Smoky Mountain News | June 23, 2021

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June 23-29, 2021 Vol. 23 Iss. 04

Contractors still unpaid in Zimmer development Page 8 Milestone moment for broadband in Haywood Page 13

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Smoky Mountain News June 23-29, 2021

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CONTENTS news

On the Cover: Students in Jackson County got hands-on with their food this week during the grant-funded Farm to Summer program. A Mason jar rainbow salad demonstration allowed the students to learn more about fresh vegetables and nutrition. (Page 6) Blue Ridge School students show off their Mason Jar rainbow salads. Hannah McLeod photo

News Contractors still unpaid in Zimmer development ......................................................8 Sylva, Jackson pass budgets ..........................................................................................9 Beasley makes campaign stop in Asheville ..............................................................10 ‘Mayor Mike’ steps down in Dillsboro ........................................................................11 Proposed legislation would rein in Big Tech ............................................................12 Milestone moment for meaningful broadband in Haywood ................................13 Macon purchases property for Nantahala library ....................................................16 Waynesville comes up short in property tax rate cut ............................................17 Business News ..................................................................................................................19

Opinion Waynesville attorney didn’t deserve firing ..................................................................20 A warrior faces second double lung transplant........................................................21

A&E Pure Prairie League to perform at AsheJam ............................................................22 Books: Surprised by Stewart’s ‘Very Good Things’................................................29

Outdoors Sylva discusses Pinnacle’s future ................................................................................30

June 23-29, 2021

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news

Farm to School program teaches nutrition, connection to food

thing both Cabe and Kranz know is a key step toward nutrition goals and food education.

Working in school nutrition, Cabe said, is akin to real time marketing. When there are new foods on the line that kids have never tried, or never even heard of, it can be hard to convince them to go for it. Often, Cabe finds herself walking through a crowded cafeteria offering new or nutritious options to kids.

“Just try a bite,” is the line she uses over and over again to get kids to try something new, something nutritious. Nutrition is a vital part of all around health. One-on-one attention and food education are some of the best ways Cabe has found to foster better nutrition.

On Monday, students first made a dressing of oil, vinegar, salt, pepper, agave nectar and dried oregano for the salad they were about to construct. Kranz explained the origin of agave, the most foreign of the components used in the salad dressing and let each

“I just want the kids to get things in their hands to taste them, see them and know where they come from.”

June 23-29, 2021

— Laura Cabe, nutrition director for Jackson County Schools

Students at Blue Ridge School prepare their own rainbow salad from a variety of vegetables. Below: Laura Cabe (left) and Jenna Kranz (right).

Hannah McLeod photos

BY HANNAH MCLEOD STAFF WRITER xcitement could be heard in the unconstrained murmuring of elementary school students at Blue Ridge School Monday morning as they filed into the cafeteria. Tables were set with Mason jars, pre-cut vegetables of almost every color of the rainbow, salt, pepper and oregano.

This week, students around Jackson County have the opportunity to learn about different foods and where they come from during a program called “Farm to Summer.”

On Monday, Laura Cabe and Jena Kranz spearheaded a demonstration for students at the Blue Ridge School in Cashiers in which each student completed a Mason jar rainbow salad to take home with them. The demonstration and nutrition lesson will be repeated Wednesday and Friday at Fairview School and Smoky Mountain High School respectively.

The program was made possible through grants completed by Cabe, the nutrition director for Jackson County Schools, from the National Farm to School Network and the United States Department of Agriculture.

“My job and responsibility, I feel, as a school nutrition director is to feed students 6 nutritious food,” she said.

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Cabe partnered with Jackson County nonprofit Uncomplicated Kitchen to assist with the summer program. Jenna Kranz, founder and director of Uncomplicated Kitchen, led students through the process of making the Mason jar rainbow salad. Along the way, she explained the nutritional importance of fruits

and vegetables of all different colors, where certain vegetables in the recipe come from, or how they grow, and encouraged student engagement and experimentation.

Least popular of the spread? Probably the radishes. But, there were almost no kids in the room that didn’t at least try them, some-

student try a spoonful. The glee of the elementary schoolers could hardly be contained as a swell of voices called out asking to “try it again.”

After the salad dressing had been constructed and shaken to combine, Kranz and the students began to move through the colors of the rainbow. They started with red tomatoes, dropping them into the bottom of the jar, followed by carrots, corn, baby spinach, purple cabbage, radishes and protein rich garbanzo beans to top it all off.

As Kranz walked around assisting students and engaging them in conversation about food, she could be heard telling students how beautiful their creations were, what a great job they were doing. When they smiled back at her there was real pride on their faces. Normally, it would take a big bottle of ranch dressing to get young kids half as hyped up about raw salad.

“Kids always enjoy the building and the hands-on aspect of this. And just getting to shake the jar is so hands-on and fun and they always laugh. It’s really fun. I like working with little kids,” said Kranz.

The goal of this program within the schools is to help connect kids with the food they eat, so they better understand the importance of good nutrition and how to achieve it.

“We know that fresh and healthy nutrients and ingredients lead to a longer life, with better health conditions,” said Cabe. “I just want the kids to get things in their hands to taste them, see them and know where they come from. So I’m hoping with Jenna too, we can expand this quarterly and seasonally.

That’s my goal.”

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A student at Blue Ridge School grinds salt as part of the salad dressing recipe. Hannah McLeod photo food and it makes sense to me, I know I’m lucky, but a lot of people don’t have that,” said Kranz. “I help everybody. It doesn’t matter if you make a million dollars a year or you don’t make anything. I think that you still deserve to know how to cook meals for yourself and your family. So that’s what I do. I help people cook, I help people shop and we’ve really focused on basic pantry ingredients.”

“I’m really lucky that I can just look at food and it makes sense to me, I know I’m lucky, but a lot of people don’t have that.”

— Jenna Kranz, Uncomplicated Kitchen

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Uncomplicated Kitchen has classes on canning, preserving, cooking different recipes and preparing ingredients people have never worked with. All classes finish with something to take home, because eating, and creating that sensory connection, is an invaluable part of the experience.

“I have so much joy in doing that work and I’m so thankful every day that I get to get up and do this job,” said Kranz.

After students had put together the rainbow salads, Kranz challenged them all to try at least one bite of what they had created.

The students had different opinions regarding their favorite vegetable of the day.

“Agave!” one shouted immediately.

“Spinach,” said another student timidly, tapping the green layer in her jar.

“I don’t know what this one is,” said one boy, digging a garbanzo bean out of the jar with chubby fingers, “but I love this.”

When Blue Ridge School students left the cafeteria Monday, they each had a large Mason jar, filled to the brim with fresh, colorful vegetables.

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June 23-29, 2021

ages through the Uncomplicated Kitchen.

Its mission is “to teach community members how to plan meals, shop for ingredients, and cook healthy, simple and affordable recipes.”

“We bridge the gap between the food people have access to and the tools and knowledge they have to prepare nutritious meals for themselves and their families,” Kranz said.

“Whether people shop at the farmers market, grocery store, or receive food through charitable organizations, Uncomplicated Kitchen teaches our community that healthy food is affordable and simple.”

Kranz previously worked as an educator, and then owned a private company selling granola. She had just built a commercial kitchen for that business when she decided to give it all up and start the Uncomplicated Kitchen in late 2019.

“I realized that there was a gap in between the food people had access to and their ability to do something nutritious,” she said.

While volunteering at the Community Table, a food resource for Jackson County residents, she noticed that most people took preboxed or pre prepared ingredients that, while convenient, were not the most nutritious options. She saw that very few people went for the beautiful, organic produce that was donated regularly.

When she was selling her granola at farmers markets, Kranz would hear the plethora of questions people asked vendors and growers about what a certain vegetable was and what to do with it.

Additionally, friends were always asking Kranz what to do with vegetables purchased from the grocery store or the farmers market.

Kranz realized that she could help people find greater access to food and nutrition by educating them on how to prepare various ingredients and recipes. The nonprofit operates on occasional grants, but most of its funding comes from local individuals that are appreciative of the work Kranz does.

“I’m really lucky that I can just look at

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news

Contractors still unpaid in Zimmer development

June 23-29, 2021

Even after students moved in last August, bare earth still abounded at Zimmer’s development The Husk at Western Carolina University. Holly Kays photo

Complex lawsuit debates responsibility for project’s failings

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER he first students moved into The Husk at Western Carolina University last August, but nearly a year later the companies responsible for developing, designing and building the environmentally disastrous Millennial Campus student housing development are embroiled in a complex lawsuit that has left at least one local subcontractor facing a six-figure deficit until the situation resolves.

In August 2020, Sylva-based Parker Paving Company paved the 500-bed development’s sizable parking lot. Owner Kaleb Stockton said he expected to get paid within a month or two of doing the job, but 10 months later his company is still short more than $400,000, equivalent to about 10 percent of its annual revenue.

Parker was hired by Rutherford Countybased Site Development Corporation, which was hired by Charlotte-based West River Construction, which was hired by Wilmington-based Zimmer Development Company. For now, Parker Paving’s status as a second-tier subcontractor means that 8 Stockton can’t do much but wait.

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“What I’m told is Zimmer hasn’t paid West River,” said Stockton. “Therefore West River can’t pay Site Development Corporation and Site Development can’t pay us.”

SITE DEVELOPMENT SUES FOR PAYMENT Neither Stockton nor Parker Paving are parties in the lawsuit whose 374-page case file began Dec. 10, 2020, but the outcome of the ongoing litigation will directly affect the company’s ability to collect on the debt owed it.

“We’re going to have to take action against Site Development Corporation, and my stance is until Site Development has been paid from the general contractor (West River), what’s the point in placing that?” said Stockton. “You’re just asking for money they don’t have anyway.”

Site Development is trying to gain possession of that money. It is the plaintiff in the original lawsuit, filed against co-defendants Zimmer — named as ZP No. 335 LLC in the lawsuit — West River, Whittier-based Hooper’s Grading Company and Civil Design Concepts P.A. The Dec. 10 suit followed a Nov. 6, 2020, lien that Site Development filed on the Western Carolina University-owned property.

Site Development claims that West River — and ultimately Zimmer — owes it $1.15

million, plus interest, attorney’s fees and court costs. The company is also seeking a jury trial to award damages in excess of $25,000 from Zimmer and Hooper’s, one of Site Development’s subcontractors.

But Site Development is not the only one pointing fingers.

West River is claiming that Zimmer, Site Development and CDC breached their contracts, Zimmer is claiming that West River and Site Development breached their contracts with Zimmer and Hooper’s alleges that Site Development breached its contract with Hooper’s and owes $320,609. All parties are asking for a jury trial and claiming damages in excess of $25,000 against each other.

According to Site Development, which initiated the suit, it hasn’t been paid because West River and Zimmer are improperly penalizing the company for the failings of CDC and Hooper’s.

“Civil design issues, such as that described above, became par for the course on the project, with the civil design being revised no less than 23 times, such changes happening multiple times a month for nearly a year,” reads Site Development’s suit. “Revisions to the civil design continued up to and until at least June 2, 2020.”

The changes were necessary due to CDC’s “numerous design and engineering errors” and significantly delayed Site Development’s progress, the suit claims. Meanwhile, said Site Development, its subcontractor Hooper’s improperly installed many components of the project, causing every waterline joint and multiple sewer joints to fail as well as water fitting failure, crooked sewer lines and improperly installed sewer lines in the manholes. Zimmer and West River want to backcharge Site Development for Hooper’s failings, Site Development said.

Site Development believes that it’s being shortchanged so that Zimmer can cover the more than $200,000 in civil penalties it faces due to multiple environmental violations on the site.

Since 2019, the Division of Energy, Mining and Land Resources issued 10 notices of violation and the Division of Water Resources issued six, according to the aggregated results of multiple public records requests by The Smoky Mountain News.

“Upon information and belief, rather than seek recoupment of these civil penalties from CDC, ZP (Zimmer) instead seeks to improperly pass these civil penalties on to Plaintiff,” Site Development alleges.

CDC AND HOOPER’S DEFEND THEIR WORK Other parties to the lawsuit tell a very different story.

According to Hooper’s, which filed a counterclaim against Site Development along with its answer to the original complaint March 1, it performed its work “in a good and workmanlike manner” but encountered issues when Site Development brought in its own people to work on the project. The filing specifically states that Hooper’s installed water and sewer features in conformity with CDC’s plans.

“Defendant alleges that Plaintiff provided Hooper’s with its own labor to assist in the work on the project and failed to properly supervise its own labor and inspect the work performed by its employees,” the filing reads.

“The unclean hands of Plaintiff act as a complete bar to any of its claims that it makes in equity.”

Site Development “persistently” understaffed the project and failed to address concerns that authorities brought to its attention, Hooper’s said. The company hasn’t paid Hooper’s for work or equipment since May 25, 2020, placing it in breach of contract and in debt to Hooper’s by $320,609.

However, in their responses CDC and Zimmer agreed with Site Development’s charge that Hooper’s work was subpar — but said Site Development performed poorly too.

In a Feb. 19 answer to Site Development’s original complaint, CDC alleged that Hooper’s Grading should never have been selected to work on the project, as the company does not hold a license from the N.C. Licensing Board for General Contractors.

According to a Feb. 16 letter from Director of Licensing Sherry M. Smith that is attached to the filing, there is no record of Eliott Hooper or Hooper’s Grading ever being licensed with the board, and such licenses are required for any contractor managing a job worth $30,000 or more.

CDC denied that it was to blame for project delays and cost overruns.

“With the exception of a minor plan revision dated June 2, 2020, to add additional curb inlets in the parking lot, none of the plan revisions were caused by design issues on the part of Civil Design Concepts, and Civil Design Concepts was not negligent and did not breach its contract in any respect,” CDC wrote.

The first plan revisions came after a potential Cherokee archeological site was found in the footprint of the sediment basin. When it proved impossible to clear the area archeologically, the plans had to be revised, because the originally designed single sediment basin wouldn’t fit in the smaller area. CDC revised its plans on May 15, 2019, to provide multiple sediment basins and other stormwater control measures, with related revisions on June 12 and an extra sediment basin added June 20 of that year. Requests from Zimmer spurred three more plan revisions in September and October 2019, also related to archeological findings.

However, CDC said, eight plan revisions completed between Nov. 8, 2019, and Oct. 7, 2020, were necessary “due to Site Development Corp. failing to follow approved plans, information and/or instructions.”

Site Development’s failings ultimately resulted in an Oct. 31, 2019, landslide that flooded a downhill student housing development with mud and caused one of the 12 small houses to be condemned, CDC said. One of its representatives visited the site on Oct. 23 and was concerned about the sediment basin’s allegedly improper installation. Later that day, the representative emailed Site Development, West River and Zimmer about those concerns and held a conference call with those parties the next day.

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ZIMMER AND WEST RIVER WEIGH IN In its Feb. 25 answer to Site Development’s allegations, Zimmer echoed many of CDC’s criticisms of Site Development. It also entered a counterclaim against Site Development and crossclaims

against West River and CDC — though its cross claim against CDC did not contain any allegations and merely asked to be included in the awarding of damages should the court find that CDC was negligent. Its claim against West River says that West River and its subcontractors — which include Site Development — failed to perform “in a good and workmanlike manner,” resulting in Zimmer paying more than $200,000 in state penalties, as well as attorney’s fees and extra construction expenses.

Like CDC, Zimmer alleged that Site Development improperly installed the sediment basin after the initial archeology-related plan revisions and that the NOVs were not due to deficient plans by CDC, but rather came because Site Development failed to properly sequence the work. In some cases, Zimmer alleged, it had to hire additional contractors to fix work that Site Development and Hooper’s did incorrectly. By withholding payment, Zimmer and West River are “attempting to recover” some of the additional cost they incurred to correct Site Development’s work and complete the project on time.

While much of Hooper’s work was indeed defective, Zimmer claimed, Site

Development was responsible for its subcontractor’s performance. Additionally, Site Development itself performed utility work that Zimmer deemed defective and incomplete, hiring other contractors to finish it.

In its March 26 response to Site Development’s suit, West River moved to dismiss the lawsuit and put forth crossclaims and counterclaims of its own, targeting Zimmer, CDC and Site Development for breach of contract.

Like Site Development, West River said that CDC’s negligence was the cause of its many plan revisions and that these revisions delayed the project. However, West River also averred that Site Development itself had performed substandard work that directly contributed to the environmental violations and caused the landslide on Halloween 2019.

“Throughout the project, plaintiff ’s work including, without limitation, the erosion control devices and grading work it performed on the project, were not performed in accordance with the terms of the subcontract and applicable laws, codes and regulations,” West River claimed.

Meanwhile, said West River, CDC failed its duty to “provide complete and unambigu-

* Source: Town/county budgets for each jurisdiction. Property tax rates expressed in cents per $100 of property value. Budget amounts reflect originally adopted budgets and do not include mid-year amendments. changed things, because it did hit a lot of people in a way that was unfortunate, and I think every board member here feels the same way.”

While she felt the same way as Nestler about using the ABC money to offset the need for a tax increase, Gelbaugh said, the board would be in the same position next year if it didn’t “just bite the bullet now.”

“The Allen Street factor was huge,” she said.

Nestler thanked Gelbaugh for her comments but said he didn’t believe the overtime figures were related to a staff shortage, but rather to the continued need for training and the fact that an officer who gets a call during the last 30 minutes of his shift will need to stay past his scheduled time, regardless of staffing levels.

“It’s not an easy call, and I think it’s a very bad year to be increasing taxes,” he said. “That’s why I voted against it. I didn’t like where we aligned our priorities in the budget, either.”

The budgets for Jackson County and Sylva are now fully adopted and will go into effect July 1.

ous civil design drawings that comply with applicable laws, ordinances, rules and regulations” and Zimmer is unjustly refusing to pay West River for the work it did.

In an April 29 filing moving to dismiss West River’s claim against it, Zimmer said that West River had not been paid for some items “because the work was not completed, was done improperly or incorrectly by West River or its subcontractors, and in some cases had to be redone by West River or its subcontractors, and in some cases, by other contractors.” Site Development and CDC also moved to dismiss West River’s claims, with CDC stating that it never had a contract with West River, that West River “materially deviated” from CDC’s plans and that West River should have known about Site Development’s alleged shortcomings and is “vicariously liable” for those shortcomings.

While WCU owns the land where the apartment complex stands, Zimmer is the developer and property manager, holding a 40-year lease on the property. However, WCU is not a party to the lawsuit.

“WCU is aware of this pending litigation, but are not able to make any comments at this time,” said WCU Communications Director Benny Smith.

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Smoky Mountain News

“During the call, West River directed Site Development Corp. to install Sediment Basin C per plans,” CDC’s response says. “Site Development Corp. did not take action and on October 31, 2019, improperly installed Sediment Basin C caused a small landslide which pushed a neighboring house off of its foundation and resulted in a significant amount of sediment leaving the site.”

Follow-up investigation showed that Site Development had failed to install Sediment Basin B and the required bypass ditches, which resulted in Basin C serving a much larger drainage area than planned, CDC said.

Five additional revisions came in 2020, three requested by West River or Site Development, said CDC. Another was due to pool design revisions and the final one added more drainage features to the parking lot.

expenses like salaries. However, Nestler asked, couldn’t the money be used to offset some one-time expenses included in the budget, freeing up other dollars for the new salaries? Dowling’s response was that would be possible, but the town would likely end up needing to put the extra money toward an expensive road repair project it has coming up this year on Allen Street.

Ultimately, the budget passed 4-1, with Nestler as the sole no vote.

After the vote, Commissioner Mary Gelbaugh spoke on her reasons for favoring the rate increase.

“In 2013 when I got onto this board, on every single year the overtime was pretty intense for the police department, and every year they’ve asked for another officer and we have declined their request,” she said. “So I think this was a building request that didn’t just come from Chief (Chris) Hatton. It came from (former chief ) Davis Woodard, it came from (former chief ) Tammy Hooper. It’s something that we’ve denied a lot of times, and I’m really disappointed that it had to come the year that we did the tax evaluation and

Rate Total budget Rate Total budget (2020-21) (2020-21) (2021-22) (2021-22) Jackson.......................38 ......................74,287,496.................36 ......................78,942,885 Sylva...........................42.5 ...................4,162,129...................44 ......................4,921,572 Dillsboro .....................25 ......................200,800......................25 ......................231,201 Webster ......................15 ......................127,750......................15 ......................125,650 Forest Hills .................15 ......................78,000........................15 ......................89,500

June 23-29, 2021

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER The boards governing Sylva and Jackson County both passed budget ordinances this month that feature a change in tax rate, but the rate adjustments and levels of consensus differed considerably between the two.

On Tuesday, June 15, Jackson County Manager Don Adams presented a budget ordinance totaling $78,942,885 — identical to the total amount in his recommended budget last month — that is based on a property tax rate of 36 cents per $100 of value. That rate is less than the 38 cents per $100 currently in effect, but given the results of this year’s property revaluation, it will yield a higher total revenue than the revenue-neutral rate of 34.47 cents per $100. The budget represents a 6.27% increase over the 2020-21 adopted budget but a 2% decrease over the amended budget.

Commissioners voted unanimously to adopt the budget, with little discussion.

However, Commissioner Mark Jones approvingly noted that it would tie Jackson with Swain County for the state’s secondlowest tax rate. Based on 2020-2021 rates, only Carteret County had a lower rate than the one soon going into effect in Jackson County, at 33 cents per $100.

The tenor was different on the Zoom call where Sylva adopted its budget on Thursday, June 10.

Town Manager Paige Dowling presented a budget worth 18 percent more than the one adopted last year. It includes a tax

Tax rate changes in Jackson County news

Sylva, Jackson pass budgets

rate increase of 1.5 cents per $100 of property value — an even tax rate would still have yielded a 7.86% increase — and $400,000 in American Rescue Plan funding.

The tax rate increase is intended to offset the cost of hiring an additional police officer and part-time sanitation worker. The increase has proven controversial in Sylva, with multiple people speaking against it during the public comment period in recent months and Commissioner David Nestler staking himself out as the lone board member opposing the proposal.

“We’re seeing an increase in our budget regardless from (the revaluation), and I do not think we should raise taxes in addition to people having to pay more,” he said during an April 29 work session.

Nestler is of the opinion that the town could trim enough money from its budget to offset at least half a cent from the proposed 1.5-cent tax increase, though he allowed that adding another police officer — a measure he argued was unnecessary — would require a rate increase. Prior to the vote June 10, he pointed out that unexpectedly strong sales from the Alcoholic Beverage Control Board meant the town would receive an additional $160,000 in the coming year. Should those dollars be included in the budget, he asked?

“We’ll appropriate that in after we receive the funds,” said Dowling.

“Their budget’s approved, right?”

Nestler responded. “If we pulled the funds in now, we could probably use it to offset some of the tax increase, couldn’t we?”

“That’s a one-time appropriation that they’re sending to us, and when we built the budget theirs wasn’t approved yet,” she replied.

One-time appropriations aren’t seen as responsible funding sources for recurring

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Beasley makes campaign stop in Asheville

BY HANNAH MCLEOD STAFF WRITER heri Beasley, former North Carolina Supreme Court Justice, announced her campaign for United States Senate in April. On Friday, Beasley visited several small businesses in downtown Asheville to speak with business owners about how they fared during the pandemic and hear what they would have liked state representatives to have done differently.

U.S. Sen. Richard Burr announced during his 2016 campaign that he would not be running for elected office again. Now with the 2022 election still over a year away, a vast field of candidates (at least 12 have announced campaigns) are vying for the open seat.

Currently, there are 50 Republicans in the Senate, 48 Democrats and two independents, who caucus with Democrats. Democrats are the majority party due to the tie-breaking vote of Vice President Kamala Harris. With such a razor-thin margin, battleground states like North Carolina can expect a lot of attention, money and vigorous campaigning in the 2022 Senate election.

If successful, Beasley would be the first Black senator from North Carolina. However, this would not be the first time she would make history. She was the first Black woman to serve as Supreme Court Justice in North Carolina.

“No door should ever be closed to you.

With hard work and determination, you can accomplish anything,” Beasley says in the opening of her campaign video.

Beasley previously worked as a public defender in Fayetteville, where she was later elected District Court Judge. In 2008 she was elected to the North Carolina Court of Appeals, and in 2014 she won a seat as Associate Justice on the North Carolina Supreme Court. Gov. Roy Cooper appointed Beasley Chief Justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court in 2019 following the retirement of Mark Martin.

Her time leading the court was marked by navigating the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as creating greater access to the courts for minorities, the disadvantaged and rural populations. During the protests following the murder of George Floyd, Beasley said that

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June 23-29, 2021

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racism persists in courts, and that Black people are given longer sentences.

During her stop in Asheville, Beasley visited Nest Organics, an organically driven home goods boutique, Mountain Madre, a locally owned Mexican restaurant and agave bar, and Chai Pani, a locally owned Indian street food restaurant.

Nest Organics owners Lyndsey Marlar and Katie Spears described the difficulty of selling completely online when home goods are the type of products people like to touch, feel and see displayed before purchasing.

Both the restaurant and boutique owners spoke to the difficulty of trying to follow guidelines and stay safe with little oversight or communication from local or state government.

“Nobody was coming by to see if we were following the rules correctly, you know what I mean? And we had so many questions,” said Mountain Madre owner Paige Scully.

However, they also spoke to the boom in tourism since COVID restrictions have been lifted, saying that downtown Asheville has been as busy as they’ve ever seen it.

At Chai Pani, over hot chai and assorted appetizers, owner/chef Meherwan Irani and Beasley spoke about what it is like to be Black and brown in the South and why its violent, troubled history serves as a catalyst for people of other cultures to build lives and explore the fusion of cultures and traditions.

“It’s so important that people here in North Carolina have somebody who’s going to fight for them,” said Beasley. “People want to know that they’re going to have a senator who’s going to fight for affordable healthcare and accessible healthcare. And people want to have a good education for their children.

And everybody really wants to be able to take care of their families.”

On healthcare, affordability and accessibility are Beasley’s primary concerns.

“It certainly makes a whole lot of sense that Medicaid be expanded, more than half a million people in this state would benefit,” she said. “It’s quite a shame that moms are having to come down the mountain in order to give birth to their children. We know that in so many rural communities across the state, they don’t have the right kind of healthcare facili-

Cheri Beasley visits with Lyndsey Marlar and Katie Spears, owners of Nest Organics in Asheville. Hannah McLeod photo ties. It’s not just in Western North Carolina, but people have to travel an hour or more away from their communities to get just basic healthcare and the kinds of things that we expect everybody should be able to have.”

Access to healthcare, in Beasley’s view, extends to women who she says ought to have healthy, safe protection around their reproductive health, and to trans youth, about whom she says she will be thoughtful in making sure they are protected.

“Equality is for everyone, and that’s exactly what that means. There are no exceptions,” she said.

Concerning firearm laws, Beasley said the constitution protects the right to safe gun ownership. She understands the value of guns in families and communities in Western North Carolina, and across the state.

However, Beasley said, it’s important to be thoughtful about making sure gun owners are owning guns safely.

“Basic background checks and other checks really are important to make sure that we’re responsibly protecting the rights of gun

owners and other people in the community,” she said.

Beasley is banking on her history as a leader of the Judicial branch in North Carolina and a statewide elected official to garner votes and support in WNC. She says she will build upon pre-existing relationships in urban and rural areas throughout the state to generate excitement around her campaign and what she can do for North Carolinians.

“It’s really been very important for you to have a real command over the policy decisions being made and how they impact families across the state,” said Beasley.

Next year, Beasley will face other Democrats in the primary election, which thus far include former state senator Erica Smith, Sen. Jeff Jackson, virologist Richard Watkins and Beaufort Mayor Rett Newton.

Republicans who have announced their candidacy include the Trump-endorsed U.S. Rep. Ted Budd, former N.C. Gov. Pat McCrory, former U.S. Rep. Mark Walker, Jen Banwart and Brunswick County Commissioner Marty Cooke.

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Business as usual to continue at Fitzgerald Shoe Shop

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an increase in sale volume. It’s hard to say exactly what spurred the change, or whether it was the overall mix of general economic improvement, economic development incentives and efforts by the town to define itself as something more than just an attraction for train passengers.

Growth continued, with Dillsboro becoming an increasingly bustling destination.

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work really well together for the most part and enjoyed each other’s company,” he said.

“Any disagreements we had were minor. It was easy to get things done.”

During Fitzgerald’s tenure, there was certainly plenty to be done. He won his first term as mayor in the midst of an economic catastrophe. The 2009 election came a year after the economic crash of 2008, which coincided with the Great Smoky Mountain Railroad’s decision to move its main depot from Dillsboro to Bryson City.

“A lot of smaller businesses in our town closed up,” said Fitzgerald. “We had a few that survived the whole thing. The restraunts were empty. We had Kosta’s, and that was about it. Everything else was shuttered and shut down and dark.”

Around Christmas time, he said, board members would go around putting lights in the windows of vacant buildings so they wouldn’t look so deserted. The town has come a long way since then.

Most of Fitzgerald’s tenure has seen a sharp focus on economic revitalization.

Over the years, the town has installed more and better lighting, as well as visitor-friendly wayfinding signs. In February 2015, the board decided to set aside $25,000 for economic development incentives, later that year giving its first cash grant to Haywood Smokehouse, a $10,000 sum based on job creation meant to offset startup costs such as water/sewer fees and deposit checks.

By the end of 2015, shop owners were reporting a definite improvement in the downtown environment. The town saw a higher than usual net gain of businesses that year, and business owners experienced

June 23-29, 2021

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER fter 16 years and one week on the job, Mike Fitzgerald is officially retired from Dillsboro’s town board— but not from his place as owner of Western North Carolina’s only remaining shoe repair shop.

“I think people were more concerned that I wouldn’t be there rather than the mayor,” he half-joked during a phone interview.

While people across the region have relied on Fitzgerald’s shoe repair skills for about three decades now, those in Jackson County and particularly in Dillsboro have depended on his leadership through good times and bad since he was first appointed to the board on June 6, 2005. Four years later, he was elected to serve as the town’s mayor, and he’s kept the position ever since.

For much of that tenure, he was also chairman of the Tuckaseigee Water and Sewer Authority Board, rotating off in 2018.

A resolution the board passed on Fitzgerald’s last meeting — Monday, June 14 — said that he “worked tirelessly in his duties as mayor, serving with integrity, honesty and dignity” and that his “outstanding service to the Town of Dillsboro reflects well upon himself and the Town that he has led for sixteen years.”

During that same meeting, Vice Mayor David Jones was sworn in as the town’s new mayor. The board will appoint a new member to fill the vacant seat — and choose a new vice mayor — during its July 12 meeting. All six seats are up for election in November.

Fitzgerald resigned his post due to a move to Haywood County, which rendered him ineligible to hold a seat on Dillsboro’s board. He has six children, with grandkids in Pennsylvania and California, but the closest are on the western edge of Haywood County. After his house sold, he made the move. Preparing to turn 70 this year, Fitzgerald wanted to be near his grandchildren.

“Family always come first,” he said.

Fitzgerald doesn’t have blood ties to the people he serves with in Dillsboro, but over the years that fact has become something of a difference without a distinction.

“The board members and the clerk and myself, we’re all like a big family and we

Mike Fitzgerald accepts a plaque recognizing his years of service form Town Clerk Debbie Coffey during his last meeting June 14. Donated photo

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‘Mayor Mike’ steps down

“We have just a bunch of eateries there,” said Fitzgerald. “On Saturday and Sunday it’s hard to find a place to park.”

That’s despite the fact that last year, nearly every business shut down for a prolonged period of time when the Coronavirus Pandemic began. Nobody knew what would happen to the tourist traffic that is the town’s livelihood.

Luckily for Dillsboro, the town came into a cash windfall around that same time.

Plans for a bridge replacement on Haywood Road had originally called for construction of a temporary bridge, but the engineering company proposed saving $3 million and more than two years on the $14 million project by foregoing the temporary bridge, causing a massive traffic detour during the anticipated nine-month construction period. The N.C. Department of Transportation allowed contractor Wright Brothers Engineering to keep half the savings, and in exchange for Dillsboro’s consent Wright Brothers gave the town $450,000 of its share. Despite vehement opposition from Sylva, Dillsboro approved the deal and put $200,000 of the money into a grant program for local businesses.

Now, Fitzgerald is confident he’s leaving the town in a period of health and growth and believes that with continued leadership of the sort he’s already seen from the current board, it’s likely to continue on that trajectory.

“Dillsboro is a small town, but it’s a great place to raise a family,” he said. “It’s a great place to live, no matter who you are.”

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The new trustbusters Proposed legislation would rein in Big Tech

BY CORY VAILLANCOURT POLITICS E DITOR ver the last two weeks, the most significant set of antitrust laws since the early 1900s were proposed in Congress, but these aren’t your granddaddy’s antitrust laws — instead of targeting expansive Industrial Age monopolies like railroads and oil companies, these five separate bills all take aim at the largest online platforms of the Information Age. “Foundational to the American dream is the idea of freedom. Our founders believed that not only should Americans have freedom of thought, but that they should also have freedom of choice in the market square,” said Rep. Madison Cawthorn, cosponsor of all five bills. “Oligarchical corporate monopolies run counter to the principles of freedom and choice. I am proud to support legislation that empowers consumers to have real choice in the realm of big tech and social media. Multimillion dollar lobbyists should never hold more power than the American citizen.”

Designed to thwart anti-competitive business activities that can hurt consumers, antitrust laws are thought by some to actually stifle competition and innovation and can result in the breakup of large companies.

If passed, the bills proposed in the House would remake “Big Tech,” but would also represent the biggest federal intrusion on private businesses in generations.

Each of the bills has a Democratic sponsor and a slew of Republican co-sponsors, reflective of bi-partisan disdain for what simple social networking applications like Facebook and Twitter have grown to become, but now the real test is if Democrats and Republicans can work together to do something about it.

June 23-29, 2021

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he five House bills introduced would apply to what are called “covered platforms.”

These covered platforms would be defined by the Ending Platform Monopolies Act as online companies that have a market cap of at least $600 billion, or more than 50 million monthly active users in the U.S., or more than 100,000 active monthly business users in the U.S., and a large enough online footprint to interfere with other companies’ access to its customers.

The market capitalization stipulation alone would designate Apple ($2 trillion), Amazon ($1.76 trillion), Google ($1.6 trillion) and Facebook ($934 billion) as covered platforms. Twitter, with a market capitalization of just $48 billion, would also be a covered platform thanks to its estimated 70 million monthly active U.S. users.

The EPMA would prohibit covered platforms from owning, controlling or having an interest in a line of business that uses the 12 platform for the sale of goods or services.

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One obvious target of this bill is Amazon, which offers its own line of products called Amazon Basics, everything from staplers to yoga mats.

Sponsored by Seattle Democrat Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-WA, whose district includes Amazon’s corporate headquarters, the EPMA outlines significant financial penalties for violations.

As with all five bills, Colorado Republican Rep. Ken Buck, Texas Republican Rep. Lance Gooden join Cawthorn as co-sponsors.

The American Innovation and Choice Online Act, which is similar to the EPMA, prohibits anything that “advantages the covered platform operator’s own products, services, or lines of business over those of another business user” or “excludes or disadvantages the products, services, or lines of business of another business user relative to the covered platform operator’s own products, services, or lines of business,” per the text of the bill.

In essence, the AICOA would outlaw socalled “self-preferencing,” which is what happens when an address search on Google results in a Google Maps link at the top of the list of search results. The bill was introduced on June 11 by Rep. David Cicilline, (D-RI).

Violations could result in divestiture, or the breaking up of the covered platform.

The Platform Competition and Opportunity Act, sponsored by Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-NY, would prohibit covered platforms from acquiring other companies that pose a threat to the covered platform’s products or services, like Facebook did when it purchased Instagram for $1 billion in 2012.

The ACCESS Act (Augmenting Compatibility and Competition by Enabling Service Switching Act) would enhance consumer data portability between platforms and was introduced by Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon, D-PA, on June 11. A companion bill was introduced in the Senate in 2019, sponsored by Virginia Democrat Mark Warner.

The final bill, sponsored by Colorado Democratic Rep. Joe Neguse, is called the Merger Filing Fee Modernization Act and simply updates the filing fee schedule for companies attempting to merge. A companion bill passed the Senate earlier this month, after its introduction by Amy Klobuchar, DMN, and Chuck Grassley, R-IA. nti-trust laws are a relatively late development in the American legal system and trace their origin back to the Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890. In theory, they exist to ensure fair competition in the marketplace by prohibiting predatory business practices that ultimately hurt consumers.

“The theory behind antitrust has always been that markets left to their own devices, can in certain areas, go against the public interest by harming consumers because there’s a strong incentive for the supply side, the firms, to grab profits,” said Dr. Ed Lopez, the BB&T Distinguished Professor of

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browsers at the expense of rival Netscape by including its own browser, Internet Explorer, for free. The initial ruling deemed this a violation of the Sherman Act and demanded the breakup of Microsoft, but the ruling was overturned on appeal.

“Historically, antitrust regulators bring cases because they see monopolies charging excessively high prices. What was interesting about the 1990s Microsoft case is that Microsoft was charging a price of zero for their browser,” Lopez said. “That’s what we have in the case of Facebook, as well as Google search now, but that’s only looking at the money price. I think that if you want to rationalize regulators becoming agitated towards these companies that look like they’re charging zero price, you might say that these companies actually are charging a “It says a lot that both Tucker Carlson real price — it’s in the and Biden’s newly appointed FTC Chair form of people’s privacy.”

Lina Khan both agree on this issue.”

The debate over calling for further interven— Rep. Madison Cawthorn tion in private businesses isn’t strictly a partibecause they’re creating value for consumers san one, according to Lopez.

“I think it’s true that conservatives and and consumers want to pay them money.

Libertarians tend to be more hands-off and That’s when we know the market is working liberals and populists tend to be more well,” said Lopez. “When firms get market hands-on when it comes to antitrust bills,” share by, on the one hand, using the state to he said. “An important line of division is also limit their competition, or on the other between big and small, which tends to coinhand, conspiring with each other to monopcide with incumbent versus challenger, the olize markets and fix prices, either of those incumbent firm being the established one scenarios is not a well-functioning market.” that’s been around for a while, and the chalOhio Sen. John Sherman — brother of lenger being the startup that wants a piece Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman — had of the action. A lot of anti-trust comes down served in Congress from 1855 through the to attempting to give advantage to chalend of Reconstruction in 1877, and played a lengers by limiting incumbent firms.” large role in acquiring financing for the In fact, Cawthorn — a vehement advoUnion effort. From there, Sherman was appointed Secretary of the U.S. Treasury but cate of small government — sees pending antitrust legislation as one of the ways the returned to the Senate in 1881. In 1889, he federal government can and should restrain introduced his proposed antitrust act, statthe market’s free hand. ing that “Every contract, combination in the “No one has more access to the lives of form of trust or otherwise, or conspiracy, in private citizens than the big tech oligarchies restraint of trade or commerce among the that these bills seek to address,” he said. several States, or with foreign nations, is “Limited government principles do not run declared to be illegal.” contrary to these bills, rather they support It passed the House unanimously, and the notion that breaking up monopolies is with just one dissenting vote in the Senate one of the essential roles of government. became law with the signature of President Decades ago, Theodore Roosevelt saved our Benjamin Harrison in 1890. nation and our economy by breaking up oil The first case decided under the new law and steel monopolies. Today, the greatest went against the Jellico Mountain Coal threat to our First Amendment resides in Company, which in association with other coal dealers engaged in price fixing. Over the Silicone Valley. It is the duty of government, next 20 years, the U.S. Department of Justice to address this threat, enable competition in the tech marketplace, and then withdraw used the Sherman antitrust act to break up from the free market.” the Great Northern Railroad, Standard Oil Although the bills will certainly change and American Tobacco. as they move in and out of committees and Subsequent legislation in the form of the across chambers, the fact that all five have Clayton Antitrust Act of 1914 and the Democratic sponsors suggests that some of Robinson-Patman Act of 1936 expanded the Sherman Act. Perhaps the best-known use of the key concepts mentioned in them will eventually become law. antitrust legislation to living Americans is “I certainly hope so,” said Cawthorn. “It that in the case of the so-called “Baby Bells,” a collection of regional telephone companies says a lot that both Tucker Carlson and Biden’s newly appointed FTC Chair Lina that spun off upon the 1982 breakup of the Khan both agree on this issue. Our oppoold American Telephone and Telegraph nent in this fight is very clear: corporate (AT&T) Company. greed, and the tasseled-loafer lobbyists that More recently, Microsoft came under defend Silicone Valley’s chokehold on scrutiny in 1998, when it was accused of America’s digital privacy.” monopolizing the market on internet Capitalism and director of the Center for the Study of Free Enterprise at Western Carolina University. “An example would be price fixing arrangements, where two companies that compete against each other decide, ‘Let’s just both raise our prices and we’ll get rich off of consumers.’ Antitrust laws are intended to stop that, as well as other types of business practices that would have that effect.”

As large industrial concerns began to emerge after the Civil War, they began to coalesce into “trusts” — a collection of companies that interacted with each other in such ways as to hold undue influence over pricing.

“What companies do is, they get market share by creating value for consumers. It’s a well-functioning market when firms do well

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Haywood to hold public hearing on economic incentives The influx of investment into Haywood County just keeps on coming. Haywood County Manager Bryant Morehead announced June 21 that another economic development project, this one codenamed “Project Duck Call,” was in line for state and county economic development incentives. To that end, the county will hold a public hearing to consider the as-yet unnamed company’s application. Details are scarce at present, but Morehead did say that a forthcoming announcement was likely before the public hearing takes place. Meanwhile, he was able to share that the project is tech-related, the company does not have an existing footprint in Haywood County and that the project focuses more on job creation — one component of the county’s economic development incentive policy — than on actual construction of buildings or facilities. The public hearing will be held at the county’s regular 5:30 p.m. meeting on Monday, July 19, at the Historic Haywood Courthouse, 215 N. Main St., Waynesville.

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Skyrunner must complete the project within 24 months. Once it’s done, customers will still have to pay a nominal installation fee and then monthly subscription costs, but they won’t be directly charged for Skyrunner’s buildout.

Right now, Skyrunner’s cost per location is a staggering $5,600, highlighting the financial challenges of providing reliable high-speed internet to everyone in the county, however, the gigabit-capable, “futureproof ” fiber can carry the capacity to serve others, once it’s complete.

Commissioners asked Boyd specifically about the scalability of the build, particularly in regard to another rugged, remote area just east of Lake Logan — Little East Fork, near Camp Daniel Boone.

“Once this build is complete, if there’s not additional funding on the heels of it to do more fiber, we can get there with wireless, in very short order, meaning, days,” Boyd said.

Regardless, it’s clear that Boyd and Skyrunner aren’t going to be satisfied with just the completion of this particular project.

“I truly believe this is just the beginning of this type of activity for our company in this county,” he said. “This wasn’t as large as what we’d hoped for. We’d like to just throw a blanket over the whole county and do it all, but we’ll take a step at a time and take care of everyone, especially in those hard-to-serve areas.”

June 23-29, 2021

BY CORY VAILLANCOURT POLITICS E DITOR public-private partnership between Haywood County and local internet service provider Skyrunner will soon result in broadband service for more than 300 locations in some of the county’s most underserved areas.

“Good things come to those who wait,” said David Francis, the county’s project administrator, during a Haywood commission meeting on June 22.

It has indeed been a long journey to this moment. Back in 2018, then-Rep. Kevin Corbin, now a senator, introduced the Fiber Act in the North Carolina General Assembly with then-Rep. Josh Dobson, who is now the state’s Labor Commissioner.

The Fiber Act would have dropped longstanding prohibitions against local governments entering into the telecommunications business, but big telecoms squashed it.

“They were just angry,” Corbin said at the time. “They fought enough that it killed our bill, but what came out of that was the GREAT grants.”

“GREAT” stands for Growing Rural Economies with Access to Technology.

Around 10 months ago, the Haywood County Broadband Committee — Southwestern Commission Director of Community and Economic Development Russ Harris and J.J. Boyd, president of Skyrunner — made an application to the NC Department of Information Technology to access the GREAT grant funds.

Recently, Skyrunner was awarded a grant of $1.2 million, and had to match it with $532,963 of their own money.

Haywood County’s contribution to Skyrunner’s match, which will come from President Joe Biden’s American Rescue Plan funding, is 49 percent or $256,742.

“A lot of the large providers have simply fallen asleep at the wheel when it comes to rural America,” Boyd said.

Currently, Skyrunner serves about 2,000 homes and businesses in Haywood County as a fixed wireless broadband provider, with installations on Chambers Mountain.

“This project that has been awarded to us will allow us to reach a little bit farther in areas we can’t really reach with our wireless product,” Boyd said. “We help a lot of folks that live in some really unique places.”

Haywood County’s rugged mountain topography can sometimes be cost-prohibitive in terms of expanding internet service, wireless or not. The $1.7 million Skyrunner project will result in a fiber-only buildout on Haywood EMC poles in Crabtree, Fines Creek, on Rush Fork Road, ending near Lake Logan.

“Those are some of the most unserved areas in the region that wireless product really suffers to cover, because of the nature of those really tight valleys that exist out there,” said Boyd.

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Milestone moment for broadband in Haywood

71 North Main Street Waynesville 13

BY M ELANIE THRELKELD MCCONNELL G UEST WRITER Two Western Carolina University professors with interests in jail populations and addiction issues collaborated with one regional county government to better understand the recovery needs of its jail inmates with substance use disorder.

Al Kopak, professor, and Alexa Singer, assistant professor, in the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice spent three months interviewing 17 people – inmates, former inmates on probation, law enforcement officers and correctional officers – in Transylvania County at the request of the county’s health department to develop a strategic plan to strengthen and expand its capacity to engage and provide prevention, treatment and recovery services for those inmates with substance use disorder. All but one of the inmates were male and repeat offenders. The two former inmates on probation were female. Participation in the research was voluntary and approved by the University’s IRB. “It was a collaborative project to identify the gaps and the needs of the folks in the jail, in terms of how to start and maintain recovery from substance use disorder,” Kopak said.

Substance use disorder, as opposed to substance abuse, is a specific term and psychological disorder diagnosed by a doctor

because it comes with criteria, the professors explained. “There are specific questions you would ask somebody and if they meet six of the 11 criteria, they would then meet a qualified medical condition to receive treatment,” Singer said.

The substances most commonly found to be used by the inmates were methamphetamine, heroin and alcohol, Kopak said.

“Generally speaking, we don’t see very much prescription drug use in our jail populations. We can try and look for cannabis, but it doesn’t exist much,” he said.

The research found a fear of continued drug use and a lack of a safe place to stay as the most pressing concerns following release from the detention center and recognized significant gaps in services available to address those issues. Participants in the research also emphasized the importance of limiting the time between release from the jail and entering community-based treatment for ensuring initiation of long-term recovery and successful reentry.

“What’s needed is a connection from the jail to services in the community, so there’s no gap when inmates are released,” Kopak said. “They need somebody to guide them or drive them over to a substance abuse counselor or someone to say, ‘Here, you have an appointment, go there now.’ It’s those early hours after they’re released that are really important for initiating recovery, because

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that’s when a lot of overdoses happen, 24 hours after they’re released from jail.”

Singer agreed: “The major takeaway for me was finding a way to shorten the gap

when you leave jail to connect with services to make sure you actually make it to services,” he said. “With prisoner reentry, you have years to figure out a

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June 23-29, 2021 Smoky Mountain News

tact with them. “They’re very open to any resource they can refer people to help them,” Kopak said. “They’re very happy to do that or have people come into the jail. If the money is there for it and the support is there for it, then the staff would love to have more resources.”

Singer and Kopak said the research also exposed a truth about criminal justice systems that most people don’t know, even Transylvania County’s county commissioners, who seemed surprised by the results. “A lot of the general public has misconceptions about what the criminal justice system does. They think it’s all “If you can get these people help and hyperviolent, provide them with treatment then you’re super predators and serial killers going to hopefully decrease crime and have and stuff like this, but it’s not. fewer victims and increase public safety.”

The majority of — Alexa Singer the people booked into our local jails need substance use treatment,” Kopak said. “It ly inpatient or outpatient treatment faciliwas really eye opening to them, and to me, ties for people to go to upon release from that’s surprising. It’s just become matter of jail, a significant first step in initiating fact to me.” recovery.

Both Singer and Kopak hope to educate “Some of the people are homeless, but communities across the region about the even if they have homes, they aren’t necesimportance of seeing jail inmates with subsarily safe. So, their option is to go back to stance use disorder not as bad people or where they came from and back to where criminals, but simply as people who need they were using drugs and back around the help with an addiction and who will likely people who were using drugs with them,” return to their communities.

Singer said. “There is a lot of agreement “They’re going to be their neighbors, the among the participants about having a ones cooking their food at restaurants, place to go.” especially in small communities,” Singer With just one treatment provider in said. “If you can get these people help and Transylvania County, it’s overwhelmed with provide them with treatment then you’re demand, Singer said, and not just by people going to hopefully decrease crime and have in the criminal justice system with subfewer victims and increase public safety.” stance use disorder but also by the general For Kopak, it was gratifying that all 17 population with any sort of behavioral participants were on the same page when it needs. came to suggesting solutions to find ways to The four themes that emerged from initiate and sustain recovery for its jail their research are: inmates with substance use disorder. n Post-release concerns: Criminal justice “Everybody just wants everyone to get staff, detainees, and probationers all cited well and contribute to the community in a fear of relapse as one of their primary conpositive fashion. I think if more people cerns knew this was the narrative – the idea that n Lack of a safe, structured environment united we stand, divided we fall – we’d be to return to post-release able to do a better job of addressing the n Insufficient behavioral health services problem. But as we all come at this in a difn Endorsement of harm reduction strateferent way, and a lot of it is with misinforgies mation – yes, they may make bad choices at n Rural challenges some level, but at the same time if that deciThe research findings didn’t surprise sion making process is informed by severe Kopak or Singer, but the attitudes of the drug use and all the biological changes that correctional officers did. happen because of persistent use of “We learned from the correctional offimethamphetamines – it’s a different scecers just how supportive they were. We nario than if I’m of a clear mind and just thought they just wouldn’t have cared as simply decide I’m going to steal something much as they did, that they would have a or do what I’ve done.” more punitive attitude toward the inmates, Ultimately, Kopak and Singer hope the but that couldn’t have been further from data they’ve gathered in Transylvania the truth,” Kopak said.

County triggers other communities to take “They were all very wanting and willing a more empathetic approach to dealing to help,” Singer added. “Some of them had with jail inmates with addiction issues. even gone to school with some of the “Punishment and deterrence do not work inmates when they were younger.” when you have a chronic health condition Also, law enforcement officers told the that drives a lot of the behavior that leads researchers they simply weren’t trained to people to get arrested and booked through handle people with addiction issues, yet the jail,” Kopak said. they were the ones who have the most conplan for somebody if that’s what you want to do or to put them in a program while they’re in prison, to rehabilitate them. But with jail, the average length of stay is only 20 days, so you don’t have as much time to put somebody in a program. The way you would need to think about jail reentry is as a connection to the community, like using the jail time to establish connections with behavioral health resources in the community.”

But one of the four themes found by the researchers was a lack of community resources in Transylvania County, specifical-

15

news

Macon purchases property for Nantahala library Fontana board recommends staying put

BY J ESSI STONE N EWS E DITOR acon County commissioners are trying to move forward with plans to give the Nantahala community a new library and community center, but disagreements over where the facilities should be located could further stall the process.

Replacing the current library/community center has been a priority for the Nantahala community for many years, but the project has had to take a backseat to other pressing capital needs. The county commissioned experts to review all county facilities and put together a prioritized capital improvement plan in 2019, but the library project was listed as priority No. 8.

Karen Wallace, director of Fontana Regional Library System, told commissioners during a June 8 meeting that the building was in such disrepair she wasn’t sure how much longer they’d be able to stay there.

“The building we’re currently occupying is deteriorating as we speak,” she said.

“We’ve got leaks, the walls are separating from the flooring, we have infestations of insects. The building is literally going to deteriorate, and we’ll no longer be able to operate in that building.”

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Commissioner Ronnie Beale said the board received a letter from the Fontana Library Board recommending that a new Nantahala library be constructed in its current location close to the school instead of on the property the county recently purchased.

After hearing from the community via surveys and focus groups, Wallace said it was important for teachers and students that the library remain next to the school.

“We think we’re best able to serve the community in the same location but in a new building,” she said.

In a split vote back in April, Macon commissioners approved purchasing over an acre at 36 White Oak Lane in the Nantahala community for $160,000 with the intent to renovate the existing building for the library.

The newly purchased property is 3.7 miles away from the current library.

Commissioners Gary Shields and Beale voted against the measure at the time because they knew the library board didn’t want to relocate. Shields asked Wallace to discuss the issues that make the new property cost prohibitive.

Wallace said the library board had concerns about the security issues and lack of internet service at the White Oak property.

“The building that was purchased has no fiber or broadband service available and that’s one of the most important things the

library is used for,” she said. “Balsam West, who is our provider, estimated it would cost $300,000 to bring fiber to that location.”

With the current library adjacent to Nantahala School, the library feels comfortable only having one staff member at a time to operate. However, if the library moves to

“We think we’re best able to serve the community in the same location but in a new building.”

— Karen Wallace, director of Fontana Regional Library System

the White Oak location, it would be more secluded and two employees at a time would be needed. That change would require the board to cut library hours in half, Wallace said.

“Were on the school campus right now so usually someone is around so we staff with one person at that library — it’s not the safest way to operate but we’ve maximized the hours we can be open,” she said. “If we’re not co-located, the risk to staff and property increases. We’d be in a position to be a high target for theft.”

Commission Chairman Jim Tate asked how many hours a week the Nantahala

library is open.

Wallace said the library is open 30 hours a week.

“And the new building we’ve purchased, you don’t think it will work?” he asked.

“If it has to work, we’ll make that work, but we don’t think it’s the best option,” she replied.

Tate said it was hard to justify building a new facility for a library that’s only operating 30 hours a week.

Wallace said the library would love to be open longer hours if the operational budget would allow for it. A higher operational budget would have to come from the county’s budget.

Commissioner Paul Higdon said the Nantahala library had been in disrepair for years and nothing had been done. With the library being listed so low on the capital improvement plan, he said he was in favor of the new property purchase because it meant the library could have a new facility sooner than later.

“If we go down the list, the library may never happen, that’s why we pushed for the other building and it’s on a good site — some like it and some don’t — there’s no perfect solution,” he said.

Whatever decision is made, Wallace asked that the library board be included in any future discussions or decisions regarding the project.

Smoky Mountain News

June 23-29, 2021

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16

TOWN ATTORNEY The Waynesville Board of Aldermen are soliciting candidates for the Town’s Attorney. The position is of a contractual nature. The Town Attorney does not serve as a Town Employee.

The Board is seeking an attorney whose practice is located in Haywood and or its contiguous counties. The candidate is expected to have experience in most civil areas of North Carolina law including litigation.

The Town’s Code of Ordinances specifies that the Town Attorney shall: • Defend suits against the town.

• Advise the mayor, board of aldermen and other town official with respect to the affairs of the town.

• Draft legal documents relating to the affairs of the town.

• Inspect and pass upon agreements, contracts, franchises, and other instruments with which the town may be concerned.

• Attend meetings of the Board of Aldermen; and • Perform other duties as the board may direct.

You may apply through letter to the Mayor and Board of Aldermen accompanied by any additional materials that would more fully describe your qualifications for the position. Your letter should include: • Brief statement of your experience in the practice of law.

• Areas of personal expertise.

• Education or experience in urban law such as planning, zoning, condemnation, personnel law, minimum housing and code enforcement, environmental law, regulation of streets and sidewalks.

The Board will review the applications and will conduct interviews of the final candidates.

Applications must be submitted by Friday July 2nd, 2021. They may be sent in electronic or paper formats. Please submit your application to Robert Hites, Town Manager, PO Box 100 Waynesville, 28786 or electronically to rhites@wayensvillenc.gov. Please contact Rob Hites at 828-452-2491 should you have any questions.

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First tenant announced for EBCI’s Sevier development

At 74,000 square feet, the Sevierville location will outstrip the New Braunfels and include more than 120 fueling stations, EV charging stations and a car wash that’s over 250 feet long.

Newly dubbed “The 407: Gateway to Adventure,” Kituwah LLC aims to develop the property as a “comprehensive entertainment destination with best in class amenities,” said CEO Mark Hubble. It’s expected to draw 6.7 million visitors in its first full year of operation. While later phases for the development remain flexible, concepts being explored include a world-class golf attraction, hotels, an ultimate sports experience, a state-of-theart indoor go-kart facility, a distillery experience and “retailtainment” attractions that combine themed attractions and stores.

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The 200-acre piece of land that the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians is developing along Interstate 40 in Sevier County will be soon be home to the world’ largest convenience store, a Buc-ee’s Family Travel Center.

Based in Texas, Buc-ee’s is known for its pristine bathrooms, fresh barbecue and friendly service. The company is expanding to six Southeastern states and has 38 stores in Texas, including a 66,335-square-foot store in New Braunfels that holds the record for the world’s largest convenience center.

Smoky Mountain News

for recurring expenses is a no-no, akin to paying monthly household bills from a savings account. Once it’s gone, it’s gone.

Additionally, the state’s Local Government Commission sets baselines for municipalities in terms of fund balance, expressed as a percent of the government’s yearly general fund. If a municipality experiences sudden and/or drastic changes in fund balance, warnings from the LGC ensue and ultimately the LGC could force the town to raise its tax rate until fund balance levels once again become acceptable.

The town’s fund balance is currently a healthy one at 46.84 percent, slightly above that of towns with similar population sizes, currently 43.31 cents.

Another option presented by Lyvers was what she called, “the lowest rate I can comfortably recommend,” which is 43.92 cents.

Both options leave the town looking to bridge the gap between expenses and income.

However, the 43.92-cent rate would necessitate less fund balance utilization. Anything above the revenue-neutral rate of 41.27 cents is a defacto tax increase on most property owners.

“I’m not in favor of raising taxes this year, which is in essence what we’re doing,” said Dickson, who said he was optimistic that revenue would come in above projections, based on building permit data and debt rolling off the books in the coming years.

Alderman Anthony Sutton made a motion to present the 43.92-cent rate to the public on June 22 (after press time) and hold a vote.

“I feel like we have a responsibility to be good stewards of taxpayer money,” he said, mentioning the impact that a lower fund balance would have on the town’s creditworthiness.

Mayor Pro Temp Julia Freeman seconded the motion, saying she was optimistic but was also concerned about rising gasoline prices and the specter of inflation.

They were opposed by Dickson and Feichter, who continued the push for a revenueneutral rate. Caldwell cast a rare tie-breaking vote to side with Freeman and Sutton.

June 23-29, 2021

BY CORY VAILLANCOURT STAFF WRITER uring a rare special-called meeting on the morning of June 16, aldermen shaved another 1.5 cents off the proposed ad valorem tax rate but couldn’t quite meet demands from citizens to bring the budget down to a revenue-neutral level, due to long-term ramifications on the town’s emergency savings.

“I’ve been here 25 years and never experienced putting the town in a situation with our fund balance and that kinda scares me,” said Mayor Gary Caldwell.

A county-wide property revaluation earlier this year showed valuations increasing on the order of 20 percent or more for some homeowners. Had the town retained its previous 49.47-cent rate, it would have experienced a massive revenue influx at the expense of property owners.

Initial budget proposals hovered around a new rate of 45.45 cents, but taxpayers voiced concerns at the town’s June 8 regular meeting, saying the lower tax rate would still result in higher — in some cases, much higher — tax bills for residents.

During that meeting, aldermen Chuck Dickson and Jon Feichter directed town staff to prepare a revenue-neutral budget that would bring in about the same amount of revenue as last year and present it during the June 16 meeting.

Finance Director Autumn Lyvers did just that, presenting aldermen with several options — but with several warnings.

Aldermen remain reluctant to make spending cuts, especially the $900,000 needed to bring town employee pay closer to a competitive rate, so Lyvers’ new proposals included no decreases in expenditures.

Instead, the proposals center on using a combination of fund balance and hopeful projections of sales tax income to plug the gap. The first option, a revenue-neutral rate of 41.27 cents, would hold disastrous consequences for the town’s fund balance over the next four years. Generally, using fund balance

news

Waynesville comes up short in property tax rate cut

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news

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Smoky Mountain News

June 23-29, 2021

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Smoky Mountain News

degree and bachelor of science degree, both from the University of Toledo; and an associate in applied sciences degree in dental hygiene from Michael J. Owens Technical College in Toledo, Ohio.

Jack the Dipper celebrates 45 years

Rose Creek opens under new ownership

The Jackson County Chamber of Commerce held a STIR Business After Hours event June 17 at Jack the Dipper in Sylva to celebrate their 45th year of being in business. Guests were treated to a fun evening filled with free ice cream and wonderful door prizes.

Tractor Supply opens in Sylva

Food Lion opens in Franklin

Tractor Supply Company is excited to bring a new store to serve and meet the needs of the Sylva community at 21 Ferguson Rd. The rural lifestyle retailer is committed to providing essential, everyday products that customers need like animal feed, pet food and supplies, propane, fencing, garden supplies, home supplies and more. The Tractor Supply team members are equipped with knowledge to help customers find the right products for their specific needs.

Additionally, customers can use the Buy Online, Pickup In Store option to purchase products online and pick up their items in as little as one hour in the store or through contactless curbside pickup.

“At Tractor Supply, we understand the value of providing essential needs like pet food, animal feed and home supplies to our customers in the Sylva community,” said Forrest Frazier, manager of the Sylva Tractor Supply store. “Our team members live the same lifestyle as our customers, and we’re excited to supply them with the tools, information and resources they need to live life on their own terms.”

Food Lion recently opened a new store at 245 Macon Plaza in Franklin.

The new store has about 75 associates and serves customers daily from 7 a.m. until 11 p.m.

“Having been born and raised in Franklin, I am so excited to welcome my neighbors into their new Franklin Food Lion,” said Kristy McGuire, store manager of the new location. “I am so honored to be able to work with a great group of people. We are excited and proud to welcome our neighbors and family into our Food Lion store so they can experience the great variety and assortment throughout the entire store. I look forward to serving my community as the store manager.”

Champion Credit Named ‘Best Employer’ Champion Credit Union was recently named as one of the 2021 Best Employers in North Carolina for its fourth year in a row.

This program was created by Business North Carolina and Best Companies Group to identify, recognize, and honor the best employers in North Carolina who are benefiting the economy, workforce, and businesses in the state of North Carolina. The list is made up of 56 companies. Of the 56, Champion Credit Union, Johnson Price Sprinkle PA, Zoe Dental, Pine Gate Renewables and Gaia Herbs were the WNC-based companies to be named. Statewide, Champion is one of two credit unions recognized this year.

For information on the 2021 Best Employers in North Carolina, visit https://businessnc.com/2021best-employers-in-north-carolina-work-perks/.

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Carolina Hemp Expands The Franklin Chamber of Commerce recently held a ribbon cutting ceremony for Carolina Hemp Company located at 98 West Palmer Street.

Carolina Hemp Company recently opened in Franklin and its modern space offers a general store atmosphere and prides itself on its innovative concept of being an educational space. The store provides wellness products that align with the company’s motto of “Bringing Balance Through Hemp” and offers samples, along with knowledge, to the general public for an in-store experience.

Carolina Hemp Company was founded in 2014 in Asheville and is an education-focused hemp general store and wholesale distributor of quality hemp flower extract products such as sublingual oil, concentrates and other products, including hemp flower, topicals and edibles.

SCC Business Center awarded grant Southwestern Community College Small Business Center was recently awarded a grant through Carolina Farm Credit’s Corporate Mission Fund.

This college has a mission to increase the success rate and number of viable small businesses

in the region by providing high quality, accessible assistance to prospective and existing small business owners, which will lead to job creation and retention and overall job growth. Grant funds will support the Appalachian Farm School hosted by the college. This is an eight-week program aimed to help farmers understand the business aspects of farming.

“Our Corporate Mission Fund is another way that Carolina Farm Credit strives to enhance agriculture and the rural communities in North Carolina.” said Vance Dalton, CEO, Carolina Farm Credit. “These grants help provide funding for many great organizations across our territory.”

To read about last year’s grant recipients, visit carolinafarmcredit.com.

WCU chancellor on leadership power list Business North Carolina counts Chancellor Kelli R. Brown among its Power List 202, a recently published compilation of the state’s most influential leaders.

The magazine identified the state’s best and brightest leadership based on interviews with business and community members, research and reader suggestions, in 18 categories for fields including education, health care, economic development, finance and sports. An emphasis for selection was placed on those who made a particularly noteworthy impact in 2020, especially for a demonstrated concern for the broader community.

“I am humbled by this recognition and look to my colleagues who help me each and every day in my role as WCU chancellor. Together, we are here for the campus and the community, providing regional assistance and creating a better future,” Brown said.

Brown is first permanent female chancellor of WCU, beginning in the job on July 1, 2019. She immediately set three top priorities for her tenure as 1) academic excellence and quality, 2) economic development and regional outreach, and 3) diversity and inclusive excellence.

Brown holds a doctorate in education from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale; a master of science and education in public health

The Franklin Chamber of Commerce recently held a ribbon cutting ceremony with the new owners of Rose Creek Campground & Cabins to celebrate the opening of the 2021 season at 140 Terrace Ridge Drive in Franklin.

Jesse and Shelby Harrison are excited to open their very first season as owners of the park.

“We have made some additions and renovations to the campground and love welcoming folks to stay with us,” said Jesse Harrison.

Full hook-up RV sites are available for campers up to 43 feet with 30 and 50-amp service with both pull-through and back-in, shaded sites.

Pop-up and tent sites include primitive or water with electricity. There are cabins and RV rentals, as well as, coming in July, two covered wagon rentals. A new dog park has been added to the property and the swimming pool has been converted to salt and is now open. The bath house has been remodeled and a picnic pavilion has been added. Live music will also be featured on select weekends for campers.

Booking is easy online at www.rosecreecamping.com under the reservation tab.

Franklin Chamber presents annual awards The Franklin Area Chamber of Commerce held the 2020 Annual Meeting & Awards Banquet recently at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts.

The awards went to: • Past President – Candy Presley • Club/Organization of the Year – Men’s Teen Challenge of The Smokies • Youth Citizenship Award – Dakota Collins • Above & Beyond Awards – Macon County Public Health & Macon County North Carolina 911 (Macon County EMS) • Duke Energy Citizenship Award – Michele Zeman Alderson • Citizen of the Year – Claire Suminski (accepted by her daughter Jamy Beth Ferraro)

Wellness store opens in Jackson Jackson County Chamber of Commerce Ambassadors recently held a grand opening/ribbon cutting ceremony for Pinnacle Relief-CBD Wellness Lounge. Located at 55 Grindstaff Cove Rd., Pinnacle specializes in CBD, tinctures, non-alcoholic beverages and ice cream. They also have a relaxing lounge and beautiful outdoor seating adjacent to Scotts Creek.

For more information, call 828.508.3018 or visit them on Facebook.

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Opinion

Smoky Mountain News

Waynesville attorney didn’t deserve firing T

Trump article was just too much To the Editor: This is in reference to the June 9-15 issue of The Smoky Mountain News. I thought this was called the Smoky Mountain News, not the Greenville News. I can see perhaps a mention of Trump in North Carolina but a fullpage picture with “The Return Of The Don” was unprofessional and uncalled for.

This person was responsible for the attempted coup against our government and our democracy and for the deaths that resulted. When I saw this featured as it was in your publication, I threw it away and I will never pick it up again. Sad for your advertisers.

Randy Howington-Extine Franklin

Marquees made me leave Maggie Valley To the Editor: I have never done this in my 59 years, but I can’t rest until I voice my displeasure and disappointment in what happened to me in

found ourselves caught in a battle between two organizations over the best approach to dealing with homelessness in Waynesville. One of the organizations attempted to use the public hearing time at Town meetings to fight their battle, focusing on another group rather than providing the Board of Aldermen with information relevant to its business.

When some of them did not like my attempt to keep the comments related to Town business, they chose to attack me personally as a means of striking out against the other organization.”

The Twitter account that provoked so much ire from what many now Editor refer to as the woke crowd — those who take on the role of sniffing out social injustice and stamping it out — didn’t like Cannon’s references to some on the right as bigoted, racist and therefore dangerous to our democracy. So they chose to “cancel” him.

Sorry for letting the cat out of the bag, but today this is a common description used by lots of people when discussing the far-right of the American political spectrum. On the flip side, those on the far left are described as Marxist, intolerant, police haters, and racist for insisting that multiculturalism is something that should be striven for or that Affirmative Action policies are still needed.

I read a lot of political commentary, a lot (that’s my problem and I’ll deal with). The kind of comments found on Cannon’s Twitter feed just aren’t that radical, and can be found in any newspaper, website, blog or Twitter feed where politics are being discussed. There is a First Amendment issue here also, and that’s why alderman Chuck Dickson chose to be the lone dissenting vote on Cannon’s firing. Good for Dickson.

Politics aside, people hired to do a job should be judged

Scott McLeod

he Waynesville town attorney serves at the pleasure of the board. Elected officials can fire or terminate him for any reason they see fit.

That said, I think Waynesville’s town officials overreacted and made a mistake in terminating the contract of town attorney Bill Cannon, cowering to a well-known right-wing activist and those who spoke the loudest instead of standing up for someone who did his job and, in doing so, pissed some people off.

And here’s a question for those town leaders and, perhaps, some of those who complained about Cannon: was he fired for his Twitter comments, or was he fired because people complained about them? It’s an important distinction.

If it’s the former, perhaps Waynesville human resource managers should begin scouring the social media accounts of all employees who share their political and social views online. If it’s the latter, well then, pity the town employee whose opinions earn the wrath of those who like to speak at public meetings and get the ear of the elected leaders.

So here are the facts. Among Cannon’s duties as town attorney is presiding over public hearings (whether that should be the job of a hired employee — like Cannon — versus an elected official is certainly worth considering.

Employees will more likely make “speakers” follow strict rules, politicians will more likely give “voters” leeway and perhaps bend the rules.).

In presiding over contentious public hearings about Waynesville’s approach to the homeless population, Cannon saw it as his responsibility to keep comments focused on the issue and not let anyone attack another group or individual.

That earned him the wrath of one of the groups, and subsequently members of that group began criticizing Cannon’s comments on his Twitter account (which at the time had a grand total of 39 followers).

This is what Cannon told me via email: “The Town and I

LETTERS Maggie Valley.

Father’s Day was coming and my 82-yearold dad had just one wish, and that was to get all his kids and grandkids together again and take a trip up to Maggie Valley. My father has

by, well, how they do the job. Lawyers are among those who, by their very training and their professional standards, put politics aside when doing their job. Think every district attorney prosecuting a death penalty case supports the death penalty? There was absolutely no evidence that Cannon’s judgement during public hearings somehow showed favoritism toward some perceived political objective.

Cannon is a former president of the State Bar of Georgia, a former member of the Board of Governors of the North Carolina Bar Association, and currently serves on the Professionalism Committee of the North Carolina Bar Association. And, by the way, he’s a registered independent.

He told The Mountaineer newspaper he doesn’t like political parties.

Cannon, who said on his Twitter feed he was “proud to be fired for standing against evil,” told me he’ll continue to call out injustice when he sees it: “We are at a time where there are people who care little about the lives or civil rights of others. We no longer share common goals and just differ over the best way to achieve them. There are people who are doing real harm to others, causing pain, suffering, and even death. I have no problem criticizing that kind of behavior. It poses a real threat to our democracy.”

Waynesville’s town board members are dealing with some important, sensitive and controversial issues. It seems that at every meeting speakers are complaining very loudly about the homeless, taxes, growth issues, utility rates, the Downtown Waynesville Association, or something. From the mayor down to the aldermen, every time I see one at a social event it seems the main topic of conversation is how difficult their job is right now.

Now, they’ve got to find a new town attorney, something they’ve brought upon themselves by caving to a group seeking revenge. A tough job just got tougher.

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

been taking us there for years and the memories of my youth are filled with gunfights, Cherokees and mountains, courtesy of what I thought was a magical place.

Let me say also that me and my family are Black. Me and my wife drove to Maggie Valley to secure rooms for the weekend. We drove

back to South Carolina that same day without a single room.

When I arrived in Maggie Valley, I felt I was back in the segregated South of my youth.

Back the Blue signs and flags were on almost all the motel marquees, and I refuse to stay at a hotel where I’m not welcome. What disappointed me the most was that a national chain like Clarion was also participating in this act of racism. It was also on Clarion’s giant marquee.

Back the Blue was created as a direct challenge to the Black Lives Matter movement, so yes, I get the message. The message is I’m not welcome at most of the hotels and restaurants in Maggie Valley and I’m not welcome at the Clarion Hotel.

Michael Qualls Florence, S.C.

We should fear for future elections To the Editor: Former President Donald Trump and the more aggressive of his cult members seem intent on destroying our democracy and attacking a civil society. This ranges from the

A warrior faces second double lung transplant

January 6 attempt to stop the certification of a valid election to attacking local individuals instead of issues.

Initially, I thought that Trump’s lie that he had actually won the election was just another scam to raise more money from gullible followers. He did raise more money in the first months of his “big lie” than he did in a similar time when running for office.

However, it now seems that he and his sycophants are actually trying to rig future elections to ensure that his followers are elected despite the actual will of the people.

The Arizona “audit” makes that state a laughingstock as the cult members keep trying to overthrow the election. More seriously, all the voting restrictions under the guise of make elections secure are actually

designed to keep certain voters from voting.

The Trump Cult is driving out true conservative Republicans, like Liz Cheney, who will not pledge allegiance to Trump.

Republicans and election officials who acted ethically are being attacked for doing the right thing. At the local level, we have people attacking a Haywood County attorney for his opinions to the point of terminating his services with Waynesville. His personal opinions have no bearing on providing legal counsel to the town. This is from people who have been vocal in their opinions and decrying the so-called cancel culture.

Would they like those who disagree with them attacking their won livelihood.

Where does it stop?

Norman Hoffman Waynesville

Smoky Mountain News

you doing?”

“I told you, dear. I’m preparing the soil for summer. These fish are fertilizer.”

For some reason, what he’d said earlier hadn’t registered. The moment I realized the fish had to die in order for our garden to offer top-notch tomatoes and beans, I erupted with indignation. “Stop it!” to which my kind and compassionate father conceded, never again to use this technique, sprinkling Miracle-Grow instead.

Seems I’m a slow learner. It hadn’t dawned on me that a life must be lost that Kelly might blossom and grow for many more years to come, to be able to experience what most of us do without thought, free of struggle, pain or fear. Because, unlike in the case of a kidney donor, someone’s breath must cease for his or her lungs to be harvested for a waiting recipient.

Kelly is a fighter. Her faith enables her to journey with courage, knowing that, no matter what, she’s walking with Jesus. After all, her eternity is secure because Someone gave His life that others might live — a truth we should each hold dear.

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

To all who have donated or might one day donate organs so that others may live, thank you. This is no small matter. For ways to help Kelly Reed, visit her Gofundme at www.gofundme.com, Breath4kel2, or follow her story on Caring Bridge at www.caringbridge.org/visit/kellyreed.

(Maureen Miller lives in Haywood County.)

June 23-29, 2021

BY MAUREEN M ILLER G UEST COLUMNIST “Someone has to die in order for you to live.” The startling realization hit me, and my words hung in the air. She nodded.

Unlike me, this fact wasn’t new to her, and I feared my comment was offensive.

“I’m sorry. Was that too forward?” My hand met my mouth, though I knew it was too late. The words were out.

But she was quick to calm my worry.

“No. Not at all. It’s just the hard truth.”

And it is. My friend Kelly Reed, whose name fittingly means “warrior,” is awaiting her second double lung transplant. After being diagnosed in 2015 with pulmonary fibrosis, she underwent her first transplant in June 2019, but her body rejected the donor lungs, leaving her still struggling for breath, attached to an oxygen tank.

It was as we sat on her front porch that the realization of what must happen hit me, when I sort of vomited truth right there on our picnic lunch.

I’m not sure what I thought prior to this eureka moment. Being married to a health provider, one would think such knowledge would come naturally. Sadly, it doesn’t.

Kind of like, when I was a girl and my daddy told me as I stood fishing on the bank of a neighbor’s pond, “We’re going to use these fish for fertilizer.”

That sounded fine by me, so I feverishly cast my line, competing with my sister to see who could catch the most bluegill.

Once home, I watched as Daddy tossed the flopping fish into shallow graves in our garden. Horrified, I cried out, “What are

facebook.com/smnews 21

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A&E

Smoky Mountain News

Pure Prairie League (Michael Reilly, far left).

SMN: How did you first cross paths with PPL? MR: I was playing with The Lemon Pipers in Cincinnati at a place called the Ludlow Garage.

We were on the same bill as Pure Prairie League. I listened to them play and I was blown away.

These guys are really good and this is [a band] that I’d like to be in. Poco had just come out with its first album and I was wearing that out — [that sound was] definitely something that interested me.

And I became friends with [PPL]. A couple of years later, when I got back from England with the piano player [from The Robert Lee Band], they called us up and said, “Hey, we’re doing our second album at Toronto. Can you guys come up?” And the rest is history. Like [Grateful Dead guitarist Jerry] Garcia said, “What a long strange trip it’s been.” [Laughs].

The attitude of gratitude Michael Reilly of Pure Prairie League

BY GARRET K. WOODWARD ARTS & E NTERTAINMENT E DITOR n the annals of country-rock history, a handful of acts were able to ride the line of mainstream radio success, all while breaking new ground in fusing the respective genres.

Like a buckin’ rodeo bull, these bands straddled the sounds of honky-tonk twang and razor-sharp electric six-strings.

What started with the innovative, experimental sounds of The Byrds, Bob Dylan, Flying Burrito Brothers, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Buffalo Springfield, and Gram Parsons in the 1960s, soon parlayed itself into the 1970s swagger of juggernaut groups like Eagles, Linda Ronstadt, Poco, Emmylou Harris, and Pure Prairie League.

Recently celebrating 50 years together, Pure Prairie League remains a pillar of the countryrock realm, this seamless blend that radiates vibrant threads of tones running clear across the melodic spectrum.

For a band that formed in southern Ohio, PPL has always brandished its geographical influences that ultimately shaped the identity

I

MR: You know, we look at the people and we see them singing along to the songs. They know all the words, some of them with their eyes kind of rolled back in their head or squeeze onto their [significant other].

And it’s because they’re sort of transported back to their college days or whatever — that’s what we’re chasing after, for people to get that kind of experience that we can deliver to them.

Good music is not bound by time and space — it’s always in fashion.

of the ensemble — from Appalachian bluegrass/folk to Midwestern country/rock to Chicago blues/jazz.

Having crisscrossed the globe for a halfcentury as the bassist for PPL, Michael Reilly’s journey began in his native northern Kentucky.

A lifelong musical sponge, he saw The Beatles on Ed Sullivan in 1964 and started a garage band as a middle schooler, playing sock hops and pool parties.

As a teenager, he snuck into a Kentucky bar and watched the legendary Lonnie Mack onstage, forever changing his life: “I knew that’s what I wanted to do,” Reilly said. Soon, he was playing in The Lemon Pipers (famous for the #1 hit, “Green Tambourine”).

From there, he took off to attend the Woodstock festival in 1969, ultimately relocating to New York and joining The Robert Lee Band, which left for England, opening shows for David Bowie.

Reilly was then called up by PPL to be a session musician for an upcoming album (the smash record “Bustin’ Out”). He joined the band in 1972, right before the album was released, forever changing all involved, especially on the heels of “Amie” — an immortal song just as poignant and luminous as PPL itself these many decades later.

Want to go?

Acclaimed country/rock act Pure Prairie League will perform at the AsheJam festival June 25-27 at the Western North Carolina Agricultural Center in Fletcher.

Other stage acts will include Perpetual Groove, Orleans, The Grass Is Dead, Jeff Sipe Trio, Travers Brothership, Pink Beds, Taylor Martin, Snake Oil Medicine Show, Hard Rocket, Emisunshine & The Rain, and many more.

For more information and/or to purchase tickets, go to www.ashejam.com.

Smoky Mountain News: With the shutdown, what it proved to me is what I’ve always felt, which is that music is more than just entertainment — it’s a healing force.

Michael Reilly: Absolutely. It’s a way to bring people together, and it’s a way for them to get into a place in their head where they have fond memories. So, that’s always a plus for us.

SMN: PPL has played pretty much every stage and event out there. After all these years, what is it that you’re still chasing up there?

SMN: That album being “Bustin’ Out,” which is such a wide palette of genres.

MR: We were rock-n-rollers playing with country instruments and singing with a country slang. We grew up [in the Midwest with country and rock music]. We didn’t try to do anything or try to sound country or try to sound this way or that way, we just wanted to write our own songs. We started writing our own tunes, and that became the driving force.

SMN: What has 50 years of touring and performing taught you about what it means to be a human being?

MR: There was an old manager of ours named Jack Daley. He was an amazing man and one of my mentors. He had a phrase called, “the rich tapestry of life.”

His mother was a burlesque singer and vaudeville dancer when he was growing up. He [went on to] manage Judy Garland and Rita Hayworth, and he wrote “Amos ‘n’ Andy” radio shows. He managed Hopalong Cassidy, The Everly Brothers, people like that.

[Jack] was such a fountain of knowledge and experience for me. And he always used that phrase, “the rich tapestry of life.” The more I look back on my life, the more I think, “wow, what a crazy quilt this is.”

Jack was right, all the way along the line.

SMN: Well, I would guess that you probably are a big subscriber to the idea of “the now” and practicing gratitude.

MR: Oh, absolutely. Life is worthless if you just bitch about things. And I’m blown away and completely, totally blessed — nothing but gratitude.

BY GARRET K. WOODWARD

The Bristol swimming hole. (photo: Garret K. Woodward)

White lace and feathers, they made up his bed, a gold covered mattress, on which he was laid

I

HOT PICKS The Jackson County Chamber of Commerce welcomes Electric Circus for “80s Night” from 6 to 8 p.m. Saturday, June 26, at Bridge Park in Sylva.

1

Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts (Franklin) will host The Usual Suspects (Allman Brothers Band/Tom Petty tribute) at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, June 26.

2

Lazy Hiker Brewing (Sylva) will host Unlimited Devotion (Grateful Dead tribute) at 8 p.m. Friday, June 25.

3 4 5

“Pickin’ on the Square” (Franklin) will host Michael Reno Harrell (singer-songwriter) at 7 p.m.

Saturday, June 26.

The annual “Stecoah Arts & Crafts Drive About Tour” will be from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. June 2526 at featured studios in Bryson City, Stecoah and Robbinsville.

It’s currently Saturday afternoon as I type this, so we shall see what mischief tonight will bring. First on the agenda right now?

Back to Dodge Point and the swimming hole, probably back down to Shaw’s and make friends with locals, as per usual.

Run ‘round the circle of life up here on the Maine coast, this whirlwind of people and places (spaces and faces) that will forever hold a piece of my heart. It’s a cherished piece that I can only retrieve, more so borrow back, whenever I find myself once again cruising up U.S. 1, over the Wiscasset bridge and down to New Harbor.

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

June 23-29, 2021

t was about 15 minutes into meeting Sailor Steve and Texas Jeff when I knew I’d met some of the wildest souls on this damn planet.

Sitting at The Contented Sole bar (and grill) in the sleepy Atlantic Ocean harbor cove that is New Harbor, Maine, last Friday night, I bellied up to the bar counter and ordered a local draft, the “Pemaquid Ale,” and quickly befriended the duo.

I had just finished a seafood dinner with my mother (age 72), her best friend (age 60+) and her best friends’ mother (age 97) at the seaside shack of alcohol and lobster (and whatever else they dragged up from the depths). The bill for dinner was paid and they headed back to their summer house around the corner.

The trio of hardcore female role models in my life said goodbye and left me there to (possibly) chat up the cute bartender, more so just to grab a nightcap and roll on into the final cosmic realms of my Friday night.

An hour later, there I was at the Sole, listening to wild-n-out tales of the high seas

from Sailor Steve and Texas Jeff about hauling huge catches of scallops (“It’s pronounced ‘ska-all-ups,’ Garret,” Sailor Steve instructed) from the treacherous Georges Bank, some 300 miles into the Atlantic Ocean from New Harbor.

Earlier that day, I went for a trail run at Dodge Point Public Land, along the coast and just south of Damariscotta, Maine.

Jogging through the northern woods, I thought of how I almost called the community home.

Aside from coming up here every summer since I was born (1985), I was offered a staff writer position at the Lincoln County News. It was April 2012 and I was 27. I’d been barely hanging on a freelance writer following the economic collapse of 2008, eager for full-time employment again in terms of the written word.

At the time, I was scraping by on sporadic $45 articles and substitute teaching at my old high school on the Canadian Border.

Although I was offered the LCN gig, it didn’t sit right with me. The whole situation didn’t feel comfortable, and I’ve always been one to follow my intuition. I simply felt there was something better just around the corner.

Some close friends and family members said I was crazy to turn down the job, but less than two months later, The Smoky Mountain News received my resume and asked if I was interested in relocating to Waynesville, North Carolina, and working for them. The rest?

Well, you know how it goes.

Texas Jeff, as well as the cute bartender. Plans were made in haste with them to do it all over again “tomorrow night.”

Making my way back to the house, I could hear the waves of the mighty Atlantic crashing on the nearby beach, my gaze raised up and in awe of the stars hanging high in the night sky. I felt at ease, if but for a moment. I felt gratitude for the moment, fully immersed in “the now.”

arts & entertainment

This must be the place

Leaving Dodge Point, I headed to the Bristol swimming hole (pictured) between Damariscotta and New Harbor. I've been jumping into its cool waters since I was in elementary school. Many a lazy summer day spent on the riverbank here, pondering the ways and means of life: as a kid, then a teenager, onward into adulthood.

At 36, a lot more salt and pepper in the hair as I saw my reflection in the water. I pulled up and immediately jumped in, only to swim up to the riverbank and find a warm spot on the ancient rock bed. I sat and thought of all the emotional weight of my past, and how much of that I truly want to carry presently into the future (which isn't much, truth be told, but easier said than done).

I thought of my existence before the pandemic: what my life was, where it stands today, and aspirations for tomorrow (and beyond). I thought a lot about those I dearly miss, either six feet under or thousands of miles away. I jumped into the cool waters and emerged onto the surface, once again in search of the oxygen needed to carry on.

New Harbor. Some 1,100 miles from Waynesville. Once I dried off along the riverbank, I meandered to the nearby dive bar, Shaw's Wharf. Filled with gritty lobstermen and tourists, it’s open-air establishment with cheap beers and hearty conversation in a remote fishing cove. My kind of place.

I had such an urge to wander down there Friday afternoon, perhaps make some friends with the locals. I sauntered in. Sit down. Order a beer. Taking my first sip, I notice the back of the shirt of the person next to me. It read: "Wheels Through Time: Maggie Valley, North Carolina."

I was shocked, but not surprised, for the universe provides for the curious and adventurous. Not only is the museum less than 10 minutes from my apartment in Waynesville, but the late owner, Dale, was a friend who I knew from my travels and assignments. I introduced myself and said hello to the guy sporting the shirt.

His name was Gary. Older dude. Carpenter.

Lifelong resident of New Harbor. He goes, "Well, I go to Western North Carolina to ride motorcycles and decompress." To which, I go, "Well, shit, I come to the Maine coast to go run and decompress." Smiles and laughter.

Handshakes and head shakes in amazement.

Skip ahead to closing down the Sole later that night, I bid farewell to Sailor Steve and

Smoky Mountain News 23

24

Smoky Mountain News June 23-29, 2021

arts & entertainment

On the beat

• Nantahala Brewing (Sylva) will host a “Jazz Night” from 7 to 10 p.m. on Wednesdays, Shane Meade & The Sound 4 p.m. June 27 and semi-regular live music on the weekends. Free and open to the public.

828.641.9797 or www.nantahalabrewing.com.

• Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts (Franklin) will host The Usual Suspects (Allman Brothers Band/Tom Petty tribute) at 7:30 p.m. June 26. Tickets are $20 per person. For more information and/or to purchase tickets, go to www.greatmountainmusic.com.

• Nantahala Outdoor Center (Nantahala Gorge) will host “Bluegrass with Blue” June 25 and July 2, Somebody’s Child (Americana) 4 p.m. July 3, Pioneer Chicken Stand 7 p.m.

July 3 and Granny’s Mason Jar 4 p.m. July 4.

All shows begin at 6 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public.

888.905.7238 or www.noc.com.

• Stecoah Valley Center (Robbinsville) “An Appalachian Evening” series will host a special online performance by The Kruger Brothers at 7:30 p.m. June 26. Ticketed shows will include The Jeff Little Trio July 10 ($25), Liam Purcell & Cane Mill Road July 17 ($15) and Darin & Brooke Aldridge July 24 ($25). 828.479.3364 or www.stecoahvalleycenter.com.

The Kruger Brothers.

‘An Appalachian Evening’ Electric Circus.

Ready for ‘80s Night’?

Celebrate summer as the Jackson County Chamber of Commerce welcomes Electric Circus for “80s Night” from 6 to 8 p.m. Saturday, June 26, at Bridge Park in Sylva.

This event is free and everyone is welcome. Dogs must be on a leash. No coolers, no smoking and no alcohol please. Bring a chair or blanket and happy coastal vibes.

The chamber asks that anyone who is not yet vaccinated to practice social distancing, proper hand sanitizing and preferably to wear a mask. If you've been vaccinated, you are welcome to attend without a mask.

For more information, contact the Jackson County Chamber of Commerce at 828.586.2155 or visit mountainlovers.com.

• Boojum Brewing (Waynesville) will host karaoke at 8:30 p.m. on Wednesdays, trivia at 7 p.m. on Thursdays and Isaiah Breedlove & The Old Pines July 17. All shows begin at 9 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.246.0350 or www.boojumbrewing.com.

• Concerts on the Creek (Sylva) at Bridge Park will host Terry Lynn Queen w/Scott Baker & Tim Queen (classic rock) July 2 and Fireworks Festivities w/All in One (rock/funk) 6 p.m. July 4. All shows begin at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. Sponsored by the Jackson County Chamber of Commerce. www.mountainlovers.com.

• Frog Level Brewing (Waynesville) will host Laura Thurston 5 p.m. June 24, Scoundrel’s Lounge (blues/rock) June 25 and Space Granny June 26. All shows begin at 6 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public.

828.454.5664 or www.froglevelbrewing.com.

• The Haywood County Courthouse (Waynesville) will host the Haywood Community Band on the front lawn at 2 p.m.

July 3 during the Stars & Stripes Celebration.

Free and open to the public.

• Innovation Brewing (Sylva) will host Bird In Hand (Americana/indie) w/Rye Baby (Americana/indie) at 7 p.m. July 4. Free and open to the public. www.innovation-brewing.com.

• L’Italiana (Franklin) will host Bluejazz 6:30 p.m. June 25. Free and open to the public.

• Lazy Hiker Brewing (Franklin) will host Scoundrel’s Lounge (blues/rock) June 26. All shows begin at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted.

Free and open to the public. 828.342.5133 or www.lazyhikerbrewing.com.

ALSO:

• Lazy Hiker Brewing (Sylva) will host Unlimited Devotion (Grateful Dead tribute) June 25. All shows begin at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public.

828.349.2337 or www.lazyhikerbrewing.com.

• Mountain Layers Brewing (Bryson City) will host Bird in Hand (Americana/folk) June 25, Shane Meade & The Sound June 26 and Aces Down 4 p.m. June 27. All shows begin at 6 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public.

828.538.0115 or www.mtnlayersbeer.com.

• “Pickin’ on the Square” (Franklin) will host Michael Reno Harrell (singer-songwriter) June 26 and Sundown (rock/soul) July 10. All shows start at 7 p.m. Free and open to the public. Located on Main Street. www.franklin-chamber.com.

• Unplugged Pub (Bryson City) will host Carolina Freightshakers June 25, Arnold Hill (rock) June 26, Blackjack Country July 1, UpBeats July 2 and Outlaw Whiskey July 3.

All shows begin at 8 p.m. Free and open to the public. 828.538.2488.

Smoky Mountain News

• Friday Night Live (Highlands) will be held at the Town Square from 6 to 8:30 p.m. with Trudition June 25 and Foxfire Boys July 2.

Free and open to the public. www.highlandschamber.org.

• Innovation Station (Dillsboro) will host Silent Disco 7 p.m. June 25 and Fitz N Dave June 27. All events are free and begin at 2 p.m. unless otherwise noted. www.innovation-brewing.com.

June 23-29, 2021

The “An Appalachian Evening” series will return to the Stecoah Valley Center in Robbinsville.

A special online performance by The Kruger Brothers will be held June 26, which is free and open to the public. The show will be live streamed at 7:30 p.m. on YouTube, with a link available at www.stecoahvalleycenter.com prior to the concert.

Ticketed shows will include The Jeff Little Trio July 10 ($25), Liam Purcell & Cane Mill Road July 17 ($15) and Darin & Brooke Aldridge July 24 ($25).

For more information and/or to purchase tickets, call 828.479.3364 or click on www.stecoahvalleycenter.com.

The Pic’ & Play Mountain Dulcimer Players will be resuming in-person jam sessions at the St. John’s Episcopal Church basement fellowship hall in Sylva.

The group welcomes all beginners and experienced dulcimer players, including mountain (lap) dulcimer and hammered dulcimer players. Songs played include traditional mountain tunes, hymns, and more modern music. The group meets at 1:30 p.m. on the second and fourth Saturday of every month in the basement of St. John’s.

Access to the hall is from the left side when facing the church. Due to construction at the church, parking may be limited next to the fellowship hall entrance, but is available on Jackson and on Landis streets. If you are not fully vaccinated for COVID-19, wear a mask to protect yourself.

Pic’ & Play has been playing together since 1995. The more experienced members welcome new players, help them navigate their instruments, and guide them through some of the basics of tuning, strumming, and playing.

The mountain dulcimer, also known as a fretted dulcimer or a lap dulcimer, is a uniquely American instrument. It evolved from the German scheitholz sometime in the early 1800s in Appalachia and was largely known only in this region until popularized more broadly in the 1950s.

For more information, call Kathy Jaqua at 828.349.3930 or Don Selzer at 828.293.0074.

arts & entertainment

Learn the dulcimer

• Rathskeller Coffee Haus & Pub (Franklin) will host Ethan Smith June 25, Jake Hicks June 26 and Matthew Oschmann July 2.

Shows begin at 8 p.m. Free and open to the public. www.rathskellerfranklin.com.

• Valley Tavern (Maggie Valley) will host Sound Investment 6 p.m. June 25 and Electric Circus 3 p.m. June 27. 828.926.7440 or www.valley-tavern.com.

• Saturdays On Pine (Highlands) will be held at the Kelsey-Hutchinson Park from 6 to 8:30 p.m. with Blaze The City July 3. Free and open to the public. www.highlandschamber.org.

• Water’n Hole Bar & Grill (Waynesville) will host karaoke on Thursday nights and semiregular live music on the weekends. All shows begin at 3 p.m. 828.456.4750 or www.facebook.com/waternhole.bar.

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arts & entertainment

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Smoky Mountain News

June 23-29, 2021

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Summer at Lake Junaluska Lake Junaluska’s Summer Activities Program, which offers free and low-cost activities that celebrate faith, recreation, arts and education, kicks off the season on Thursday, June 24, with an outdoor concert by the Jacksonville Children’s Chorus.

Now in its eighth year, Lake Junaluska’s Summer Activities Program features special events such as birding tours and guided hikes as well as weekly activities including morning devotions, clogging lessons, community bonfires, yoga sessions and outdoor movies.

Program activities start in late June and continue through early August.

The kickoff concert featuring the Jacksonville Children’s Chorus will be held at Lake Junaluska’s Amphitheater at 7 p.m.

Thursday, June 24. It is free and open to the public. On the program are musical numbers such as “When You Wish Upon A Star,” “Orange Blossom Special” and “Conga Rhythm.”

Summer Activities Program weekly activities start the following week, the week of June

28, with morning devotions, movie nights on Mondays, game nights on Tuesdays, and community bonfires on Thursdays. Evening yoga sessions on Tuesdays, morning yoga sessions on Wednesdays and clogging lessons on Fridays, all offered outdoors, are $10 per person.

Special events include a free outdoor clogging performance by the J. Creek Cloggers on Friday, July 2, at the lakeside white tent.

Those with a competitive spirit are invited to participate in the Shuffleboard Shuffle play on July 2 or play in Firecracker Fast Four Tennis on July 3. Less physically demanding leisure activities also include bird tours guided by Christine Boone Gibson and summer book reading and review with Diana Foederer and friends.

The Summer Activities Program is made possible through charitable giving. For more information about the program and a calendar of events, visit www.lakejunaluska.com/summeractivities.

• The Classic Wineseller (Waynesville) will host the Trione Vineyards wine tasting from 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday, June 24. Cost is $72 (all inclusive) per person. RSVP at 828.452.6000. Full menu available at www.classicwineseller.com/calendar (click on “June 24” listing).

Saturday at The Wine Bar & Cellar in Sylva.

828.631.3075.

• The “BBQ & Brews Dinner Train” will be held from 7 to 9 p.m. on select dates at the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad in Bryson City. Full service all-adult first class car.

Craft beer pairings with a meal, and more.

For more information and/or to register, call 800.872.4681 or click on www.gsmr.com.

• “Dillsboro After Five” will take place from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m on Wednesdays in downtown Dillsboro. Start with a visit to the Jackson County Farmers Market located in the Innovation Station parking lot. Stay for dinner and take advantage of late-hour shopping. www.mountainlovers.com.

• There will be a free wine tasting from 6 to 8 p.m. every Thursday and 2 to 5 p.m. every

• The “Uncorked: Wine & Rail Pairing Experience” will be held from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on select dates at the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad in Bryson City. Full service all-adult first class car.

Wine pairings with a meal, and more. For more information and/or to register, call 800.872.4681 or click on www.gsmr.com.

ALSO:

• Tickets are now on sale for the July 4th celebration “Concert On the Commons” at The Village Green in Cashiers. Live music returns with the popular dance band Continental Divide at 6 p.m. Sunday, July 4, at the Commons. Continental Divide features the silky smooth voice of Carolina Beach Music Hall of Fame performer Gene Pharr to the lightness of the rhythm section to the flowing lines of the horn section. For more information and/or to purchase tickets, click on www.villagegreencashiersnc.com/concerts.

On the stage

ALSO:

facebook.com/ smnews

Sign & Greet

JAYNE ZANGLEIN author of

The Girl Explorers

SATURDAY, JUNE 26

starting at 3 p.m.

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Apply now and get a hiring bonus from $500 up to $3,000—and a full portfolio of benefits. That should make work a little more worth your while.

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Smoky Mountain News

• “An Evening of Broadway” with countertenor Terry Barber (and Grace Fields) will be held at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, June 26, at the Highlands Performing Arts Center.

With an extraordinarily broad vocal range and natural fluency in many musical styles, he has been featured on some of the world’s most storied stages and has worked with many of the music industry’s most prestigious figures. A voting member of the Grammy Awards, his voice has appeared on every major record label, with Grammy-winning artists like Chanticleer, Madonna, Jewel, Chaka Khan, Cyndi Lauper, Steve Smith, and many more. Tickets are available online at www.highlandsperformingarts.com.

Bookstore

June 23-29, 2021

The Haywood Arts Regional Theatre will present “Billy Goat Gruff ” as their first outdoor musical through July 4.

Audiences are invited to bring a blanket or chair, relax in the summer sun, and enjoy this one act musical featuring that Appalachian sound we all love.

“Billy Goat Gruff ” tells a tale of adventure, believing in yourself, and not judging others. Actors play instruments, create sound effects and scenery, and sing soaring melodies that fill the HART outdoor amphitheater.

Amongst the band of actors you’ll hear fiddle, stand up bass, auto-harp, ukulele, djembe and HART will have the composer of “Billy Goat Gruff,” Ben Mackel, on guitar.

“Billy Goat Gruff ” is suitable for all ages and would be a great first show for your grandkids or a lovely afternoon outside with your sweetheart.

“Billy Goat Gruff ” will have matinee performances with Fridays at 10 a.m., Saturdays at 2 p.m., and Sundays at 4 p.m.

While you are encouraged to bring a blanket or picnic, HART will have chairs available and will be offering their usual concessions. Tickets are $15 for adults and $8 for students, and will only be sold at the door for all outdoor performances.

You can check HART’s Facebook or Instagram for updates if you are worried about rain cancellations. Groups of 10 or more get $2 off per ticket, so bring the whole family or friend group. www.harttheatre.org.

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Select positions eligible for hiring bonus. Restrictions apply. Please see Talent Acquisition department for details. Applicants must be 18 years of age or older and have a valid photo ID. An Enterprise of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. Harrah’s Cherokee Casinos value diversity and inclusion, and are equal opportunity employers. ©2021, Caesars License Company, LLC.

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On the wall arts & entertainment

QuickDraw art sale

Wool wrap scarves by Grace Engel.

June 23-29, 2021

HCC graduate art exhibit The Folk Art Center in Asheville has opened its Main Gallery exhibition showcasing the Graduating Class of 2021 of Haywood Community College’s Professional Crafts Program.

Located on the second floor until Aug. 22, the show continues the historical relationship between the Southern Highland Craft Guild and Haywood, an educational center of the Guild.

One of the most anticipated shows of the year, the class of 2021 represents works of wood, metal, clay, and fiber. This new generation of craft is led by instructors Amy Putansu in fiber, Brian Wurst in wood, Emily Reason in clay, and Robert Blanton in metals/jewelry.

The showcase is free and open to the public. For more information, visit www.craftguild.org or call 828.298.7928.

For more information about the Professional Crafts Program, call 828.627.4674 or visit creativearts.haywood.edu.

Smoky Mountain News

• “Faces,” an exhibit of drawings by the late Ron Hunnicutt, who passed away in February, will be held through the end of June at the Macon County Public Library in Franklin. 828.524.3600.

• The “Thursday Painters” group will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Thursdays at The Uptown Gallery in Franklin. Free and open to the public. All skill levels and mediums are welcome. Participants are responsible for their own project and a bag lunch. For more information, call The Uptown Gallery at 828.349.4607 or contact Pat Mennenger at pm14034@yahoo.com. See more about Macon County Art Association at www.franklinuptowngallery.com and like, follow and share the Uptown Gallery on Facebook.

• The Haywood County Arts Council’s “Art Works @ The Library,” a collaborative program between the Haywood County Public Library system and the HCAC, is currently showcasing works by artist Cayce Moyer at 28 the Canton Library. Working in traditional

QuickDraw, a local art initiative that funds art supplies in rural Western North Carolina schools, is selling art for education online now through June 30. The fundraiser presents art to buy or bid on, and a giveaway basket opportunity for donors.

QuickDraw’s sale is live for shoppers and donors through June 30. The online art market and art auction can be accessed at: wncquick-draw.myshopify.com.

Local businesses contributed to stock a thank-you basket for donations. Donors can contribute online, or in person at Bosu’s Wine Store at 138 Miller Street in Waynesville.

For more information, visit www.quickdrawofwnc.com or call 828.734.5747.

Cherokee syllabary, art showcase

Stecoah Drive-About Tour The annual “Stecoah Arts & Crafts Drive About Tour” will be from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

June 25-26 at featured studios in Bryson City, Stecoah and Robbinsville.

With their studios open to the public, the self-guided driving tour highlights artisans who have built a livelihood with their creative talents. Media include pottery, beeswax lanterns, original paintings, fiber, quilts, photography, artisan cheeses and more.

The tour includes: Nantahala School for the Arts (Southwestern Community College), Gallery Zella, Stecoah Artisans Gallery, Yellow Branch Pottery & Cheese, Taylor’s Greenhouse, Wehrloom Honey & Essentials, and Junk ‘n’ Style. www.stecoahvalleycenter.com.

and mixed media, Moyer blends the worlds of high-brow and low-brow work. Classically trained at Savannah College of Art and Design, her portfolio includes drawing, painting, sculpture, illustration, graphic design, murals, and set prop painting for theatre and TV. • Farmer’s Market (with artisans) will be held from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays through October at 117 Island Street in Bryson City.

Stop by the old barn by the river for local, homegrown produce, as well as baked goods, jellies and preserves, authentic crafts, and more. Food truck, picnic tables and a strolling musician. Leashed pets are welcome. Outdoor event. Current Covid-19 safety protocols will be followed and enforced. 828.488.7857.

ALSO:

• Open call for artists to sell their work in the Carriage House Gift Shop at the historic Shelton House in Waynesville. For details, call 757.894.2293.

A work by Rhiannon Skye Tafoya.

The “A Living Language: Cherokee Syllabary and Contemporary Art” exhibit at the Museum of the Cherokee Indian features over 50 works of art in a variety of media by over 30 Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) and Cherokee Nation artists.

The exhibition highlights the use of the written Cherokee language, a syllabary developed by Cherokee innovator Sequoyah (circa 1776–1843). Cherokee syllabary is frequently found in the work of Cherokee artists as a compositional element or the subject matter of the work itself.

The exhibition will be on view at the Museum of the Cherokee Indian in Cherokee through Oct. 31, and in the Asheville Art Museum’s Appleby Foundation Exhibition Hall from Nov. 18 to March 14.

The Cherokee Syllabary is a system of writing developed by Sequoyah in the early 1800s prior to the Removal period.

Through Sequoyah’s innovative work, Cherokee people embraced the writing system as an expedient form of communication and documentation.

During the Removal period, the syllabary was used as a tactic to combat land dispossession. Cherokee people continue to use the syllabary as a form of cultural expression and pride, which is showcased in the contemporary artwork of the Cherokee Citizens in this exhibition.

“We are pleased to host this gathering of works from contemporary Cherokee artists, who perfectly illustrate how our language is a living and evolving part of who we are. It is moving to see how each artist finds inspiration in their own way from this language that connects us as Cherokee people,” said Shana Bushyhead Condill, executive direc-

tor of the Museum of the Cherokee Indian.

“A Living Language: Cherokee Syllabary and Contemporary Art” is organized by the Asheville Art Museum and Museum of the Cherokee Indian, and curated by Joshua Adams, EBCI artist and independent curator, and Hilary Schroeder, assistant curator at the Asheville Art Museum.

This project is made possible in part by a grant from the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area Partnership, and sponsored in part by the Cherokee Preservation Foundation and Kevin Click and April Liou in memory of Myron E. Click.

Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians artists include Joshua Adams, Jody Lipscomb Bradley, Nathan Bush, Kane Crowe, John Henry Gloyne, Shan Goshorn, Luzene Hill, Christy Long, Louise Bigmeat Maney, Christopher McCoy, Tara McCoy, Joel Queen, Sean Ross, Jakeli Swimmer, Rhiannon Skye Tafoya, Mary Thompson, Stan Tooni Jr., Alica Wildcatt, and Fred Wilnoty.

Cherokee Nation artists include Roy Boney Jr., Jeff Edwards, Joseph Erb, Raychel Foster, Kenny Glass, Camilla McGinty, Jessica Mehta, America Meredith, Jane Osti, Lisa Rutherford, Janet L. Smith, Jennifer Thiessen, and Jennie Wilson.

Established in 1948, the Museum of the Cherokee Indian is one of the longest operating tribal museums. Recognized for its innovative storytelling, the Museum features exhibits, artwork, and hands-on technology that brings over 15,000 years of Cherokee history to life.

Located in Cherokee, the museum is open daily except Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day. Learn more by visiting www.mci.org.

On the shelf

Jeff Minick

back in the 1990s on her television shows and was the title of a regular column in Martha Stewart Living, her magazine. Very Good Things is a collection of the best of these columns.

Some readers of this review may wonder why a guy who just turned 70, who makes more than half his meals by popping a box into the microwave, and whose idea of home decoration consists of cleaning off the island table in the kitchen twice a week would read and review Martha Stewart?

Here are three explanations.

I’ve already said I admired the woman as one of the comeback crew. When I saw this latest book in the library, I picked it up out of my high regard for her.

Then there’s the photograph on the front

••• In January I made a New Year’s Resolution to read at least six classic books, old books that would be new to me. Ivanhoe was a breeze, but tackling Fyodor Dostoevsky’s Devils is more like trudging into a stiff wind. The novel is supposed to tell a story of Russian revolutionaries in nineteenth century Russia, and even after I’d reached page 200 no radicals had appeared.

Then they began revealing themselves, and I realized good old Dostoevsky had sucker punched me, that the revolutionaries were there all along, invisible in the book just as they so often were in reality.

At any rate, the pace of the story has picked up, and I am about halfway through this 700-page beast of literature.

More on that adventure in a later column.

(Jeff Minick reviews books and has written four of his own: two novels, Amanda Bell and Dust On Their Wings, and two works of nonfiction, Learning As I Go and Movies Make the Man. minick0301@gmail.com)

Secrets of the Loon Saturday, June 26th at 1 o'clock

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Smoky Mountain News

of Very Good Things. This woman’s nearly 80-years-old? She must be sipping from Ponce de Leon’s Fountain of Youth. Maybe looking through her book would magically remove my own wrinkles, gray hair, splotched complexion and sagging jowls.

The format of Very Good Things also appealed to me. I’m running behind on book reviews, and this collection featured lots of photographs and blips of advice that made for an easy read. I figured I could dash through it and toss out a review without breaking a sweat.

Then came the surprise that forced me to slow down and actually pay attention.

I found dozens of tips that could even make this old guy happier in his home.

On page 14, for example, the book offered this tip: “Before you begin any painting project, line roller trays with plastic wrap. That way you can just peel it off — no rinsing required.” It also advised painters to seal their phones in zip-top plastic bags, thereby allowing us to “talk or text without covering it in paint.”

I long ago learned the old trick of sealing paint brushes in plastic wrap and storing them in the freezer, but why had I never thought of these things?

Then came the entry titled “ Drain Deodorizer.” Where I live, one of the kitchen drains, the one leading to the disposal, occasionally reeks. Stewart’s advice about running part of a lemon eradicated this stench.

Many of Stewart’s recipes brought to mind hungry grandchildren.

“Fools in a Flash” — a fool is the British term for a creamy, fruitcompote dessert — seems simple to make, is reasonably healthy, and would draw the kids like flies.

Ditto on non-alcoholic MelonMargarita Pops. Easter’s fast approaching, and if I’m with some of the kids, we might make some marbleized eggs together, again easy to do and with beautiful results.

Very Good Things is a good thing in itself, a pleasure to peruse with hundreds of attractive photographs and entertaining reading. Here is an ideal gift for all sorts of occasions: Mother’s Day, weddings, graduations and birthdays.

Enjoy!

June 23-29, 2021

Most of us like comeback stories.

We enjoy watching “Cinderella Man,” where the washed-up heavyweight James J. Braddock returns to the ring and defeats all his opponents to become world champion.

We take pleasure in the story of F. Scott Fitzgerald, whose novel The Great Gatsby many considered a failure at Fitzgerald’s death, but which critics and readers today regard as one of the top-shelf novels in American literature. We think of Ulysses S. Grant in Galena, Illinois, sellWriter ing firewood on a street corner to make ends meet. A few years later, he was commanding the Union armies in the Civil War and would become president of the United States.

Martha Stewart holds a place of honor in this comeback gang as well.

In the last decade of the 20th century, Stewart was a doyen of recipes, manners and style. She turned out books on cooking and decorating, hosted television shows and was a national celebrity.

In 2004, her empire seemed to come crashing down when Stewart was convicted of stock trading irregularities and served a fivemonth prison sentence. Many pronounced her enterprises at an end, expecting her ruination to be permanent.

It didn’t happen. Instead, Stewart emerged from prison, took up where she’d left off, published more books, developed more television shows about cooking and gardening and is today a successful entrepreneur.

And like so many others, I admire her for that comeback.

Which brings me to Martha Stewart’s Very Good Things: Clever Tips & Genius Ideas for an Easier, More Enjoyable Life (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2021, 288 pages).

As Stewart explains in this latest book, “It’s a good thing” became her catchphrase

arts & entertainment

Surprised by Stewart’s ‘Very Good Things’

Children's Book Signing Event CHUCK DAYTON

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Outdoors

Smoky Mountain News

A four-legged hiker takes in the early March view from the Pinnacle. Holly Kays photo

Sylva discusses Pinnacle’s future Survey, master plan and forest therapy certification requested at June 10 meeting

BY HOLLY KAYS OUTDOORS EDITOR n February, Sylva’s town board gave its enthusiastic support to a plan that would bring 35 miles of multi-use trail to 2,000 acres of forest owned by the town and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. But during their most recent meeting, members heard from a biologist who urged them to slow down before approving any construction.

Before trail building begins, said Western Carolina University Biology Professor Kathy Mathews, the town should hire an environmental consultant to complete a botanical survey, a process that would likely take about a year to complete.

I

BOTANICAL SURVEY NEEDED A mountain biker herself, Mathews said she supports Nantahala Area Southern Off Road Bicycle Association’s plan to develop a system of multi-use trails at the town-owned Pinnacle Park, adjoining Blackrock Creek Tract, and tribally owned Shut-In Creek Tract.

However, Mathews is also a scientist specializing in Southern Appalachian plants, and conservation is important to her mindset.

“Care must be taken to plan for this and delineate certain areas that I believe should remain undisturbed or for hikers only,” she told the board during its June 10 meeting.

Pinnacle Park is “one of the finest examples of a mature forest around,” she said, and given its wide-ranging elevational gradient it serves as “an amazing outdoor classroom with outstanding botanical diversity” for her students. Mathews cited estimates from her

colleagues at WCU that the property contains at least 218 plant species and 98 bird species, with a large number of insects and other arthropods, including nine firefly species.

The list includes many rare, imperiled or vulnerable species, and is by no means complete.

However, she said, to date no scientific surveys have been done to quantify exactly which species live there and where on the property they reside. Given that the town is planning to build new trails, she said, that’s a problem.

“We need to know where the species are located so their populations may be monitored for changes caused by environmental change and poaching, and so that new trails can avoid impacting their populations,” she said.

Current plans don’t take the locations of fragile plant communities into account and in some cases propose that trails be built straight through them. This is a particular worry in regard to two montane seeps found on the property, a rare habitat type also described as a mountain wetland.

“These areas are tempting to build trails through because of their gentle grade compared to the rest of the park,” she said. “One of the proposed new SORBA trails — the PP5 trail — actually traverses back and forth

across the headwaters of the East Fork of Fisher Creek, crossing right through one of these montane seep areas. But excavating for a trail would damage the delicate ecosystem and degrade the creek and its inhabitants.”

There are ways to build trails in such areas without harming the ecosystems — boardwalks, for example, could still allow access — but “great care must be taken” in those situations, said Mathews.

“Mountain bikes have the potential to cause more erosion (than hiking), particularly if trails are used in wet, muddy conditions,” she said. “The bike tires can cause erosion especially depending on how people ride, whether they’re banking or doing things that dig into the soil. That’s mostly a problem in wet conditions, but that’s a lot of the time around here.”

Invasive plants are another key consideration, she said. While most of the property is “astonishingly free” of invasives — to a degree that is “unlike virtually any other trails in our area” — heavy trail use and construction of new trails and parking areas creates soil disturbance and new edges, where invasive plants are more likely to establish. The town should consider that issue in its plans and take precautions to prevent construction from granting a foothold to nonnative species that could outcompete the diverse native plant

“The richness of diversity there needs to dictate where those trails — if we do additional trails — would go.”

— David Nestler

community at Pinnacle Park.

Board members thanked Mathews for her comments, indicating their willingness to pursue a survey like the one she suggested.

“It’s very alarming to hear things like that there’s a high-elevation bog there and that the SORBA trails go right through it,” said Commissioner David Nestler. “It sounds like what you’re suggesting that we need to do is to do a botanical survey before we commit to any shovels in the ground for trails, because certainly the richness of diversity there needs to dictate where those trails — if we do additional trails — would go.”

Commissioner Ben Guiney said the town is extremely lucky to have a “jewel” like Pinnacle Park, and that any action the board takes in the future must protect what’s already there.

“In a situation like this, if you start to destroy an ecosystem, it doesn’t come back, and so we want to make sure that we’re treading lightly as we go forward,” he said. “Thank you so much for bringing this up and bringing it to our attention.”

“I feel enormous responsibility to the future when we’re thinking about this project,” added Commissioner Greg McPherson.

FOUNDATION OFFERS TO HELP LIFT THE LOAD After Mathews’ presentation, Jay Coward of the Pinnacle Park Foundation spoke to the board about a proposed memorandum of understanding between the town and the foundation that would allow the foundation to act as the town’s agent in carrying out various projects related to Pinnacle Park — including the botanical survey, which Coward said is “a critical thing to move forward with.”

However, Coward sees a completed survey as a beginning to the necessary planning process for the property, not the end. The foundation board is in agreement that the park needs a master plan — currently, there is no long-term document envisioning the property’s future.

“You can’t make a master plan unless you know what you’ve got,” said Coward. “You have to have an inventory of the species you’ve got, of the terrain, of the climate.

There’s so many things that have to be considered in coming up with the master plan.”

Coward asked the town to sign an MOU allowing the foundation to manage these tasks. The foundation would outline the task, put out a request for proposals, evaluate the responses and bring the results back to the town board, along with estimated costs.

“We’re not asking to usurp anything that the town has a right to do,” said Coward.

“We’re just saying we would be happy to be your agent in getting this done for you.”

Board members seemed favorable to the idea but said they wanted more time to dissect the particulars of the draft MOU Coward had presented. Many of them had trouble opening the document and were not able to review it prior to the meeting.

CERTIFYING A

Sign up for basketball camp Registration is now open for a basketball camp in Haywood County offering sessions for elementary and middle school students.

Camp will take place from 1 to 3 p.m. each day, with elementary sessions offered July 19-21 and Aug. 2-4, and middle school sessions July 12-14 and July 26-28. Locations will vary, and attendance is capped at 30 players per session.

Cost is $20, or free for those attending summer school. Offered by Haywood County Recreation and Parks. Sign up by calling 828.452.6789.

Nominees wanted for conservation award

Join Haywood’s Youth Conservation Corps

The North Carolina Wildlife Federation is accepting nominations through July 5 for conservation heroes for the Governor’s Conservation Achievement awards, the highest natural resource honors given in the state.

The award honors those who exhibit unwavering dedication and success in the conservation of wildlife and other natural resources in North Carolina. Awards are given for contributions in categories related to conservation of water, land and forests, along with those dedicated to exemplary youth, sportsmen or sportswomen, and wildlife volunteers.

Nominations may be submitted by individuals, businesses or organizations.

For more information about award categories, visit ncwf.org/governors-conservationachievement-awards. Send direct questions to Sarah Hollis at sarah@ncwf.org.

The Haywood County Youth Conservation Corps, a group that engages youth from kindergarten through high school in hands-on conservation projects, is looking for projects and participants.

By introducing environmental experiences to students, the YCC is preparing the next generation of environmental scientists and conservationists to make sure Western North Carolina has healthy waterways for wildlife as well as the economic, recreational and health benefits they provide to the community. The primary focus has been on planting trees along waterways, but other projects include litter cleanups and invasive plant removal.

To get involved, contact Haywood Waterways Association at info@haywoodwaterways.org or 828.476.4667.

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Smoky Mountain News

ment of the program is that there be a sign placed at the entrance to the trail.”

FOREST THERAPY TRAIL Breedlove presented the request in conjunction with Mark Ellison, a certified They also wanted to give Coward and nature and forest therapy guide. the Pinnacle Park Foundation time to dis“It really is kind of an emerging ecocuss how they could be involved with a tourism offering that people are looking third Pinnacle-related proposal board memfor, places just to escape to,” Ellison said. bers heard June 10 — a request for permis“There’s so much noise in the world, so much activity. You Mark Ellison’s forest can step right out of the parktherapy walks end ing lot at Pinnacle Park and with a round of for- immediately you’re immersed aged tea. Mark Ellison photo in the sounds of the water and the forest, and you feel like you’re miles away from activity.”

Called Shinrin-Yoku where it originated in Japan, forest therapy consists of slow-paced walks that allow participants to relax and connect with the natural world by awakening their senses to the sounds, smells, sights, tastes and feeling of the forest around them, according to a description on the TDA website.

Ellison already leads forest therapy walks on the loop trail. Multiple bridges cross back and forth over the shaded creek and wildflowers are plentiful — it’s the “perfect setting,” Ellison said. However, he’d like to see the trail officially certified as a forest therapy trail by the Association for Nature and Forest Therapy.

Ellison presented the town with a proposed MOU to make that happen. Under the MOU, the town would work with Ellison on recommendations for future trail improvements — currently, none are recommended — and Ellison would manage the application process, complete any documentation work needed and create content for a brochure to facilitate self-guided therapy walks.

The process would cost a total of $1,000 in consulting fees, to be paid by the occupancy tax-funded TDA, not the town.

Mayor Lynda Sossamon said the project sounded like it would be “a good fit” with other proposals for the property.

“Maybe all of this can work together,” she said.

A turk’s cap lily is just one of Sossamon encouraged the many wildflowers to thrive at the park. Holly Kays photo Ellison, the Pinnacle Park Foundation and Town Attorney Eric Ridenour to get sion to have the half-mile loop path at its together and talk about how their respecbase certified as a forest therapy trail. tive MOUs might work in concert. The con“We’re not asking for any funding or versation is expected to resume at the next any alterations to the trail,” said Jackson board meeting, scheduled for 9 a.m.

County Tourism Development Authority Thursday, June 24, to further discuss their Director Nick Breedlove. “The only requiredesired agreements with the town.

1819 Country Club Dr. | Maggie Valley, NC | M AG G I E VA LLEY C LU B . CO M

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outdoors

Hike Haywood Explore the mountains with Haywood Recreation and Parks this week, with moderate hikes planned on Flat Creek Trail and the Mountains-to-Sea Trail. n On Saturday, June 26, a 5.2mile hike on the Flat Creek Trail will step off at 9:30 a.m. It will range in elevation from 4,745-5,329 feet.

Phyllis Woollen and Vickey Watson will lead the excursion. n On Wednesday, June 30, a 4.15mile hike will take the MST to Devil’s Courthouse, traversing an elevation gradient of 5,120-5,728 feet. Vickey Watson and Kathy Odvody will serve as guides.

Register for $10 per hike with Ian Smith at 828.452.6789.

Get nocturnal on the Parkway Join a Blue Ridge Parkway ranger to learn about the animals that come out after dark during this week’s Fridays at the Folk Art Center session, 7:30 p.m. Friday, June 25, at the Folk Art Center in Asheville.

Learn what kinds of animals come out at night, how they survive and get ready to put your senses to the test during a fun an interactive night for the whole family.

The Folks Art Center is located at Milepost 382 on the Parkway. No restrooms will be available during this outdoor program. Bring a chair or blanket to sit on.

Rachel Newcomb, is currently reading Rash’s book Above the Waterfall. The club aims to grow awareness of conservation initiatives in the Southern Blue Ridge in an engaging format and to become inspired by the great outdoors.

The meeting will be held via Zoom. To sign up, contact Newcomb at rnewcomb@mainspringconserves.org or 828.524.2711, ext. 305.

Explore conservation through literature

June 23-29, 2021

New York Times bestselling author Ron Rash will join Mainspring Conservation Trust’s virtual book club at 7 p.m. Wednesday, June 30.

The book club, moderated by Mainspring’s

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Bear euthanized following unprovoked attack A bear has been euthanized and a backcountry site closed in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park after a 16-year-old girl was attacked and injured while sleeping in her hammock near her family around 12:30 a.m. Friday, June 18.

The teen, from middle Tennessee, was sleeping near the remaining members of her family of five at Backcountry Campsite 29, located 5.7 miles from the Maddron Bald Trailhead in the Cosby area of the park. They were on a two-night backpacking trip in the Smokies and had properly stored their backpacks and food on aerial food storage cables. Nevertheless, she received multiple injuries, including lacerations to the head, but remained conscious throughout the incident and is currently in stable condition.

“While serious incidents with bears are rare, we remind visitors to remain vigilant while in the backcountry and to follow all precautions while hiking in bear country,” said Superintendent Cassius Cash. “The safety of visitors is our number one priority.”

The family was able to drive the bear away immediately after the attack and quickly notified the park’s emergency communications center. Rangers responded and provided on-site medical care overnight, and the Tennessee Army National Guard transported the teenager to the University of Tennessee Medical Center at approximately 9 a.m.

Two bears were spotted in the area following the attack. One larger, male bear entered the campsite while rangers were present and repeatedly approached the area in spite of attempts to scare it from the site.

Family members identified the bear as the one responsible for the attack, and rangers shot and killed it. Forensic testing confirmed human blood on the euthanized bear. The campsite will remain closed until further notice.

This is the second instance of a bear injuring a human reported in the region this spring, the other being a May incident in which a Henderson County woman sustained minor injuries during a bear incident involving her unleashed dogs. Bear activity in various areas of the Smokies and nearby national forest land has caused temporary closures of some trails and campsites. Most recently, the Blue Ridge Parkway announced a weeklong halt on tents and soft-sided campers at Mount Pisgah Campground.

Hikers should take precautions while out in bear country, including hiking in groups of three or more, carrying bear spray, complying with all backcountry closures, properly storing food and remaining a safe viewing distance from bears at all times. If attacked by a bear, rangers recommend fighting back with any object available.

Learn more about co-existing with bears at www.bearwise.org.

Parkway motorcycle crash results in fatality A June 5 motorcycle crash on the Blue Ridge Parkway near Laurel Springs left a 65-year-old North Carolina man dead.

William Clegg Scroggs III, of Moravian Falls, was traveling north on mile 278.7 of the Parkway at about 2 p.m. that day when he left the roadway on the outside of a curve. Scroggs was ejected and sustained serious injuries. He was transported by ambulance to Watauga Medical Center and later airlifted to Winston-Salem.

Scroggs succumbed to his injuries and passed away on Sunday, June 10.

Bear activity halts tent camping at Mount Pisgah

Smoky Mountain News

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WALNUT VILLAGE SHOPPING CENTER 331 Walnut Street Waynesville

828.246.9135 haywoodhabitat.org

Through June 24, tents and soft-sided campers are prohibited at Mount Pisgah Campground on the Blue Ridge Parkway due to increasing bear activity in recent days.

A young bear has established a pattern of entering occupied campsites, coming too close to campers and taking food from sites.

Blue Ridge Parkway rangers and wildlife biologists are attempting to dissociate the bear from human food rewards in order to allow all forms of camping to resume. No injuries have been reported.

Existing reservations for tent camping have been canceled through June 24, and reservation holders were contacted.

Camping in cars will be permitted, and some tent sites may accommodate hardsided campers. Walk-up camping will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis to ensure equipment meets current requirements.

When bears become habituated to human food and presence, they lose their fear of people and may begin approaching them in search of food, with behavior becoming more unpredictable and dangerous. Studies have shown that habituated bears do not live as long as bears that eat natural foods and remain afraid of people.

Find more bear safety tips at www.bearwise.org.

@SMOKYMOUNTAINNEWS

Smokies paving project moves to nighttime work tently. There will be no lane closures on weekends or holidays.

The work is being done through an $8.5 million paving contract that the Federal Highway Administration awarded to Burnsville-based Bryant’s Land Development Industries Inc. A pavement preservation treatment is being applied to a 6-mile section of roadway with a full pavement rehabilitation for the remaining 2 miles.

Road condition updates are posted at www.nps.gov/grsm/planyourvisit/temproadclose.htm and @smokiesroadsnps on Twitter.

FRIENDS of the Blue Ridge picks new director is the right person to lead our organization,” said Dan Wells, FRIENDS of the Blue Ridge Board of Directors president. “During Julie’s time with FRIENDS, we’ve seen her ability to connect with people and communities, and that’s an integral part of this job. Not only does she have a wealth of experience in managing membership programs, she is passionate about forging meaningful relationships with our members and chapters who are the lifeblood of our organization.”

The organization was formerly known as FRIENDS of the Blue Ridge Parkway. Last year, the National Park Service informed FRIENDS that it would not be renewing its partnership agreement with the nonprofit.

As a result, the organization has had to regroup, and Whalen has been instrumental in helping to refocus those efforts, Wells said. She led one of FRIENDS’ first initiatives to engage new community partners in April when she conceived and coordinated the Blue Ridge PBS television production Friends of the Blue Ridge JAM featuring the Junior Appalachian Musicians.

Prior to joining FRIENDS, Whalen spent nine years as Kiwanis International’s membership director for North America. www.friendsbrp.org.

Affairs of the Heart

————————————————————————————— 120 N. Main St. • Waynesville 828.452.0526 • affairsoftheheartnc.com

Smoky Mountain News

FRIENDS of the Blue Ridge has named Julie Whalen as its new executive director.

Whalen was first hired in 2017 as director of membership and marketing and became assistant executive director of the Roanoke, Virginia, based organization in 2020. She started her new position as executive director on June 1, replacing former director Mark Hogsed, who left for a position at a non-profit Christian ministry.

“From concerts and trail maintenance to playgrounds and tree plantings, it's a very exciting time for the organization, and I look forward to supporting our members and volunteers as they find ways to have a lasting impact in their communities,” Whalen said.

Whalen plans to work closely with the board of directors and officers to expand the group’s volunteer and membership base while furthering the organization’s mission to protect and preserve the Blue Ridge Region. The group has more than 1,500 members and nearly 750 volunteers with nine chapters, including chapters in Waynesville and Asheville, that empower and coordinate volunteers, projects and events.

“With her first-hand knowledge of our organization, volunteers and members, Julie

We've Got All The Guidebooks You Need!

June 23-29, 2021

Nighttime work has begun on an 8-mile section of Newfound Gap Road in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

The paving project, stretching from Chimneys Picnic Area to Newfound Gap, began in February and is expected to be complete by Nov. 30. Due to heavy summer traffic, all work is now taking place at night.

Daytime work will not resume until Aug. 16.

Visitors traveling between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m. Sundays through Fridays should expect delays. Lane closures will be managed with flagging operations and a pilot car to lead traffic through work zones. Some parking areas and pull-offs will be closed intermit-

outdoors

IT'S TIME TO EXPLORE!

Crews pave Newfound Gap Road at the Morton Tunnel. NPS photo

33

outdoors

Cellist Michael Fitzpatrick plays for the Mountain View Garden Club. Donated photo

Ingles Nutrition Notes written by Ingles Dietitian Leah McGrath Q: I was buying this item at Ingles and suddenly it has disappeared! What happened to it?

A: The possible reasons items "disappear" can be:

June 23-29, 2021

• It was moved. At times Ingles revises store planograms (maps of where items are on shelves) and relocates products to different places.

• It wasn't selling. If products aren't selling they may be discontinued.

• It wasn't ordered or wasn't available in the Ingles warehouse.

• It was eliminated by the supplier/manufacturer.

Sometimes items are eliminated by the brand themselves if they are not selling well, ingredients became too expensive, they were the subject of a recall or if they need to be reformulated.

You can always check with store management to see what might have happened to the product or you can call Customer Service 866-226-7168.

Leah McGrath, RDN, LDN Ingles Market Corporate Dietitian

@InglesDietitian Leah McGrath - Dietitian 800.334.4936

Smoky Mountain News

Ingles Markets… caring about your health

34

Puzzles can be found on page 38 These are only the answers.

Garden club gets musical treat The Mountain View Garden Club of Waynesville held its monthly meeting at the Jonathan Creek Biodome Art Studio of Nina Howard this month and received a big surprise when world-renowned cellist Michael Fitzpatrick treated the group to a concert.

Howard, whose 50-foot geodesic dome

was erected in 1986 as part of an experimental project on sustainability, has six Airbnbs and this month opened The Biodome Experience in the Smokies, located in Waynesville. Fitzpatrick was staying as a guest and performed a fundraising concert for another dome, The Light Center in Black Mountain.

Become a Master Gardener The next Master Gardener class in Haywood County starts this August, and applications are now being accepted.

Extension Master Gardener Volunteers help the N.C. Cooperative Extension Service by providing research-based information to Haywood County residents about various gardening-related topics.

Participants in the program must agree to complete each module of the training course and volunteer at least 40 hours in approved program activities within 12 months of the class, and they must reside in Haywood County.

Cost of $150 covers all course materials. Class limited to 20 students, with social distancing and masks required. 828.456.3575 or mgarticles@charter.net.

Meet the mountain camellia See one of the most rare and beautiful Appalachian shrubs in bloom during a pair of events offered over the coming week in Macon County and Rabun County, Georgia. n On Saturday, June 26, amble through the forest with renowned mountain camellia expert Jack Johnston west of Clayton, Georgia.

The group will take a short walk through an unusual site, first allowing for the examination of a pitch pine forest growing among rocks bearing magnesium. Then a dry streambed will provide access to a somewhat open forest containing mountain camellias. The trip will be over uneven ground and not on a path. n See mountain camellias in a landscaped setting on Tuesday, June 29, on private land in Otto. The group will take a walk down a path to see the shrubs blooming in a thinned forest. They grow in a

narrow hollow and tend to flower a few days later than is typical for more exposed settings. The experience allows vibrant displays of native ferns and other native plants.

Cost is $45 for each excursion, both of which are offered through Alarka

Mountain camellia, Stewartia Ovata. File photo Expeditions. Register at www.alarkaexpeditions.com/upcoming-events.

WNC Calendar BUSINESS & EDUCATION • QuickDraw, a local art initiative that funds art supplies in rural WNC schools is selling art for education online now through June 30. The fundraiser presents art to buy or bid on, and a giveaway basket opportunity for donors. Proceeds fund art education in Haywood County through teacher classroom supply grants and student scholarships. The online art market and art auction can be accessed at. https://wnc-quickdraw.myshopify.com/. QuickDrawofWNC.com or 828.734.5747.

HEALTH AND WELLNESS • Apply4Medical2Day will be hosting a Blood Drive from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Monday, June 28. The Blood Mobile will be on site taking blood donations at 1523 S. Main St, Waynesville. To schedule a donation time, www.redcross.org or call Christine Gibson at 828.356.5540.

KID’S ARTS • Waynesville Art School will host a Fantasy Worlds & Mapmaking art camp from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. June 28 - July 2, for ages 10 and older. Cost is $245.

828.246.9869 or www.waynesvilleartschool.com/register-online • Waynesville Art School Art Sparklers class for ages 89 meets on Tuesdays in June from 5 to 6:30 p.m.

828.246.9869 or www.waynesvilleartschool.com/register-online • Waynesville Art School Shining Minds art class for ages 10 and older meets on Wednesdays in June from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. 828.246.9869 or www.waynesvilleartschool.com/register-online • Waynesville Art School will host “Squishy Fishy” dropin class from 2-4 p.m. Friday, June 25, for ages 4-7.

Registration is required, cost is $25, parents may accompany children free of charge. 828.246.9869 or www.waynesvilleartschool.com/register-online • Waynesville Art School will host “Magic Potions” drop-in class from 3-5 p.m. Saturday, June 26, for ages 4-13. Registration is required, cost is $25, parents may accompany children free of charge. 828.246.9869 or www.waynesvilleartschool.com/register-online • Waynesville Art School will host Relax & Paint! Night for Adults from 7-9:30 p.m. Thursday, June 24. Cost is $35, no experience necessary. Easy to follow step by step instructions are provided. 828.246.9869 or www.waynesvilleartschool.com/register-online • Waynesville Art School will host Relax & Paint! Night for Adults from 6-8:30 p.m. Saturday, June 26. Cost is $35, no experience necessary. Easy to follow step by step instructions are provided. 828.246.9869 or www.waynesvilleartschool.com/register-online

THE SPIRITUAL SIDE • There will be a Summer Worship Series at Lake Junaluska from June 27 to Aug. 1. The series includes spirited Sunday morning worship services led by inspirational preachers. All services will be held in the openair Amphitheater below the Lake Junaluska Cross at 9 a.m. unless otherwise indicated. Preachers in Residence will also be present at other weekly worship offerings, including evening Vespers and labyrinth prayer walks. lakejunaluska.com/summerworship.

• Truth seekers meetings take place from 6 to 8 p.m. every second and fourth Friday of the month at the Franklin library meeting room to have a short video or other presentation by a member followed by discussion and Bible reading. Contact jjurban55@gmail.com for more information.

Smoky Mountain News

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

POLITICAL CORNER • Indivisible Swain County NC will hold a meeting at 7 p.m. Monday, June 28, via zoom. Former State Senator Terry Van Duyn will be discussing redistricting. Email maryherr2017@gmail.com for a link or call 828.497.9498.

A&E

• The Mountaintop Rotary Art and Craft Show will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. June 26 and 27, at KelseyHutchinson Founders Park in Highlands. 828.318.9430 or www.mountaintopshow.com.

• Friday Night Live (Highlands) will be held at the Town Square from 6 to 8:30 p.m. with Trudition June 25 and Foxfire Boys July 2. Free and open to the public. www.highlandschamber.org.

• Frog Level Brewing (Waynesville) will host Laura Thurston 5 p.m. June 24, Scoundrel’s Lounge (blues/rock) June 25 and Space Granny June 26. All shows begin at 6 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.454.5664 or www.froglevelbrewing.com.

• Innovation Station (Dillsboro) will host Silent Disco 7 p.m. June 25 and Fitz N Dave June 27. All events are free and begin at 2 p.m. unless otherwise noted. www.innovation-brewing.com.

• L’Italiana (Franklin) will host Bluejazz 6:30 p.m. June 25. Free and open to the public.

• Lazy Hiker Brewing (Franklin) will host Scoundrel’s Lounge (blues/rock) June 26. All shows begin at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public.

828.342.5133 or www.lazyhikerbrewing.com.

• Lazy Hiker Brewing (Sylva) will host Unlimited Devotion (Grateful Dead tribute) June 25. All shows begin at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.349.2337 or www.lazyhikerbrewing.com.

• Mountain Layers Brewing (Bryson City) will host Bird in Hand (Americana/folk) June 25, Shane Meade & The Sound June 26 and Aces Down 4 p.m. June 27. All shows begin at 6 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.538.0115 or www.mtnlayersbeer.com.

• Nantahala Brewing (Sylva) will host a Shane Meade & The Sound 4 p.m. June 27. Free and open to the public.

828.641.9797 or www.nantahalabrewing.com.

• Nantahala Outdoor Center (Nantahala Gorge) will host “Bluegrass with Blue” June 25 and July 2, Somebody’s Child (Americana) 4 p.m. July 3, Pioneer Chicken Stand 7 p.m. July 3 and Granny’s Mason Jar 4 p.m. July 4. All shows begin at 6 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 888.905.7238 or www.noc.com.

• “Pickin’ on the Square” (Franklin) will host Michael Reno Harrell (singer-songwriter) June 26 and Sundown (rock/soul) July 10. All shows start at 7 p.m. Free and open to the public. Located on Main Street. www.franklin-chamber.com.

• Rathskeller Coffee Haus & Pub (Franklin) will host Ethan Smith June 25, Jake Hicks June 26 and Matthew Oschmann July 2. Shows begin at 8 p.m. Free and open to the public. www.rathskellerfranklin.com.

• Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts (Franklin) will host The Usual Suspects (Allman Brothers Band/Tom Petty tribute) at 7:30 p.m. June 26.

Tickets are $20 per person. For more information and/or to purchase tickets, go to www.greatmountainmusic.com.

• Stecoah Valley Center (Robbinsville) “An Appalachian Evening” series will host a special online performance

by The Kruger Brothers at 7:30 p.m. June 26.

828.479.3364 or www.stecoahvalleycenter.com.

• Unplugged Pub (Bryson City) will host Carolina Freightshakers June 25, Arnold Hill (rock) June 26, Blackjack Country July 1, UpBeats July 2 and Outlaw Whiskey July 3. All shows begin at 8 p.m. Free and open to the public. 828.538.2488.

• Valley Tavern (Maggie Valley) will host Sound Investment 6 p.m. June 25 and Electric Circus 3 p.m.

June 27. 828.926.7440 or www.valley-tavern.com.

FOOD AND DRINK • The Classic Wineseller (Waynesville) will host the Trione Vineyards wine tasting from 7 to 9 p.m.

Thursday, June 24. Cost is $72 (all inclusive) per person. RSVP at 828.452.6000. Full menu available at www.classicwineseller.com/calendar (click on “June 24” listing).

• There will be a free wine tasting from 6 to 8 p.m. every Thursday and 2 to 5 p.m every Saturday at The Wine Bar & Cellar in Sylva. 828.631.3075.

• Bryson City Wine Market will host weekly wine flight tasting events from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. The market will also serve wine by the glass from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday.

• The “BBQ & Brews Dinner Train” will be held from 7 to 9 p.m. on select dates at the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad in Bryson City. Full service all-adult first class car. Craft beer pairings with a meal, and more. For more information and/or to register, call 800.872.4681 or click on www.gsmr.com.

ON STAGE & IN CONCERT • Montford Park Players presents world premiere of Grimm’s Fairy Tales, Produced by Montford Park Players at the Hazel Robinson Amphitheatre. The show will run June 25 through July 31, Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are available at montfordparkplayers.org and are free.

• The “Unto These Hills” stage production will be held at 8 p.m. Monday to Saturday from May 19 through Aug. 14 at the Mountainside Theater in Cherokee. There will also be a 10:30 a.m. show on Saturday, June and all Saturdays in July. For more information and to purchase tickets, click on www.cherokeehistorical.org.

Outdoors

• Join a Blue Ridge Parkway ranger to learn about the animals that come out after dark during this week’s Fridays at the Folk Art Center session, 7:30 p.m. Friday, June 25, at the Folk Art Center in Asheville. The Folks Art Center is located at Milepost 382 on the Parkway. No restrooms will be available during this outdoor pro-

35

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 gram. Bring a chair or blanket to sit on.

• On Saturday, June 26, amble through the forest with renowned mountain camellia expert Jack Johnston west of Clayton, Georgia. The trip will be over uneven ground and not on a path. Cost is $45 offered through Alarka Expeditions. Register at www.alarkaexpeditions.com/upcoming-events.

• See mountain camellias in a landscaped setting on Tuesday, June 29, on private land in Otto. The experience allows vibrant displays of native ferns and other native plants. Cost is $45 offered through Alarka Expeditions. Register at www.alarkaexpeditions.com/upcoming-events.

• New York Times bestselling author Ron Rash will join Mainspring Conservation Trust’s virtual book club at 7 p.m. Wednesday, June 30. The meeting will be held via Zoom. To sign up, contact Newcomb at rnewcomb@mainspringconserves.org or 828.524.2711, ext. 305.

• Haywood County Parks and Recreation will guide a hike along Flat Creek Trail at 9:30 a.m. June 26. The hike will be led by Phyllis Woollen and Vickey Watson.

Hikes are $10 per person, paid at registration. Contact Haywood Parks and Rec to register at 828.452.6789 or Ian.smith@haywoodcountync.gov.

• Join the first ride of the season on the Franklin Greenway at 6 p.m. June 29. The group will leave from the parking lot of FROG Headquarters on Main Street at 6:15 p.m. Helmets encouraged. For more information please text “Spokes” to 828.371.4925.

• Haywood County Parks and Recreation will guide a hike to Devil’s Courthouse at 8 a.m. June 30. The hike will be led by Vickey Watson and Kathy Odvody. Hikes are $10 per person, paid at registration. Contact Haywood Parks and Rec to register at 828.452.6789 or Ian.smith@haywoodcountync.gov.

Market WNC PLACE

MarketPlace information:

The Smoky Mountain News Marketplace has a distribution of 16,000 copies across 500 locations in Haywood, Jackson, Macon and Swain counties, including the Qualla Boundary and west Buncombe County.

Visit www.wncmarketplace.com to place your ad!

Rates: • • • •

• •

• • • • • •

$15 — Classified ads that are 25 words, 25¢ per word after.

Free — Lost or found pet ads. $6 — Residential yard sale ads.* $1 — Yard Sale Rain Insurance Yard sale rained out? Call us by 10a.m.

Monday for your ad to run again FREE Legal N otices — 25¢ per word $375 — Statewide classifieds run in 170 participating newspapers with 1.1+ million circulation. (Limit 25 words or less) Boost Online — Have your ad featured at top of category online $4 Boost in Print Add Photo $6 Bold ad $2 Yellow, Green, Pink or Blue Highlight $4 Border $4

Announcements

BANKRUPTCY RELIEF! Help stop Creditor Harassment, Collection Calls, Repossession and Legal Actions! Speak to a Professional Attorney.

Call NOW 844-404-0601

DONATE YOUR CAR OR TRUCK To Heritage For The Blind. Free 3 Day Vacation, Tax Deductible, Free Towing, All Paperwork Taken Care Of. Call 1-855-869-7055

Employment WORKFORCE INNOVATION AND OPPORTUNITY ACT (WIOA) Specialist – FT

Haywood Co. Applicants should have experience in, but not limited WR 0LFURVRIW RI¿FH ability to perform basic word processing and data entry. Must have excellent verbal and written communications skills, demonstrated customer service skills, and familiarity with communities being serviced with knowledge and understanding of local needs and recourse.

Previous experience with WIOA programs is preferred. Bachelor’s degree preferred with 1 year responsible work experience in human VHUYLFHV RU UHODWHG ¿HOG Please apply by visiting www.mountainprojects. org. EOE/AA

THE JACKSON COUNTY DEPARTMENT Of Social Services is recruiting for a full-time Community Social Services Assistant. Duties primarily involve transporting foster children for a variety of purposes such as visits with parents, medical appointments, counseling, education, or training. Candidates for this position should be highly dependable, adaptable, have the ability to lift children and car seats, have completed high school, interact well with children, and have a valid NC driver’s license with a good driving record. The starting salary is $24,168.16.

The application for employment is available

online at: www.jcdss. org or www.jacksonnc. org and should be submitted to the Jackson County Department of 6RFLDO 6HUYLFHV *ULI¿Q Street, Sylva, NC 28779 or the Sylva branch of the NC Works Career Center.

Applications will be taken until June 25, 2021.

THE JACKSON COUNTY DEPARTMENT Of Social Services is recruiting for an Adult Services Social Worker. This position investigates reports of adult abuse and neglect and provides case management for substantiated adult protective services cases. This position also provides ongoing case management for guardianships,

Old Edwards Hospitality Group Highlands NC NOW RECRUITING FOR: Gardener’s Assistant, Assistant F&B Manager, Banquet Captain, Banquet Supervisor, Restaurant Reservationist, Host, Server, Server Assistant, Bartender, Cook, Assistant Pastry Chef, Pastry Sous-Chef, Pastry & Bread Cook, Dishwasher, Reservations Specialist, Front Desk Agent, Bellman, Room Attendant, Houseman, 2nd Shift Laundry, Retail Associate, Spa Concierge, Massage Therapist, Cosmetologist

Note: Highlighted ads automatically generate a border so if you’re placing an ad online and select a highlight color, the “add border” feature will not be available on the screen.

Contract Positions: Fitness Instructor (spin), Makeup Artist

Benefits & PTO for FULL TIME Apply online at oldedwardsinn.com/careers

Note: Yard sale ads require an address. This location will be displayed on a map on www.wncmarketplace.com

p: 828.452.4251 · f:828.452.3585 classads@smokymountainnews.com www.wncmarketplace.com 36

www.smokymountainnews.com

June 23-29, 2021

WNC MarketPlace

payeeships, individual and family adjustment services. Other duties include general intake and community outreach services. Requires limited availability after hours and on weekends on an as-needed-basis. Starting salary is $36,369.35, LI IXOO\ TXDOL¿HG 0LQLPXP TXDOL¿FDWLRQV LQFOXGH D four year degree in a HuPDQ 6HUYLFH ¿HOG 3UHIerence will be given to applicants with a Master’s or Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work and experience providing Social Work services. The application for employment is available online at: http://www.jcdss.org or https://www.jacksonnc. org/employment-opportunities or may be obtained at the Jackson County +XPDQ 5HVRXUFHV 2I¿FH or the Sylva branch of the NC Works Career Center.

Applications will be taken until June 25, 2021.

FTCC Fayetteville Technical Community College is now accepting applications for the following positions: &HUWL¿HG 1XUVH $LGH Instructor - Curriculum (10 month), Networking, Microsoft, and Cloud Management Instructor, Records Clerk - Student Services. Please visit our employment portal at: https://faytechcc. peopleadmin.com/ +XPDQ 5HVRXUFHV 2I¿FH Phone: (910) 678- 7342 Internet: http://www. faytechcc.edu. An Equal Opportunity Employer.

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TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THIS SELLER’S MARKET TODAY.

Haywood Co. Real Estate Agents

Jeanne Forrest

Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate- Heritage

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• Carolyn Lauter - carolyn@bhgheritage.com

828-571-0515

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ashevillerealeat8@gmail.com

• Billie Green - bgreen@beverly-hanks.com • Brian K. Noland - brianknoland.com • Anne Page - apage@beverly-hanks.com • Jerry Powell - jpowell@beverly-hanks.com

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Complete online training provided. Visit for details: https://bit.ly/2yewvor HEAD START TEACHER –HAYWOOD COUNTY: Direct and implement education and development aspects of the Head Start Program. Must be able to delegate duties to other staff, have good judgment/problem solving skills and have the ability to work well with diverse populations. 2 yrs. experience in preschool classrooms. B-K degree preferred, AA in Early Childhood education required. To apply please visit www.mountainprojects.org EOE/AA THE JACKSON COUNTY DEPARTMENT Of Social Services is recruiting for a Foster Care Social Worker in Child

Phyllis Robinson OWNER/BROKER

(828) 712-5578

lakeshore@lakejunaluska.com

The Only Name in Junaluska Real Estate

• 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

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Amanda Cook Williams

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(828) 400-4825

amandawilliams@beverly-hanks.com

• Amy Spivey - amyspivey.com • Rick Border - sunburstrealty.com • Steve Mauldin - smauldin@sunburstrealty.com • Randy Flanigan - 706-207-9436

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bknoland@beverly-hanks.com

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74 North Main Street Waynesville, NC 28786

828.452.5809

Rob Roland BROKER

———————————————

(828) 400-1923

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TO ADVERTISE IN THE NEXT ISSUE

828.452.4251

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ERA Sunburst Realty - sunburstrealty.com

June 23-29, 2021

WNC MarketPlace

37

SUPER

CROSSWORD

TINKERING WITH THE ELEMENTS ACROSS 1 Austrian peaks 5 MLB stat 8 Mitch who wrote "Tuesdays With Morrie" 13 Three-tone chords 19 Toxin-fighting fluids 20 Critter treater 21 "The king," in France 22 Popular social news website 23 Extracted element #79 with a big hammer?

26 Renee of silent films 27 "Science Kid" of PBS 28 Reinforcing eyelet in a hole 29 Go out on -31 Chilling stuff 32 Unfeeling 34 Element #16 that's causing difficulty?

37 Owls' prey 38 Carrere of "Jury Duty" 41 Fleming and McKellen 42 "August: Osage County" playwright Tracy 43 "That celestial object seems to be composed of element #5"?

48 Tartan wearers, e.g.

50 Some dashes 51 Neighbor of Lithuania 52 Off-road rides, in brief 53 Before now 56 Sea rovers plundering element #6?

60 Big road rig 63 Bismarck-to-Austin dir.

64 -- Tome 65 Overcomes 66 Shawls, e.g.

68 71 73 74 77 79 82 83 88 89 90 91 94 96 98 101 103 104 105 110 111 112 113 117 119 121 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131

ICU worker Genetic ID Small sample Very virtuous Gaudy scarf Suffix with peace Prattle "Quit asking about my supply of element #83!"?

Stew tidbit Birch, e.g.

"Impossible for me" Small sample Twyla of dance Element #30 in a medicine cabinet?

"George & --" (old talk show) Special glow "FWIW" part Gets the total Element #18 found in a city opposite Vancouver?

Lightish sword Hub city for Israel's El Al Bad-smelling Narcissist's quality Biol. or anat.

Combo punch Element #29 collected by actress Loni?

Ancient Crete native To the point ETs' ship Gershon of "Face/Off" "-- Wedding" (1990 Alan Alda film) Great Lakes tribespeople Go bad Crumb toters

DOWN 1 Invites 2 Russian Revolution theory 3 Things made for sale 4 Small pouch 5 Unendingly 6 Change 7 Very little bit 8 Change 9 Without a -- stand on 10 Good pal 11 "So chic!"

12 Hanging to the calves, as a dress 13 Brits' trolleys 14 Popular energy drink 15 Altar reply 16 Free-floating 17 Punched out, as jigsaw pieces 18 Pilots 24 CIA's onetime rival 25 MLB arbiter 30 Rescuee's cry 33 "Give -- call" 35 Big box 36 The, to Yves 37 Fannie -38 Rows 39 Lands in el oceano 40 Subsided 44 MLB stat 45 Raw rock 46 Toys -- (kids' chain) 47 Bears, in Spain 49 Suffix with opal 52 Loads 53 Put to shame 54 "I -- run!"

55 First stage 56 Brought (in), as music 57 Voguish thing

58 59 60 61 62 67 69 70 72 75 76 78 80 81 84 85 86 87 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 102 106 107 108 109 110 114 115 116 118 120 122 123

Rear, at sea Make it to Boggy area Bert's friend -- Carta Surreptitious Double-reed instrument Bovine critter Aziz of "Master of None" Very little bit Small raisin Actress Kendrick "-- one to complain ..."

Accolades Disavow Net automaton I, to Wilhelm Hanks of film Slice-serve motion Not proper Windows 10 runners Blasting inits.

To the middle point Drinking spot Microwave Poise Canadian dollar coin Passionate Comedian Gilda Long spans Fliers in V's Ugly beasts Tel. book collection Angsty rock genre See 123-Down News Kilt sporter Nest egg funds, for short How- -- (DIY books) Soft & -With 114-Down, it includes the Brit. Open

ANSWERS ON PAGE 34

Welfare. This position will work with foster children and provide services to families where needs KDYH EHHQ LGHQWL¿HG Requires limited availability after hours as needed. The starting salary is $42,102.07, if IXOO\ TXDOL¿HG 0LQLPXP TXDOL¿FDWLRQV LQFOXGH a four year degree in a +XPDQ 6HUYLFH ¿HOG Preference will be given to applicants with a Master’s or Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work and/or experience providing Social Work services.

The application for employment is available online at: www.jcdss.org or www.jacksonnc.org or may be obtained at the Jackson County Human 5HVRXUFHV 2I¿FH RU WKH Sylva branch of the NC Works Career Center.

Applications will be taken until June 25, 2021.

warranty ($695 value!)

Schedule your Free InHome assessment today.

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Livestock BRING YOUR HORSES TO HIGHLANDS NC. 4 STALLS IN FIRST CLASS BARN FOR RENT. TWO PASTURES. TRAILER PARKING. SERVICES PROVIDED. ACCESS TO MILES OF FOREST TRAILS IN BEAUTIFUL HISTORIC HORSE COVE. TXT 828.200.3217

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Pets HOUND MIX – BLACK&TAN, CAROLINE 2-yr old; sweet, shy. More social with other dogs around.

Want understanding home to take time warming up. (828) 761-2001 publicrelations@ashevillehumane.org USE PARACIDE® shampoo on cats and dogs to WUHDW ÀHDV WLFNV 5HOLHYH secondary dermatitis.

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SUDOKU Here’s How It Works: Sudoku puzzles are formatted as a 9x9 grid, broken down into nine 3x3 boxes. To solve a sudoku, the numbers 1 through 9 must fill each row, column and box. Each number can appear only once in each row, column and box. You can figure out the order in which the numbers will appear by using the numeric clues already provided in the boxes. The more numbers you name, Answers on 34 the easier it gets to solve the puzzle!

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www.smokymountainnews.com

June 23-29, 2021

WNC MarketPlace

Real Estate Announcements NEVER PAY FOR HOME REPAIRS Again! Complete Care Home Warranty, Covers All Major Systems & Appliances.

30-Day Risk Free. $200 Off! 1-866-501-1596 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 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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June 23-29, 2021

RESIDENTIAL AND COMMERCIAL BROKER ASSOCIATE EMAIL: PAMELAWILLIAMS@BEVERLY-HANKS.COM CELL: (803) 528-5039 OFFICE: (828) 452-5809

WNC MarketPlace

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Smoky Mountain News June 23-29, 2021