters and artisans, through June 28, Gallery 86, 86 N. Main St., downtown Waynesville.

• Artist reception, 6:30 to 8 p.m. Friday, June 13, Rotunda Gallery in Sylva, for Sylva artist James Smythe, featured artist at the Rotunda Gallery during the month of June.

• “FLORA: Contemporary Botanical Prints from the FAM’s Littleton Studios Vitreograph Archive,” through Sept. 5, Fine Art Museum, John W. Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center, WCU. 227.3591 or fineartmuseum.wcu.edu.

Fun, Affordable Gifts in Downtown Waynesville!

Affairs of the Heart

————————————————————————————— 120 N. Main St. • Waynesville, NC • 828.452.0526

Smoky Mountain News

June 11-17, 2017

244-297

• Cullowhee Mountain Arts Summer Faculty Exhibition artist reception, 5 to 7 p.m. June 19, Fine Arts Museum, Western Carolina University. June 19-July 25. www.wcu.edu.

A million miles away is just down the road.

• Beginning Crochet Series, 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Tuesdays, June 24, July 1 and July 15, Masonic Lodge, Dillsboro. $10. Register by June 20 at 586.2435 or junejpell@hotmail.com.

• Jewelry maker Diane Herring, 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, June 14, Tunnel Mountain Crafts, 94 Front St., Dillsboro.

• Art League of Highlands-Cashiers monthly meetings, 4:30 p.m. June 30, July 28, Aug. 25, Sept. 29 and Oct. 27, The Bascom in Highlands. Guests welcome. www.artleagueofhighlands.com.

• Summer ARTS Series, June 15 – July 26, Western Carolina University in the Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center. Details, www.cullowheemountainarts.org or 342.6913.

FILM & SCREEN • “Cataloochee,” 7:45 p.m. Friday, June 13, and 2 p.m., 5 p.m. and 7:45 p.m. Saturday, June 14, The Strand, 38 Main, Waynesville. Tickets, $6 per person, $4 for children. 283.0079 or www.38main.com.

• “The Sapphires,” 7 p.m. Friday, June 13, The Groovy Movie Club, at Buffy Queen’s home in Dellwood.

926.3508 or 454.5949, johnbuckleyX@gmail.com.

• New movie based on a Henry James novel, 4:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. Wednesday, June 11, Macon County Public Library Meeting Room. Rated R for some language.

• Classic 1961 movie based on the Henry James novel, The Innocents,” 2 p.m. Friday, June 13, Macon County Public Library Meeting Room.

• Children’s Movie, 1 p.m. Monday, June 16, Jackson County Public Library. 586.2016.

• Teen Movie, 3 p.m. Monday, June 16, Jackson County Public Library, Sylva. 586.2016.

• “North Carolina Art Educators” exhibit, through July 18, Fine Art Museum, John W. Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center, WCU. 227.3591 or fineartmuseum.wcu.edu.

• Live action science adventure for the whole family, 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, June 17, Marianna Black Library, Bryson City. A scatterbrain college professor accidentally invents a bouncy material called Flubber.

488.3030 or www.fontanalib.org/brysoncity.

• “A Lasting Legacy,” a new exhibit featuring the creative work of local women from the late 19th century, Jackson County Historical Society’s display area in the Jackson County Public Library Complex in Sylva.

Through July. 227.7129.

• The Lego Movie, 7:45 p.m. June 20 and 2 p.m. (matinee), 5 p.m. and 7:45 p.m. June 21, The Strand, 38 Main, Waynesville. Tickets, $6 per person, $4 for children. 283.0079 or www.38main.com.

• Cullowhee Mountain ARTS 2014 Summer ARTS Series, June 15 – July 18, five weeks, Western Carolina University. Youth programs include 2, 4 and 5-day art camps for ages 5 – 12. www.cullowheemountainarts.org or 342.6913.

visitnc.com

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• Opening reception, 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, June 12, Mountain Heritage Center, ground floor of H.F. Robinson Administration Building at Western Carolina University, for “The Dearest Spot of All: Western Carolina University’s 125th Anniversary” and “Y’all Come, the Best Kind of Get-Together: 40 Years of Mountain Heritage Day.” 227.7129 or visit mhc.wcu.edu.

• Western North Carolina Carvers (WNCC) monthly meeting, 1:30 to 4 p.m. Sunday, June 22, Harvest House, 205 Kenilworth Road, Asheville. 665.8273.

CLASSES, PROGRAMS & DEMONSTRATIONS

• Teen movie, 1 p.m. Tuesday, June 20, and each Friday throughout the summer, Marianna Black Library, Bryson City. 488.3030.

• Beasts of the Southern Wild, 7:45 p.m. Friday, June 27 and 2 p.m. matinee, 5 p.m. and 7:45 p.m.

Saturday, June 28, The Strand, 38 Main, Waynesville.

283.0079, www.38main.com.

• Cartoons, 10 a.m. Saturdays, The Strand, 38 Main, Waynesville.

• Introduction to Rug Hooking, 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Tuesday, June 10, Masonic Lodge, Dillsboro. $12, register at 586.2435 or junejpell@hotmail.com.

• Two-day course in hammered copper by Cullowhee metalsmith William Rogers, 1 to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday, June 13 and 14, Bascom Center for the Visual Arts. 526.4949 to register.

• Western North Carolina Woodturners Club monthly meeting, 6 p.m. Thursday, June 12, Blue Ridge School, 95 Bobcat Drive, Cashiers (Glenville). Drive to the back of the school to the woodworking shop.

• Sylva Photo Club monthly meeting, 3 to 5 p.m.

Saturday, June 14, 318 Skyland Drive, Suite 1A, Coggins Office Park, Sylva, featuring Tony Wu. sylvaphotoclub.wordpress.com, 226.3840 or sylvaphotoclub@gmail.com.

• Stamped Card Making, 10 a.m. Thursday, June 19, Jackson County Cooperative Extension Office, Sylva. $5. Register, 586.4009.

Outdoors OUTINGS, HIKES & FIELDTRIPS • Easy one-mile evening hike with Blue Ridge Parkway rangers, 7 p.m. Thursday, June 12, Mountains-to-Sea Trail near Asheville. Meet at Craven Gap parking area, Milepost 3777.4. 298.5330, ext. 304.

• Catch and Cook, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday, June 12, N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, Pisgah Center for Wildlife Education, 1401 Fish Hatchery Road, Pisgah National Forest. Ages 12 and older. 877.4423, or ncpaws.org/reservations/pisgah/CalendarView.aspx.

• Blue Ridge Parkway Hike of the Week, “Vanderbilt’s Road: The Shut-In Trail,” moderate 2.2-mile round trip, 10 a.m. Friday, June 13, from Mills River Overlook to Elk Pasture Gap. Meet at Mills River Overlook, Milepost 404.5. 298.5330, ext. 304.

• Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy June Jamboree Challenge, five hikes, Saturday, June 14.

Anna Zanetti at anna@appalachian.org, 253.0095 ext. 205 to register.

• Be Bear-Aware, 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday, June 14, N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, Pisgah Center for Wildlife Education, 1401 Fish Hatchery Road, Pisgah National Forest. All ages. 877.4423, /ncpaws.org/reservations/pisgah/CalendarView.aspx.

• ACA Open Canoe Downriver Nationals, June 16-19, Nantahala Outdoor Center, US 19 West, Bryson City.

• Float the Little Tennessee River with the Highlands Biological Foundation, Friday, June 20. Kayaks or canoes available. Catered lunch. $40 for members, $50 for nonmembers. www.highlandsbiological.org/forays/ or 526.2221.

• Nantahala Hometown Throwdown, June 21, Nantahala Outdoor Center, US 19 West, Bryson City.

• Introduction to Tenkara: Level II, 9 to 11 a.m.

Saturday, June 21, N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, Pisgah Center for Wildlife Education, 1401 Fish Hatchery Road, Pisgah National Forest.

Ages 14 and older. 877.4423, or ncpaws.org/reservations/pisgah/CalendarView.aspx.

• Gone Fishin,’ 9 to 11 a.m. Tuesday, June 24, N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, Pisgah Center for Wildlife Education, 1401 Fish Hatchery Road, Pisgah National Forest. Ages 5-12. Meet at High Falls parking area for a hayride to the lake before fishing.

877.4423, or ncpaws.org/reservations/pisgah/CalendarView.aspx.

• WATR “Swain Clean” meeting, 6 to 7:30 p.m.

Tuesday, June 24.

• WATR public meeting, 6 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, June 24, second floor Meeting Room, Stillwell Building, Western Carolina University.

• Peter Ripmaster shares his adventures and photos from the Iditarod Trail Invitational Ultramarathon in Alaska, 7 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, June 24, REI Asheville.

Registration required, www.rei.com/event/57623/session/92002.

• Nutrition for the Outdoor Athlete Presentation, 7 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, June 25, REI Asheville. www.rei.com/event/57389/session/91215.

• Camp Cooking Basics, 6:30 to 8 p.m. Thursday, June 26, REI Asheville. www.rei.com/event/225/session/92056.

• Twilight Firefly Tour, 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. Saturday, June 28, Pink Beds Picnic Area, about 20 miles southeast of Waynesville, Highway 276 South. Presented by the Cradle of Forestry. $6 adults, $3 children. www.cradleofforestry.com/site/, 877.3130.

• Volunteers needed to work with the Little Tennessee Land Trust on a breeding bird survey along the Little Tennessee River. June 11 at the Tessentee Bottomland Preserve and June 12 at the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indian’s Cowee Mound property in Cowee (Macon County). www.ltlt.org.

• A weekly bike ride meets in Bryson City on Wednesdays around 6 p.m. Depart from the East Swain Elementary school in Whittier on U.S.19 off exit 69 from U.S. 23-74. All levels. 800.232.7238.

• A weekly bike ride in Sylva meets Tuesday at 6 p.m., departing from Motion Makers bike shop for a tough 25-mile ride up to the Balsam Post office via back roads and back into Sylva. 586.6925.

• A weekly bike ride in Franklin meets Wednesday at 5:30 p.m., departing from Smoky Mountain Bicycles at 179 Highlands Road. Geared for all levels. 369.2881 or www.maconcountycycling.blogspot.com.

• A weekly bike ride in Franklin meets Tuesday at 6:15 p.m. at Macon Middle School on Wells Grove Road.

Ladies and beginners’ ride. 369.2881 or www.maconcountycycling.blogspot.com.

• A weekly bike ride in Franklin meets Sundays at 9:30 a.m., departing from the Franklin Health and Fitness Center. 369.2881, www.maconcountycycling.blogspot.com.

HIKING CLUBS • High Country Hikers, based out of Hendersonville but hiking throughout Western North Carolina, plans hikes every Monday and Thursday. Schedules, meeting places and more information are available on their website, www.highcountryhikers.org.

• Carolina Mountain Club hosts more than 150 hikes a year, including options for full days on weekends, full days on Wednesdays and half days on Sundays.

Non-members contact event leaders. www.carolinamountainclub.org • Nantahala Hiking Club based in Macon County holds weekly Saturday hikes in the Nantahala National Forest and beyond. www.nantahalahikingclub.org • Mountain High Hikers, based in Young Harris, Ga., leads several hikes per week. Guests should contact hike leader. www.mountainhighhikers.org.

• Smoky Mountain Hiking Club, located in East Tennessee, makes weekly hikes in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park as well as surrounding areas. www.smhclub.org.

• Benton MacKaye Trail Association incorporates outings for hikes, trail maintenance and other work trips.

No experience is necessary to participate. www.bmta.org.

• Diamond Brand’s Women’s Hiking Group meets on the third Saturday of every month. For more information, e-mail awilliams@diamondbrand.com or call 684.6262.

NEW SUMMER

JEWELRY IN STOCK Trinity Cross Necklaces Alexa’s Angels Bracelets

FARM & GARDEN

Jilzara Charms & Necklaces

• Simple Sewing Sessions, 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Monday, June 16 and June 20, Haywood County Cooperative Extension, 589 Raccoon Road, Suite 118, Waynesville. 456.3575, Julie_sawyer@ncsu.edu.

• Macon County Poultry Club monthly meeting, 7 p.m.

Tuesday, June 17, Macon County Cooperative Extension Center, 193 Thomas Heights Road. 524.2058.

• Free class on garden structures and vertical gardening, 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, June 17, Canton Branch Library, with Tim Mathews, coordinator of the Haywood County Extension Master Gardener Volunteer Program.

648.2924.

• Permaculture by Justin Holt, 6 p.m. Wednesday, June 18, Jackson County Public Library, Sylva. 586.2016.

• Adult Education Class: Designing a Pollinator

Lake Junaluska Bookstore and Cafe 710 North Lakeshore Dr. 828-454-6777

Smoky Mountain News

• “Grow Glowing Dahlias from Summer to Fall,” 10 a.m. Thursday, at Dovecote Porch & Gardens, 35 Flash Point Drive, Cashiers. http://dargan.com/dovecoteevents/ or 743.0307.

• Bug Day, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, June 21, Cradle

• A weekly bike ride in Waynesville meets Thursdays at 5:30 p.m. at Rolls Rite Bicycles on the Old Asheville Highway. Beginner to intermediate rides led by Bicycle Haywood advocacy group. Eight- to 12-mile rides.

276.6080 or gr8smokieszeke@gmail.com.

COMPETITIVE EDGE

• “Owl Prowl,” 7:30 p.m. Thursday, June 12, amphitheater, Highlands Biological Station, Highlands. Presentation by the Carolina Raptor Center (CRC) featuring live owls. Bring a flashlight for a post-presentation night hike to find owls in the wild.

Free, but contributions to CRC are appreciated. www.highlandsbiological.org.

• Free Zahner Conservation Lecture Series, 6:30 p.m.

Thursday, June 19, Highlands Nature Center, 930 Horse Cove Road in Highlands, featuring Dr. Lee Alan Dugatkin, author of “Mr. Jefferson and the Giant Moose,” which recounts natural history in early America, and professor at The University of Louisville. www.highlandsbiological.org, 526.2221.

BIKE RIDES

• Hummingbirds, 1 to 4 p.m. Monday, June 30, The North Carolina Arboretum, 100 Frederick Law Olmsted Way, Asheville. $31 member/$41 non-member. www.ncarboretumregistration.org.

PROGRAMS & WORKSHOPS

• National Get Outdoors Day, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Saturday, June 14, Cradle of Forestry, Pisgah Forest, about 25 miles southeast of Waynesville on Highway 276 South. $5 for ages 16 and older. Free for children younger than 16. Passholders honored. www.cradleofforestry.com/site/, 877.3130.

• “Forests, Flowers & Food,” 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., rain or shine, Saturday, June 21. Tickets, $15, at 456.3575. • Dendro for a Day Workshop, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. or noon until 4 p.m. Saturday, June 28, Haywood Community College. 627.4522. Rain or shine.

• Hazards in the Outdoors: Poisonous-Plants-andVenomous-Animals, 1 to 4 p.m. Wednesday, June 18, The North Carolina Arboretum, 100 Frederick Law Olmsted Way, Asheville. $45 member/$55 non-member. www.ncarboretumregistration.org.

• Braveheart 5K and Rob Roy Fun, 7:30 a.m.

Saturday, June 14, Franklin. $25 online 5K registration; $15 online fun run registration through June 11. www.active.com, bringingit2life@gmail.com or 421.7637.

• WATR summer picnic, 6 to 8:30 p.m. Saturday, June 14, Darnell Farms. Pot luck with soft drinks provided.

• Register through Friday, July 11 for Cullowhee Native Plant Conference, July 16-19, Western Carolina University. nativeplantconference.wcu.edu. Bobby Hensley, WCU associate director of continuing education, at hensley@wcu.edu.

• A weekly bike ride in Franklin meets Saturdays at 8 a.m., departing from South Macon Elementary School.

369.2881, www.maconcountycycling.blogspot.com.

June 11-17, 2017

• Synchronous Firefly Night Walks, 8:45 to 10:45 p.m.

Through June 21. $40 per person. Esther Blakely, 450.7985 or online at www.cataloocheevalleytours.com.

• Sixth annual Fishing Weir Workshop for Youth, 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday, June 23, 3096 North River Road. Sponsored by WATR. For kids age 8 to 13. mlcrowe2@catamount.wcu.edu

Garden, 10:30 a.m. to noon, Wednesday, June 18, The North Carolina Arboretum, 100 Frederick Law Olmsted Way, Asheville. $20 member/$29 non-member, www.ncarboretumregistration.org.

244-313

• Introduction to Tenkara 101 (Japanese flyfishing), 9 to 11 a.m. Friday, June 13, N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, Pisgah Center for Wildlife Education, 1401 Fish Hatchery Road, Pisgah National Forest.

Ages 12 and older. 877.4423, or ncpaws.org/reservations/pisgah/CalendarView.aspx.

of Forestry, Pisgah National Forest,25 miles southeast of Waynesville, Highway 276 South. $5 for 16 and up.

Youth free. Federal Recreation Access/Golden Age passports honored. www.cradleofforestry.com/site/, 877.3130. Running the Iditarod Trail Invitational Presentation

wnc calendar

• “Way Back When,” dinners at Cataloochee Ranch to celebrate its 80th anniversary: June 12, June 27, July 11, July 18, Aug. 1 and Aug. 15. $31.95 per person.

Reservations, 926.1401 or 800.868.1401. www.cataloocheeranch.com.

Across from the Terrace Hotel in the Harrell Center

OPEN MON-SAT 8 A.M.-6 P.M.

www.lakejunaluska.com/bookstore

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PRIME REAL ESTATE

INSIDE

Advertise in The Smoky Mountain News

ANNOUNCEMENTS

MarketPlace information:

- LARGE ESTATE SALE Thursday, Friday & Saturday 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Antiques, Housewares, Furniture Something for Everyone!!

Located at 10 Commerce St., Waynesville. Rain or Shine!

The Smoky Mountain News Marketplace has a distribution of 16,000 every week to over 500 locations across in Haywood, Jackson, Macon, and Swain counties along with the Qualla Boundary and west Buncombe County. For a link to our MarketPlace Web site, which also contains a link to all of our MarketPlace display advertisers’ Web sites, visit www.smokymountainnews.com.

THE MAGGIE VALLEY SWAP MEET And Car Show is coming June 27, 28 and 29th to the Maggie Valley Festival Grounds. A swap meet, car show and craft show.

Come as a spectator or vendor.

Contact Rodney Buckner at 423.608.4519 www.maggievalleyswapmeet.co m

Rates: ■ Free — Residential yard sale ads, lost or found pet ads.

■ Free — Non-business items that sell for less than $150.

■ $12 — Classified ads that are 50 words or less; each additional line is $2.

■ $12 — If your ad is 10 words or less, it will be displayed with a larger type.

■ $3 — Border around ad and $5 — Picture with ad.

■ $50 — Non-business items, 25 words or less. 3 month or till sold.

■ $300 — Statewide classifieds run in 117 participating newspapers with 1.6 million circulation. Up to 25 words.

■ All classified ads must be pre-paid.

Classified Advertising: Scott Collier, phone 828.452.4251; fax 828.452.3585 | classads@smokymountainnews.com

WAYNESVILLE TIRE, COO

Serving Haywood, Jackson & Surrounding Counties

R

DI

SC OV ER E

ATR

PE

INC.

Offering:

MAJOR-BRAND TIRES FOR CARS, LIGHT & MEDIUM-DUTY TRUCKS, AND FARM TIRES.

Service truck available for on-site repairs

ARTS & CRAFTS ALLISON CREEK Iron Works & Woodworking. Crafting custom metal & woodwork in rustic, country & lodge designs with reclaimed woods! Design & consultation, Barry Downs 828.524.5763, Franklin NC LOCAL ARTIST LIQUIDATION Art Materials, Alter Boards, Beads, Feather, Stone, Fabrics, Bone, Multiple Creations with Indigenous Earth Honoring & Old School Cherokee Applications.

For Inquiries & Viewing Appmnts.

Call 678.943.7523.

AUCTION 244-311

LEE & PATTY ENSLEY, OWNERS

MON-FRI 7:30-5:00 • WAYNESVILLE PLAZA

828-456-5387

THE SOUTHEASTERN GAS & PETROLEUM EXPO Is coming July 18 - 19th to the Maggie Valley Festival Grounds.

Gas station items, toys, tags/plates, old signs, gas pumps, etc. Come as a spectator or vendor. Contact Rodney Buckner at 423.608.4519. www.southeasterngasandpetroleum.com

AUCTION June 12th @ Noon. Former Vance Co. National Guard Armory Building on 1.74 Acres. Dabney Dr., Henderson, NC. High Traffic Volume. RogersAuctionGroup.com.

800.442.7906. NCAL#685.

AUCTION AUCTIONS! TVA-Machine Shop: Online Only Ending June 19. *Carriage, Buggy & Collectables Auction: June 28, 2014. *June Online City Municipalities: Ending June 25. Compass Auctions & Real Estate. Call 1.423.702.6180 or visiti us at: www.SoldOnCompass.com SAPA BANKRUPTCY AUCTION Saturday, June 21 @ 10am. 159 Barley Park Lane #A, Mooresville, NC. Selling Machine Shop Equipment from former Race Shop. Daewoo CNC Lathe, Landis 3L CNC Cam Grinder & other related items.

704.791.8825. ncaf5479. www.ClassicAuctions.com.

HARPER’S AUCTION COMPANY NEXT AUCTION Friday June 13th @ 6:00 p.m.

Check Us Out! Great Deals for All 10’ Porta-Bote, Camping Gear, Tools, Sweet Doll House, Glass, Curio Cabinet and China Hutch, Lots More...

We also have online bidding if you can not attend the Auction. harpersauctioncompany.com 47 Macon Center Dr. Franklin, NC 828.369.6999 Debra Harper, NCAL #9659, NCFL #9671.

RESTAURANT EQPMNT. AUCTION Wednesday, June 11 @ 10am.

4707 South Blvd. Charlotte, NC. Complete Fine Dining Restaurant & Piano Bar. Refrigeration, Gas Cooking Equipment, Bar Equipment, Seating. 704.791.8825. ncaf5479. ClassicAuctions.com.

BUILDING MATERIALS HAYWOOD BUILDERS Garage Doors, New Installations Service & Repairs, 828.456.6051 100 Charles St. Waynesville Employee Owned.

CONSTRUCTION/ REMODELING SULLIVAN HARDWOOD FLOORS Installation- Finish - Refinish 828.399.1847.

CONSTRUCTION/ REMODELING ALL THINGS BASEMENTY! Basement Systems Inc. Call us for all of your basement needs! Waterproofing, Finishing, Structural Repairs, Humidity and Mold Control.

FREE ESTIMATES! Call 1.800.698.9217 DAVE’S CUSTOM HOMES OF WNC, INC Free Estimates & Competitive rates. References avail. upon request. Specializing in: Log Homes, remodeling, decks, new construction, repairs & additions.

Owner/Builder: Dave Donaldson.

Licensed/Insured. 828.631.0747 or 828.508.0316

AUTO PARTS AIR BRAKE CHAMBER Haldex-Anchorlok Gold Seal, model #3636. Looks New/Rebuilt, will email pics, make offer. Please call 828.400.5119 - Waynesville.

DDI BUMPERS ETC. Quality on the Spot Repair & Painting. Don Hendershot 858.646.0871 cell 828.452.4569 office.

CARS DONATE YOUR CAR, Truck or Boat to Heritage for the Blind. Free 3 Day Vacation, Tax Deductible, Free Towing, All Paperwork Taken Care Of. 800.337.9038.

TOP CASH FOR CARS, Call Now For An Instant Offer. Top Dollar Paid, Any Car/Truck, Any Condition. Running or Not. Free Pick-up/Tow. 1.800.761.9396 SAPA

LAWN AND GARDEN HEMLOCK HEALERS, INC. Dedicated to Saving Our Hemlocks. Owner/Operator Frank Varvoutis, NC Pesticide Applicator’s License #22864. 48 Spruce St. Maggie Valley, NC 828.734.7819 828.926.7883, Email: hemlockhealers@yahoo.com

R

AVERITT EXPRESS New Pay Increase For Regional Drivers! 40 to 46 CPM + Fuel Bonus! Also, Post-Training Pay Increase for Students! (Depending on Domicile) Get Home EVERY Week + Excellent Benefits. CDL-A req. 888.362.8608 Apply @ AverittCareers.com Equal Opportunity Employer - Females, minorities, protected veterans, and individuals with disabilities are encouraged to apply.

DRIVERS/OTR NEEDED W/Class A CDL License. Paying Practical Miles W/Benefits Top Pay 43cpm. Ask About $2,000 Sign-On Bonus For Two+ Years Experience.

Trainees Welcome To Apply. Taylor Express Inc. 800.624.5919 X4.

EXPERIENCED BARBER NEEDED Must do Flat Tops & Tapers. Sylva Area Location. For more info call 828.586.8487.

FINE GRADE MOTOR GRADER Operator to work in Goldsboro or Fayetteville area. Minimum 5 years experience. All applicants are subject to background/drug/health screening. Excellent benefits. Competitive wages. Contact Charles Rose, 252.813.0193.

EOE.

NEED COMPUTER & IT TRAINEES! Become a Certified Help Desk Professional! No Experience Needed!

Online training at CTI can get you ready! HS Diploma/GED & Computer needed! careertechnical.edu/nc 1.888.734.6712 NEED MEDICAL BILLLING TRAINEES Obamacare creating a large demand for Medical Office Assistants! No Experienced Needed! Online Training gets you job ready!

HS Diploma/GED & Computer needed. Careertechnical.edu/nc.

1.888.512.7122 EARLY HEAD START TEACHER Jackson County- An Associate Degree in Early Childhood Education is required for this position, must also have the ability to work well with families and coworkers, 2 yrs. experience working with birth to 3 yrs. and have good judgment/problem solving skills. Prefer someone with Infant/Toddler CDA credentials and basic computer skills.

This is an 11 month position with benefits.

HEAD START-PRE-SCHOOL ASSISTANT TEACHER - Jackson County-2 Positions AvailableAssociate Degree in Early Childhood Education is required for this position, must be able to assume the responsibilities of classroom when the teacher is absent, work well with parents and community leaders, and have good judgment/problem solving skills. Basic computer skills are required. Two years classroom experience preferred.

This is a 10 month position with benefits.

Applications for these positions will be taken at Mountain Projects, 2251 Old Balsam Rd, Waynesville, NC or 25 Schulman St, Sylva, NC or you may apply online at line at: www.mountainprojects.org Pre-Employment drug testing is required. EOE/AA.

ph. 828-564-1260 fred.alter@sothebysrealty.com Asheville | Waynesville | Naples

SHIRLEY -

LIL’ BIT -

A 2-3 year old, sweet longhaired, Collie-looking dog. She is shy of other dogs. Call 1.877.273.5262.

A mixed, brindle Hound/Boxer.

He is 7-9 months old, weighs 29 lbs. He is mostly housebroken and is dog door trained. Call 507.3248.

2992 MEMORIAL HWY., PO BOX 225 • LAKE LURE NC

www.PinnacleSIR.com 244-160

LORETTA A young, sweet bulldog mix. She weighs about 34 lbs, is black and tan. Call for more 828.506.1013.

BANDIT - An adolescent, neutered, black cat. He tries to answer the telephone. Litterbox trained. Call ARF foster home at 586.5647.

Your Local Big Green Egg Dealer

PEPPER A 2 year old black and white hound that looks like a German Shorthaired Pointer. He has a docked tail. He is an outdoor dog, weighs 47 lbs., good with animals and people. Very trainable. 828.506.1013.

MICHAEL A sweet, Mastiff mix. Tan with a black muzzle. He is a lover. Call 1.877.273.5262.

TIGGER A mixed, brindle Hound. He is a 7-9 month old male, 47 lb. dog.

He is dog door trained, crates well, rides in a car well, quiet.

Call 507.3248.

ARF HAS SOME Beautiful, all-white kittens and some playful tabby kittens for adoption. 877.273.5262.

ARF’S NEXT LOW-COST Dog and cat spay/neuter trip is June 30th. Register in advance at ARF’s adoption site in Sylva 1-3 on Saturdays. Spaces are limited, so don’t wait until the last minute to register. You should not bring your animal to registration. Do bring address documentation and income documentation if you wish to apply for free Cullowhee dog or Sylva cat spay/neuters or other low-income discounts. For more information, 1.877.273.5262.

BEST PRICE EVERYDAY

ON DELLWOOD RD. (HWY. 19) AT 20 SWANGER LANE WAYNESVILLE/MAGGIE VALLEY 828.926.8778

244-157

Jim’s Sew & Vac Repair & Service $13199 Regular Price $10999 Our Price

STEAM glide

TM

The Oreck Steam Glide™ creates steam that removes dirt and cleans virtually all hard floors. Use it on everything from linoleum, vinyl and sealed hardwood, to ceramic, marble, and stone.

110 DEPOT ST. WAYNESVILLE | 456-9314

MON - FRI 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM |

ARF (HUMANE SOCIETY OF JACKSON COUNTY) Holds rescued pet adoptions Saturdays from 1:00 - 3:00 (weather permitting) at 50 Railroad Avenue in Sylva. Animals are spayed/neutered and current on shots.

Most cats $60, most dogs $70.

Preview available pets at www.a-r-f.org, or call foster home.

CIDER Boxer Mix dog – tan & white, I am about 2 years old, and I’m a 62pound boy who came to AHS as a stray. I’m a little shy at first, but warm up quickly to reveal a very friendly, happy personality.

Adoption fees vary; if you’re interested in me, please contact Pam at: adoptions@ashevillehumane.org.

LOBSTER Domestic Shorthair cat – white & brown, I am about 2 years old, and I’m a unique looking boy, with a solid-color nose on a white face. I have a wonderful personality -- calm, mellow, love to be around people, and readily accept being petted and picked up. I mostly like to spend my day soaking up sun by a window. I

ASHEVILLE HUMANE SOCIETY 828.761.2001, 14 Forever Friend Lane, Asheville, NC 28806 We’re located behind Deal Motorcars, off Brevard & Pond Rd.

ORECK, BISSELL & DYSON WARRANTY REPAIRS

Cleaner, Clearer and Healthier water at every tap in your home

adapt to new situations pretty well, and I get along fine with other cats. Adoption fees vary; if you’re interested in me, please contact Pam at: adoptions@ashevillehumane.org.

YEAH-YEAH - Domestic Shorthair cat – black & white, I am about 2 years old, and I love to play! I am enthralled by cat toys (especially a crinkly tunnel), and enjoy playing either with someone or by myself. I love to have my tummy rubbed, and even though I might be a little shy at first, I am a real loverboy who would make a great addition to any home.

Adoption fees vary; if you’re interested in me, please contact Pam at: adoptions@ashevillehumane.org.

10-5 M-SAT. 12-4 SUN.

An EcoWater Water System can remove

Lease to Own

Bad Taste & Odors Iron/Rust Sediment/ Silt Bacterias Harmful Chlorine Balance pH

828.452.3995 | americanwatercareinc.com

smokymountainnews.com

PAYING DRIVERS $1.29-$1.38 per mile! Quality Drive-Away, Inc. is hiring drivers to run nationwide from its Creedmoor, NC location. Pay advances, quick settlements, non-forced dispatch, tolls and permits reimbursed! Call today at 866.764.1601 or apply online at: QualityDriveAway.com

MONEY FOR SCHOOL Potentially get full tuition & great career with U.S. Navy. Paid training, medical/dental, vacation. HS grads ages 17-34. Call Mon-Fri 800.662.7419

Fred Alter

Pet Adoption

June 11-17, 2017

FULL-TIME AND PART-TIME TEACHER OPENINGS AT HAYWOOD CHRISTIAN ACADEMY (1) Full-time Middle School Math/Science Teacher. Grades 79. Looking for vibrant personality passionate about middle grades to be Lead Teacher. Bachelor’s degree required and 3 years minimum experience. (2) Full-time Elementary School Teacher.

Grades 3-5. Bachelor’s degree required, 1 year experience preferred. (3) Part-time Elementary School PE Teacher. (4) Part-time Middle/High School PE/Health Teacher. Bachelor’s degree required. Applications found at: www.haywoodchristianacademy. org. Submit with resume to: mbane@haywoodchristianacademy.org or by fax at 888.880.8447 by June 16.

Phone: 828.627.0229, ext. 102.

HIGHLANDS-CASHIERS HOSPITAL Positions now available: Med/Surg and ER Registered Nurses, Clinical Informatics Specialist, Clinical Coordinator, Certified Nursing Assistnat, and Unit Clerk.

Benefits available the first of the month following 60 days of full-time employment. PreEmployment screening required.

Call Human Resources.

828.526.1376, or apply online at: www.highlandscashiershospital. org

WNC MarketPlace

ATTN: DRIVERS! Quality Home Time! Avg $1000 Weekly. $$$ Up to 50 cpm $$$ BCBS + 401k + Pet & Rider.

Orientation Sign-On Bonus. CDL-A Req. 877.258.8782. www.ad-drivers.com

EMPLOYMENT

244-150

EMPLOYMENT

find us at: facebook.com/smnews 51

WNC MarketPlace

EMPLOYMENT

EMPLOYMENT

$1,000 WEEKLY!!

Mailing Brochures From Home.

Helping home workers since 2001.

Genuine Opportunity. NO Experience Required. Start Immediately. www.MailingMembers.com SAPA AIRLINE JOBS START HERE Get Trained As FAA Certified Aviation Technician. Financial Aid For Qualified Students. Housing And Job Placement Assistance. Call Aviation Institute Of Maintenance.

1.844.210.3935.

SAPA

EMPLOYMENT

$$$HELP WANTED$$$ Earn Extra Income Assembling CD cases from Home. CALL OUR LIVE OPERATORS NOW! 1.800.267.3944 EXT. 195 easywork-greatpay.com SAPA

HOSPITAL CAREERS BEGIN HERE Get trained in months, not years with small classes. Financial aid for qualified students. Call Us Now Centura College 877.575.5627

WANT TO DRIVE A TRUCK No experience. Company sponsored CDL training. In 3 weeks learn to drive a truck & earn $40,000+.

Full benefits. 1.888.691.4423

PRIME, INC. Company Drivers & Independent Contractors for Refrigerated, Tanker & Flatbed NEEDED! Plenty of Freight & Great Pay! Start with Prime Today! Call 877.736.3019 or apply online at: driveforprime.com

WELDING CAREERS Hands on training for career opportunities in shipbuilding, automotive, manufacturing and more. Financial aid for qualified students. Job placement assistance. Call Tidewater Tech Norfolk 888.205.1735.

DRIVERS: Local/Regional/OTR. New Enhanced Pay Package, Based on Exp. Excellent Benefits. Consistent Miles. Daily/Weekly/Bi-Weekly Hometime. CDL-A 1yrs OTR Exp. 855.842.8498.

ATTN: DRIVERS Be a Name, Not a Number $$$ Up 50cpm $$$ BCBS + Pet & Rider Full Benefits & 401K + Quality Hometime Orientation Sign On Bonus. CDL-A Required. Call now 888.592.4752, or visit us at: www.ad-drivers.com SAPA

NEW PAY-FOR-EXPERIENCE Program pays up to $0.41/mile.

Class A Professional Drivers. Call 866.291.2631 for more details or visit SuperServiceLLC.com

FINANCIAL BEWARE OF LOAN FRAUD. Please check with the Better Business Bureau or Consumer Protection Agency before sending any money to any loan company.

SAPA

INJURED? IN A LAWSUIT? Need Cash Now? We Can Help!

No Monthly Payments to Make. No Credit Check. Fast Service and Low Rates. Call Now 1.866.386.3692. www.lawcapital.com (Not available in NC, CO & MD) SAPA

FURNITURE

COMPARE QUALITY & PRICE Shop Tupelo’s, 828.926.8778.

HAYWOOD BEDDING, INC. The best bedding at the best price!

533 Hazelwood Ave. 828.456.4240

PETS HAYWOOD SPAY/NEUTER 828.452.1329

FINANCIAL DELETE BAD CREDIT In Just 30-Days! Raise your Credit Score Fast! Results Guaranteed!

FREE To Start! Call Us Now 1.855.831.9714 SAPA

FURNITURE

Prevent Unwanted Litters!

The Heat Is On! Spay/Neuter For Haywood Pets As Low As $10.

Operation Pit is in Effect!

Free Spay/Neuter, Microchip & Vaccines For Haywood Pitbull Types & Mixes!

CHESSY A SWEET GIRL WHO'S ABOUT A YEAR OLD AND SPORTS A BEAUTIFUL TORTOISESHELL COAT. SHE'S VERY LAID BACK, BUT RESPONDS TO PETTING WITH A HAPPY PURR. LITTLE ANN A PETITE, VERY PRETTY 7 MONTH OLD FEMALE REDBONE HOUND MIX. SHE IS A QUIET, SWEET, WELLBEHAVED AND AFFECTIONATE DOG AND LOVES THE COMPANY OF HER "BIG" BROTHER OLD DAN.

Hours: Tuesday-Friday, 12 Noon - 6 pm 182 Richland Street, Waynesville

244-302

Great Smokies Storage June 11-17, 2017

10’x20’

92

$

20’x20’

160

$

ONE MONTH

FREE WITH 12-MONTH CONTRACT

828.506.4112 or 828.507.8828

www.smokymountainnews.com

Conveniently located off 19/23 by Thad Woods Auction

52

Puzzles can be found on page 54.

These are only the answers.

REAL ESTATE ANNOUNCEMENT

PUBLISHERâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S NOTICE

HOMES FOR SALE BRUCE MCGOVERN A Full Service Realtor shamrock13@charter.net McGovern Property Management 828.283.2112.

LOTS FOR SALE 2 TRACTS AVAILABLE IN CLYDE #1 - 2.819 Acres, Has Great Building Lot, City Water, Has 2 1/2 Story Building. Property Near HCC. $62,750. #2 - Available in the Fall. Has 3 Acres and House. For more info call 828.627.2342.

STORAGE SPACE FOR RENT BULLFROG STORAGE Convenient Location 19/23 Between Clyde and Canton

5 x 10 = $35 10 x 10 = $40 10 x 20 = $85 â&#x20AC;˘ NO CONTRACTS â&#x20AC;˘ Call Brian

828.342.8700

NICOL ARMS APARTMENTS NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS Offering 1 & 2 Bedroom Apartments, Starting at $400 Section 8 Accepted - Handicapped Accessible Units When Available

OFFICE HOURS: Tues. & Wed. 10:00am - 5:00pm & Thurs. 10:00am- 12:00pm 168 E. Nicol Arms Road Sylva, NC 28779

Equal Housing Opportunity

COMM. PROP. FOR SALE APARTMENT COMPLEX FOR SALE 14 - 2/BR Units. Excellent Rental History. Sylva Area. Call Broker, Robert A. Kent, NC Broker Lic. #274102, The R.A. Kent Co., LLC 828.550.1455

MEDICAL CANADA DRUG CENTER Is your choice for safe and affordable medications. Our licensed Canadian mail order pharmacy will provide you with savings of up to 90 percent on all your medication needs. Call Today 1.800.265.0768 for $25.00 off your first prescription and free shipping. SAPA MEDICAL GUARDIAN Top-rated medical alarm and 24/7 medical alert monitoring. For a limited time, get free equipment, no activation fees, no commitment, a 2nd waterproof alert button for free and more - only $29.95 per month. 800.983.4906 SAPA SAFE STEP WALK-IN TUB. Alert for Seniors. Bathroom falls can be fatal. Approved by Arthritis Foundation. Therapeutic Jets. Less Than 4 Inch Step-In. Wide Door.

Anti-Slip Floors. American Made.

Installation Included. Call 800.807.7219 for $750 Off. VIAGRA 100mg & CIALIS 20mg!

40 Pills + 4 FREE for only $99. #1 Male Enhancement, Discreet Shipping. Save $500! Buy The Blue Pill! Now 1.800.491.8751 SAPA NEED MEDICAL BILLLING TRAINEES Obamacare creating a large demand for Medical Office Assistants! No Experienced Needed! Online Training gets you job ready!

HS Diploma/GED & Computer needed. Careertechnical.edu/nc.

1.888.512.7122

HEALING ENERGY TREATMENTS Reiki, Restorative Yoga. Rose at 828.550.2051. Quantum Touch, Tapping, Pilates. Kim at 828.734.0305.

The Fitness Connection, www.fitnessconnectionnc.com

FOR SALE CHAMPION SUPPLY Janitorial supplies. Professional cleaning products, vacuums, janitorial paper products, swimming pool chemicals, environmentally friendly chemicals, indoor & outdoor light bulbs, odor elimination products, equipment repair including household vacuums. Free delivery across WNC. www.championsupply.com 800.222.0581, 828.225.1075.

FOR SALE: Two Crypts at Eye Level.

Located at Garrett Hillcrest New Mausoleum. $8,000/obo. For more info call 828.454.0247 THRILL DAD With 100 percent guaranteed, delivered-to-the-door Omaha Steaks!

SAVE 67 percent PLUS 4 FREE Burgers - The Favorite Gift - ONLY $49.99. ORDER Today 1.800.715.2010 Use code 49377LRX or visitu us at: www.OmahaSteaks.com/dad82 SAPA

BEWARE OF LOAN FRAUD. Please check with the Better Business Bureau or Consumer Protection Agency before sending any money to any loan company.

SAPA

PERSONAL

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â&#x20AC;˘ â&#x20AC;˘ â&#x20AC;˘ â&#x20AC;˘ â&#x20AC;˘ â&#x20AC;˘ â&#x20AC;˘

Michelle McElroy â&#x20AC;&#x201D; beverly-hanks.com Marilynn Obrig â&#x20AC;&#x201D; beverly-hanks.com Mike Stamey â&#x20AC;&#x201D; beverly-hanks.com Ellen Sither â&#x20AC;&#x201D; esither@beverly-hanks.com Jerry Smith â&#x20AC;&#x201D; beverly-hanks.com Billie Green â&#x20AC;&#x201D; bgreen@beverly-hanks.com Pam Braun â&#x20AC;&#x201D; pambraun@beverly-hanks.com

ERA Sunburst Realty â&#x20AC;&#x201D; sunburstrealty.com Haywood Properties â&#x20AC;&#x201D; haywoodproperties.com â&#x20AC;˘ Steve Cox â&#x20AC;&#x201D; info@haywoodproperties.com

Keller Williams Realty kellerwilliamswaynesville.com â&#x20AC;˘ Ron Kwiatkowski â&#x20AC;&#x201D; ronk.kwrealty.com

Mountain Home Properties â&#x20AC;&#x201D; mountaindream.com â&#x20AC;˘ Sammie Powell â&#x20AC;&#x201D; smokiesproperty.com

Main Street Realty â&#x20AC;&#x201D; mainstreetrealty.net

â&#x20AC;˘ Bruce McGovern â&#x20AC;&#x201D; shamrock13.com

Preferred Properties â&#x20AC;˘ George Escaravage â&#x20AC;&#x201D; gke333@gmail.com

Prudential Lifestyle Realty â&#x20AC;&#x201D; vistasofwestfield.com Realty World Heritage Realty

A UNIQUE ADOPTIONS, Let Us Help! Personalized adoption plans. Financial assistance, housing, relocation and more. Giving the gift of life? You deserve the best. Call us first!

1.888.637.8200. 24 hour HOTLINE. SAPA MAKE A CONNECTION. Real People, Flirty Chat. Meet singles right now! Call LiveLinks. Try it FREE. Call now 1.888.909.9978 18+. SAPA 244-156

9L V X D O 7R X U D W V K D P U R F N F R P

Beverly Hanks & Associates â&#x20AC;&#x201D; beverly-hanks.com

McGovern Real Estate & Property Management

NOTICES

Haywood County Real Estate Agents

Full Service Property Management 828-456-6111 www.selecthomeswnc.com Residential and Commercial Long-Term Rentals

realtyworldheritage.com â&#x20AC;˘ Carolyn Lauter realtyworldheritage.com/realestate/viewagent/7766/

â&#x20AC;˘ Thomas & Christine Mallette realtyworldheritage.com/realestate/viewagent/7767/

RE/MAX â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Mountain Realty â&#x20AC;˘ â&#x20AC;˘ â&#x20AC;˘ â&#x20AC;˘ â&#x20AC;˘ â&#x20AC;˘ â&#x20AC;˘ â&#x20AC;˘ â&#x20AC;˘

remax-waynesvillenc.com | remax-maggievalleync.com Brian K. Noland â&#x20AC;&#x201D; brianknoland.com Connie Dennis â&#x20AC;&#x201D; remax-maggievalleync.com Mark Stevens â&#x20AC;&#x201D; remax-waynesvillenc.com Mieko Thomson â&#x20AC;&#x201D; ncsmokies.com The Morris Team â&#x20AC;&#x201D; maggievalleyproperty.com The Real Team â&#x20AC;&#x201D; the-real-team.com Ron Breese â&#x20AC;&#x201D; ronbreese.com Dan Womack â&#x20AC;&#x201D; womackdan@aol.com Catherine Proben â&#x20AC;&#x201D; cp@catherineproben.com

smokymountainnews.com

Phone# 1.828.586.3346 TDD# 1.800.725.2962

GREAT SMOKIES STORAGE Conveniently located off 19/23

by Thad Woods Auction. Available for lease now: 10â&#x20AC;&#x2122;x10â&#x20AC;&#x2122; units for $55, 20â&#x20AC;&#x2122;x20â&#x20AC;&#x2122; units for $160.

Get one month FREE with 12 month contract. Call 828.507.8828 or 828.506.4112 for more info.

HEALTH & FITNESS

June 11-17, 2017

All real estate advertising in this newspaper is subject to the Fair Housing Act which makes it illegal to advertise â&#x20AC;&#x153;any preference, limitation or discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status or national origin, or an intention, to make any such preference, limitation or discriminationâ&#x20AC;? Familial status includes children under the age of 18 living with parents or legal custodians, pregnant women and people securing custody of children under 18.

This newspaper will not knowingly accept any advertising for real estate which is in violation of the law. Our readers are hereby informed that all dwellings advertised in this newspaper are available on an equal opportunity basis.

NC MOUNTAIN FINAL CLOSEOUT Save over 60% on these properties with waterfront, stunning views, EZ access, wooded, level building site and more 2.57acs 15,900 or 1.84acs 23,900. 1.866.738.5522 Hurry Won't Last! brkr.

STORAGE SPACE FOR RENT

WNC MarketPlace

LEASE TO OWN 1/2 Acre Lots with Mobile Homes & Empty 1/2 Acre + Lots!

Located Next to Cherokee Indian Reservation, 2.5 Miles from Harrahâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Cherokee Casino.

For More Information Please Call 828.506.0578

REAL ESTATE ANNOUNCEMENT

The Sellerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Agency â&#x20AC;&#x201D; listwithphil.com â&#x20AC;˘ Phil Ferguson â&#x20AC;&#x201D; philferguson@bellsouth.net 244-158

TO ADVERTISE IN THE NEXT ISSUE 828.452.4251 | ads@smokymountainnews.com 53

www.smokymountainnews.com

June 11-17, 2017

WNC MarketPlace

Super

54

CROSSWORD

75 Composer Janacek 76 Chip off Woodyʼs block TRICKY BUSINESS 78 Archaeological site ACROSS 81 Class ring?

1 Dollops 82 Galley feature 5 Russian ruler 83 Absolutely adored 9 ʻ87 Peace Prize win84 “- Gay” ner 86 Socialite Perle 14 Incur, as bills 90 Anti-knock stuff 19 “Thanks -!”

92 Glisten 20 Dingy digs 94 Chaos 21 Jargon 95 Puppeteer Lewis 22 Crop up 96 Israeli dance 23 Clothing store?

97 Counterfeit 25 Gary Cooper in 99 States, for short “High Noon”?

100 Mighty mite 27 Asian nation 103 Marina statistics?

28 Jab 107 Corelli composition 30 Genetic info 109 Macpherson of 31 Poetic preposition “Sirens” 32 Stoltz or Sevareid 110 Word form for 34 Actress Perlman “minute” 38 Brazier bits 111 Salon request 41 Seats picked up in 112 La-la lead-in the Senate?

114 Castle material 45 Bank (on) 117 Contaminate 46 Tai - (martial art) 121 NBA handicappers?

47 Recruit-to-be 127 “One really thick 48 Baseballʼs Sammy steak, please”?

50 Coaxed 129 Simpson of fashion 54 Plane place 130 Paul of “American 57 Bedroom furniture Graffiti” 59 Elbow 131 Currierʼs partner 60 Available 132 Siegmeister or 61 Photo finish Wiesel 62 Bright 133 Greek sandwiches 64 Part of MST 134 Atlanta campus 65 Mediocre 135 AMEX rival 67 Masonʼs need 136 Take-out order?

68 Any 69 Deplores DOWN 70 Scandinavian com1 Stare stupidly puter?

2 Dairy-case purchase 73 Puts another worm 3 Pigletʼs papa on the hook?

SUPER CROSSWORD

4 Meryl of “Marvinʼs Room” 5 Even if, informally 6 Trace 7 As well 8 Stink 9 “- of You” (ʻ84 hit) 10 - Branco, Brazil 11 Caravansary 12 Like fine wine 13 Tulsa type 14 Brit. fliers 15 Psychic Geller 16 More congenial 17 PC enthusiasts 18 Parisian papa 24 Mata 26 Singer Georgie 29 Significant years 33 “Take - leave it!”

35 Sounded like a serpent 36 Sethʼs son 37 Evaluate 39 Divulge, with “out” 40 Bronte heroine 41 Detective Charlie 42 Nonstandard contraction 43 A swan was her swain 44 Country star Brooks 46 Comic Margaret 49 Strong suit 51 Entire range 52 Senator Kefauver 53 Cozy rooms 55 Pants 56 Each 58 Montyʼs milieu 59 Loonʼs relative 61 Demi or Dudley 63 It multiplies by dividing 66 Declare

69 Bendix role 70 TV host Robin 71 Major artery 72 Swanky 74 Soprano Gluck 75 See 83 Down 77 Block 78 Go off track 79 Print-shop supply 80 Emulates OʼMeara 83 With 75 Down, “Gigi” author 85 Turn pages 87 Andrew of “Melrose Place” 88 “Guarding -” (ʻ94 film) 89 Flock oʼ docs 91 Irish island group 93 Inland sea 94 Big beginning 98 Ignites 101 Conductor Klemperer 102 Christie sleuth 104 Bandleader Brown 105 Till 106 Laughed loudly 107 Disreputable 108 Aquatic animal 111 Unexpected obstacle 113 “Excuse me” 115 Exiled dictator 116 Dark blue 118 Run in neutral 119 Sedaka or Simon 120 Dendrologistʼs concern 122 Arafatʼs grp.

123 Part of USAR 124 Funnyman Philips 125 Prepare to feather?

126 Farm feature 128 Nationality suffix

answers on page 52

PERSONAL HOTELS FOR HEROS – To find out more about how you can help our service members, veterans and their families in their time of need, visit the Fisher House website at: www.fisherhouse.org SAPA YOUR AD COULD REACH 1.6 MILLION HOMES ACROSS NC! Your classified ad could be reaching over 1.6 Million Homes across North Carolina! Place your ad with The Smoky Mountain News on the NC Statewide Classified Ad Network- 118 NC newspapers for a low cost of $330 for 25-word ad to appear in each paper! Additional words are $10 each. The whole state at your fingertips! It's a smart advertising buy! Call Scott Collier at 828.452.4251 or for more information visit the N.C. Press Association's website at www.ncpress.com

SCHOOLS/ INSTRUCTION AIRLINE JOBS BEGIN HERE Get trained as FAA certified Aviation Technician. Housing/financial aid for qualified students. Job placement assistance. Call Aviation Institute of Maintenance.

877.300.9494.

EARN YOUR High School Diploma at home in a few short weeks. Work at your own pace. First Coast Academy. Nationally accredited. Call for free brochure. 1.800.658.1180, extension 82. www.fcahighschool.org SAPA

SCHOOLS/ INSTRUCTION GET COLLEGE DEGREE In months, not years with small classes. Financial aid for qualified students. Relocation and job placement assistance. www.CenturaCollege.edu 888.220.3558 WANT A CAREER Operating Heavy Equipment? Bulldozers, Backhoes, Excavators.

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The Crab Nebula. NASA photo

The naturalistâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s corner

BY DON H ENDERSHOT

An unapologetic scientist

T

from most of the galaxy. Not to mention the light from all the hundred billion other galaxies in the observable universe.â&#x20AC;?

In another episode, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Cosmosâ&#x20AC;? took on the climate change deniers, and while the episode was laden with good empirical documentation of climate change, one simple segment of video provided an intuitive glimpse into the difference between weather and climate. Tyson was walking on the beach with his dog, and while he continued in a constant direction the dog meandered back and forth. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Keep your eye on the man, not the dog,â&#x20AC;? admonishes Tyson, equating the constant path of the man (Tyson) with climate and the meanderings of the dog as the vagaries of day-to-day weather patterns.

Tyson talked about the disconnect of sci-

ence-deniers in a recent CNN interview: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Our civilization is built on the innovation of scientists and technologists and engineers who have shaped everything that we so take for granted today. So some of the science deniers or science haters, these are people who are telling that to you while they are on their mobile phone. â&#x20AC;&#x153;They are saying, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t like science.

Oh, GPS just told us to go left,â&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;? he laughed. â&#x20AC;&#x153;So itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s time for people to sit back and reassess what role science has actually played in our lives. And learn how to embrace that going forward, because without it, we will just regress back into the caves.â&#x20AC;?

(Don Hendershot is a writer and naturalist.

He can be reached a ddihen1@bellsouth.net.)

June 11-17, 2017

he cosmos loom large and wondrous again, and much of the credit goes to one charming, affable but steadfastly rigorous â&#x20AC;&#x201D; when it comes to scientific principles â&#x20AC;&#x201D; host Neil deGrasse Tyson.

Tyson, an astrophysicist, is the Frederick P. Rose Director of the Hayden Planetarium at the American Museum of Natural History.

Tyson got his undergraduate degree at Harvard and his Ph.D. at Columbia University. Tysonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s accomplishments, awards, honors, publications, etc., number in the hundreds (his curriculum vitae is more than 5,000 words long) and include â&#x20AC;&#x153;Most influential Harvard Alumni,â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;NASA Exceptional Service Medal,â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Time 100 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; one of the 100 most influential people in the worldâ&#x20AC;? plus serving on the National Academy of Sciences Committee on Evolution, Washington, D.C. It seems that as a student, Tyson was influenced by another charismatic scientist, astronomer and astrophysicist Carl Sagan.

And like Sagan, who took to the airwaves in the 1970s and 1980s via â&#x20AC;&#x153;Cosmos: A Personal Voyage,â&#x20AC;? Tyson picked up the banner of science and stepped to the forefront as host of â&#x20AC;&#x153;Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey.â&#x20AC;?

These two larger-than-life scientists embrace and espouse the same simple proven scientific tenet that spurs human knowledge on at every level: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Because science carries us toward an understanding of how the world is, rather

than how we would wish it to be, its findings may not in all cases be immediately comprehensible or satisfying. It may take a little work to restructure our mindsets,â&#x20AC;? is how Sagan puts it. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The good thing about science is that itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s true whether or not you believe in it,â&#x20AC;? according to Tyson.

And sadly, it comes as no surprise to most that â&#x20AC;&#x153;A Space Odysseyâ&#x20AC;? should come under attack from the same ilk (creationists, science-deniers, anti-evolutionists, etc.) as did â&#x20AC;&#x153;A Personal Voyage.â&#x20AC;? Tyson did not blink an eye but rather met creationists head-on in his second episode with an example of what the universe would look like if it were only 6,500 years old or so.

Using the speed of light â&#x20AC;&#x201D; a known measurement of approximately 186,000 miles per second, scientists estimate the distance of objects (stars, planets, etc) in the universe in â&#x20AC;&#x153;light yearsâ&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x201D; the distance light traveling at 186,000 miles per second travels in one year. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Cosmosâ&#x20AC;? and Tyson pointed out the Crab Nebula â&#x20AC;&#x201D; remnants of a super nova 6,500 light years from Earth.

According to Tyson as narrator: â&#x20AC;&#x153;â&#x20AC;Ś But if the universe were only 6,500 years old, how could we see the light from anything more distant than the Crab Nebula? We couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t.

There wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have been enough time for the light to get to Earth from anywhere farther away than 6,500 light-years in any direction. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s just enough time for light to travel through a tiny portion of our Milky Way galaxy. â&#x20AC;&#x153;To believe in a universe as young as 6 or 7,000 years old is to extinguish the light

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