Smoky Mountain News | June 17, 2020

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June 17-23, 2020 Vol. 22 Iss. 03

Swain chamber, TDA finances called into question Page 10 Mau suggests a property tax decrease in Jackson Page 13

CONTENTS

STAFF

On the Cover: Black Lives Matter demonstrations across Western North Carolina have once again stirred up the discussion about whether Confederate monuments still have a rightful place in the South. The Smoky Mountain News talked to several protest organizers as well as elected officials to get their stance on the controversial issue. (Page 4) Cory Vaillancourt photo

News WNC protests avoid polarization, violence ................................................................8 One-way Main Street proposal on hold ......................................................................9 Swain chamber, TDA finances called into question ..............................................10 Macon sees largest COVID-19 spike in the region ..............................................12 Mau suggests a property tax decrease in Jackson County ................................13 QuickDraw fundraiser goes viral to support arts education ................................14 Business News ..................................................................................................................15

Opinion Raising boys against the grain ......................................................................................16

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A&E Andrew Scotchie to release new album online ......................................................18

Outdoors Final decision reached on Buck Project ....................................................................22

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Confederate memorials still a monumental issue

BY CORY VAILLANCOURT STAFF WRITER or the second week in a row, many small Western North Carolina communities have seen demonstrations in response to the killing of North Carolina-born Minneapolis resident George Floyd at the hands of the city’s police force.

Those locally organized demonstrations have thus far concluded peacefully, in sharp contrast to the violence and mayhem still occurring in larger cities across the state and the country.

One thing all the demonstrations do have in common, however, is that they’ve all evolved into a complex amalgam of issues not strictly related to police brutality — now, they’re also about larger systemic issues like economic justice, social justice and racial justice.

As those demonstrations begin to take root outside the big northern and eastern cities, down in the shadow of Confederate monuments that dot Southern Appalachia, demonstrators are once again raising questions about whether or not such imagery reinforces the racial discrimination that leads to killings like Floyd’s, and what, exactly, the role of that imagery should be in modern-day, multicultural America.

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n August 2017, white supremacist groups gathered together from across the country at the “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, to demonstrate against the proposed removal of a statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee. Scenes from the demonstration shocked the nation, especially when 20-year-old selfidentified white supremacist James Alex Fields, Jr., who’d come from Ohio, drove his car through a crowd of counterdemonstrators, killing one and injuring 28.

A few hours later, President Trump addressed the nation, condemning the bigotry, hatred and violence he decided came from “both sides.” Two days later, Trump said there were some “very fine people” on both sides.

The “Unite the Right” rally reignited discussions over Confederate imagery that flared up on June 17, 2015, after 21-year-old neo-Nazi Dylann Roof walked into one of the nation’s oldest black churches in Charleston, South Carolina, briefly prayed with a Bible study group and then gunned down nine of them as they closed their eyes in prayer.

Roof told police he intended to start a race war. What Roof actually started was a longneglected discussion over Confederate imagery that resulted in retailers like Walmart, Amazon, Sears and eBay halting the sales of Confederate memorabilia.

All Fields accomplished was earning himself 419 years in jail and prompting further backlash against Confederate monuments.

At the time of Fields’ actions, there were still more than 1,500 Confederate monuments in public spaces in the U.S., not only in the form of statues and plaques, but also in the form of street and school and county names, even a Confederate Memorial Day in 4 some states.

Smoky Mountain News

June 17-23, 2020

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Around 400 people took to the streets of Sylva (population 2,724) to protest systemic injustice on June 13. Cory Vaillancourt photo That number is a bit lower now, but not by much — the Southern Poverty Law Center said that as of June 2019, more than 110 Confederate monuments had been removed from public spaces since Roof ’s 2015 massacre in Charleston.

After the May 25 killing of George Floyd — Memorial Day, in the United States — the pace of removal has accelerated and doesn’t appear to be slowing down.

On June 5, U.S. Marine Corps Commandant Gen. David Berger issued an administrative message ordering the removal of the Confederate flag from workplaces, common access areas and public areas on Marine installations “in order to support our core values, ensure unit cohesion and security, and preserve good order and discipline.” The U.S. Navy has since announced comparable plans.

Secretary of the Army Ryan McCarthy told Politico on June 8 that he and Defense Secretary Mark Esper were “open to a bi-partisan discussion” on the topic of renaming some or all major military installations — including North Carolina’s Ft. Bragg — that are currently named after Confederates.

Trump tweeted June 10 that he would “ … not even consider the renaming of these Magnificent and Fabled Military Installations.”

That same day, NASCAR banned Confederate flags at all events and properties, saying in a statement that the flag “runs contrary to our commitment to providing a welcoming and inclusive environment for all fans, our competitors and our industry.”

Also on that same day, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi sent a letter to the committee responsible for the National Statuary Hall, asking for the removal of 11 Confederates.

Each state contributes two statues to the Hall, which is actually 35 statues in a rotunda

and 65 others placed about the corridors of the U.S. Capitol building; one of North Carolina’s is white supremacist governor Charles Aycock, and the other is of Confederate officer/U.S. Senator/two-time N.C. Gov. Zebulon Vance.

Since May 30, monuments in at least 27 U.S. cities have either been torn down by demonstrators or designated for removal by elected officials, with more to come.

On June 9, the Asheville City Council voted unanimously to form a study group to determine the future of the towering Zebulon Vance monument, locus of vandalism and violent George Floyd demonstrations in downtown Asheville.

Council also voted to remove two Confederate monuments, the Robert E. Lee Dixie Highway/Col. John Connally marker, as well as a Battle of Chickamauga monument.

The Buncombe County Commission was to consider a similar resolution on June 16.

It was on this stage that back-to-back demonstrations supported by the Black Lives Matter movement intended to bring awareness of the systemic inequalities exposed in the graphic video of George Floyd’s death played out in Franklin and in Sylva last Friday and Saturday.

Both towns are small. Both are somewhat isolated. Both have relatively high white populations, both have already seen at least one demonstration, and both have prominent Confederate monuments, right in the middle of downtown. he demonstrations in Franklin and Sylva weren’t the first in Western North Carolina but as they were the most recent, they were the most evolved. Previous marches in Waynesville, Murphy, Canton

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and Bryson City all took place before the dialogue about Confederate imagery had really become part of the George Floyd protests.

Murphy, Canton and Bryson City don’t have any Confederate monuments, but Waynesville does — on county-owned property just off Main Street. Indeed, on June 1 and June 12, demonstrators marched right past the small, nondescript plaque mounted on a rock in front of the Historic Haywood Courthouse. Organizers Zach Bach and Dylan Davis didn’t even mention it in their statements about the demonstration.

But in downtown Franklin, in a small park on county-owned land, there stands an anonymous Confederate soldier atop a pedestal, the plinth beneath dedicating him to the memory of “the sons of Macon County who served in the Confederate Army.”

The statue has been the center of demonstrations before — in the wake of the “Unite the Right” rally back in 2017, a small group of people waving Confederate flags gathered several nights in a row to protect the statue from purported threats that never materialized.

On June 12, a solidarity march organized

by Franklin residents Molly Haithcock and Erykah Lasha, both of whom are black, took place at the gazebo across the street, cattycorner to the statue.

“I was talking to my fiancé and I felt compelled to do something,” Haithcock said.

“Growing up in Franklin, there is a very small population of black people here and the majority of them are older than I am, so I didn’t really have any ties with them. So I was like, I need to bring this to my hometown.”

Haithcock and Lasha’s event drew more than 250 people, including Miami resident Eitan Pearl and his mom, Rebecca Horowitz, a Franklin native.

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“Well, I did grow up here. I went to Cullasaja School and have a lot of friends here still,” she said. “I do believe that on a larger scale, having generals that fought against the United States, they shouldn’t be glorified.”

Demonstrators waved signs and chanted as speakers used a bullhorn to talk about racial justice while a group of around 50 counterdemonstrators that showed up to “protect” the statue looked on from across the street, mostly silent.

Many of them were there in response to persistent and unsupported rumors that were somehow incredibly specific — liberal billionaire George Soros was paying 500 rioters to board busses in Atlanta, drive up to Franklin, and destroy the town and the statue.

There was little reaction from counterdemonstrators when Franklin High School history teacher John deVille took the bullhorn to address them directly, at the conclusion of his fiery speech.

“If we will lift up our African American brothers and sisters, if we will lift up all people of color in this country, then guess who

S EE MONUMENTS, PAGE 6

Smoky Mountain News

“It’s my hometown, and I retired back up here a few years ago,” Horowitz said. “I thought, you know, I just need to be involved.

I wanted to show solidarity with the peaceful protests Franklin is known for.”

Pearl, a veteran who is also Jewish, said he was upset to learn of a one-handed shirtless man with Nazi “SS” thunderbolts tattooed on his stomach cracking a bullwhip beneath a Trump flag at a previous Franklin demonstration.

“Confederate monuments are never important at heart to those that fall under that particular flag until the other side of the aisle brings it to the surface,” he said. “I served in the military and it’s a similar question there — overcome, adapt. Become progressive. If you don’t move forward, you wither and die.”

Horowitz said she had mixed feelings about Confederate monuments in general.

“I understand the local heritage and the families that have been here for generations,” she said. “We were on the other side of that, um, you know, occurrence.”

Horowitz’s ancestors fought for the Union.

June 17-23, 2020

A demonstrator holds a sign (top) not far from the Confederate monument in Franklin on June 12. Franklin High School history teacher John deVille addresses demonstrators — and counterdemonstrators — at the June 12 event in Franklin (above). Cory Vaillancourt photos

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MONUMENTS, CONTINUED FROM 5 also we’re lifting up? We’re lifting up every single life. If you really believe,” deVille said, as he pointed toward the crowd across the street, “if you really believe that ‘all lives matter,’ then you lift up your brothers and sisters of color.”

The issue of Confederate imagery was not one Haithcock wanted to address during the demonstration, but the Franklin statue’s presence was hard to ignore.

“I think that people definitely want the monuments removed. There have been a lot of petitions, but I don’t imagine people are going to physically remove them themselves,” she said. “Everybody wants to go the appropriate route to remove the monument.

Nobody wants to do it in a violent way.”

Removing monuments is only a start, Haithcock said. Street and school names and county names, Confederate Memorial Day — all of it has to go.

“I think if it goes back, as far as racial discrimination and actions on the black community or the Native American community or the Hispanic community, absolutely,” she said. “I don’t think it’s fair for people to live in the United States and still feel unwelcome.

We’re the United States of America, but right now we’re not very united.”

few hours after the Franklin demonstration ended, and a few hours before the Sylva demonstration was to begin, in the dead of night, vandals defaced the veterans monument at the base of the Jackson County library stairs — not 60 yards from the town’s police department — with red spray paint.

On the left side was written, “Blank [sic?] lives matter,” and on the right, “Floyd was a thug.”

Sylva resident Anthony Earl, along with friends Colton Wilford and Robbie Crist, headed down to the monument about 5 a.m. with paint thinner and scrub brushes after Crist received a text about the vandalism.

“Seeing that on a veterans monument, that’s pretty fucked up when you think about it,” said Earl, who is black and is also a veteran. “This shows no respect for our town and community. Vandalism should never be respected, on any side.”

Earl also decried the disrespect shown to Smoky Mountain High School’s class of 2020; bright blue yard signs lined the grassy green hillside above the graffiti, commemorating their coronavirus-impacted graduation.

As the noon rally in Bridge Park drew near, faded smears of red paint were still visible at the monument where Waynesville resident Dan Reid stood, ready to protect the Confederate statue at the top of the library stairs, which had been closed by police.

Reid, like those in Franklin the day before, had come in response to rumors.

“The protest is supposed to be coming in here to tear this statue down and me and several of my biker buddies, if everybody shows up, we’ll have about 400 to stop it,” he said.

“This group is not the group that’s been out here regularly protesting. This is a different group. My information, which is coming through the American Legion, is that this 6 group is being bussed here from Atlanta.”

Smoky Mountain News

June 17-23, 2020

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Waynesville resident Dan Reid stands before the Jackson County Library on June 13. Cory Vaillancourt photo While there weren’t quite 400, there were several dozen observers perched high above town in the library’s parking lot, watching demonstrators assemble.

When the march through downtown Sylva began — which numbered roughly 400 demonstrators — it was steered well away from the defaced veterans memorial and library steps.

“I personally think they should be removed, but that’s an issue that we can’t deal with today,” said Lasha. “We’ll do the best we can to deal with it when the time comes, but today we just fight for Black Lives Matter and hope that we can stop police brutality against people of color and our brothers and sisters.”

Lasha did say that when that time comes, it won’t be solely about statues; Sylva lies within Jackson County, which is named for President Andrew Jackson — a Tennessee slave owner who was also the architect of the Cherokee removal, considered by most people to be genocide. He’s also on the U.S. $20 bill.

“I would want him removed off the dollar bill too,” she said. “I would want it removed from everything, but until we can get that to happen, we’ve just got to keep fighting for what’s right and do it with love and peace and no violence. We draw our line at violence.”

Munene Mwaniki, 35, was also present at the Sylva demonstration and has a unique personal and professional perspective. Son of a black Kenyan father and a white American mother — both academics — Mwaniki has lived in Jackson County since the age of 6, and currently serves as an assistant professor of anthropology and sociology at Western Carolina University.

“They need to all come down,” Mwaniki said. “I mean, this was literally a war that was a traitorous war on the United States. We have numerous statues, we have military bases, we have paraphernalia, flags, belt buckles, vanity

plates. I think that shows we still have a long way to go in terms of reckoning with white supremacy in the United States.”

Standing at the base of the library stairs with the Confederate monument towering almost 100 feet above him, Dan Reid was in complete disagreement.

“It’s part of my national heritage and my Southern history,” Reid said. “I don’t have anything that supports slavery, ever. Period. I’m against it completely. I played high school football on two state championship football teams and I played with many, many black people.

I’ve got nothing against black people. As far as I’m concerned, it’s not a black thing or a white thing, it’s an American heritage thing.” espite the racial implications of the 2015 Charleston massacre and the 2017 “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Confederate imagery remains unchanged in places like Franklin and Sylva.

But with more and more people demanding the removal of such displays — and almost no one advocating that people simply rise up and tear them down — it won’t be long until local elected officials are called upon to support or oppose those systemic demands.

“No, I do not believe that we should remove the confederate statue/monument at the Jackson County Library complex,” said Brian McMahan, a Democratic chairman of the Jackson County Board of Commissioners.

“It is an historical component of that property. As a community, our focus needs to be on lifting people up, not tearing things down.”

That’s not to say McMahan doesn’t think some improvements could be made, perhaps contextualizing the Confederate statue at the library.

“I am in favor of using the monument as a teaching tool to educate current and future generations about where we came from and

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help guide us to where we need to be,” he said. “I am definitely in favor of adding other monuments that recognize other people/events in our history. History has its ugly moments that hopefully we can learn from so that we can truly make those moments history, and not current reality.”

Jackson County Commissioner Ron Mau, a Republican who lost an election to McMahan for the chairmanship in 2018, asked the county to appropriate $50,000 in its next budget to study what, if anything, should be done about the statue.

“I have been made aware of both a petition to remove the statue and to keep the statue,” said Mau. “These petitions provide a peaceful way for citizens to come together and present a common view on a given issue en masse. In this case, there are passionate views on each side of the conversation.”

If approved, the money could be used to pay for additional monuments or educational materials, but Mau said he also thought that contracting a facilitator to help move the discussion along would be helpful as well.

Although the monument sits on countyowned land, it occupies a conspicuous location visible throughout downtown Sylva and is one of the most-photographed places in all of Southern Appalachia. Last year’s Super Bowl introduction video, “Ragged old flag,” gave the Jackson County landmark national recognition.

“This needs to be done in the right way without violence and it needs a place to go to put it in its proper context and away from the tourist cameras,” said Greg McPherson, an unaffiliated Town of Sylva commissioner.

“The soldier is not only offensive, it is also bad for business.”

McPherson said that the status quo ignores both the people of Jackson County who fought for the Union

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WNC elected officials reluctant to speak on monuments

Haywood County commissioners • None Waynesville aldermen • Gary Caldwell (mayor) • Julia Boyd Freeman Jackson County commissioners • Boyce Dietz • Mickey Luker

Sylva commissioners • Lynda Sossamon (mayor) • Mary Gelbaugh • Ben Guiney • Barbara Hamilton Macon County commissioners • Ronnie Beale • Paul Higdon • Gary Shields • Jim Tate

Franklin Town Council • Joe Collins • David Culpepper • Jack Horton • Mike Lewis • Dinah Mashburn • Barbara McRae State legislators/candidates • Michele Presnell • Victoria Fox (candidate for Senate District 50)

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On Wednesday, June 10, The Smoky Mountain News sent emails to 43 elected officials in Haywood, Jackson and Macon Counties, along with Western North Carolina’s current state legislative delegation, asking for their position on the removal of Confederate imagery. Emails were also sent to candidates competing against elected officials this coming November. As of press time on June 16, almost half of them failed to take a position.

Not all responses were used in this story but in the interest of transparency, full responses from those who did respond are available online at www.bit.ly/MonumentResponses.

Here’s a list of those who did not respond.

war, not knowing for sure what they were fighting for.”

Further complicating the issue is a 2015 state law that prevents the removal, relocation or alteration of any “monument, memorial, or work of art owned by the State.”

None of the monuments mentioned in this story — in Franklin, Sylva or Waynesville — are state owned, but that doesn’t mean the local government units that own them are free to do as they please with them.

The 2015 law also prohibits permanent removal of “an object of remembrance located on public property” unless it’s owned by a private party, it’s deemed a threat to public safety by a building inspector or it’s a highway marker set up by NCDOT. The law does, however, allow for temporary relocation of these objects for preservation, or for construction projects that might endanger the object.

“The genesis of this law had to do with the Secretary of State not sharing info with the Department of Cultural Resources,” said Franklin Republican Sen. Jim Davis, a primary sponsor of the bill that ended up as NCGS 100-2.1. “I signed on to the bill because I thought it important we remember these things with historical significance. The Civil War and slavery had nothing to do with this. It passed the Senate 49 to zero, but it’s taken on a life of its own since then.”

Davis said he’s not enamored with the way the law now takes local decisions out of local hands, and that he would be open to letting communities decide for themselves if they want to contextualize the monuments.

Removing them should be the result of a countywide ballot referendum, Davis said, adding that he still opposes removal personally.

“I think it’s part of history, and so many of these removal advocates are not considering the complete history. Our history is complex, not simple, I think if we forget it we’re doomed to repeat it,” Davis said. “Slavery was a blight and a wrong, but right now, arguments are being driven by emotion, not reason.”

Rep. Corbin, who is currently seeking the N.C. Senate seat occupied by the retiring Davis, is in alignment with Davis on removal, as well as on the local control thereof.

“Slavery and discrimination are despicable and should have never happened, but they did,” Corbin said. “We cannot erase history, only learn from it.”

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For 105 years, an anonymous Confederate infantryman has stood guard over what was Jackson County’s courthouse until 1994. It is now the public library. Cory Vaillancourt photo

— Western North Carolina was deeply divided over the Civil War — as well as the Cherokee people, from whom the land was originally taken.

“These monuments that stretch across the vanquished South are propaganda for an antiquated mindset and should be removed,” he said. “This tin soldier is as hollow as the Jim Crow ideas he represents.”

David Nestler, also a Town of Sylva commissioner, was in agreement with McPherson on removing the statue.

“I think it is long past time that this statue gets relocated,” said Nestler, a Democrat.

“There should always be memorials to victims of any war; however, the statue on top of the courthouse steps is not a memorial. It is a monument. Memorials are somber reminders of history and that is an appropriate way to approach the topic of a civil war.

Monuments, on the other hand, are put on high pedestals to glorify something and that is not how this part of history should be remembered.”

The Town of Franklin will likely see similar debate; the Confederate statue there is on county-owned land that sits squarely within town limits.

“I would not advocate removing any monuments or markers that provide us a glimpse into the history of the United States of America,” said Karl Gillespie, a Republican Macon County commissioner who is also running for the N.C. House seat currently occupied by Franklin Republican Rep. Kevin Corbin. “It is my understanding that this monument was dedicated on September 30, 1909. There are seven units memorialized on this monument. These monuments are not to glorify any wrongs that have been done, they represent part of the history of the United States of America.”

Democratic Franklin Mayor Bob Scott agrees with Gillespie, but for slightly different reasons.

“I am a very liberal mayor, but I will do everything to keep our statue in place. I see our statue not so much as a Confederate monument but as a statement to the poor men (and women) who have had to fight all wars,” said Scott, a veteran himself and former law enforcement officer. “It represents the average, not rich, people who have done their duty. It does not glorify any one individual. If anything, it honors a composite person, the ‘average Joe’ who had to fight a rich man’s

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Against the narrative WNC protests avoid polarization, violence

BY BOYD ALLSBROOK CONTRIBUTING WRITER ype “George Floyd Protests, Police” into your Google images search bar. What comes up? Picture after picture of menacing police dressed in riot gear facing down angry protestors. Brawling. Calls to abolish the police force. Cruisers engulfed in flames.

Police stations graffitied with ACAB — “All Cops Are Bastards.” Riots. Looting. Arson.

Tear gas. Rubber bullets. Cops shot in drivebys. Protestors gone the same way.

Storeowners beaten to a pulp.

What you won’t see is anything resembling what took place in Waynesville on Friday, June 12.

The signs held aloft looked much the same as elsewhere — “No Justice, No Peace,” “Black Lives Matter,” and “I Can’t Breathe.”

Likewise, the chants of Waynesville marchers mirrored those shouted across the country.

And of course, the players were the same: the police and Black Lives Matter protestors.

But instead of a face-off between the two factions, protesters were escorted and protected by the Waynesville Police Department. Far from “All cops are bastards,” courthouse rally speakers called for unity with “police who wore their badge with honor.” Appeals for understanding and peace for all were abundant.

Protesters prayed together with the police force before and after their march from Walmart to the Haywood County Historic Courthouse.

Zach Bach, 20, a Waynesville native and protest organizer, said, “I didn’t really know about the Floyd incident until two days

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before I started this … I saw it and it just disgusted me. And I was watching the news about all these other protests, and how they’re destroying, and doing vandalism and all that; and that’s just not the way to go.

That’s just getting the anger out. That’s just gonna last for a short period of time, and it’s gonna hurt the community.”

Many in Waynesville awaited Friday’s peace walk with suspicion — and not without reason. Tensions are high, and the dominant narrative worldwide is one of fear and conflict. Those fires, looted stores, and killings are really happening, after all. Turn on any major news channel and you see the world on fire. Minneapolis, New York, Atlanta, Seattle — even Asheville. The story has become one of hostility between black and white, right and left, BLM and police.

It’s no wonder that 80 percent of Americans in an NBC/Wall Street Journal poll reported feeling that their country was “out of control.”

Waynesville’s marches, however, have been violence-free. This has largely been the case for all small-town protests in Western North Carolina. The message on Friday was one of justice but mingled with kindness, love and peace. Calls for rebellion and abolition of the American way, there were not. Instead, the overwhelming plea was to get people to vote. There was no partisan shilling either, no demonizing any “other” — be that right, left, white, or black.

“It’s not about Democrat or Republican, but it’s about who is doing the right thing,” said one rally speaker to thunderous applause. “Just because I have black skin doesn’t mean that I’m for the same thing he is because he has black skin. Just because you have white skin doesn’t mean you’re for the same thing he is because he has white skin.”

It was a call for free thought, to vote wisely regardless of racial or even political identity.

For their part, Waynesville police acted with grace and understanding. After the protest, many of them warmly shook the hands

Three protest leaders (above) rally demonstrators in front of the Haywood county courthouse.

People of all ages (below) came to march and listen. Boyd Allsbrook photos

S EE PROTESTS, PAGE 9

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BY HANNAH MCLEOD STAFF WRITER he proposal to temporarily turn Main Street in downtown Waynesville into a one-way street has been shelved for now.

Janet Metzger with Moose Crossing Burlwood Gallery originally proposed the idea to the Waynesville Board of Aldermen in order to help businesses in their recovery from the Coronavirus Pandemic. Other towns had looked into similar traffic-reduction plans in order to allow businesses to increase outdoor displays and shopping opportunities, as well as to allow restaurants more outdoor seating.

After the idea was proposed, Downtown Waynesville Association Director Buffy Phillips conducted a survey of downtown businesses to determine their interest in the plan. Phillips presented the findings of her survey to the Alderman meeting on Tuesday, June 9.

According to Phillips, more than 40 businesses within the downtown area responded to the survey. Of those, 20 were outright opposed, 13 were for the plan, and five were interested but had comments and questions about the plan.

The Board of Aldermen took no action on the issue at the June 9 meeting.

The original proposal suggested closing Northbound traffic on Main Street as well as closing parallel parking on the east side of the street. All but two restaurants on Main Street are on the east side of the street. On the west side of the street, in front of Birchwood Hall and Wildflour Blue, the plan is to divert traffic to the other side of the street and close off parking in front of those restaurants as well. This would have allowed expanded outdoor seating for every restaurant on Main Street.

Main Street is a state-maintained road, therefore any decisions to alter the road, or traffic had to be approved by the DOT. The local division of the DOT had expressed concerns over liability in the plan. Brain Burch, Division Engineer for division 14 of the DOT said that they would be more likely to approve a plan that closed traffic to main street completely. This would have involved less liability to businesses and the town of Waynesville.

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One-way Main Street proposal on hold

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PROTESTS, CONTINUED FROM 8

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of departing organizers. They listened while protecting Waynesville citizens’ right to speech and assembly. In return, protestors respected their community too much to cause it harm. Anger and pain, they expressed; but productively, and with grace equal to that of the police. The broadly anti-cop rhetoric common in larger cities’ protests was nowhere to be found.

“Even the law enforcement, they were there, which was exciting to me. It was a good thing ‘cause it also shows that the cops are willing to work with us and are not all bad,” said Bach.

Waynesville’s march for George Floyd was not remarkable in itself. The turnout was around 130 people, give or take latecomers, and the ideas and message were hardly radical: justice, equality, nonviolence and peace between all Americans.

Bud Howell, a speaker and organizer, summed up the Waynesville protest’s ethos in one sentence: “Really all we want is equality and peace on earth.”

9

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Swain chamber, TDA finances called into question Board appoints Mary Anne Baker as director

BY J ESSI STONE N EWS E DITOR wain County commissioners are going to be giving more consideration to who they appoint to county boards after hearing a long list of grievances from a member of the Tourism Development Authority.

Ed Ciociola, treasurer for the Swain County Tourism Development Authority, recently told county commissioners that something needs to change in the longstanding ties between the county’s chamber of commerce and the TDA. Since taking over as the TDA board treasurer last year, he said he and other board members have found a number of “grave discrepancies” while reviewing the budget and expense reports from the chamber of commerce.

After becoming treasurer, Ciociola said he took part in meetings with TDA auditors who made it clear the chamber and TDA accounts were “too intertwined” and said the separate entities should keep their finances separate even though the two have shared office space and staff in the past. The TDA is a quasi-governmental agency that is tasked with spending room tax revenue to

June 17-23, 2020

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promote tourism while the Downtown Bryson City. SMN photo chamber of commerce is a private nonprofit that supports its paying business members.

However, he said some of the board members have not been open to the suggestion and unwelcoming of newer board members trying to understand the processes.

He added that often it’s the same people rotating back and forth from the chamber board to the TDA board who are accustomed to the arrangement and don’t appreciate it being questioned.

“It seems like most people don’t know much about the TDA — what we do or how we are funded. There’s no training sessions for new He said these alleged discrepancies can (board) members and there’s a big learning be found in the monthly billings and discurve. Questions from new members have bursement requests the TDA receives from been met with condescending replies,” the chamber each month, and the more he Ciociola said. “I would ask, ‘Why is the looked into the reports, the more problems chamber paying our bills and getting reimhe found. As a volunteer board member, bursed? Why can’t we just pay our bills Ciociola said it became clear it was too much directly? Responses typically fall into a simito correct on his own and sought assistance lar theme, ‘that’s the way we have always from TDA staff and the county’s finance done it.’”

director.

“There’s so many different ways the TDA is being incorrectly billed through the chamber,” he said. “The chamber bills the TDA for chamber expenses and since it’s lumped into a large request, it’s so hard to spot.”

Ciociola claimed the chamber payroll account, which is entirely funded by the TDA, had a $22,000 surplus

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June 17-23, 2020

2. Instead of buying flavored yogurt, buy vanilla yogurt or plain Greek yogurt and add your own flavorings like honey, granola, fruit jam, fresh or frozen fruit.

3. Use whole or reduced fat milk or soy milk instead of creamer for your coffee and tea.

4. Buy blocks of cheese and shred or cube your own cheese for recipes and snacks.

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6. Buy an extra dozen eggs and hard boil them for egg salad, hard boiled egg snacks or to top tossed salads to add protein.

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Smoky Mountain News

He said these problems have caused a lot of misinformation in the community concerning the TDA’s affairs, and he personally has been portrayed as a villain trying to damage the chamber.

“Now the entire TDA is being villainized by chamber loyalists as trying to damage the chamber when, in fact, we are trying desperately to make them a self-sufficient, “I am not making any judgment as to the independent organization that is selfreason for these grave discrepancies. funded through a number of increased Whether it was deliberate, negligent or revenue sources,” he just inefficiency, we are far more said. “Every year you as a board have to concerned with correcting the situation make tough decisions than assigning any blame or logic.” about who sits on the board and now it’s — Ed Ciociola more important than ever and will decide the direction of the TDA’s future.” mailing in-house and now only pays 71 Ciociola said many of the board memcents per visitor guide — saving the TDA bers have big goals for the TDA to start thousands of dollars. hosting more events, going after more “The chamber would bill the TDA for grants and building new tourism-related expenses that had already been paid. We infrastructure to benefit tourists and resiwould have to look at every expense on a dents. He said he also wants to see more reimbursement request and hope we could areas represented on the TDA board, recognize something we remembered paying including the Nantahala Gorge and Deep previously,” he said. “The TDA would pay Creek. for something, through the chamber, like The TDA board is already making major Christmas trees. The chamber would then changes. During a May 13 Zoom board sell the trees after the season and keep the meeting, the TDA board voted to make money. The chamber would run an event, Mary Anne Baker executive director of the buy items for the event that they would sell TDA. Baker has worked for the TDA as the for a profit and requisition the TDA for the social media manager since 2017, but Karen same items they sold for a profit.”

Proctor Wilmot has been the TDA director The list of claims went on — Ciociola for many years. At the same time, she’s also said the TDA would pay for a service or been director of the chamber of commerce. product and it would be canceled or During a May 27 TDA meeting, the returned but the chamber would keep the board approved its budget in a 3-2 vote. refund instead of returning it to the TDA. The budget did not include money to proWhen a conference was canceled, reservavide Wilmot’s salary as it has in the past. tion money was refunded to the chamber Swain County Commissioner Roger and not given back to the TDA. He said he Parsons said he attended the last TDA found one reimbursement request for board meeting and agreed board training is $7,600 and it turned out to be the overdue definitely a need. balance on the chamber’s credit card even “These boards are a reflection of the though the listed expenses were only for board of commissioners,” he said. “We $1,500. should look at appointments carefully and “And there are more examples, well docwhen we appoint the members they are able umented in the county finance office,” he to go through a training process.” said. “We shouldn’t have to work this hard Commissioners have three TDA continually correcting other people’s misappointments coming up soon and agreed takes. It distracts from the actual, producto go through an interview process moving tive work of the TDA.” forward.

Ciociola said the TDA board asked the Commissioner Kenneth Parton agreed, chamber to submit a request for services so saying he wants the commissioners to also we could legitimately pay them for services spend additional time talking about the performed on behalf of the TDA, but that TDA priorities. the numbers the board got back were “I think we can spend (the money) bet“unsustainable” — $45 an hour to answer ter than just on marketing and tourism,” he the telephones, $41,900 for downtown said. “We sure don’t need more fighting — flower pots (even though the contractor’s it shouldn’t cause more problems.” bid was $33,800), $59,100 to mow the grass During the commissioners’ June 11 on county property, $82,000 in managemeeting, County Manager Kevin King said ment fees and an additional $21,000 in he was working to develop policies and prooperational costs. cedures for county-appointed boards to “I am not making any judgment as to present during its next meeting June 25. the reason for these grave discrepancies.

The commissioners will be interviewing the Whether it was deliberate, negligent or just 11 people who’ve applied for the TDA board inefficiency, we are far more concerned with starting at 1 p.m. June 18 before making the correcting the situation than assigning any appointments June 25. blame or logic,” he said. when he started, and that the chamber had been billing the TDA for the cost of their storage unit. He also cited examples of “wasteful spending” — the chamber was spending $1.75 each time staff mailed out a visitor guide. After a little research, Ciociola said the TDA was able to buy a bulk mail permit from the post office, moved the

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Macon sees largest COVID-19 spike in the region Other counties continue to see slow climb

BY J ESSI STONE N EWS E DITOR acon County has seen the largest spike in COVID-19 cases recently, with 230 confirmed cases as of June 15.

The steady increase can be attributed to general community spread and three clusters identified in the county, officials say.

The state defines clusters of COVID-19 in workplace, educational and other community settings as a minimum of five cases with illness onsets or initial positive results within a 14-day period and plausible linkage between cases where cases were present in the same setting during the same time-period.

The first two clusters were identified a couple of weeks ago at Old Edwards Inn in Highlands and at Evangelical Ebenezer Church in Franklin. Some of the people who tested positive at the church were also employees at the inn. The latest cluster was identified at Wind River Construction where six people tested positive for the virus.

All positive individuals have been issued isolation orders. All additional employees are aware of their exposure and are currently being contacted for testing. All employees who are awaiting test results have also been given instructions to quarantine until they

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receive a negative test result; those who test positive will be given isolation orders for 14 days or until they receive two negative COVID-19 tests within a 24-48-hour period.

In addition, management has been provided disinfection guidance. This brings Macon County to a total of 230 positive cases: 211 active, 18 recovered, and one death.

Macon County Public Health Director Kathy McGaha told county commissioners recently that Macon has the third highest number of positive cases in the region just behind Henderson and Buncombe counties, which both experienced outbreaks at nursing homes.

Fortunately, Macon County’s assisted living facilities have not had any cases as of press time.

Even though cases are on the rise, McGaha said she’s only aware of maybe eight people who’ve had to be hospitalized in the county due to severe symptoms while a majority of others had very mild symptoms or were considered asymptomatic.

McGaha and Emergency Management Director Warren Cabe said they weren’t surprised at the spike in Macon’s numbers because of the amount of contact testing being performed. Macon County has performed a total of 2,641 tests — McGaha said a few of those represent duplicate tests on individuals who were retested to ensure a negative before they were allowed to come out of isolation.

The county also has 175 tests pending.

Instead of random testing, Macon has

“We definitely have community spread and people need to wear masks, keep their distance and wash their hands.”

— Kathy McGaha, Macon County Public Health Director

focused on contact trace testing people who suspect they were exposed by someone else who tested positive or coming into contact with a place that was identified as a cluster.

“With targeted testing, you’re going to see a higher percentage of positives,” she said.

“We have just as many individuals testing positive that aren’t part of the cluster, so we definitely have community spread and people need to wear masks, keep their distance and wash their hands.”

Cabe said he isn’t panicking over the numbers, which make sense given the amount of contact testing the county has done. He added that he would like for Macon County to be able to perform a random testing sample to see how far the spread is in the community.

“We knew they would rise with more testing. For 10 to 12 weeks we were at the bottom of the list — there was nowhere else to go but up,” he said.

Commissioners asked how the health department was ensuring those testing positive were adhering to the isolation orders.

McGaha said staff members keep in contact with positive cases, and while most are following orders, she does think some people are continuing to be out in the public.

“We call people every day to ask about their symptoms — some we can’t get a hold

Smoky Mountain News

I-40 paving near Pigeon River Gorge continues

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More than half of the construction is complete on a major project to rehabilitate the westernmost 15 miles of Interstate 40 in North Carolina.

A new phase of work begins this week when crews from Harrison Construction begin milling out old asphalt and placing a new surface from the Tennessee state line to the first tunnel, 4 miles into North Carolina. Crews will start on the eastbound lanes and transition between the two directions as work progresses this summer.

This activity requires traffic to condense into one lane during weekday daytime hours until the resurfacing is complete in September. Drivers may experience delays during periods with heavy traffic while crews complete work on the $33.8

of,” she said. “I do have concerns that people are still working or out in the community.

Not everybody is as honest as I would like them to be.”

She added that the health department is working closely with businesses to ensure employees who test positive don’t return to work until after 14 days. If needed, she said they would work with law enforcement to find those people not following isolation orders.

Meanwhile, cases in other counties continue to rise but at a much slower rate than what is happening in Macon County.

Haywood County has 67 cases; Jackson County has 63 cases and Swain County has 40 cases. However, the number of tests being performed in other counties isn’t as high as in Macon either. Swain has performed 1,537 tests; Jackson has completed 2,141 tests and Haywood County has performed at least 2,000 tests. Jackson County also had 25 nonresidents test positive while working in the county and two part-time residents who tested positive.

Swain County commissioners decided to start reporting positive cases by zip code since doing so is still within HIPAA laws. Of Swain’s 40 positive cases, six cases were reported from Bryson City (28713), 32 from Cherokee (28719) and two from Whittier (28789).

While other counties have been reporting how many cases are considered to be “recovered,” Swain’s Public Health Director Alison Cochran said she didn’t feel comfortable classifying cases as recovered because the state didn’t have a clear definition of recovered.

“It’s never been clearly defined by the state — is it no symptoms in 10 days, three days with no fever and 10 days with no medicine or two negative tests? We don’t know so we chose not to present that number to the public because there’s no way to know,” she told Swain commissioners. “A lot of health directors don’t feel comfortable without getting another negative test.” million contract.

This phase of construction includes milling, paving, and installation of new reflectors and high-visibility pavement markings, which will increase safety for passenger and commercial vehicles in the Pigeon River Gorge.

Crews have completed all work requiring lane closures from mile marker 15 to the tunnels in both directions. They have improved drainage structures, resurfaced the travel lanes and shoulders, and replaced the median wall with a taller version that includes crossover locations that could be utilized in case of emergency.

“The project is ahead of schedule and about 65 percent complete,” Division 14 Resident Engineer Nathan Tanner said.

“We hope the work this summer has limited impact to traffic. We know it will have long-lasting benefits for all drivers.”

Drivers are encouraged to obey the speed limits and follow all posted signs in the work zone.

BY HANNAH MCLEOD STAFF WRITER ver the past week the Jackson County Board of Commissioners has been discussing whether to pass the 2020-21 fiscal year budget and tax rate as recommended by County Manager Don Adams or make changes some commissioners see as imperative.

At a work session on Thursday, June 11, Commissioner Ron Mau came prepared with several proposals intended to reduce the economic stress of the Coronavirus Pandemic on Jackson County residents.

Mau said that in the 2019-20 budget year, Jackson County spent $61 million. The proposed budget for fiscal year 2020-21 is $66.5 million, $5.5 million more than the previous year. (The proposed 2020-21 budget includes a 1.34 percent decrease from the 2019-20 amended budget.)

“There’s $5.5 million out there, that in these tough times, I’m trying to figure out jeez, what do we do for the citizens of Jackson County when we’ve got the big discrepancy?” Mau asked the board.

Mau proposed cutting the property tax rate by 10 percent. This would mean $3.8 million less revenue collected, still only a por-

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Commissioner Mickey Luker agreed with Mau, saying that cutting the property tax rate would go a long way with the residents of Jackson County. In regard to the second and third homeowners Woody spoke of, Luker said that a decision like this wasn’t about them.

“It’s looking out for the citizens of our county that are here 365 days, that are registered voters in Jackson County, that live and maintain and make a living in Jackson County and not that are just here three months out of 12 or six months out of 12,” said Luker.

Mau had several other proposals for the budget. After accounting for the $3.8 million in reduced revenue if the property tax was cut, there would still be $1.7 million over the expected 2019-20 budget to spend. Mau said that portions of the $1.7 million would be allocated to health insurance and retirement increases for county employees, $559,000 and $248,000 respectively.

The board had previously heard from several nonprofits requesting funding for fiscal year 2020-21. Mau suggested funding all nonprofits that requested funding in full.

“Many (nonprofits) indicated that they anticipate a greater need for services in the

June 17-23, 2020

JUST IN!

tion of the $5.5 million Mau was addressing.

The goal of the property tax cut is clear — help those struggling in Jackson County.

“That gives everybody in Jackson County a raise, helps them out in a tough time, helps them out when the unemployment rate has tripled in Jackson County over the last few months,” Mau said.

Commissioner Gayle Woody had concerns about cutting the property tax rate.

“In response to Commissioner Mau’s suggested cut in the property tax, we don’t know what’s going to be happening with our economy, and as we know, a large part of our property tax comes from second homes, vacation homes,” she said.

She reminded her fellow commissioners that during the 2008 financial crisis many of the homes went into foreclosure and because of that, tax revenue went way down. She said that in times like this — when money gets tight — that is when people choose to walk away from second and third homes.

“We are so blessed to have a healthy fund balance,” Woody said. “And I don’t think we can take that for granted. I think we have to protect that for our citizens ongoing. So, I am personally not in favor of doing that (cutting property tax rate) at this time.”

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Mau suggests a property tax decrease in Jackson County

upcoming year based on COVID-19 and the suffering economy. A number of nonprofits provide vital human services Jackson County does not have the staff to provide,” he said.

Mau’s other suggestions included increasing the teacher supplement by 1.4 percent, freezing the salaries of county employees who earn over two times the average county employee compensation and reducing the county commissioners’ budget to $300,000 instead of the proposed $330,000.

In a work session on Friday, Woody questioned the timing of Mau’s suggestions for the budget. She said there had been several opportunities previously to work out the budget, but that right now, with all the uncertainty, the board needed to pass the budget. She said that if changes needed to be made later, they could always amend it.

Mau noted that while the budget can always be amended, the tax rate can only be set once.

“This is the way government should work. We saved when times were good, we’re trying to spend money when times are bad.

That’s the way it’s supposed to work,” he said.

In a follow up interview, Woody said, “I feel this is a good budget, and it’s very conservative as far as what we can do right now with the uncertainty that we’re facing. And the other thing is, we can always amend it.

Some of the things that commissioner Mau proposed were things that have merit and I could very easily be in favor of, but right at this time I feel might be risky.”

Smoky Mountain News

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QuickDraw fundraiser goes viral to support arts education

BY ANDREW DUNDAS CONTRIBUTING WRITER aper, a folder and pencils — both colored and No. 2. These are just some of the supplies required in Kara Faust’s art classes at Canton Middle School each semester. Yet, her school is not able to provide funding for these resources.

The problem isn’t limited to Faust or Canton Middle. Jenny Wood, Arts Ed Supervisor for Haywood County Schools, said that the local district believes in art education and funds personnel, but “we fall short sometimes on supplies or resources.”

Though Faust asks her students to bring some of these necessities to class, she said, many cannot afford them and bring nothing or just a folder.

QuickDraw is a local organization dedicated to solving this problem through funding art education and providing teachers with the supplies they otherwise wouldn’t have. Faust said, “I would not have an art program without the QuickDraw funding.”

“We give the teachers grants, attempting to fill, in full, everything they ask for,” said Sandra Hayes, longtime committee member for QuickDraw.

This financial support is enabled by QuickDraw’s annual fundraiser, which is currently underway. The event takes place between June 7 and June 30 and can be accessed at www.quickdrawofwnc.com.

“We’ve had 45 artists sign on and offer a piece of art to sell,” Hayes said.

Some of their pieces are up for auction while others are ready-toship. Half of the proceeds from the fundraiser go to QuickDraw, Hayes said, and they use the money in two ways. In the fall, the organization provides grants to teachers like Faust who need the money for classroom supplies.

Then, come spring, Hayes said, “We give out scholarships to students heading out to college who want to study some sort of an art-related career.”

QuickDraw supports students studying all sorts of areas, including art education, art therapy, computer animation and film. For 19 years, the fundraiser has allowed artists and visitors to mingle over food and drinks, enjoying live demonstrations and auctioning off artwork. This year, however, QuickDraw has responded to COVID-19 by shifting to an online platform for the event.

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W W W. b l u e r i d g e m o t o r c y c l i n g m a g a z i n e . c o m

QuickDraw met in March as COVID-19 loomed, Hayes said, and they had two options.

“We can either choose to cancel it for this year, like every other non-profit and sit on our hands, or we could attempt to transform it into something different,” Hayes said.

Local artwork will be auctioned off online this year for the annual Quickdraw fundraiser to support public arts education. Donated photos The fundraiser includes paintings, ceramics, jewelry and more. This year, classes with artists are also available for purchase.

Wood said the support QuickDraw provides is important because a lot of students come to school specifically for the arts.

“It helps us meet all the needs of our students,” she said.

QuickDraw’s support helped Faust fund one of her favorite projects. Her class made face jugs and fulfilled the eighth grade art standard by learning about North Carolinian art history.

“Kids really enjoy making those face jugs and looking at different ones from past artists. They are really seeing the connection between the land they are living in and what art is coming out of the ground here,” she said.

Alongside supporting students, QuickDraw is also dedicated to promoting local artists.

“Our goal is to shine a light on what artists do in our community, to really shine a light on the amazing diversity of talent of artists that have chosen to live here and create here because it adds to the richness of our community,” Hayes said.

Business

Smoky Mountain News

Business finds silver lining during pandemic packaging still helps them achieve their goals.

The City Lights crew has also recognized faster service times since customers can take their time perusing the menu and ordering online without feeling pressure about other guests waiting to order behind them.

Customers don’t wait in lines anymore, and they can schedule their “pick-up” time, as well as get a notification that their order is ready when they are downtown shopping.

“We also have a means to track inventory in the system better,” says Peters.

We haven’t had to tell customers that we don’t have a particular item because when it is out, it is no longer available on the menu online. Aside from adapting to the changes, everyone seems to feel happy and safe when

they order from us.”

City Lights is still dealing with ingredient supply chain challenges, but they are slowly adding more items to their menu each day to

Reopening series for businesses

Health care deadline approaches

The Small Business Center at Southwestern Community College is offering a series of webinars to help local businesses reopen during the COVID19 Pandemic.

The next webinars will be held from 10 to 11 a.m. June 17 and June 18. The June 17 class will cover “Connecting with Customers as You Reopen” and the June 19 course will cover “Managing Finances During Reopening & Beyond.”

To register, visit www.ncsbc.net.

Workers laid-off due to COVID-19 face impending deadlines to qualify for Affordable Care Act (ACA) health insurance. Many workers who were laid-off or had their hours reduced by their employers also lost their health insurance. These workers now face a deadline to qualify for a Special Enrollment Period. People in this situation have 60 days from the day they lost insurance to enroll in the Health Insurance Marketplace. For many people laid off in March, that deadline is fast approaching.

Free in-person assistance is available to help you understand what options are available: ACA, Medicaid, COBRA. Certified Application Counselors available to help in the seven western counties of NC. Call 800.627.1548 to speak to a Certified Application Counselor near you.

The Mountain Projects, Inc., CAC Program is generously supported by the Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust.

Program, 10 – 11 a.m. through June 30. The speaker for the series is Smithson Mills of Blue Ridge Food Ventures.

Marketing Your Product and Your Brand, Tuesday, June 23 — Catching eyeballs and making sales, this session covers essential elements for successfully marketing your products and creating customer loyalty. Topics will include online presence, vending options, and guerilla marketing at point of sale.

Food Businesses and COVID-19-Short and Long Term Changes to How Food is Sourced and Used, Tuesday, June 30. This webinar will discuss changes to value added production and marketing in the wake of COVID 19. Regional case studies will be shared describing strategies for resilient marketing and production plans.

Registration is strongly encouraged. Visit SBC.Haywood.edu or call 828.627.4512 for additional information or to register.

City Lights Café in Sylva has been closed for two months since the governor’s stay at home orders have been in effect. They opened back up this past weekend for takeout and patio dining only and discovered several benefits for the business and their customers since the pandemic started.

“When we closed the café back in March, it took us a week to shut everything down, and it resulted in a lot of food losses,” explained City Lights owner, Bernadette Peters. “We donated a lot of it, but the business took a big hit.

Restaurants are mandated by the North Carolina Health Department to quarantine employees who have contracted Covid-19 and co-workers whom they have had 10 minutes or more of close contact. For City Lights, that would be their entire staff, resulting in another shut-down. Contactless online ordering seems to be a great way to reduce the chances of that happening.

As the café has implemented contactless ordering, they have begun to realize the benefits of their “new normal” for both the business and for their customers. As an environmentally conscious business, City Lights realized that they are conserving water since they are not washing dishes from guests, and that their minimal and compostable to-go

Macon offers small business loans Reopening Macon Fund small business loans are designed to be flexible and rapid sources of lowinterest loan capital to help local Macon businesses meet needs and navigate the COVID-19 crisis.

Repayment is expected either from more permanent funding sources (like SBA Disaster Loans) or from the future cash flow of the business. The Fund is a collaborative effort between the Macon County Economic Development Commission, Franklin Area Chamber of Commerce, Highlands Chamber of Commerce, SCC Small Business Center, WCU SBTDC and Mountain Bizworks.

Apply at www.mountainbizworks.org/reopeningmaconfund.

HCC hosts virtual agribusiness classes The Small Business Center at Haywood Community College will offer a free live webinar series, EMFS Value-Added Agribusiness in partnership with the Empowering Mountain Food Systems

15

Range DOQ/E. Salary range for position is $26,103-$41,113.

Minimum qualifications for Senior Public Works Technician include a high school diploma or equivalent, a valid driver’s license and at least four to five years of experience operating construction/maintenance equipment. Hiring Range DOQ/E. Salary range for position is $30,218-$47,592.

Applications can be obtained in person at Maggie Valley Town Hall at 3987 Soco Road Maggie Valley or electronically at maggievalleync.gov. Qualified candidates should submit a resume and town application to Nathan Clark, Town Manager at nclark@maggievalleync.gov or by mail to Maggie Valley Town Hall 3987 Soco Road Maggie Valley, NC 28751. Position is open until filled; the first review of applicants will be June 19.

UCB recognized for customer satisfaction

get back up to speed. Peters indicated that customers have been patient while they anticipate enjoying all of their café favorites again.

Maggie Valley hiring technicians The Town of Maggie Valley is currently accepting applications for the full-time position of Public Works Technician / Senior Public Works Technician.

Minimum qualifications for Public Works Technician include a high school diploma or equivalent, a valid driver’s license and at least two to three years of experience operating construction/maintenance equipment. Hiring

United Community Bank has been recognized for having the highest customer satisfaction score in the Southeast by J.D. Power’s 2020 U.S. Retail Banking Satisfaction Study, an award they’ve won six out of the past seven years.

In regards to the recognition, Chairman and CEO Lynn Harton said, “We are truly honored and humbled to be recognized by J.D. Power for having the highest customer satisfaction rankings among banks in this region. We consistently strive to make good things happen for our customers, and that commitment has been even more evident during the last six weeks. Earning this recognition for so many years is an extraordinary achievement and every one of our team members should be proud of having their passion recognized by the people that matter — our customers.”

Expanded business counseling offered The Haywood Community College Small Business Center has announced an expansion in business services by offering free expanded counseling services to Haywood County small business owners affected by the COVID-19 health crisis.

In coordination with the NC Small Business Center Network and Haywood County business resource partners, the HCC SBC will launch the Reboot, Recover, Rebuild for Small Business. The program will offer expanded counseling opportunities in a wealth of categories uniquely suited for small businesses in Haywood County who have been affected by the economic effects of COVID19.

The program was created to address such concerns and opportunities by providing consulting services in the form of CPA, legal, marketing, branding, stability and general business support.

Applicants will also have access to professional content experts, one-on-one remote counsel and 100 percent confidentiality.

Visit SBC.Haywood.edu, email kmgould@haywood.edu or call 828.627.4512 for additional program information.

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Opinion

Smoky Mountain News

Raising boys against the grain G

Inequality comes in many flavors To the Editor: Inequality plays out in all aspects of American life. For the past few weeks we have been consumed by policing, judicial and legal inequality, ignited by the George Floyd killing in Minneapolis, which has played out through massive international demonstrations followed by signs of improvement. Economic inequality today is the source of so many of our societal woes.

Economists use dozens of metrics to describe the distribution of money in this country. If you divide the GDP by the population things look pretty good, but even the simplest dive beyond that metric show a problematic trend. The actual distribution of economic resources, both income and wealth, has become increasingly skewed over at least the last 40 years. More and more of the wealth is concentrated in the hands of a smaller percentage of the population, especially the infamous 1 percent.

There are reasons for this increasing economic inequality that seem to stem from the desire of the wealthy to have even a bigger

with history?

We have pieces of answers to each of these questions and thankfully, many are ready to take whatever steps necessary to create a more just and merciful world.

While we bat around answers to the big questions, I am well aware of the answer to a different question.

What kind of men do I want to raise?

Feminism is a bold noun with a solid definition. Webster defines it as “the advocacy of women’s rights on the basis of the equality of the sexes.”

There’s not a word to describe an act of advocacy to make men less domiColumnist neering. For mothers who want to raise boys who oppose society’s definition of a man, we have to forge our own way.

I’m reading a book called Untamed by Glennon Doyle, author, mother and activist. She has two daughters and one son. A recent chapter inspired this column.

Doyle begins by describing the types of daughters she wants to raise: “I wanted my girls to know this. You are a human being, and your birthright is to remain fully human.

So you get to be everything: loud quiet bold smart careful impulsive creative joyful big angry curious ravenous ambitious. You are allowed to take up space on this earth with your feelings, your ideas, your body. You do not need to shrink.

You do not need to hide any part of yourself, ever.”

Later in the chapter, after Doyle had watched a string of media clips about a 15-year-old male school shooter, members of a lacrosse team charged with gang rape, a college boy killed in a hazing accident, a middle school gay boy who hung himself and a 35-year-old decorated veteran who succumbed to PTSD, she writes this:

Susanna Shetley

ood girls are raised to be quiet, dainty and accommodating. Real boys are raised to be competitive, successful and tough. Girls can cry. Boys cannot. Girls are softspoken. Boys are boisterous.

I’m a mom to white little boys who will grow up to become white men. In America, white men have it pretty easy. They have both privileges that are institutionalized in our society.

White. Men. It would be simple to let life unfold with little intervention other than common motherly traits such as love, nourishment and financial stability. I could offer those three things and my boys would probably turn out OK. The problem is, while I’m raising my children inside the home, the world is raising them outside. And the world has a clear story about what it means to be a “white man.”

But as a woman who doesn’t routinely follow the status quo, I don’t want the world raising my boys. I don’t want them thinking it’s wrong to be tender, compassionate, sensitive and curious. Or that it’s OK to be brutal and to use white male privilege to get their way, whether intentionally or unintentionally.

Turn on the news at any moment and there’s a story about a white man in charge doing this or that. It’s always the white men in charge who make the decisions for everyone. If my boys grow up to be white men in charge, I want them to be strong, kind leaders and good human beings. I want them to be changemakers and proud to be part of a new generation that’s inclusive.

Systemic racism and patriarchy are clearly causing issues in today’s society. But for many, these are elusive influences stemming from generations of lessons taught and lessons learned. The current state of America is causing people to reevaluate collective and individual biases. Where did they come from exactly? Why have they sustained for so many centuries? How can we change something so heavy and laden

LETTERS slice of the pie, which if it’s a zero sum game has to come from those below them. The bottom 50 percent has been financially eviscerated. As we have heard from numerous sources this group does not have the cash for a $500 car repair.

The disparity between the federal minimum wage and a communities’ living wage continues to grow. Within these numbers, the economic status of minorities is especially dire in terms of both income and wealth (accumulated resources). There are real world consequences to this impoverishment. It is responsible for most of our societal insecurities such as food, housing, transportation, education, health care, etc., which charities and local, state and the federal government struggle and fail to manage. It seems obvious that a better way to manage this problem is for our citizens to earn a living wage.

The typical Republican response is that any solution represents the evil redistribution of wealth or corporate welfare, both of which are anathema to their political beliefs. On the other hand, government’s job is to ensure the welfare of its citizens and this situation certainly compromises the welfare of many of

“Oh my God. This is what it looks like for boys to try to comply with our culture’s directions. They are not allowed to be whole, either. Boys are in cages, too. Boys who believe that real men are all-powerful will cheat and lie and steal to claim and keep power.

Boys who believe that girls exist to validate them will take a woman’s rejection as a personal affront to their masculinity. Boys who believe that open, vulnerable connection between men is shameful will violently hate gay boys. Boys who believe that men don’t cry will become men who rage. Boys who learn pain is weakness will die before they ask for help.”

When I finished reading this chapter, I sat in the quiet, stunned by the truth of her words. Women’s marches and racial riots get a lot of press. Meanwhile, typical white American boys exist idly.

Mothers and fathers of boys must be intentional to undo the effects of traditional American influence. I want my boys to be creative, caring and empathetic. If they grow up and marry a woman, I want them to revel in her awesomeness. I want their egalitarian relationship to serve as an example to other married couples. I want them to be dads who change diapers, drive kids to school, cook meals and love their sons and daughters fiercely and openly.

If they grow up and choose not to get married, I want them to be confident in that decision and not shamed they didn’t follow the traditional path into fatherhood. If they discover they are gay, I want them to be proud of who they are and fight for their rights.

I can attempt to help my children understand patriarchy and racism, but to an 8-year-old and an 11-year-old who live in a homogenous demographic, it’s hard for them to truly experience injustice. What I can do is nurture them with a river of love and understanding, a current so strong, they will never feel they have to be someone they are not. In doing that, I hope to raise men who respect others for who they are and not for their gender or skin color.

(Susanna Shetley is a writer, editor and digital media specialist for The Smoky Mountain News, Smoky Mountain Living and Mountain South Media.

Susanna.b@smokymountainnews.com)

our citizens. I hope this letter stimulates thoughts about this issue. A part two of this letter will hopefully be forthcoming soon.

Eric Myers, Sylva

Moe Davis best option for 11th District To the Editor: Don’t know who to vote for yet on Nov. 3 for Rep. Mark Meadows’ vacant U.S. House seat? Perhaps this will help with your decision.

Moe Davis, candidate for the seat, has a very impressive resume. His degree is in criminal justice, having worked in law enforcement training at the NC Department of Justice when Rufus Edmisten was attorney general. He earned a law degree and served in the military, was deployed to the Middle East and tried over 100 criminal cases in the 25 years he was in the military, writing more briefs and arguing more cases in the appellate courts than anyone in Air Force history. He was appointed lead investigator for the 2003 sexual assault investigation at the Air Force Academy. In 2008 he retired as a colonel.

He is unwilling to be a yes-man regardless of who happens to be the president of the United States. Moe Davis was chief prosecutor at Guantanamo under the Bush Administration. Rather than following the order to use evidence obtained through torture, he resigned his post.

He was fired as Senior National Specialist for Congress during the Obama Administration because he criticized the policy on prosecutions at Guantanamo. After he sued, supported by the ACLU, his free speech rights case was settled after seven years, he was compensated and his employment record cleared.

No matter if you lean Republican, Unaffiliated or Democrat, this is the man for the House seat in District 11. As he says, “It’s not about party; it’s about doing what’s right.”

Sue Resnik Sylva

We can atone for our sins To the Editor: Donald Trump talks about making America great again. Buyt he

Commissioner Pless acting like a third-rate politician

ignores two sins that haunt America. Those sins must be atoned. They are: our ancestors took North America from indigenous people, killing thousands in the process; two, our ancestors developed/exploited vast resources with African slave labor. Those two groups (victims of greed) were denied the wealth generated from North American resources.

A modest proposal to begin reparations to those groups: federal and state income tax forms could provide a box for each filer to designate a specified amount to flow to a fund for community projects /job development for Native Americans and descendants

of African slaves.

Let me stress that this should be an optional program. Not a requirement.

On his Nebraska album Bruce Stringsteen sings, “… shining across this dark highway where our sins lie un-atoned.”

America cannot be great until we atone for those sins.

Why should reparations and atonement wait until the majority agrees? Why can’t legislators develop this elective program now? Let’s atone for our sins!

Dave Waldrop Webster

find us at: facebook.com/smnews

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NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR FALL 2020 The Catamount School, a school for 6th, 7th, and 8th graders in Jackson County, is accepting 6th, 7th and 8th grade registrations for the 2020-21 school year. Operated by Western Carolina University’s College of Education and Allied Professions in cooperation with Jackson County Public Schools, The Catamount School is designed to explore innovative teaching approaches and applied learning opportunities in order to help every student discover his or her full academic potential. The school is a public lab school operated on the campus of Smoky Mountain High School and is free to accepted students and their families.

Smoky Mountain News

possible.

So really, who exactly is Mark Pless serving in Haywood County? He is a fervent enemy of harm reduction. He continuously ignores our county’s homeless problem. Real people in our community are plagued with low wages, unaffordable housing, lack of healthcare access, and addiction issues. A leader should feel obligated to tackle these problems head on without denouncing and attacking individuals. A good offense is the best defense.

What next, Pless? Are you going to start phoning your adversary’s elementary school teachers to dig up dirt on their past behaviors so you can invalidate their concerns?

This is not the campaign trail. This is not a smear campaign. This is real life — real people who live and work in your community. If you gaslight and distract from the problems, they won’t go away. A narrow mind is clearly not the answer and these issues have yet to disappear. No matter how much he deflects.

I would like to remind Pless that he is one person and we’re an army. Using ignominy to target specific individuals will not serve you in our community. I personally know the woman whom he openly shamed over $16. She is one of the kindest, most compassionate and accepting persons, an asset to our community. Instead of making a mockery of local government, Pless should be focusing on inclusion. We already have a president who can’t stay off social media. We don’t need a third-rate local politician mimicking him.

I’m an eighth-generation resident of this county. I never thought I’d see a day when our elected leaders were bullying the vulnerable and excluding differing opinions from the conversation. Mountain people will not be intimidated. We will not remain silent.

We will be vigilant. We take care of our own.

It’s what makes us unique. Get on board, Pless. Change is coming. It is currently sweeping the nation. We, the people, are no longer taking it on the chin.

Heather Hyatt-Packer Haywood County

BILL LY Y CASE

June 17-23, 2020

To the Editor: When it comes to the internet, I am the first to proclaim myself as a troll. Although I do appreciate Haywood County Commissioner Mark Pless’ extreme level of pettiness recently when lashing out at a constituent’s $16 dollar tax bill from seven years ago on his personal social media, I am appalled at his lack of professionalism. I am even more so disturbed by his lack of humility and self-awareness.

A person who lacks humility is arrogant. It is a person who only thinks of themselves and sees themselves as higher and better than others. There is no room for an arrogant person to improve themselves because they do not recognize their flaws. A person who is not humble does not have a growth mindset. Get humbled, Pless. Commissioners WORK for us. We do not work for you.

When defending his blatant invalidation of a Haywood County resident’s concerned email, Pless points to his constitutional First Amendment right. Mr. Pless, just because you have a right to free speech does not necessarily mean you need to exercise it at every opportunity. Impulse control is vital when you’re in a leadership position — even in the Trump era. You are a “leader” (I use this term loosely in your case). As a public official, you are most definitely held to a higher standard than the rest of us. If you can’t accept the responsibility then you have no place holding an elected office. As they say, “if you can’t take the heat get out of the kitchen…” By placing yourself in the spotlight, you open yourself up to criticism. It goes with the territory.

When I was serving in the U.S. Navy, I attended extensive leadership training. A true leader has integrity, serves as a mentor, focuses on team building, compromises, works with others, examines diverse points of view, and understands empathy. A true leader blends mindfulness, practical advice, facts and information to form a decision.

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A&E

Smoky Mountain News

Hear the sounds that carry you A conversation with Andrew Scotchie

BY GARRET K. WOODWARD STAFF WRITER t just 28 years old, singer-songwriter Andrew Scotchie has already become a beloved fixture and voice of reason in the Asheville and greater Western North Carolina music scene.

Fronting his rock/soul act The River Rats, the ensemble is filled with a rollicking sense of self, this well-oiled powerhouse of electric strings and percussion. The message of the band remains one of optimism for our modern society through the lens of camaraderie and connectivity that is found at the core of music, especially when performed live.

And with the group’s latest album, “Everyone Everywhere,” Scotchie & Co. have harnessed the eternal hope and constant growing pains of America — a country still trying to figure itself out with a mirror currently placed firmly in front of itself.

If anything, The River Rats are finding justification in its mission to use the platform of an artist for the greater good, something Scotchie holds close to his heart and his aspirations as a musician and community activist whose talent and reach know no bounds — onstage and off.

A

Smoky Mountain News: Do you find that you’re having a lot of full circle moments lately

with the shutdown? You’re constantly on the move, but to be told to sit still is a tough thing for any touring musician …

Andrew Scotchie: Oh, absolutely. There’s been more time outside, which is crucial. And just really understanding my voice, the kind of way I pitch songs and everything. I’ve definitely written some really different things, [using] different quotes and just different approaches to songwriting.

I’m thankful right now and glad to have a family and friends [that] I have around me. You know, there’s some people that are stuck in major cities right now, [where] I’m sure it’s a lot harder for them. And I’m glad that my friends are involved and speaking out about the issues that matter — spreading the love and spreading equality.

SMN: Does that also show you a renewed sense of self, onstage and off?

AS: I definitely have a new sense of self.

Surprisingly, I feel more at peace. You know, in the past couple of years [in] my early twenties, I spent way too much time working myself to death and never having free time to reflect.

Part of that was, “Oh, I have to work really hard now, so maybe later in my life I can have a little bit of breather.” And I think part of that made sense and the other part of it was kind of stupid.

Want to listen?

The new album ‘Everyone Everywhere’ by Andrew Scotchie & The River Rats will be available for purchase and streaming on June 26. For more information on the band and its upcoming performance dates, visit www.andrewscotchiemusic.com.

I didn’t really take a lot of moments to pause and just appreciate the every day victories that is just being able to wake up and have a roof over your head, have good friends and family. And I definitely feel like a more

well-rounded person, just overall more grateful for everything I have and know — past and present.

SMN: You mentioned about new approaches to songwriting. You’ve always been a very vocal person in the community — not only as a musician, but also as a resident. With everything that’s been going on, does that emphasize the platform you have as an artist?

AS: Absolutely. As an artist, it’s our responsibility to try to capture the times, to try to talk and to start a discussion. It’s [not about] shoving a message down people’s throats and saying, “It’s this way or the highway.” It’s about having a discussion — to spread love, joy and equality.

It’s really interesting because the songs on this new record talk about what’s going on right now. And [the album was finished] right before “all this” started. So, all those things were bubbling up, and had been bubbling up for a long time. This is definitely a record that is meant to make people think whenever they listen to it. And I try to write about those things as much as possible.

SMN: The album title, “Everyone Everywhere,” what does that title mean to you when you place it into the context of where we stand as a society in June 2020?

AS: The title came from an expression and a line that I had actually for a song. Hey, “everyone everywhere” has got something going on.

And whether we see it on the surface, everyone’s got something that shapes them as a person and their past experiences.

There’s sometimes a story within a person that we don’t know. And sometimes maybe we’ll never know or it’ll take a while to get to know that person. I know that a lot of the issues and a lot of the changes that are going on — not only in our country, but the world — are affecting everybody. And one message we try to push in the music is of unity and togetherness.

But, I think right now, especially with so many people not knowing, each state is different when it comes to the pandemic, which can be extremely frustrating. People are kind of split. Some people want to go right back to things [like they were before]. Some people want to ease back into it.

SMN: But, everyone’s afraid. That’s the other thing, people are afraid of what’s going on, and they’re also afraid of not going back to normal, you know?

AS: Absolutely. And, if there’s anything I can help with that song, it’s to remind people that we are never truly alone. In these times of social distancing and these times of turmoil within our own people and our government, of falling hard and being challenged every day and trying to pick up the pieces where our leaders have failed — it’s really meant to bring people together and to spread unity.

It’s to recognize the fact that everyone everywhere has some kind of story, some kind of a message that they want to get across — and music has always been that platform for us.

BY GARRET K. WOODWARD

The Pemaquid Point Lighthouse in Maine. (photo: Garret K. Woodward)

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Smoky Mountain News

omewhere between finishing my column last Tuesday morning and lunchtime, it was decided by my mother that she and I would head to the coast of Maine for a few days.

With my niece’s sixth birthday party on Saturday afternoon, and seeing that I was still hanging around my native Upstate New York, there was a short window for an escape to our favorite place: the small, serene cove community of New Harbor.

Jumping into her Toyota Rav4, we left Plattsburgh, New York, and hopped on the ferry over the majestic Lake Champlain to Vermont. From there it was Interstate 89 through the Green Mountain State, past Burlington and the state capital, Montpelier, all the while in the shadow of these ancient peaks of my youth.

It had been a while since my mother and I had time to just be by ourselves and chat.

In her words, she and I “are cut from the same cloth.” Just a couple of free spirits who enjoy each other’s company.

Back in the day, when I left for college some 300 miles away from home, we’d take a trip once a year to somewhere, anywhere, just to spend time catching up: Seattle, Oregon, New Orleans, Hawaii, etc.

Sasquatch

June 17-23, 2020

Like the morning sun you come and like the wind you go

Crossing over the Connecticut River into New Hampshire, the sun was falling behind the hills. Pulling into Lebanon, we were able to find an Italian restaurant, Three Tomatoes, that was not only open, but also seating folks outside on the side street.

Each ordering (what we thought was) a personal pan wood-fired pizza, we were shocked when these enormous pies showed up and overtook the table. Though incredibly delicious, the majority of the pizzas were enjoyed as leftovers for the rest of the Maine trip.

Pushing through New Hampshire towards the Maine state line, my mother started reflecting about her best friend, Karen, who was a professor at nearby Dartmouth College in Hanover. When I was a kid, Karen passed away after a tragic accident involving her medical research on campus.

Although my mother would mention Karen from time-to-time, we never really delved into their friendship, at least not on an intrinsic level. But, seeing as there was still three hours of driving left to our destination, I started throwing out some questions about how they met as kids, what about Karen really drew my mother to her, and how their friendship blossomed over the decades.

For the next hour or so, I just let my mom talk, almost as if nobody had really ever asked her, at least in recent years, about how she was doing in regards to her late

Time to stop worrying about COVID, Time to start worrying about...

arts & entertainment

This must be the place

bestie. So many stories over so many years.

One story that really stuck out was when they were in college in the mid-1960s and my mother had laryngitis.

Without being able to speak, the two of them headed to a bar in my hometown for some drinks and dancing. My mother would write notes on a piece of paper to Karen to communicate what she needed or wanted from the bar.

And even though Karen could talk and my mother could obviously hear, Karen wrote notes back, just so my mother wouldn’t feel left out being unable to talk.

“She was just that kind of friend. She’d do anything to make sure you were okay,” my mother chuckled in a somber tone.

The next morning, sitting on a front porch in Maine, we sat with our friends from Boston (whose summer home we stayed at) and talked over coffee. It was a whirlwind of exchanges about our respective lives during the pandemic and how we’re doing (honestly feeling) during “all of this.”

Later that day, we headed down the road to Damariscotta for lunch. The only place really open was King Eider’s Pub, a spot I’ve been frequenting pretty much every summer since I was in high school.

Fond memories of conversations in those pub booths about where I might go to college and what I might want to do with my life, all circling back to the here and now of where I stand and who stands alongside me at this juncture.

Right before we headed back to New York, I stumbled across a small cabin for sale near our friend’s summer home. It’s always been a pie-in-the-sky dream of mine to own a cabin on the coast of Maine, a sentiment that’s been tucked in the back of my mind since I was old enough to drive and the only place I wanted to venture to was New Harbor, Maine.

The morning of our departure, my mom and I met with the local real estate agent and toured the property: a small two-story cabin with loft bedroom on 1.2 acres with private beach access. Compostable toilet with option for outdoor shower.

What more could a writer who’s a minimalist want, eh? Standing in the backyard, I could already picture and savor the memories that could someday be made here: happily and with gusto.

And just as we left the cabin to motor to New York, my mom wanted to drive by the nearby lighthouse. So, instead of going left and entering seven hours of our impending trek, we took a right and aimed for the end of Pemaquid Point.

On the edge of the shoreline, with waves crashing onto the massive rocks, we parked and gazed over at the lighthouse. It was as beautiful as I remembered, and as my mother remembered, too. Though I’ve been coming to that spot since I was a toddler in 1985, she has returned each summer since 1972.

“You know, seeing this never gets old,” I said to my mom. She turned to me and replied, “It doesn’t. It really doesn’t.” I then leaned over and hugged her. Back into the car. Back to New York. But, with more new memories in our back pockets.

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

828.452.4251 susanna@mtnsouthmedia.com

19

June 17-23, 2020

arts & entertainment

On the street Haywood County Arts Council returns The following events will be occurring at the Haywood County Arts Council in downtown Waynesville.

• Through June 27: Haywood County Studio Tour Exhibit. The HCAC will proudly host artists from the Haywood County Studio Tour in the Gallery & Gifts space at 86 North Main Street. The show will offer a sampling of the work from 29 local artists.

The 2020 Studio Tour has been cancelled due to the COVID-19 outbreak, but the 2021 tour is scheduled for June 26-27. Participants work in diverse media including clay, fiber, wood, jewelry, glass, mixed-media, sculpture and two-dimensional applications.

The Arts Council’s Haywood County Studio Tour Show offers visitors a generous taste of what they’ll experience in June 2020.

For additional information, visit www.haywoodarts.org/studio-tour-participants or www.facebook.com/openstudioshaywood.

• June 24: Opening Day of “Auction for the Arts!” at Cedar Hill Gallery on Main Street in Waynesville. Free and open to the public.

The HCAC is holding its silent auction of original artwork from June 24 to July 11 at Cedar Hill Gallery. Bidding will begin at noon on Wednesday, June 24 and end at 4:30 p.m. Saturday, July 11.

All proceeds from the auction will go toward HCAC’s “Arts Now! Our Campaign for the Future.” The goal of the campaign is to establish a fund for the eventual purchase of a building large enough to provide gallery space for over 100 artists, an emerging artist incubator with affordable studio space, cre-

ation space for youth arts educational programs, a dedicated music classroom, three additional classrooms and an endowment.

Artwork donated by Mark Matheny, Barbara Brook, Remi Dawkins, Cayce Moyer, Jerry Stuart, Diannah Beauregard, Gretchen Clasby, Mary Decker, Dominick DePaolo, Janice Huse, Jan Kolenda, Gregg Livengood, Susan Livengood, Jude Lobe, Francoise Lynch, Jeremiah Maitri, John Nelson, Dee Noelle and Debbie Skelly. www.haywoodarts.org.

Concerts on the Creek

Jonah Riddle & Carolina Express will perform on Aug. 14 in Sylva.

The organizers of Concerts on the Creek in Sylva have made the difficult decision to postpone the beginning of the 11th season of performances until the end of June.

Concerts on the Creek are traditionally held every Friday night from 7 to 9 p.m., from Memorial Day through Labor Day at the Bridge Park in Sylva. The first performance will be held by Geoff McBride & Scott Baker on June 26.

The series is organized and put on by the Jackson County Chamber of Commerce, the Town of Sylva, and the Jackson County Parks and Recreation Department.

“At this time, we've decided to reschedule the first four concerts until Saturdays later in the season,” said Jackson County Chamber

• Andrews Brewing Company (Andrews) will host the “Lounge Series” at its Calaboose location with A. Lee Edwards June 20, Mike Bonham June 21, Robert Ferguson June 26, Blue Revue June 27 and Woolybooger June 28. All shows are free and begin at 2 p.m. unless otherwise noted. www.andrewsbrewing.com.

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ALSO:

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• Currahee Brewing (Franklin) will host The

of Commerce Executive Director Julie Donaldson. “We’re planning on beginning the series on Friday, June 26, depending on how the Governor structures Phase 3. We’ll keep you posted and look forward to being together again soon.”

The performances are free with donations encouraged. Patrons should bring a chair or blanket and prepare to be “Covid safe.” Food trucks are expected to be at some of the concerts.

For a complete lineup schedule of Concerts on the Creek, click on www.mountainlovers.com or go to the Concerts on the Creek Facebook page. These sites will be updated with any changes going forward.

Corbitt Brothers 8 p.m. June 19-20. All shows are free and open to the public. www.curraheebrew.com.

• Elevated Mountain Distilling Co. (Maggie Valley) will be hosting Bohemian Jean at 8 p.m. Saturday, June 27.

• Innovation Station (Dillsboro) will host Mamaw’s Fried Pies 11 a.m. June 20. All events are free unless otherwise noted. www.innovation-brewing.com.

@Smoky MtnNews

Books

Smoky Mountain News

Story delves into illicit affair and its fallout bout halfway through Kate Russell’s My Dark Vanessa (William Morrow, 2020, 372 pages), I nearly put the novel aside. Like many of my fellow Americans, I am suffering the coronavirus blues, a bit down from the daily reports, often contradictory, about death tolls, masks and gloves, social distancing, the shuttering up of schools, businesses, and churches, and the tens of millions of unemployed. My Dark Vanessa, the dark tale of a teacher and his stuWriter dent who become lovers, somehow added to my melancholy.

But I read on and am now glad I did so, for My Dark Vanessa is not only one of the best-written novels I have read in the last few years, but is also a brilliant portrayal of the tangled emotions and circumstances of such love affairs.

When in 2017 a former student accuses Jacob Strane, a teacher of English literature at the Browick School in Maine, the incident sends Vanessa Wye, now in her early thirties, into an exploration of her past and her relationship with Strane. She is 15 when she first enters the 42-year-old Strane’s classroom, and quickly develops a crush on him. She stays after class to speak with him, shares some of her poetry, and is thrilled when Strane one day touches her knee when she is seated beside him. They first kiss behind the closed door of an empty classroom, and after a time enter into a full-blown sexual relationship that ends disastrously for Vanessa.

The consequences of her love for Strane — and she did love him — follow Vanessa through her young adulthood. Her dreams of becoming a poet and a writer, encouraged by Strane, seem at a dead-end; she works instead as a concierge for a hotel, helping guests arrange everything from dinner reservations to rental cars. Her relationships with other men are also fraught with indecision and her past, haunted as she is by the love and consideration Strane had shown her.

When the news breaks that Strane might face charges of sexual assault, Vanessa recollects her feelings about him when she was young:

Now, with the explosive charges by others against her former teacher, Vanessa

Jeff Minick

A

slipped poetry into my hands — Emily, Edna, Sylvia. He made me see myself as he did, a girl with the power to rise with red hair and to eat him like air.�

“I wanted nothing to do with boys my own age, their dandruff and acne, how cruel they could be, cutting girls up into features, rating our body parts on a scale of one to ten. I wasn’t made for them. I loved Strane’s middle-aged caution, his slow courtship. He compared my hair to the color of maple leaves,

finds herself sought out by a reporter who, having heard rumors of Vanessa’s involvement with Strane, wants her to step forward and join the accusers.

And here is where the questions from her past begin their bombardment of Vanessa. Had she committed some great wrong? Was the girl who had flirted her way into an older man’s heart a perpetrator or a victim? Strane, an adult and a teacher, had broken the law by sleeping with her, but hadn’t she willed that act as well, desiring him as much as he wanted her, finding with him a love she’d never before known?

Had Strane groomed her, preparing her to be taken by his constant praise of her poetry, by confiding in her, by encouraging her to read Nabokov’s Lolita, perhaps the most famous tale of an older man preying on a girl? And finally, had Strane truly loved Vanessa?

By exploring such questions through Vanessa — and there are no easy answers

— Kate Russell tackles broader issues of our day, the headlines and stories that so often pop up in the news. Is that 17-yearold who sleeps with her 25-year-old gym teacher entirely innocent? Is that aspiring young actress who has sex with a director to win a starring role in a movie truly a victim? And what of the woman who waits decades before coming forward to lodge accusations of sexual molestation against a powerful man?

Of all these questions, however, one answer does become clear as we read My Dark Vanessa: Strane does not truly love Vanessa.

Had he done so, a man of his years and in his profession would have acted as the brake on this romance, would have beaten down his impulses, would have kept Vanessa at arm’s length. He knows the possible damage their romance may do to her and tells her as much. And even if we can sympathize, if we can see that passion may sometimes smash into us as powerful and irresistible as a storm — “The heart has its reasons which reason cannot know� — had Strane truly loved Vanessa, he would have pursued her once she was of age, given up his teaching post and putting his heart ahead of his career.

Russell dedicates her book “For the reallife Dolores Hazes and Vanessa Wyes who stories have not yet been heard, believed, or understood.� My Dark Vanessa offers readers a giant step forward in understanding the Vanessa Wyes of the world.

(Jeff Minick is a writer and a teacher.

Minick0301@gmail.com)

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Outdoors

Smoky Mountain News

Final decision reached on Buck Project

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER he U.S. Forest Service has signed the final decision notice for the Buck Project, which will encompass more than 32 square miles on the Nantahala National Forest’s Tusquitee Ranger District in eastern Clay County.

The project will use commercial timber sales toward the goal of providing young forest habitat and producing more oak and hickory trees over time. It will also use prescribed burning to promote the unique Serpentine Barrens and aim to improve water resource conditions through stream improvement projects.

A draft decision and finding of no significant impact released in August 2019 drew three formal objections, submitted by Ruffed Grouse Society member Jim Gray, the Clay County commissioners and the Southern Environmental Law Center on behalf of MountainTrue, The Wilderness Society, Defenders of Wildlife, Sierra Club and Appalachian Voices.

Gray’s objection stated that the preferred alternative would not include enough timbering to sufficiently improve habitat for species that depend on early successional habitat, particularly ruffed grouse. The bird’s population is not stable, Gray wrote, and is in fact declining in the state. The proposed 845 acres of young forest habitat that the plan would create in the 20,638-acre area is “totally inadequate” to address the grouse’s habitat needs, he said.

The Clay County commissioners wrote that the plan would not include enough clear cutting to create sufficient food for wildlife, opportunity for indigenous plant species or

T

This stand on Chunky Gal Mountain is scheduled for harvest under the Buck Project decision, but groups represented by the Southern Environmental Law Center that like to see it added to the Southern Nantahala Wilderness fear logging would imperil that goal. MountainTrue photo jobs for Clay County residents who rely on the timber industry economically.

“Old growth does not provide food for wildlife,” wrote Chairman Robert Peck on behalf of the board. “Only certain clear cuts as well as select cuts will allow sprouts to grow and provide the necessary food for various habitats. Making roads throughout is vital for preventing forest fire as well as fighting forest fires.”

The SELC criticized the draft decision for

The yellow serpentine ragwort is found only in the Serpentine Barrens. The U.S. Forest Service believes that treatments in the Buck Project will benefit its populations. USFS/Gary Kauffman photo

an opposite set of reasons, in a 56-page objection stating the old growth forest is essential wildlife habitat and that road construction would result in adverse impacts for years to come. The group also said that additional analysis was needed before a viable plan could be created.

“Since the inception of this project, we have expressed deep concerns about the intensity of logging proposed in a unique and ecologically complex part of the Nantahala National Forest,” the objection reads. “Against the backdrop of a decades-old forest plan, rooted in an analysis that has grown stale, we noted the agency had a choice: it could avoid the impacts that were either not considered in the prior forest plan or for which the analysis has become outdated, or it could do the work to consider those impacts, both direct and cumulative, at the project level. The Forest Service takes an untenable path by deciding to log across a sensitive project landscape without analyzing those impacts.”

In November, an objections resolution meeting was held.

“The final decision incorporates changes resulting from the meeting including: identifying logging methods, committing to decommissioning all temporary roads at the completion of the project, and implementing practices to minimize the spread of invasive species,” reads a press release from the Forest Service. “Additional detail on the impacts to wilderness characteristics in the Boteler and Chunky Gal areas is included.

Implementation within three units that may

be in an area recommended for wilderness in the revised forest plan will wait until the forest plan decision is signed to determine how to proceed.”

Both Gray and Peck said that they support the final decision.

“In general, we fully support the USFS and the Buck Creek Project,” said Peck. “We believe in partnering to make our forests environmentally sustainable, while allowing for a continued source of recreation and aesthetic beauty for future generations. We want to ensure a healthy ecosystem for the entire wildlife habitat.”

Gray said that he accepts the decision as “the best outcome that could be achieved under the circumstances” but would have liked to see more logging than the 795 acres in the final decision, as additional young forest habitat is needed.

“Wildlife, which benefit from the regrowth of the forest after a timber harvest, has not received enough attention in forest management over the past 20-plus years,” said Gray.

“The Buck Project is a step in the right direction.”

However, the SELC decried the decision in a statement titled “Decision to log forest ignores public input and science, threatens trout streams.” On behalf of the five groups it represented, SELC characterized the action as a decision to “charge ahead with irresponsible plans” to log areas that contain headwaters and steep backcountry areas and said that it “invites unnecessary conflict during the ongoing forest plan revision for

F

Smoky Mountain News

Center. A draft environmental assessment was released for a 30-day notice and comment period on April 10, 2019. A draft decision notice was released on Aug. 14, 2019, initiating a 45-day objection period.

Work in the project area could begin in late 2020 and will continue for five to seven years.

“The ultimate goal of the Buck Project and all our work on the district is a healthy, diverse forest that sustains wildlife. It takes continued commitment from state agencies, conservation and environmental organizations, and the public to get there,” said Tusquitee District Ranger Andy Gaston. “As we finalize the decision on this project, we’re already engaging the public and partners on ideas for future work.”

Nearly 70 percent of the trees in the project area are more than 81 years old.

Across the Nantahala and Pisgah National Forests, the trend toward older trees is increasing such that in 50 years nearly half of the forest will be comprised of trees older than 130 years, according to the Forest Service. Only 0.5 percent of the project area is young forest, defined as trees up to 10 years old.

The Buck Project will leave 96 percent of the 20,638-acre area untouched, and it will not use clear cutting. Instead it will use a forestry treatment called “shelterwood with reserves” that leaves some large trees behind. In 30 separate stands over an area of 795 acres, most large trees will be cut to make room for young trees to grow. The average size of each harvest treatment is 26 acres.

Removing patches of older trees gives young trees access to sunlight and water, allowing them to sprout and grow and creating openings for herbaceous plants that can support other species as well.

The Buck Project includes 17 stream improvement treatments to restore stream habitat quality and connectivity and reduce sediment to streams. Additional treatments include thinning and prescribed burning to improve ecological conditions in fire-dependent plant communities like the serpentine barrens.

More information, including the objections received, is available at go.usa.gov/xV3Ew.

June 17-23, 2020

the Nantahala National Forest.”

“This decision ignores public input and support for an alternative proposal that eliminated the riskiest logging and protected clear-running and popular trout streams and old, biologically rich forests,” said Amelia Burnette, a senior attorney with the Southern Environmental Law Center.

“The agency fell short of its obligation to consider harmful impacts of its logging plan and disclose them to the public.”

The statement said that of the 670 comments that the USFS received regarding the project, over 90 percent favored less or no logging, and that the project is likely to do more to harm populations of the imperiled golden-winged warbler than to help it as intended. In particular, the SELC objected to logging in the backcountry of Chunky Gal Mountain due to the roads that would have to be cut through the remote area, which the groups represented by the SELC would like to see designated as wilderness.

“We oppose logging parts of the forests that are eligible for wilderness protection under the agency’s own regulations,” said Hugh Irwin, conservation planner with The Wilderness Society. “By committing these backcountry wilderness areas to a future timber sale before adequately considering public feedback on how these areas would be managed in a new forest plan, the agency seals their fate, and diminishes the role of the American public in shaping the future of these forests.”

Josh Kelly of MountainTrue added in an email that he believed the protracted planning process squandered resources that could have been used more constructively.

“The decision to push the Buck Project into controversial areas slowed the project down by at least 18 months by my reckoning, and that’s 18 months that could have been used to move another project along,” said Kelly. “The strategy the Forest Service chose will not only damage some places that don’t need to be logged, but it is also damaging relationships and wasting money.”

The project was first introduced to the public in 2017 through the National Forests in North Carolina website, by mail, and at a public meeting at the Hinton Rural Life

outdoors

A $464,000 grant from the U.S. Forest Service’s Community Forest Program will support the Foothills Conservancy of North Carolina’s ongoing Oak Hill Community Park and Forest Project, located near downtown Morganton in Burke County.

On Jan. 28, the conservancy purchased the first half of the property — 330 acres — with funds from private individuals, small businesses, churches and foundation grants. The partial acquisition afforded the conservancy a six-month extension to raise the funding needed to purchase the remaining 321 acres. With this grant from the Community Forest Program, the conser-

vancy still must raise $440,000 by the end of September 2020 to purchase the remaining half.

The community park and forest, totaling 651 acres when complete, will eventually host public trails for walking, running and biking. The conservancy also envisions facilitating on-site environmental education programs in the near future and, with help from partners, will implement land restoration to improve forest health and enhance native terrestrial and aquatic habitat. Because the vast property could hold clues to historic Native American settlements and ways of life, a public archeology program will be explored in conjunction with Warren Wilson College and the Joara Foundation.

Additionally, fertile agricultural fields along Canoe Creek offer opportunities for a community agriculture program.

Grant bolsters Burke County park project

23

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The Foothills Conservancy bought the property with the intent to transfer it to the N.C. Wildlife Resources

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Get the scoop on Southern Appalachian forests Join MountainTrue for an online talk titled “Forest Communities of the Southern Appalachians,” 11:30 a.m. to noon Wednesday, June 24.

Public Lands Director and Ecologist Bob Gale will walk participants through the many different types of forests found in these mountains, explain the factors that determine where each type can be found and what species are unique to different types.

Find out more at mountaintrue.org/event/mountaintrue-university-forest-communities.

Smoky Mountain News

N.C. climate plan released After 11 months of stakeholder engagement and collaborative work, the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality has submitted the N.C. Climate Risk Assessment and Resilience Plan to Gov. Roy Cooper.

The plan was required by Cooper’s Executive Order 80 and is the state’s most comprehensive effort to date. Based on science and stake-

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river frontage, on both sides, less than one mile upstream from the river’s confluence with Lake James.

Because the North Fork Catawba is a known sediment input for Lake

James, protecting this land from future development also enhances aquatic habitat in the lake by decreasing sedimentation.

Previous landowners and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, residents Dave Majka and Connie Eads bought the property about 15 years ago. Not long after purchasing the land, they learned about Foothills Conservancy and signed up as supporters of the land trust to learn more about conservation efforts in Western North Carolina.

The two are no strangers to land trust work, as Connie recently retired from her position as chief financial officer for the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy.

“We originally thought this land would be a great candidate for a place to retire,” said Majka. “But when we decided to look at alternatives for the property, we knew conservation through Foothills Conservancy was the best solution. We would have hated to see someone develop it, and it is just too beautiful to keep to ourselves.”

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holder input, it aims to address North Carolina’s vulnerability to climate change.

“Climate change impacts the health, safety and financial stability of North Carolinians, and we must take it head-on. A resilient North Carolina is a stronger and more competitive North Carolina,” said Cooper.

This plan is a framework to guide state action, engage policy-makers and stakeholders, facilitate collaboration across the state, focus the state’s attention on climate resilience actions and address underlying stres-

sors such as the changing climate, aging infrastructure, socio-economic disparities and competing development priorities.

The plan includes information on projected change in the climate, climate justice impacts, state infrastructure, assets, programs and services that are vulnerable to climate and non-climate stressors, current actions and recommendations for naturebased solutions to enhance ecosystem resiliency and sequester carbon.

The plan is available at www.deq.nc.gov/ncresilienceplan.

Learn to fly fish Due to popular demand, an additional beginning fly fishing course is available in July, offered through Haywood County Parks and Recreation.

The course will be held 1 to 3 p.m. Fridays, July 10, 17 and 24, below the dam at Lake Junaluska, with a Saturday, July 18, session at the West Fork of the Pigeon River.

The course will cover casting, fly tying, reading the water and more, led by experienced angler Tommy Thomas. No fishing license is required and loaner rods are available.

Free. Register at 828.452.6789 or ian.smith@haywoodcountync.gov.

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Puzzles can be found on page 30 These are only the answers.

Parkway reopens facilities Several previously closed facilities along the Blue Ridge Parkway reopened June 13.

In Western North Carolina, these include: Mt. Pisgah Picnic Area, Craggy Gardens Visitor Center, Linville Falls Visitor Center and restrooms at Graveyard Fields Trailhead, Folk Art Center and Waterrock Knob Visitor Center.

Additional North Carolina openings include: picnic areas at Price Park, Jeffress

Wildlife photo contest open The Wildlife in North Carolina Photo Competition is now open, accepting entries until 5 p.m. Sept. 1.

Sponsored by the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, the contest is open to amateur and professional photographers of all ages, except employees of the Wildlife Commission, the N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences and their immediate families. Entrants must subscribe to the Wildlife in N.C. Magazine or be younger than 18.

Photographs taken since Sept. 15, 2016 are eligible. Categories are birds, invertebrates, mammals, reptiles and amphibians, animal

Parkway visitors generated $1.1 billion in 2019, report finds A new report from the National Park Service shows that the Blue Ridge Parkway’s 14.9 million 2019 visitors spent $1.1 billion in communities near the park, supporting 16,341 jobs with a cumulative $1.4 billion benefit to the local economy.

Economists Catherine Cullinane Thomas of the U.S. Geological Survey and Lynne Koontz of the National Park Service conducted the peer-reviewed spending analysis. Nationwide, it shows that 327 million park visitors spent $21 billion in com-

Park, Doughton Park and Cumberland Knob, and restrooms at Price Lake boat Launch, Bass Lake Comfort Station and Moses Cone Carriage Barn.

Openings in Virginia are: picnic areas at Humpback Rocks, James River and Peaks of Otter and restrooms at Mabry Mill, Peaks of Otter, James River and Humpback Rocks.

Campgrounds and visitor centers remain closed, as do select picnic areas. behavior, outdoor recreation, wild landscapes, wild plants and fungi, and youth categories in age divisions 13 to 17 and 12 and under.

Photos of captive native animals are allowed but not photos of captive, non-native animals. Photos of domestic animals participating in an outdoor activity with people are acceptable.

A panel of professional photographers and staff from the Wildlife Commission and Museum of Natural Sciences will judge the entries. In each category, first prize is $100, second is $75 and third is $50. The grandprize winner receives $200 and his or her photo on the cover of the January/February 2021 issue of the magazine.

Submit entries online at www.ncwildlife.org/contest.

munities within 60 miles of a national park, supporting 340,500 jobs, of which 278,000 are found in gateway communities. The cumulative benefit to the U.S. economy was $41.7 billion.

Lodging expenses account for the largest share of visitor spending, about $7.1 billion in 2019. The restaurant sector had the next greatest effect with $4.2 billion in economic output. Motor vehicle fuel expenditures were $2.16 billion with retail spending at $1.93 billion. This supported 58,000 lodging jobs, 61,000 restaurant jobs, 28,000 recreation jobs and 20,000 retail jobs.

For an interactive tool that allows users to explore the data, visit www.nps.gov/subjects/socialscience/vse.htm.

WNC Calendar PLEASE CHECK WITH ORGANIZERS TO ENSURE EVENTS HAVE NOT BEEN CANCELED BEFORE TRAVELING TO AN EVENT LISTED BELOW.

COMMUNITY EVENTS

n All phone numbers area code 828 unless otherwise noted. n To have your item listed email to calendar@smokymountainnews.com

• The regular Jackson County NAACP meeting will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday, June 20, online. The program topic is "The Movement for Black Lives in WNC: What Next?" Email jcnaacp54ab@gmail.com to receive instructions to join online. The public is welcome.

es to support business growth at Fontana Regional Library’s locations in Macon, Jackson and Swain Counties. Computer classes and one-on-one assistance available. 586.2016 or www.fontanalib.org.

• A Red Cross Blood Drive will be held from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday, June 22 in the Community Room of the Jackson County Public Library in downtown Sylva. All Red Cross staff will wear masks, and all donors will be required to do the same. To make an appointment or for questions about eligibility, go to RedCrossBlood.org and select 28779 as the location zip code, or call 800.733.2767.

• The historic Shelton House in Waynesville is currently in need of volunteers for an array of upcoming events. Alongside help for events and gatherings, the organization is also seeking a docent, gift shop attendee, data entry person, landscaper, handyperson, and other positions.

• QuickDraw, a local art initiative that funds art programs in WNC schools, has jumped online to raise funds online from June 7-30. With the spring physical event cancelled due to COVID-19, volunteers organized an online art sale and auction to replace the in-place fundraiser. QuickDraw’s online auction opens to the public at midnight on June 7 and offers art at auction and a gallery of pre-priced easy-to-ship art. The online auction and art sale can be accessed at https://wncquick-draw.myshopify.com/. For more information, visit QuickDrawofWNC.com or call 828.734.5747.

• Bardo Arts Center has a new webpage dedicated to virtual opportunities at arts.wcu.edu/virtual. Highlights include a series of Thursday lunchtime webinar presentations, which will be streamed on Facebook and YouTube, as well as through the arts.wcu.edu/virtual website. The Thursday webinar series opens with a theatrical talkback, followed by three webinars related to WCU Fine Art Museum exhibitions.

• Moe Davis, the Democratic nominee for Congress in the 11th District, will be hosting a series of "Moe Talks" Facebook Live virtual town halls. There will be two events to be held at the same time each week: from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. Mondays and from 7 to 8 p.m.

Thursdays. Topics will change week to week. Viewers can submit questions in advance to the @MoeDavisforCongress Facebook Page.

BUSINESS & EDUCATION • The Small Business Centers at Southwestern Community College and Haywood Community College are now offering expanded business services to local small business owners affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Reboot, Recover, Rebuild or R3 Program for Small Business will offer expanded counseling opportunities in more than 40 different categories. Interested businesses are encouraged to apply for the program in advance by visiting southwesterncc.edu/sbc. If you have questions, email Henry at t_henry@southwesterncc.edu.

• Western Carolina University’s Office of Professional Growth and Enrichment will be offering a four-week online introduction to Cherokee language course, entitled, “Cherokee 101 – Online,” July 6-31. Registration fee is $129. EBCI members and Veterans of the US Armed Forces may register for $89. For more information and to register, visit http://learn.wcu.edu/language.

• Southwestern Community College Small Business Center will host a virtual town hall meeting called “Pandemic Marketing” from 2 to 3:30 p.m. June 3.

Register at https://bit.ly/townhall0603 to watch free live webinar.

• Small business owners can find materials and servic-

VOLUNTEERS & VENDORS

• Haywood Vocational Opportunities is seeking donations of goods, services, time and support for the second annual “HVO Stans Up to PTSD Veteran Community Resource, Education and Job Fair,” which will be held on June 27. 454.6857.

• Feline Urgent Rescue is seeking volunteers and sponsors. Info: 422.2704, www.furofwnc.org, www.facebook.com/furofwnc or 844.888.CATS (2287).

• Cat adoption hours are from noon-5 p.m. on Fridays and noon-4 p.m. on Saturdays at 453 Jones Cove Road in Clyde. Adoption fee: $10 for cats one-year and older.

Check out available cats at www.petharbor.com.

452.1329 or 550.3662.

Senior Companion volunteers are being sought to serve with the Land of the Sky Senior Companion Program in Henderson, Buncombe, Transylvania and Madison Counties. Serve older adults who want to remain living independently at home in those counties.

• Great Smoky Mountains National Park is seeking volunteers to assist rangers with managing traffic and establishing safe wildlife viewing areas within the Cataloochee Valley area. To register for training or get more info: Kathleen_stuart@nps.gov or 497.1914.

• Haywood Regional Medical Center is seeking volunteers of all ages for ongoing support at the hospital, outpatient care center and the Homestead. For info and to apply: 452.8301, stop by the information desk in the lobby or volunteer@haymed.org. Anyone interested in becoming a hospice volunteer can call 452.5039.

• STAR Rescue Ranch is seeking volunteers to help with horse care, fundraising events, barn maintenance and more at the only equine rescue in Haywood County.

828.400.4940.

• Volunteer opportunities are available throughout the region, call John at the Haywood Jackson Volunteer Center and get started sharing your talents. 356.2833.

• Phone Assurance Volunteers are needed to make daily or weekly wellness check-in calls for the Haywood County Senior Resource Center. 356.2800.

KIDS & FAMILIES • The Kathryn Byer Memorial Poetry Contest celebrates our mountains and our connection to them in our everyday lives. It is open to all Jackson County students, K12. The poets are divided into three categories: K-4th grade, 5th-8th grade, and 9-12th. Three winners, in addition to Honorable Mentions, will be chosen in each category. Poems should be no longer than 40 lines, but can be much shorter, of course. Poems should be submitted to City Lights Bookstore in Sylva, either in person, mail or by email to more@citylightsnc.com by April 10. Please include “Poetry Contest” in the subject line.

Smoky Mountain News

The winners in each category will receive gift certificates to City Lights Bookstore and will be invited to read at Greening up the Mountains at 3 p.m. April 25 at City Lights Bookstore. Winners will be announced by April 20. 586.9499.

• The Sylva Art + Design Committee is pleased to announce a unique pop-up gallery event that will feature the artistic creations of children ages 5-18 in the Western North Carolina region. “Nature Through A Child’s Eye” will be held from 2 to 5 p.m. Saturday, April 4, at Viva Arts Studio in downtown Sylva. If you have a child that you think may want to be a participant ages of 5-18 apply by emailing sylvaartdesign@gmail.com or vivaartsstudio@gmail.com. Facebook at www.facebook.com/sylvapublicart or on Instagram @sylvaarts. All submissions will be available for purchase and can be picked up after the completion of the exhibition. All money raised will be equally distributed between SADC and the Sylva Community Garden in order to further the betterment of the community through arts, education, and environmental awareness.

• Registration is underway for the Challenger International Soccer Camp, which will be offered to ages 3-14 from July 20-24 at the Waynesville Recreation Center. Costs vary based on age group from $90-197. Separate goalkeeper and scorer program is $25 for ages 6-14 from 9-11 a.m. on Saturday.

Register: challengersports.com. Info: 456.2030 or dhummel@waynesvillenc.gov.

• Waynesville Art School offers the Young Artist Program in the afternoons for 5-6 year old, 7-8 year old, 9-12 year old. Intro to Printmaking and Evening studies in arts is offered for 13-19 year old. Waynesville Art School is located at 303 N. Haywood Street. Info: 246.9869, info@waynesvilleartschool.com or visit WaynesvilleArtSchool.com for schedule and to register.

• Mountain Wildlife offers wildlife education programs for schools and organizations in Western North Carolina, free of charge. If you are interested in having them visit your group contact them at blackbears66@gmail.com, 743.9648 or visit the website at www.mountainwildlifedays.com.

Ongoing HEALTH MATTERS • Free dental clinic for low-income patients, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays by appointment at Blue Ridge Mountains Health Project Dental Clinic on the upper level of Laurel Terrace in Cashiers. 743.3393.

• The Community Care Clinic of Highlands-Cashiers, 5 to 9 p.m. Thursdays, provides free care to uninsured patients who meet financial need requirements and live or work in Highlands and Cashiers. $10 donation suggested. The clinic is in the Macon County Recreation and Health Building off Buck Creek Road. 526.1991.

27

Visit www.smokymountainnews.com and click on Calendar for: n n n n

Complete listings of local music scene Regional festivals Art gallery events and openings Complete listings of recreational offerings at health and fitness centers n Civic and social club gatherings

VOLUNTEERING • The Haywood County Meals on Wheels program has route openings for volunteer drivers. Substitute drivers also needed.

• P.A.W.S. Adoption Days first Saturday of each month from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the front lawn at Charleston Station, Bryson City.

• The Community Kitchen in Canton is in need of volunteers. Opportunities range from planning a meal updating their webpage. 648.0014.

• Big Brothers Big Sisters of Haywood County is now accepting applications for boys and girls within the Haywood County area between the ages of 6 and 14 who could benefit from an approved adult mentor/role model. No cost to the family. 356.2148.

• Gathering Table, 5 to 7 p.m. Thursdays, at The Community Center, Route 64, Cashiers. Provides fresh, nutritious dinners to all members of the community regardless of ability to pay. Volunteers always needed and donations gratefully accepted. 743.9880.

• The Haywood Jackson Volunteer Center has many new openings for volunteers. Learn about a wide-range of volunteer opportunities with a variety of non-profit agencies, including respite work, domestic violence hotline volunteers, meal delivery drivers, court mediators, Habitat for Humanity house building, foster grandparenting, charity thrift shops, the Elk Bugle Corps for the Great Smokies National Park and many more. 356.2833.

• Community Care Clinic of Franklin needs volunteers for a variety of tasks including nursing/clinical, clerical and administrative and communications and marketing. 349.2085.

• Catman2 Shelter in Jackson County needs volunteers for morning feeding and general shelter chores.

293.0892 or hsims@catman2.org.

• The Volunteer Water Inventory Network (VWIN) is looking for people to work one to two hours a month taking water samples from local creeks and streams. Fill up empty bottles, collect water samples, and return full bottles. 926.1308 or www.haywoodwaterways.org.

• The Haywood County Historical and Genealogical Society maintains a museum located in the historical courthouse in room 308. The HCHGS is seeking articles and objects of historical value to Haywood County that anyone would like to share. 456.3923.

• REACH of Haywood County is looking for volunteers who would like to assist in its newly expanded resale store. 456 Hazelwood Avenue. 456.7898.

Market WNC PLACE

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Visit www.wncmarketplace.com to place your ad!

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and Art; Elementary Education; and Instructional Technology. Must be eligiEOH IRU VWDWH FHUWLÂżFDWLRQ Contact Paige Crewe, pcrewe@gcps1.com or 434-634-3748, or visit our website at www.gcps1. com for more information.

CMA POSITION AVAILABLE PHYSICIAN OFFICE Full WLPH &HUWLÂżHG 0HGLFDO Assistant position available in Western North Carolina. Three years experience preferred.

M-F, 8-5. Competitive salary with excellent FRUSRUDWH EHQHÂżWV Please email resume to: resumes@ioa.com FTCC - Fayetteville Technical Community College is now accepting applications for the following position: Success Coach.

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Employment

BANKRUPTCY COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE AUCTION In Surry Co., NC, Online Only, Begins Closing: 6/25 at 2pm, Visit our website for details, maps and inspections, ironhorseauction. com, 800.997.2248,

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28

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June 17-23, 2020

WNC MarketPlace

to apply, please visit our employment portal at: faytechcc.peopleadmin. com/. Human Resources 2I¿FH 3KRQH

7342 Internet: www.faytechcc.edu.

THE JACKSON COUNTY DEPARTMENT Of Social Services is recruiting for a Processing Assistant III. Duties will include scanning, UHFHSWLRQ ¿OLQJ copying, receiving and providing information to the public and other related clerical tasks.

7KH PRVW VLJQL¿FDQW duty of this position is VFDQQLQJ ¿OHV 7KH applicant must pay attention to detail, be thorough, work independently and have the ability to communicate effectively in person and by telephone, have a general knowledge RI RI¿FH SURFHGXUHV have the ability to learn and apply a variety of guidelines, and be able to communicate with people with courtesy and tact. Applicants must have completed high school and have at least one year of clerical experience or an equivalent combination of training and experience. The starting salary is $25,340.22. Applicants should complete a NC State PD-107 application form and submit it to the Jackson County Department of Social 6HUYLFHV *ULI¿Q Street, Sylva, NC 28779 or the NCWorks Career Center by June 19, 2020.

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828.

243.1126 MOUNTAIN REALTY

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828-564-9393

Beverly Hanks & Associates- beverly-hanks.com • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Ann Eavenson - anneavenson@beverly-hanks.com Billie Green - bgreen@beverly-hanks.com Michelle McElroy- michellemcelroy@beverly-hanks.com Steve Mauldin - smauldin@beverly-hanks.com Brian K. Noland - brianknoland.com Anne Page - apage@beverly-hanks.com Brooke Parrott - bparrott@beverly-hanks.com Jerry Powell - jpowell@beverly-hanks.com Catherine Proben - cproben@beverly-hanks.com Ellen Sither - ellensither@beverly-hanks.com Mike Stamey - mikestamey@beverly-hanks.com Karen Hollingsed- khollingsed@beverly-hanks.com Billy Case- billycase@beverly-hanks.com Laura Thomas - lthomas@beverly-hanks.com John Keith - jkeith@beverly-hanks.com Randall Rogers - rrogers@beverly-hanks.com Susan Hooper - shooper@beverly-hanks.com Hunter Wyman - hwyman@beverly-hanks.com

ERA Sunburst Realty - sunburstrealty.com • Amy Spivey - amyspivey.com • Rick Border - sunburstrealty.com Jerry Lee Mountain Realty Jerry Lee Hatley- jerryhatley@bellsouth.net

Keller Williams Realty - kellerwilliamswaynesville.com • The Morris Team - www.themorristeamnc.com • Julie Lapkoff - julielapkoff@kw.com

Lakeshore Realty

• Phyllis Robinson - lakeshore@lakejunaluska.com

Log & Frame Homes - 828-734-9323 Mountain Dreams Realty- maggievalleyhomesales.com

ORANGE TABBY CAT, MCGEE ~4 year old ER\ VK\ DW ¿UVW DFWXDOO\ friendly and likes to be petted. Prefers a calm, predictable household.

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Mountain Home Properties- mountaindream.com • Cindy Dubose - cdubose@mountaindream.com McGovern Real Estate & Property Management • Bruce McGovern - shamrock13.com

Nest Realty • Madelyn Niemeyer - Madelyn.niemeyer@nestrealty.com

RE/MAX Executive - remax-waynesvillenc.com

Real Estate Announcements

www.wncmarketplace.com

• Carolyn Lauter - carolyn@bhgheritage.com

• George Escaravage - george@IJBProperties.com

Pets

PUBLISHER’S NOTICE All real estate advertising in this newspaper is subject to the Fair Housing Act which makes it illegal to advertise ‘any preference, limitation or discrimination based on

Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate- Heritage

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Haywood Co. Real Estate Agents

Brian Noland RESIDENTIAL & COMMERCIAL PROFESSIONAL

bknoland@beverly-hanks.com

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74 North Main Street Waynesville, NC 28786

828.452.5809

remax-maggievalleync.com Holly Fletcher - holly@hollyfletchernc.com The Real Team - TheRealTeamNC.com Ron Breese - ronbreese.com Landen Stevenson- landen@landenkstevenson.com Dan Womack - womackdan@aol.com Mary & Roger Hansen - mwhansen@charter.net David Rogers - davidr@remax-waynesvillenc.com Juli Rogers - julimeaserogers@gmail.com Rob Roland Realty - robrolandrealty.com

• • • • • • • •

• Rob Roland - rroland33@gmail.com

The Smoky Mountain Retreat at Eagles Nest • Tom Johnson - tomsj7@gmail.com • Sherell Johnson - sherellwj@aol.com

WNC Real Estate Store • Melanie Hoffman - mhoffmanrealestate@gmail.com • Thomas Hoffman - thoffman1@me.com

TO ADVERTISE IN THE NEXT ISSUE 828.452.4251 | ads@smokymountainnews.com

June 17-23, 2020

WNC MarketPlace

29

SUPER

CROSSWORD

"HOW ABOUT HAT!" ACROSS 1 Big appliance brand 6 Bursting, as a balloon 13 Houdini feat 19 Only 21 New York senator Chuck 22 Sudden floods 23 Device used in saltwater aquariums 25 Spanish conquistador Hernando 26 Filter slowly 27 Cagney or Lacey: Abbr.

28 Seed case 29 Tennis' Navratilova 30 Took a 46-Across, e.g.

32 "For Me and My Gal" director 35 Marine ink squirters 38 Welsh dog 39 Tic-tac-toe row 40 Some Web site banners 41 Person paid for getting strikes 46 Airport idler 47 Apian abode 48 Try to get 49 Online party summonses 53 Madonna musical 55 The Once- - ("The Lorax" character) 56 Gradually slowing, in music: Abbr.

58 Legislate 59 Cozy room 60 Florida school near Daytona Beach 66 Dimple locale 67 Like Capp's Abner 68 Parable, e.g.

69 76 79 80 81 82 84 86 89 91 92 96 99 100 101 102 106 107 108 109 110 114 115

119 120 121 122 123 124

1977 pact signed by Carter and Torrijos Son of George Bush Painstaking, for short Academic e-mail suffix Tirana's nation: Abbr.

Brain holder Hedy of film Just - on the map Diminutive suffix for "part" Mrs. Victor Laszlo, in film Collectible Happy Meal miniatures Nine-digit ID issuer Vienna's land: Abbr.

Made a boat move Most twisted, as humor Annual May race Stimulate Artist Renoir Gold, in Italy With 50-Down, rum cocktail Hits with high voltage Small cavern Exceeds limits (or what each of this puzzle's theme items does?)

Word before snake or belt Like the jack of hearts In a creepy way Wood dyes Sheets and pillowcases sold as units Rob of "90210"

DOWN 1 Some snakes 2 Further 3 Healing plant

4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 20 24 29 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 42 43 44 45 50 51 52 54 57 61 62

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Spotted, musky cat Hush Swiss capital Brothers Phil and Don of pop/rock Wash cycle See 109-Across Outer: Prefix Hogs' place Actor Shawn of "X-Men" films Stand for an idiot box Hollywood's Carrere Ending for pay or Motor

63 64 65 66 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 83 85 87 88 90 93 94 95 96 97 98 103 104 105 106 109 111 112 113 115 116 117 118

Not any Last: Abbr.

Have brunch Gem weight Jim Bakker's old ministry, familiarly Finder's cry - de plume Fresh as Naked Early blues singer Ma Spanish national hero Singer Andrews "That's someone problem!"

Explosion Unwelcome advice givers Atomic piles Certain wind insert Flowers named for their scent "Charlotte's Web" author H-bomb, e.g.

Wall St. manipulator Add up to Singer Ricky Painter Georges Mohair goat - -frutti St. Paul-to-Fargo hwy.

Lorna - cookies Huge battle What docs prescribe Quarreling Magnet end 1974 CIA spoof movie Hunk "- of little faith!"

Critter doc "- -haw!"

ANSWERS ON PAGE 26

race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status or national origin, or an intention to make any such preference, limitation or discrimination’. Familial status includes children under 18 living with parents or legal guardians and pregnant women.

This newspaper will not knowingly accept any advertising for real estate in violation of this law. All dwellings advertised on equal opportunity basis.

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30

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June 17-23, 2020

WNC MarketPlace

Dragging Canoe was Cherokee’s greatest military leader Editor’s note: This George Ellison column first appeared in a June 2003 edition of The Smoky Mountain News.

H

George Ellison

istorian E. Raymond Adams has maintained that the warrior with the curious name of Dragging Canoe was “the greatest military leader ever produced by the Cherokee people.” A review of Dragging Canoe’s military career doesn’t reveal many great victories that he led, but it does indicate that he was a clever and resourceful military leader who was able to sustain significant Columnist “dark and bloody” opposition to white settlement for many years.

Born about 1740 in one of the Overhill Towns in east Tennessee, Dragging Canoe was the son of the Attakullakulla, perhaps the greatest diplomat ever produced by the Cherokees. Denied permission by his father to participate in a war party against the Shawnees, the youth hid in an overturned canoe where he knew a portage by the party had to take place. Impressed by his tenacity, Attakullakulla gave him permission to go

BACK THEN on the war party if he could carry the canoe over the portage. Unable to lift the heavy vessel, he began dragging it along the portage. The cheering warriors began to chant “tsi-yu gansi-ni!” which means, “He is dragging the canoe!” From that time, he was known as Dragging Canoe.

In time, Dragging Canoe became the leader of a small band of warriors known as the Chickamaugas, a diverse group who resisted white settlement in Tennessee for almost 20 years. Shortly before the outbreak of the American Revolution in the spring of 1775, Richard Henderson signed the Treaty of Sycamore Shoals with the Cherokees led by Attakullakulla. This privately negotiated treaty ceded central Kentucky and northern Middle Tennessee to Henderson. The enraged Dragging Canoe correctly advised the whites that, “You have bought a fair land, but there is a black cloud hanging over it. You will find its settlement dark and bloody.”

Dragging Canoe concluded that the opening of the war provided an opportunity to strike the remote white settlements. He planned a three-pronged attack: one contingent struck the Watauga and Nolichucky settlements; another struck Carter’s Valley; and Dragging Canoe himself led the battle

at Island Flats, where he was wounded. The settlers suffered heavy losses but the arrival of reinforcements proved too much for the Cherokees.

The most anti-white Cherokees, led by Dragging Canoe, began calling themselves Chickamaugas after the “river of death.” By this time the Chickamaugas, who had started out as dissatisfied Overhill Cherokees, included many Creeks, Shawnee, French “boatmen,” some blacks, and several Scots traders. The Shawnee warrior Cheesekau and his younger brother, Tecumseh, who himself would later lead anti-white uprisings, also lived with them.

In 1779, the British provided the Chickamaugas with supplies as preparation for a major raid on the east Tennessee settlements. However, Evan Shelby and 900 Virginia and North Carolina troops descended the Tennessee River and surprised the Chickamaugas. The whites burned the villages and seized the supplies.

Shortly thereafter, Dragging Canoe moved the group to the more defensible sites at Running Water and Nickajack in Tennessee, Lookout Mountain in Georgia, and Long Island and Crowtown in Alabama.

At that time Dragging Canoe made a speech to a group of visiting Shawnees that was in reality designed to rally the spirits of his own warriors: “Our nation was sur-

rounded by them [the white settlers]. They were numerous and their hatchets were sharp; and after we had lost some of our best warriors, we were forced to leave our towns and corn to be burnt by them, and now we live in the grass as you see us. But we are not yet conquered.”

True to his word, Dragging Canoe led the Chickamaugas in a strike at the Cumberland settlements in middle Tennessee and destroyed Mansker's Station in 1779. In April 1780, they attacked Fort Nashborough (Nashville) but lost the battle of the Bluffs.

In December 1780, they lost 80 men to forces under John Sevier at Boyd’s Creek near the Little Tennessee River.

Throughout the 1780s, the Chickamaugas kept the Cumberland settlements in turmoil. Travelers between east and middle Tennessee were forced to travel north via the Wilderness Trail. And even there, some 100 white deaths occurred.

On Feb. 29, 1792, the day after a victory celebration, Dragging Canoe died suddenly.

The leadership of the renegade opposition group was passed to Young Tassel. The Chickamaugan movement initiated by Dragging Canoe did not finally end until Andrew Jackson's victories over the Red Stick Creeks in the 1813-14 Alabama campaign.

(George Ellison is a writer and naturalist who lives in Bryson City. info@georgeellison.com.)

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Smoky Mountain News June 17-23, 2020