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June 27-July 3, 2018 Vol. 20 Iss. 5

Recreation spending a burden for some towns Page 6 Cherokee condemn family separations at border Page 10

CONTENTS On the Cover: Bill Holbrook, a longtime farmer in Haywood County, reflects back over his years working the 175 acres in Bethel that make up Cold Mountain Farms.

Now retired from farming, Holbrook was recently inducted into the Western North Carolina Agricultural Hall of Fame. (Page 40)

News TWSA hookup fees will sink for all customers ..........................................................4 Recreation spending a burden for some towns ........................................................6 Macon passes $51 million budget ................................................................................8 Rate hike for Duke customers denied ..........................................................................9 Cherokee tribes condemn family separations ..........................................................10 Jackson group to tackle affordable housing woes ................................................12 Waynesville workshop reveals vision, goals ............................................................14 WCU community celebrates ‘beloved Belcher’ ......................................................15 New mental health center to serve WNC youth ....................................................16 Local author releases novel of true-life confessions ..............................................18 Education news ................................................................................................................21

Opinion

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A visit to the library and some amazing finds ............................................................39

June 27-July 3, 2018

CLASSIFIEDS: NEWS EDITOR: WRITING:

Scott McLeod. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . info@smokymountainnews.com Greg Boothroyd. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . greg@smokymountainnews.com Micah McClure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . micah@smokymountainnews.com Travis Bumgardner. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . travis@smokymountainnews.com Jessica Murray . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . jessica.m@smokymountainnews.com Susanna Barbee. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . susanna.b@smokymountainnews.com Amanda Bradley . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . jc-ads@smokymountainnews.com Hylah Birenbaum. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . hylah@smokymountainnews.com Scott Collier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . classads@smokymountainnews.com Jessi Stone. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . jessi@smokymountainnews.com Holly Kays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . holly@smokymountainnews.com Cory Vaillancourt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . cory@smokymountainnews.com Garret K. Woodward. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . garret@smokymountainnews.com Amanda Singletary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . smnbooks@smokymountainnews.com Scott Collier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . classads@smokymountainnews.com Jeff Minick (writing), Chris Cox (writing), George Ellison (writing), Gary Carden (writing), Don Hendershot (writing), Susanna Barbee (writing).

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There’s not much room left in the gutter ....................................................................22

Nashville star to headline ‘Week of Rock’ ................................................................26

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Thursday, July 19

Tuesday, July 24

Waynesville, Friends of Folkmoot Annual Gala 5:30 pm Friends Meet & Greet, Queen Auditorium 7:00 pm Gala Under the Stars, Folkmoot Greenspace (All groups)

3:00 pm Cherokee, Ambassador’s Day, Cherokee Central High School 7:00 pm Canton, Colonial Theatre (4-5 groups) 9:00 pm Canton, Bearwaters Brewery After Party (1 group)

Friday, July 20

Wednesday, July 25

9:00 am - 2:00 pm Waynesville, Camp Folkmoot, Friendship Center (4 groups) 2:00 pm Waynesville, Grand Opening Matinee*, Queen Auditorium (All groups) *includes a post-performance Cultural Conversations 7:00 pm Lake Junaluska, Grand Opening Extravaganza (All groups)

2:00 pm Hendersonville, Blue Ridge Community College (All groups) *includes post-performance Cultural Conversations 6:00 pm Waynesville, Tranquility Farm Festival Fundraiser (1 group) 7:00 pm Maggie Valley Welcome Wagon, Elevated Mountain Distilling Company (3-4 groups)

Saturday, July 21

Thursday, July 26

10:00 am - 11:30 am Downtown Waynesville, Parade of Nations, Main Street (All groups) 11:00 am - 4:00 pm Waynesville, Many Cultures Day, Folkmoot Greenspace (All groups) 12:00 pm - 2:00 pm Hazelwood Neighborhood Hospitality Stage 7:00 pm Clyde, Haywood Community College (All groups)

12:00 pm - 3:00 pm Hazelwood Neighborhood Hospitality, Meet & Greet with Performers 7:00 pm Franklin, Smoky Mountain Performing Arts Center (All groups)

2:00 pm & 5:00 pm Hickory, Hosted by International Council, Drendel Auditorium (4 groups) *includes post-performance Cultural Conversations 5:00 pm Waynesville, Sunday Soiree’, international friendship dinner, feat. Blind Pig Supper Club, Folkmoot Greenspace (WNC youth cultural groups)

Friday, July 27 2:00 pm Asheville, Diana Wortham Theatre Matinee (All groups) *includes post-performance Cultural Conversations 7:00 pm Asheville, Diana Wortham Theatre Evening Performance* (All groups)

Saturday, July 28 10:00 am - 5:00 pm Downtown Waynesville, International Festival Day (All groups) 7:00 pm Clyde, Haywood Community College (All groups)

Monday, July 23 Free Day for Performers

Sunday, July 29 7:00 pm Lake Junaluska, Candlelight Closing, Stuart Auditorium (All groups)

This schedule is subject to change • Performance prices vary between $5 - $31 based on venue & number of groups • All tickets are subject to NC sales tax and an online service fee • For lodging, VisitNCSmokies.com

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Sunday, July 22

June 27-July 3, 2018

Folkmoot 2018 Festival Schedule of Events

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news

TWSA closes the lid on 2018-19 budget Hookup fees will sink for all customers

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER ookup fees are set to plummet for water and sewer customers in Jackson County following adoption of the Tuckaseigee Water and Sewer Authority’s new budget.

A state law passed in 2017 required the body to revisit the way it calculates such fees — then known as impact fees and now renamed system development fees. The result was a legally mandated fee ceiling that came in substantially lower than the rates currently in place.

“If we keep the ceilings at the highest, it looks like we’re going to generate in the neighborhood of 68 to 69 percent of historical (impact fee) revenues,” TWSA Executive Director Dan Harbaugh told the board during a June 19 meeting. “And that means keeping it to the ceiling and not differentiating between residential and commercial (customers).”

fees create a pool of money TWSA can use to eventually replace used-up capacity.

Proponents of the fees pointed out that, regardless of what happens to impact fees, somebody will have to pay for capacity replacement projects. It would be unfair, they said, for existing customers — especially those who already paid impact fees at some point in the past — to foot the bill for new businesses or homes in Jackson County.

The TWSA board has been wrangling the topic all year long, with some members advocating to get rid of upfront fees altogether and others pushing for them to stay as high as possible under the new law. But with the June 30 deadline to adopt a new budget looming, the board had to get down to the nitty-gritty details of developing a new fee system.

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June 27-July 3, 2018

THE IMPACT FEE ISSUE After hours of deliberation spread over three separate meetings, the board ultimately decided on a fee schedule that would use rates significantly lower than the ceiling. Under the new system, customers in the northern and southern ends of the county will pay the same fees — previously, the two systems had separate fee schedules — with ceilings calculated for the northern system controlling the conversation, as those ceilings were higher.

Commercial customers will pay system development fees of about 75 percent of the calculated ceiling, with residential customers paying slightly less, about 67.5 percent of the ceiling.

SIMPLICITY VERSUS

SPECIFICITY TWSA Chair Tracy Rodes speaks during a June 19 work session to finalize the 2018-19 budget.

Holly Kays photo

Under the new system, a 150-seat restaurant that would previously have been charged $44,900 in water and sewer impact fees would instead pay a total of $17,044. Likewise, a single-family home that would previously have carried an upfront charge of $3,600 for water and sewer will now pay $2,178.

“To me this is kind of a good compromise where we’re at right now,” Harbaugh told the board during its final budget meeting June 25. “Again, we’ll have to revisit the revenues that are generated once we have a history.”

TWSA’s impact fees, now renamed system development fees, have come under fire in recent years as being unreasonably high, thereby impeding economic development — the most public example was that of

Sylva’s Creekside Oyster House & Grill, which was looking to expand into a new building but faced nearly $50,000 in upfront charges to do so.

Owner George Neslen told TWSA that he’d have to cancel the expansion or take the business elsewhere if such a high barrier remained. TWSA later identified a solution that allowed Neslen to move forward with the project without paying the $50,000, but the overall issue of high upfront fees remained.

Dollars collected through upfront fees go toward future system development to replace used-up water and sewer capacity. Every time a new customer uses 1 gallon of previously unused capacity, that gallon ceases to exist for the use of future customers. The upfront

Earlier in the month, the board was considering a range of options that would base the charge on the size of the customer’s meter. The approach presented some difficulties, as it would require condensing several existing fee categories into a single line — thus, customers on the low end of the category would wind up paying more per gallon and those on the high end would pay less.

During the final budget work session held June 19, however, Harbaugh presented another option — a table using the same categories as the current system, but with amounts adjusted to reflect the new ceiling.

“I like the table broken down,” said TWSA Chair Tracy Rodes, who is also the mayor of Webster. “I think it gets more specific. I think it gets closer to charging people for what they’re actually using.”

Board member David Nestler, a Sylva town commissioner,

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Under the new system, a

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SETTING THE FEES The board next had to determine how to set fees for each category. The analysis completed to comply with state law laid out a legal maximum charge, but all along the board had discussed the possibility of setting the fees below the legal limit.

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“The nice thing about just keeping the lowest price is you don’t hurt people who just use a little bit more and you make it really easy so they can tell what they’re going to pay, just like I was able to do with everybody else,” said Nestler. “It’s a simple, seconds-long process.”

Harbaugh, however, expressed concern that using that approach would “create more lost revenues” and said it would be hard to fully evaluate the effect in time to finalize the budget.

Board members Ron Mau and Mike Byers — a Jackson County commissioner and Western Carolina University’s vice chancellor for administration and finance, respectively — sided with Nestler in favoring the shorter version of the table, but the remaining board members gave majority backing to the longer table proposed by Harbaugh.

ON MAIN

June 27-July 3, 2018

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would previously have been charged $44,900 in water and sewer impact fees would instead pay a total of $17,044. Likewise, a single-family home that would previously have carried an upfront charge of $3,600 for water and sewer will now pay $2,178.

“This gives us a formula and we can decide how much to charge,” Byers said of the tiered chart.

The board decided to set fees at 75 percent of the legal ceiling — for commercial customers, that is. The members decided to differentiate fees for commercial and residential customers, ultimately voting on a budget that put residential fees at about 67.5 percent of the ceiling.

During an earlier iteration of the impact fee discussion, back in 2015, TWSA had created an allocation rental program that allowed existing users looking to increase their allocation to pay a monthly fee rather than a lump sum impact fee. While upfront fees will go down for future allocation requests, the changes will not affect those currently covered under the rental policy.

Harbaugh told the board that the state law initiating the shift in impact fees applies only to upfront fees and doesn’t require any change in the rental policy. Those customers will actually see a slight increase, as TWSA’s other fees are set to rise 2 percent across the board.

“If the board wants to revisit that in the new year, we could certainly look at that,” said Harbaugh.

TWSA will almost certainly be revisiting the entire system development fee issue next year, as the 2018-19 budget represents a massive shift in the existing fee structure. In addition, upfront fees depend on payments from projects that don’t currently exist, so it’s impossible to predict exactly what revenues will total in any given year.

“It is a stab in the dark at this point,” said Harbaugh on June 25. “We should be tracking that through the year to see what we should be looking at for years coming in the future.”

Such statements made some board members nervous.

“It’s kind of scary not to know what we’re doing,” said Rodes on June 19.

“It doesn’t have to be scary,” replied Byers. “First of all, we’re going to have to lower revenues from impact fees no matter what. That’s what this thing is going to do.

We’re very well positioned with reserves and capital that if we see we’re taking a hard hit, we have years to adjust if we’re having a real problem.”

According to the University of North Carolina School of Government’s Environmental Finance Center, TWSA has $10.7 million in reserves. If the new upfront fees prove too low to support the budget long-term, TWSA can simply raise the rates next year and cover this year from reserves.

TWSA’s $4.4 million operating budget, meanwhile, will be level from the current year, with the 2 percent fee increase going to ensure that debt service payments can come out of operating funds rather than requiring a transfer from reserves, as has been the case in the past seven years. The budget also includes a 2 percent cost-of-living increase for TWSA’s 31 employees, a roster budgeted at 1.4 positions more than the current year.

TWSA budgets are posted at www.twsanc.us/forms-documents. The new budget year begins July 1.

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wasn’t so enthusiastic.

“So I can see a pretty big drawback in this, though,” he said. “I’d like these (fees) to go down and I would like them to be a lot more simple. I think that’s one of the big critiques of the system we have now.”

He held up a sheaf of papers, printouts showing what the upfront charge would be for various utilities in neighboring towns and counties, as well as for other water and sewer authorities in North Carolina.

“I got it in 16 minutes. Every single one of them is just your meter size and the fee, and it’s super simple,” he said of the eight systems he’d researched.

Meanwhile, TWSA’s more complicated fee schedule is hidden inside the PDF budget document on its website — figuring out what the fee would be for a particular project is “really complex,” Nestler said.

Nestler advocated for a fee schedule that w would go by meter sizes but base charges on the calculated ceiling for the lowest use level of each band.

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news

County could take over Canton sports complex

axpayers in the Town of Canton are about to again test political will, as the town has of late entered discussions with Haywood County about the possibility of having the county somehow begin to take responsibility for the IP Sports Complex.

“The reasons for the conversations are that Canton and the county have a very good working relationship, and this is an opportunity for win-win in that the county has resources to fully utilize the IP Sports Complex for recreation for individuals within the county,” said Canton Alderman Dr. Ralph Hamlett.

The Haywood County Recreation and Parks Department doesn’t post meeting agendas from the Recreation Advisory Board online, and as of June 25 minutes from a June 5 meeting still had not been typed up, but Director Claire Carleton said that on that day the board voted to recommend that Haywood County administration and commissioners “explore” the possibility after a presentation from Canton Mayor Zeb Smathers, who sits on the board.

“I think with IP and taking that facility to the level it needs to be, Haywood County has more resources, they have a recreation department, full-time employees, a lot more resources,” Smathers said.

“Our citizens, most importantly, won’t lose, they will only gain opportunities.

We have struggled year in year out, ever since I was an alderman, saying we need to do more [improvements at IP]. We have not been able to do that because of how tight our budget is.”

Smathers said there seems to be support for the idea within the county, as well as within the town; Commissioner Brandon Rogers also sits on the Recreation Advisory Board with Smathers.

“I support having the county take over operations of International Paper Sports Complex,” said Alderwoman Kristina Smith. “They have the staff, resources, and understanding on how to maximize that recreational facility and have the same goal for county citizens that we have for ours, to ensure we have quality and diverse recreational opportunities. The fact of the matter is that the Town of Canton doesn’t have the resources to maximize the IP Sports Complex. I believe the county has those resources and experience that could add to Haywood County’s attractiveness for economic development and growth.”

The issue is expected to be discussed at the next meeting of the Haywood Board of 6 County Commissioners slated for July 16.

Pay to play: recreation spending a burden for some small towns

Smoky Mountain News

June 27-July 3, 2018

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The Champion Credit Union Aquatic Center in Canton recently reopened after a $2 million renovation. A Shot Above photo

BY CORY VAILLANCOURT STAFF WRITER mong the various spending categories in many municipal budgets — general government, public safety and the like — one can usually find some amount devoted to recreation.

From parks to pools and everything in between, governments have traditionally provided facilities and programming of varying extent designed to deliver these services to citizens at low or no cost.

The cost to governments, however, and the question of whether or not any government should ever compete with a private business are both valid concerns in North Carolina, where small towns struggle to maintain fiscal responsibility as the General Assembly strips them of other revenue sources.

While the impact of legacy recreation programs continues to be felt, especially in one small Western North Carolina town, the question remains — how much should governments pay to play?

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COMPARE AND CONTRAST The Haywood County municipalities of Clyde and Maggie Valley are similar in that they have small populations and a small tax base. Accordingly, their yearly general fund expenditures are on the order of $1.1 million and $2.6 million, respectively. Property tax rates in both are 45 cents per $100 in assessed value.

Clyde spends about $12,000 on recreation; Maggie Valley, about $23,000. In

Selected items from the Canton recreation fund budget, FY 2018-19 • • • •

INCOME EXPENSE Colonial Theater ......................................$13,000 ...............................................$123,828 Aquatic Center ........................................$30,000 ...............................................$161,000 Armory .....................................................$16,000 ...............................................$124,462 IP Sports Complex ....................................$2,500 ................................................$130,409

Source: Town of Canton Clyde, that’s just over 1 percent of all general fund spending, and in Maggie, it’s just over eight-tenths of a percent.

Maggie Valley does, however, own and operate the Maggie Valley Festival Grounds, though it’s not included in the town’s recreation budget. The town has budgeted $155,000 for festival ground expenses in 2018-19 with expected revenues to be $27,000.

For the most part, Maggie Valley and Clyde don’t own or operate any substantial bricks-and-mortar facilities; expenditures are largely based around cutting grass in parklands and cleaning up picnic shelters.

That’s not the case in Canton, where the operation and maintenance of four major properties account for around 12 percent of all general fund expenditures.

“It’s just not sustainable,” said Canton Mayor Zeb Smathers. “And it’s not just recreation. We have to see what other ways we can increase revenue and decrease costs. We can’t

keep going back to fund balance in large amounts every year. We all know how that will play itself out over time.”

Canton’s proposed budget for FY 201819 shows projected general fund expenditures of $6.18 million, including a staggering $631,458 appropriation to its recreation fund.

Although the budget again holds property taxes steady at 58 cents per $100 — where they’ve been since 2007 — they’re still the highest among towns in Haywood County.

Keeping them there are the Canton Armory, the Colonial Theater, the Champion Credit Union Aquatic Center and the International Paper Sports Complex — all town-owned or leased and hemorrhaging money.

The IP Sports complex consists of three unlighted ball fields, indoor batting cages, a concession stand and a walking trail. It’s not technically owned by the town, but rather leased from IP. This year, it will cost $130,409

news Canton’s Colonial Theater (above) is in near-pristine condition but operates at a $110,000 yearly loss. Although Maggie Valley’s festival grounds (below) are not included in the town’s recreation budget spending, in nature the fairgrounds are a similar enterprise to Canton’s Colonial. File photos

MAKING DOLLARS, MAKING SENSE

tax rate devoted to the operation of four separate money-losing businesses.

Recent political leadership can’t truly be blamed for the state of affairs in Canton; Smathers has, like several of his predecessors, inherited the cumbersome facilities — a remnant of a dying era when governments operated far more subsidized services than they do today.

Less than a century ago, many towns operated a so-called “poor house” or “poor farms” to serve a particular community need, funded by taxes. Almshouses — homeless shelters, in essence — were similar in that many of the New England states

operated them by levying taxes. Several historic pest houses also remain across the United States, although no longer operated by governments.

Soup kitchens and even cemeteries could also be found on a town’s books on through the 1950s, but as markets expanded and both public- and private-sector entrepreneurs rushed in to fill the need, most towns have gotten out of the business of being in business except for core utilities like sewer, water and, in Waynesville’s case, electricity.

Recreation spending yet persists, but as Canton competes with other Haywood jurisdictions for economic development opportu-

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Property tax revenues are, in most municipalities, the largest single source of yearly revenue, and that’s no different in Canton.

The town’s $472 million valuation at a tax rate of 58 cents per $100 yields $2.7 million, which after delinquent collections nets $2.6 million.

Under these conditions, each cent of property tax represents about $47,000. If the town were to raise the property tax rate to 59 cents, it would realize that amount in new revenue. Conversely, if the town were to lower the rate to 57 cents, it would need to strike that amount in expenses.

Within the scale of Canton’s overall budget, the four town-owned recreational facilities account for a substantial chunk of the current 58-cent rate.

The Aquatic Center’s $161,000 subsidy alone accounts for approximately 3.4 cents of property tax, not including the $72,000 loan payment. The IP Sports Complex’s $130,000 subsidy runs a close second at 2.7 cents, followed closely by the Colonial and the Armory, both at 2.6 cents. In total, that’s about 11.4 cents of Canton’s 58-cent property

nities, it’s getting harder and harder for companies to ignore the property tax rate, even with incentives that mitigate its impact for a few years.

In Canton, at least some of that persistence — namely in the case of the Aquatic Center, but to a certain extent with the Colonial as well — is due to the sentimentality.

“Overall, people need a sense of place,” said Canton Alderwoman Kristina Smith.

“While I believe that the pride of Papertown isn’t isolated to one Town of Canton facility, I do believe that our dynamic and historic facilities like the Colonial are special. The facilities like the Colonial are more than an identity, they are our history, and our future. While services, entertainment and desires change, we hold onto these facilities because we know that they have morphed over the years and still can be positioned to serve Canton in a larger sense once again.”

The political and public will to refurbish the pool, for example, was strong despite the project’s cost and the long-term obligations that came with it, and the desire to see a vibrant Colonial is an integral part of a rapidly-redeveloping downtown.

“On principle, people need diverse and accessible recreation,” Smith said. “Providing services like recreation results in great quality of life, which is critical for citizens and also fosters economic growth. If we focus on sustainability of the recreation budget, economic development and high quality of life, I don’t believe we can go wrong. I see investing in recreation as an investment in people — our families, seniors, and the future citizens of Canton.”

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June 27-July 3, 2018

to operate and maintain, but shows projected revenue of just $2,500.

The new $2 million Champion Credit Union Aquatic Center — a sentimental project for many in Western North Carolina who didn’t want to see the town’s leaky 70 yearold public pool filled in — will cost the town $161,000 this year. That doesn’t include a long-term $72,000 yearly loan payment.

Revenues are projected at $30,000, but could vary widely because the operation is in its first year.

The “Jewel of Canton” — the downtown Colonial Theater — has been the subject of much discussion over the past few years, with various camps advocating alternately for preservation or for utilization. Smathers called a special work session March 13 to determine the highest and best use for the building, a question, which has not yet found an answer. This year, the Colonial will require $123,828 in expenditures against a projected $13,000 in revenue.

The Armory is a 4,000 square-foot building with a seating capacity of 300. Although it’s currently in need of a $60,000 roof, it’s still used for musical performances, political events and weddings that should bring in about $16,000 this year, according to the budget. Not including the new roof, it will cost the town $124,462 over the next 12 months.

All told, projected revenues from these facilities total $61,500, with expenses of $539,699.

There are some other minor revenue sources associated with the town’s recreation fund, including grants, and there are also other minor expenses that bring the total projected recreation expenditures of the Town of Canton for FY 2018-19 to $755,108 against revenues of $123,650.

That’s a $630,000 loss, of which almost $480,000 comes directly from those four facilities.

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Macon passes $51 million budget Board OKs $1 million more for education

BY J ESSI STONE N EWS E DITOR ollowing plenty of public input, Macon County commissioners approved a final budget for the 2018-19 fiscal year that includes more than $1 million in additional funding for public education.

Making the Macon County Schools budget whole was just one of the challenges the commissioners faced this budget season — rising health care insurance costs had the county struggling to cover those costs without passing too much of the burden onto its more than 300 employees.

While the board decided to cover some of the extra costs from its fund balance, commissioners feel they did what needed to be done to ensure some of it’s most valuable assets — Macon students and employees — are provided for.

When the county began the budget process in May, Commission Chairman Jim Tate said he was concerned about adequate funding for the school system and the preliminary budget not including a cost of living raise for county employees. At the public hearing June 19, Tate was pleased that the board found a way to increase funding for the school system and give employees a raise.

“It don’t think it answers every problem, but I feel good about it — I feel a lot better about it — let’s put it that way,” Tate said.

Commissioner Karl Gillespie pointed out that he did not vote in favor of the 2017-18 budget this time last year because he didn’t feel like it met the expectations he had promised the constituents that elected him. However, after working more closely on some of those priorities with County Manager Derek Roland this year, Gillespie said he could in good conscience vote in favor of this year’s budget.

“While I’m not 100 percent happy, I can say the budget pushes those goals forward,” he said.

The 2018-19 budget, which maintains a 34.9 cent property tax rate, was unanimously approved by commissioners.

Smoky Mountain News

June 27-July 3, 2018

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EDUCATION

After School Superintendent Dr. Chris Baldwin laid out some deep-cut scenarios to make up for an anticipated $478,000 budget shortfall, commissioners decided to look at the possibility of dipping into fund balance to close the gap in the schools’ $8.8 million expenditures.

The additional funding for the school system will prevent the school board from cut8 ting three locally funded teacher positions

and reducing funds for digital textbooks, instructional supplies, athletics, teacher assistants and more.

Commissioners also heard impassioned pleas from Macon County teachers about the importance of investing in public education instead of simply funding the bare minimum needed for the school system to get by.

Jennifer Love, STEM coordinator for Macon County Schools, said she’d like to see smaller class sizes like at Rabun GapNacoochee School just down the road in Georgia, more integrated learning like she’s seen in Cherokee, and more funding for new technology like Rabun County Schools.

“There are partnerships and grants available for forward thinking ideas in education,” she said. “I hope you will fully fund Macon County Schools for the coming year.”

Commissioners Gary Shields and Ronnie Beale — both liaisons to the school board —

“Thank you for listening to us. I know it’s been a difficult budget year. I’ve read stories across the state and it’s the same story, same discussions about the gap in school funding and health care costs.”

— John deVille, Macon County educator

recommended funding an additional $500,000 to the schools’ operating expenses and another $250,000 toward capital improvements specifically earmarked for projects to improve school safety.

Commissioner Gillespie took it one step farther, suggesting funding another $300,000 toward technology improvements in the schools. As owner of the technology company National Communications Inc., he said his view on the importance of technology might be different from other commissioners.

Just like the county is on a five-year rotation with its technology, Gillespie said the school system should be as well.

“It’s certainly a significant increase, but I think we’re still short of where we need to be — I’d like to see us address that in this budget,” he said. “We’re not catching everything up by giving $300,000 this year but we can begin the five-year rotation, which is the industry standard.”

Roland said the additional funds for capital and operating expenses for the schools would be pulled from the county’s fund balance, which is currently over $22 million. The

$300,000 for technology improvements, he said, would be best to come out of a different pot of money.

“We have a school system capital project fund that has money specifically set aside for capital expenditures,” Roland said. “We can appropriate from that fund into the education budget.”

He also talked about the future sustainability of meeting the school system’s needs by using money from the fund balance. While it’s acceptable to use fund balance for onetime expenses, using it for operating costs isn’t a long-term solution to the problem.

“Taking operation funds from fund balance is not something you can continue to do,” Roland said.

He said this next year would be used to closely examine local and state funding for the school system and perhaps budget more realistic sales tax revenue and put some of that toward education expenses. Roland tends to budget conservatively on sales tax revenue — only a 2 percent increase was budgeted for the current year though the actual increase was 6 percent.

Beale also reminded everyone that 2019 will be the next revaluation year. He foresees an increase in property tax revenue to the county as property values increase over the last revaluation done in 2015.

Macon County educator John deVille thanked the commissioners for providing the funding and said he agreed with Beale’s stance that this is going to be the “new normal” in school funding if the state continues down the path its on.

“Thank you for listening to us. I know it’s been a difficult budget year. I’ve read stories across the state and it’s the same story, same discussions about the gap in school funding and health care costs,” he said. “I suggest commissioners serve as champions for the county — speak from this platform to the General Assembly. If this body speaks with one voice I do think the state will hear us and adjust funding formulas.”

HEALTH INSURANCE A $504,148 increase in health care costs had the biggest impact on this year’s budget.

While the county transferred more than $280,000 from its health insurance reserve to the general fund, the remaining cost had to be passed on to county employees with dependent health care coverage.

Even though the county will continue to pay 100 percent of its employees’ health insurance premiums, those with dependent coverage will see a 33 to 44 percent increase in their costs depending on their plan.

Roland said the county shopped its health care plan out and got seven proposals and the best offer was still a 24 percent increase over last year due to the county having high claim years.

“We’ve had two of the worst claim years in our history,” Roland said. “But when you compare these rates we’re at now — even with these changes — Macon County still retains among the highest quality of affordable health insurance plans you can have out there.”

With the insurance hit, Roland didn’t recommend any cost of living raise for employees in the proposed budget. However, commissioners said in May they didn’t like the tough spot that would leave employees in — a sudden hike in their insurance costs and no pay adjustment to lessen the burden.

When Roland came back with changes to the budget June 19, he said he was about to make some adjustments in the budget to include a 2 percent COLA for employees, which will cost more than $400,000. He said finding the savings was a joint effort among departments — Sheriff Robbie Holland agreed to eliminate $40,000 in his budget request for equipment and Warren Cabe with Emergency Services suggested generating an additional $42,000 in revenue by adjusting ambulance service rates to put them more in line with other counties.

Roland also removed a $100,000 line item for broadband services because he said that funding can come out of the county’s economic development reserve fund instead and reduced the county’s contribution into the health care reserve fund from $285,000 to $78,000 for this year.

“Thank you to the department heads for helping us come up with these savings,” Roland said.

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The Great Jackson County Read Discussion Group will meet on Thursday, June 28th at 3 p.m.

3 EAST JACKSON STREET • SYLVA

828/586-9499 • citylightsnc.com

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June 27-July 3, 2018

BY J ESSI STONE N EWS E DITOR hen residents gave testimony back in January adamantly opposing Duke Energy Carolinas’ rate increase request to the North Carolina Utilities Commission, many assumed their strong dissension would fall on deaf ears.

However, the commission took a strong stance last Friday when it issued its ruling.

Not only did the commission deny Duke Energy’s initial request to generate an additional $611 million a year with a rate increase for its 2 million customers, it also ordered the corporation to refund $60 million in deferred taxes to customers and to pay $70 million in fines for the coal ash disaster.

One major point of contention for residents during the public hearings was that Duke wanted to increase customer rates to help recoup costs associated with cleaning up its 14 coal ash basins across North Carolina. Duke stated in its application that about $135 million of the requested additional revenue was intended to recover ash basin closure compliance costs incurred since Jan. 1, 2015. Duke also sought to recover $201 million toward ongoing ash basin closure compliance costs.

“The Commission imposed a $70-million management penalty against the Company in the form of a rate reduction based on the Commission’s determination that DEC’s handling of coal ash ‘placed its consumers at risk of inadequate or unreasonably expensive service,’” the order read.

“In addition, the Commission found that ‘DEC admits to pervasive, system-wide shortcomings such as improper communication among those responsible for oversight of coal ash management.’ The penalty will be paid for by the Company and not by the Company’s customers.”

The commission’s order also denies Duke’s request to recover ongoing coal ash remediation costs. Instead, Duke is authorized to record these costs in a deferral account until its next general rate case, at which point the costs will be carefully scrutinized to determine the extent to which recovery from customers is appropriate.

To see the complete order, visit www.ncuc.commerce.state.nc.us.

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Rate increase for Duke Energy customers denied

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CELEBRATE JULY 4TH

Cherokee tribes condemn family separations

AT LONG'S CHAPEL! 6 p.m. until fireworks end Games and activities for all ages including: Slip-n-slide, ice cream eating contest, corn hole, volleyball, dunking booth, bounce houses, food trucks & more.

EVERYONE WELCOME Bring a lawn chair or blanket and a towel. Event schedule at LongsChapel.com.

June 27-July 3, 2018

175 Old Clyde Rd. Waynesville

Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Tribal Council Chairman Adam Wachacha speaks to the Cherokee Tri-Council in Tahlequah, Oklahomaon a resolution denouncing family separations.

Donated photo

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER he three Cherokee tribes joined voices last week to decry the recent surge of family separations at the U.S.-Mexico border.

In a resolution passed unanimously June 20 during the tribes’ annual Tri-Council meeting — this year held in Tahlequah, Oklahoma — the Cherokee people “denounce the policy of the United States of America of separating illegal immigrant children from their parents.”

The resolution asks the U.S. government to “conduct themselves in a civilized manner congruent with that of the Cherokee people in regard to the treatment of the most vulnerable within our society, our children,” and calls upon President Donald Trump to “immediately cease and desist with any further separating of illegal immigrant parents and children,” instead implementing “a policy that allows families to stay together until it is determined if they will be granted asylum or sent back to their native homeland.”

“This is an apolitical issue for me,” said Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Principal Chief Richard Sneed, who introduced the resolution together with the EBCI Tribal Council.

Smoky Mountain News

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“It doesn’t matter whether you’re Republican, Democrat, black, white, Hispanic, Native American. This is a human rights issue. When you separate children from their parents you are traumatizing them.”

Sneed believes that Native American tribes have a unique perspective to offer on the issue, as their past includes a particularly dark chapter involving a U.S. government policy that intentionally separated Native American children from their parents in an attempt to “civilize” them — or, as the tagline of the day went, to “kill the Indian and save the man.”

The Bureau of Indian Affairs established the first boarding school in 1860, and by the 1880s the government operated 60 schools with 6,200 students, according to the American Indian Relief Council, though that figure includes on-reservation day schools and boarding schools. However, many students — including those who attended the infamous Carlisle Indian School in Pennsylvania — were forcibly transported hundreds of miles from their families to schools where they were forbidden from speaking their native language and forced to wear Western clothing and respond to

Western names. Native American parents didn’t gain the legal right to deny their children’s placement in off-reservation schools until the passage of the 1978 Indian Child Welfare Act. “While the intent of what was done to Native Americans was different (than the border policy), at the end of the day the impact on the child is the same,” said Sneed.

“If you can imagine being 5 or 6 or 8 or 10 years old in a foreign land, being separated from the only person you know for security and not know where you’re going or speaking the language — if you can just imagine the fear and the anxiety and the trauma and everything that goes along with that, that’s really where the two paths crossed. Yes, the intent is different as far as the calculated outcome, but I would say the impact on the child is the same.”

Representatives from the EBCI, Cherokee Nation and United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians voted to pass the resolution around 9 a.m. June 20, but at that point Trump likely already had an executive order in the works, which he signed around 3 p.m. that day. The order directs that parents and children in migrant families be detained together as their legal process plays out and directs Defense Secretary Jim Mattis to find or build housing for these families.

“I think it’s a good first step, but clearly some meaningful policy is going to have to be enacted,” said Sneed.

Rep. Mark Meadows, R-Asheville, said that he supports the tribes’ resolution and concurs with Sneed’s assessment that correcting the situation will require more than just an executive order.

“Obviously the executive order that the president signed into effect last week is trying to address it, but it really is incumbent upon Congress to act,” said Meadows. “I think what you’ll see is this week we will actually pass a bill that will address many of the concerns that were outlined in the resolution.”

Meadows took issue with the assessment that the family separations stem solely from a policy of the Trump administration, pointing to the 1997 Flores Settlement and a subsequent ruling from the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in 2014 that required children to be held separately from adults. That ruling, together with the administration’s zero-tolerance policy mandating that all illegal immigration cases be prosecuted in criminal court, resulted in the family separations.

According to reports from national media, about 2,000 children have been separated from their parents since April.

“I think the intent of the ruling was good.

The side effects are obviously what we’re seeing now,” said Meadows.

The family separation issue has dominated headlines for the past week, drawing strong opinion from all sides, but Meadows said he appreciates what the Cherokee tribes have added to the discussion.

“They do have a unique perspective to be able to look at this in a light that many other people and constituents that I have can’t,” he said. “If we can’t learn from the mistakes of the past and gain wisdom from those who have experienced some of the failed policy of the past, then shame on us.”

BY CORY VAILLANCOURT STAFF WRITER s House Republicans scramble to address the ongoing family separation issue on the nation’s southern border, several competing bills have emerged, including one filed by Congressman Mark Meadows, R-Asheville, June 19.

Although Meadows admits his “Equal Protection of Unaccompanied Minors Act” may not pass, he’s hopeful that despite a well-publicized argument with House Speaker Paul Ryan on the House floor, it will help end the disturbing images of crying children separated from their illegal immigrant family members.

“I was on the phone with Homeland Secretary [Kirstjen] Nielsen this morning and I think at the end of the day what will pass out of the House will take a few things from my bill, or add or remove some components,” Meadows said via phone June 26. “I’ve given the administration complete authority to cut and paste and do whatever they want to do [with the bill] so I think some of the things in my bill will be signed into law whether it has my name on it or not.”

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— Rep. Mark Meadows, R-Asheville

“About 100,000 people come across the border a year, and only 20,000 qualify for asylum,” Meadows said, meaning that 80,000 adjudications still had to take place for people who would ultimately not be allowed into the country.

“Housing families together should not be that difficult to do,” he said. “And for me, if the detention is limited to days and not months, then it’s certainly best of both worlds.”

Meadows said his office started to become aware of the outcry over the situation about a week before he filed the bill.

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“Housing families together should not be that difficult to do. And for me, if the detention is limited to days and not months, then it’s certainly best of both worlds.”

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In April, Attorney General Jeff Sessions said he would prosecute every person caught trying to cross the border illegally. Often, those people are accompanied by children, who cannot be jailed in the same facilities as adults. Through the end of May, there were around 2,000 children under the care of the Department of Health and Human Services awaiting release to other family members or legal guardians.

Meadows’ bill seeks to ease strain on the system as a whole by cracking down on asyRep. Mark Meadows lum fraud, and tightening something called the “credible fear standard,” which is a legal test meant to ensure that asylum seekers truly need protection from persecution in their countries of origin.

Most notably, however, it seeks to “[clarify] the Flores Settlement of 1997, by ensuring that accompanied minors of illegal immigrants apprehended at the border are not separated from their parent or legal

After meeting with legislative counsel, he said the bill was introduced in a remarkably short period of time — about 48 hours.

“What we’re hearing from the vast majority of the people that are calling in is they don’t want the families separated, but most of them don’t want us to take them at the border without any adjudication or determining asylum-worthiness,” he said, noting his bill was “more about speeding up the process.”

Meadows’ opponent in the upcoming election, Democrat Phillip Price of Nebo, criticized both his timing and his tactics.

“We have needed immigration reform for decades now,” said Price. “Mark Meadows has been in office for six years, and is acting as though he is just now considering the issue. He has not been able to garner the support from his own party for his bill. He obstructs his own party at every opportunity and so nothing gets done.”

Price called for children who were “brought here by no fault of their own” to have a path to citizenship, but found common ground with Meadows on increasing the capacity of DHS to process immigration applications.

“We need to hire more immigration judges so folks don’t have to wait one to two years to get in front of a judge to find out if they will receive asylum,” he said. “People do not flee their homeland without good reason. Asylum seekers should be treated with kindness and respect throughout their time in our country ... even if they are not granted asylum.”

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Meadows floats immigration fix

guardian while in custody of Department of Homeland Security (DHS),” according to a statement on Meadows’ website.

Flores v. Reno was a 1993 Supreme Court case that outlined procedures governing both the custody and release of alien minors detained by American immigration authorities.

CANTON • 1 Acaademy St St. • Canton Canton, NC 28716 • 828 828-648-1515 648 1515 WA AY YNESVILLE • 311 Walnut St. • Waynesville, NC 28786 • 828 828-456-6268 456 6268 Find us on Facebook. Feederally Insured by NCUA

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Base Camp Go on the

Kids can enjoy such activities as log rolling in a large inflatable pool, badminton, a ninja warrior obstacle course and many other games, along with fun environmental education activities!

DATES & LOCATIONS: Jonathan Valley Elementary School: July 9, July 16, July 23 and July 30

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Canton Park: July 17 and July 31 Fines Creek Community Center: July 11, July 18, July 25 and August 1 Base Camp on the Go is partnered with the Haywood Health Care and Haywood Recreation and Parks.

For more information please call 456-2030 or email cmiller@waynesvillenc.gov

Recreation Park in Waynesville: July 13, July 20, July 27, and August 3

WAYNESVILLE

PARKS AND RECREATION

or email rlangston@waynesvillenc.gov

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June 27-July 3, 2018

828.456.2030

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Jackson committee to tackle affordable housing woes

BY HOLLY KAYS options,” the plan reads. “A common comSTAFF WRITER ment the county receives from local employcommittee focused on increasing ers, including Western Carolina University, affordable housing options in Jackson Harris Regional Hospital and the county County has been created following a school system, is that there is a lack of housunanimous vote of the Jackson County ing options for their local workforce and Commissioners. that many people that work in Jackson The five-member board will include the County live in adjacent counties. It also county attorney, planning director and eco- affects these employers as they seek to nomic development director, and one reprecruit new employees.” resentative each from the Tuckaseigee The survey used to inform the compreWater and Sewer Authority and Mountain hensive plan garnered about 2,000 responsProjects. es, roughly 5 percent of the county’s populaThe July 18 vote to create the committee tion. Of those 2,000 survey respondents, 446 included an understanding of the initial — 22 percent — said they worked in tasks it will be charged with.

Jackson County but lived elsewhere. Of the First, the group will work to complete a 446, 18 percent said housing affordability housing inventory survey, giving the counwas a factor, 12 percent listed availability of ty a better idea of the housing conditions preferred housing, 10 percent listed availand resources it has to work with. Then, “A common comment the county the group will work to develop two sugreceives from local employers, including gested programs: a Western Carolina University, Harris housing trust fund and a land reservaRegional Hospital and the county school tion program. system, is that there is a lack of housing The housing trust fund program will options for their local workforce and that allow developers who meet county crimany people that work in Jackson teria to apply for County live in adjacent counties.” funding — derived from dollars desig— Jackson County Comprehensive Plan nated by commissioners — to create new housing units. In addition to finding ability of preferred housing to rent and 10 money to fuel such a program, however, percent listed availability of high-speed the county would have to adopt program internet. Another 18 percent said the locaguidelines spelling out how to evaluate tion of a spouse or family member’s job was requests and decide whether proposed a factor. projects would achieve the desired results.

“Addressing the needs in the county’s The land reservation program, meanhousing stock will require partnerships while, would involve the county purchasing between our communities and developers,” land or reserving land that it already owns the plan reads. “It will be important for the to be used for housing development purpos- County to continue to collaborate with our es. The county would then partner with a municipalities and communities to develop developer or nonprofit entity to create hous- and refine our land use policies to encourage ing projects that target populations current- the development of all housing options in ly underserved in the Jackson County housthe County.” ing market.

Following that summary, the very first County staff has been discussing the cre- objective listed in the plan was to create a ation of a housing committee since the housing task force in an effort to increasing Jackson County Comprehensive Plan housing opportunities for a broad range of passed last year. The plan includes an entire ages and income levels. section on housing. While the county Since the plan passed last August, staff gained more than 6,000 housing units from various county departments have been between 2000 and 2010, the document says, researching and discussing various most of those were targeted toward second approaches to increase housing opportunihomeowners or college students. Housing ties in Jackson County, discussing best pracconstruction slowed substantially after the tices outlined in a report titled “Best recession hit, with only 200 new housing Practices for Affordable Housing” from the units between 2010 and 2014.

City of Asheville. While the group felt that “All of this information points to the several options contained in the report weakness in the county’s housing market, would not be suitable to Jackson County, it which is the low-to-moderate income housfelt those ultimately recommended to coming options and workforce housing missioners were worth pursuing.

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Sign up for Jackson citizen academy

Rusty McLean will be presenting “Excerpts of the Civil War” at the July 5 meeting of the Swain County Genealogical and Historical Society.

McLean has been a practicing attorney in Waynesville for more than 40 years. He is a graduate of Western Carolina University and attended law school at N.C. Central University. Native to Western North Carolina, he grew up on the Qualla Boundary. One of his personal interests is history and particularly the Civil War in WNC. The presentation will begin at 6:30 p.m.

July 5 at the Swain County Regional Business Education and Training Center, 45 East Ridge Drive, Bryson City.

Conversation and refreshments will follow the presentation. This is free and open to the public.

Jackson County Citizens Academy offers a unique opportunity for county residents to get an in-depth look at the functions of county government.

Participants get a behind-the-scenes look at various departments within county government. The program is an eight-week course, held at 5:30 p.m. beginning on Tuesday, Sept. 11.

An application should be submitted to the county manager’s office during the recruitment period. Applicants must be 18 years old, be a resident of Jackson County, and commit to attend all sessions. Applicants will be selected to create a diverse participant population and obtain a mix that will represent a cross-section of commissioners’ districts. Space is limited to 25 participants.

Call 828.631.2207 or email jcfitzgerald@jacksonnc.org.

Franklin forum to discuss life’s purpose “Where do you find meaning and purpose in life?” will be the topic for the Franklin Open Forum to be held at 7 p.m. Monday, July 2, at the Rathskeller Coffee Haus & Pub, located Downtown at 58 Stewart Street, Franklin.

Those interested in an open exchange of ideas (dialog, not debate) are invited to attend.

For more information, call 828.371.1020.

Sylva to hold community sale The Town of Sylva’s inaugural Community Yard Sale is scheduled for 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, June 30, in the gravel lot beside Bridge Park.

Fifty spaces are available on a first-come, first-serve basis to residents (not commercial vendors) with set-up from 7:30 to 8 a.m. No

828.456.3021 HaywoodChamber.com

Business of The Month:

Steve McNeil Northwestern Mutual 4 Vanderbilt Park Dr. #350 • Asheville 828.316.9614 • stephenmcneil@nm.com

Rep. Corbin to speak in Franklin Rep. Kevin Corbin, R-Franklin, will be the speaker at Macon County’s next monthly business forum Eggs & Issues at 7:45 a.m. July 12 at the Franklin Chamber of Commerce, 98 Hyatt Road. Corbin will give an update on the recent activities of the North Carolina General Assembly.

Seating is limited. Register by calling 828.524.3161. Admission is $10 at the door.

DA: Trooper not at fault in deadly crash District Attorney Ashley Welch has completed the review of the SBI investigation into the events of July 25, 2017, involving a motor vehicle accident with Trooper Hunter Hooper of the North Carolina Highway Patrol, which occurred in the line of duty and resulted in the deaths of Robert Lee Nelson and Esther Matilda Nelson of Florida.

The District Attorney’s Office has determined based upon all available evidence — including the statements of several eyewitnesses to the events, dash camera video, surveillance camera footage from nearby busi-

nesses, an accident reconstruction, and all other evidence — that Hooper did not commit a crime nor any infractions in this case.

According to a press release from the DA’s office, the evidence surrounding the events of July 25, 2017, shows that Hooper was on duty and patrolling the area of U.S. 23 in Haywood County when he activated his blue lights and siren in an attempt to stop a vehicle. Several vehicles on U.S. 23 saw Hooper traveling at a high rate of speed while his blue lights and siren were activated. A vehicle driven by Robert Nelson pulled out in front of Hooper’s marked patrol vehicle causing the crash. This crash resulted in the death of both the driver Robert Nelson and his passenger Esther Nelson. The evidence shows that Robert’s failure to yield to Hooper is the cause of the crash, absolving Hunter Hooper of criminal liability.

Walk with a Doc on July 7 Haywood Regional Medical Center will host the next Walk With a Doc walking program at 10 a.m. Saturday, July 7, at Lake Junaluska Kern Center featuring Al Mina, MD, general surgery, speaking on “Vein Issues.”

This is a free program and pre-registration is not required. Mina will present the topic for about 15 minutes and commence a walk where patrons can further their conversations with the provider.

For more information, visit MyHaywoodRegional.com/WalkwithaDoc.

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June 27-July 3, 2018

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For more information, call 828.586.2719.

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Civil War talk in Bryson City

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Waynesville workshop reveals vision, goals

BY CORY VAILLANCOURT STAFF WRITER lthough the philosophical basis of the Waynesville comprehensive plan is rooted in academic concepts and professional standards related to long-term planning and resource management, area citizens last week got down to some of the more concrete decision-making that reveals who we are, what we want and where we want it.

“We’ve had a good response so far,” said Jackie Turner, associate manager of planning for Raleigh-based engineering firm Stewart, Inc. Turner has been facilitating the process on behalf of Stewart for some time now, and led the June 21 workshop that presented an interactive environment where attendees could learn about economic, social and geographical demographics, comment on them, draw on maps and vote on some of the major questions the town will face over the next 20 years.

As of 6 p.m., there were about 30 people in attendance, but Turner said there’d been more than 70 in attendance throughout the event, which ran from 3 to 7 p.m.

What they saw and what they said paints a picture of a community haunted by the specter of poverty and struggling with providing enough affordable housing.

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Smoky Mountain News

June 27-July 3, 2018

DEVELOPMENT The good news is, unemployment in Waynesville is hovering around 2.6 percent, far lower than North Carolina’s 5.1 percent and the nation’s 4.7 percent.

The bad news is that even with such low unemployment, 18.7 percent of people in Waynesville fall below the poverty line — far above the state’s 12.4 percent and the U.S.’s 11 percent.

Accordingly, the median income of $37,612 is far below North Carolina’s $48,256, which is itself well below the United States’ $55,322.

Planning for growth in such an environment requires special attention to smart growth principles of limiting suburban sprawl and encouraging infill development in

AFFORDABILITY Maps show development suitability in a narrow corridor running from Lake Junaluska southwest through Waynesville.

Aesthetically, commercial development should occur in the context of traditional main street style retail development similar to what exists on Main Street already, according to citizen input. Support for strip mall developments or modern two-story mixed retail and professional buildings was low.

Citizens took pens to maps June 21 at a public input session for Waynesville’s forthcoming comprehensive plan.

Cory Vaillancourt photo

Comprehensive plan: next steps Just because the comprehensive plan workshop is over doesn’t mean the project is — in fact, there’s still plenty of time to make your voice heard.

• Follow the plan — To follow the development of the plan, visit www.waynesvillenc.gov/ comprehensive-plan-update.

• Take the survey — To take a brief survey on your vision of and goals for the town, visit www.bit.ly/TOWcomp.

Although there are isolated pockets, the further one ventures west or east away from Main Street, the more difficult development can become, due to the topography or lack of water and sewer infrastructure. And where there is infrastructure, affordable existing housing is becoming harder and harder to find.

“We have transitioned to a seller’s market, so we are struggling to meet buyer needs with our inventory right now,” said Director of the Haywood Board of Realtors Amanda Hill, who was at the workshop tending to one of the activity stations.

Hill explained that anything listed below $400,000 was moving quickly, and that at

price points under $200,000, bidding was extremely competitive.

At Waynesville’s $37,000 median income, even a $200,000 house may be a bit of a stretch, financially, but building new housing may be even more difficult from an affordability standpoint.

“The challenge with building right now is the cost of materials and labor,” Hill said. “So if you take an average estimate that a builder will give you — of course it depends on the finishes and upgrades — they’ll tell you it’s anywhere from $200 up to $300 a square foot, whereas if you can buy a house, competitively we’re seeing prices around $100 a square foot up to $200. So you can still buy more house than you can build.”

Per citizen input, there weren’t many votes for affordable housing. However, the desire for traditional single-family housing was glaring, meaning that the multi-unit condo-style apartment complexes favored by developers looking to minimize cost and maximize profits aren’t favored.

Waynesville’s aging water system can still serve up to 8 million gallons of water a day, and treat 6 million gallons of sewage per day, although it averages far less; that capacity won’t be needed as quickly without larger developments of the type disfavored by residents.

Work on the comprehensive plan is ongoing and will feature more public presentations, meetings and debate until a final version is presented to the public and town officials, likely in November.

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existing communities, according to votes tallied on a poster board.

Strong support was also seen for establishing walkable connections between the urban cores of Frog Level, downtown Waynesville and Hazelwood.

Strangely, however, the same board indicated little support for expanding these connections to nearby Clyde, and almost no support for utilizing a proposed Richland Creek Greenway to improve mobility and interconnectivity between Hazelwood and Waynesville.

On a separate board, another conflicting story — voters expressed a desire for creating a system of greenways and interconnected walking and biking trails. Currently, there are 16.8 miles of greenway trails and sidewalks that wind through the 1,814 acres of public and private recreational areas, with 3.8 miles more planned.

According to the Southern Blue Ridge Bicycle Plan, the growing economic impact of bicycle tourism is worth consideration; the average person spends $190 a day and spends two nights on such excursions. In the 23 western counties of North Carolina, more than 250,000 do so each year, supporting more than 1,700 jobs and generating more than $15 million in tax revenues.

Tourism-related industries drive local economies, but making destinations like Waynesville worth visiting also comes down to historic preservation; more than 185 structures on 99 acres both within and without the town’s three historic districts — established at various times between 2003 and 2010 — contribute to the sense of place that brings people here, but keeping them here is another matter entirely.

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Philip Belcher, brother to the late Western Carolina University Chancellor David Belcher, prepares to read David Belcher’s last personal statement during a June 23 memorial service. WCU photo

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to do, Belcher wrote.

“This is urgent business. I don’t have time to wait; neither do you,” Belcher wrote.

The memorial service began with a montage of photos from Belcher’s life, followed by a performance of Cherokee flute music by Matthew Tooni, a WCU alumnus and a member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, and a welcome from WCU Acting Chancellor Alison Morrison-Shetlar.

Tom Belt, coordinator of WCU’s Cherokee Language Program, delivered an opening prayer in both Cherokee and English, Rev. David Reeves of Cullowhee United Methodist Church read Belcher’s obituary, and his sister Elizabeth Belcher Mixon gave the first of several remembrances, also performing one of the Belcher family’s favorite hymns, “His Eye is on the Sparrow.”

“I have no doubt that David — a mere mortal but a tireless servant leader, nonethe-

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or the son of a small-town Baptist preacher who studied to become a classically trained pianist — only to find his professional career take an unexpected change of tempo into academia — the Saturday, June 23, memorial service for Western Carolina University Chancellor David O. Belcher hit all the right notes.

Billed as “a celebration of a life welllived,” the memorial service was equal parts church, musical performance, remembrances of a beloved university leader and, perhaps most fittingly, an opportunity for Belcher to deliver one last altar call on behalf of higher education.

Belcher died Sunday, June 17, after battling brain cancer for more than two years.

More than 800 people filled the performance hall of WCU’s John W. Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center for the service, with hundreds more watching online via a live video stream.

Before his death, Belcher asked his brother Philip Belcher to read his final personal statement during the service, recounting his early years in South Carolina, his post-high school educational opportunities and his early years in academia.

“I learned that, while my parents grounded me in critical principles, values and knowledge of what brings people together, experience, knowledge and values are essentially useless without doing something,” Belcher wrote. “I had to ask myself, ‘Will I just think about serving, or will I actually serve? Am I going to be a noun or a verb?’”

Belcher said he came to recognize the uncomfortable divide between those who are doing well and those who are not, and the role of higher education in bridging that gap.

While WCU has seen “substantive, important changes” that will “significantly improve the lives of the people and communities in our region,” there is still much work

part of what I mean. His laughter was the music that I enjoyed most during his visits.”

In his homily, Reeves compared Belcher to Moses of the Bible, a great leader of people who died before accomplishing all he had intended but left behind others who were equipped to carry on. Rev. Kelly Belcher, Belcher’s sister-in-law, delivered the benediction, while friend Fred Childers and Milton Laufer, director of WCU’s School of Music, performed piano selections.

The N.C House of Representatives honored Belcher in its own way last week, on Wednesday, June 20, approving a resolution to honor his life and memory.

N.C. Reps. Kevin Corbin, R-Franklin, and Mike Clampitt, R-Bryson City, introduced the resolution, which the House unanimously adopted. The Senate concurred.

“David Belcher was not only a great chancellor, he was a great human being. I’m proud to call David my friend and enjoyed, many times, ball games and events with him, and just enjoyed his friendship,” said Corbin, asking his fellow House members to vote in favor the resolution.

Not only did they support it, but several legislators rose in a bipartisan show of support for the resolution, noting Belcher’s impact not just on the university where he served, but on the entire University of North Carolina System and higher education in general.

The chancellor’s obituary, a video recording of the service and the text of his personal statement are available online at belcher.wcu.edu.

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WNC celebrates life of David Belcher

less — was placed in the Western North Carolina region for his God-given skills to be used in exactly the right place at just the right time and in precisely the right ways,” said Mixon. “He was a man of purpose and integrity, loving people well and doing what was right for honorable reasons.

Speaking of Belcher’s endearing laugh and boundless energy, WCU Chief of Staff Melissa C. Wargo called her late boss “someone worth working for” and “a giant of man, not in stature, but in everything else – a giant personality, a giant heart, a giant vision and a giant commitment to those for whom he never stopped advocating, our students.”

Christina S. Drale, associate vice chancellor for academic affairs at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, shared memories of working with Belcher at two universities before he became WCU chancellor in 2011, saying that Belcher learned the communitybuilding skills that were so important to his time at WCU while at Missouri State.

“David learned that, as a leader, it was his job to build relationships and to invite people to be a part of that community and also to reinforce the benefits of membership,” Drale said. “As you all know, no one did that better than David.”

Belcher’s youngest sibling, Miriam Ponder, described her first-grade recollections of her college-aged brother’s visits home.

“There was special music in our home when David was visiting. He obviously practiced a great deal to become the consummate pianist that he was. To me, as a child, it often seemed endless,” said Ponder. “That’s only

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New mental health crisis center to open in WNC Asheville facility will serve children, teens

BY J ESSI STONE N EWS E DITOR new mental health facility in Asheville is set to open this summer to serve children and teens in Western North Carolina dealing with a mental health crisis and addiction.

While increasing rates of children and teens becoming addicted to drugs and/or dealing with mental illness, WNC and North Carolina as a whole has a severe shortage of behavioral health beds for youth. This shortage leads to children and teens waiting for days in an emergency room for a bed to open up — and even then that bed could be on the other side of the state, hours away from their family and support network.

The Caiyalynn Burrell Child Crisis Center, a 16-bed facility-based crisis and detox program, will be the only program of its kind in the region and only the second statewide, and will hopefully relieve some of the wait times for youth in crisis. The facility will serve children and teens in need of stabilization services and 24-hour supervision due to a mental health crisis, substance use or withdrawal from drugs or alcohol. It will also provide crisis care to young people with intellectual or developmental disabilities.

June 27-July 3, 2018

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Mental health advocates from across the region gathered last week for a ribbon-cutting ceremony at The Caiyalynn Burrell Child Crisis Center, a new mental health facilities for youth in Asheville. Donated photo At a ribbon-cutting ceremony held June 21, Kody Kinsley, interim senior director of Department of Health and Human Services’ Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities and Substance Abuse Services, called the new center a “beacon of hope.”

“We know that 20 percent of kids in the United States have a mental health condition,

many of whom are never diagnosed,” he said.

“Facilities like this can make a difference.”

Healthcare provider Family Preservation Services of North Carolina (FPS of NC) will operate the facility, with guidance from Vaya.

Carson Ojamaa, FPS of NC interim state director, said planning for the center had been underway for more than three years.

“Our mission has always has been, and continues to be, very simple — to help children and teens find a way to make meaning of, and grow from, a crisis experience — whether that be dangerous intoxication, self-harm, ideation or an attempt at taking one’s life,” she said. “As they say a lot in this field, crisis is an

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“This is a facility that Caiyalynn would have been very proud of and honored to have her name attached to — a place that will help other children that may have lost hope,” her family said. “… We all knew that Caiyalynn would do amazing things in life, and she did.

Now she also gets to do them in the afterlife, as well. The Caiyalynn Burrell Child Crisis Center has already become a place of hope for the community that it will serve.”

The center is scheduled to open this summer. It is located at 277 Biltmore Avenue in the space formerly occupied by the Neil Dobbins Center, a crisis center for adults that is now located at C3356 Comprehensive Care Center. Both the child crisis center and the new Neil Dobbins facility were established as part of Vaya’s multi-year Community Reinvestment Initiative to expand and enhance services throughout the region.

“The child crisis center is such an important alternative to the emergency department,” said Vaya CEO Brian Ingraham. “It’s a place focused on the needs of children, with specially trained staff and a supportive, caring environment designed to comfort young people in crisis.”

As part of a collaborative effort, Mission Health, Buncombe County and nearly 100 community agencies, organizations, businesses and individuals across 23 western N.C. counties worked with FPS of NC and Vaya to establish the center.

The cost of treatment will be covered by Medicaid or North Carolina Health Choice for children covered under those plans.

Additionally, the center will work with private insurers and other funding options to serve children in need of treatment, including children with no insurance.

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opportunity for change. We worked hard to create an environment, and a program, that holds this belief close to heart.”

The project was funded through a $1 million grant to Vaya Health, a regional managed care organization, through the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services’ Crisis Solutions Initiative. The initiative aims to improve crisis care while reducing avoidable visits to the emergency department and involvement in the criminal justice system.

The center is named in memory of Caiyalynn Burrell, a 12-year-old Asheville girl who died in 2014 after taking a lethal amount of medication. Her family believes she accidentally overdosed in a “cry for help” due to bullying at school and on social media.

At a ribbon-cutting ceremony, center Director Pam Coppedge read aloud remarks from the family of Caiyalynn, whose middle name was Hope.

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A life stranger than fiction Local author releases novel of true-life confessions

traveling salesman and she attended a Catholic school for girls in Chicago. While her parents were very different in many ways, they both liked to drink and throw extravagant parties.

When she was 17, Phillips decided she wanted to study journalism and art and she wanted to do it at the University of New Mexico — as far away from her mother as possible. Unfortunately, her father died just two months after she left for college. Her mother soon moved to Palm Springs and immersed herself in the Catholic Church and high society. This is where Phillips’ book begins.

It was 1960 and Phillips, 20, was just returning from a long summer trip around the world with her mother Madge. It’s clear to Phillips at this point that her mother needs serious help after binge drinking her way through Europe and embarrassing her to no end.

While Phillips is trying to help her mother, Madge is convinced it’s her daughter who needs to be saved. She introduced her Priest is now available at Blue Ridge daughter to Father Mike, a middle-aged Books in Hazelwood and also at charismatic Irish Catholic priest who was Amazon.com. quite popular among his congregation and Visit www.royalphillipsstories.com for the ritzy country club scene in Palm Springs. more information.

“My mother consulted an Irish priest to save my soul. Instead, he brought me to tried to flee Phillips’ mother and public damnation,” Phillips wrote in the book. ridicule. Phillips detailed their adventures Madge wanted Father Mike to mentor and struggles in her diaries, which she used her daughter and bring her closer to the when it came time to write the book. church, but in the process she gave her When their money unexpectedly ran daughter someone to run to when she couldout, Father Mike and Phillips were forced n’t take her abuse and heavy drinking anyto return to the states not long before more. Phillips looked up to Father Mike and sought his counsel in dealing with her moth- they were expecting the baby. Without giving away the details in the book, er, but Father Mike saw a vulnerable young Phillips was forced to put the baby up for woman who would do anything to escape adoption in the end. from her life.

Despite all the turmoil in her life up until The unconventional relationship that point, giving up her child was her breakbetween Phillips and Father Mike eventually ing point. Paired with her feelings of abanbecame romantic as the priest confessed his donment from Father Mike and having to love for her and his willingness to leave the church so they could be together. He was honest “I’m really after truth. I want the truth with her about how he became a priest out of to be known — I wanted it to be necessity as a way to get out known that this happened and now of Ireland as a young man and, while he still held to seemed like the right time.” his religious beliefs, he hadn’t honored his vows as a — Royal Phillips priest for many years.

“Living with a priest return home to her mother in Palm Springs, was revealing. He was very charming, but Phillips found herself in a deep depression being a priest was not a calling for him,” she wasn’t sure she’d ever recover from. In a Phillips said. “At the time, I was trying so desperate attempt, she tried to turn to the hard to get away from my mother, I would Catholic Church for help and redemption, have left with King Kong. (Father) Mike was but she was only met with more hopelessdashing. He had a Thunderbird.” ness and deceit.

Their secret love affair went on for “I was sinking and I had no one to talk months even after she returned to school. to. When you’re raised Catholic, you’re just Her sorority sister would cover for her and told you’re sinning — go in a black box and take her to Albuquerque to meet Father confess and you’ll be better,” she said. “But it Mike. The two knew their secret would get took me over two years of psychiatry to pull harder to keep when Phillips found out she out of this. I was blessed with the best psywas pregnant, which is when Phillips’ story chiatrist in the world who taught me about really takes a turn for the unbelievable.

Christianity and different religions in a way Not wanting her to terminate the pregI’d never heard before.” nancy, Father Mike begins working on an Putting the past behind her, escape plan that would take the couple to the Canary Islands and then to Spain as they she moved to Santa Barbara and

June 27-July 3, 2018

Get the book

Author Royal Phillips has produced a diverse body of literary work. Donated photo

BY J ESSI STONE N EWS E DITOR s Royal Phillips packs up her belongings that signify the last 20 years she’s spent in Waynesville and prepares for her next chapter in Palm Springs, California, she can’t help but to feel like her life has come full circle — and what a crazy circle it has been.

Her big move back to the West Coast to be closer to her family is somewhat serendipitous since the story she’s been trying to tell for the last 30 years is finally out there — lifting a heavy weight from her shoulders. It’s a story she’s struggled to make others believe, but she has always determined to call it what it was — nonfiction.

Phillips’ latest book, Priest: The Last Confession, is a true personal account of her controlling alcoholic mother, her scandalous love affair with an Irish Catholic priest and the sacrifices she had to make to reclaim her life.

For years publishers told her they’d only publish the book if she would label it a work of fiction, but that’s not something she was willing to do. Some truths are stranger than 18

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fiction, she said, and those truths can make people feel uncomfortable. Phillips knows there are other women out there who have had similar experiences being groomed and manipulated by priests within the Catholic Church, and she hopes by sharing her story others will be encouraged to speak up.

“I’m really after truth. I want the truth to be known — I wanted it to be known that this happened and now seemed like the right time,” she said. “Everyone is coming out of the woodwork with their stories — they’re shining a light on what many Catholic boys have gone through but there’s really nothing said about the older Catholic women. I know they’re out there.”

Phillips decided to self-publish the book with the following disclaimer: “This is not a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are real. The material is from actual dated diaries, letters and family photo albums. The names of some individuals have been changed out of respect and consideration.”

Phillips, named after the Royal York Hotel in New York City where she was conceived, had a charmed upbringing from all outside accounts. Her father was a successful

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Royal Phillips (above, with author Ray Bradbury) engaged in a relationship with a Catholic priest, which whom she’s pictured below. Donated photos

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“The forbidden circumstances and the closed-minded era of your birth trapped me in a situation I had no control over.”

Phillips has not let her turbulent past stop her from leading an exciting life full of happy memories traveling to more than 80 countries, scuba diving and accomplishing her goals as a writer, mother and educator.

As she gets closer to 80, she says her story is far from over. She’s quite the prolific poet and is currently working on another volume of poems about her life. As she heads back to Palm Springs, she’s looking forward to more time with her children and her grandchildren.

In addition to Priest, she’s the author of Ugly Duckling: A True Life Story of Beauty, Manipulation and Murder — the real life account of her niece who is serving time in prison for the murder of her husband.

Phillips’ writing has received many awards, including her screenplay “Incommunicado,” based on her brief hostage experience in the 1994 Zapatista Rebellion in Chiapas, Mexico. She also created and produced childbirth-specific books, audiotapes, and videos. Her documentary, “Prince for a Day,” chronicles Indonesian circumcision rituals on the youth of Sumbawa and was presented at the Anti-Genital Mutilation Symposium at University of Sydney, Australia.

1986 SOCO ROAD HIGHWAY 19 MAGGIE VALLEY, NC

June 27-July 3, 2018

struck out on her own — something out of the norm for a woman in 1962. She was a cocktail waitress and then began writing a column for the Santa Barbara News Press.

Therapy also helped her not to repeat the sins of her parents when she eventually married and had three children of her own. She vowed to stay sober and not control her children’s lives the way her mother tried to control hers.

“All I ever wanted to do was have a baby so I would be unhealthy possessive of them, so I had to work through that,” Phillips said.

“But I think I did a good job — my son is a mayor in California, my daughter is a nurse and my other son owns his own printing company.”

While Phillips has continued her passion for art and writing throughout her life, she also found her calling unexpectedly as a childbirth educator and doula. She spent 36 years traveling the world helping others through their pregnancies and deliveries.

Looking back at the experiences that led to where she is today, Phillips said she doesn’t have any animosity left toward Father Mike. Caught between his love of life and his deep religious beliefs, he comes across as a sympathetic character throughout most of the book. He did end up returning to the priesthood, but died from alcoholism at the age of 53, according to Phillips. Though she knows her story really happened, she does question how much of it was real.

“I don’t know if he really loved me, I guess I’ll never know,” she said.

Phillips said she has no regrets, even though she does still think about the baby she had to give up years ago. She even keeps her file updated at the Catholic Social Service Adoption Center just in case her daughter decides to look for her some day.

At the end of Phillips’ book she includes a letter that’s kept on file at the adoption agency to the child she and Father Mike named Deirdre Dawn O’Donohoe.

“When I signed those papers in 1961, I felt as if I was giving the greatest gift in the world — YOU — to someone. I was! Never for a moment did I not want you. Never for a split second did I not love you,” she wrote.

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Webb’s family found a way to keep her alive forever.

“Now that this scholarship is established, her story will always be told,” explains her mom Gwen Landt. “She can continue to impact others. To help these students would be exactly what she wanted.”

The scholarship is available to full-time second-year nursing students at HCC, with preference given to Haywood County residents and single parents.

Whitner named Alumni of the Year

SCC student starts recovery podcast A student in the Substance Abuse Treatment program at Southwestern Community College, Stephen Steen recently paired his passion for helping those in recovery, with his dream of a career in talk radio to launch his new podcast called NC Recovery All Ways (NC RAW).

“I wanted to create a safe space for conversations about recovery,” said Steen, who has been personally affected by substance abuse.

Along with Steen, co-host Kallup McCoy and producer Courtney Stiwalt are members of the NC RAW team. They were able to record their first episode on Feb. 5 and started recording weekly after the spring semester at SCC ended. However, if the project is not fully funded by June 28, the podcast will come to an end.

To donate, visit www.kickstarter.com/projects/57692521/north-carolina-recovery-allways-podcast.

Listen to new episodes every Monday at https://www.ncraw.life/.

Haywood 4-H Dairy Club State Champions

WNC All-Stars 4-H Dairy Club of Haywood County had a junior and senior level competition team participate in the 2018 North Carolina State Youth Dairy Quiz Bowl Tournament in Statesville.

The senior team, Abbegail King (captain), Elizabeth Ross and Alea Boyd, will now represent North Carolina in early November at the National 4-H Dairy Quiz Bowl competition at the University of Kentucky.

The senior team also placed fourth in the state with the Skillathon portion of the competition.

The junior team, Ben James (captain), Avery King, Brady Elliott, Ayson King with Alex Boyd as an alternate, took the state championship title in the state in the Quiz Bowl question competition; and placed second in the state in the Skillathon.

Hospitals, SCC partners for new program

Harris Regional Hospital and Swain Community Hospital have joined Southwestern Community College in announc-

ing a new program designed to support the clinical education of nurses and certified nursing aides in the region, and to develop the local economy by retaining talent to serve patients in the hospitals.

In the Student Nurse Apprentice Program, Harris and Swain hospitals will provide full tuition for two nursing students and two nurse aide students per calendar year in exchange for a commitment to working at the hospitals. The nursing commitment is three years, and the nurse aide commitment is one year.

To apply for SNAP funding, visit www.myharrisregional.com/snap or call 828.586.7102.

Memorial scholarship honors Jordan Webb Before Jordan Landt Webb, Haywood Community College 2005 nursing graduate, lost her life to a drunken driver last May, she decided to devote herself to helping others through a selfless career.

Now her family is fulfilling her dream to serve others by establishing a scholarship at HCC to assist Haywood County residents who want to enter the nursing field. Through the Jordan Landt Webb Nursing Scholarship,

Bryan Whitner, 1998 Haywood Community College criminal justice graduate, was named Outstanding Alumni of the Year Award recipient for 2018.

Whitner recently retired as chief of the Canton Police Department. He dedicated more than 30 years of service to the citizens of Canton and Haywood Bryan Whitner County.

Perhaps one of the most notable accomplishments under Whitner’s leadership was obtaining law enforcement accreditation for the Canton Police Department through the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies. This placed the department as one of the top 5 percent of law enforcement agencies to gain accreditation in the United States based on size.

After finishing HCC, Whitner continued his education at Western Carolina University where he received a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice in 2006.

Upward Bound student bound for UNC A Smoky Mountain High School student and Upward Bound participant, Alysia Figueroa, received a full-ride scholarship to UNC Chapel Hill.

Figueroa was also offered comparable scholarships at NC State University, and Appalachian State University, both of which would have also allowed her to graduate debtfree. She credits her experience with Upward Bound for her recent accomplishments.

The Upward Bound program is a free college preparatory program that provides services like tutoring, college visits and summer enrichment programs that are designed to encourage academic success in participating students from Swain, Jackson, Macon counties and the Qualla Boundary. They are now accepting applications from current eighth-, ninth-, and tenth-graders.

For more information contact Annette Kesgen at 828.339.4281.

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Nursing pinning held at HCC

The 2018 Region A Nursing Consortium Pinning Ceremony was held recently on the campus of Haywood Community College. This marks the 52nd Pinning Ceremony for Region A, which included a candle lighting with graduates reciting the Nightingale Pledge.

HCC’s class of 2018 nursing graduates include Robyne Danelle Clausen, Veronica Dare Lee Coley, Melody L. Conn, Amanda Paige Courtney, Spencer Blake Goins, Megan A. Grimm, Kassadi Kady Kelley, Michelle Mae Murray, Corie Lynn Pilkington, Susan Rall Rodriguez, Marylene Seals, Natalie Paige Singleton, Amanda Smith, Jessica Stiles and Autumn E. Willett.

HCC students that finished the RN (registered nurse) completer program include: Jessica R. Case, Lisa Michelle Cox, Amanda Lynn Davies, Cassie Deal, Patricia Griffin, Jessica Q. Madigan, Casey Marie Merriman, Amanda Faye Millwood, Yuri Pankov, Coriel Valentine and Terra Ward.

Donations made to SCC cupboard

Fighting hunger within the college community is something that Southwestern Community College and its community partners take seriously.

In May, Jackson County Early College student K.J. Ammons and Mountain Credit Union of Sylva each organized food drives and made charitable donations to Southwestern Community College’s Campus Cupboard.

Campus Cupboard was initially opened in March when SCC employees in many different departments noticed how hunger was impacting students they personally knew on campus.

Twelve employees of the college volunteer their time to supervise, organize and stock the pantry. Campus Cupboard is free, anonymous, and open to any student enrolled at SCC. For more information about the Campus Cupboard, contact Amanda Allen at 828.339.4260, or at a_allen@southwesterncc.edu.

• Pisgah High School senior Mason Griffith was this year’s recipient of a $2,000 Duke Energy Scholars Program scholarship. This is a competitive scholarship program all employees’ children are eligible to apply.

ALSO:

• Save the Date for the Haywood Community College Foundation’s third annual Shine & Dine Gala from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Sept. 14 at the Laurel Ridge Country Club in Waynesville. The focus of this year’s Gala is “Chopping for Champions,” fundraising for the construction of a new Timbersports Training Facility.

22

Opinion

Smoky Mountain News

There’s not much room left in the gutter W

We are fractured as a nation To the Editor: All of us who rely upon the local news as a monitor on morality have heard and borne witness to the fault lines in our great nation.

Core values, common decency, and social mores have been set spinning. The causes — multitudinous and complex — demonstrate divisions not seen since the Civil War. Citizens are out of sync with one another and there is a gross lack of social consensus. The nation and communities are undergoing trial if not tribulation.

A while before the sexual harassment allegation epidemic began becoming daily news, I, a male, experienced sexual harassment by a female employee at a regional hospital in a small town in Western North Carolina. What was yelled at me and actions following, without any provocation, constituted assault, premeditated discrimination, infliction of intentional pain and suffering, and sexual harassment by this hospital’s employee on a patient.

At the top of her lungs, in a waiting room, full of patients, she screamed at me, “you are a male sexist chauvinist pig.” Within one minute, hospital security was compelling me to depart. The party was deaf to my physical suffering and assumed I was responsible as patient where the power lay with the employee.

Now these were fighting words, not only heard in bars but in a hospital and to a patient. Odds are one in 50 million. But at a small subsidiary hospital of a nationally topranked health system, this was unbelievable.

Upon review by hospital CEO and subsidiary ethics unit, after initial misrepresentation, it was determined that this employee

what was once normal gets upended. Others eventually join in the rush to insult and the gutter gets crowded.

From the beginning, Trump’s campaign included discourse that most Americans would never use in public. I’ve never felt as uneasy as a reporter as I did at the Trump rally in Asheville in September 2016. As he railed against the media, I stood there with notebook in hand and a press pass around my neck, his supporters turning to stare at me and jeering support for his words.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not a vicEditor tim and don’t want anyone to see it that way. I’ve spent 20 years writing dozens of columns in this newspaper promoting intelligent and civil public discourse because I think it is the best way to solve problems and move our country, states and counties forward as we face difficult challenges. I’ve witnessed people going over the top at town and school board meetings and at political rallies. Disagreeing — and doing it with emotion — is expected when you feel strongly about the subject at hand.

Scott McLeod

hite House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders got asked to leave a restaurant because the owner can’t stand her boss’ politics. Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Neilsen was heckled at a Mexican restaurant over the administrations policy of illegal immigrant children from their parents. A Democratic lawmaker encourages those opposed to Trump policies to continue to publicly calling out Trump advisers and supporters.

And so the debate on civility in politics is ramped up once again. It’s easy to argue that some of this is the result of Trump’s own lack of manners and decorum. Many of his supporters love this about their guy, that he isn’t bound by the long-held polite formalities of the Oval Office, that he gleefully shatters traditions, that he hurls personal insults during speeches, debates and tweets. Many supporters think his degraded discourse is cool rather than offensive.

But you reap what you sow. The average person can be offensive and people just ignore them. But when the man holding the most powerful office in the world offers up support for white supremacists and hurls insults at everyone from war heroes (Vietnam POW Sen. John McCain) to disabled reporters to world leaders and anyone else he disagrees with,

LETTERS called me, before a host of waiting patients, a “male sexist chauvinist pig.” Required to immediately depart, I left physically suffering, slandered, humiliated and in a state of shock and profound disheartenment.

Needless to say, my attempts to obtain an apology were ignored by the leadership of the hospital My purpose to the public is not to grieve before it, but cite an example of how terribly torn we are as a society, as a culture, as a people, and as a country. Fragmented, fractured, and in chaos, I hope and pray that we can mend our way before the problems in motion overwhelm us.

Paul Blank Franklin

Environmentalism needs a new leader To the Editor: One question that keeps going over and over in my mind is, will there be an environmental movement soon? Who is out there to lead the charge? It seems to me to be more urgent now than ever with the current government and the state of our country.

Dave Foreman, co-founder of Earth First and the Wildland Project, in his 1991 book Confessions Of An Eco-Warrior states: “The crisis we now face calls for passion. Along with passion, we need vision. Passion and vision are essential, but without action they are empty.”

In the 1800s we had Thoreau, Muir, Jefferson and Pinchot, the founding of the Sierra Club and National Audubon Society. In the 1900s we had Carson, Peterson, Leopold,

Still, I never thought I’d hear from a U.S. president what I’ve been hearing almost every day since Trump entered the campaign and then won the job. We all thought that once Trump became the most powerful man in the world, he would stay above the fray. Instead, his words now reach even more people and elicit responses similar in tone and nastiness.

A short note about the Sanders incident. As it turns out, the owner asked her into a relatively private area before asking her to leave. There was no heckling, no loud showing off, no tweeting to millions about the incident or insulting anyone.

The owner later told a reporter that she doesn’t think the administration upholds the standards of compassion and honesty that are important to her. That seems a relatively civil way of handling her disagreement with the president and those who help push his agenda, like Sanders.

I’m still arguing for civility. Let this president and others who care to make crude, belittling personal attacks against opponents grovel in the mire and muddy themselves. Meanwhile, most Americans still yearn for leaders who will take personal responsibility for their words and actions, who will not lower themselves to the standards that somehow have become the norm.

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

Teddy Roosevelt, Ansel Adams and E.O. Wilson, the passing of the Wilderness Act and the Clean Air Act and the establishment of the EPA and Wilderness Society.

I googled “21st century environmentalists” and “21st century conservationists.” The only entries that came up were listings of events or rulings that have taken place, most of which have negatively affected the earth.

Who is there today? There is no one person who stands out, no one who is rallying the country to fight together for the sake of the environment. There are many who are taking on single projects. But there is no one who stands out or who has stepped up like John Muir or Rachel Carson.

We need someone who is a combination of John Muir and Charles Kuralt. Someone who knows the land and someone who knows the people. Muir, a conservationist, was passionate about nature, wilderness, and the interconnectedness between the flora, fauna and humans. Kuralt, a journalist, was passionate about the people of America’s back roads who are ordinary and often unnoticed, giving their stories and their lives meaning.

Today, if there would come forward a person with both passions, for nature and people, that is what this country needs. There is power in numbers. If the common people are rallied together to bring about change, to help everyone understand the meaning of ecology, then species can be saved, ecosystems can continue to survive, there would be a decline in the extinction rate. All things have intrinsic value and inherent worth. John Muir believed “that all things are connected, interrelated, that human beings are merely one of the millions of species that have been shaped by the process of evolution” for 4.5 billion years. We humans do not have the right to control and use all of earth. As Edward Abbey the, author

of Desert Solitare said, “We have a right to be here, yes, but not everywhere, all at once.”

Today there is a lack of compassion. There is no regard for the mother bear who is hunted and killed leaving her young abandoned in the woods. There is no regard for the last trillium under the canopy of the forest that will not be able to continue to grow once it is picked.

As David Brower, past director of the Sierra Club once stated, “You cannot imprison a California Condor in the San Diego Zoo and still have a condor. The being of a condor does not end at the tips of the black feathers on its wings. The condor is place as well; it is the thermals rising over the Coast Range, the outcroppings on which it lays its eggs, the carrion on which it feeds.”

This applies to all wild animals. It applies to native plants. Once dug up and placed in a pot it is not able to thrive and multiply as it once did in its natural environment.

In college there was a buzzword, NIMBY. This stood for Not In My Backyard. If the destruction was not done in my backyard, neighborhood or city then it was of no concern to me. We need to take care of what is affecting our backyard, neighborhood and city, but also see the bigger picture. This is where vision comes in. What happens here effects what happens there. And what happens there, whether it is in the U.S. or Europe or Africa, it affects what happens here.

Where are the visionaries of the 21st century? Dave Foreman’s vision in 1991 was, “to challenge the government and the people with a vision … of humans living modestly in a community that also includes bears and rattlesnakes and salmon and oaks and sagebrush and mosquitoes and algae and streams and rocks and clouds.”

Mary Olson Canton

After the shock, and the pain, life goes on

Anti-Trump vitriol just too much

for we have a proven leader now heading our federal government) Congress to pass and sign the largest tax cut in 37 years, benefitting virtually every American and all levels of businesses, sent the stock market on a streak surging 31 percent, authorized record-setting rollbacks of restrictive regulations and bureaucratic red tape that unleashed economic advantages gaining 3 percent economic growth. We have overall employment and rising wage growth, GDP increases over the final three quarters of 2017 continue in 2018, manufacturing, mining, energy, and service sectors all up in percentage growth as well as technical services, and healthcare. Pensions of working and retired people have soared and millions of Americans were paid bonuses which are sneeringly deemed “crumbs” by multi-millionaire Democrat House Minority leader Nancy Pelosi. Consumer confidence climbed to levels unseen since 2000, and at Trump urging Congress ended the Obamacare mandate that forced everyone to obtain health insurance or pay a fine that escalated every year.

Beyond economic records our military generals now decide how to destroy ISIS and the terrorist group is on the ropes, cities are offered federal support to crack

down on violent crime and war is declared on the opioid epidemic. The USA advanced in standing throughout the world as Trump engaged China, brought nuclear threat North Korea to the negotiating table and re-established warm relations with our international friends and allies while forcing ISIS into retreat.

Since much of the scorn against Trump has to do with immigration, here are some facts ignored by anti-Trumpers. Illegal border crossings dropped 73 percent and ICE has targeted the violent MS-13 gang members for arrest and deportation.

Besides the misdirected anti-Trump letters, we are told in the SMN Opinion column that political correctness is a mode of an “accepting/open/respectful society. In truth PC has no respect, acceptance or openness for the ideas of anyone other than the PC police. Those who do not abide by the PC “rule” are vilified, attacked and intimidated. Recently the PC police had the colossal nerve to enter restaurants and demand Trump staff leave. No respect there for any other point of view. Political correctness is a misguided scheme but that topic is for another day.

Carol Adams Glenville

Chris Cox

I

To the Editor: Oh my goodness! What an amazing bunch of nonsense from anti-Trump letter writers in the June 20 issue of the Smoky Mountain News. Fueling the vitriol is the separation of illegal entrant children from parents as the epitome and proof of the hatefulness of the Trump administration and supporters who by the way are not those with “Trump Derangement Syndrome.”

Those with the “syndrome” are the ones who cannot accept the fact that their favored candidate lost the election so they conjure up exaggerated accusations about President Trump. Forget the fact most of the children are accompanied by those other than family and should be housed away from those individuals. Forget the fact that spokespeople involved at the border for years report that the food, shelter and medical services are far better now than under the Obama administration. You won’t hear that from the media.

You also will not hear from or see in the media that in a year and a half our “terrible” President led (led is the key word here

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Smoky Mountain News

steps, and then progressively growing more sure-footed until they were walking more boldly than ever before, perhaps, seemingly always planning projects and trips.

On Friday night, we met them in town for dinner, and afterward, we drove over to Janie’s house for cheesecake. She and my Aunt Louise are going back to New York City in a couple of weeks to visit their great niece and take in some things they might have missed on their first trip up there a year or so ago. Not long after that, they’re going on a cruise to the Bahamas. They’re always up to something, those two. They are already scheming to get my mom to go with them somewhere sometime.

These are the longest days of the year, so even at 9:30 p.m. it’s not completely dark outside. Janie’s house looks out over a tremendous valley, where fireflies are at their work, as if the constellations from the sky have fallen and formed a glittering blanket over the meadow. It’s about time to take my mom back home, but I steal a few minutes and guide my wife, Tammy, over to the edge of the yard where the meadow begins dropping deep into the valley below. We stand there, watching the fireflies, thousands of them, but it feels like we are in space, floating among the stars.

“Oh my God,” she says, her voice trembling. “It’s magical.”

In any inventory, these are memories worth keeping and tending, these warm, magical summer nights in a small town where strong, resilient women carry on and on.

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

June 27-July 3, 2018

I am beginning to understand her new reality a little better on our morning walk, as we move through the hulking machinery and begin our circle around the perimeter of the yard, where the flowerbeds, fruit trees, and sprawling blueberry bushes are thriving. Well, the peonies are struggling, a little rusted around the edges it appears, but the blueberries are going to be something in another few weeks. They are a pale green now, but some of them are already as big as the tip of your thumb, countless clusters of them. She already needs nets to keep the birds out, and will need a swarm of people to pick them when they’re ready.

My stepfather planted these years ago, not long after they were married. He loved being outdoors. He was always out here building and planting and growing things.

Everywhere, there are signs of him.

I guess this little tour we’re on is a metaphor for the grieving process, an inventory that everyone eventually must take, the necessity of letting some things go while realizing that other things live on, and will live on as long as they are tended and cared for. He is not here, and yet he is.

She will let him go, and yet she will not. All of this has to be sorted out.

The deck she will have built is the necessity of moving forward in a new and different way, not necessarily what he would have chosen, but for her a step into the strangeness of her new life, an autonomy that is unsettling one minute, exhilarating and hopeful the next.

In recent years, I’ve seen two of my aunts go through a similar process after the passing of their husbands, those first tentative

opinion

t has been about eight months since my stepfather died. My mother has been talking about getting her house in order for a while, but now she has reached the point of putting her thoughts into action.

The question is what to keep, what to sell, what to pass on to the kin, what to donate, what to burn, and what to take to the landfill.

We are outside, taking a brief and informal inventory. Plus, Columnist it’s the second day of summer and nice out, so it is just good to walk off a breakfast of pancakes and bacon with a little time in the sun.

She figures she’ll sell the big tractor, the bush hog, the wood splitter, and maybe the shredder and a few other things, and with the money from that, she’ll replace the sliding glass doors in the living room — they’ve been balky for nearly 40 years — and use some of the money to build a small, covered deck just through those doors.

Ever since the house was built in 1967, she has talked about wanting a patio area in that spot, but there were always other priorities and considerations that took precedence. Eventually, the very notion just became too distant and abstract for her.

She might as well have been a young girl dreaming about living in a castle. But things change, and now she finally has the wherewithal not only to bring this vision back into focus, but to make it a reality.

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MAGGIE VALLEY RESTAURANT Daily Specials: Soups, Sandwiches & Southern Dishes

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SATURDAY, JUNE 30 The Jazz Cats featuring Bonnie Rossa flute, vocals; Brad Keller jazz piano; and, Jean Bolduc percussion.

Four course dinner, $39.99 plus drinks, tax, and gratuity.

Saturday, June 30 at 7pm 3 E JACKSON ST. • SYLVA, NC

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Friday, July 6 Cynthia McDermott ukulele, vocals.

Bossa Standards, Pop, Originals.

Saturday, July 7 Russ Wilson Duo featuring Russ Wilson percussion, vocals, and Hank Bones guitar, vocals. Bebop, Jazz, Swing, $10 cover per person.

Friday, July 13 'Round the Fire guitar, percussion, bass, vocals. Folk Americana, Pop, Originals.

828-452-6000 • classicwineseller.com 20 Church Street, Waynesville, NC

Smoky Mountain News

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tasteTHEmountains Taste the Mountains is an ever-evolving paid section of places to dine in Western North Carolina. If you would like to be included in the listing please contact our advertising department at 828.452.4251 BLUE ROOSTER SOUTHERN GRILL 207 Paragon Parkway, Clyde, Lakeside Plaza at the old Wal-Mart. 828.456.1997.

Open Monday through Friday. Friendly and fun family atmosphere. Local, handmade Southern cuisine. Fresh-cut salads; slowsimmered soups; flame grilled burgers and steaks, and homemade signature desserts.

Blue-plates and local fresh vegetables daily.

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

BOOJUM BREWING COMPANY 50 N Main Street, Waynesville.

828.246.0350. Taproom Open Monday, Wednesday and Thursday 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday & Saturday 11:30 a.m. to 12 p.m., Sunday 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Gem Bar Open Tuesday through Sunday 5 p.m. to 12 a.m. Enjoy lunch, dinner or drinks at Boojum’s Downtown Waynesville restaurant & bar. Choose from 16 taps of our fresh, delicious & ever rotating Boojum Beer plus cider, wine & craft cocktails. The taproom features seasonal pub faire including tasty burgers, sandwiches, shareables and daily specials that pair perfectly with our beer.

Cozy up inside or take in the mountain air on our back deck."

BOURBON BARREL BEEF & ALE 454 Hazelwood Ave., Waynesville, 828.452.9191. Lunch daily 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.; dinner nightly at 5 p.m.

Tuesday through Saturday. Closed Sunday and Monday. Wine Down Wednesday’s: ½ off wine by the bottle. We specialize in hand-cut, all natural steaks from local farms, incredible burgers, and other classic american comfort foods that are made using only the finest local and sustainable ingredients available.

CATALOOCHEE RANCH 119 Ranch Dr., Maggie Valley.

828.926.1401. Breakfast seven days a week, from 8 to 9:30 a.m. – with eggs, bacon, sausage, oatmeal, fresh fruit, sometimes French toast or pancakes, and always all-you-can-eat. Lunch menu every day from 12 noon to 2 p.m. includes homemade soup du jour and fresh-made salads.

Wednesday, Friday and Saturday night will feature an evening cookout on the terrace.

On all other nights of the week, dinner is served family style and includes locally sourced vegetables, homemade breads, jellies, desserts, and a wide selection of wine and craft beer. The evening social hour starts at 6 p.m., dinner is served starting at 7 p.m., and cozy rooms and cabins are available if you love us so much that you want to stay for breakfast, too. Please call for reservations. And see our dinner menu online at www.cataloocheeranch.com/dining.

CHEF’S TABLE 30 Church St., Waynesville.

828.452.6210. From 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.

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

Reservations honored.

CHURCH STREET DEPOT 34 Church Street, downtown Waynesville.

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

CITY LIGHTS CAFE Spring Street in downtown Sylva.

828.587.2233. Open Monday-Saturday 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., Sunday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tasty, healthy and quick. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, espresso, beer and wine.

Come taste the savory and sweet crepes, grilled paninis, fresh, organic salads, soups and more. Outside patio seating. Free WiFi, pet-friendly. Live music and lots of events. Check the web calendar at citylightscafe.com.

THE CLASSIC WINESELLER 20 Church Street, Waynesville.

828.452.6000. Underground retail wine and craft beer shop, restaurant, and intimate live music venue. Kitchen opens at 4 p.m.

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

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

828.926.1820 Winter hours: Wednesday through Sunday 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Family Style at Country Vittles is not a buffet.

Instead our waitresses will bring your food piping hot from the kitchen right to your table and as many refills as you want. So if you have a big appetite, but sure to ask your waitress about our family style service.

DELLWOOD FARMHOUSE RESTAURANT 651 Dellwood Rd., Waynesville.

828.944.0010. Warm, inviting restaurant serving delicious, freshly-made Southern comfort foods. Cozy atmosphere; spacious to accommodate large parties. Big Farmhouse Breakfast and other morning menu items served 8 a.m. to noon.

Lunch/dinner menu offered 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Come see us. You’ll be glad you did!

Closed Wednesdays.

FERRARA PIZZA & PASTA 243 Paragon Parkway, Clyde.

828.476.5058. Open Monday-Saturday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Sunday 12 to 8 p.m. Real New Yorkers. Real Italians. Real Pizza. A full service authentic Italian pizzeria and restaurant from New York to the Blue Ridge. Dine in, take out, and delivery.

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

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

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

tasteTHEmountains Monday-Saturday. Father and son team Frank and Louis Perrone cook up dinners steeped in Italian tradition. With recipies passed down from generations gone by, the Perrones have brought a bit of Italy to Maggie Valley. frankiestrattoria.com HARMON’S DEN BISTRO 250 Pigeon St., Waynesville 828.456.6322. Harmon’s Den is located in the Fangmeyer Theater at HART. Open 5:309 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday (Bistro closes at 7:30 p.m. on nights when there is a show in the Fangmeyer Theater) with Sunday brunch at 11 a.m. that includes breakfast and lunch items. Harmon’s Den offers a complete menu with cocktails, wine list, and area beers on tap. Enjoy casual dining with the guarantee of making it to the performance in time, then rub shoulders with the cast afterward with post-show food and beverage service. Reservations recommended. www.harmonsden.harttheatre.org J. ARTHUR’S RESTAURANT AT MAGGIE VALLEY U.S. 19 in Maggie Valley. 828.926.1817.

Open for dinner at 4:30 to 9 p.m., Wednesday through Sunday. World-famous prime rib, steaks, fresh seafood, gorgonzola cheese and salads. All ABC permits and open year-round. Children always welcome. Takeout menu. Excellent service and hospitality.

Reservations appreciated.

JUKEBOX JUNCTION U.S. 276 and N.C. 110 intersection, Bethel.

828.648.4193. 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday; Sunday 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Serving breakfast, lunch, nd dinner. The

restaurant has a 1950s & 60s theme decorated with memorabilia from that era.

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

828.456.7870. Open from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. for lunch and 5 to 10 p.m. for dinner Monday through Friday and 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Enjoy the lunch prices Monday through Sunday, also enjoy our outdoor patio.

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

828.586.3555. Open Monday through Thursday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.; Sunday brunch 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Hand-tossed pizza, steak sandwiches, wraps, salads and desserts.

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

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

828.926.1616. maggievalleyclub.com/dine.

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

MAGGIE VALLEY RESTAURANT 2804 Soco Road, Maggie Valley.

828.926.0425. 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily. Daily specials including soups, sandwiches and southern dishes along with featured dishes such as fresh fried chicken, rainbow trout, country ham, pork chops and more. Breakfast all day including omelets, pancakes, biscuits & gravy.

PIGEON RIVER GRILLE 101 Park St., Canton.

828.492.1422. Open Tuesday through Thursday 3 to 8 p.m.; Friday-Saturday noon to 9 p.m.; Sunday noon to 6 p.m. Southerninspired restaurant serving simply prepared, fresh food sourced from top purveyors.

Located riverside at Bearwaters Brewing, enjoy daily specials, sandwiches, wings, fish and chips, flatbreads, soups, salads, and more. Be sure to save room for a slice of the delicious house made cake. Relaxing inside/outside dining and spacious gathering areas for large groups.

RENDEZVOUS RESTAURANT AND BAR Maggie Valley Inn and Conference Center 70 Soco Road, Maggie Valley 828.926.0201 Home of the Maggie Valley Pizzeria. We deliver after 4 p.m. daily to all of Maggie Valley, JCreek area, and Lake Junaluska. Monday through Wednesday: 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Thursday: 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. country buffet and salad bar from 5 to 9 p.m. $11.95 with Steve Whiddon on piano. Friday and Saturday: 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m.; Sunday 11:30 to 8 p.m. 11:30 to 3 p.m. family style, fried chicken, ham, fried fish, salad bar, along with all the fixings, $11.95. Check out our events and menu at rendezvousmaggievalley.com SPEEDY’S PIZZA 285 Main Street, Sylva. 828.586.3800.

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

on Thursdays. Dine in or take out available.

Located across from the Fire Station.

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

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

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

VITO’S PIZZA 607 Highlands Rd., Franklin. 828.369.9890.

Established here in in 1998. Come to Franklin and enjoy our laid back place, a place you can sit back, relax and enjoy our 62” HDTV. Our Pizza dough, sauce, meatballs, and sausage are all made from scratch

by Vito. The recipes have been in the family for 50 years (don't ask for the recipes cuz’ you won't get it!)

WAYNESVILLE PIZZA COMPANY 32 Felmet Street, Waynesville.

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

Evening E vening feasts feasts. Casual lunches and breakfa br eakfa asts. And A nd the mile high peaks of the Great mile-high Great Smokies all around you. Call (828)926-1401 for reservations.

And get a little taste of heaven, Catalooc chee style. style

Catalo t oche ee Ranch 119 Ranch Drive, Maggie Valley, NC Catalooche eeRanch.com

Four Course Thursday Wine Paired June 28 at 7pm Dinner Mon/Wed/Thurs 11 a.m.-9 p.m.

Friday/Saturday 11 a.m.-10 p.m.

Closed Tuesday

Sunday 12-9 p.m.

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

& Special Screening of Sideways $50 per guest 828.586.3555 Downtown Sylva MadBatterFoodFilm.com

Smoky Mountain News

APPÉTIT Y’AL N L BO

207 Paragon Parkway, Clyde

828-456-1997 blueroostersoutherngrill.com Monday-Friday Open at 11am

Real Local Families, Real Local Farms, Real Local Food

June 27-July 3, 2018

We’ll e fee ed your sp pirit, too.

Open Daily 7 a.m. to noon Closed Thursdays

Any day is a great day when it starts with Joey’s Pancakes!

4309 Soco Rd., Maggie Valley (828) 926-0212

25

A&E ALL-AMERICAN MUTT — Jamie Kent 26

Smoky Mountain News

“Hard work creates luck.

It’s easy when you first start making music to think you’re just going to put it out there and the music will speak for itself to make things happen.

Unfortunately, that’s just not the case.”

Jamie Kent.

Nashville star to headline ‘Week of Rock’

BY GARRET K. WOODWARD STAFF WRITER s the music capital of the world, the bright lights of Nashville have always been a tough place to make it as a band, let alone as a songwriter. But, that mere fact is why so many talented acts from seemingly every corner of the globe descend upon the bustling Tennessee metropolis — simply, if you can make it there, you can make it anywhere.

And singer-songwriter Jamie Kent knows just that. To remain in the game, you can’t sit on the sidelines, you’ve got to keep playing — literally. Hailing from rural Massachusetts, Kent has taken the stage and stood in front of the microphone in every sticky floor dive bar and showcase room in Nashville, guitar and a reservoir of hit songs in-hand.

He has toured with Huey Lewis & The News, Brothers Osborne, Brandy Clark, America and The Doobie Brothers, going so far as to having the likes of Aerosmith lead singer Steven Tyler perform one of Kent’s originals.

And yet, it’s only the beginning of Kent, a musician’s musician well-versed in the sentiment that luck isn’t something you’re born with, it’s something you create with your own two hands — come hell or high water.

A

— Jamie Kent

Nantahala Brewing ‘Week of Rock’ The annual “Week of Rock” celebration will be held June 29-July 7 at Nantahala Brewing in Bryson City.

Performers include Jamie Kent (Americana/rock) June 29, Chalwa (roots/rock) June 30, Carly Burrus (singer-songwriter) July 1, The Orange Constant (rock/jam) July 2, Rick Rushing & The Blues Strangers (rock/blues) July 3, Courtney Lynn & Quinn (Americana) noon July 4, Danimal Planet (rock/electronic) 3 p.m. July 4, Bauner Chafin (rock) 6 p.m. July 4, Dr. Bacon (rock/jam) 9 p.m. July 4, Andalyn (rock) July 5, Psylo Joe (rock/jam) July 6 and Mac & Juice (rock/soul) July 7.

All shows are free and at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Frank & Allie (Americana/folk) will also perform at 6 p.m. July 7 in The Warehouse restaurant/taproom just down the road from the brewery.

For more information, visit www.nantahalabrewing.com.

Smoky Mountain News: In Nashville these days, there are the pop-country megastars and talented tribute bands on the Broadway strip, but yet so many great independent groups on the verge of breaking big...

Jamie Kent: I agree, man. There’s some juju in Nashville right now. I think people are going to look back on Nashville at this time and see it as like the 1960s in San Francisco or the 1970s in the East Village [of New York City]. There’s something happening between this rock, Americana and indie fusion.

SMN: So, where do you fit into all of this?

JK: I think it’s still to be determined. I’m going to do what I do. Honestly, it’s a very strange thing for me in Nashville. There have

been some things that have happened to me that have been really counterintuitive. In 2016, Rolling Stone Country named me in the “Top 25 Country Songs” [of the year]. My song was No. 24. I was only the only independent artist on the entire list. It was [people like] Luke Bryan, Miranda Lambert, and my tune. And then I won’t get accepted into AmericanaFest [because of that]. So, I’m sort of caught in this in-between. To me, that is going to be my greatest barrier until it’s my greatest asset. I write 150 songs a year, and have a catalog of tunes that could go in either direction (country or Americana). To me, I would never give up everything to [pop country labels], but I would always be open-minded to a partnership.

SMN: At what moment did you know a song could be whatever you wanted it to be? Is formula as important as simply going where the creative juices flow in the styling?

JK: I love the challenge of writing different kinds of songs. Some are meant for someone else to sing, others to played on radio, film or TV. And some are just for me. I personally like to approach every write with a goal and focus. Who am I writing this for? If it’s for a TV show or an ad, a certain formula might give me a better chance of having it placed. If it’s for a big country artist to sing, another kind of formula might work best if they’re trying to get it played by radio. But, if it’s for me, anything goes. And honestly, I love the challenge of trying to write something great within any of those parameters. Just because there might be a certain formula for the song structure, there’s still so much room to make a song great within the melody and lyrics — that’s where the challenge is for me.

SMN: Either personally or professionally, what piece of advice do you carry with you now that maybe you initially blew off?

JK: Hard work creates luck. It’s easy when you first start making music to think you’re just going to put it out there and the music will speak for itself to make things happen.

Unfortunately, that’s just not the case. If you want to support yourself by playing and writing music, you’ve got to work your ass off to make it happen. But, when you’re doing what you love, it doesn’t feel exactly like “work” anyway.

SMN: How do you compete out there?

JK: You’ve got to keep your head down. Keep working hard. Hard work creates an opportunity to get lucky or unlucky. And you can only get unlucky so many times in-a-row before eventually you have to get lucky by just pushing it and pushing it. And it’s going to be that one right “yes” that causes that spark, you know?

Editor’s Note: Jamie Kent will kickoff the annual “Week of Rock” musical extravaganza at 8 p.m. Friday, June 29, at Nantahala Brewing in Bryson City. www.jamiekent.com.

BY GARRET K. WOODWARD

Macon County.

The heart has its seasons, its evenings and songs of its own

The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians’ 43th annual POW WOW will be held June 29-July 1 at the Acquoni Expo Center.

A Dinner Theatre Production

FINAL PERFORMANCES!

June 28, 29, 30 at 6:00 pm July 1 at 12:30 pm

Smoky Mountain News

“An Appalachian Evening” will continue with “If you see all the people playbluegrass act Fireside Collective at 7:30 p.m. ing corn hole in the driveway Saturday, June 30, at the Stecoah Valley you’re at the right place,” the Center in Robbinsville. familiar voice said over the phone last Saturday evening.

There will be an evening of country blues with Once the multitude of folks singer-songwriter Heidi Holton at 7 p.m.

— known and unknown — tossThursday, June 28, at the Marianna Black ing bean bags and popping beer Library in Bryson City. cans entered my field-of-vision, I Singer-songwriter Angela Easterling & The pulled the old pickup truck onto Beguilers will perform at 3 p.m. Saturday, the side lawn. As the crow flies, June 30, at the Waynesville Library Auditorium. the backwoods property was a good five miles or so east of The annual “Singing in the Smokies” 4th of downtown Franklin. It had been July festival will be held June 30-July 4 at awhile since I wandered into Inspiration Park in Bryson City.

Macon County, a lot longer since I had seen the familiar voice over the phone. going on six years come this August. And It was her going away party. She and her within that first year here, I’d met a lot of husband are packing up and leaving people, either through being a journalist or Western North Carolina. Next stop: Ohio. It simply through my endless wanderings was time for the couple to start a new and around the area. At that time, I only really bountiful chapter — for him to leave his had one real deal true friend, who now has native region, for her to return to her homeadded the word “best” to our friendship. He land after five years in Southern Appalachia. had yet to meet the woman who would And there I was, sitting in my Waynesville become his wife, had yet to move to back to apartment, staring out the window and wonhis beloved Knoxville, Tennessee, and had yet dering what to do with my Saturday. I forgot to land his dream job. In 2013, this was all in that I had marked “Going” on the Facebook the unknown, yet not-too-distant future. invite for the farewell party, that was until Back then, he and I would wander the she posted in the forum and the notification local bars and music venues together, dinged on my smart phone. Heck, why not, either to meet up with people, see some eh? It would do me some good to see an old up-and-coming band or simply talk up a face that I first met within my first year living cute girl that may have caught our eye. One here, now a lifelong friend. evening, while running around Sylva, I I’ve lived in Western North Carolina crossed paths with the familiar voice on

June 27-July 3, 2018

HOT PICKS 1 2 3 4 5

arts & entertainment

This must be the place

the phone. She was new to town, a graduate student at Western Carolina University.

Just rolled in from Ohio and didn’t know a single soul here.

We became fast friends, going to live shows, throwing down some beers and so on.

One time, while on assignment, I convinced her to come with me to the infamous Outhouse Races at the Sapphire Valley Ski Resort (just outside of the Cashiers Crossroads). She didn’t believe me how wild and surreal the experience would be until she witnessed first-hand people climbing into homemade outhouses on skis, soon to rocket down the ski slope in pursuit of victory.

Not long after that, her and I lost touch.

We would say hey on Facebook, but she was creating her own existence here and making new friends, and I found myself on the road more, our paths beginning to shift in different directions. Eventually, she met this great guy, Jackson County local, who now is headlong into a successful career in education.

Over the next few years, we’d run into each other, where he and I are now friends. Skip ahead to last weekend, and it was first time I actually had sat down and spent time with them since they had gotten married almost two years ago.

The going away party was an evening of memories and laughter shared in honor of our friends and their upcoming journey. I was introduced to a roomful of Macon County folks, many of which I now call friends after several competitive games of corn hole and hearty, rollicking conversation about nothing and everything (which are the best conversations).

The midnight hour came and went, with most everybody either asleep or long gone. I decided to crash out on the reading bed out on the screened-in back porch. Through the thick tree line, I could see the moon. It was bright and slowly moved through the branches above me as I would reawaken a few times throughout the night.

Come morning, I awoke to a cool breeze pushing through the mountains. Everyone was still in their respective slumbers inside the house. The sun was barely breaking open a new day. I laid there and looked out over the property. I kept thinking to myself how fast time flies by, especially when you’re in the business I’m in. As a journalist, we have no sense of time outside of deadlines for articles.

We make our own schedule, and often lose track of the days, weeks, months and years that disappear from the calendar on the wall.

I thought of the familiar voice on the phone, and all the wondrous adventures that lay ahead for her and her husband once the moving truck gets loaded up and they head north by this time next week. I thought of my own life, and how I get so wrapped up in the chaos of work that I’ve not noticed how everybody else is pushing ahead in their own endeavors, where I was shaken out of my normal fast-paced rhythm of thought and action when the familiar voice said, “We’re married and moving on with our lives, that’s what people do when they grow up, Garret,” saluting each other with drinks held high at the culmination of another great night in the mountains of Appalachia.

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

Adults $40 Seniors $38 Students $25 Also Available: Stage-Side Table for Four $180 Stage-Side Table for Two $90 Includes a German-themed buffet beginning one hour before showtime with coffee or tea and dessert at intermission. Wines available for purchase by the glass or bottle.

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

For More Information and Tickets:

828-456-6322 | www.harttheatre.org This project was supported by the N.C. Arts Council, a division of the Department of Natural & Cultural Resources, with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts.

27

On the beat arts & entertainment

Isaacs welcome Skaggs, Gatlin Brothers The Isaacs.

Rob Ickes & Trey Hensley.

Dobro legend returns to Cataloochee Ranch

Smoky Mountain News

June 27-July 3, 2018

Bluegrass act Rob Ickes & Trey Hensley will perform at 8 p.m. Sunday, July 1, at the Cataloochee Ranch in Maggie Valley.

Fifteen-time “Dobro Player of the Year” by the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA), Ickes was a founding member of Blue Highway, a pillar of the the genre over the last quarter-century. And with Hensley, you have someone who performed on the Grand Ole Opry alongside

Bryson City gets the blues

There will be an evening of country blues with singer-songwriter Heidi Holton at 7 p.m. Thursday, June 28, at the Marianna Black Library in Bryson City.

Holton is turning heads with her mastery of the music of the deep South.

Original and fresh, traditional with a contemporary flair, her songwriting shines like the sweat glistening on the brow of a Piedmont preacher behind the pulpit on a sultry Sunday afternoon. Following in the footsteps of guitar-slingers like Memphis 28 Minnie and Reverend Gary Davis, Holton is

Marty Stuart and Earl Scruggs at the age of 11, only to release his debut album and also find himself pickin’-n-grinnin’ with the late Johnny & June Carter Cash just a year later.

Their second release, “Before the Sun Goes Down, earned them a 2016 Grammy nomination for “Best Bluegrass Album.”

Tickets for the intimate performance are $45. A gourmet mountain dinner will be available for purchase before the show.

Reservations are highly suggested. This show will sell out. To RSVP, call 828.926.1401 or visit www.cataloocheeranch.com.

making a name for herself in the blues community.

When an opportunity to study with one of her favorite guitarists arose, Holton strapped an acoustic guitar to the back of her motorcycle and headed north to Ohio. At the Fur Peace Ranch, she found a mentor and kindred spirit Heidi Holton. in the legendary Jorma Kaukonen (Jefferson Airplane, Hot Tuna) and quickly became an accomplished finger picker and slide guitar player.

It wasn’t long before people began to take notice, including blues woman and national treasure Rory Block, who has produced Holton’s sophomore release “Why Mama Cries.” Popular demand keeps Heidi busy, playing about 150 shows a year to a wide variety of audiences. She has opened for notorious bluesman Roy Bookbinder and slide guitar hero Tommy Talton, and has become a regular performer at the Arts and Minds Festival at the Fur Peace Ranch.

For more information or driving directions, call the library at 828.488.3030 or visit www.fontanalib.org/brysoncity.

Renowned group The Isaacs will host a two-day musical extravaganza with Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder and Larry Gatlin & The Gatlin Brothers at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts in Franklin.

The Skaggs performance will be on Friday, July 6, with The Gatlin Brothers on Saturday, July 7. Both performances begin at 7 p.m. with tickets starting at $30 per show.

The Isaacs, a multi-award winning family group, features mother Lily Isaacs, and siblings Ben Isaacs, Sonya Isaacs Yeary and Rebecca Isaacs Bowman. Their musical style has been influenced by many genres of music including bluegrass, rhythm and blues, folk and country, contemporary, acoustic and southern gospel. They perform frequently at the Grand Ole Opry, and are active members on the Gaither Homecoming Videos. A life full of music is the story of Ricky Skaggs. By age 21, he was already considered a “recognized master” of one of America’s most demanding art forms, but his career took him in other

directions, catapulting him to popularity and success in the mainstream of country music. His life’s path has taken him to various musical genres, from where it all began in bluegrass music, to striking out on new musical journeys, while still leaving his musical roots intact. Skaggs is a 14-time Grammy Award winner and continues to do his part to lead the recent revival in Bluegrass music.

Over 50 years ago, Larry, Steve, and Rudy Gatlin started singing in their little hometown of Abilene, Texas, and from there went on to make music history. Over the course of a four-decade career that has taken the Gatlin Brothers from dusty Texas stages to White House performances, from Broadway to Grammy Awards to the top of the country charts, there has been one unifying element: music.

There will also be music workshops, bus tours, Q&A forums and more on both days also available for purchase. For more information and/or to purchase tickets, visit www.greatmountainmusic.com.

Concerts on the Creek

July 6, The Super 60s Band (classic hits) July 13, Andalyn (rock/country) July 20, Summer Brooke & The Mountain Faith Band (bluegrass/gospel) July 27, Lance & Lea (Americana/pop) Aug. 3, The Get Right Band (soul/rock) Aug. 10, The Colby Deitz Band (rock/Americana) Aug. 17, Geoff McBride (rock/Americana) Aug. 24 and Dashboard Blue (classic hits) Aug. 31.

The concerts are free and open to the public. There will also be food trucks onsite.

828.586.2155 or www.mountainlovers.com.

The Concerts on the Creek summer series will welcome the Carolina Soul Band (R&B/beach) at 7 p.m. Friday, June 29, at Bridge Park in downtown Sylva.

The lineup for this year’s series will also include: Crocodile Smile (soul/rock) during the Fourth of July Fireworks (starting at 6:30 p.m.), Darren Nicholson Band (Americana/country)

On the beat The summer concert series “An Appalachian Evening” will continue with bluegrass act Fireside Collective at 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, June 30, at the Stecoah Valley Center in Robbinsville.

The annual bluegrass/mountain music series will also feature Buncombe Turnpike (July 7), Helen White & Wayne Henderson (July 14), The Snyder Family (July 21), Salt & Light (July 28), The Jeff Little Trio (Aug. 4), Volume Five (Aug. 11), Unspoken Tradition (Aug. 18) and The Kruger Brothers (Aug. 25) Tickets for the Fireside Collective per-

arts & entertainment

‘An Appalachian Evening’

BRYSON CITYYY’SS FOURTH OF JULY Fireside Collective. formance are $15, grades K-12 $10. Tickets are a pre-show dinner are also available for purchase. The Lynn L. Shields Auditorium is air-conditioned. www.stecoahvalleycenter.com.

FRE EEDOM M F FEST S h ddulel off Ev Sched E entst

The annual “Singing in the Smokies” 4th of July festival will be held June 30-July 4 at Inspiration Park in Bryson City.

Performances by legendary gospel group The Inspirations, Chuck Wagon Gang, The Kingsmen, The McKameys, and The Diplomats. Nearby lodging, camping and RV parking available.

For more information and/or to purchase tickets, visit www.theinspirations.com.

Songwriter to play Waynesville Library

The Groovin’ On the Green concert series will host at Jay Drummonds & Friends at 6:30 p.m. Friday, June 29, at The Village Green Commons stage and lawn.

Other performers this summer include: Hurricane Creek (July 6), Eat A Peach (July 13), High-5 Band (July 27), Andalyn (Aug. 3), Sundown (Aug. 10), The Krickets (Aug. 17), The Buchanan Boys (Aug. 24) and The Boomers (Sept. 1).

Groovin’ On the Green is rain or shine.

Picnics and coolers are allowed, however concert goers can enjoy delicious food and beverage for sale from the vendors onsite.

Concerts are free. Dogs are welcome, but must be on a leash and under the control of their owners at all times.

To learn more visit www.villagegreencashiersnc.com. Follow The Village Green on social media @cashiersgreen.

Singer-songwriter Angela Easterling & The Beguilers will perform at 3 p.m.

Saturday, June 30, at the Waynesville Library Auditorium.

Easterling is a two-time Kerrville New Folk Songwriting Finalist and a Telluride Troubadour Finalist about whom Vintage Guitar Magazine said, “If Steve Earle was reborn a girl, he would likely be Angela Easterling.”

While retaining an overall Americana feel, you’ll find elements of pop, rock, country and gospel mixed throughout her music.

Easterling lives with her partner and their two young sons on the Greer, South Carolina, farm that has been in her family since 1791.

The show is brought to you by the Friends of the Library and the Haywood County Arts Council. Free and open to all. No registration is required.

Bridge Stage on Everett Street 4:00 pm: Somebody ’s Child / Americanaa 6:00 pm: Colby Deitz Band / Rock 8:00 pm: Mountain taain Faith / Americana onal 9:55 pm: Kathryn n Brown sings the Natio Anthem 10:00 pm: Best Fir i eworks Show in the Sm mokies!

Smoky Mountain News

Groovin’ On the Green

Riverfront Park on Mitchell Street 11:00 am: “Strut Y Yo our Mutt” Pet Show / Contest 1 pm - 6 pm: Kidz Zone multiple bounce houses & refreshments. $5 wrist band ffo or all-da d y play.

1:00 pm: Watermelon Eating Contest

June 27-July 3, 2018

‘Singing in the Smokies’

Rotary Internatiional Firecrack ke er 5K Run Swain County Administration Building (Mitchell St.) 6:30 - 7:30 am: Walk-up registration egins 8:00 am: Race be

828-488-3681 828 488 3681 GreatSmokies.com/FreeedomFest

29

Smoky Mountain News

June 27-July 3, 2018

arts & entertainment

On the beat

Swannanoa Chamber Music Festival returns The annual Swannanoa Chamber Music Festival festival will highlight two world premieres of commissioned works — Clarinet Quintet by Alyssa Weinberg, commissioned

by Chamber Music America for the Enso String Quartet, and Sextet for piano 4 hands and string quartet by Inessa Zaretsky, commissioned by Lenore Fishman Davis for the St. Urban concert series.

The season opener will feature internationally acclaimed counter-tenor Nicholas Tamagna; program 3 is dedicated entirely to the works of Schubert with arguably his greatest masterpiece — the cello quintet crowning the evening; and an all-star ensemble with principal players from major symphony orchestras for our closing program including: Alexander Velinzon (violin, Boston Symphony Orchestra), Elisa Barston(violin, Seattle Symphony), Tatjana Mead-Chamis (viola, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra), Mihail Istomin (cello, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra) and Joseph McFadden (bass, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra).

Performances Saturdays at Warren Wilson College’s Kitredge Community Arts Center in Asheville, Sundays at the First United Methodist Church in Waynesville, and Mondays at Carolina Music Museum in Greenville, South Carolina.

All concerts at First United Methodist Church in Waynesville are Sunday matinees at 3 p.m. except at 7:30 p.m. Sunday, July 22.

• Program 1 — June 30, July 1-2: Songs by Bach, Hendel, Poulenc and Hahn; Felix Mendelssohn String Quartet in D major.

• Program 2 — July 7-9: Ludwig van Beethoven String Quartet in D major, Op.18, No.3; Alyssa Weinberg Clarinet Quintet; Cesar Franck Piano Quintet in F minor - Enso

• Andrews Brewing Company (Andrews) will host the “Lounge Series” with Alma Russ (Americana/folk) June 29, Trippin’ Hardie (Americana) June 30, George Ausman (singer-songwriter) July 1, Heidi Holton (blues/folk) July 2, Blue Revue July 3, Jordyn Pepper July 4, Jody West & The Boss Man July 5, Gabe Myers July 6 and Twelfth Fret (Americana/folk) July 7. All shows are free and begin at 6 p.m. unless otherwise noted. www.andrewsbrewing.com.

• Balsam Falls Brewing (Sylva) will host Amy Andrews June 29, Twelfth Fret (Americana/folk) July 6, Jeff Ginn July 13, Bird In Hand (Americana/folk) July 20 and John the Revelator (blues/folk) July 27. All shows begin at 9 p.m. www.facebook.com/balsamfallsbrewing.

• Balsam Mountain Inn (Balsam) will host the next installment of the “Songwriters in the Round” series with Dark Waters at 7:30 p.m.

June 28. Tickets are $20 per person.

30 www.balsammountaininn.net.

Enso String Quartet.

String Quartet; Benjamin Mitchell, clarinet; Inessa Zaretsky, piano.

• Program 3 — July 14-16: Franz Schubert String Quartet in A minor, No. 13 “Rosamunde”; Selections from Moment musicaux, Impromptu; String Quintet in C major, Op. 163 - Tesla String Quartet; Kathe Jarka, cello; Inessa Zaretsky, piano.

• Program 4 — July 21-23: Ludwig van

Beethoven String Quartet in A major, Op.18, No. 5; Inessa Zaretsky Sextet for piano 4 hands and string quartet; Claude Debussy String Quartet in G minor, Op.10 - Tesla String Quartet; Lenore Fishman Davis, piano; Inessa Zaretsky, piano.

• Program 5 — July 28-30: Ern Dohnányi Serenade for string trio in C major, Op.10; Amadeus Mozart Concerto for piano

in C major, No.21; Antonín Dvo ák String Quintet in G major, No. 2, Op. 77 - All Star Ensemble with Alexander Velinzon, violin; Elisa Barston, violin; Tatjana Mead-Chamis, viola; Mihail Istomin, cello; Joe McFadden, bass; Inessa Zaretsky, piano.

For tickets and additional information, visit Swannanoa Chamber Music Festival at www.scm-festival.com.

• Blue Ridge Beer Hub (Waynesville) will host an acoustic jam with Main St. NoTones from 6 to 9 p.m. June 28 and July 5. Free and open to the public. www.blueridgebeerhub.com.

• Frog Level Brewing (Waynesville) will host Darren Nicholson Band (Americana/country) June 30, The Clyde’s July 6 and Elysium Park July 7. All shows are free and begin at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. www.froglevelbrewing.com.

Brothers 7 p.m. June 29, Love Canon w/Hank, Pattie & The Current 9 p.m. June 29, South Hill Banks 9 p.m. June 30, Minas 5:30 p.m. July 1, Blue Yonder 7 p.m. July 6, Ellis Dyson & The Shambles 9 p.m. July 6, Celtic Music & Mythic Tales 5:30 p.m. July 8 and Diali Cissokho & Kaira Ba 7:30 p.m. July 8.

For more information and/or to purchase tickets, click on www.isisasheville.com.

• Boojum Brewing (Waynesville) will host Ol’ Dirty Bathtub (Americana/bluegrass) at 9 p.m. July 7. The show is free and open to the public. www.boojumbrewing.com.

• The Classic Wineseller (Waynesville) will host Joe Cruz (piano/pop) June 29, Cynthia McDermott (mandolin/vocals) July 6 and Russ Wilson Duo (jazz/swing) July 7. All shows are free and begin at 7 p.m. There will also be a special evening with The Jazz Cats at 7 p.m. June 30, which will include a fourcourse dinner for $39.99 per person.

828.452.6000 or www.classicwineseller.com.

• Currahee Brewing (Franklin) will host Bradley Carter July 28. All shows are free and begin at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted. www.curraheebrew.com.

ALSO:

• Harmon’s Den Bistro at HART (Waynesville) will host karaoke and an open mic at 8 p.m. on Saturdays. All are welcome. www.harttheatre.org.

• Innovation Brewing (Sylva) will have an Open Mic night June 27 and July 4, and a jazz night with the Kittle/Collings Duo June 28 and July 5. All events are free and begin at 8 p.m. www.innovation-brewing.com.

• Isis Music Hall (West Asheville) will host The Traveling Ones w/Thomas Kozak 7 p.m. June 27, The Honeylovers 6:30 p.m. June 28, Jesse Terry w/Ryanhood 7 p.m. June 28, Jack Victor & Zack Kardon 6:30 p.m. June 29, Howlin’

• Lazy Hiker Brewing (Franklin) will host Nick Prestia (singer-songwriter) June 29 and Frogtown (bluegrass) June 30. All shows begin at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted.

There will also be an open mic night at 6:30 p.m. every Thursday. www.lazyhikerbrewing.com.

• Mountain Layers Brewing (Bryson City) will host an open mic night every Thursday, Paul Davis (singer-songwriter) June 29 and Twelfth Fret (Americana/folk) June 30. All shows are free and begin at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted. www.mountainlayersbrewingcompany.com.

ALSO:

• Nantahala Outdoor Center (Nantahala Gorge) will host The Log Noggins June 30 and Pioneer Chicken Stand July 7. Shows are free and begin at 6 p.m. www.noc.com.

• The Oconaluftee Visitor Center (Cherokee) will host a back porch old-time music jam from 1 to 3 p.m. July 7. All are welcome to come play or simply sit and listen to sounds of Southern Appalachia.

• Pub 319 (Waynesville) will host an open mic night from 8 to 11 p.m. on Wednesday with Mike Farrington of Post Hole Diggers. Free and open to the public. www.pub319socialhouse.com.

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

• Soul Infusion Tea House & Bistro (Sylva) will host Shane Meade & Sean Shuffler July 3 and The Build July 14. Both show begin at 7 p.m. 828.586.1717 or www.soulinfusion.com.

• The Strand at 38 Main (Waynesville) will host an “Open Mic” night from 7 to 9 p.m. on Saturdays. 828.283.0079 or www.38main.com.

• The Ugly Dog Pub (Highlands) will host Goldie & The Screamers (soul/R&B) June 30 and Urban Soil (roots/rock) July 7. All shows begin at 9:30 p.m.

• The Water’n Hole (Waynesville) will host VivaLeVox and Deadly Lo-Fi June 29 and DogTracks June 30. Shows begin at 10 p.m.

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# 314 - free hat

A MORE FLEXIBLE MBA

REDESIGNED FOR THE REGION’S WORKING PROFESSIONALS WCU’s Asheville-based MBA program has been recently redesigned to better meet the needs of professionals balancing classes with work and family responsibilities. Courses bring students together for in-person instruction every other week, with project work and online instruction continuing between face-to-face classes. Essentially, this will allow working professionals to complete up to six credit hours per semester with only eight visits to campus.

Smoky Mountain News

• Southern Porch (Canton) will host Joshua Simmons & Friends July 28. All shows begin at 7 p.m. Free and open to the public. www.southern-porch.com.

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June 27-July 3, 2018

• Salty Dog’s (Maggie Valley) will have Karaoke with Jason Wyatt at 8:30 p.m. on Tuesdays and Fridays, Mile High (classic rock) 8 p.m. Wednesdays and Saturdays, and a Trivia w/Kelsey Jo 8 p.m. Thursdays.

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arts & entertainment

• Nantahala Brewing (Bryson City) will host the “Week of Rock” celebration with Jamie Kent (Americana/rock) June 29, Chalwa (roots/rock) June 30, Carly Burrus (singersongwriter) July 1, The Orange Constant (rock/jam) July 2, Rick Rushing & The Blues Strangers (rock/blues) July 3, Courtney Lynn & Quinn (Americana) noon July 4, Danimal Planet (rock/electronic) 3 p.m. July 4, Bauner Chafin (rock) 6 p.m. July 4, Dr. Bacon (rock/jam) 9 p.m. July 4, Andalyn (rock) July 5, Psylo Joe (rock/jam) July 6 and Mac & Juice (rock/soul) July 7. All shows are free and begin at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. www.nantahalabrewing.com.

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On the beat

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arts & entertainment

On the beat

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Smoky Mountain News

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28 Maple St. • Sylva

The Imani Milele Children Choir will be presenting a concert at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, July 5, at First United Methodist Church of Sylva.

The Imani Milele Choir is comprised of children and teenagers who are under the care of the Imani Milele Children Program.

These young people are an inspiration to people of all ages.

The purpose of the concert is to bring awareness of the plight of Uganda’s orphans and vulnerable children. The choir has performed before various audiences including ambassadors, ministers, churches, schools and also for the President of Uganda and his First Lady, with great reviews. The choir’s per-

formance is a mix of African traditional music, dance, African acappella, testimonies, and more.

The Imani Milele Children’s Program mission is to “Rescue, Educate and Develop” orphaned and vulnerable children, equipping them with skills to become self-sustaining and productive leaders, impacted with the love of Jesus Christ.

The concert is free and open to the public.

A love offering will be collected to help support the school. Prior to and after the performance, a table of handmade crafts will be for sale.

All are welcome and invited to attend. For more information, call the church office at 828.586.2358.

Bryson City community jam

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

828.488.3030.

A community jam will be held from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, July 5, at the Marianna Black Library in Bryson City.

Anyone with a guitar, banjo, mandolin, fiddle, dulcimer, anything unplugged, are invited to join. Singers are also welcomed to join in or you can just stop by and listen. The jam is facilitated by Larry Barnett of Grampa’s Music in Bryson City.

The community jams offer a chance for musicians of all ages and levels of ability to share music they have learned over the years or learn old-time mountain songs. The music jams are offered to the public each first and third Thursday of the month — yearround. This program received support from the North Carolina Arts Council, an agency

Pickin’ on the Square The Pickin’ on the Square summer concert series will feature Tugalo Holler (bluegrass) at 7 p.m. Saturday, June 30, at the Gazebo in downtown Franklin.

Other upcoming performers include: The Remnants (oldies/Motown) July 7, Frogtown (bluegrass) July 14, Elderly Brothers (beach/oldies) July 21 and The Clydes (bluegrass) July 28. The concert series is free and open to the public. Bring your lawn chair.

Food vendors will also be available. www.townoffranklinnc.com.

@SmokyMtnNews

On the street

There will be a line dancing class held from 6 to 7 p.m. Saturday, June 30, at the Stompin’ Ground in Maggie Valley.

Instructors Kayla Hobbs-Ross and Austin Fish will be teaching traditional and modern line dance lessons. Expect to have a fun-filled time, social interaction, and after lessons should you choose to put what you learned to use, Stompin’ Ground will be opening from 8 to 11 p.m. with a live band, huge dance floor, and you can dance the night away. Ask your hosts about a bundle deal should you want to also go to Stompin’ Ground that evening.

Cost is $10 per person. For more information, email kmhobbsmusic@gmail.com or call 828.734.0873.

Cherokee Bonfire & Storytelling

Cherokee Nation POW WOW (age 50+), men and women (age 18-49), teens (13-17), Junior (6-12), and tiny tots (under age 5). Specials include Men’s Fancy and Straight, Women’s Jingle, Old Style Fancy Shawl, Cowboy/girl and two Junior specials.

The Pow Wow opens at 5 p.m. Friday, June 29, with a grand entry at 7 p.m. The event continues at 9 a.m. Saturday, June 30, with the grand entry at 1 p.m. and 7 p.m.

Gates open at noon Sunday, July 1, with grand entry at 1 p.m.

828.497.7128 or visit www.visitcherokeenc.com.

ALSO:

• CommUnity Square Dancing will be held at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, June 30, at the Webster Rock School in Webster. Come as you are. No partner or fancy clothes necessary.

Indian village now open

• A free wine tasting will be held from 2 to 5 p.m. June 30 and July 7 at Papou’s Wine Shop in Sylva. www.papouswineshop.com or 828.631.3075.

The popular Oconaluftee Indian Village will be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday through Nov. 10.

As you step into the Oconaluftee Indian Village, you’re transported back to witness the challenges of Cherokee life at a time of rapid cultural change. Tour guides help you explore the historic events and figures of the 1760’s.

Visitors can interact with villagers as they

Western Carolina University is accepting nominations for the Mountain Heritage Awards, prestigious honors bestowed on an individual and an organization each year for contributions to or playing a prominent role in research, preservation and curation of Southern Appalachian history, culture and folklore.

The awards will be presented at the 44th annual Mountain Heritage Day on Saturday, Sept. 29, on the WCU campus.

Deadline for nominations is Saturday, June 30.

Recipients are chosen by a committee comprised of regional and campus representatives. Letters of nomination should

• There will be a free wine tasting from 1 to 5 p.m. June 30 and July 7 at Bosu’s Wine Shop in Waynesville. www.waynesvillewine.com or 828.452.0120.

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

not exceed five pages and should include the full name of the individual or organization being nominated, with a website address if applicable; the mailing address of the nominee; the founding date for organizational nominees; a list of the nominee’s accomplishments; a list of the awards and other recognitions received by the nominee; information about the nominee’s influence in the relevant field of expertise, such as crafts, music or organizational cause; and information about the nominee’s role as a teacher, advocate, leader or curator of mountain culture.

Nominations should be delivered to the Mountain Heritage Center offices, located in Room 240 of WCU’s Hunter Library; mailed to Mountain Heritage Center, 1 University Drive, Cullowhee N.C. 28723; or emailed to pameister@wcu.edu.

Smoky Mountain News

The 21th annual Sweet Corn Festival will be held from 10 a.m.to 3 p.m. Saturday, July 7, at St. Cyprian’s Church on 216 Roller Mill Road in Franklin.

Silent auction with items and gift certificates from area attractions including Dollywood and Santa’s Land Fun Park, as well as local shops and restaurants.

Barbecue, live entertainment including the Nikwasi Dulcimer Players and

Westsound from Asheville, trail walks, historic church tours and bake sale. Vendors onsite with a wide variety of crafts, jewelry, fine arts and more. Activities for children, which includes a bounce house and bounce horses.

Proceeds benefit All Saints Episcopal community outreach. Park at church, or overflow parking nearby at Dr. Shaller’s office on Roller Mill Road at Kmart center.

Free admission. www.allsaintsfranklin.org.

• “Laughing Balsam Sangha,” a meeting for Mindfullness in the tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh, meets will meet from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. on Mondays at 318 Skyland Drive in Sylva.

Included are sitting and walking meditation, and Dharma discussion. Free admission. For more information, call 828.335.8210, and “Like” them on Facebook.

The Cherokee Bonfire & Storytelling will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays through Oct. 27 at the Oconaluftee Islands Park.

Sit by a bonfire, alongside a river, and listen to some of Cherokee’s best storytellers.

The bonfire is free and open to the public.

There will be no bonfire events in September. www.visitcherokeenc.com.

Nominations sought for Mountain Heritage Awards

Sweet Corn Festival

• Line Dance Lessons will be held on Tuesdays in Waynesville. Times are 7 to 8 p.m. every other Tuesday. Cost is $10 per class and will feature modern/traditional line dancing.

828.734.0873 or kimcampbellross@gmail.com.

June 27-July 3, 2018

The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians’ 43th annual POW WOW will be held June 29-July 1 at the Acquoni Expo Center.

The event features world-champion dancers and drums competing for prizes.

Vendors from across the country will offer food and arts and crafts items.

Dance competitions are open to participants in five groups and several categories including Traditional, Grass, Fancy, Straight, Jingle and Buckskin. There will also be Northern and Southern Singing prizes and a Hand Drum special. Age groups include “Golden Age” contestants

participate in their daily activities. The Village also hosts live reenactments, interactive demonstrations, and Hands-On Cherokee Pottery for Kids classes For more information, visit www.cherokeehistorical.org.

arts & entertainment

Line dancing at Stompin’ Ground

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arts & entertainment

On the street

WNC celebrates Independence Day

Lake Junaluska Fourth of July All are invited to spend a patriotic Fourth of July at Lake Junaluska. The Independence Day Celebrations will feature three concerts, a variety of family friendly activities, a parade and a fireworks display.

The theme for the event is “Red, White & Bluegrass: Celebrating the Music of the Mountains,” and it will be incorporated throughout the events.

Bluegrass band Balsam Range kicks off the celebrations on at 7:30 p.m. Monday, July 2, in Stuart Auditorium. On July 3, hop on any Lake Junaluska trolley for a free drop-in garden tour, which will take place from 9 to 11 a.m. with stops at five of Lake Junaluska’s gardens: the Biblical Garden, Corneille Bryan Native Garden, Rose Walk, Susanna Wesley Garden and Inspiration Point. Volunteers at each location will answer questions and provide information on each garden’s unique horticultural story. Local musicians at some of the gardens will entertain guests with a variety of music styles.

register to participate in the parade at www.lakejunaluska.com/july4th.

The parade begins at Lambuth Inn at 11 a.m. and proceeds along North Lakeshore Drive until its conclusion at the Nanci Weldon Memorial Gym. Immediately following the parade, a barbecue picnic will take place with bounce houses, face painting and a balloon artist for the kids, and a performance by Whitewater Bluegrass Company. At 1:30 p.m., Whitewater Bluegrass Company’s front man, “Uncle” Ted White, will serve as caller for a family-friendly mountain square dance. No experience is necessary to participate and the free dance is open to all.

The Lake Junaluska Singers will return to the Stuart Auditorium stage on the evening of July 4, when they perform a patriotic salute in their first concert performance of the season. After the concert, the Lake Junaluska Singers will sing the national anthem as the free fireworks begin around 9:30 p.m. There will be more than 800 fireworks launched for the community to enjoy.

Balsam Range, The Martins and Lake

June 27-July 3, 2018

The Lake Junaluska Singers.

Nothing says summer more than the Fourth of July, and in Western North Carolina, we celebrate Independence Day with gusto. Between majestic fireworks, sizzling hot dogs and hamburgers, cotton candy, games, live music and craft demonstrations, there’s a little of bit of everything for any and all. So, grab your lawn chair, sunglasses and adventurous spirit, and enjoy this special day.

Smoky Mountain News

Independence Day in the Smokies • Canton Fourth of July Celebration www.cantonnc.com • Stars & Strips Celebration, Waynesville www.downtownwaynesville.com • Red White & Boom, Maggie Valley www.maggievalley.org • Fourth of July Celebration, Sylva www.mountainlovers.com • Freedom Fest, Bryson City www.greatsmokies.com • 4th of July Parade/Fireworks Celebration, Franklin — www.franklin-chamber.com 34

• 4th of July Fireworks Show, Cherokee www.nc-cherokee.com • Fourth of July Celebration, Cashiers www.cashiers411.com • Fourth of July Celebration, Andrews www.visitcherokeecountync.com • Independence Day Celebration, Highlands www.highlandsinfo.com • Independence Day Fireworks, Murphy www.visitcherokeecountync.com • Independence Day Parade/Celebration, Hayesville — www.ncmtnchamber.com • Sapphire Valley Yankee Doodle Dandy Day www.sapphirevalley.com • Fourth of July Celebration, Fontana Village www.fontanavillage.com

At 2 p.m. July 3, a friendly family Olympics competition will take place in the field by the Nanci Weldon Memorial Gym. In this series of fun and sometimes silly challenges, families work together for bragging rights and glory.

On the evening of July 3, The Martins will perform in Stuart Auditorium. This sibling trio, made up of Joyce, Jonathan and Judy Martin, are known for their southern gospel style. They were nominated for a Grammy Award in 1998 for Best Southern Gospel, Country or Bluegrass Album of the Year and again in 2015 for Best Roots Gospel Album of the Year.

On July 4, festivities begin with a community Independence Day parade. The parade, which follows the Red, White & Bluegrass theme, will be led by Balsam Range as the grand marshals. Anyone may

Junaluska Singers concerts take place at 7:30 p.m on July 2, 3 and 4. Tickets for The Martins and the Lake Junaluska Singers are $23 reserved or $18 general admission.

Tickets for Balsam Range are $25 reserved or $23 general admission. As a special promotion, you can bundle general admission tickets to all three shows for $50 — only available at the Bethea Welcome Center.

Lodging and meal packages for the entire event are available. To learn more about the Independence Day Celebrations or to purchase tickets, visit www.lakejunaluska.com/july4th.

Lake Junaluska is a place of Christian hospitality where lives are transformed through renewal of soul, mind and body. For more information about Lake Junaluska programs and events, visit www.lakejunaluska.com.

Rob Ickes & Trey Henslley

Photo by Wayne Ebinger

arts & entertainment

S UNDAY, JULY 1

Two virtuoso musicians. One Grammy-nominated sound.

And one more chance to see them, as they make their second appearance following last year’s sold-out show at a the Ranch.

Tickets for the 8pm sho ow are $45, with a cookout dinner (priced separately) available be efore the performance. For reservations, call (828) 926-140 01. And get ready for one great g show.

Catal t loochee Ranch h 119 Ranch Drive, Maggie Valle ey, North Carolina 28751 | CataloocheeRanch.com

June 27-July 3, 2018

DEMONSTRATION

FRIDAY, JULY 6 6-9 PM

Featuring artist Sarah Sneeden

98 N. MAI N ST. • WAYNESVILLE • MON-SAT 10-5:30 • SUN 1-4 828.456.1940 • W W W.T WIGSAN DLEAVES.COM

Smoky Mountain News

ART AFTER DARK

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Smoky Mountain News

June 27-July 3, 2018

arts & entertainment

On the wall Uptown Gallery exhibit, workshop There will be an upcoming artisan exhibit, presentation and workshop at the Uptown Gallery on Main Street in downtown Franklin.

• The gallery will be introducing new artwork for July and August with an art reception from 4 to 6 p.m. Friday, July 6. Come by for refreshments and meet the local artist members of the Macon County Art Association who create exceptional paintings, jewelry, fine crafts, and other unique gift items.

• Artist Mary Jo Gayer will present the program “Stepping into the Magical World of Fiber” at 1 p.m. Monday, July 9. The discussion will go from processing fibers to the creativity of various fiber work from knitting, weaving, spinning and felting. The program will be followed by The Macon County Art Association general meeting. This event is open to the public and refreshments will be provided.

• Artist Betsey Sloan will host a sweet gourd necklace workshop on Saturday, July 14. Sloan will lead you through the steps of using a spinner gourd, marbleizing it, adding a bail and cord for just $7 non-members and

• There will be a “4th of July Crafts Show” from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. June 30-July 4 at the Balsam Community Center. Pottery, jewelry, essential oils, canning, photography, local art, and much more. There will be an ice cream social with live music by Angie Toomey at 2 p.m. July 4.

• “Paint Nite Waynesville” will be held at 7 p.m. on Thursdays (June 28 and July 12) at Frog Level Brewing in Waynesville. Sign up for either event on the Paint Night Waynesville Facebook page or call Robin Arramae at 828.400.9560. paintnitewaynesville@gmail.com.

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The “Paint & Sip Workshop” will be held from noon to 2 p.m. Friday, June 29, at Gallery Zella in Bryson City.

Enjoy learning to paint with a buddy, daughter, son or even your sweetheart. Take home an incredible memory of your trip to the mountains — your own original painting on canvas. Enjoy a glass of wine (or soft beverage) and a light snack. Your painting instructor Carol Conti has taught painting for over 20 years. Students will be presented with a Smoky Mountain landscape, then Conti will guide you in creating your own master work of art.

Cost is $50, which includes all materials.

For more information, call 828.488.3638 or visit www.galleryzella.com.

Friday and Saturday. For the full schedule of screenings, visit www.madbatterfoodandfilm.com.

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

• The “Movies on Everett” outdoor series will run through Aug. 17 at the corner of Mitchell and Everett streets in downtown Bryson City.

Screenings begin at 9 p.m. Family-friendly.

Free to attend. www.greatsmokies.com.

• Free classes and open studio times are being offered at The Uptown Gallery in Franklin. Join others at a painting open studio session from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. every Tuesday. For information on days open, hours and additional art classes and workshops, contact the gallery on 30 East Main Street at 828.349.4607.

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The Western Carolina University Fine Art Museum exhibition “Glass Catalyst: Littleton’s Legacy in Contemporary Sculpture” will run through Dec. 7 at the Bardo Arts Center.

Celebrating the efforts of the late Harvey Littleton, one of the greatest proponents of using glass as an expressive medium, the exhibition explores the work of contemporary artists concentrating in glass and how they are building off the foundations laid by Littleton during the early years of the Studio Glass Movement.

A key work in the exhibition will be a new acquisition to the Museum’s collection: a glass sculpture by Harvey Littleton entitled “Terracotta Arc.” This piece was unveiled at a special opening reception from on June 14 at the Bardo Arts Center, which would have been Littleton’s 96th birthday. Donated by the

• The Waynesville Fiber Friends will meet from 10 a.m. to noon on the second Saturday of the month at the Panacea Coffee House in Waynesville. All crafters and beginners interested in learning are invited. Follow on Facebook or by call 828.276.6226.

• A “Youth Art Class” will be held from 10:30 a.m. to noon every Saturday at the Appalachian Art Farm on 22 Morris Street in Sylva. All ages welcome. $10 includes instruction, materials and snack. For more information, email appalachianartfarm@gmail.com or find them on Facebook.

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‘Aqua Fin’ by Alex Bernstein.

‘Paint & Sip Workshop’

• The “Meet the Artist” reception with Brian Hannum (pianist), Wendy Cordwell (cocllagist) and Jon Houglum (painter) will be from 3 to 7 p.m. Friday, June 29, at Gallery Zella in Bryson City. Enjoy North Carolina wine, food and music. Free to attend. For more information, call 828.488.3638 or visit www.galleryzella.com.

• Mad Batter Food & Film (Sylva) will host a free movie night at 7:30 p.m. every Thursday,

Glass Catalyst: Littleton’s Legacy in Contemporary Sculpture

$5 members. The process takes about 10 minutes. Adults and children are welcome.

No need to register. Just stop in between the hours of 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

To register for the workshops or for additional class information, call 828.349.4607, email franklinuptowngallery@gmail.com or visiwww.franklinuptowngallery.com.

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Littleton Family in honor of WCU Professor Emeritus Joan Falconer Byrd, this sculpture serves as a focal point in the exhibition and a reminder of how Littleton’s impact reverberates through the generations.

Artists featured in the exhibition include: Alex Bernstein, Carol Milne, Hayden Wilson, Matt Eskuche, Shane Fero, Robert Burch, Carmen Lozar, Carole Frève, Einar and Jamex de la Torre, Shayna Leib, and Dean Allison. Glass enthusiasts, sculptors, lovers of innovation, and even knitters will especially enjoy this display of works ranging from cast figures to blown glass to delicate lamp-worked forms.

Regular museum hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and Thursdays until 7 p.m. For information, call 828.227.ARTS or visit bardoartscenter.wcu.edu.

Mountain Artisans showcase The 29th annual Mountain Artisans “Summertime“ Arts & Crafts Show will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. June 30 and July 1 in the Ramsey Center at Western Carolina University.

Dozens of local artisans. Admission is $4.50 for adults with children under 12 free. Concessions available and free convenient parking. www.mountainartisans.net.

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On the wall

The Haywood County Arts Council and local nonprofit REACH are co-sponsoring the latest exhibit “Freedom: An Artist’s Point of View.” The exhibit will run through June 30 at the HCAC Gallery & Gifts showcase in downtown Waynesville.

REACH serves survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, elder abuse and teen dating violence. They not only operate a 24hour helpline and emergency shelter, but also provide victim advocacy, legal assistance, counseling referrals, and community education.

With over 30 artists donating works of art in oil, acrylic, ceramic, photo, digital, textile, watercolor, pencil, cold wax and glass mediums, this promises to be an exciting show.

For more information call 828.452.0593, email info@haywoodarts.org or visit www.haywoodarts.org.

“ArtShare” is a showing of fine works of art which have been donated to or consigned with the HCAC. The HCAC welcomes pieces from collectors that may be downsizing, changing décor, or who wish to consign estate items to benefit the arts in this community. “ArtShare” was born out of a desire to allow collectors to be able to pass on art for someone else to enjoy.

The HCAC will accept donations or consigned items in the gallery beginning July 11, though inventory sheets may be turned in prior. Inventory sheets are due no later than July 20. Even if collectors have participated in the past, HCAC encourages them to participate again. Artists may participate by sharing their own work, but only if donating.

If you have questions, please call the HCAC at 828.452;0593. “ArtShare” runs from August 3-25. More information about donating, including show contracts and inventory lists, can be found at www.haywoodarts.org.

Haywood ‘ArtShare’ donations needed

Haywood Arts $10,000 challenge

This year marks the sixth year of the Haywood County Arts Council’s (HCAC) “ArtShare” exhibit.

Haywood County Arts Council Board President Michael Lodico and his wife Mary Alice are giving a great surprise — an end-of-

Honors Recital, Sunday at the Opry Veterans Day performance, as well as artist receptions and other community events.

“This is a great opportunity for our community to show its appreciation for the Haywood County Arts Council and to get involved in whatever way they can, because every gift of every amount makes a difference.” Forrester said.

To give online, visit www.haywoodarts.org or visit the HCAC gallery at 86 North Main Street in downtown Waynesville to make a cash donation. year gift up to $10,000 in matching funds for all donations to the HCAC annual fund through June 30, the end of the current fiscal year.

All gifts to the Haywood County Arts Council made between now and June 30 will be matched dollar for dollar up to $10,000.

Consequently, when an individual makes a tax-deductible donation of $25, HCAC will receive $50.

Annual fund donations enhance art education, local artists and innovation in art.

This year, annual fund gifts supported monthly art exhibits in the HCAC gallery, artist workshops, the Junior Appalachian Musicians program, Mind the Music senior piano lessons, Dance ARIS, Young Artist Concert, art exhibits at the HART and both Waynesville & Canton Libraries, Student

arts & entertainment

‘Artist’s Point of View’

Haywood Arts member show This July, the Haywood County Arts Council will host its annual “Artist Member Show,” at HCAC’s Gallery & Gifts in downtown Waynesville. The exhibit will run from July 6-28 The show is a celebration of our community of artists, allowing them to share their great work at the height of the summer season. It will be a show filled with variety, including local painters, potters, jewelers, and much more.

For more information about HCAC programs and events, visit www.haywoodarts.org.

June 27-July 3, 2018 Smoky Mountain News 37

arts & entertainment

On the stage â&#x20AC;&#x153;People stop me to tell me that

Musical explores 1960s hits

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Y O U R T I C K E T T O A G R E AT N I G H T

JEFF FOXWORTHY

Smoky Mountain News

JUNE 30 Â&#x192; 2 SHOWS

SKID ROW WITH SPECIAL GUEST GREAT WHITE

RASCAL FLATTS

AARON LEWIS

SEPTEMBER 1

JULY 20

SEPTEMBER 14

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Unto These Hillsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; outdoor drama The â&#x20AC;&#x153;Unto These Hillsâ&#x20AC;? stage production will be held at 8 p.m. Monday to Saturday through Aug. 18 at the Mountainside Theater in Cherokee.

This decades-old acclaimed outdoor drama traces the Cherokee people through the eons, through the zenith of their power, through the heartbreak of the Trail of Tears, finally ending, appropriately, in the present day, where the Cherokee people, much like their newly re-scripted drama, continue to rewrite their place in the world â&#x20AC;&#x201D; a place based on traditional Cherokee values and modern sensibilities.

For more information and to purchase tickets, visit www.cherokeehistorical.org.

TICKETS ON SALE FRIDAY 10AM

HART presents Steve Martin comedy caesars.com Visit ticketmaster.com or call 1-800-745-3000 to purchase tickets.

38

Overlook Theatre Company will present the hit Broadway musical retrospective â&#x20AC;&#x153;Leader of the Pack: The Musical Life of Ellie Greenwichâ&#x20AC;? at 7:30 p.m. June 29-30 at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts in Franklin.

Ellie Greenwich was an American pop music singer, songwriter, and record producer. She wrote or co-wrote hits such as, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Be My Baby,â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Da Doo Ron Ron,â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Do Wah Diddy Diddy,â&#x20AC;? and of course, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Leader of the Pack.â&#x20AC;?

Greenwich passed away in 2009. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Leader of the Packâ&#x20AC;? tells the story of young Greenwich who dreamed of a career in the music industry and longed to hear her songs on the radio. It explores the joys and heartaches of her 40-year career that skyrocketed in the 1960s.

Tickets are $12 for students and $17 for adults. For more information and/or to purchase tickets, call 866.273.4615.

Show(s) subject to change or cancellation. Must be 21 years of age or older to enter casino floor and to gamble. Know When To Stop Before You Start.Ž Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-522-4700. An Enterprise of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. Š2018, Caesars License Company, LLC.

A hilarious comedy by Steve Martin, â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Underpantsâ&#x20AC;? will hit the stage at 7:30 p.m. June 28-30, and at 2 p.m. July 1 at the Haywood Arts Regional Theatre in Waynesville.

In the production, we get a wild satire adapted from a classic German play about

Louise and Theo Markes, a couple whose conservative existence is shattered when Louiseâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s bloomers fall down in public.

Though she pulls them up quickly, he thinks the incident will cost him his job as a government clerk. Louiseâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s momentary display does not result in the feared scandal but it does attract two infatuated men, each of whom wants to rent the spare room in the Markesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; home. Oblivious of their amorous objectives, Theo splits the room between them, happy to collect rent from both the foppish poet and the whiny hypochondriac.

To keep in the spirit of the show, the Harmonsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Den Bistro will be offering up a German inspired feast as part of your ticket.

There will be vegetarian options on the menu. All seating is at tables and the doors open at 6 p.m. with the show beginning at 7:30 p.m. for evening performances and opening at 12:30 p.m. with the show at 2 p.m. on Sundays. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Underpantsâ&#x20AC;? is being directed by Jeff Messer and the cast includes David Yeates, Kristen Hedberg, Marc Cameron, Amanda Klinikowski, Dakota Mann and Tom Dewees.

Tickets are $40 for adults, $38 for seniors and $25 for students and include dinner and the show. To make reservations for the show, call 828.456.6322 or visit www.harttheatre.org.

Books

Smoky Mountain News

39

A visit to the library and some amazing finds n my last visit to the public library, I picked up Kathryn Sermak’s Miss D & Me: Life With The Invincible Bette Davis (Hachette Books, 2017, 278 pages).

Why this book? I have no idea. I was never a fan of Bette Davis, though I will say “Whatever Happened To Baby Jane?” left me shaken at the age of 12.

Though I’ve only seen the film twice, scenes from that tale of deception and horror remain vivid in my mind. (For Writer my younger readers, Bette Davis was a film star from the 1930s to the 1980s and twice won the Academy Award for Best Actress.)

At any rate, that evening I found myself reading Sermak’s story of her 10 years as Bette Davis’s assistant. From the beginning of their relationship — Sermak evolves from Girl Friday to Best Friend — Davis, or Miss D as she wished to be addressed, takes Kath, as Miss D calls Sermak, under her wing and instructs her on a vast number of topics once associated with finishing schools: how to eat a salad, how to speak and walk, how to sit, how to wear her hair and makeup, how to dress.

Miss D’s lessons are harsh and unrelenting, and initially much resented by Kath, but prove invaluable to her in later life.

As the two women grow closer, Miss D shares more of her past and her concerns about the future with her young friend. She tells Kath many stories about her career, introduces her to all sorts of interesting characters — a supper with Roald Dahl, author of such classics as Charlie and The Chocolate Factory, and his wife, American actress Patricia Neal, becomes a night of torment with the drunken actress verbally attacking Kath —and takes her on exotic vacations to France, England, and New York.

Miss D could be demanding, harsh, and blunt. She occasionally explodes at Kath, makes the normal Type A personality look

her and from Kathryn Sermak that standards of conduct and personal responsibility matter even when those standards seem to have diminished or disappeared.

A fine book about a fine lady.

••• From this same library visit, the glossy cover of Mural XXL (Thames and Hudson, USA, 2015, 192 pages) caught my eye.

I glanced inside, checked out the

Jeff Minick

O

like a piker, and becomes estranged from her daughter and son-in-law. Almost in spite of herself, however, Kath comes to admire Miss

D’s passion for excellence and perfection, realizing it is these qualities that accounted for her success in Hollywood and in life.

The final chapter of Miss D & Me gives us Kath at Miss D’s deathbed in the American Hospital in Neuilly, a suburb of Paris. Here, as throughout the book, Miss D impresses us with the love she displays toward Kath and the courage with which she faces her own death.

I came away from Miss D & Me with a new respect for Bette Davis and a reminder from

‘Let’s Talk About It’ The next installment of the “Let’s Talk About It” author series, titled “Picturing America: Making Tracks,” will take place from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday, July 7, in the Waynesville Library Auditorium.

This event will focus on the book Rising from the Rails: Pullman Porters and Making of the Black Middle Class by Larry Tye. He is an American nonfiction author and journalist known for his biographies of notable Americans.

Drawing on extensive interviews with dozens of porters and their descendants, Tye reconstructs the complicated world of the Pullman porter and the vital cultural, political, and economic roles they played as forerunners of the modern black middle class. Rising from the Rails provides a lively and enlightening look at this important social phenomenon.

Copies are now available for loan at the Waynesville Library

book at the desk, and spent two pleasant hours the following day immersed in the world of XXL (extra-extra-large) murals that artists have painted in cities around the world.

Claudia Walde, who paints her murals under the name MadC, is the author of this stunning collection of paintings. Featuring nearly 40 artists, Walde fills Mural XXL with hundreds of pictures of their work along with excellent commentary on each artist. As she points out in her Introduction, most of these artists receive no money for their work other than for travel expenses, paint, and equipment. “Their sole reward for all their hard work and planning is the opportunity to create a lasting piece of artwork in a very public

office, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

If you would like further information, contact Bob Bahnsen, Friends Program Coordinator, at 828.421.6798.

This project is made possible by funding from the North Carolina Humanities Council, a statewide nonprofit and affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Journalist releases debut novel Set amid the windswept prairies of Wyoming and rounded mountains of southwest Virginia, Shadows of Flowers is a debut novel about love, loss and the power of place from award-winning Smoky Mountain News journalist Holly Kays.

Kays will host a reading at 11 a.m. Saturday, June 30, at the Marianna Black Library in Bryson City. Copies of the book will be available for purchase at the reading.

location.”

Fortunately for those of us unable to travel around the world taking in these massive works, Walde has preserved these murals in her book and brought them to us.

Let’s look at just a few of these adventurous painters. Dean Stockton of Britain, aka D*Face, paints murals with cartoon-like images, similar to the people who once appeared on paperback crime novels by writers like Mickey Spillane or John D. MacDonald. D*Face’s largest mural is in Spain, and is over 120 feet high. His enormous portrait of a woman bent over a packing box on the side of a building in Brooklyn struck me as his most impressive featured in this collection.

Conor Harrington, born in Dublin and now living in London, typically portrays “male figures engaged in violent combat.” He uses thinner to create a dripping image in the painting, which in turn produces a sense of movement and struggle. In contrast, The London Police, a team of two more Brits, create “iconic black-and-white figures, called ‘LADS’,” which are humorous figures with round smiling heads.

(Think of gigantic Smiley Faces.)

Australian muralist RONE is particularly known for painting women’s faces. The loveliness of Celestine, which he painted in Wollongong, Australia, could induce me, had I the money, to rent one of the nearby offices just so I could look daily at the woman’s face.

Faith 47 of South Africa travels the world painting murals, her work distinguished by “emotion, sensitivity, symbolism and sacredness as well as a dark, mysterious quality.”

Her most impressive piece is “Infinitud del universe” in Malaga, Spain, a study in yellow of a young woman, splashed in this photograph by shadows and sunlight.

A beautiful book.

(Jeff Minick is a writer and teacher. minick0301@gmail.com)

It follows the story of Virginia native Dana Stullman, whose world turns upside down when her boyfriend dies in a car accident. At 22, she finds herself moving across the country to escape reminders of the tragedy and the life that preceded it. Becoming lonelier than she could have imagined, Dana finds solace in an unexpected friendship, but her life remains paralyzed until a crisis in the wind-swept Wyoming wilderness forces her to confront the past and choose her path into the future.

Kays is a writer and journalist who makes her home in the mountains of Western North Carolina. Having earned more than 20 state and national awards during her news reporting career thus far, she covers a range of topics for the regional newsmagazine The Smoky Mountain News and explores the area’s many hiking trails with her four-legged best friend whenever possible.

Shadows of Flowers retails for $12 and is available online at www.paypal.me/hollykays for a $16 payment that includes shipping. www.facebook.com/shadowsofflowers.

Outdoors

Smoky Mountain News

40

From the ground up Holbrook reflects on a lifetime of agriculture

A lifetime of farming has earned Bill Holbrook a place in the Western North Carolina Agricultural Hall of Fame.

Holly Kays photo

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER ill Holbrook has been a lot of things in his 71 years on earth — a factory worker, a manager, a father, a husband — but he’s always been a farmer.

“I enjoy getting my hands dirty. I enjoy the challenge,” said Holbrook, who owns Cold Mountain Farms. “I like it better than working on concrete in a factory.”

Raised in rural Buncombe County, Holbrook grew up farming tobacco and hay, seeing years of plenty and years of want. And while he got himself a regular job upon graduation from Enka High School — he worked two years for rayon producer American Enka and then took a position with Dayco Corporation in Waynesville in 1968 — he always knew he wanted to get back to farming.

“When I bought this land, I remember when I met the man that owned it and walked down into that bottom,” said Holbrook. “I reached and got that soil and I knew I wanted this land.”

He bought that rich bottomland, going in as a partner with full-time vegetable farmer Hugh Kuykendall. At the time, Holbrook was in the midst of what would become a 25-year career with Dayco, so farming had to be a part-time endeavor.

That first land purchase amounted to just

B

11 acres, a small portion of the 175 acres he now owns. Over time, Holbrook bought up more and more land, and in 1993 he made a big decision — to leave his steady, well-paying management position at Dayco and start farming full-time.

“Was it scary to quit my job and start farming full-time?” asked Holbrook, repeating the question posed to him in a recent interview. “Not really. I never even thought of it.”

STORIED LAND To Holbrook, agriculture is an instinct, a key ingredient to a happy and well-lived life, and over the course of his career he’s fought for the survival of Cold Mountain Farms and for the agricultural community of Western North Carolina as a whole.

This May that legacy earned him the highest honor that community has to bestow — induction to the Western North Carolina Agricultural Hall of Fame. But it’s far from

being the only honor he’s received for his contributions. He holds numerous awards from the Haywood County Farm Bureau and Haywood County Soil and Water District, designation as a River Friendly Farm by the TriCounty River Friendly Farmer Program and has served on a variety of state and local boards, including the Haywood County Planning Board, the N.C. Cooperative Extension Advisory Board and the N.C. Tomato Growers Association.

“I’m a blessed man to be able to be a farmer. I look at it that way,” said Holbrook.

“I believe in three things — God first, family second, land third.”

Holbrook loves the feeling of accomplishment that comes with shepherding a crop from seed to sprout to ripened vegetable, of looking back over the challenges of the season past — drought and flooding, pests and disease, frost and heat — and knowing that, despite it all, he’s succeeded.

“Every year I had satisfaction in the chal-

“Every year I had satisfaction in the challenges I went through. The hardships, whatever it was. I always survived and made it.”

— Bill Holbrook

lenges I went through,” he said. “The hardships, whatever it was. I always survived and made it.”

Then, the vegetables harvested and the weather cooling, he had his winters free to hunt deer and grouse with his bird dogs before beginning to plan for the next season in December and January. The greenhouse would get going in February, with planting in May and then full-force ahead until September wound down once again.

“There’s a great sense of accomplishment when you completed a crop,” he said. “The bank account might not have been too much, but I never did lose money.”

It’s an existence of self-sufficiency and interdependence, of respect for the land and the generations that have come before. Every acre has its stories, and over the years Holbrook has made it his business to learn those stories.

That business became serious about 15 years ago when he began researching his farm’s deed history to apply to the state’s Century Farm program, which recognizes farms that have remained in continuous operation by the same family for 100 years or more. Holbrook knew that some of the acreage went back four generations, but what he didn’t know was that the Moore family, from whom he’d bought that

Good Agricultural Practices program, instituted through the Food Safety Modernization Act of 2011. To non-farmers, the requirements of the act probably sound like good things — they ensure that all agricultural products are traceable, with records showing which crop was in which field, what pesticides were used to treat them, how they were irrigated and a host of other data points. In case of contamination, those records are quite valuable.

But for a small farmer whose main goal is to plant his fields and coax them to yield a crop, meeting those requirements can be a tall order.

“It’s a hindrance to the farmer, it is,” said Holbrook. “It’s an expense to the farmer, and we’re always trying to cut the costs and don’t want to add cost.”

He testified to that effect before a U.S. House of Representatives committee in 2009, speaking up for affordable crop insurance and food safety requirements appropriate for small family farms.

In Holbrook’s opinion, the push for traceability comes from big grocery stores wanting small farmers to take the fall if a batch of spinach is found to be contaminated with salmonella or E. coli. It’s a scary thing, he said — his land is his retirement, and the prospect of losing it all because of one contaminated crop is terrifying. That’s a big reason why he decided to retire from farming five years ago, two years after the Food Safety Modernization Act passed.

“It wasn’t a difficult decision to make when I was 66,” he said. “I wasn’t going to take that chance of losing what I’d accumulated over a lifetime. You don’t get enough insurance to cover all that. That was probably the key decision. Yeah, labor is hard to get, those kinds of things, but that wasn’t a big thing. It was regulation, the chance of

losing what I had accumulated.”

Holbrook isn’t the only longtime farmer leaving the business. Increasingly, farming is an older man’s game. According to statistics published by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the average age of farmers in North Carolina is 58.9, and 87 percent of them are men.

Holbrook blames much of it on the difficulty of securing high-quality farmland.

“Prime farmland is in high demand because there’s just not much of it in our community as far as vegetables goes,” he said. “So a young farmer, he starts out small as I did and then you’ve got to have a bigger truck to make money. You have to have more land to have more volume. The profit gets less and less per acre, so you have to have more acreage.”

To make a go of it, you have to jump in with both feet. Such an approach makes a swift exit difficult, but it guarantees firmer footing than would a more tentative dip in the pool.

“If I rented land and I invested into equipment and into my farm and all of a sudden I lost that land, I’ve lost the farming,” said Holbrook. “So I learned to try to purchase land, to be self-sufficient and not dependent on somebody else.”

Though he’s not farming anymore, Holbrook still has his retirement — 175 acres of land sprinkled throughout Haywood County and a home that’s surrounded by cornfields and within view of Cold Mountain. He walks down to the Pigeon River each day for a swim and to hear the birds sing and the leaves rustle, and he’s grateful for where he is.

“Bethel to me, with Cold Mountain and the river, is the key to this community,” he said. “I get up every morning and I look at Cold Mountain.”

41

Smoky Mountain News

Holbrook remembers his childhood in Buncombe County with fondness, recalling entire days spent walking the creek and catching fish and climbing trees. Things have changed in the decades since. The family farm adjoins the Asheville city limits, with people and traffic flowing all around.

“It was just a good place where kids could get out and play in the creeks and stuff, and the parents not worry about them,” said Holbrook. “It’s not that way now.”

It’s different in Bethel. While Holbrook does have to be more concerned than he used to about safeguarding his riverbank from folks leaving nails in trees and empty beer cans on the ground, the area is still largely rural, and that’s by design.

Holbrook was one of the founding members of the Bethel Rural Community Organization and helped establish the group’s Rural Preservation Committee, which formed in response to an effort from the county to extend water and sewer utilities into Bethel.

The BRCO fought off that attempt — twice.

“It wasn’t that we were against sewer and water. We were against what came with it,” Holbrook said.

Where there are water and sewer lines, there will be development, and where there’s

development, agriculture won’t last long. In the face of pressure from developers and rising land values, Holbrook said, the farmer will eventually sell out. And Haywood County simply can’t stand to lose its agricultural heritage.

“Agriculture is the largest industry in North Carolina. It’s very important, fixing to go over $100 billion,” said Holbrook. “It’s very important to stay and keep agricultural land growing. Most people don’t know where food comes from — if you ask them, it comes from Ingles. They really don’t know.”

But development is far from being the only threat to farming. Holbrook’s seen a lot change over his decades in the industry.

“Years ago, (a farmer) could make a living with his back,” said Holbrook. “Now he has to have his head. You can’t do it all yourself. You can’t get enough volume production, so you have to hire labor. You’ve got to manage that.”

In addition to being physically strong and savvy about the ebbs and flows of the seasons, a farmer is an employer, a manager and a record keeper. He’s got to stay up on the latest in science and technology, making countless decisions about how to apply that knowledge to his craft.

“A farmer, he owns the land and depends on the land and he don’t like people telling him what to do, but I relied on individuals with the N.C State University,” said Holbrook. “I relied on the extension service, trials at the test farm.”

At the same time, he bristled at some less helpful government-farmer interactions.

“Three things I didn’t like — regulation, regulation, regulation,” Holbrook said.

That’s not to say Holbrook didn’t comply. He did, and in fact was the first farmer in Haywood County to be certified in the

June 27-July 3, 2018

PROTECTING THE RURAL

While the landscape featured fewer and smaller trees than it does today, Cold Mountain Farms circa 1940 (pictured) looked much the same as in 2018. Donated photo

outdoors

original acreage back in 1982, would eventually appear in his family tree.

“I knew my great-grandfather owned part of it, but he bought part of it and his wife inherited part of it,” Holbrook explained. “His wife was a descendent of the Moores.”

That discovery meant that Cold Mountain Farm had been in the family since 1830 — his was only the second family to own it since the government originally dispersed the acreage through land grants, with Holbrook’s great-great-great-great-grandfather purchasing about half of the original 640-acre land grant.

Before the land made it to the state’s hands for dispersal, it was part of the enormous territory of the Cherokee people. As colonial settlements expanded and the United States was formed, Native Americans were continually pushed out of more and more of their land through a series of increasingly unfavorable laws treaties. One of those laws was North Carolina’s Act of 1783, which left land west of the Pigeon River under Cherokee control. However, the state gave land grants there anyway, resulting in protests from the Cherokee and, decades later, the case’s arrival in the U.S. Supreme Court. The nation’s highest court ruled that Native Americans had the right to occupy the land but not to own it, and the settlers remained.

“If the Supreme Court had ruled in favor of the Indians I wouldn’t be here today,” Holbrook mused.”

As a kid, Holbrook said, he wasn’t too interested in lessons in history and genealogy. But once he became a landowner, the past took on a new life.

outdoors

Hike above summer heat Help rebuild Chimney Rock

Smoky Mountain News

June 27-July 3, 2018

A weekend-long fundraiser to help with repairs to Chimney Rock State Park following Subtropical Storm Alberto will be held July 6 to 8 at Hickory Nut Gorge Brewery in Henderson County.

The event will begin at 5 p.m. Friday, July 6, with tunes from Jeff Gregory and the release of Higher Ground Huckleberry American Wheat Beer, a specially crafted beer created for an event at Chimney Rock State Park that was cancelled due to the storm. A silent auction will run 5 p.m. Friday to 5 p.m. Saturday on the top deck of the brewery, and Chuck Coup Willaye will play music to close out the weekend on Sunday.

Funds will help rebuild bridges and sections of trail washed out by flooding, as well as the outdoor amphitheater, and fortify trails and bridgeheads against future damage. Restoration efforts are estimated to cost about $28,000.

Donate online at gofundme.com/repairtheCRVRiverWalk.

42

A guided hike along the high ridges of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park will provide respite from summer heat on Tuesday, July 10.

The 7.2-mile hike will use the Appalachian Trail and Mountainsto-Sea Trail to make a 1,600-foot ascent culminating at Andrews Bald and Clingmans Dome, which is the highest point in the park. Beth Ransom, an accomplished hiker and Smokies supporter, will lead the hike.

Organized by Friends of the Clingmans Dome. Bruce McCamish Smokies, the hike will raise funds for Trails Forever, a partnership between Friends of the Smokies and the National Park Service to reconstruct and rehabilitate some of the parkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most impacted trails. $20 for Friends members; $35 for nonmembers includes a one-year membership.

Meeting locations available in Asheville, Waynesville and at the trailhead. Register at hike.friendsofthesmokies.org.

Hike Devils Courthouse A guided hike to Devils Courthouse will take in a view of four states, if the day proves clear at 10 a.m. Friday, June 29.

Blue Ridge Parkway rangers will lead the moderately strenuous, 1-mile roundtrip hike to the top, exploring the beautiful forests, soaring falcons and folklore that surround it. Bring water, good walking shoes and clothing for changeable weather. The trailhead is located at milepost 422.4, Devilâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Courthouse Overlook.

828.298.5330, ext. 304.

outdoors

Qualla Woods - 2BR, 2BA $287,000 #3401031

Clyde - 3BR, 2BA, 1HB $319,000 #3402897

Whispering Oaks - 3BR, 3BA $325,000 #3403162

Sylva Vista Development 3BR, 3BA, $345,000 #3403375

Brannon Forest - 3BR, 2BA $349,000 #3401581

Maggie Valley Country Club 2BR, 2BA, $350,000 #3400458

Springdale Estates - 3BR, 3BA, 1HB $399,000 #3401959

Wolf Pen Meadows - 3BR, 2BA, 1HB $425,000 #3401065

Winfield Estates - 3BR, 4BA, 1HB $675,000 #3400636

Canton - 3BR, 2BA, 1HB $675,000 #3401527

Sylva - 4BR, 3BA, 1HB $899,000 #3403398

June 27-July 3, 2018

Leicester - 3BR, 2BA $245,000 #3400611

Canton 4BR, 2BA, 1HB $1,900,000 #3400837

beverly-hanks.com Get details on any property in the MLS. Go to beverly-hanks.com and enter the MLS# into the search.

bev beverly-hanks.com everly-hanks.com

74 North Main Street (828) 634-7333

Smoky Mountain News

DISCOVER COMMUNITIESâ&#x20AC;¦ AT HOME AND ON THE GO!

EQUAL HOUSING

OPPORTUNITY Y

43

outdoors

Spend Independence Day at Lake Junaluska July 2-4

Kids practice their log rolling skills in an inflatable pool. Donated photo

Base Camp on the Go kicks off Get tickets now for:

Balsam Range ~ July 2 The Martins ~ July 3 Lake Junaluska Singers ~ July 4 June 27-July 3, 2018

All concerts take place at 7:30 p.m. in Stuart Auditorium. Prices vary.

Base Camp on the Go is now in full swing, having made its inaugural round of stops in Waynesville, Canton and Jonathan Creek, treating kids to activities such as log rolling, badminton, a ninja warrior obstacle course and environmental education with Haywood Waterways Association.

Future stops for Base Camp on the Go will be offered 10 a.m. to noon at: n Jonathan Valley Elementary School, July 9, July 16, July 23 and July 30 n Canton Recreation Park, July 17 and July 31 n Fines Creek Community Center, June 27,

Free rafting for veterans Veterans and active military members can raft the Ocoee River free on July 4, courtesy of the Nantahala Outdoor Center.

To register, make a reservation at 423.207.5615. Bring proof of service to trip check-in to raft for free. Valid only for bookings on the Middle Ocoee River Wednesday, July 4.

Smoky Mountain News

Ladies’ night at NOC

Also enjoy a garden tour, parade, picnic and fireworks!

For more information and to buy tickets, visit

lakejunaluska.com/july4th

44

July 11, July 18, July 25 and Aug. 1 n Waynesville Recreation Park, June 29, July 13, July 20, July 27 and Aug. 3 Base Camp on the Go is an effort to bring outdoor-oriented camp experiences to children in Haywood County free of charge.

It is supported by the Town of Waynesville, Haywood County and private donations raised by the Haywood Healthcare Foundation. Children must be accompanied by adults.

To donate, contact the Foundation at 828.452.8343. For questions about the camp schedule, contact 828.456.2030 or cmiller@waynesvillenc.gov.

Learn about swiftwater rescue, first aid kits and paddling trip planning during Not Your Average Ladies Night, an annual event from Nantahala Outdoor Center returning at 6 p.m. Monday, July 2, at the NOC Outfitter’s Store near Bryson City.

The night will begin with a chance to cycle through three stations: the basics of

swiftwater rescue with NOC Master Guide Anne Sontheimer, what to put in a first aid kit and how to use it with SOLO Southeast Instructor Shelby Lott, and pre-trip preparation and planning with NOC Master Guides Colleen Hickney and Rachel Dean assisted by Tara Nathan.

Raffles and prizes, VIP shopping, videos and more will follow. Free. Raffle proceeds benefit the Live Like Maria Memorial Fund.

Snorkel the Pigeon See the aquatic world through a snorkel mask during an aquatic ecology workshop 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Saturday, July 7, on the West Fork Pigeon River in Haywood County.

Shannon Rabby, lead instructor of fish and wildlife management technology at Haywood Community College, will share his knowledge about the tremendous diversity of fish in the river, and participants will rotate through three stations where they will learn about aquatic life and snorkel in the river.

The event is part of Haywood Waterways Association’s “Get to Know Your Watershed” series of outdoor hikes and paddle tours. The group will meet at Jukebox Junction Soda Shoppe along U.S. 276. Light refreshments and snorkeling equipment provided. Space is limited. RSVP by 5 p.m. July 5 to Eric Romaniszyn at romaniszyne@gmail.com or 828.476.4667. Free for HWA members and $5 for nonmembers.

Free fishing day outdoors

Anglers of all ages can fish for free on Wednesday, July 4.

While no fishing license will be required that day, all other fishing regulations apply, including length, bait restrictions and daily possession limits.

Started in 1994, free fishing day is now an annual tradition sponsored by the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission and authorized by the N.C. General Assembly every July 4. Anglers 15 and under can fish without a license any day of the year.

CASUAL FINE DINING WITH LIVE MUSIC COVERED PATIO LATE NIGHT MENU

Fish harvest a success Learning about aquatic ecosystems and Native American history occurred simultaneously during the Watershed Association of the Tuckaseigee River’s annual Traditional Cherokee Fish Harvest Youth Workshop June 19 on the Tuckaseigee River in Jackson County.

Participants included 40 kids ages 8 to 11, most from the Cherokee Elementary School, Science Technology, Arts and Mathematics program, and 41 adults — parents, school staff and volunteers from various organizations. Highlights included lessons about aquatic insects, fish and Cherokee villages that depended on fish harvest. The event took place by an historic Cherokee fishing weir located on the property of Katie Allman.

KITCHEN 743 TUESDAY THRU SUNDAY FROM 5PM UNTIL...

SATURDAY & SUNDAY BRUNCH FROM 10AM TO 2PM

Kids investigate the various types of fish found in the river. American Rivers photo

Get certified in boat safety

BearWaters develops river access

Volunteers help plant native trees and shrubs along the Pigeon River at BearWaters Brewing in Canton. Donated photo isn’t complete without healthy riverside vegetation. Grass roots are shallow and do a terrible job of preventing water from undercutting stream banks, or stopping erosion once it starts. It’s really the large root balls from trees and shrubs that provide the best long-

term protection.”

Project funding came from grants through the Pigeon River Fund of the Community Foundation of Western North Carolina and the Haywood County Tourism Development Authority.

July Workshop Schedule Wednesday, July 4th, 3:30-4:15pm: Little Yogis @ Haywood Farmers Market w/ Maura ($14 drop in/ 1 class credit) Saturday, July 7th, 10:30- 11:30am: Buti Yoga at Boojum w/ Jay and Kayla ($14 drop in/ 1 class credit) Wednesday, July 11th, 6:30-7:30pm: Buti Glow at the Water'n Hole w/ Jay and Kayla ($14 drop in/ 1 class credit) Saturday, July 14th, 9-9:45am: Slow Morning Flow @ Haywood Farmers Market w/ Maura ($14 drop in/ 1 class credit) Saturday, July 14th, 9am- 2:30pm: Finding Zen: Hike + Yoga in the Mountains w/ Tara ($45/ $50 day of) Saturday, July 14th, 2- 4:00: Exploring the Manipura Chakra w/ Sara and LeighAnn ($35/ $40 at door) Wednesday, July 18th, 2- 4pm: Mini Retreat: Yoga, Acupressure and Qi Healing w/ Anisha ($45/ $50 day of) Wednesday, July 18th, 3:30-4:15pm: Little Yogis at the Farmers Market w/ Maura ($14 drop in/ 1 class credit) Saturday, July 21st, 10:30- 11:30am: Buti Yoga at Boojum w/ Jay and Kayla ($14 drop in/ 1 class credit) Saturday, July 21st, 2- 3:30: Self-Care Saturday: Essential Oils for Stress Reduction w/ Leigh-Ann ($30/ $35 at door) Saturday, July 28th, 9-9:45am: Slow Morning Flow @ Haywood Farmers Market w/ Maura ($14 drop in/ 1 class credit) Saturday, July 28th, 1-3:30pm: Seasonal Flow Master Class w/ Candra ($40/ $45 at door) CALL OR REGISTER ONLINE AT WaynesvilleYogaCenter.com

Smoky Mountain News

The Pigeon River flows a little healthier thanks to several riverbank improvements made at BearWaters Brewing in Canton.

The improvements include planting 40 native trees and shrubs on the riverbank, an educational sign and brochures about the watershed and recreation opportunities on it, and a river access point for fishermen and boaters.

“This prized natural resource runs through the center of this town, indeed this entire community,” said Art O’Neil, coowner of BearWaters Brewing. “We need to protect it, cherish it and treat it with the respect it deserves so that generations to come can enjoy its benefits as much as the generations which have gone before.”

The improvements were a collaboration with Haywood Waterways Association, which helped design them and wrangle volunteers to get the trees planted.

“It took a volunteer army to get the plants in the ground in the short time we had,” said Eric Romaniszyn, executive director for Haywood Waterways. “A healthy river

ISISASHEVILLE.COM 828.575.2737

June 27-July 3, 2018

Learn to be safe on the water with a free certification course in boat safety, 6-9 p.m. July 9 and 10, at Haywood Community College.

Participants must attend both sessions to receive certification. Certifications are required to get permitted for a variety of water-based activities in North Carolina. The course is offered through a partnership between HCC and the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission.

The course will also be offered Aug. 28 to 29 and Sept. 10 to 11.

No age limit, but students must be able to take a written exam. Pre-registration required at www.ncwildlife.org.

743 HAYWOOD RD • WEST ASHEVILLE

274 S. MAIN ST. WAYNESVILLE

828.246.6570

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outdoors

DONATE

SHOP VOLUNTEER WALNUT VILLAGE SHOPPING CENTER 268-267

331 Walnut Street Waynesville

June 27-July 3, 2018

828.246.9135 HaywoodHabitat.org

Dive into Cosby culture

Hen Wallow Falls is one of the many natural features of the Cosby area.

NPS photo

A series of programs honoring the rich cultural and natural history of the Cosby area of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park has launched, with programs held 7 to 8:30 p.m. every Friday through Aug. 17 at the Cosby Campground Amphitheater.

Program topics will vary from week to week, including mountain music, moonshiners, storytelling, sunset and lantern hikes, farming and orchards, clogging, cooking and more. The next program, to be held June 29, will feature Mark Ramsey, Digger Manes and friends sharing stories about moonshining.

Programs will be held rain or shine, with programs moved to a covered pavilion in case of rain. Visitors are welcome to seat in the amphitheater or bring their own chairs and blankets. The series is a partnership of the National Park Service and the Cocke Country Partnership.

Katie Corrigan, 865.436.1257 or katherine_corrigan@nps.gov.

Explore the world of nocturnal animals {Celebrating the Southern Appalachians}

Nature enthusiasts of all ages are invited to learn about night-flying animals during “Winged Creatures of the Night,” an interactive program 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. Saturday, July 7, at the Cradle of Forestry in America near Brevard.

The evening will include a themed craft for early arrivers, opening with a short play “The Gathering of the Winged Creatures” featuring Owl, Bat, Moth and Blue Ghost.

Following the play, Carlton Burke of

Carolina Mountain Naturalists will present a live animal program with some of his nocturnal winged creatures, and participants will get to meet some of the characters from the play during activities along the Forest Festival Trail while learning how to listen for bats, look for moths and make owl calls. $6 for adults, $3 for ages 4 to 12, and $3 for America the Beautiful, Golden Age and Friends of the Cradle passes. The Cradle of Forestry is located along U.S. 276 in the Pisgah National Forest, about 35 miles south of Waynesville.

828.877.3130 or www.cradleofforestry.com.

Smoky Mountain News

Clean up the campground

Smoky Mountain Living celebrates the mountain region’s culture, music, art, and special places. We tell our stories for those who are lucky enough to live here and those who want to stay in touch with the place they love.

Subscribe or learn more at smliv.com MAGAZINE

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Help the park recover from Fourth of July festivities during a picnic area and campground cleanup 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, July 7, at Deep Creek in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park near Bryson City.

The event is part of the Smokies Service Days series, with morning volunteer opportunities offered on Saturdays followed by an optional enrichment adventure in the afternoon. Other scheduled service days include a campground cleanup at Cosby in Tennessee July 21.

Park staff will provide tools and safety gear, with participants asked to wear closed-toed shoes and bring a lunch if planning to stay for the enrichment activity. Sign up with Logan Boldon at 865.436.1278 or logan_boldon@partner.nps.gov. Space is limited in some cases.

Combine stories with herbal medicine A workshop focusing on story-based herbal medicine will be offered Saturday, July 7, at Alarka Institute in Cowee.

Herbalist Katie Ballard, owner of Tears of Ra, will lead the session. Everybody is

asked to bring an herb to which they feel a special connection, and through stories shared about those connections the class will be introduced to new plant allies, getting to know the spirit or personality of each plant and creating an original medicinal syrup. $65. Register at www.alarkaexpeditions.com/upcoming-events.

WNC Calendar COMMUNITY EVENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS

All phone numbers area code 828 unless otherwise noted.

• Lake Junaluska’s nine-week Summer Activities Program begin on June 4 with a schedule of activities including bonfires, movie nights, nature walks, boat tours and various music events. For a full schedule: www.lakejunaluska.com/summeractivities.

from June 26-27 at Haywood Community College in Clyde. Cost: $75. Info or to register: 627.4669 or rgmassie@haywood.edu.

• The Town of Sylva’s inaugural Community Yard Sale is scheduled for 8 a.m.-noon on Saturday, June 30, in the gravel lot beside Bridge Park. No sign up; show up, set up and sell. Rain date is July 14. 586.2719.

• Better Homes & Gardens Real Estate will hold a grand opening for a Canton Office from 5:30-7:30 p.m. on Thursday, June 28, at 110 Main Street, Suite 2, in Canton. 648.4500.

• Nantahala Outdoor Center will offer free rafting of the Middle Ocoee River for veterans on July 4. Register: 423.207.5615.

• An Eggs & Issues event is scheduled for 7:45 a.m. on Thursday, July 12, at Franklin Chamber of Commerce in Franklin. $10 at the door. Preregister: 524.3161 or www.maconedc.com.

• The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission is allowing free fishing on July 4. Info about N.C. regulations: https://tinyurl.com/y864zk5m.

• The Beaverdam Community Center will have its annual summer potluck dinner at 6 p.m. on Monday, July 9, at 1620 N. Canton Rd. in Canton. Bring a covered dish.

• Grace Church in the Mountains is accepting grant applications from nonprofit organizations in Haywood County. Distribution of proceeds from the church’s Annual Parish Fair will be made to local county charities. The fair is from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. on Saturday, July 28.

456.6029 or admin@gracewaynesville.com.

• Nominations are being sought for the Mountain Heritage Awards that will be presented on Saturday, Sept. 29, on Western Carolina University’s campus in Cullowhee. Awards go to individual and organization for contributions to or playing a prominent role in research, preservation and curation of Southern Appalachian history, culture and folklore. Nominations can be sent to pameister@wcu.edu, Mountain Heritage Center, 1 University Drive, Cullowhee N.C. 28723, or drop off in person at Room 240 of WCU’s Hunter Library.

• Registration is underway for participants in the Southwestern Community College Automotive Club’s annual car show, which will take place Aug. 10-11 at the Wayne Proffitt Agriculture Center in Franklin. Entry fees range from $10-25. d_myers@southwesterncc.edu.

• The Cherokee Bonfire & Storytelling will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays through Oct. 27 at the Oconaluftee Islands Park.

Sit by a bonfire, alongside a river, and listen to some of Cherokee’s best storytellers. The bonfire is free and open to the public. There will be no bonfire events in September. www.visitcherokeenc.com.

• Oconaluftee Indian Village will be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday through Nov. 10. As you step into the Oconaluftee Indian Village, you’re transported back to witness the challenges of Cherokee life at a time of rapid cultural change. Tour guides help you explore the historic events and figures of the 1760's. www.cherokeehistorical.org.

BUSINESS & EDUCATION • Evening classes for anyone wanting to obtain a high school equivalency diploma are offered from 5:30-8:30 p.m. on Mondays through Thursdays at Haywood Community College in Clyde. 627.4648.

• The Western North Carolina Civil War Round Table meets at 7 p.m. on the second Monday of each month at the HF Robinson Auditorium at the Western Carolina University Campus in Cullowhee.

• A Wilderness First Responder course will be offered June 30-July 8 by Landmark Learning in Cullowhee.

Register: www.landmarklearning.edu.

• A Forklift Operator Certification class will be offered

• Registration is underway for a workshop on hiring effective nonprofit leaders, which will be offered by Western Carolina University’s Office of Professional Growth and Enrichment from 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 30, at WCU’s instructional site at Biltmore Park in Asheville. For info or to register: pdp.wcu.edu.

FUNDRAISERS AND BENEFITS • Registration is underway for the Haywood Healthcare Foundation’s annual Golf & Gala event, which is scheduled for June 27-28 at Maggie Valley Club. Benefits “Base Camp on the Go” for Haywood County children. $150 for both events or $75 for gala only.

HaywoodHealthcareFoundation.org or 452.8343.

• Haywood County Arts Council is matching, dollar for dollar (up to $10,000) it receives through June 30.

Donations enhance art education, local artists and innovation in art. To donate: www.haywoodarts.org or visit the gallery at 86 North Main Street in downtown Waynesville.

• Tickets are on sale for “Starstruck,” a benefit for the Highlands Playhouse, scheduled for July 1 at the Highlands Country Club. Multi-course plated dinner and drinks, live auction and live theatrical vignettes from the casts of “Guys and Dolls” and “Damn Yankees.”

Tickets: $200. Purchase tickets: 526.2695, HighlandsPlayhouse.org or Playhouse Box Office.

• Hickory Nut Gorge Brewery will host a fundraiser at 5 p.m. on Friday, July 6, for storm-damaged areas in Chimney Rock Village.

• Haywood Christian Ministry will hold its 25th annual Charitable Golf Classic on Wednesday, July 11 and its gala, silent auction and live auction on July 12, at Laurel Ridge Country Club and Waynesville Inn Golf Resort. $125 per person. www.haywoodministry.org/golf.

Entry deadline is July 6.

VOLUNTEERS & VENDORS • The Town of Canton is accepting submissions for its 112th Labor Day Festival – “A Celebration of All Things Made in Western North Carolina.” Deadline for all arts and crafts is 4 p.m. on Aug. 21. Before applying: call 648.2363, email photos to lstinnett@cantonnc.com or mail to: Town of Canton, Attn: Canton Labor Day; 58 Park Street; Canton, NC 28716. Event runs Sept. 2-3 in downtown Canton. Cantonlaborday.com.

HEALTH MATTERS • The Haywood County Dementia Caregivers' Support Group will change the location of its meetings beginning with the July 24th meeting. The group will meet at the Haywood Senior Resource Center (81 Elmwood Way, Waynesville). The meetings are scheduled from 4:30 PM until 6:00 PM. 926.0018.

Smoky Mountain News

• Diabetes classes will be offered from 1-3 p.m. on Mondays from through July 16 at the Canton Senior Center. Register: 648.8173.

• “Glorious Greens” will be offered from 2-4 p.m. on Saturday, June 30, at Waynesville Yoga Center. $35 in advance or $40 at the door. Register: 246.6570 or WaynesvilleYogaCenter.com.

• Learn about swiftwater rescue, first aid kits and paddling trip planning during Not Your Average Ladies Night, an annual event from Nantahala Outdoor Center at 6 p.m. on Monday, July 2, at the NOC Outfitter’s Store.

• Registration is underway for a “Story Based Medicine Course 1: Making Your Own Medicinal Syrups,” scheduled for 10 a.m.-4 p.m. on July 7, through the Alarka Institute. Led by Katie Ballard. Cost: $65. Register: www.paypal.me/cedartree. Info: alarkaexpeditions@gmail.com, 371.0347 or alarkaexpeditions.com.

• Registration is underway for a “Story Based Medicine Course II: Hydrosol Distillation,” scheduled for 10 a.m.4 p.m. on July 7, through the Alarka Institute. Led by Katie Ballard. Cost: $65. Register: www.paypal.me/cedartree. Info: alarkaexpeditions@gmail.com, 371.0347 or alarkaexpeditions.com.

• A workshop focused on story-based herbal medicine will be offered on Saturday, July 7, at the Alarka Institute in Cowee. Herbalist Katie Ballard, owner of Tears of Ra, will lead the session. Cost: $65. Register: www.alarkaexpeditions.com/upcoming-events.

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Visit www.smokymountainnews.com and click on Calendar for: ■ Complete listings of local music scene ■ Regional festivals ■ Art gallery events and openings ■ Complete listings of recreational offerings at regional health and fitness centers ■ Civic and social club gatherings • A “Walk With A Doc” program is scheduled for 10 a.m. each Saturday at the Lake Junaluska Kern Center or Canton Rec Park.

MyHaywoodRegional.com/WalkwithaDoc. • Adult Children of Alcoholics and Dysfunctional Families (ACA) meets at noon on Saturdays at the First United Methodist Church Outreach Center at 171 Main St. in Franklin. 407.758.6433 or adultchildren.org.

• The Jackson County Department of Public Health will offer a general clinic from 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. 587.8225.

• A Food Addicts Anonymous Twelve-Step fellowship group meets at 5:30 p.m. on Mondays at Grace Church in the Mountains in Waynesville. www.foodaddictsanonymous.org.

• A monthly health series on “Mind and Body: Health, Nutrition & You” continues with a presentation on “Brain Health, a Look at Alzheimer’s and Dementia” at 6:30 p.m. on July 10 at the Jackson County Public Library in Sylva. 586.2016.

• “ECA on the Move!” – a walking program organized

by Jackson County Extension and Community Association – meets from 9-10 a.m. on Mondays through Thursdays. It’s an effort to meet the American Heart Association’s recommendation of 10,000 steps per day. 586.4009.

• Long’s Chapel will have its summer blood drive from 8 a.m.-7 p.m. on Tuesday, July 10, in Waynesville. Sign up: www.redcrossblood.org or 476.7807.

• A Tuesday Meditation Group meets at 6:30 p.m. on the second and fourth Tuesdays of each month at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Franklin.

• “Back in Control: New Ways to think about Chronic Pain” will be presented by Sheila Kaye, MSW, from 10 a.m.-noon on Thursdays, July 12 and 19, in the upstairs conference room of the Waynesville Library Upstairs.

Registration required: 356.2507 or kolsen@haywoodnc.net.

• Codependents Anonymous meets at 5:30 p.m. on Fridays at the Friendship House on Academy Street in Waynesville. Group of people desiring healthy and fulfilling relationships. 775.2782 or www.coda.org.

• Community First Aid and CPR classes are offered from 6-10 p.m. on the first Tuesday of each month at Haywood Community College in Clyde. Info: 564.5133 or HCC-CPRraining@haywood.edu.

• Nutrition counseling and diabetes education are offered through Macon County Public Health in Franklin.

349.2455.

• Western Carolina University’s student-run, Mountain Area Pro Bono Physical Therapy Clinic will be open from 6-8:30 p.m. on Wednesdays of each month. 227.3527.

• National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) holds a support group for family, friends, and those dealing with mental illness on the 1st Thursday of each month in the 2nd floor classroom at Haywood Regional Medical Center at 6:30 p.m.

• HIV and syphilis testing will is offered during normal business hours at Jackson County Health Department.

• “Laughing Balsam Sangha,” a meeting for Mindfullness in the tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh, meets will meet from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. on Mondays at 318 Skyland Drive in Sylva. Included are sitting and walking meditation, and Dharma discussion. Free admission.

335.8210, and “Like” them on Facebook.

RECREATION AND FITNESS • The High Mountain Squares will host their "Kansas City, Here I Come Dance", Friday night, June 29th, at the Robert C Carpenter Community Building, GA Road (441 South), Franklin NC from 6:15 to 8:45 PM. Jim Cosman from way down Woodbine GA will be the caller. We dance Western Style Square Dancing, main/stream and plus levels. Everyone is welcome.

• A Line Dance Class will be offered from 6-7 p.m. on June 30 at the Stompin Ground in Maggie Valley. Cost: $10 per person. 704.657.5769, 734.0873 or kmhobbsmusic@gmail.com.

• Community Square Dance is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Saturday, June 30, at Webster Rock School. Easy lesson at 6:30 p.m.

• Registration is underway for adult beginner tennis classes, which will be offered from 6-7 p.m. on July 12Aug. 9 through the Waynesville Parks and Recreation Department. $60 for five sessions. 703.966.7138 or kakareka@me.com.

• Registration is underway for Adult Beginner Tennis Classes, which will be offered from 6-7 p.m. on Wednesdays from July 12-Aug. 9 at Donnie Pankiw Tennis Center at Waynesville’s Recreation Park. Offered by the Waynesville Parks and Recreation Department.

Taugh by Rumi Kakareka. Cost: $60 for five sessions.

Register: 703.966.7138 or rkakareka@me.com.

• Pickleball, a cross between tennis, badminton and ping-pong, will be offered from 9 a.m.-noon on Mondays and Wednesdays at the Old Hazelwood Gym in Waynesville. $3 per visit, or $20 for a 10-visit card.

452.6789 or iansmith@haywoodcountync.gov.

wnc calendar

• Yoga classes designed specifically for those who have experienced trauma are being offered at the Fitness Connection in Waynesville. www.sonshineyoga.com.

• Ultimate Frisbee games are held from 5:30-8 p.m. on Mondays at the Cullowhee Recreation Park. Organized

by Jackson County Parks & Recreation. Pick-up style.

293.2053 or www.rec.jacksonnc.org.

• The Wednesday Croquet Group meets from 10 a.m.noon at the Vance Street Park across from the shelter.

For senior players ages 55 or older. 456.2030 or dhummel@waynesvillenc.gov.

• Pickleball is from 1-3 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays and from 6-8 p.m. on Thursday nights at First Methodist Church in Sylva. $1 each time you play; equipment provided. 293.3053.

• The Canton Armory is open to the public for walking from 7:45-9 a.m. on Monday through Friday unless the facility is booked till spring. 648.2363. parks@cantonnc.com.

• Pickle ball is offered from 8 a.m.-noon on Mondays through Fridays at the Waynesville Recreation Center.

456.2030 or www.waynesvillnc.gov.

SPIRITUAL • Lake Junaluska Singers will perform at the Summer Worship Series at 10:45 a.m. on Sundays through Aug. 5 at Stuart Auditorium. www.lakejunaluska.com/singers.

• Registration is underway for the Native American Summer Conference, which is June 29-July 1. Theme: Keeping Ancestral Dreams Alive and Preserving Identity. Spiritual walk, opportunity to learn about substance abuse, historical trauma and health issues.

Talent show and ice cream social. https://tinyurl.com/ycfzulhz, 800.222.4930 or communications@lakejunaluska.com.

June 27-July 3, 2018

• A lakeside devotion will be held at 8:30 a.m. every Monday through July 30 at Lake Junaluska’s Harrell Center Porch.

• The Summer Worship Series at Lake Junaluska continues on Sunday, July 1, with Dr. Tracy Radosevic as guest speaker. Leeland is resident bishop of the United Methodist Church’s Western North Carolina Conference. www.lakejunaluska.com/events/worship/summer_worship.

• Lake Junaluska Singers Alumni and Lake Junaluska Singers Worship is set for 10 a.m. on Saturday, July 7, at Memorial Chapel. www.lakejunaluska.com/singers.

• The Summer Worship Series at Lake Junaluska continues on Sunday, July 8, with Rev. Carol Howard Merritt as guest speaker. Merritt wrote: “Tribal Church: Ministering to the Missing Generation” and is known for serving churches with a deep commitment to the poor and disenfranchised. www.lakejunaluska.com/ events/worship/summer_worship.

Smoky Mountain News

• Lake Junaluska Singers will perform at 7 p.m. on July 13, in Memorial Chapel at Lake Junaluska. www.lakejunaluska.com/singers.

• Registration is open for the Festival of Wisdom and Grace, a conference for adults seeking purpose and renewal in the second half of life scheduled for Aug. 13-16 at Lake Junaluska. Speakers include Rev. Heidi B. Neumark and Dr. Clayton Smith. Entertainment includes “Acts of Renewal” – a husband and wife theatrical duo. 800.222.4930 or www.lakejunaluska.com/wisdom-and-grace.

POLITICAL • Joe Sam Queen, candidate for the N.C. House of Representatives, will hold a fundraiser from 3-5 p.m. on Saturday, June 30, at Frank Burrell’s home, 191 Grand Oaks Lane in Sylva. Music and refreshments.

AUTHORS AND BOOKS • The North Carolina Writers' Network-West will sponsor The Literary Hour on the third Thursday of the month unless otherwise indicated. This reading is free of charge and open to the public.

• Author Holly Kays will share her novel “Shadows of Flowers” at 11 a.m. on Saturday, June 30, at the Marianna Black Library in Bryson City. Debut novel about love, loss and the power of place. www.facebook.com/shadowsofflowers or www.paypal.me/hollykays.

• Author Holly Kays will share her novel “Shadows of Flowers” at 11 a.m. on Saturday, July 14, at Blue Ridge Books in Waynesville. Debut novel about love, loss and the power of place. www.facebook.com/shadowsofflowers or www.paypal.me/hollykays.

KIDS & FAMILIES • A new traveling recreation program called “Base Camp on the Go” will be present at the following locations and dates this summer: Jonathan Valley Elementary School: July 9, 16, 23 & 30; Canton Park: July 17 & 31; Fines Creek Community Center: July 11, 18, 25 & Aug. 1; Recreation Park in Waynesville: June 29, July 13, 20, 27 & Aug. 3. Log rolling in a large inflatable pool, badminton, ninja warrior obstacle course and other games. 456.2030 or cmiller@waynesvillenc.gov.

• Annual Summer Learning Program is being offered through the Jackson County Public Library in Sylva.

Features prizes, story times, movies, STEAM programming, arts and crafts and more. 586.2016.

• The Cradle of Forestry in America will host a Junior Forester program for ages 8-12 from 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. on Wednesdays through Aug. 1 in Pisgah Forest.

Topic for June 27 is “Dispose of waste properly.” Topic

Quality Trailers, Quality Prices

for July 4 is “Leave What You Find.” $5 per youth and $3 per adult per program. Registration required: 877.3130. www.cradleofforestry.com.

• The Cradle of Forestry in America will host “Woodsy Owl’s Curiosity Club” from 10:30 a.m.-noon on Wednesdays and Thursdays through June 14 -Aug. 2 in Pisgah Forest. Topic for June 27-28 is “Growing up Amphibians.” Topic for July 4-5 is “Creatures of the night.” Topic for July 11-12, it’s “Life in the dirt.” $5 per youth and $3 per adult per program. Registration required: 877.3130. www.cradleofforestry.com.

• “Smoky Mountain Elk”– a Great Smoky Mountains National Park Summer Junior Ranger program – is at 5:30 p.m. on Sundays from through Aug. 5 and Saturdays, July 7 & 21, Aug. 11-18 and Sept. 8 & 22 at the Palmer House in Cataloochee Valley.

• Registration is underway for a 4-H Chess Tournament that will be held from 1-4 p.m. on July 2 at the Macon County Cooperative Extension Office in Franklin. For ages 5-18. Cost: $3. Preregister in person or by mail. Info: 349.2046 or macon.cec.nscu.edu.

• The Highlands Biological Foundation will hold a “Salamander Meander” program at 9 p.m. on July 3 at the Highlands Biological Station. Cost: $2. 526.2221 or www.highlandsbiological.org.

• “Return of the Elk” - a Great Smoky Mountains National Park Summer Ranger program – is at 5 p.m. on Tuesdays from July 3-Aug. 28 (not including July 24 and Aug. 14) at the Rough Fork Trailhead at Cataloochee Valley.

• “A Week in the Water” will be offered to ages 10-15 from 9 a.m.-noon on July 9-13 at Pisgah Center for Wildlife Education in Brevard. Registration required: https://tinyurl.com/yb28fpz8.

• Cradle of Forestry in America will present a “Winged Creatures of the Night” program from 7:30-9:30 p.m. on Saturday, July 9, in Pisgah Forest. $6 regular; $3 for ages 4-12 and $3 for America the Beautiful and Golden Age cardholders. www.cradleofforestry.com.

• The Cradle of Forestry in America will host a Junior Forester program for ages 8-12 from 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. on Wednesdays through Aug. 1 in Pisgah Forest.

Topic for July 11 is “Minimize Campfire Impacts.” $5 per youth and $3 per adult per program. Registration required: 877.3130. www.cradleofforestry.com.

• Camp Folkmoot – “Hands Around the World” is open to dancers of all abilities, ages 10-17, and is scheduled for July 20 at the Folkmoot Friendship Center at Sam Love Queen Auditorium. Learn basic movements and concepts, gain appreciation for differences and similarities between cultures, create “Make-and-take” cultural crafts, participate in short performance with groups. $30 per camper: Info: elizabeth@foolkmoot.org. Register: Folkmoot.org or 452.2997.

• 4-H STEM Camp is scheduled for 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. from July 9-13, at the Macon County Cooperative Extension Meeting Rooms in Franklin. For ages 8-12.

Cost: $40. Preregister: 349.2046 or macon.cec.nscu.edu.

• Registration is underway for a Woodworking program through the Macon County 4-H running from 9 a.m.noon on July 17, 24 and 31 (for ages 10-14) in Franklin. Cost: $25. Preregister in person or by mail.

Info: 349.2046 or macon.cec.nscu.edu.

KIDS FILMS • The “Movies on Everett” outdoor series will run through Aug. 17 at the corner of Mitchell and Everett streets in downtown Bryson City. Screenings begin at 9 p.m. Family-friendly. Free to attend. For a full schedule of the films to be screened, click on www.greatsmokies.com.

• “The Incredibles 2” will be showing at 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. June 27-28, at The Strand on Main in Waynesville.

Check website for tickets, 38main.com.

• A new children’s movie about a young aspiring musician’s journey to the Land of the Dead will be shown at 1 p.m. on Saturday, June 30, at the Macon County Public Library in Franklin. Info, including movie title: 524.3600.

• “The Incredibles” will be shown at 7 p.m. on June 30 at the Mad Batter Food & Film in Sylva. Free.

586.2016.

A&E FESTIVALS AND SPECIAL EVENTS • The “Art After Dark” in downtown Waynesville is hosted on the first Friday of the month (MayDecember), Main Street transforms into an evening of art, music, finger foods, beverages and shopping as artisan studios and galleries keep their doors open later for local residents and visitors. www.waynesvillegalleryassociation.com.

• Tickets are on sale now for Folkmoot: North Carolina’s International Folk Festival, which will be held from July 19-29. Schedule and tickets: www.folkmootusa.org or 452.2997.

• The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians’ 43th annual POW WOW will be held June 29-July 1 at the Acquoni Expo Center. The event features world-champion dancers and drums competing for prizes. Vendors from across the country will offer food and arts and crafts items. The Pow Wow opens at 5 p.m. Friday, June 29, with a grand entry at 7 p.m. The event continues at 9 a.m. Saturday, June 30, with the grand entry at 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. Gates open at noon Sunday, July 1, with grand entry at 1 p.m. 497.7128 or www.visitcherokeenc.com.

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• The Summer Worship Series at Lake Junaluska continues on Sunday, July 22, with Rev. Dr. Carl Frazier as guest speaker. Dr. Frazier has served Methodist churches in the N.C. conference since 1980. www.lakejunaluska.com/events/worship/summer_worship.

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• The 21st annual Sweet Corn Festival is scheduled for 10 a.m.-3 p.m. on Saturday, July 7, at St. Cyprian’s Church in Franklin. Activities for children include a bounce house; live musical entertainment. Proceeds benefit community outreach and All Saints Episcopal Church. www.allsaintsfranklin.org.

FOURTH OF JULY EVENTS • The annual “Singing in the Smokies” 4th of July festival will be held June 30-July 4 at Inspiration Park in Bryson City. Live performances by legendary gospel group The Inspirations, Chuck Wagon Gang, The Kingsmen, The McKameys, and The Diplomats. Nearby lodging, camping and RV parking available. www.theinspirations.com.

• Balsam Range will perform on July 2 as part of the Independence Day celebrations at Lake Junaluska. www.lakejunaluska.com.

• The Martins will perform July 3 as part of the Independence Day celebrations at Lake Junaluska. www.lakejunaluska.com.

• The Lake Junaluska Singers will perform July 4 as part of the Independence Day celebrations at Lake Junaluska. www.lakejunaluska.com.

• Lake Junaluska will celebrate Independence Day with a parade led by Balsam Range (11 a.m.), barbecue picnic (noon-2 p.m.) and fireworks (approximately 9 p.m.) on July 4. www.lakejunaluska.com

• The “Paint & Sip Workshop” will be held from noon to 2 p.m. Friday, June 29, at Gallery Zella in Bryson City. Cost is $50, which includes all materials.

488.3638 or click on www.galleryzella.com.

ON STAGE & IN CONCERT • Overlook Theatre Company will present the hit Broadway musical retrospective “Leader of the Pack: The Musical Life of Ellie Greenwich” at 7:30 p.m. June 29-30 at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts in Franklin.

• “The Underpants” will be on stage on Thursdays through Sundays from through July 1 at HART in Waynesville. By Steve Martin. Performances are at 7:30 p.m. on Thursdays through Saturdays and 2 p.m. on Sundays. Tickets: $40 for adults; $38 for seniors and $25 for students. 456.6322 or www.harttheatre.org.

• Singer-songwriter Heidi Holton will perform at 7 p.m. Thursday, June 28, at the Marianna Black Library in Bryson City. 488.3030 or www.fontanalib.org/brysoncity.

• Angela Easterling and The Beguilers will perform from 3-4 p.m. on Saturday, June 30, at Waynesville Library’s Autidorium. Americana.

• Rob Ickes and Trey Hensley will perform “Bluegrass

• Renowned group The Isaacs will host a two-day musical extravaganza with Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder and Larry Gatlin & The Gatlin Brothers at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts in Franklin. The Skaggs performance will be on Friday, July 6, with The Gatlin Brothers on Saturday, July 7.

Both performances begin at 7 p.m. with tickets starting at $30 per show. There will also be music workshops, bus tours, Q&A forums and more on both days also available for purchase. For more information and/or to purchase tickets, click on www.greatmountainmusic.com.

SUMMER MUSIC • The annual “Week of Rock” celebration will be held June 29-July 7 at Nantahala Brewing in Bryson City.

Performers include Jamie Kent (Americana/rock) June 29, Chalwa (roots/rock) June 30, Carly Burrus (singersongwriter) July 1, The Orange Constant (rock/jam) July 2, Rick Rushing & The Blues Strangers (rock/blues) July 3, Courtney Lynn & Quinn (Americana) noon July 4, Danimal Planet (rock/electronic) 3 p.m. July 4, Bauner Chafin (rock) 6 p.m. July 4, Dr. Bacon (rock/jam) 9 p.m. July 4, Andalyn (rock) July 5, Psylo Joe (rock/jam) July 6 and Mac & Juice (rock/soul) July 7.

All shows are free and at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Frank & Allie (Americana/folk) will also perform at 6 p.m. July 7 in The Warehouse restaurant/taproom just down the road from the brewery. www.nantahalabrewing.com.

• The Concerts on the Creek will have Carolina Soul Band (R&B/beach) at 7 p.m. June 29 at Bridge Park in downtown Sylva. Free and open to the public. There will also be food trucks onsite. 586.2155 or www.mountainlovers.com.

• The “Groovin’ on the Green” concert series at The Village Green in Cashiers will be hosting Jay Drummonds & Friends at 6:30 p.m. on June 29. www.villagegreencashiersnc.com.

• The Pickin’ on the Square summer concert series will feature Tugalo Holler (bluegrass) at 7 p.m.

Saturday, June 30, at the Gazebo in downtown Franklin. Food vendors will also be available. www.townoffranklinnc.com.

• “An Appalachian Evening” will host Fireside Collective at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, June 30, at the Stecoah Valley Center. www.stecoahvalleycenter.com.

• The “Groovin’ on the Green” concert series at The Village Green in Cashiers will be hosting Hurricane Creek at 6:30 p.m. on July 6. www.villagegreencashiersnc.com.

• The Concerts on the Creek will have Crocodile Smile (soul/rock) at 7 p.m. June 29 at Bridge Park in downtown Sylva. Free and open to the public. There will also be food trucks onsite. 586.2155 or www.mountainlovers.com.

• “An Appalachian Evening” will host Buncombe Turnpike at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, July 7, at the Stecoah Valley Center. www.stecoahvalleycenter.com.

Smoky Mountain News

Tickets are $12 for students and $17 for adults.

866.273.4615.

• The Imani Milele Children Choir from Uganda will perform at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, July 5, in the church’s Christian Life Center. Bringing awareness of the plight of Uganda’s orphans and vulnerable children. 586.2358.

June 27-July 3, 2018

FOOD & DRINK • Songwriters in the Round is scheduled for June 28 at Balsam Mountain Inn. Featuring Dark Waters. Prixe Fixe menu is $32; show tickets are $20. Info: balsam.inn.events@gmail.com or purchase tickets at BalsamMountainInn.net.

Meets Traditional Country” at 8 p.m. on Sunday, July 1 at Cataloochee Ranch. 926.1401. Tickets: $45.

Reservations required: 926.1401.

wnc calendar

• The annual Swannanoa Chamber Music Festival will highlight two world premieres of commissioned works — Clarinet Quintet by Alyssa Weinberg, commissioned

by Chamber Music America for the Enso String Quartet, and Sextet for piano 4 hands and string quartet by Inessa Zaretsky, commissioned by Lenore Fishman Davis for the St. Urban concert series.

Sundays at the First United Methodist Church in Waynesville at 3 p.m. July 1-July 29, except July 22 will be at 7:30 p.m. For tickets and additional information including other locations, visit Swannanoa Chamber Music Festival at www.scm-festival.com.

• The Pickin’ on the Square summer concert series will feature The Remnants (oldies/Motown) at 7 p.m.

Saturday, July 7, at the Gazebo in downtown Franklin.

Food vendors will also be available. www.townoffranklinnc.com.

CLASSES AND PROGRAMS • Summerhouse Pottery, LLC, will offer pottery classes

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for all ages this summer. Kids Art Camp meets for a week in either July or August. For info, visit www.facebook.com/oursummerhousepottery or write: amydapore@gmail.com.

• Bingo will be held at 6:30 p.m. on July 5, July 19, Aug. 9 and Aug. 23 at the Pavilion next to Maggie Valley Town. Sponsored by the Maggie Valley Civic Association. Cash prizes; snacks available.

• The Highlands Village Square Art & Craft Show is scheduled for 10 a.m.-5 p.m. on Aug. 25-26 at KelseyHutchinson “Founders” Park on Pine Street in downtown Highlands. Fine art, folk art and regionally made crafts. 787.2021.

• Registration is underway for a “Lichens of the Southern Appalachians” program scheduled for Aug. 4, through the Alarka Institute. Led by Jennifer Love.

Register: www.paypal.me/cedartree. Info: alarkaexpeditions@gmail.com, 371.0347 or alarkaexpeditions.com.

• Local crafter and talented instructor Junetta Pell will be teaching a basket-making workshop from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. June 28 at the Jackson County Extension Office in Sylva. This new basket is 12x12" and 7" deep and has a beautiful wooden "D" handle. Cost to attend the class is around $22. Class size is limited. To register and to get the supply list, call 586.4009.

• The Gem & Mineral Society of Franklin meets at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, June 28, at the Robert C. Carpenter Community Building in Franklin.

• The Balsam Community Center will hold its Fourth of July Arts Crafts Show from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. on Saturday through Wednesday, June 30-July 4, in Balsam. Pottery, jewelry, essential oils and more. Ice cream social and live music by Angie Toomey at 2 p.m. on July 4.

June 27-July 3, 2018

• Lefler DesignStudio will host a “Summer Show” of artisan jewelry from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, June 30, at Earthworks Gallery on Main Street in Waynesville. Free to attend.

• The 29th annual Mountain Artisans “Summertime“ Arts & Crafts Show will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

June 30 and July 1 in the Ramsey Center at Western Carolina University. Dozens of local artisans.

Admission is $4.50 for adults with children under 12 free. Concessions available and free convenient parking. www.mountainartisans.net.

• Where do you find meaning and purpose in life?" will be the topic for the Franklin Open Forum - Monday, July 2nd at 7:00 pm. Franklin Open Forum is a moderated discussion group, meeting at the Rathskeller Coffee Haus & Pub, located Downtown at 58 Stewart Street, Franklin. (Below and behind Books Unlimited.) Those interested in an open exchange of ideas (dialog, not debate) are invited to attend. 371.1020.

Smoky Mountain News

• Essential Oils 101, make & take blends event at Mad Batter Food & Film in beautiful downtown Sylva on July 18, 6:30 p.m. Each blend made is $5. Learn the Nitty Gritty of Empowered Wellness and go home with solutions to everyday health concerns. Contact Wende Goode at 246.2256 or goodeoils@gmail.com to reserve your spot, limited space.

• Registration is underway for an “Armor Construction: Gothic Serman Helm (Sallet): class that will be led by Brock Martin of WarFire Forge from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. on Aug. 4-5, at the Jackson County Green Energy Park in Dillsboro. Cost: $390 (materials included).

Preregistration required: 631.0271 or www.JCGEP.org.

• Registration is underway for “Bladesmithing: Seax Knife Class” – a class with Brock Martin that is scheduled for 9 a.m.-4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 18-19, at the Jackson County Green Energy Park in Dillsboro. Cost: $380. Preregistration required: 631.0271. Info: www.JCGEP.org.

ART SHOWINGS AND GALLERIES • Artist Kay Smith is featured in a solo exhibit

50 throughout June at the Macon County Public Library.

Themes of the exhibit include nautical and flowers. www.KaysFineArt.com.

Tenn., to Cherokee. Led by wildcrafter Ila Hatter. Cost: $69. Register: smfs.utk.edu

• The “Meet the Artist” reception with Brian Hannum (pianist), Wendy Cordwell (cocllagist) and Jon Houglum (painter) will be from 3 to 7 p.m. Friday, June 29, at Gallery Zella in Bryson City. Enjoy North Carolina wine, food and music. Free to attend. 488.3638 or www.galleryzella.com.

• A guided hike and trail cleanup day will be held from 9:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. on Friday, June 29, in Panthertown Valley near Cashiers. Sign up: friends@panthertown.org.

• Gallery 1 Sylva will celebrate the work and collection of co-founder Dr. Perry Kelly with a show of his personal work at the Jackson County Public Library Rotunda and his art collection at the gallery. All work is for sale. Admission is free. Children are welcome. Gallery 1 has regular winter hours from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Wednesday and Friday, and noon to 4 p.m. Saturday. art@gallery1sylva.com.

• The Haywood County Arts Council and local nonprofit REACH are co-sponsoring the latest exhibit “Freedom: An Artist’s Point of View.” The exhibit will run through June 30 at the HCAC Gallery & Gifts showcase in downtown Waynesville. 452.0593, email info@haywoodarts.org or visit www.haywoodarts.org.

• The Haywood County Arts Council will host its annual “Artist Member Show,” at HCAC’s Gallery & Gifts in downtown Waynesville. The exhibit will run from July 628 The show is a celebration of our community of artists, allowing them to share their great work at the height of the summer season. It will be a show filled with variety, including local painters, potters, jewelers, and much more. www.haywoodarts.org.

• A new exhibit exploring the artistry, history and science behind the fragrance industry is open through Sept. 3 at the N.C. Arboretum in Asheville Lecture by Dr. Richard Stamelman on the mysterious allure behind fragrances and the plants.

• The Western Carolina University Fine Art Museum at the Bardo Arts Center is pleased to announce the opening of its newest exhibition “Glass Catalyst: Littleton’s Legacy in Contemporary Sculpture,” which will run through Dec. 7. Littleton’s work and other glass artist will be on display. A key work in the exhibition will be a new acquisition to the Museum's collection: a glass sculpture by Harvey Littleton entitled “Terracotta Arc.” Regular museum hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Tuesday through Friday and Thursdays until 7 p.m. For information, call 828.227.ARTS or visit bardoartscenter.wcu.edu.

FILM & SCREEN • A documentary and conversation will be held at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, June 27, in the Macon County Public Library Meeting Room in Franklin. Documentary is about the controversy of high-priced artwork. PG-13; 1:14. 524.3600.

• “Sideways” will be shown at 7:30 p.m. on June 28 at the Mad Batter Food & Film in Sylva. Free movie & special wine dinner available for purchase. 586.2016.

• A 1979 comedy starring Laurence Olivier and Diane Lane will be shown at 2 p.m. on Friday, June 29, in the Macon County Public Library Meeting Room in Franklin.

1:50.

Outdoors

• Tickets are on sale now for “Rockin’ The Highlands Plateau” event that will be held on June 29-30 at the Highlands Biological Station. Expand knowledge of geology and deepen appreciation for the area’s mountain landscape. $100 for nonmembers; $75 for nonmembers. www.highlandsbiological.org/rock or 526.2221.

• The Highlands Biological Foundation will hold a “Rockin’ the Highlands Plateau” program at 5:30 p.m. on June 29 at the Highlands Biological Station. Cost: $75 for members; $100 for nonmembers. 526.2221 or www.highlandsbiological.org.

• The Great Smoky Mountains National Park will continue its “Smokies Service Days” volunteer program on Saturdays, June 30 gardening at Oconlauftee, July 7 clean-up at Deep Creek and July 21 clean-up at Crosby. Sign-up: 865.436.1278 or logan_boldon@partner.nps.gov.

• Registration is underway for a “Mountain Camellia (Stewartia ovata) Field Trip,” scheduled for 10 a.m.-3 p.m. on June 30, through the Alarka Institute. Cost: $35. Led by Jack Johnston. Register: www.paypal.me/cedartree. Info: alarkaexpeditions@gmail.com, 371.0347 or alarkaexpeditions.com.

• An “Intro to Fly Fishing” program will be offered from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. on July 3 for ages 12-up at Pisgah Center for Wildlife Education in Brevard. Registration required: https://tinyurl.com/yb28fpz8.

• “Snorkeling in the Stream” will be offered to ages 815 from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. on July 6 at Pisgah Center for Wildlife Education in Brevard. Registration required: https://tinyurl.com/yb28fpz8.

• “Intro to Fly Fishing” will be offered to ages 12-up on July 7 at Pisgah Center for Wildlife Education in Brevard. Registration required: https://tinyurl.com/yb28fpz8.

• An aquatic ecology workshop will be offered by Haywood Waterways Association and Haywood Community College on July 9 in the West Fork Pigeon River. Experience snorkeling in the river and visit stations on aquatic insects and fish. Free HWA members, $5 for nonmembers. RSVP by 5 p.m. on July 5: rominiszyne@gmail.com or 476.4667.

865.436.1278 or logan_boldon@partner.nps.gov.

• The Mountain View Garden Club of Waynesville will hold its annual plant sale from 8 a.m. to noon on Saturday, July 7th at the Historic Farmers Market in the HART Theater parking lot, 250 Pigeon St., in Waynesville. This is the club’s only fundraiser to support its annual community projects.

FARMERS MARKETS • “Locally Grown on the Green,” the Cashiers farm stand market for local growers, will be held from 3-6 p.m. every Wednesday at the Village Green Commons in Cashiers. info@villagegreencashiersnc.com or 743.3434.

• The Swain County Farmer’s Market is held from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. every Friday through October on Island Street in downtown Bryson City. 488.3681 or chamber@greatsmokies.com.

• Jackson County Farmers Market runs from 9 to noon on Saturdays at Bridge Park in downtown Sylva.

• Waynesville Historic Farmers Market runs from 3:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Wednesdays and Saturdays 8 a.m. to noon at the HART Theater parking lot. waynesvillefarmersmarket.com • Franklin Farmers Tailgate Market runs from 8 a.m. to noon, Saturdays through the end of October, on East Palmer Street across from Drake Software. 349.2049 or www.facebook.com/franklinncfarmersmarket.

• The ‘Whee Farmers Market, Cullowhee runs from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Tuesdays through the end of October, at the University Inn on 563 North Country Club Drive in Cullowhee. 476.0334 or www.facebook.com/CullowheeFarmersMarket.

• The Original Waynesville Tailgate Market runs from 8 a.m. to noon on Wednesdays and Saturdays through the end of October at 171 Legion Drive in Waynesville.

456.1830 or vrogers12@att.net.

HIKING CLUBS • Carolina Mountain Club will have a 7.4-mile hike with a 1,720-foot ascent on June 27 from Lemon Gap to Garenflo Gap. Info and reservations: 423.9030, rfluharty54@gmail.com, 724.4999, 442.8482 or stevepierce50@gmail.com.

• Blue Ridge Parkway rangers will lead a one-mile round trip at 10 a.m. on Friday, June 29, to the top of Devil’s Courthouse. Meet at Milepost 422.4 at the Devil’s Courthouse Overlook. 298.5330, ext. 304.

• “Casting For Beginners: Level 1” will be offered to ages 12-up from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. on July 10 at Pisgah Center for Wildlife Education in Brevard. Registration required: https://tinyurl.com/yb28fpz8.

• Carolina Mountain Club will hold a 12-mile hike with a 2,600-foot ascent on Sunday, July 1, at Indian Creek Loop. Info and reservations: 813.287.4836, 813.220.8959 or ransosar@gmail.com.

• Mountain Wildlife Days will be hosted at Sapphire Valley Resort in the community center on July 13th & 14th. Hikes, bird walks, live animals. Children free with paying adult. www.mountainwildlifedays.com or 743.763

• Carolina Mountain Club will have a 5.4-mile hike with a 700-foot ascent on Sunday, July 1, on North Slope Trail. Info and reservations: 384.4870 or stuengo@comporium.net.

• Registration is underway for a Fly Rod Making class that will be offered from 7-9 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays through Aug. 7 at Haywood Community College in Clyde. Cost: $360. Info or to register: 627.4669 or rgmassie@haywood.edu.

• Boating Safety courses will be offered from 6-9 p.m. on July 9-10, Aug. 28-29 and Sept. 10-11 at Haywood Community College in Clyde. Must attend both meetings. Pre-registration required: www.ncwildlife.org.

FARM AND GARDEN

• Coffee with a ranger is scheduled for 10 a.m. on Sundays through Aug. 5 at the Oconaluftee Visitor Center porch at the entrance to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park near Cherokee.

• A gardening workday is scheduled for 9 a.m.-noon on Saturday, June 30, at the Oconaluftee Visitor Center near Cherokee. 865.436.1278 or logan_boldon@partner.nps.gov.

• “Foraging for Food and Farmacy” will be offered on Aug. 18, on part of the original route from Gatlinburg,

• A gardening workday is scheduled for 9 a.m.-noon on Saturday, July 7, at Deep Creek near Bryson City.

• Carolina Mountain Club will have an 8.5-mile hike on July 4 on the East Fork Pigeon River. Info and reservations: 684.8656, 606.7297 or bjdworley@gmail.com.

• Carolina Mountain Club will have an 8.5-mile hike with a 1,500-foot ascent on Wednesday, July 11, to Haywood Gap. Info and reservations: 606.3989, jqs290@gmail.com, 606.1490 or quilter290@gmail.com.

• “Old Growth Forest Frolic moderate” – a Chimney Rock Naturalist Niche Hike – is scheduled for 9 a.m.noon on Saturday, July 14, at Chimney Rock State Park. $23 adults; $8 for annual passholder; $13 youth (ages 5-15) and $6 per Rockin’ Discovery Passholder. Visit an area typically not open to the public. Advance registration required: chimneyrockpark.com.

• Friends of the Smokies will hold a 7.2-mile hike on the Appalachian Trail on Tuesday, July 19. $20 for current members; $35 for new members.

Hike.FriendsOfTheSmokies.org.

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COLORFEST IS CURRENTLY Accepting Applications from Arts and Crafts Artisans. The Festival will be held on Saturday Oct. 6th in Downtown Dillsboro, NC. The Juried Show offers Cash Prize Awards (sponsored by Champion Credit Union) which includes Best of Show, as well as First and Second Place in both Fine Art and Fine Craft Categories. The Application Deadline is July 15th. For applications or more info call Brenda Anders at 828.506.8331, email: brendaanders@frontier.com, or visit: visitdillsboro.org HOOPER FAMILY REUNION For All Relations of Absalom & Clements Hooper. JULY 14th New Senior Activity Center on N. Main St., Just Below Entrance to Fair Grounds; Hiawassee, GA. Covered Dish at Noon, Bring Photos to Share. Any Questions Text Barbara 706.581.2081

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Call for a free in-home consultation: 877.661.6587 SAPA GOT MOLDOr think you might have it? Mold can be hazardous to you and your family’s health! Get rid of it now!

Call our experts and get a quote today! 844.766.3858 SAPA CALL EMPIRE TODAY To schedule a Free in-home estimate on Carpeting & Flooring.

Call Today! 1.855.929.7756 SAPA DAVE’S CUSTOM HOMES OF WNC, Free Estimates & Competitive rates. References avail. upon request. Specializing in: Log Homes, remodeling, decks, new construction, repairs & additions.

Owner/Builder: Dave Donaldson.

Licensed/Insured. 828.631.0747 or 828.508.0316 HAYWOOD BUILDERS Garage Doors, New Installations Service & Repairs, 828.456.6051 100 Charles St. Waynesville Employee Owned.

PAINTING JAMISON CUSTOM PAINTING & PRESSURE WASHING Interior, exterior, all your pressure washing needs and more.

Specialize in Removal of Carpenter Bees - Cedar or Log Homes or Painted or Siding!

Call or Text Now for a Free Estimate at 828.508.9727

WNC MarketPlace

CARS -

CARS -

A-1 DONATE YOUR CAR For Breast Cancer! Help United Breast Foundation Education, Prevention, & Support Programs.

Fast Free Pickup -24 Hr ResponseTax Deduction 855.701.6346 AUTO INSURANCE Starting At $49/ Month! Call for your fee rate comparison to see how much you can save! Call: 855.970.1224 CARS/TRUCKS WANTED!!!

Top Dollar Offer! Free Towing From Home, Office or Body Shop. All Makes/Models 2000-2016. Same Day Pick-Up Available! Call Now: 1.800.761.9396 PAYING TOO MUCH FOR Car Insurance? Not sure? Want better coverage? Call now for a free quote and learn more today!

888.203.1373 SAPA

June 27-July 3, 2018

FREE AUTO INSURANCE QUOTES. See how much you can save! High risk SR22 driver policies available!

Call 855.970.1224

DONATE YOUR CAR TO CHARITY. Receive maximum value of write off for your taxes. Running or not!

All conditions accepted. Free pick-up. Call Now for details.

855.972.0354 SAPA

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES HAVE AN IDEA For an invention/new product?

We help everyday inventors try to patent and submit their ideas to companies! Call InventHelp®, FREE INFO! 866.783.0557 SAPA

EMPLOYMENT

DRIVE WITH UBER. No experience is required, but you'll need a Smartphone. It's fun and easy. For more information, call: 1.800.655.7452

DISCOVER INTERNET INCOME Earn 5 Figures (+) Monthly Eliminate Traditional 9 to 5 Work Stress Opt-in To Learn More: get.webinnsite.com/wealth SAPA

HOLLY - A BEAUTIFUL GINGER TABBY CAT, AND SHE'S ABOUT FOUR YEARS OLD. SHE IS SUPER SWEET, AND LOVES TO BE BRUSHED. IT APPEARS THAT SHE WAS WELL CARED FOR IN HER PREVIOUS HOME, AND THAT SHE IS A FRIENDLY, CONFIDENT CAT WHO WILL ADAPT TO NEW SURROUNDINGS FAIRLY EASILY.

RED CLASSIC IS NOW HIRING CDL-A Local Truck Drivers in Bryson City, NC. Drivers EARN UP TO $1,200/week! 2 weeks paid vacation & 9 paid holidays!

Local Runs, Home Daily, Flexible Scheduling, & Safety Bonus.

CDL-A Required, must be 23 years of age w/12 months of tractor/trailer experience.

Call Red Classic Transit TODAY at: 877.855.9206! Apply at: http://www.redcrewcareers.com

Red Classic Transit is a wholly owned subsidiary of CCBCC.

NEW AUTHORS WANTED! Page Publishing will help you selfpublish your own book. FREE author submission kit! Limited offer!

Why wait? Call now: 844.660.6943

AUBIE - APPEARS TO BE A BOXER MIX BOY ABOUT FOUR YEARS OLD. HE'S A SWEET DOG, JUST A LITTLE BASHFUL AND HE NEEDS TIME TO GET TO KNOW A PERSON BEFORE HE TRUSTS THEM. HE'LL NEED A NEW OWNER WHO HAS TIME AND PATIENCE TO HELP HIM BUILD CONFIDENCE AND LEARN TO ENJOY LIFE.

www.smokymountainnews.com

EMPLOYMENT AIRLINE MECHANIC TRAINING – Get FAA Technician certification.

Approved for military benefits.

Financial Aid if qualified. Job placement assistance. Call Aviation Institute of Maintenance 866.724.5403 SAPA

GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS RAILROAD IN BRYSON CITY Is Hiring! We have Vacancies for Administrative Assistant, Cleaning Attendant, Human Resources Manager, Parking Attendant, Property Maintenance Worker, Rear Brakeman, Reservationist, Retail Sales Associate, Roadmaster & Ticket Agent.

Earn train passes, retail and food discounts, passes to area attractions and more!

Full Job Descriptions and Applications are Available at: www.gsmr.com/jobs You May also get an application from the Bryson City Depot, located at 226 Everett Street in Bryson City.

OWNER OPERATORS, DRIVERS, Fleet Owners for DEDICATED Regional routes. Weekly Settlements.

Minimum 12 months 48-53’ tractor trailer experience. 800.832.7036 ext.1626, cwsapps@ilgi.com. www.cwsdedicated.com HIGHLANDS INN LODGE Has Immediate Openings, Day & Night Shifts for a Front Desk Associate, Housekeepers & Laundry Tenants. Come Join Our Team!

Send Resume to: Sabrina@highlandsinnlodge.com or apply in person 96 Log Cabin Ln., Highlands, NC 28741 EASY $2,000 WEEK SALES JOB: Selling Direct TV, Home Alarm Systems and AT&T Phones. Send your name, phone and e-mail to davidsmith7777@hotmail.com Dave 330.559.8638. SAPA

CAVALIER ARMS APARTMENTS NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS

HELP WANTED Vacancies 2018-2019-Special Education (K-12); Elementary Education (K-4); Reading Intervention Teacher (K-4); English (5th grade); Middle Education Science; Middle Education Mathematics; Business and Information Technology (9-12); History and Social Sciences (9-12); School Counselor (9-12); Mathematics (9-12). APPLICATION PROCEDURE: To apply, please visit our website at www.pecps.k12.va.us and complete the online application. Prince Edward County Public Schools, Farmville, Virginia 434.315.2100 EOE FTCC Fayetteville Technical Community College is now accepting applications for the following positions: CDL Instructor (Part-Time), Electrical Systems Technology Instructor, Golf-Coach (Part-Time), Grounds Technician, Industry Training Instructor, Senior Systems Administrator Technician. For detailed information and to apply, please visit our employment portal at: https://faytechcc.peopleadmin.com Human Resources Office Phone: 910.678.7342 Internet: http://www.faytechcc.edu An Equal Opportunity Employer WORK FROM ANYWHERE You have an Internet connection.

13 positions available. Start as soon as today. As simple as checking your email. Complete online training provided. Visit this website for details: https://bit.ly/2yewvor SAPA

REAL ESTATE ANNOUNCEMENT LEASE TO OWN 1/2 Acre Lots with Mobile Homes & Empty 1/2 Acre + Lots!

Located Next to Cherokee Indian Reservation, 2.5 Miles from Harrah’s Cherokee Casino.

For More Information Please Call 828.506.0578 SAVE YOUR HOME! Are you behind paying your Mortgage? Denied a Loan Modification? Is the bank threatening foreclosure? CALL 844.359.4330

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 the age of 18 living with parents or legal custodians, pregnant women and people securing custody of children under 18 This newspaper will not knowingly accept any advertising for real estate which is in violation of the law. All dwellings advertised on equal opportunity basis.

NICOL ARMS APARTMENTS NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS

Offering 2 & 3 Bedroom Apartments, Starting at $420.00

We Are Offering 2 Bedroom Apartments, Starting From $465.00

Section 8 Accepted - Rental Assistance When Available Handicapped Accessible Units When Available

Section 8 Accepted - Handicapped Accessible Units When Available

OFFICE HOURS:

OFFICE HOURS:

Tuesday & Thursday 8:00a.m. - 5:00p.m.

50 Duckett Cove Road, Waynesville, NC 28786

Monday, Wednesday & Friday 8:00am - 5:00pm 168E Nicol Arms Road Sylva, NC 28779

Phone# 1.828.456.6776 TDD# 1.800.725.2962

Phone# 1.828.586.3346 TDD# 1.800.735.2962

Equal Housing Opportunity

Equal Housing Opportunity

DOG KENNEL

Climate Control

Storage Security: Management on site Interier & Exterior Cameras

Sizes from 5’x5’ to 10’x20’

Climate Controlled

1106 Soco Road (Hwy 19), Maggie Valley, NC 28751 Find Us One mile past State Rd. 276 and Hwy-19 MaggieValleySelfStorage.com on the right side, torry@torry1.com across from Frankie’s Torry Pinter, Sr. 828-734-6500 Italian Restaurant

Call:

52

EMPLOYMENT

828-476-8999

Owner Home plus 2 out buildings 2,400 & 1,500 sq.ft.

If a 501(C)3 buys, the 1500 sq ft. building can be donated.

Call Rob Roland — 828-400-1923

rroland33@gmail.com • www.robrolandrealty.com

REAL ESTATE ANNOUNCEMENT

GOT LAND? Our Hunters will Pay Top $$$ To hunt your land. Call for a FREE info packet & Quote. 1.866.309.1507 www.BaseCampLeasing.com

HOMES FOR SALE BLUE RIDGE MOUNTAINS Log cabin on 1.7 ac in West NC. Panoramic views from ridgetop setting, 1,232 sf w/half basement and easy access. Only $179,900 828.286.2981 BRUCE MCGOVERN A Full Service Realtor, Locally Owned and Operated mcgovernpropertymgt@gmail.com McGovern Property Management 828.283.2112.

MOVING OUT OF STATE? Best Interstate Moving and Storage offers a FREE Quote and A Price Plus Promise. Call 877.648.6473

HOMES FOR RENT UNFURNISHED

FOR RENT: 2/BR 1/BA Unit on Skyland Dr. in Sylva, NC. Newly Remodeled!

Trash/Yard Service Included, High Speed Internet Accessible.

No Pets/No Smoking. $700/Mo. + $700 Sec. Dep. For More Info Call 828.269.4940 After 5:00pm

COMM. PROP. FOR RENT

VACATION RENTALS BEACH VACATION SPECIAL Ocean Isle Beach, N.C. Mention ad to receive an extra $25 off all vacation rentals. Near Myrtle Beach/Wilmington. Golf, fishing.

Family beach 800.622.3224 www.cookerealty.com

Berkshire Hathaway - www.4Smokys.com

LAWN & GARDEN HEMLOCK HEALERS, INC. Dedicated to Saving Our Hemlocks. Owner/Operator Frank Varvoutis, NC Pesticide Applicator’s License #22864. 48 Spruce St. Maggie Valley, NC 828.734.7819 828.926.7883, Email: hemlockhealers@yahoo.com BORING/CARPENTER BEE TRAPS No Chemicals, Poisons or Anything to Harm the Environment.

Handmade in Haywood County. 1 for $20, 2 or More for $15 each.

828.593.8321

Catherine Proben Cell: 828-734-9157 Office: 828-452-5809

cproben@beverly-hanks.com

74 N. Main St., Waynesville, NC

828.452.5809

ITEMS FOR SALE LOWEST RX PRICES, EVERY DAY! Go to BlinkHealth.com to get the guaranteed lowest price on nearly all generic medications at a nearby pharmacy. SAPA CHAMPION SUPPLY Janitorial supplies. Professional cleaning products, vacuums, janitorial paper products, swimming pool chemicals, environmentally friendly chemicals, indoor & outdoor light bulbs, odor elimination products, equipment repair including household vacuums. Free delivery across WNC. www.championsupply.com 800.222.0581 SAWMILLS From only $4397.00 - Make & Save Money with your own bandmill- Cut lumber any dimension. In stock ready to ship! FREE Info/DVD: www.NorwoodSawmills.com 1.800.578.1363 Ext.300N SCENTSY PRODUCTS Your Local Independent Consultant to Handle All Your Scentsy Wants & Needs.

Amanda P. Collier 828.246.8468 Amandacollier.scentsy.us apcollier1978@gmail.com Start Own Business for Only $99

WANTED TO BUY FREON R12 WANTED: CERTIFIED BUYER will PAY CA$H for R12 cylinders or cases of cans.

312.291.9169; www.refrigerantfinders.com

MEDICAL GUARANTEED LIFE INSURANCE! (Ages 50 to 80). No medical exam.

Affordable premiums never increase. Benefits never decrease.

Policy will only be cancelled for non-payment. 855.569.0658 SAPA

just sell properties, sell Idon't Lifestyles

Marsha Block 828-558-1682

marshablockestates@gmail.com

71 N Main St. Waynesville • 828.564.9393 remax-waynesvillenc.com

Dan Womack BROKER

828.

243.1126

Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate - Heritage • Carolyn Lauter - carolyn@bhgheritage.com

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

Ann Eavenson - anneavenson@beverly-hanks.com George Escaravage - gescar@beverly-hanks.com Billie Green - bgreen@beverly-hanks.com Michelle McElroy- michellemcelroy@beverly-hanks.com Marilynn Obrig - mobrig@beverly-hanks.com Steve Mauldin - smauldin@beverly-hanks.com Brian K. Noland - brianknoland.com Anne Page - apage@beverly-hanks.com Brooke Parrott - bparrott@beverly-hanks.com Jerry Powell - jpowell@beverly-hanks.com Catherine Proben - cproben@beverly-hanks.com Ellen Sither - ellensither@beverly-hanks.com Mike Stamey - mikestamey@beverly-hanks.com Karen Hollingsed- khollingsed@beverly-hanks.com Steve Mauldin- smauldin@beverly-hanks.com Jerry Powell - jpowell@beverly-hanks.com Mike Stamey - mstamey@beverly-hanks.com

ERA Sunburst Realty - sunburstrealty.com • Amy Spivey - amyspivey.com • Rick Border - sunburstrealty.com

Keller Williams Realty ‘kellerwilliamswaynesville.com • The Morris Team - www.themorristeamnc.com

Lakeshore Realty • Phyllis Robinson - lakeshore@lakejunaluska.com

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

MOUNTAIN REALTY

71 N. Main St. • Waynesville, NC

828-564-9393

Phyllis Robinson OWNER/BROKER

(828) 712-5578

lakeshore@lakejunaluska.com

The Only Name in Junaluska Real Estate 91 N. Lakeshore Dr. Lake Junaluska 828.456.4070

www.LakeshoreRealtyNC.com Conveniently located in the Bethea Welcome Center

find us at: facebook.com/smnews

• Bruce McGovern - shamrock13.com

RE/MAX Executive - remax-waynesvillenc.com • • • • • • • •

remax-maggievalleync.com Holly Fletcher - hollyfletcher1975@gmail.com The Real Team - TheRealTeamNC.com Ron Breese - ronbreese.com Landen Stevenson- Landen@landenstevenson.com Dan Womack - womackdan@aol.com Mary & Roger Hansen - mwhansen@charter.net Judy Meyers - jameyers@charter.net David Rogers - davidr@remax-waynesvillenc.com

Rob Roland Realty - robrolandrealty.com • Rob Roland - rroland33@gmail.com

smokymountainnews.com

COMMERCIAL SPACE FOR RENT On Russ Ave., Formally Used as a Real Estate Office. 1,852 sq. ft. $2,000/Mo., Private Parking Lot, High Traffic Count, City Water, Convenient To Maggie Valley & Waynesville. For more details please call Ron at 828.400.9029

Haywood County Real Estate Agents

June 27-July 3, 2018

4/BR 3/BA BEAUTIFUL HOME For Rent in Maggie Valley Country Club, 98 Creekside Dr., Maggie Valley. Includes All Appliances, Washer & Dryer.

Smoke Free. $1,800/mo. For More Information Call 828.768.5996

GREAT SMOKIES STORAGE Conveniently located off 19/23

by Thad Woods Auction. Available for lease now: 10’x10’ units for $55, 20’x20’ units for $160.

Get one month FREE with 12 month contract. Call for info 828.507.8828 or 828.506.4112

WNC MarketPlace

LAND FOR SALE: East Jackson County. 2- 1acre Restricted Mountain Lots.

Both have Water, One has Septic. $20,000 & $25,000. For More Info Call 828.508.0568

STORAGE SPACE FOR RENT

The Smoky Mountain Retreat at Eagles Nest

• Tom Johnson - tomsj7@gmail.com • Sherell Johnson - sherellwj@aol.com

TO ADVERTISE IN THE NEXT ISSUE 828.452.4251 | ads@smokymountainnews.com 53

WNC MarketPlace June 27-July 3, 2018 www.smokymountainnews.com 54

CROSSWORD CLUES ACROSS 1. Green and yellow citrus fruit 5. Type of clock 10. Die 14. A hammer needs one 15. Leopard (Hebrew) 16. In the Hebrew calendar 17. Away from wind 18. Type of footwear 19. Malaysian coastal city 20. Arm bones 22. A type of diligence 23. Banquets 24. Home of The Beatles 27. Electromotive force 30. Small amount 31. Type of cola 32. Adult female 35. Astronomy unit 37. Hall of Fame 38. Type of gazelle 39. Places 40. Women from the Mayflower 41. Liquid served with food 42. Predatory semiaquatic reptile (abbr.)

43. Angle (abbr.)

44. Touched lightly 45. Cannister 46. Crony 47. Tell on 48. Body of water 49. Sorts out 52. Mammary gland of female cattle 55. Collegiate athletic conference 56. Sword

60. Protein-rich liquids 61. Emaciation 63. Italian seaport 64. Agreement 65. Chinese ethnic group 66. University of Miami’s mascot 67. People who buy and sell securities 68. Genus of mosquitos 69. Holds up your head CLUES DOWN 1. Two-toed sloth 2. Impudent behavior 3. The right to take another’s property 4. Refers to end of small intestine 5. Mandela’s party 6. Inserted strips of fat before cooking 7. Secret love affair 8. Responds to stimulation 9. Wife 10. Desert mammal 11. A nearly horizontal passage from the surface into a mine 12. Uncommon 13. __ Kristofferson, actor 21. Where buildings are built 23. Chain attached to a watch 25. Holiday (informal) 26. Clod 27. Synchronizes solar and lunar time 28. Australian eucalyptus tree 29. Aerosol propellant 32. Coats with a sticky substance

33. Master of ceremonies 34. The venerable __, British theologian 36. A baglike structure in a plant or animal 37. Witch 38. Strike with a light blow 40. The First State 41. Satisfies 43. A way to fish 44. Magnetic tape used to make recordings 46. For each 47. Flower cluster 49. Closes off 50. One who supports fanatically 51. Type of vaccine 52. Approves food 53. Hoofed grazing animal 54. Drearily dull 57. Youngster 58. __ Clapton, musician 59. Take a chance 61. Yearly tonnage (abbr.)

62. Female sibling

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MEDICARE DOESN’T COVER All of your medical expenses. A Medicare Supplemental Plan can help cover costs that Medicare does not. Get a free quote today by calling now. 1.877.212.8839 FDA-REGISTERED Hearing Aids. 100% Risk-Free! 45Day Home Trial. Comfort Fit. Crisp Clear Sound. If you decide to keep it, PAY ONLY $299 per aid. FREE Shipping. Call Hearing Help Express 1.866.744.6150 SAPA

answers on page 48

PERSONAL MAKE A CONNECTION. Real People, Flirty Chat. Meet singles right now! Call LiveLinks. Try it FREE. Call 888.909.9978 18+ YOUR AD COULD REACH 1.6 MILLION HOMES ACROSS NC! Your classified ad could be reaching over 1.6 Million Homes across North Carolina! Place your ad with The Smoky Mountain News on the NC Statewide Classified Ad Network- 118 NC newspapers for a low cost of $330 for 25-word ad to appear in each paper! Additional words are $10 each. The whole state at your fingertips! It's a smart advertising buy! Call Scott Collier at 828.452.4251 or for more information visit the N.C. Press Association's website at www.ncpress.com

FINANCIAL BEWARE OF LOAN FRAUD. Please check with the Better Business Bureau or Consumer Protection Agency before sending any money to any loan company.

SAPA DO YOU OWE $10K+ IN IRS Tax Debt? Take 60 seconds for a FREE Consultation to end IRS collections. Call now! 877.824.0649 SAPA YOU DON’T HAVE TO LIVE With Bad Credit and High Interest Rates! Get a FREE Consultation Today, and Start Improving your Credit Now. Call 855.705.7246 Today! SAPA

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, the easier it gets to Answers on solve the puzzle!

Page 42

SERVICES HANDY WORK DONE Reasonable Rate! Clean-out, Haul, Mow, Fix-it. Discount for Seniors/Disabled. Call Curtis for more info 828.342.7265 AT&T HIGH SPEED Internet Starting at $40/month. Up to 45 Mbps! Over 99% Reliability!

Bundle AT&T Digital TV or Phone Services & Internet Price Starts at $30/month. 1.800.950.1469 SAPA HUGHESNET SATELLITE INTERNET 25mbps starting at $49.99/mo!

Get More Data FREE Off-Peak Data.

FAST download speeds. WiFi built in! FREE Standard Installation for lease customers! Limited Time, Call 1.800.916.7609 SAPA SPECTRUM TRIPLE PLAY! TV, Internet & Voice for $29.99 ea.

60 MB per second speed No contract or commitment. More Channels. Faster Internet. Unlimited Voice. Call 1.855.993.5352 UNABLE TO WORK Due to injury or illness? Call Bill Gordon & Assoc., Social Security Disability Attorneys! FREE Evaluation. Local Attorneys Nationwide 1.800.371.1734 [Mail: 2420 N St NW, Washington DC. Office: Broward Co. FL (TX/NM Bar.)]

YARD SALES

YARD SALE Friday/Saturday 9:00am-1:00pm.

1.5 Miles from Dillsboro at the mouth of Dick’s Creek. Housewares tools, furniture, grill, outdoor furniture, metal detector, some clothes.

Rain or Shine!

A rich newspaper account of Bryson City circa 1910

D

BACK THEN such as locust, dogwood, etc. manufactured and put on the market.

The bark of the hemlock and some of the

A view of Bryson City about 1920.

WCU archive

George Ellison

espite the boosterism (and alliteration) that permeated a front page layout (perhaps instigated by the ever-energetic Jack Coburn, who is profiled in the article) published by the Asheville Gazette-News for July 16, 1910, some of the descriptive content excerpted here provides a lively and interesting accounting of the town and county as they were in 1910.

Bryson City: Center Of Rich Timber Section Bryson City, the county seat of Swain, Columnist is situated 65 miles west of Asheville on the Murphy division of the southern railway, and is the commercial center of perhaps the richest timber territory of all of west North Carolina, so noted for its fine forests of excellent hardwoods. It is built on both banks of the turbulent, tumbling Tuckaseigee, which traverses it from east to west.

Tremendous Timber Territory The timber alone would make a long story. It consists of oak of 20 kinds, poplar, cucumber, buckeye, lynn or basswood, maple — three different kinds — cherry, walnut butternut, hemlock, white pine, short-eave yellow pine, Bellwood, hickory, ashe, hum, elm, and many others; all of which are used for lumber. There are others

W.M. Reagan & Co. L. Lee Marr is the manager of the “Bee Hive Stone,” owned and operated by the above named firm, which is composed of three excellent gentlemen and splendid busi-

T.G. Pickleseimer is the mayor of Bryson City. He is rapidly rising young attorney and deserves to be, as he is studious, painstaking, courteous and honest. As mayor of Bryson City he has been popular and proficient. Mr. Pickelseimer’s term of office has been marked by a judicious expenditure of all public funds, and his re-election is almost insured.”

Bryson & Black, Attorneys The above is a strong legal firm. It is composed of present Solicitor Thaddeus D. Bryson and Attorney S. W. Black, both able young lawyers. Mr. Black is one of the school trustees of BC. Bryson & Black have a fine law practice, doubtless due to their legal ability and great success in their chosen profession ...

(George Ellison is a naturalist and writer.

He can be reached at info@georgeellison.com.)

Smoky Mountain News

Fluming The flume is no longer an experiment but has been proven a grand success, and the old way of hauling lumber, wood and bark down the streams on wagons or trams has passed and the flume is taking their place. The costs of constructing a flume is from $700 to $1,500 per mile and the capacity of a flume is to put the wood, lumber or bark in and the flume does the rest until the lumber is deliverable at the mouth of the flume on the railroad, sometimes this being a distance of 10 to 20 miles.

Varied Mining Interests The mining industries of this county are quite extensive, there being a large number of mines in operation at present.

The Carolina Clay company is working a China clay mine, two and one-half miles south of town with an output of two cars per week. This clay is used for making earthen table ware.

The C.J. Harris Clay company has a mine two miles north of town that has been running for four years with an output of two care per week.

The F.R. Hewitt Clay company at Almond, a small town, have been operating a mine there for four or five years and the output has been three cars per week.

The Hewitt Talc company, at Hewitt, a station on the Southern rail line south of Bryson City, has furnished the most of the high grace talc that has been used for the past five years. The mine has been in operation for at least fifteen years and is today the most valuable talc mine in the entire country.

The Nantahala Marble and Talc Company, with office at Atlanta, Ga. own some very fine talc and marble property … has been worked and considerable money made on the operation.

An expert in reporting on the copper deposits in Swain county, covering an area of 4,245 acres, says: “My opinion is that the property owned

by Mr. Moon in Swain county, North Carolina, as it stands today, is worth one million dollars, and with an outlay of from $100,000 to $200,000 in development work

Bryson City Drug Co. Kelley E. and Percival R. Bennett compose the Bryson City Drug company, the interior of whose beautiful store is shown herewith. Mr. Kelly E. Bennett manages the business, which is quite a signal success. Great care is taken in correctly filling physicians’ prescriptions. Beside this very important factor and feature of a down to date drug store, a splendid stock is carried of pure, fresh drugs, druggists’ sundries, toilet articles, soaps, perfumes.

An excellent soda water and ice cream service is also conducted by this very popular and successful business firm.

ness men, Messers W. M. Reagan, L. Lee Marr and J.E. Coburn. They deal in general merchandise, dry goods, notions, groceries, furniture, hats, shoes, hay, corn meal, feed, in fact everything. They claim the biggest and busiest business in Bryson, and judging from their numerous customers, they are undoubtedly getting a very large share of the trade of the town and surrounding section of the country. Mr. Marr’s management of the “Bee Hive” has been eminently successful.

June 27-July 3, 2018

Pure Spring Water [Watch out ... here comes the purple prose!] The pure, invigorating water, distilled in the heavens and poured from cool clouds is percolated through the unadulterated terra-firma, and re-imbursed from many mountain springs, producing a healthbuilding beverage that is conveyed by gravity to the inhabitants of Bryson. In the last few years about $20,000 has been spent on a waterworks system, which conveys this excellent supply of pure freestone water, from its freely flowing founts in the forest of the somber Smokeys. The supply is abundant and the quality unsurpassed, so that so far as Bryson City’s water is concerned she is unexcelled by any town of her size in the old North State.

oaks are used for tanning purposes and bring a splendid price now and the price is rising constantly.

The chestnut wood, used for extracting the tanning acid, is found here in abundance …

the value of this property could be doubled many times.

55

Fireworks begin at dark!

Backyard

TOWN OF MAGGIE VALLEY’S

June 27-July 3, 2018

celebration Celebrate Independence Day in throwback style at Maggie Valley Festival Grounds 3374 Soco Rd. Maggie Valley, NC 28751 BRING YOUR OWN BLANKET, CHAIRS, PICNIC BASKETS & YARD GAMES

Wednesday July 4th • Gates open at 6pm • Free Admission

Smoky Mountain News

Hot Dogs, Chips, Soft Drinks & Water will be available for purchase.

Alcohol free event. No Pets. No Personal Fireworks Allowed

For Details call 56

828-926-0866 or Visit maggievalleync.gov