At its peak, Folkmoot was known far and wide as one of the premier cultural festivals in the United States — a sprawling event that allowed people from all over to come to Waynesville to enjoy performances from other worldwide cultures. Now, as the world changes and resources dwindle, Folkmoot has had to reassess and come up with a plan for its survival. (Page 18) File Photo
Pactiv Evergreen accused of dumping chemicals during shutdown....................4
Fee increase for Macon County solid waste................................................................5
No phase two for SRCA, for now..................................................................................6
Another step toward a middle school for JCPS ........................................................7
EBCI welcomes new sports wagering law..................................................................8
EBCI census will impact Tribal Council outcomes....................................................9
Painttown voter guide......................................................................................................10
Western North Carolina candidates file for municipal elections........................12
Parties prep for voter ID requirements........................................................................15
The short-term rental issue is now a crisis................................................................16
A fine line between heaven and hell............................................................................17
A&E
Yonder Community Market welcomes Webb Wilder..............................................24
War history cites brotherhood, and bloodshed........................................................29
Outdoors
New Balsam Mountain Trust director looks forward..............................................30 Up Moses Creek: The creek runs blue and red......................................................34
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I NFO & B ILLING
In a notice of violation issued Monday, June 10, the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality has accused Pactiv Evergreen of dumping chemicals directly into its wastewater treatment system rather than disposing of them properly, as required by the company’s permit.
The June 10 NOV brings Pactiv Evergreen’s total since May 2021 up to 14. Over the past two years, it’s been noticed and occasionally fined for violations ranging from accidental releases of turpentine and tall oil soap to out-of-compliance levels of E. coli to repeated complaints repeated complaints of gritty white dust covering cars and decks in Canton.
Thus far, it has paid $41,819 in penalties levied as a result of the violations. This is less than half the average annual wage of one mill employee at the time of the shutdown.
According to the NOV, DEQ’s Division of Water Resources received a complaint on Wednesday, June 5 — three days before the mill shut down for good June 8 — accompanied by photos showing a hose connected to a chemical tote that appears to terminate above a floor drain. The chemical tote is labeled “sodium hydroxide solution,” the
NOV states, and a second chemical tote bearing a similar label is positioned on top of the tote with the hose connection. This tote has a hose that appears to drain into the top of the lower tote.
The complaint submitted to DWR alleged that the chemicals being disposed of were sodium hydroxide solution and calcium hypochlorite.
On its face, dumping chemicals down the drain might not sound like the worst thing in the world. After all, it all gets cleaned up through the wastewater treatment process before being discharged into the river, right?
However, a wastewater treatment plant is a complex and delicate operation that relies on specific chemical interactions between different types of wastes to turn the gunk into water that’s clean enough to flow into the Pigeon River. Strong chemicals like sodium hydroxide and calcium hypochlorite could derail that process.
“It completely disrupts any biological processes that are going on,” said Clean Water for North Carolina Executive Director Hope Taylor, who is also trained as a chemist.
Depending how much was dumped, she said, both sodium hydroxide and calcium
hypochlorite have the potential to prevent the wastewater treatment system from working correctly and to enter the river, killing fish and other aquatic organisms.
Sodium hydroxide is an “extremely powerful base” that would “turn whatever it comes in contact with extremely alkaline to the extent of burning,” while calcium hypochlorite is a bleaching agent, she said.
“When that water is released from the wastewater system into the river, it still is going to be very alkaline and very oxidizing,” Taylor said. “So depending on the amount that was dumped into the system, it definitely could be lethal to life in the river.”
The wastewater treatment system could likely absorb a small amount of these chemicals without much impact to the treatment process. However, a hose in the reported contents of the photo leads Taylor to believe the dump was of a larger scale.
“That suggests to me that they’re really getting rid of a large quantity,” she said.
“Not just a single container that just happened to be left onsite, leftover.”
According to the NOV, when DWR discussed the complaint with facility staff, personnel said their actions did not fall outside of regulations contained in Pactiv Evergreen’s National Pollution Discharge Elimination System permit. Used sodium hydroxide is sometimes diluted before disposal into the wastewater system, they said.
After DWR told staff that direct disposal of raw materials “is not covered under the permit, as it is not a wastewater nor a byproduct of an industrial process,” in a follow-up phone call facility staff argued that virgin chemicals could be disposed of through the wastewater system, that such activities were allowed within the permit and that “this type of process was inherent to shutdown operations.”
The NOV quickly countered that claim.
“In a meeting with facility staff shortly after the shutdown was announced, DWR staff specifically stated that the dumping, disposal or discharge of unused or virgin chemical products or materials into the NPDES permitted wastewater system is prohibited,” the NOV states.
Legal or not, such behavior is unfortunately common among industries as they wrap up operations.
“Sadly, that’s the kind of thing that businesses that are closing up often do,” she said.
While the cessation of papermaking is expected to lead to rapid water quality improvements in the Pigeon River, other, lingering environmental impacts may become apparent following the closure.
DEQ found Pactiv Evergreen guilty of violating three water quality laws: making outlets into waters of the state without a permit and complying with all conditions set forth in such a permit, duty to minimize or release discharge of potentially harmful materials and duty to comply with permit conditions.
Pactiv Evergreen has 10 calendar days to submit its response to DEQ. In that response, it is required to describe all chemicals released into the wastewater system from the beginning of the transition shutdown permit, together with volumes released. It must provide a narrative explaining its position, stated in a June 9 phone call, that any unused or raw chemical remaining in an opened vessel can be disposed of in the wastewater system, and it must describe “in detail” the activity captured by the photos showing the totes.
“These violations and any future violations are subject to a civil penalty assessment of up to $25,000.00 per day for each violation,” the NOV reads.
“Depending on the amount that was dumped into the system, it definitely could be lethal to life in the river.
— Hope Taylor, Executive Director, Clean Water for North CarolinaAfter 115 years in operation, the paper mill in Canton shut down in June. Anna Alsobrook/MountaintTrue photo
BY HANNAH MCLEOD STAFF W RITER
After some pushback from Commissioner John Shearl, Macon County has approved three changes to the solid waste fee structure for fiscal year 2023-24.
All three fee changes involve the Highlands transfer station, and Shearl opposed all.
The first change is an increase in the transfer fee at the Highlands Transfer Station. This is a pass-through fee based on the cost to haul waste from the station to the landfill in Franklin. Last year, the county commission approved a price increase from $175 per pull to $250 per pull. Each pull carries about 20 tons of material. To pay the difference for a full load, the transfer fee needed to increase from $8.75 per ton to $12.50 per ton. This applies to commercial customers, not Highlands residents bringing their waste to the transfer station.
This fee increase is estimated to generate $41,250 over the previous year.
In 2008, the county decided to close the Highlands landfill and it became a transfer station — somewhere people can dump their trash, after which the solid waste department hauls it to the landfill. The Highlands landfill closed due to laws passed in 2008 that would have drastically increased the cost of continuing to operate, as well as a future closing, and could have cost the county millions. This was in part because the landfill had less than two years of life remaining.
“Rather than having to come up with millions in additional financial assurance to close this landfill in two years, we started just commingling everything into the MSW landfill,” said Solid Waste Director Chris Stahl.
Shearl argued that the increase in the transfer fee at Highlands is unjust because it singles out Highlands residents.
“Had Highlands not lost their landfill, we wouldn’t be having this discussion,” said Shearl. “Had we went through those changes to add the millions of dollars to that landfill, the entire county would have paid for that cost, and now we are paying $8.75 a ton more for transferring up there. That was not our choice, our people did have any way to prevent that landfill from being closed.”
If the county commission had rejected the proposed solid waste fee changes, Stahl said that he would have to ask commissioners to instead institute an increase to the availability fee, which is paid by all Macon County taxpayers. To make up for the revenue created by the three proposed fee changes, the availability fee would have had to increase from $108 to $111.
“At the end of the day, it’s a service we’re providing to Highlands, and that’s the way I’d wrap this thing up,” said Commissioner Josh
Young, who was supportive of the changes. The second request from solid waste was that the transfer fee at the Highlands transfer station be applicable to brush, stumps and other yard waste. Previously, this waste could be mulched and used on site for landfill cover. However, now that the landfill is closed, like all other waste that comes into the transfer station, the mulch must be transported either to the MSW landfill or an alternate end use. The transportation costs are $22 per ton. According to Stahl, adding the transfer fee will help fund the costs the department incurs by hauling it from Highlands to its destination.
This fee is estimated to generate $21,500 over the coming fiscal year.
Shearl objected to this fee and proposed that the county sell the mulch to landscapers to create revenue or find a company that would be willing to transport it for sale.
Stahl said he did not think there was
enough money to be made off mulch for a company to be willing to undertake such an endeavor. Additionally, the method by which the transfer station can mulch brush, stumps and other yard waste — a grinder with eightinch screens — does not create the type of mulch used for landscaping. The mulch created via this method can legally be used for landfill cover, sent out as a recyclable — used to make pellets for stoves, or by power plants as a bulking agent to dry slurry — or it can be used to make wood-derived fuel. Legally, this mulch cannot be used for something like landscaping unless it goes through a heat cycle before being released to the public.
“I’m not gonna do it, and it’s not permitted at my site; someone else would have to take that on,” said Stahl of the heat cycle.
The third request increased the tipping fee for wood waste from $30 to $35 per ton. When the previous rate of $30 was set, grinding costs were about $8 per ton. Now, grinding costs are at least $22 per ton and involve labor hours as well as equipment hours to maintain wood waste areas. The additional revenue projected from the fee increase is about $20,000 over the coming fiscal year.
Altogether these three fee increases are estimated to generate an additional $80,000 for the solid waste department that will help keep up with operating costs.
"Rather than having to come up with millions in additional financial assurance to close this landfill in two years, we started just commingling everything into the MSW landfill.
— Chis Stahl, Solid Waste Director
Shining Rock Classical Academy is hitting pause on plans for expansion of its school building — now untenable due to rising interest rates — even as the school population continues to grow.
“We don’t have the cash flow to cover the projected debt service,” said Bert Newsome, managing director at Truist Securities and a member of the Shining Rock Board of Directors.
Plans for the second phase of construction at Haywood County’s only charter school included over 28,000 square feet of space in the form of a new wing to the building and a third floor. The SRCA Board of Directors approved plans for the project in February of 2022 with an estimated cost of just under $8 million. However, by August of last year, those plans had been put on hold due to rising interest rates and cost of materials.
Several months ago, the school began updating projections to restart the bond analysis for phase two construction. This time around, cost estimates for the project came in around $9.3 million.
While construction costs rose considerably during the COVID-19 Pandemic, Head of School Joshua Morgan says it is interest rates that are keeping the school from constructing additional space at this time.
“It is truly a reflection of those interest rates and how they have changed,” said Morgan. “That has really narrowed the margin for error. We have a very good, strong, competitive rate on the bond that we have right now but the market has shifted significantly on the consumer side.”
“Right now, we’re flying into headwinds like interest rates, construction costs, they’re not going up significantly, they went up a little bit, but they certainly haven’t come back down to where they were a couple years ago,” said Newsome.
Current capacity at the K-12 Shining Rock School building is over 600, but the school population continues to grow. While last year’s budget was based on a 600 average daily membership, the actual number came in at 601. This year, the administration is projecting 695 students.
“Enrollment again has been very, very strong,” Morgan told the board during his budget presentation June 29. “There are a couple of grades where we have some lengthier wait lists established. We still
have some openings in the high school grades, and a few of the selected elementary grades.”
In order to keep up with that growth, SRCA is projecting a 10% increase in revenues for the 2023-24 budget. There is a 9% increase in local funding.
position and two in the middle school; two additional teacher assistants, an instructional coach, a speech language pathologist and a school-based social worker.
“We have found that this is going to be a position to really help address some needs that we’re seeing with some of our kids and
We’ve got projections going up to 850 or 800; can we still do that? Can we still hit that if we have only the physical facilities that we have to deal with right now?”
—“That increase in local, partially, is a reflection of increased enrollment,” said Morgan. “But it is also a reflection of increased funding from the county commissioners. So, it is not just an enrollment change that has done that. It is actually our support from county commissioners for all public schools.”
The school is adding several new positions in the coming year to increase programming. These will include seven new teaching positions, one in the high school grades, one in exceptional children, two in the specials department, an elementary
The Jackson County Health Department announced a new wellness program, Elevate828. This program has special incentives for local businesses who get their employees involved.
Elevate828 is a six-month Jackson County wellness program, running from October 2023 to March 2024. Elevate828 works to improve the health of Jackson County residents through nutrition education, stress management and physical activity challenges. Participants will be informed of challenges through email,
families,” said Morgan of the social worker position. “The long COVID effects on schools, attendance is becoming a thing that’s quite prevalent and being able to deal with those issues and just some of the social dynamics are becoming a real thing. The school based social worker is a position, much like our school nurse, we will be the only school in the county that will have a full-time school-based social worker on staff.”
However, without more space, the school will not be able to continue growing.
“We’ve got now the challenge of what do
ChallengeRunner and RunSignUp. Participants will earn points through these challenges and other activities that will then be redeemed for prizes such as gift cards.
Participants will earn points through:
• Completion of pre, mid, and post surveys
• Participation in monthly challenges (two available each month)
• Participation in Move Around Jackson County (a physical activity challenge)
• Completion of preventative health screenings
Local businesses can earn money for getting their employees involved. Businesses with fewer than 30 employees are eligible to
we do if we can’t do phase two? How do we manage that story? And then how do we manage those kids at the other campus, and what do we do with the other campus?” said Newsome. “So that raises all kinds of questions about where enrollment is ultimately going to be if you can’t do phase
two. We’ve got projections going up to 850 or 800; can we still do that? Can we still hit that if we have only the physical facilities that we have to deal with right now?”
The board plans to hold a work session on the topic this fall to consider its options and work toward a solution.
In the meantime, a set of bills currently making their way through the North Carolina General Assembly could change the options charter schools have for obtaining capital funds. As it stands now, charter schools must fund capital projects on their own. If House Bill 219 passes as currently written, charter schools would be able to go to local county governments for funding for capital projects. Macon County Schools recently signed a resolution opposing HB 219 which creates several other avenues for charter schools to obtain a larger portion of funds set aside for public K-12 education.
get $100 and businesses with over 30 can get $200. To be eligible for the incentive, businesses must get a minimum of 10% of their employees enrolled in Elevate828, and enrolled employees must complete the six-month Elevate828 program and attend both the pre- and post- health screenings. The pre-screenings will be held in September. The businesses are only eligible for the incentive if their employees complete the full program and attend both the pre- and post-screening.
The screening events will include a pre-diabetes screening, height/weight/BMI, cholesterol, glucose, body fat percentage, blood pressure, heart rate and goal setting. All attendees will be entered to win gift cards and prizes ranging from $50 to $250.
Bert NewsomeCutline: Shining Rock Classical Academy will not continue with the second phase of school construction. File photo
Jackson County Schools recently approved an agreement to undergo a master planning process that will move the school system one step closer to securing a middle school.
“This would develop a master facility plan for all of Jackson County Public Schools,” said Deputy Superintendent of Jackson County Schools Jake Buchanan.
The school approved an agreement with Clark Nexsen architectural firm to create the master plan. The plan will pay particular attention to appropriate use of space for classrooms and labs for all students. The second component of the plan will develop a master plan for athletic facilities, specifically those at Smoky Mountain High School.
The decision to undergo the planning process was the result of conversation between the school board and the Jackson County Commission. Commissioners approved funding for the plan in their 2023-24 budget and will pay for the planning process.
“We’re very appreciative to our county commissioners,” said School Board Chair Elizabeth Cooper.
While the planning process is the next step needed toward the possibility of a middle school in Jackson County, it is not intended to investigate the specifics of creating a new school — whether that be by renovating an existing building or constructing a new one.
“[The middle school] is not their primary focus,” said Superintendent Dana Ayers. “If you could extract the middle school conversation — that’s not going away — out of this master plan conversation, we want to ensure our county commissioners that when we have a middle school and when we go and build a new facility, if that’s what we do, that the facility like this space here, is revamped to have adequate space.”
There has long been talk of creating a traditional middle school in Jackson County, but the conversation is now picking up steam. In a joint meeting with the Jackson County Commission in January, the school board listed a traditional middle school as one of its top budget priorities.
Commissioners told JCPS leadership that if the county was going to build a new building for a middle school, it wanted to know
that the existing space at the four K-8 schools — Fairview, Scotts Creek, Collowhee Valley and Smoky Mountain Elementary — is still going to be adequate and that there won’t be excessive space leftover, after extracting grades six through eight. These schools are built using pods, in which groups of classrooms were constructed side by side without permanent walls between them.
“So they’re looking at specifically here in particular how to rework those pods to be true closed-in classroom space with adequate space, and not a piece of a pie in a pod,” said Ayers.
Jackson County Schools is unique among The Smoky Mountain News’ four-county coverage area — Haywood, Jackson, Macon, and Swain counties, along with the Qualla Boundary — in that it does not have a typical middle school that exclusively serves sixth- through eighth-graders. Instead, there are four K-8 schools, serving a total of 724 middle grade students.
Part of what brought this discussion to the forefront once again was the complicated case of middle school sports in a district with K-8 schools. JCPS has both district middle school sports and school-based middle school sports, which has put a strain on both staffing and facilities. Throughout the 202223 school year, administration had discussions about ending one sports organization or the other. However, in January of this year, after an outpouring of community input, school board members decided to maintain both district and school-based middle grades sports.
Without a middle school, JCPS administration has said that students lack many opportunities in academics, arts, athletics and career and technical education. There are differing levels of access to all of those offerings at the four K-8 schools.
Some of the schools lack the ability to offer advanced classes for middle grades students because there are not enough students to make up a whole class. For example, while Cullowhee Valley and Fairview schools can offer high school level Math I for eighthgraders, Smokey Mountain Elementary and Scotts Creek School cannot.
“If we had that traditional middle school setting, then more students could be afforded that same opportunity,” said Ayers.
United Christian Ministries of Jackson County has appointed a new Executive Director. Ann Selby replaced retiring Director Karen Johnson.
“I am honored and look forward to continuing to serve the residents of Jackson County by giving of my time, my talents and my service. UCM meets the crucial needs of our community, helping our neighbors to live healthier and safer lives,” Selby said.
Selby comes to UCM with over 25 years of experience in Business Administration and Property Management. She has also been involved with numerous local nonprofit organizations prior to joining UCM. Selby received her
Bachelor of Science from Western Carolina University and has lived in Jackson County for 32 years with her family.
UCM is a 501(c)3 nonprofit agency that is 100 % funded by donations and grants. UCM offers residents a client-choice food pantry with fresh fruits, vegetables, bakery items, canned goods, frozen meats, pasta, rice, cereal and staple items. UCM is the only agency in the county providing toiletry items (shampoo, soap, toothpaste, wipes and diapers). UCM provides limited financial assistance for critical past due bills such as rent, power, water and heating.
When sports wagering started in Cherokee two years ago, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians’ two casinos were the only places in North Carolina where such wagers were legal. A bill that Gov. Roy Cooper signed into law June 14 opens the door to legalized sports wagering statewide — but EBCI Principal Chief Richard Sneed said the tribe welcomes the change.
Previously, bets had to be placed on site at the casino. Under the new law, tribal casinos will be able to accept bets placed online, anywhere in the state.
“Many of the surrounding states have already taken steps to allow mobile sports betting, and we are pleased that this bipartisan law is putting North Carolina on an equal footing,” Sneed said.
The bill passed the Senate, 37-11, on June 1, then 69-44 in the House June 7. In neither vote was there a clear split in opinion between Democrats and Republicans — members of both parties voted both for and against the bill.
In a press release, Cooper said the new law will “help North Carolina compete, make sure taxpayers receive a share, create many goodpaying jobs and foster strong economic opportunity,” though he added that he hopes that in the future more of the revenue will go toward schools.
Rep. Mike Clampitt (R-Swain), represents a district that includes the Qualla Boundary and was a co-sponsor of the bill. His support stems from his belief that people should have the right to participate in sports wagering if they desire to, or to abstain if they don’t. He conferred with the EBCI prior to supporting the bill, he said.
“It just allows another opportunity for those people that want to take advantage of entertainment by way of betting on sports and whatnot,” he said. “I’ll say that’s their prerogative, like anything else.”
The law allows the N.C. State Lottery Commission to issue licenses to as many as 12 sports wagering operators, which could accept wagers on sporting events including professional, college, electronic and amateur sports. No wagers would be allowed on the occurrence of injuries or penalties, or on the outcome of replay reviews and disciplinary proceedings against a player. Bettors must be at least 21.
Under the law, applicants would submit a detailed application to the Commission, along with a $1 million licensing fee — the Commission would return all but 5% should the application be denied. Licenses will be good for five years.
The same law also lays out a licensing process to accept bets for horse races. This license also carries a fee of $1 million, with the holder required to pay 1% of total wagers placed to the N.C. State Lottery Commission.
The Commission will use revenues resulting from the sports wagering and horse racing program to cover its own expenses. Any additional proceeds from sports wagering will go into a newly created N.C. Major Events, Games and Attractions Fund, which will provide grants to encourage major events to take place in North Carolina.
Meanwhile, proceeds from the 18% tax that will be charged to sports betting operators will be used in a variety of ways. Each of 13 schools within the University of North Carolina System, including Western Carolina University, will receive $300,000 annually for their athletic departments. The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services will get $2 million for gambling addiction education and treatment programs, while N.C. Amateur Sports and the N.C. Outdoor Heritage Advisory Council will each get $1 million.
If any money is left over, 20% will be distributed evenly among the 13 schools’ athletic programs and 30% will go to the newly created N.C. Major Events, Games and Attractions Fund. The remaining 50% will go to the state’s General Fund.
While the law limits the number of licenses to 12, that number does not include any license that may be offered to the EBCI. A tribal gaming enterprise “shall” be deemed a licensed sports wagering operator after completing a set of administrative steps and agreements, the law says; this license won’t count toward the total number of authorized licenses.
“The EBCI convened a group years ago to begin this effort in earnest and has maintained the conversations to get this over the finish line,” Sneed said. “Any impact to the casino will be mitigated by our expected returns when we exercise the license guaranteed to the tribe.”
Kelci Coker, spokesperson for Harrah’s Cherokee, said it’s too early to predict how the new law might impact revenues at Harrah’s but said that its current sports betting set-up has been successful thus far. Revenues are in line with projections, she said, and are highest during the football season.
The EBCI isn’t the only federally recognized tribe that could receive a license under the new law. The Catawba Two Kings Casino in Kings Mountain, which opened a temporary facility in July 2021, launched an on-site sportsbook in September and plans to offer a mobile app as the legislation takes effect, said spokesperson Glen White.
Competition has been a constant worry for EBCI leaders in recent years as nearby states have loosened gaming restrictions.
The Catawba casino, located just 2.5 hours from Cherokee, currently has 1,000 gaming machines at its temporary facility. “Thousands” of people visit monthly, White said, listing the Charlotte metropolitan area, the entire eastern and central
expected to open next summer and draw about 4,000 people each day, said spokesperson Keeli Parkey.
The competition does not appear to be having a significant impact yet on proceeds at Harrah’s, which drew 4 million people in 2022 and has already logged 3.3 million visitors in 2023. While the most recent June per capita distribution — a payment issued to every tribal member using half of casino profits for that time period — is about $200 less than the payment issued in June 2022, the last two payments combined are about $1,300 more than the previous two combined.
However, tribal government has long been preparing for the day when these nearby casino projects do deliver a punch, forming multiple LLCs in an attempt to diversify its income. One of these LLCs, EBCI Holdings, is focused specifically on gaming ventures outside tribal lands. It’s a 49% partner on a $55 million horse racing project in Kentucky, owns the casino enterprise at Caesars Southern Indiana Casino and is a 49.5% partner on a $650 million casino project in Danville, Virginia.
North Carolina region and South Carolina as significant contributors. Infrastructure work is “well underway” on two “key projects” needed to start developing the permanent facility, White said. A timeline for casino construction has yet to be determined.
Bristol, Virginia, is about the same distance away from Cherokee as Kings Mountain is, and a new casino is operating there, as well. Bristol Casino — Future Home of Hard Rock opened a temporary facility with more than 900 slots, 29 table games, two restaurants, a bar and a sportsbook in July 2022. Since then, it has attracted 1.2 million visitors and made $155 million in revenue. A permanent facility is
Danville is about 3.5 hours from Bristol and 4.5 hours from Cherokee.
A temporary casino in Danville that opened May 15 boasting 1,000 machines is “performing well,” said EBCI Holdings CEO Scott Barber. The permanent facility is on target to open by the end of 2024.
N.C.’s new sports betting law is written to allow the tribe itself to apply for a license without needing the LLC as an intermediary, Barber said, but EBCI Holdings stands ready to assist if necessary.
“If for some reason that doesn’t happen that way once the state establishes its rules and regulations, then I think EBCI Holdings would take a more prominent role,” he said.
The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians is trying for the first true census of its citizens in more than 20 years with an electronic-only census open to tribal members through Aug. 31.
“One thing that’s very exciting about this is that this is demographic information that the tribal government is collecting and providing for the tribal government needs, as opposed to the federal government census that of course collects it for the federal government needs,” said Anita Lossiah, policy analyst for the EBCI.
The census questionnaire includes typical demographic questions about the ages, incomes and education levels of people in each household as well as culturally oriented questions, such as whether anyone in the household speaks the Cherokee language. It also features questions targeted at understanding the social dynamics of the community, such as whether the respondent is caring for children other than their biological children and whether the household has access to a vehicle, housing, health insurance, broadband and fresh food.
“We hope that this will be the beginning of EBCI collecting more data to have more data-informed decisions in the future with our own information,” Lossiah said. “And this will of course help drive decisions, it will help drive what the government does to better improve services it is providing.”
Unlike the U.S. Census, which is mailed to individual homes in addition to being accessible line, the EBCI Census is being conducted solely through the internet. Lossiah said her team is not doing any door-to-door outreach to connect people with resources to complete the census but has been working to get the message out on multiple channels. Census information was included on GenWell and per capita checks, has been published in the Cherokee One Feather and is available on tribal government web and social media pages.
Additionally, she said, Tsali Manor is offering sessions to provide assistance to
The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians census is open to all tribal members 18 and older, regardless of residency on or off the Qualla Boundary, through Aug. 31.
The census is available online at census.ebci-nsn.gov, but those who need
people who need help completing the questionnaire.
Computers with internet access are available there and at other public buildings, such as the Qualla Boundary Library and Snowbird Community Library. Lossiah said census information has been presented at each community club and that her team is available to provide information sessions within these communities.
“We’re trying to be consistent and equally reach out to all communities,” she said.
Tribal members who complete the census will receive a $100 incentive payment. People who submit responses by July 21 will receive the money July 28. Those who fill the census out by the Aug. 31 deadline will be paid Sept. 15.
The census will collect a variety of information that will prove useful to a spectrum of tribal departments and entities — but its original purpose is connected to a mandate found in the EBCI Charter and Governing Document, which serves as the tribe’s supreme law.
The Charter states that a tribal census “shall” be conducted every 10 years “for the purposes of determining the weight of the votes to be cast by each Tribal Council member.” Voting outcomes on the 12-person Tribal Council are calculated using a weighted voting system, with the value of each member’s vote ranging from six to 12, depending on the population of the community they represent.
But those vote values are based on old data. Despite the mandate to conduct a census every decade, no tribal census has been carried out since 2001. Tribal Council authorized a census to be conducted in partnership with the U.S. Census Bureau in a 2017 resolution, but the tribal government failed to meet the deadline for requirements to secure federal help. The U.S. Census in 2020 coupled with the Coronavirus Pandemic prevented the Census Bureau from becoming
assistance filling it out can contact Tsali Manor at 828.359.6860 or 828.359.6638. Tribal members can visit during one of the periods scheduled for walk-in assistance. These are 10 a.m. to noon Tuesdays, July 18, Aug. 8 and Aug. 22. Evening slots are available by appointment July 18. Tsali Manor is located at 133 Tsali Manor St. in the Yellowhill community.
involved after that point. In December 2022, Tribal Council passed a new resolution authorizing the census to be carried out electronically using tribal resources. During the pandemic, the tribe secured participation from nearly 90% of
32nd ANNUAL •2023
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 30
LAUREL RIDGE COUNTY CLUB
LADIES’ AND MEN’S: 8 a.m. Shotgun start
LADIES’ AND MEN’S: 1:00 p.m. Shotgun start
tribal members applying to receive stimulus money electronically, Lossiah said, stirring hopes that an online-only census could also be successful. She hopes to see at least that same level of participation in the census.
Due to the census’s implications for vote weighting, community-specific participation — not just overall participation — is important. The Charter requires Tribal Council to determine vote weights during its first regular meeting of the year, held in October. These weights “shall be determined by computing the mathematical ratio, fraction or proportion that exists between the number of enrolled tribal members residing in each township and the total number of enrolled tribal members.”
Lossiah said she hopes to compile census results during the month of September and complete a report in time for the beginning of the fiscal year — and of the new Tribal Council term — in October.
“We’re very excited to get this out and get it rolling for this census and hope to use this as a pilot and improve upon it for the next one,” she said.
Wednesday, August 30 th
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 30
LAUREL RIDGE COUNTY CLUB PAVILION
6:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m. Dinner Buffet · Music provided by Songbug DJ Services
GOLF ENTRY FEE $150 per person includes golfer’s lunch and 1 complimentary Gala ticket INDIVIDUAL GALA TICKETS may be purchased for $100 ea.
To register for golf or gala tickets contact: Marge Stiles, HH Foundation 828.452.8343 marge.stiles@haymed.org or visit our website HaywoodHealthcareFoundation.org
“We hope that this will be the beginning of EBCI collecting more data to have more data-informed decisions in the future with our own information.”
— Anita Lossiah, ECBI policy analyst
“Food Insecurity within Haywood County Children and Elderly”
Cherokee’s June 1 Primary Election whittled the field of candidates for Painttown Tribal Council down to four, and they will face off during the General Election Thursday, Sept. 7.
During the June 1 primary, Sean “Michael” Stamper, who has held the seat only since January, was far-and-away the top vote getter, drawing 37.5% of the 637 votes cast. Incumbent Dike Sneed and challenger Jeff Thompson were in a neck-and-neck for second and third — Sneed received 134 votes and Thompson 129. Attorney Carolyn West took fourth with 64 votes.
The Smoky Mountain News reached out to all four candidates to ask their opinion on a range of issues. Only Thompson and Sneed responded for this General Election questionnaire, but both Stamper and West participated in the Primary Election voter guide. Their responses for this story are drawn from that guide and from various other sources as noted.
Thompson, 44, currently manages the tribal Handicapped and Elderly Living Program — called HELP — of Snowbird and Cherokee County, as well as the area’s housing and building maintenance programs. He
holds an associate degree in business from Montreat College, is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Business Administration and has spent 20 years working for the tribe.
Top three priorities if elected: Fiscal responsibility is key. Outside vendors/contractors should be held more accountable for providing documentation. Better management of tribal finances will allow first for improved healthcare, second for housing and third for language restoration efforts.
Opinion on proposed constitution: Thompson believes it would be a “great thing” for the tribe to have a constitution and likes that the proposed document gives tribal citizens more rights and limits government power. However, he said, after reading both the original and red-lined versions he thinks the proposed constitution is “not definitive enough” and fears it might offer room for misinterpretation. For that reason, he hopes the amendment process does not prove difficult.
Path to stabilize and grow tribal finances: The tribe has done well with revenue diversification, Thompson said, but fiscal transparency is lacking. Tribal members deserve to know how and why tribal dollars are spent — spending decisions should be made more slowly so there is time to seek second opinions and examine proposed plans.
Ideas to improve economic devel-
opment and quality of life in Cherokee: Surrounding towns like Bryson City, Sylva and Waynesville, whose streets stay busy the way Cherokee’s used to, are worth considering as models. Several projects in the tribe’s approved Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy should be put into action, investing more in downtown Cherokee so that the casino is not the sole economic engine locally. Such projects include the Cultural District Master Plan, Downtown Roadway Upgrades and Downtown Revitalization.
Sneed, 62, has represented Painttown on Tribal Council since 2019, seeking election after a 24-year career in law enforcement that culminated with an appointment as chief of the Cherokee Indian Police Department. Prior to entering the Basic Law Enforcement Training Program, he held jobs at Barkley’s Textile of Cherokee, Buncombe Construction and Ken Wilson Ford.
Top three priorities if elected: Preserving and perpetuating the Cherokee language; improving food security on the Qualla Boundary, to include building a slaughterhouse and constructing a new greenhouse on tribal land; containing spending of tribal funds and better prioritizing which ventures to pursue in the immedi-
ate future.
Opinion on proposed constitution: Sneed does not support the constitution as proposed, which has “too many legal aspects that are wrong with it.” After six years of work, the Constitution Committee produced a document that they admit still has flaws — “I think if we’re going to have a constitution, we need to have one that does not have problems,” he said.
Path to stabilize and grow tribal finances: Sneed believes that Tribal Council is on the right path, making sure that any proposal that comes in “gets vetted more than it ever has.” The body is also remaining actively engaged with the state legislature as it discusses legalizing gambling to ensure that, should such a law pass, it will be as beneficial to the tribe as possible. All tribal entities are involved in those discussions.
Ideas to improve economic development and quality of life in Cherokee: Sneed’s focus is on sustainable food opportunities for tribal members that will protect it from shortages in the event of an emergency disrupting supply lines. The tribe is working to grow blight-resistant chestnut trees, which once offered a bountiful harvest to previous generations. Sneed hopes to bring a meat processing company to the Qualla Boundary and to replace a greenhouse the tribe used to have for growing food.
Stamper, 32, has served on Tribal Council since Jan. 3 after winning the special election Dec. 15. He holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Brevard College and has spent the last 10 years working for the tribe in positions spanning finance, higher education and public health and human services. He has served on the Sequoyah National Golf Course Board of Directors since 2014 and has been appointed to several human resource committees.
Top three priorities if elected: Community involvement and participation; transparency in all matters, including finance, legislation and day-to-day issues; and listening to the community and being the voice of the people.
Opinion on proposed constitution: During a June 21 work session, Stamper said he supports putting the constitution out for referendum so that the people can decide whether they want to adopt it or not. He does not believe it’s his place to persuade voters one way or another. However, he said that personally he disagrees with the amendment process laid out in the document and with a provision setting 25 as the minimum age to run for Tribal Council.
Ideas to improve economic development and quality of life in Cherokee: In response to a Primary Election questionnaire in The Cherokee One Feather, Stamper said the tribe is progressing with economic development as shown by improved internet access and a water line replacement. This will allow for a future community “facelift.” Sustainable cultural tourism “will go hand-in-hand with the continued efforts to give Cherokee a new and updated look.”
West, 50, is an attorney practicing federal Indian Law and criminal defense who also chairs the board for Qualla Enterprises. She holds a J.D. and Indian law certificate from the University of New Mexico and holds a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and master’s in public affairs from Western Carolina University. She served as legislative counsel for the Navajo Nation 2014-2016 and for the EBCI 2016-2022.
Top three priorities if elected: Establish a legislative committee system to ensure that Tribal Council thoroughly researches proposed legislation before acting, update the Cherokee Code and launch an entrepreneurship program for young people who don’t want to pursue the traditional college route after high school.
Ideas to improve economic development and quality of life in Cherokee: In response to a Primary Election questionnaire in The Cherokee One Feather, West said that supporting Qualla Enterprises would prove key to the tribe’s economic development, and to bringing “a long-standing tradition into the modern word.” She proposed hiring more enrolled members as public safety workers and starting a program leading middle and high school students toward careers in these fields.
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And to all of our donors and volunteers!
Thank you for the support of this great community and it’s businesses for our fundraiser in April. Thanks to you all, we have been able to keep on providing scholarships to Haywood County students. We have given over $250,000 in scholarships over the last 30+ years, and, thanks to your generosity, we will be able to continue doing so for a long time to come.
THANK YOU FOR STEPPING UP TO SUPPORT EDUCATION!
Sincerely,
BY C ORY VAILLANCOURT P OLITICS E DITOR
The 14-day candidate filing period for the November municipal General Elections began at noon on July 7, and within the core coverage area of The Smoky Mountain News — Haywood, Jackson, Macon and Swain counties — candidates have begun formally declaring their intentions to run for one of 33 available seats on 10 local governing boards.
Residents of those 10 municipalities have the opportunity to remake completely the governing boards in eight of them, setting up the classic question for voters: something new, or more of the same?
Voters will also face some new statutes governing when and how to vote, especially regarding absentee ballot deadlines and pre-
senting identification at the polls (see VOTER ID, p. 15).
Now more than ever, it’s important for voters to ensure they have everything needed to cast a timely and informed vote, so be sure to check out the State Board of Elections website, ncsbe.gov, for authoritative information on almost any voter-related question or issue.
Perhaps most important is the Oct. 13 deadline for voters to register. Check to see if you’re registered at vt.ncsbe.gov/RegLkup.
A full list of candidates for the upcoming elections won’t be available until the filing period closes at noon on July 21, but until then, here’s who’s up, who’s not, who’s in and who’s out for the Nov. 7 General Election.
Information was current as of 8:24 a.m. on Tuesday, July 11.
There’s only one municipal election in Swain County this year, in the county’s only incorporated municipality, Bryson City.
Seats currently belonging to aldermen Chad Smith and Heidi Ramsey-Woodard are up for election. In this race, voters will be able to choose two candidates, and the top two finishers will take the seats. Smith and Ramsey-Woodard did not return requests for comment on their intentions.
In a separate race, Alderman Tim Hines’ seat is also up for reelection. Voters will be able to choose only one candidate. As Hines is serving out an unexpired term, whoever wins that seat will only serve until 2025.
Hines was not contacted for this story, as the Bryson City website lists no contact
information for him.
The position of mayor, currently held by Tom Sutton, is also up for election. Sutton said he’d file in the next few days.
“I love doing the job. It’s a challenge every day. We have major projects in motion that I really want to see completed,” Sutton said. “First and foremost is the new wastewater treatment facility project. The completion window for that is currently set at December 2026. We’ve put a lot of work into this project and it’s important to get to the finish.”
Candidates who win will join Alderman Ben King on the board.
No other candidates have yet filed.
Three of the six seats on the Franklin Town Council are up for election this year — those held by Joe Collins, Adam Kimsey and Mike Lewis. Franklin Mayor Jack Horton is also up for election. None of them responded to emails sent by The Smoky Mountain News seeking comment; however, Collins and Lewis have filed for their respective seats.
Additionally, three seats on the Town of Highlands Board of Commissioners are also up this year. They’re currently held by John Dotson, Marc Hehn and Brian Stiehler. As Highlands lies in both Macon and Jackson counties, some Jackson County voters are also eligible to vote in the Highlands election. Stiehler and Dotson have filed. Hehn said that as the oldest member of the Board, it’s time for him to move on. Along with wife Betsy, he’ll spend his time supporting Highlands Cashiers hospital and other local health care providers.
Rachel Taylor Wilson and Jeffrey Lee Weller have also filed.
Jackson County voters will vote in one of three elections this year, depending on where they reside.
In the Village of Forest Hills, the office of mayor is up for election; the position, which carries a two year term, is currently held by Jim Wallace.
“I have done it five times,” Wallace said. “It’s somebody else’s turn.”
Two of four council seats, occupied by Marcia Almond F
and Nilofer Couture, are also up. Couture said she’s in, and Almond has filed for mayor.
Of course, that means there will be an open seat on the council. The biggest problem with that, in a town of less than 400 people, is finding a quality candidate to fill the spot. As of press time, no other candidates had filed.
The Town of Webster has two town council seats up, held by commissioners Brandon Core and Allen Davis. No contact information was listed on Webster’s website for any elected official of the town, and no candidates have yet filed.
Sylva could see substantial turnover on its governing board, with only two commissioners assured of serving past 2023, Mary Gelbaugh and Natalie Newman. Seats held by Ben Guiney and Greg McPherson are up for election. Guiney filed last week.
Mayor David Nestler said he has not decided whether he’ll run for reelection to mayor, or commissioner, or anything at all. Nestler, formerly a commissioner, was appointed mayor upon the resignation of longtime Sylva fixture, Mayor Linda Sossamon, earlier this year.
Guy “Johnny” Phillips has filed for mayor.
The seat currently held by Brad Waldrop — he won appointment in February to fill the vacancy left by Nestler — is also up. Waldrop told The Smoky Mountain News he’d file soon.
Phillips had applied for the appointment that ultimately went to Waldrop.
All four municipalities in Haywood County have seats up for reelection this year; however, all of them will be safe from the partisan elections push by Rep. Mark Pless (R-Haywood) — at least for now.
It’s been a rough go of things in the tragedy-stricken town of Canton over the last few years. Devastating flooding in 2021 killed six people and gutted a number of town facilities, creating a huge FEMA headache in the process.
As if that wasn’t enough, the town’s largest employer closed up shop, eliminating nearly 1,000 good-paying union jobs and leaving a number of unanswered questions about the town’s future.
Alderman Ralph Hamlett and Mayor Pro Tem Gail Mull have been there through all of it and are both up for reelection. Both have filed. No other candidates have.
In Clyde, Mayor Jim Trantham is seeking reelection. Aldermen John Hemingway and Dann Jesse are also up, but neither has yet filed.
Hemingway said he’s uncertain about running again because he’s about to buy a house in McDowell County to be closer to family and doesn’t want to deprive someone else of the opportunity to serve the community.
Melinda Marshall Parker and Amy Elizabeth Russell have both filed for alderman seats.
The Town of Maggie Valley has been up to its eyeballs in political drama for nearly
two years now, fueled by a feud between Pless and Mayor Mike Eveland, along with aldermen John Hinton and Jim Owens, over partisan elections and development concerns.
Hinton and Owens are safe this cycle, leaving Pless allies Phillip and Tammy Wight to contemplate their futures. Phillip said that as of now, he plans to run for reelection to his seat. His wife Tammy said she’s going to sit this one out.
“I did want the opportunity to give back to the community, and I think I did that. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my time on the board, and tried to give 100%,” she said.
Tammy also believes that her marriage played a role in how her term played out.
“Going into that election, people treated me like I couldn’t have my own opinion because I am married to a member of the board,” she said. “I will point out that we voted against each other five or six times. The other board members seem to share the same agenda, and I’m not sure they take all sides into consideration.”
Eveland said he’s running for reelection at a critical time for Maggie Valley.
“I think there’s a lot we’ve accomplished as mayor and certainly in the last 10 years I’ve been on the board, and when I think about it, the future is here. It’s not coming — it’s really transforming in front of our eyes,” he said. “As a result of that, Maggie Valley is growing and I stand united with our vision in our town. In the next four years, we need guidance and stability to move forward, to protect us from the wolves. I continue to stand strong with our neighbors in Canton, Clyde and Waynesville. We all have our differences, but we all believe in some very basic things.”
Timothy Lee Wise and Yvette Jacqueline Barrett have filed for aldermen seats.
Waynesville’s entire Town Council is up this year, but it’s the last time that will ever happen. Earlier this year, the town did away with its “all at once” election regime, and will utilize the November General Election to set up staggered terms.
That adds an increasing sense of urgency for all four governing board members — Chuck Dickson, Jon Feichter, Julia Freeman and Anthony Sutton — as the top two votegetters on council will win four-year terms, with the next two finishers getting two-year terms. Those two-year members will then be eligible to run for four-year terms in 2025, thus setting up the stagger.
All current members of the council have said they’ll seek to retain their seats.
Mayor Gary Caldwell is running for reelection, but the next mayor’s term won’t be affected by the stagger.
Stephen Edward Speed has filed to run against Caldwell. Ronnie Call, who unsuccessfully sought appointment to the planning board in 2022, and Kenneth Erwin Hollifield have both filed for seats on council.
One stop early voting for the Nov. 7 General Election begins on Oct. 19.
Check back with The Smoky Mountain News through the end of the candidate filing period on July 21 for the latest updates.
The issue of requiring voters to present identification at the polls before casting a ballot has been contentious in North Carolina — with competing claims that it would disproportionately affect minorities and crack down on nearly non-existent voter fraud in the state — but like it or not, it’s now the law of the land, and now voters of all political persuasions need to do their homework to ensure they’re not left without a voice.
Just last year, verdicts were handed down in one of the most egregious cases of voter fraud since the 1986 Project Westvote votebuying scandal, which involved 41 people.
McRae Dowless, a Republican operative from Bladen County, was accused of running a voter fraud ring in 2018 but passed away before he could be tried on at least a dozen state criminal counts. Seven other defendants involved in Dowless’ scheme were convicted of a total of 13 felonies tied to the fraudulent use of absentee ballots.
According to the conservative think tank The Heritage Foundation, there have been 39 cases of voter fraud dating back to 2012, but none nearly as expansive or organized as Dowless’ plot.
From 2012 through 2022, North Carolinians cast more than 14.5 million votes in presidential elections alone, not counting off-year congressional or municipal elections.
In the same 2018 contest where Dowless’ accomplices were running their scam which resulted in the North Carolina State Board of Elections ordering a new election in the Ninth Congressional District, voters went to the polls to decide on a formal voter ID requirement in a statewide referendum.
The results were clear — 55.5% of North Carolinians favored the ID requirement, compared to 44.51% who did not. Only 18 of the state’s 100 counties — including Buncombe — saw a majority against voter ID.
Those results track with both current practices and prevailing public opinion.
There has long been support for such measures across the country, with at least 36 states requiring some form of documentation to vote, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Of those, at least nine states have what the NCSL calls “strict” photo ID requirements.
A story in Forbes just eight months after President Joe Biden won the 2020 presidential election showed 80% support for voter ID laws.
Two months after North Carolina’s 2018 referendum, the Republican-held state Senate passed SB 824, over Gov. Roy Cooper’s veto. Known as Session Law 144, the bill codified voter ID requirements.
A subsequent injunction prevented the law from taking effect in time for the 2020 elections, and a 2022 state Supreme Court ruling struck down the law, saying it “was enacted with the unconstitutional intent to discriminate against African American voters.” More than 21% of North Carolina residents are African Americans.
A few weeks after the ruling, the court’s 43 Democratic majority became a 5-2 Republican majority due to the results of the 2022 General Election.
While some at the time may have thought that the Democrat-majority voter ID ruling demonstrated the growing politicization of the court, what happened next left no doubts on the status of politicization on the court.
Just months after taking office, the new Republican-led Supreme Court announced
have to ensure they have proper documentation before casting a ballot.
“We’re trying to educate voters across the state right now about the fact that they have to have their ID,” said Anderson Clayton, chair of the North Carolina Democratic Party. “We’ve just got to out-organize Republicans.”
John Anglin, Republican chair of North Carolina’s 11th Congressional District, thinks voters in his party are ready for the stipulations.
ment cards or IDs issued in relation to public assistance programs are all valid and don’t need an expiration date.
For people who prefer to vote by mail, they’ll have to enclose a photocopy of their ID. Overseas and military voters need not comply with the ID requirement, as federal law outlines specific procedures for these somewhat rare ballots.
In any event, voters who do not produce an ID when voting in person or by mail can still cast a provisional ballot, which will not be counted until the deficiency is cured.
“I worry about provisional ballots like anyone should, and often times the county boards aren’t going to be actively chasing those folks,” Clayton said. “Republicans are counting on the fact that people are not exactly following up on that.”
Clayton added that she’s planning on urging county parties to use their voter file to follow up with people who have cast provisional ballots, ensuring they comply with the law so their ballot isn’t discarded.
There are two main ways voters can cure the deficiency and ensure their ballot is counted.
The easiest is to just show up at the county board of elections with a valid ID at least one day before the elections canvass, which in the case of Western North Carolina’s 2023 municipal elections is Nov. 16.
plans to “re-hear” the case — something the Southern Coalition for Racial Justice called an “extreme departure from precedent.”
On April 28, North Carolina Senate Majority Leader Phil Berger’s son, Phil Berger Jr., an associate justice on the state Supreme Court, wrote that the court was confronted with a partisan legislative issue that “spilled out . . . into the courts” and that the court “again stands as a bulwark against that spillover, so that even in the most divisive cases, we reassure the public that our state’s courts follow the law, not the political winds of the day.”
It just so happened that the new Republican-led state Supreme Court’s interpretation of the law was coincidentally aligned with Senate Leader Berger’s interpretation of the law — that SB 824 did not violate protections in the North Carolina Constitution.
Now, for the first time since 2016 — a previous voter ID attempt was in effect for the Primary Elections that year — voters will
“The fact is, the North Carolina Supreme Court has upheld the decision and the will of the people. People are big proponents of voter ID. They show up and they want to show ID,” Anglin said. “From my end, it’s common sense. We want to have a lawful election. We’re just informing people that it’s going to be part of the process. We’re just being communicative.”
For many, the most convenient way to satisfy the voter ID requirement when voting in person is to produce a North Carolina driver’s license, a U.S. Passport or passport card, a free North Carolina state ID, a state or local government ID or an out-of-state driver’s license if the voter has registered within 90 days of the election. Charter school employee IDs are also acceptable.
Some college and university IDs will be acceptable, with a full list expected from the North Carolina State Board of Elections sometime this month. These IDs will remain valid for the purposes of voting through the March 5, 2024, Primary Election and the Nov. 5, 2024, General Election.
Each of the IDs mentioned by the NCSBE must be valid, or must have expired less than one year prior to the election. Voters over age 65 can use an expired ID provided it was valid prior to their 65th birthday.
A new form of ID issued by county elections boards, called the “voter photo” ID, will also satisfy the voter ID requirements, however, these free IDs are not yet available. Additionally, military and veteran IDs issued by the U.S. government, tribal enroll-
The other way is to fill out what’s called an “ID exception form.” On the form, voters must declare a qualifying reason exempting them from the voter ID requirement.
One of the reasons is if the voter has a religious exemption to being photographed. This applies mainly to certain Amish sects. The second reason is if the voter was the victim of a natural disaster within 100 days of Election Day. The third and perhaps the most problematic reason, is if the voter can demon-
strate a “reasonable impediment” to producing a photo ID.
Examples given by the NCSBE of reasonable impediments are vague and broad, including lack of transportation, a lost or stolen ID, a disability or illness or “family responsibilities.”
Given the novel nature of the voter ID statute, such reasons could become the target of post-election litigation, hanging up final results for an extended period of time in some instances.
Jeff Sellars, chair of the Haywood County Republican Party, and Michael Whatley, chair of the North Carolina Republican Party, did not return messages seeking comment for this story.
“We’re trying to educate voters across the state right now about the fact that they have to have their
— Anderson Clayton, NC Democratic Party chairNew voter ID requirements are now in effect. File photo
Short term vacation rentals — and their impact on affordable housing and the tourism industry — are vexing both local and state leaders. Literally, I could hardly pick up a newspaper last week that didn’t have front-page stories with everyone trying to figure out how to get a handle on this issue.
It’s going to come to a head, but no one seems to know exactly what to expect.
Buying a home has always been a huge expense that many middle-income folks couldn’t afford until they found a partner and had two incomes. So yeah, real estate is expensive to buy, especially here, but the truth is it’s been cheap. The larger problem, at least in my mind, is that locals can no longer find affordable housing, especially rentals. Those rentals allow people to save the down payment needed to buy. But now there aren’t any cheap rentals, and a huge component of that problem, without doubt, is the rapid growth of STVRs.
The headline in the July 9 Asheville Citizen Times was “Asheville Airbnb bust?” The package was really two stories, both by longtime ACT reporter Joel Burgess, one of the best journalists in the region. It examined the skyrocketing growth of short-term vacation rentals — STVR — and how local and state leaders are reacting.
Burgess dove deep to come up with the numbers for his story, so I want to be sure to credit him. His reporting found a 1,127% increase in revenues from STVRs in Buncombe County from 2016 to 2022. The revenues rose from $18.7 million to $229 million in 2023. The number of units that are renting short term rose from 1,247 to 5,223. So, during that time — only six years — at least 4,000 houses/apartments/rooms that could have been rented to
To the Editor:
In The American Legion Magazine (July 2023), in an article titled “Flag Wavers,” Alan W Dowd states: “The millennial generation and Generation Z are less proud of America than older generational cohorts, less likely to embrace the concept of American exceptionalism than older generations, and more likely than older generations to view the U.S. flag as a symbol of imperialism, greed and intolerance, rather than a symbol of freedom.”
I do not choose to argue the validity of that statement standing on its own but I do question Dowd’s conclusion that (as he goes on to declare), “this is largely the result of inadequate and/or inaccurate civic education.” I disagree, and offer an alternative assessment of Dowd’s first statement.
Is it possible that millennials and Gen Z might be in the process of re-examining our understanding of American symbolism, American exceptionalism, American culture,
locals have been turned into vacation rentals for tourists. This is happening in WNC’s largest metro area even though the Asheville City Council banned STVRs in 2018, except some existing vacation rentals and for those who are just renting a room in their house. A quick search of the Airbnb website (I didn’t even check VRBO — Vacation Rental by Owner), however, found dozens of places in the city limits that apparently violate that ban. Two hours after I’m off Airbnb, I’m getting emails showing me places to rent in the Asheville city limits.
It’s obviously not just Buncombe County in this boat. A March report released by Airbnb reported total volume sales in 2022 for the 70 counties in North Carolina that are considered rural. Here’s the numbers for our region, which amount to staggering dollar figures: Haywood County had $19.79 million in Airbnb sales in 2022; Jackson had $11.16 million; Macon had $11.76 million; and Swain County, with a population of just over 14,000, had $16.27 million in Airbnb revenue.
Those headlines I was speaking of earlier? In The Smoky Mountain Times, Swain County’s weekly newspaper, the July 6 issue had this on the front page: “Airbnb’s decline comes as long-term rentals are still hard to find.” The story by Larry Grifffin reported on a study released a couple weeks ago that warned of a collapse in the Airbnb market. It also reported on a social media post by the human resources director of Swain County Schools asking for help in finding housing for new
and why there might exist a “patriotism gap” (as its been called), and other things older generations (like mine) always took for granted as absolutes but now find we can not?
Something Alan Dowd failed to include in his article (Flag Wavers) and something The American Legion, VFW (indeed, all veterans organizations) seem to overlook, disregard, or omit; America has a former president (twice impeached) who has been handed a 37-count indictment alleging that he stored some of the United States’ most closely held secrets — including information about nuclear programs, defense vulnerabilities, and attack plans — in his home at Mar-a-Lago, in the ballroom, in a bathroom and shower, his bedroom, an office, a storage room, and then obstructed federal officials seeking their return.
The president in question (Donald Trump) has portrayed the special prosecutor in the case (Jack Smith) as “deranged,” a “thug,” and, of course, a “Trump hater.” That may appeal to the MAGA portion of the
teaching hires.
From Griffin’s story: “There is an abundance of short-term rentals in Swain County, however, long-term rentals, and rentals that accept pets, have proven to be harder to acquire. Rental availability is an issue for all ‘working class’ people looking to relocate to Swain County,” Tommy Dills, schools human resource director, said in an email.
Over in Macon County in the July 5 issue of The Franklin Press, the headline was “Task Force talks about housing issues in Macon.” Reporter Thomas Sherrill’s story revealed many veterans in Macon are having a difficult time finding affordable rental housing, and recovering addicts from a program in the county are almost four times as likely to relapse if they don’t have housing. A local real estate agent, Evan Harrell, said the number he’s heard is that there are 1,150 short-term rentals in Macon County.
That study by Reventure Consulting that says Airbnb revenues are slowing also predicts that the slowdown might lead to a massive sell off of houses that could develop into a situation comparable to the real estate collapse of 2008. All those who took out low-interest loans to invest in short-term rentals may not have the financial savings to withstand lower-thananticipated revenues.
It’s coming to a head, this massive growth in STVRs that has also been the catalyst for the huge problem we’re having with affordable housing. I’m no economist, but when working people can’t afford to buy and can’t even find a place to rent, something’s got to give. I’ll keep following this issue, so stay tuned.
(Scott McLeod can be reached at info@smokymountainnews.com.)
Republican Party base but maybe (just maybe) the Millennials, Gen Z, and a whole lot of the rest of us are not so enthusiastic
about flag-waving at the moment.
“Dad, this may be the greatest job of alltime.”
Kayden has sent me a video of her new work environment, the game room in the Student Union on the campus of Appalachian State University, where she is a junior/nearly senior.
She is speaking in a hushed tone, although she is the only breathing soul in the room, as she scans for us the row of pool tables and the pool sticks aligned in neat rows on a wall rack before showing us her station behind the desk. There’s the phone, a controller for playing music, her laptop (for watching Netflix), and a good, thick novel she borrowed the last time she was home. Some light piano jazz — Keith Jarrett, sounds like — is tinkling in the background. It’s about 10 am.
“All I have to do is check people in when they want to play a game, and then check them out when they are finished. But no one is scheduled to come until two o’clock, so I can just sit here and catch up on my reading or watch this new show on Netflix and get paid for it. Pretty great, right?”
I have to admit, it does sound pretty great. When I was about her age, I had a similar job working in a home video store renting out VHS movies to people. We would get busy from 4-6 pm, when everyone was getting off work and wanted to come by and pick up “Rambo II” or “Mister Mom” to watch that evening after having their meatloaf and angel food cake.
Other than that rush, I just sat there by myself watching the new releases on a little 19-inch Zenith television behind the counter. Or I would read a couple more chapters from “Helter Skelter: The True Story of the Manson Murders,” until one of the unemployed regulars dropped by to gossip or ask if I knew anyone who might want to buy a deer rifle for a good price.
Kayden’s new job sounded pretty familiar.
“Read that book,” I told her. “It’s a good one.”
“I will,” she said, holding it up to show me that she had already read quite a few pages. “But I have a little bit of a headache, so I might watch Netflix for a while. Not a bad job, right?”
Several hours later, we got another video
update on her first day alone in the game room was going.
“Oh my God, dad, I am losing my mind,” she said. “I was just alone for 10 hours, and that was not for the faint of heart. I have never been so bored in my life. It was so hot in there. Like, no air conditioning at all.”
“Well, that doesn’t sound so good. What happened to the Netflix?”
“I watched like eight episodes — maybe ten — until I was about to lose it. I was bored out of my mind.”
“Yeah, that’s probably too much of a good thing.”
“I know, right? And then this guy comes in. Oh my God, this guy! He works in another part of the building, and he came in and played pool for about four hours because he didn’t have anything else to do. He was just a different kind of guy. He’s minoring in Risk Management and Insurance, if that tells you anything. He just started talking to me and telling me everything, so many things. And then he wanted to show me his camera roll, which had a ton of pictures of salamanders on it. Do you understand what this was like?”
She really didn’t need me to say much, and while I can’t say I ever knew anyone minoring in Risk Management and Insurance, I did feel I had some understanding of her dilemma as a captive employee dealing with the unpredictable assortment of characters one encounters in such jobs.
I wanted to tell her about Joan, who came into the video store every single day demanding that we tell her what she had not already seen, which was impossible, because she had seen everything except for those movies she could not possibly watch, which we would be soundly rebuked for recommending.
I wanted to tell her about Terry, who was obsessed with professional wrestling and was hoping to break into the sport as the manager of a villain, which was probably for the best, since he was about as muscular as a plate of cottage cheese. We both knew that professional wrestling managers did not need to be athletic, just lowdown and unscrupulous. Terry felt he could be those things.
But I didn’t tell her about the characters in my story. I just listened to hers. Because sometimes, that’s just what people need the most.
(Chris Cox is a writer and teacher who lives in Haywood County. jchriscox@live.com.)
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It’s mid-July, and for the better part of the last four decades, this time of year normally meant final preparations of heroic proportions for the beloved Folkmoot International Dance & Music Festival in Waynesville.
Readying themselves for the arrival of numerous dance troupes and musicians from around the world, Folkmoot officials, volunteers and group guides would be buzzing throughout the Folkmoot Friendship Center in the Hazelwood neighborhood — each putting the final touches of genuine southern hospitality atop the property in anticipation of their foreign guests.
Soon, dozens and dozens of new faces from abroad would arrive onsite in school buses borrowed from Haywood County. Almost all of the new faces had never before laid eyes on Western North Carolina and greater Southern Appalachia. They emerged from the buses and were greeted with enthusiastic handshakes, sincere hugs and warm smiles.
And, for the next week or two, those wondrous international groups would host countless performances across the region to the joy and amazement of any who witnessed it — global interaction at its core essence of compassion and fellowship through the universal language of song and dance.
But, for many years now, Folkmoot, as a whole, has been running on fumes — financially and artistically. Between a lack of community support, either with their wallets or mere presence at events, the festival itself has fallen on hard times, with the 2020 pandemic/shutdown kicking the event while it was down.
“I am without a doubt optimistic [about the future of Folkmoot],” said Alan Fletcher,
board president of the Folkmoot festival. “We have a very small board, but a very passionate board for keeping things going.”
At the beginning of 2023, Fletcher was the interim board president for Folkmoot, only to be voted official board president in May. With an extensive background and skillset in international business and analytics, Fletcher took the wheel of Folkmoot amid a rollercoaster moment for the festival. The money in Folkmoot’s coffers was rapidly dwindling and it was time to clean house — if anything to ensure the survival of the festival moving forward.
“If you’re planning for a five- or 10-day festival event each year, it costs tens and hundreds of thousands of dollars [to do correctly] — all the work, logistics and people involved,” Fletcher said.
Aside from the Folkmoot board for the festival operations itself, there’s also the Border Memorial Folkmoot Foundation (named after festival founder, Dr. Clinton Border) with its own members who provide financial support to the festival, the building and other avenues within the organization.
The board and the foundation aim to work
in tandem to keep the Folkmoot festival alive. The foundation has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars over the years through capital campaigns and generous donations — funds that were used to keep the whole operation afloat through rough financial waters.
“And when [the] Folkmoot [festival] wasn’t making a profit, the festival needed something to fall back onto, [which is the foundation],” Fletcher said. “We spent a lot of money through COVID [to keep the festival/organization going]. We’ve had to go to the board twice. And, on both occasions, they gave us money. But, I do not want to keep running to the foundation asking for money — I’d like to get to a position where we can sustain ourselves.”
In truth, there’s myriad reasons why the Folkmoot festival now finds itself at a crossroads, this identity crisis of sorts as to figuring out not only what Folkmoot “is” and “could be,” but also what patrons want to see, experience and ultimately support.
A lot of the steadfast faces keeping Folkmoot going for all these decades have moved on to other endeavors. Others were simply ready to hand off the heavy reins of
responsibility to the next generation that’s largely yet to appear. And, of its founders, many Folkmoot pillars have since passed away.
“We have people who were born here and live here. And we have people like me who came to this area,” said Fletcher, a native of England who resides in Waynesville. “When you go back to the beginning of Folkmoot, it was meant to introduce different cultures to Western North Carolina. Now, you have a massive influx of people [living here] who have seen those [different] cultures — they’ve traveled the world, so the audience base [today] is totally different.”
Fletcher noted the importance now of preserving of Southern Appalachian culture. As the economic and social landscape of Western North Carolina has dramatically shifted in recent years, so has the urgency to protect and perpetuate the local art, music and culture that once flourished in these ancient mountains. Cue Folkmoot being more proactive when it comes to Appalachian programming.
“Some people [here] are just not as excited in seeing someone from a foreign country. So, you’ve got to think, ‘What’s going to excite them?’” Fletcher said. “So, we’re looking to broaden what we provide to people who aren’t really interested in what [Folkmoot] used to be 40 years ago. We’re looking at more Appalachian music and dance, a [keen focus] on the rich culture from here.”
Until recently, Folkmoot had a full-time executive director and operations manager. With yearly salaries totaling around $125,000, the organization was unable to justify the cost — at least until further notice and until things improve financially. Thus, the executive director was let go this spring. Not long after, the operations manager stepped aside for the sake of the event’s future.
Before the administrative overhaul, Fletcher estimated the month-
ly payroll would top $10,000, not including monthly bills and basic maintenance costs of the building and vast property (formerly Hazelwood Elementary). As of now, there are three part-time positions paid for by Folkmoot — a new operations manager, maintenance person and cleaner. To note, insurance for the building is $1,500 per month.
“So, we’re trying to do what we’ve always done, but now with half the staff,” Fletcher said. “Of course, in those days [back then], the festival was a 10-day event and the organization was phenomenal — a place we hope to someday build back up to.”
An Old English term meaning “meeting of the people,” Folkmoot came to fruition through the vision and imagination of the late Dr. Clinton Border. A Waynesville surgeon, Border tagged along with a local square dance group to a festival in England in 1973. He was inspired by the sense of community and culture he saw at the festival, with the seed quickly planted to somehow do something similar back home in Haywood County.
With the inaugural Folkmoot festival in 1984, the event was held alongside the 400th birthday of North Carolina. International groups invited to attend and perform included Ireland, Holland, Germany, England, Puerto Rico, India, Turkey and Mexico. Guitar wizard and folk music icon Doc Watson also hit the stage.
When the festival was created, Folkmoot was championed as an olive branch between the United States and the world (but mainly aimed toward the Soviet Union — aka Russia). But the once red-hot Cold War began to thaw with eventual fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989.
With its ongoing motto of “Many
Cultures, One Community,” Folkmoot grew through the 1990s, and so did the optimism on the world’s stage. Relations between completely different ideologies and political spheres were beginning to find common ground, some even shaking hands after decades (and centuries) of shaking angry fists towards the heavens of an unforgiving god.
In a post-pandemic society, Folkmoot — like many
Day celebration overtaking Main Street in Waynesville on July 29.
As well, to help with overhead costs and to put the Friendship Center to good use, Folkmoot has been renting out one wing of the building (including the commercial kitchen onsite) to the SOAR Academy, an adventure-based boarding school serving students with ADHD and learning disabilities. Other former classrooms are being rented out by local artisans for studio space.
“We have about 14 rooms we’re renting out to arts/crafts folks and other entrepreneurs who run their own businesses,” Fletcher said. “So, the classroom rentals are one part of the business, with the auditorium another important part alongside the festival itself.”
culture, a beacon of hope in dark times. Regardless of where you stand politically, the more one exposes themselves to things, perhaps, outside of their daily bubble that is their life, the more you begin to see and interact with the bigger picture — a chance to step outside of yourself in an honest quest to understand others.
This 40th anniversary of Folkmoot might prove to be the most crucial year in the long and bumpy history of not only the festival, but this planet and all its inhabitants. It also ushers in a new and exciting era for the event — this extensive and extended global family stretching back four decades, and all originating right here in Western North Carolina.
nonprofits — stood on shaky ground. But it’s becoming more stable every day as it transforms itself from a huge international festival to an artistic hub with a growing list of regularly scheduled performances. For the 40th anniversary of Folkmoot this summer, there will be a special Summer Fundraising Soireé on July 20 at the Friendship Center and the International
• The Folkmoot Summer Fundraising Soireé will be held from 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday, July 20, at the Folkmoot Friendship Center in Waynesville.
At the Summer Soirée, attendees will have the chance to indulge in a variety of cuisines from different parts of the world. From savory dishes to sweet treats, there will be something for everyone to enjoy. To top it off, attendees will receive two drink tickets to complement their culinary adventure.
As you savor the food, tap your feet to live music from local artists and immerse yourself in several culturally-inspired rooms. There will also be a silent auction with unique one-of-a-kind items and experiences up for bid.
Tickets are $50 per person. For more information and/or to purchase tickets, go to folkmoot.org and scroll down to the Summer Soireé tab.
• Folkmoot International Day will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, July 29, on Main Street in Waynesville.
In celebration of Folkmoot’s 40th anniversary, the gathering will feature an array of arts/crafts vendors, food trucks, craft beer, live music and dance.
For more information and full schedule of events, click on folkmoot.org/festivals, call 828.452.2997 or email info@folkmoot.org.
The 265-seat Queen Auditorium is the cultural heart of the Friendship Center. The renovated space has become a sought-after venue of sorts for live music, dance, book readings and other forms of artistic programming throughout the rest of the year leading up to the Folkmoot festival in July.
“Any profits we make from those two commercial wings (rentals, auditorium) go into the festival,” Fletcher said. “The more successful we are running the commercial wings of the [property], the bigger the festival will be.”
Along the course of its existence, Folkmoot has remained a bastion of world
“Folkmoot is in very good hands. Our board, our volunteers and advisors are the reason Folkmoot is carrying on. I’m very optimistic that this time next year it will be a huge sigh of relief, where we’ll know where we are properly,” Fletcher said. “Come by the [Friendship Center]. Come see what we’re all about. Volunteer and help. Folkmoot is here for the community, for all of us — it will keep going.”
“When you go back to the beginning of Folkmoot, it was meant to introduce different cultures to Western North Carolina.”
— Alan FletcherCreated in 1973, the Folkmoot festival has been a beacon of culture, song and dance for Haywood County and greater Western North Carolina.
Hello from 36,000 feet above the Midwest on this otherwise quiet Monday afternoon. Although my flight out of the Asheville airport was just about two hours later than scheduled, no matter — Denver remains in the crosshairs of my intent by this evening.
Onward to Whitefish, Montana, to cover a largescale music festival for Rolling Stone. One of the most remote areas in the lower 48 states. Some of the biggest names in Americana, folk and country music all together in the shadow of Glacier National Park. But, for now, it’ll be a 15-hour or so drive from Denver to Whitefish. Desolate highdesert prairie and towering mountain ranges.
Fifteen hours of interstates, highways and backroads through rural Colorado, Wyoming, Idaho and Montana. Come Tuesday, turn around and head back down to the Mile High City. Return to the airport and to the Allegiant gate for a direct route to Asheville and greater Western North Carolina. Home sweet home.
After my girlfriend and I retrieve the rental car in Denver, but before we hit I-25 en route to Cheyenne for the night, it’s been decided to swing by my dear old friend’s humble abode in Boulder — a quick bite to eat, cold suds and hearty conversation. Dear Andrew, a cosmic brother-from-another if there ever was one. Long ago, before I joined this fine publication in July 2012, Andrew and I used to roam coast-to-coast covering concerts and events for peanuts.
And I realized on this here flight I’m currently on that Andrew and I met 15 years ago this very week. It was at the long-gone Timberline Bar & Grill in the tiny Rocky Mountain outpost town of Victor, Idaho. I was 23 years old and a rookie reporter for the small Teton Valley News in nearby Driggs. He was a photographer for a nowdefunct alt-weekly over the Teton Pass in Jackson, Wyoming.
That very day, mid-July 2008, I was a writer looking for a photographer to cover music festivals and shows with around the West. By happenstance, he was a photographer looking for a writer to do the same. Kindred spirits at first handshake and friendly banter of “Where from?” and “Where to from here?”
Fond memories of those wild-n-out, lonely and destitute days of scraping by for little money for articles we’d submit to random news outlets. Barely enough cash to put gas in the truck, cheap beer down our gullets and generic Spaghetti-O’s right out of the can and into our bellies. Sleep sitting up in the GMC Sonoma at rest areas and truck stops from
Nevada to Tennessee, Maine to Michigan, It’ll be good for the heart and soul to reconnect with Andrew. And I look forward to spending more time with his wife Greta. She appeared in his life not long after he left for Colorado and I ventured below the Mason-Dixon Line. It’ll be a joyous occasion for all involved, especially for my girlfriend, who’s yet to meet and interact with either of them. Rehash old road stories over some smoked meats and veggies Andrew said would be ready by the time we arrive. It also dawned on me this here column recently turned 10 years old. How crazy, eh? One full decade. Week-in-week-out. An estimated 520 columns of randomness, of adventures and musings. Love lost, love found. Remembrances of beloved faces now six feet under. Road-weary shenanigans. Cold nights in the backwoods of Southern Appalachia. Cozy nights next to a woodstove, heavy snowflakes licking the farmhouse windows in my native North Country.
Initially, the purpose of “This … place” was to be a full-page column each week in the newspaper — a space in the arts section to simply wander and ponder with the written word. A slice of life. Whatever I was doing. Wherever I was doing it. Sometimes these sentences circle back to some (hopefully) sensible point about time and place. Sometimes not. Such is life, my brothers and sisters.
Mississippi Musician Hall of Fame icon Webb Wilder will perform at 7 p.m. Saturday, July 15, at Yonder Community Market in Franklin. 2
A special production of the musical “Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella” will grace the stage at 7:30 p.m. July 1315, 20-22, 27-29 and 2 p.m. July 16, 23 and 30 at the Haywood Arts Regional Theatre in Waynesville. 3
The 8th annual Front Street Arts & Crafts Show will showcase some of the finest regional artisans from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, July 15, in downtown Dillsboro.
But, mostly, it’s ramblings about rambling. As a purist for stream of consciousness writing, this portion of The Smoky Mountain News has always been reserved to be whatever it wants to be. Free to be you and me and all of us, together. Hundreds of thousands of miles traversed since the first column was printed. Pretty much the same amount of words spilling out of my fingertips, too.
As with life itself and the respective journey we’re all on, this column is nothing, everything and whatever lies between Point A and Point B (and also right below the surface of our existence). “This … place” is a way, perhaps subconsciously, to connect with our readership and whoever may pick up this newspaper by chance at the local grocery store, gas station or craft brewery (your curiosity is appreciated).
Ramble on and write it all down, even if for your own enjoyment and posterity like
4
The “Boogie Down Bash” featuring Pleasure Chest (rock/soul) and Andrew Scotchie (rock/blues) will be held at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, July 15, at The Lineside, the brand-new music venue at Frog Level Brewing Company in Waynesville.
5
Americana/folk duo Bird In Hand will hit the stage during “Concerts at the Creek” at 7 p.m. Friday, July 14, at the gazebo in Bridge Park in downtown Sylva.
Kerouac posed many moons ago. Stand on the side of the road of the mysterious universe, thumb pointed out and upward for the next ride to the subsequent juncture of one’s passion and purpose. Heck, I’m just lucky enough to have an incredible publisher who allows me to do this for a living. And, for that? Gratitude remains high.
Anytime a person, whether known or unknown, approaches me on the street about “This … place,” I’m always happily surprised to hear they read this. Usually my response is, “Well, it’s nice to know someone reads it.” And I mean that. It is nice to know there are friendly, inquisitive faces combing through our pages and stumbling across “This … place.” The old, “If you’ve read this far, thank you.”
Sipping on a cold can of Stella Artois, there’s about an hour-and-a-half left in this flight to Denver. And one more paragraph or so to wrap up this week’s ramblings. My girlfriend is fast asleep in her seat, her head slowly tilting towards my shoulder. The sounds of the Grateful Dead’s “Jack Straw” echoes in the headphones. The soundtrack of the road to the here and now (and beyond).
Who knows what next week’s column will ponder? Where will I wander? That’s the sheer beauty of “it all” — I, honestly, don’t know. I think of sunrises and sunsets witnessed in real time, those yet to appear before me, as well. Snow-capped mountain peaks and a cool breeze on a hot beach. It’s all the same, and all wondrous. Stay curious. Stay humble. Tip your bartenders. Kiss your lover goodnight, each and every single night. And, dammit, be kind.
Life is beautiful, grasp for it, y’all.
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With over 50 years of experience in each of their disciplines, award-winning artisan couple Butch and Louise Goings continuously garner attention with their expertise in Cherokee basket making and wood carving.
The artisan couple have been bestowed with countless honors and recognitions, most notably the 2023 North Carolina Heritage Award. The Goings have dedicated a majority of their crafting careers to demonstrating and sharing their rich expertise with their community. Through this, their hope is to keep a part of their culture from diminishing by passing these traditions to younger Cherokee generations.
The Goings learned their respective trades from notable Cherokee makers, which plays a significant role in their stories as artists. Butch recalls his first experiences with wood carving, which at a young age was spending time in the forest with his family.
“I can remember back [when] my grandmother would make baskets and we would spend all day in the woods,” Butch said. “[And] my dad would show up and he’d show me how to make little whistles out of laurel limbs. It’s a good day spent in the woods.”
When Butch attended high school in Cherokee, he enrolled in a carving class under the instruction of renowned woodcarver Amanda Crowe. There, Crowe educated her students on carving fundamentals and its importance to Cherokee culture. This is where Butch discovered his passion for wood carving and his desire to pursue a career in this art form.
“My last two years of [high] school, I’d sneak off. I wouldn’t be going to school,” Butch said. “I’d just be going to the wood carving class. That’s mostly where I learned most of my animal carvings.”
Butch showcases and sells his animal carvings at Qualla Arts and Crafts Mutual
cooperative in Cherokee, where he serves as President of the Board of Directors.
At a young age, Louise was exposed to white oak basketry from her mother Emma Taylor, also an award-winning basket maker. The artist recalls her childhood experience going into the forest to gather basket making materials with her mother and seven siblings.
There, Taylor educated her children on how to process white oak for basket making, including choosing the right tree for basket splits and identifying plants useful for dying. After years of observing her mother create
elaborate pieces, the artist made the decision to follow in her footsteps.
“When I was about nine or 10, I started picking up pieces that mom had cut off from her splits and [I started] making little trays,” Louise said. “She would take the [trays] with her baskets to sell at different places in Cherokee before the co-op [Qualla Arts and Crafts Mutual] started. When the co-op started, she sold them there and I got 50 cents.”
As she obtained more knowledge in white oak basket making and how to create intricately woven patterns, Louise began selling her pieces independently at the co-
Louise explains that, for a long time, someone in the community would cut and shave white oak into splits to be sold to basket weavers. A few years ago, this service was no longer available, leaving many individuals without material and the knowledge of how to craft a basket from scratch.
“There are very few of us who can go to the woods,” Louise said. “I think someone said just lately there are only two families supplying the co-op with baskets right now. We’re down to the nitty gritty.”
Another factor is the availability of crafting materials. According to the artists, for white oak to become the perfect size for harvesting, it must mature for 14 to 15 years. It has become increasingly difficult to find white oak trees of this age due to disease. This instance also occurs in the butternut tree, a material frequently used for wood carving and dying.
op, where she continues to do so today.
For the artists, the act of gathering and processing materials is just as important as the finished product. With wood carving, Butch details the knowledge someone needs to have about different types of wood, specifically, what types will sustain being carved and how the grain will appear after carving and lacquering.
With basket making, Louise expresses the important difference between a “weaver” and a “maker.” According to Louise, a “weaver” is a person who possesses the technical skills to successfully make a basket, but a “maker” is a person who forages and processes their own white oak and dying mediums to create a completed piece.
Over time, the number of individuals who are true makers has become scarce.
The artists have been offered trees raised in PVC pipe, but the wood is described as being tough and almost impossible to work with. They believe upcoming artists wanting to create baskets and carve wood will resort to using imitation wood sold in commercial hobby stores if proper crafting education is not passed down.
Togetherness, a love of nature and sharing the traditions of Cherokee craft with others are what Butch and Louise Goings credit to their successes as makers. The artists devote their time to showcasing Cherokee artistry and educating individuals on indigenous making processes that have been a central part of many generations.
Louise sums up her and Butch’s artist ideals into one word: “sgadugi: you come together, work together, to benefit each other.” This ideology continually inspires the artists to share their rich knowledge and craft, keeping this part of their heritage flourishing.
Presented by Adamas Entertainment, the “Boogie Down Bash” featuring Pleasure Chest and Andrew Scotchie will be held at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, July 15, at The Lineside, the brandnew music venue at Frog Level Brewing Company in Waynesville.
Since 2012, Pleasure Chest remains one of the most rollicking blues-n-soul acts in Asheville and greater Western North Carolina. The high-octane stage show is a whirlwind of rock, blues, soul, indie-rock
The “An Appalachian Evening” series will continue with a performance by The Amanda Cook Band at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, July 15, at the Stecoah Valley Center in Robbinsville.
The annual summer concert series offers an ever-changing schedule of bluegrass, folk and old-time mountain music by award-winning artists — quality entertainment for the entire family.
Rich in cultural heritage, the series continues to be a favorite with locals and visitors alike. The concert will be held in the air-conditioned Lynn L. Shields Auditorium.
The group is a great mix of both con-
The Town of Sylva, Jackson County Parks and Recreation Department and Jackson County Chamber of Commerce are proud to present the 14th annual season of the “Concerts on the Creek” music series.
Americana/folk duo Bird In Hand will hit the stage at 7 p.m. Friday, July 14, at the gazebo in Bridge Park in downtown Sylva.
The road less traveled has always been the way for husband-and-wife duo Bird In Hand. Bryan and Megan Thurman call the Great Smoky Mountains of Western North
temporary and bluegrass sounds crowned by Cook’s vibrant country voice and rhythm guitar. Cook debuted on the national bluegrass scene in 2013 and has been stringing together Top 10 songs on radio waves ever since.
The Amanda Cook Band is known for its strong harmonies, which is why the artist was nominated in 2023 by SPGMA for “Female Vocalist of the Year” and the ensemble for “Vocal Group of the Year.”
Tickets are $20 for adults, $10 for students grade K-12.
For more information and/or to purchase tickets, call 828.479.3364 or go to stecoahvalleycenter.com.
Mississippi Musician Hall of Fame icon Webb Wilder will perform at 7 p.m. Saturday, July 15, at Yonder Community Market in Franklin.
Beginning with his 1986 debut, “It Came From Nashville,” Wilder emerged as a barnstorming hero who delivered a peculiar mix of rockabilly, poetry and tomfoolery.
These days, some folks call Wilder’s music “Americana,” though it is as impacted by mods and British Invaders (of the guitar-wielding kind) as it is by the country music he’s heard all his life.
It’s also influenced by the blues and R&B sounds recorded by his Aunt Lillian, who founded Trumpet Records and recorded Elmore James and Sonny Boy Williamson. To
and Motown classics and originals alike.
“Voted the #1 Rock Band in Western North Carolina since 2015” by Mountain Xpress readers, Andrew Scotchie is a regional legend when it comes to original rock and blues stylings.
To note, The Lineside is the big red building between Frog Level Brewing and The Green Room on Commerce Street in Waynesville.
Tickets are $10 in advance, $12 day of show. Doors at 6:30 p.m. Show at 7 p.m.
For more information and/or to purchase tickets, go to froglevelbrewing.com and go to the “Event Calendar” tab.
throw more genres in the mix, Paste Magazine put “It Came From Nashville” on its list of the “50 Best Southern Rock Albums of All Time.” Admission is a suggested donation of $20 or more. For more information, call 828.200.2169 or go to eatrealfoodinc.com.
Carolina home and the region is directly reflected in their music. Bird In Hand is upbeat and new, all while still rooted in the traditions of American folk.
The two have played all over the Appalachian region, as well as across the country, and share an onstage chemistry that demands attention. They need to be seen live to understand the meaning of “Appalachian Thunder Folk.”
You can find Bird In Hand’s debut EP, “Due North,” online at birdinhandmusic.com.
These events are free with donations encouraged. Everyone is welcome. Dogs must be on a leash. No smoking, vaping, coolers or tents allowed. Bring a chair or blanket.
These concerts are organized and produced by the Jackson County Chamber of Commerce, the Town of Sylva and the Jackson County Parks and Recreation Department.
For more information, please contact the Jackson County Chamber of Commerce at 828.586.2155 or visit the Concerts on the Creek Facebook page. A full schedule of dates and performers can be found at mountainlovers.com/concerts-on-the-creek.
Get ready for a day filled with music, entertainment, adventure and delectable food at the Dippin N Sippin River Run and Festival, set to take place on Saturday, July 15, at the Cherokee Welcome Center.
The Dippin N Sippin River Run and Festival offers participants the chance to compete in five exhilarating tube heats, vying for fabulous prizes.
In addition to the thrilling tube races, the Dippin N Sippin River Run and Festival boasts a lively music festival that is sure to keep attendees entertained throughout the day. The music event headliner is Mitch Rossell.
Ticket Pricing:
Adults VIP = $60 (Includes tube race, prime seating for the concert, private restrooms, event shirt & access to the island)
Adult (21 & up) = $40 (Includes the tube race, concert, access to the island
and a reusable beer cup)
Adults (13yr & Up) = $40 (includes the tube race, concert, and access to the island)
Adult (13yr & up) = $20 (Includes concert and access to island only)
Children (ages 4yr – 12yr) = $20 (Includes Tube race, concert and access to the island)
Children (ages 4yr – 12yr) = $10 (Concert & island access)
Children (ages 3yr & under) = Free
The Dippin N Sippin River Run and Festival register on Friday, July 14, from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. or Saturday, July 15, 2023, from 9 a.m. until 11 a.m. The first tube race will begin at 11 a.m. on July 15.
For more information, please visit visitcherokeenc.com/events/detail/dippin-n-sippin-river-run1. Call the Cherokee Welcome Center at 800.438.1601 for any inquiries or assistance. Food and Craft Vendors are needed. Sign up online at: forms.office.com/r/9zhSUZKNxM or by contacting the Cherokee Welcome Center. Volunteers may sign up online at: forms.office.com/r/g74UZTmiUf.
• Balsam Falls Brewing (Sylva) will host an open mic from 8-10 p.m. every Thursday. Free and open to the public. 828.631.1987 or balsamfallsbrewing.com.
• Blue Ridge Beer Hub (Waynesville) will host a semi-regular acoustic jam with the Main Street NoTones from 7-9 p.m. every first and third Thursday of the month. Free and open to the public. For more information, go to blueridgebeerhub.com.
• Boojum Brewing (Waynesville) will host music bingo 7 p.m. Mondays, karaoke at 8:30 p.m. Wednesdays, trivia at 7 p.m., Ben & The Borrowed Band July 15 and Smooth Goose (rock/jam) July 22. All shows begin at 9 p.m. unless otherwise noted. 828.246.0350 or boojumbrewing.com.
• Cashiers Live (Cashiers) will host Greggy & The Jets (Elton John tribute) 7 p.m. July 29. Tickets are $40 for adults, $12 for kids under age 12. VIP options available. Doors at 6 p.m. For more information and/or to purchase tickets, go to cashierslive.com.
• Concerts On The Creek (Sylva) will host Bird In Hand (Americana/indie) July 14 and Dashboard Blue (pop/oldies) July 21 at Bridge Park in Sylva. All shows begin at 7 p.m. Everyone is encouraged to bring a chair or blanket. These events are free, but donations are encouraged. 828.586.2155 or mountainlovers.com/concerts-on-the-creek.
• Cowee School Arts & Heritage Center (Franklin) will host The Clydes (Americana/indie) 6 p.m. July 15. Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for children. For more information and/or to purchase tickets, go to coweeschool.org/music.
• Currahee Brewing (Franklin) will host “Music Bingo” 7 p.m. Thursdays and semiregular live music on the weekends. All shows begin at 7 p.m. Free and open to the public. 828.634.0078 or curraheebrew.com.
• Farm At Old Edwards (Highlands) will host the “Orchard Sessions” featuring Andrew Wooten w/Caroline’s Roost July 12. All shows begin at 6 p.m. Tickets start at $25 per person. For tickets, go to oldedwardshospitality.com/orchardsessions.
• Folkmoot Friendship Center (Waynesville) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. For a full schedule of events and/or tickets, go to folkmoot.org.
• Fontana Village Resort Wildwood Grill will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. Free and open to the public. 800.849.2258 or fontanavillage.com.
• Friday Night Live (Highlands) will host Curtis Blackwell Band July 14 and Carter Giegerich & Friends (Americana/bluegrass) July 21 at Town Square on Main Street. All shows begin at 6 p.m. Free and open to the public. highlandschamber.org.
• Frog Level Brewing (Waynesville) will host its weekly “Tuesday Jazz Series” at 5:30 p.m., Eireann’s Call (Celtic/folk) 6 p.m. July 14 and the “Boogie Down Bash” with Pleasure Chest (rock/soul) & Andrew Scotchie (rock/blues) 6:30 p.m. July 15 (admission $10 in advance, $12 at the door). All shows begin at 6 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public unless otherwise noted. 828.454.5664 or froglevelbrewing.com.
• Frog Quarters (Franklin) will host live music on Saturdays 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Free and open to the public. Located at 573 East Main St. littletennessee.org or 828.369.8488.
• Groovin’ on the Green (Cashiers) will host Seth & Sara (country) July 21. Shows begin at 6:30 p.m. Free and open to the public. Donations encouraged. villagegreencashiersnc.com/concerts.
• Happ’s Place (Glenville) will host Doug Ramsey (singer-songwriter) July 13, Wobblers July 14, Macon County Line July 15, Joe Owens July 20, Whitewater Heathens July 21 and Blue Jazz Band July 22. All shows begin at 6 p.m. Free and open to the public. happsplace.com or 828.742.5700.
• Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort (Cherokee) will host Three Dog Night (classic rock) 7:30 p.m. July 22. For a full schedule of events and to buy tickets, caesars.com/harrahs-cherokee.
• Lazy Hiker Brewing (Sylva) will host trivia 6:30 p.m. Wednesdays, Old Time Jam 6:30 p.m. Thursdays and semi-regular live music on the weekends. All shows begin at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.349.2337 or lazyhikerbrewing.com.
• Lineside at Frog Level Brewing (Waynesville) will host the “Boogie Down Bash” with Pleasure Chest (rock/soul) & Andrew Scotchie (rock/blues) 6:30 p.m. July 15. Admission is $10 in advance, $12 at the door. Open to all ages. 828.454.5664 or froglevelbrewing.com.
• Marianna Black Library (Bryson City) “Summer Music Series” will continue with Frank Lee (old-time/folk) July 13 and Lee Knight (Americana/folk) July 27. All shows begin at 7 p.m. Free and open to the public. For more information, call the library at 828.488.3030 or go to fontanalib.org/brysoncity.
• Meadowlark Motel (Maggie Valley) will host Trivia Thursdays 6:30 p.m., Ginny McAfee (singer-songwriter) July 14, Heidi Holton (blues/folk) July 21 and Smoky Blue Rain (Americana) July 22. All shows begin at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted. For more information and/or to purchase tickets, go to meadowlarkmotel.com or 828.926.1717.
• Salty Dog’s Seafood & Grill (Maggie Valley) will host “Karaoke with Russell” every Monday, Peacock Party Planet July 14, Hayden Shepard (singer-songwriter) July 15, Ginny McAfee (singer-songwriter) July 21 and Blues Hat July 22. Free and open to the pub
• Saturdays On Pine (Highlands) will host Lazrluvr July 15 and Back Porch Orchestra (Americana) July 22 at Kelsey-Hutchinson Park on Pine Street. All shows begin at 6 p.m. Free and open to the public. highlandschamber.org.
• The Scotsman (Waynesville) will host a “Celtic Jam” 2-5 p.m. Sundays, Tricia Ann (acoustic) July 13, Spiro & Friends (rock/soul) July 14, Chris Minick (singer-songwriter) July 20, Celtic Road Jam 4 p.m. July 21 and Jon Cox Band (country/rock) 9 p.m. July 22. All shows begin at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.246.6292 or scotsmanpublic.com.
• SlopeSide Tavern (Sapphire) will host High 5 Band 6 p.m. July 14. All shows begin at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.743.8655 or slopesidetavern.com.
• Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts (Franklin) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. All shows begin at 7:30 p.m. unless otherwise noted. For more information and/or to purchase tickets, go to smokymountainarts.com or 828.524.1598.
• Highlander Mountain House (Highlands) will host a Sunday Bluegrass Residency noon to 2:30 p.m. and the “Salon Series” with Caleb Caudle (singer-songwriter) 8:30 p.m. July 27. Tickets are $25 per person. For more information and/or to purchase tickets, go to highlandermountainhouse.com.
• Highlands Performing Arts Center will host Jenene (pop/soul) 7:30 p.m. July 16. For tickets, go to highlandsperformingarts.com.
• Innovation Brewing (Sylva) will host “Trivia Night with Kirk” from 7-9 p.m. every Monday, Open Mic Night every Wednesday, Andy Ferrell (singer-songwriter) July 15 and Fancy Marie July 22. All shows begin at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. innovation-brewing.com.
• Innovation Station (Dillsboro) will host “Music Bingo” on Wednesdays and semi-regular live music on the weekends. All events begin at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. innovation-brewing.com.
• Lazy Hiker Brewing (Franklin) will host “Music Bingo” 6 p.m. Tuesdays, trivia 6:30 p.m. Wednesdays, Open Mic 6:30 p.m. Thursdays and semi-regular live music on the weekends. All shows begin at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.349.2337 or lazyhikerbrewing.com.
• Mountain Layers Brewing (Bryson City) will host an “Open Mic with Frank Lee” Wednesdays, Frank Lee (old-time/folk) July 14 and 5 p.m.July 23, Heidi Holton (blues/folk) July 16, George Ausman (singer-songwriter) July 21 and Granny’s Mason Jar (Americana) July 22. All shows begin at 6 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.538.0115 or mountainlayersbrewingcompany.com.
• Nantahala Outdoor Center (Nantahala Gorge) will host Wyatt Espalin (singer-songwriter) July 14, Christina Chandler (singer-songwriter) July 15, Terry Haughton July 21 and TG & The Stoned Rangers July 22. All shows behind at 5 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. noc.com/events.
• Pickin’ In The Park (Canton) will host Steve Jordan Band July 14 and Running Wolfe July 21. Local clogging groups will also be onsite to perform. Shows are 6 to 9 p.m. at the Canton Rec Park located at 77 Penland St. Free and open to the public. cantonnc.com.
• Pickin’ On The Square (Franklin) will host Paradise 56 (oldies/variety) July 22. All shows begin at 6 p.m. at the gazebo in downtown. Free and open to the public. franklinnc.com/pickin-on-the-square.html.
• Quirky Birds Treehouse & Bistro (Dillsboro) will host Open Mic Night at 7 p.m. Tuesdays and semi-regular live music on the weekends. Free and open to the public. 828.586.1717 or facebook.com/quirkybirdstreehouse.
• Stecoah Valley Center (Robbinsville) “An Appalachian Evening” live music series will feature The Amanda Cook Band (bluegrass) July 15 and The Jeff Little Trio (Americana) July 22. All shows begin at 7:30 p.m. For more information and/or to purchase tickets, call 828.479.3364 or go to stecoahvalleycenter.com.
• The Ugly Dog Pub (Highlands) will host “Bluegrass Wednesday” at 6:30 p.m. each week. 828.526.8364 or theuglydogpub.com.
• Unplugged Pub (Bryson City) will host TNT July 12, Blue, July 13, Jon Cox (country/rock) July 14, Mile High Band (rock/oldies) July 15, Blackjack Country July 20, The Remnants July 21 and Outlaw Whiskey July 22. All shows begin at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.538.2488.
• Whiteside Brewing (Cashiers) will host Jay Drummond (singer-songwriter) July 14, Kid Billy (Americana/indie) July 15, Christina Chandler (singer-songwriter) July 21 and Jason Lyles (singer-songwriter) July 22. All shows begin at 6 p.m. unless otherwise noted. 828.743.6000 or whitesidebrewing.com.
• Yonder Community Market (Franklin) will host Webb Wilder (singer-songwriter) Webb Wilder 7 p.m. July 15 and Vaden Landers (Americana/folk) 4 p.m. July 30. For more information and/or to purchase tickets, go to eatrealfoodinc.com.
The popular Chamber Music Society of the Carolinas (CMSC) will perform at 4 p.m. July 16 and 30 at First United Methodist Church in Waynesville. People new to chamber music will find the concerts uplifting, with compositions by edgy, exciting modern artists and works of art by Beethoven, Bach, Brahms, Mozart and Chopin.
The CMSC, formerly the Swannanoa Chamber Music Festival, is a premier chamber music festival in the Carolinas, now in its 54th season. Taking place in small venues, the festival creates an up-close and personal interaction between performers and audiences.
“We have an impressive lineup of great and diverse compositions performed by some of the most sought out musicians in America,” said CMSC Artistic Director Inessa Zaretsky.
The JSQ is recognized as one of the leading American string quartets on the performance stage today. CMSC is as proud of the high caliber of musicians in residence, as it is of its unique approach to performance.
A new twist will include music of Argentine tango composer Astor Piazzolla during the last July concert, complete with a virtuoso accordion performance.
Each Waynesville performance will be followed by a meet and greet with the artists and a reception serving light food. Season tickets and individual tickets are available online or at the church. Students will be admitted free.
Single tickets are $30, with season tickets $75 and all are available
at cmscarolina.com. Donations to the CMSC can be made online and are appreciated to support these performances. For Waynesville information, call Steve Wall at 828.400.6465. The First United Methodist Church is located at 566 South Haywood Street in Waynesville.
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185 Freedlander Drive, Clyde 828.627.2821 | www.haywood.edu
Haywood Choral Society will begin pre-registration for its fall 2023 season by hosting a meet-n-greet social at 6 p.m. Monday July 17, in the choir room at the First United Methodist Church in Waynesville.
Attendees will sing, learn about upcoming concerts, meet the chorus director/steering committee and other singers. An RSVP by email is requested for those singers wishing to attend.
The fall season begins on Sept. 12 in preparation for a Dec. 3 concert.
Membership fees are $40, which helps to pay for music purchases. This is the first time the chorus will use a pre-registration process, which they anticipate will streamline the selection and ordering of music for the holiday concert.
All interested singers are welcome. The ability to read music is not required but is very helpful as are choral rehearsal tracks which are available to all singers. The choral group continues to sing a variety of music, some of which is challenging. For more information, go to haywoodchoralsociety.org. Inquiries/RSVPs may be sent to hawoodchoralsociety@gmail.com.
The 9th annual Hometown Heritage Festival will return from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, July 15, in downtown Franklin.
Live demonstrations will be showcased and will feature the essence of life in Southern Appalachia. There will also be live music, entertainment, games and food. Free and open to the public. Hosted by the Streets of Franklin Heritage Association. Sponsored by the Macon County TDA and TDC. For more information, visit streetsoffranklinnc.org.
The Cherokee Bonfire & Storytelling will be held from 7-9 p.m. Sundays, Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays through Oct. 31 at the Oconaluftee Islands Park in Cherokee. 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.
For more information, call 800.438.1601 or go to visitcherokeenc.com.
• “Flights & Bites” will be held starting at 4 p.m. on Thursdays and Fridays at Bosu’s Wine Shop in downtown Waynesville. For more information on upcoming events, wine tastings and special dinners, go to waynesvillewine.com.
• “Take A Flight” with four new wines every Friday and Saturdays at the Bryson City Wine Market. Select from a gourmet selection of charcuterie to enjoy with your wines. Educational classes and other events are also avail-
able. For more information, call 828.538.0420.
• “Uncorked: Wine & Rail Pairing Experience” will be held from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on select dates at the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad in Bryson City. Full service all-adult first class car. Wine pairings with a meal, and more. There will also be a special “Beer Train” on select dates. For more information and/or to register, call 800.872.4681 or go to gsmr.com.
(828) 734-9157
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A special production of the musical “Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella” will grace the stage at 7:30 p.m. July 13-15, 20-22, 27-29 and 2 p.m. July 16, 23 and 30 at the Haywood Arts Regional Theatre in Waynesville.
“Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella” is derived from the fairytale as we know it, particularly the French version. The story concerns a young Ella forced into a life of servitude by her cruel stepmother. She dreams of a better life, finds her fairy godmother, attends a ball, meets a prince. In this version, however, she opens the prince’s eyes to the injustice in his kingdom. For more information and/or to purchase tickets, click on harttheatre.org or call the box office at 828.456.6322.
The “Unto These Hills” stage production will be held at 8 p.m. nightly throughout the summer at the Cherokee Mountainside Theatre.
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 — a place based on traditional Cherokee values and modern sensibilities.
Pre-show entertainment begins at 7:30 p.m. Gates open at 7 p.m. For more information on show dates and/or to purchase tickets, go to visitcherokeenc.com and click on the “Events” tab.
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• Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts (Franklin) will host a special stage production of “Bye, Bye Birdie: A Musical Comedy” at 7:30 p.m. July 14-15 and 21-22. Tickets are $17 for adults, $13 for students. For more information and/or to purchase tickets, click on smokymountainarts.com or 828.524.1598.
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The series “Where We Live: History, Nature and Culture” will host the Women’s History Trail program “Voices from the Past” at 6:30 p.m. Monday, July 17, at the Cowee School Arts & Heritage Center in Franklin.
The event will be a set of dramatic monologues bringing to life the three 19th century Franklin women depicted in the sculpture “Sowing the Seeds of the Future.”
The artist, Wesley Wofford, has completed the eagerly anticipated bronze work, which was first envisioned by the late local historian Barbara McRae in 2017 and has been carried through by the Women’s History Trail, a project of the Folk Heritage
Association of Macon County.
The Women’s History Trail Leadership Team is working with the Town of Franklin toward site preparation and installation, on town land, with a goal of unveiling this monumental sculpture before the end of the year.
The three women in the sculpture are Timoxena Siler Sloan, daughter of a white pioneer family, who is portrayed in this stage presentation by Janet Jacobs Greene; Salley, an enslaved Black woman, portrayed by dancer Jada Bryson; and the Cherokee woman, Na-Ka Rebecca Morris, portrayed by Amber Allen of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.
The stories told in the monologues and rendered in the sculpture ring true to us today,
as they acknowledge the struggles of women living through turbulent times, and celebrate the contributions women have made.
The lecture series is designed to give people an opportunity to learn more about our local area, from many different angles, and to enjoy a pleasant, informative evening together.
For more information, go to coweeschool.org.
The 8th annual Front Street Arts & Crafts Show will showcase some of the finest regional artisans from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, July 15, in downtown Dillsboro. Dozens of booths will display and have for your perusal
the handmade craftsmanship of regional fine artists and crafters intermingled with the sounds of family entertainment.
Vendors will line Front Street offering a choice of many handmade items, including soaps, baskets, pottery, jewelry, bird houses and much more. There will also be a performance by singer-songwriter Anna Victoria (10:30 a.m.), pop/ soul act Suzie Copeland (noon and 1 p.m.) and Americana duo Twelfth Fret (2 p.m.).
The arts and crafts show is free and open to the public. You can even bring your dog (on a leash).
For more information and a full schedule of events, go to visitdillsboro.com. You can also call 828.506.8331.
• Haywood County Arts Council (HCAC) latest exhibit “Water” will run through July 31 at the HCAC showroom and gallery in downtown Waynesville. With work created by over 42 local artists, the show demonstrates remarkable talent in diverse media, including photography, painting, fiber arts, glass and. The gallery is open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sundays. For more information, go to haywoodarts.org.
• “Summer Artisan Market” will be held from
noon to 5 p.m. on the second Saturday of every month through September at the Nantahala Outdoor Center (NOC) in Nantahala Gorge. Free and open to the public. noc.com/events.
• Summer Artisans Market will be held from 6:30-8:30 p.m. on the second Saturday of the month through September at the Nantahala Outdoor Center. Artisan vendors and more. For more information, go to noc.com.
• Farmer’s Market (with artisans) will be held from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Fridays and
Saturdays through October at 117 Island Street in Bryson City. Stop by the old barn by the river for local, homegrown produce, as well as baked goods, jellies and preserves, authentic crafts and more. Food truck, picnic tables and live music. Leashed pets are welcome. Outdoor event. 828.488.7857.
• The Haywood County Arts Council (Waynesville) will offer a wide range of classes, events and activities for artisans, locals and visitors. The HCAC gallery is open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sundays. For more information
and a full schedule, go to haywoodarts.org.
• Jackson County Green Energy Park (Dillsboro) will be offering a slew of classes, events and activities for artisans, locals and visitors. For more information and a full schedule, go to jcgep.org.
• Southwestern Community College Swain Arts Center (Bryson City) will host an array of workshops for adults and kids. For more information on the upcoming classes and/or to sign-up, go to southwesterncc.edu/scclocations/swain-center.
Sometimes we read certain histories — Scott’s expedition to Antarctica, for example, or Washington’s troops at Valley Forge, or the prisoners in the Soviet gulag — and are stunned by the endurance and courage of the human spirit. We put aside some account of the 1916 Battle of the Somme, when charging British troops fell like wheat before the thresher of German machine guns, and wonder what force of will and heart led those soldiers forward into death.
James Fenelon’s “Angels Against the Sun: A WWII Saga of Grunts, Grit, and Brotherhood”
(Regnery History, 2023, 528 pages)
rouses this same sense of astonishment. This is the history of the newly formed 11th Airborne Division, the “Angels,” and their bloody, bitter fighting against Japanese forces in the Philippines during the last year of World War II. That sun, by the way, refers not only to the searing heat of the Pacific, but to the Rising Sun, the flag and emblem of Japan. These battles on the islands of Leyte and Luzon, which included the terrible street fighting in the capitol, Manila, ranged from artillery duels to hand-tohand combat with bayonets, knives, and fists. The Japanese practices of taking no prisoners and of pretending to surrender only to pull out a concealed grenade to take one more American with them into the grave led to a brutal “no quarter” policy of warfare on both sides.
Japanese and American racial and cultural hatred exacerbated these cruelties. Torturing their American captives before finally killing them, for instance, outraged the soldiers of the Airborne division, and the
Japanese atrocities inflicted on civilians in Manila brought that rage to a white heat. At one Red Cross facility, rampaging Japanese soldiers bayoneted women and children, including a 10-day-old infant. Fenelon cites First Lieutenant Kirkland’s description of one room in this aid station, “crammed with women of all ages,” where the atrocities beggar belief and are too gruesome to repeat in this review. As Kirkland later noted, “The Japanese had simply gone berserk in the center city, raping and killing with a childish, mindless ferocity that forever blotted their absurd claim to be a superior race. We certainly treated them as vermin to be destroyed from then on.”
In the midst of all this brutality, however, we also find bravery.
Here’s just one of many examples of this courage cited in “Angels Against the Sun.” On Luzon, 31-year-old private Elmer Fryar, an “old man” in his company, shot and killed multiple enemy soldiers trying to overwhelm his platoon, then dragged a wounded man to safety and dressed his wounds. He was shot down saving the life of his platoon leader when a Japanese soldier charged out of the undergrowth. “Fryar sprung between the two men, taking the full burst in his chest and stomach. Slumping to the ground, Fryar’s final effort was pulling the pin of a grenade and killing his assassin.”
In addition to battling the Japanese, the soldiers of the 11th also fought the terrain and the weather. Those of us who have never experienced combat — less than seven percent of Americans are veterans, with far fewer having seen action — watch movies or play digital games about war, yet we rarely appreciate the enormous impact of the environment and logistics on victory and defeat.
Here Fenelon does readers a great service. He describes the monsoons that made sleep impossible and turned pathways and
roads into mudholes. He shows us the exhaustion that results from climbing steep hills under fire or patrolling jungle trails where every bend might bring an ambush. At one point, these troopers were so ill-supplied that weapons, foods, and medicines were dropped from aircraft, sometimes without parachutes, a practice which brought much-needed help but which also killed several soldiers on the ground.
Like other books on war, “Angels Against the Sun” also investigates the bonds of friendship that united these men. Many had joined up out of patriotism, wanting to serve their country and defeat its enemies, but that motivation became secondary once the guns began firing. “When you’re engaged in a fight for your life,” Robert Marich told Fenelon, “you don’t think about mother, God, country, and the flag and all of that… The only thing you’re worried about is getting killed, and your buddy next to you getting killed. You have a friend there that’s like a brother.”
“Angels Against the Sun” is in large part the story of ordinary young men performing extraordinary deeds. On finishing the book, I wondered whether America still produces enough men such as these to fight a major war. As I already knew, 77% of today’s young people are ineligible to join the military, without a waiver. Obesity is the single largest road block to enlistment, followed by drug abuse, other mental and physical problems, and a criminal record.
Moreover, of the minority of young Americans who do qualify, fewer are considering the military an option. Reasons given for this lack of volunteers range from the greater number of job opportunities in the civilian sector to a falling off of patriotism along with what is perceived as an increased politicization of the military, particularly in the upper echelons. The consequence? The armed forces are having trouble filling their ranks.
Fenelon’s “Angels” points us back to the heroes of 70 years ago who gave their youth and blood to bring an awful war to its conclusion, but is also an implicit signal to the present to encourage physical health, courage, and love of country in our young people, not only for making war, but for living a better life.
(Jeff Minick reviews books and has written four of his own: two novels, “Amanda Bell” and “Dust On Their Wings,” and two works of nonfiction, “Learning As I Go” and “Movies Make the Man.” minick0301@gmail.com.)
The Meditation Center will sponsor a fundraising book sale from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, July 15, at the center in Sylva. Items for sale will include donated used books on various spiritual and wellness topics, as well as donated artwork and household items. Proceeds will benefit The Meditation Center and other local charities.
The center is a nonprofit charitable organization dedicated to improving life through meditation, wellness and spiritual principles. Founded in 2015, the center offers classes, workshops and other services, both onsite and throughout Western North Carolina and North Georgia. For more information, visit meditate-wnc.org.
one
Located up a narrow mountain road in a building about the size of an average single-family house, the Balsam Mountain Trust Nature Center is tiny compared to Executive Director Michael Wall’s last professional home, the San Diego Natural History Museum in California.
He prefers it that way.
“I still definitely love my bugs, but where my heart lies more is within conservation and science communication,” said Wall, who holds a Ph.D. in entomology. “And so a small nature center like this gives me an opportunity to do a whole lot of that sort of stuff within this community, but then also out in the region.”
After growing up in Greenville, South Carolina, Wall earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in botany from his wife’s hometown school, Auburn University, before completing his Ph.D. at the University of Connecticut. During that time, he was chosen as a Visiting Fulbright Fellow at the Australian Museum in Sydney. After a few years abroad, he began his 16-year tenure in San Diego, where he quickly got involved in the “non-research parts” of museum work — exhibits, education, outreach, and, later, administration. His final title before leaving for the mountains was vice president of science and conservation.
After interviewing last summer, Wall
stepped into the executive director role in November 2022. He replaced Michael Skinner, who had retired after leading the nonprofit since 2002.
Wall made the move to be closer to family in the Carolinas, but also to spend less time on budgets and meetings and more time participating in the hands-on work of running a science-focused nonprofit. Funded by donations from residents of the upscale Balsam Mountain Preserve, the Balsam Mountain Trust is a nonprofit that aims to provide education and conservation leadership equipping people to be responsible stewards of the southern Blue Ridge Mountains.
As executive director, Wall still shoulders his share of administrative tasks, but the Trust has a small staff — it’s just Wall, an operations coordinator/naturalist and an Americorp member who conducts outreach programs. Wall is often out in the community giving educational talks or at the Nature Center, interacting with visitors and the center’s animal ambassadors.
However, his looming charge for the months ahead is to work with the Balsam Mountain Trust Board of Directors on a strate-
Join the Balsam Mountain Trust to learn about our wild neighbors — and how to live safely alongside them — during a program at 10:30 a.m. Friday, July 14, at the Jackson County Public Library in Sylva.
Trust’s animal ambassa-
gic planning process that will shape its priorities for the next five years. He hopes to wrap up the project by the end of December.
“I’m trying to help guide that process and really trying to get out into the community a little bit and meet with other nonprofits that are in adjacent missions as us and figuring out where the areas for collaboration are,” he said.
The plan will inform the Balsam Mountain Trust’s pursuit of the “three pillars” that have formed its purpose since its inception in 2000: environmental education, research and land stewardship.
“When I came on board, the board felt like we were leaning really hard into environmental education and wanted to try to balance those three pillars a little bit more, so the research and land stewardship part,” he said. “And so that’s what we’re exploring, is what is that right balance there.”
Documents from the years surrounding the Trust’s origin during a time of rapid growth for second-home construction in Western North Carolina, show that there was a “real focus” on using the Balsam Mountain Preserve’s 4,400 acres — 3,300 of which are protected under a conservation easement — as a “natural laboratory” to find ways for people and wildlife to successfully live as neighbors,” Wall said.
“That’s sort of what we’re exploring, is moving back into that,” he said.
dors will liven up this free program, which is part of the library’s Summer Learning Program and limited to 150 people. Pick up a free ticket at the library the morning of the event.
Register for the Summer Learning Program at the Youth Services Desk or online at fontanalib.org/summer. Contact the library with any questions at 828.586.2016.
Right now, the Trust is focusing on gathering data on water quality and invasive species, with the latter informed through a citizen science project in which Balsam Mountain Preserve residents are encouraged to upload observations of plants they suspect of being invasive species, using the app iNaturalist. Wall hopes to use this data to determine which unwelcome species are present on the property and which management options might best address them. Down the road, he also hopes to investigate what role prescribed fire should play in the management of the Balsam Mountain Preserve.
Another current research project hearkens back to a rare plant rescue operation conducted two decades ago, in which rare plants growing within the building envelopes of the golf course and various home sites were dug up and transplanted to other areas of the property. This summer, the same people who did that work 20 years ago are returning to the transplant sites to see how those plant populations fared.
“Understanding what works and what doesn’t work can then translate into best practices for either future development on the Preserve or just
best practices in general for the region,” Wall said. “If you’ve got a whole bunch of lady slippers within your building envelope, what’s the best thing that you can do other than just clear them off?”
In keeping with his entomological background, Wall is also conducting population surveys of pollinator species on Preserve lands. Pollinators like bees, flies and wasps are vitally important to the health of all kinds of other organisms, including humans. An estimated 35% of the world’s food crops and 75% of flowering plants depend on animal pollinators to produce fruit. But worldwide, the numbers and diversity of insect species — pollinators included — are declining.
“When I first got my Ph.D., I think being an entomologist was ‘cute’ — kind of like, oh, you like insects, that’s cute,’” Walls said. “I think people are starting to understand that insects are a pretty critical part of the ecological world and link a lot of things together.”
There are no studies examining the status of insect species in Western North Carolina specifically, Wall said, though the volume of conserved lands in this part of the world likely keeps the region “in as good a shape as one could be.” However, he also noted a study that investigated aquatic insect populations in German wilderness areas with no upstream development — and found that even there, diversity and abundance were suffering.
“We’re seeing a problem at a very grand scale,” he said. “Just cordoning off an area of
A pair of lectures planned for the Highlands Nature Center over the next couple weeks will explore the complexities of old-growth forests and avian life.
At 6 p.m. Thursday, July 13, respected environmental conservationist Buzz Williams, who is currently program specialist for the Chattooga Conservancy, will give a lecture titled “History of National Forest Management in the Chattooga River Watershed, and the Compelling Case for a New Mission for the Forest Service.” Williams will give an overview of national forest management practices in the Chattooga River watershed and discuss why mitigating the impact of climate change requires a new mission that prioritizes protecting and restoring a network of mature and old-growth forest ecosystems to ensure biological diversity and management aimed at fighting climate change.
wilderness doesn’t necessarily mean we’ve sealed it within a bubble of some kind.”
At 3,300 acres, the conserved lands associated with Balsam Mountain Preserve cover more than 5 square miles south of U.S. 74 between Waynesville and Sylva — a lot of land, but in the scheme of things, a dot on the map. That’s why, Wall said, it’s important to keep in mind that the work on the Preserve is part of something much bigger than those 3,300 acres. That land abuts the Nantahala National Forest, which connects to various state lands and the nearby Blue Ridge Parkway.
“We shouldn’t treat that as an island,” he said. “It’s part of this larger matrix of conserved lands. How do we fit into it, and work to help regionwide plans instead of just focusing on our little island?”
People are also part of that matrix. From the Preserve residents whose second homes are nestled directly into the forest to the locals and tourists who cruise the nearby Blue Ridge Parkway or hunt and hike the national forest, the people of Western North Carolina are intertwined with the land itself — a reality that has led Walls to adopt his own paraphrasing of the Trust’s official mission.
“What I always lean into is helping humans and wildlife live better together in Western North Carolina,” he said, “and so that’s the humans that live here and the wildlife that lives here on the Preserve, but it’s also the humans and wildlife that live down in Sylva, that live over in Waynesville, etcetera. It all falls under that umbrella.”
The lecture will follow a designation ceremony for the W.C. Coker Old Growth Forest, to be held 4-6 p.m. between Lower Lake Road and Bowery Road. The 3.7-acre forest contains a remnant of the “primeval forest” that thrived on the Plateau prior to timber harvesting in the 1930s and 1940s, including some of the largest remaining eastern hemlock trees in the eastern United States. The oldest to be reliably dated goes back to 1791. The ceremony aims to formally recognize and honor this unique ecosystem.
At 6 p.m. Thursday, July 20, evolutionary biologist Barbara Ballentine, who holds a doctorate and is an associate professor at Western Carolina University, will deliver a lecture titled “Bird Talk: An Exploration of Avian Communication.” She will delve into the fascinating world of how birds employ acoustic, visual and olfactory signals in their social interactions for successful reproduction and survival.
Both lectures are offered as part of the Zahner Conservation Lecture Series, held at 6 p.m. each Thursday through Aug. 10. The July 13 lecture is sponsored by Bryding Adams and Bob Rathburn, Lynda Anderson and Ken Conover, Margie Bauer and Jim Parker, Janet and Scott Clarke, Leslie and Jim Costa, Diane Lennox and Paul Manos, Helen and Russ Regnery, and Dollie Swanson. The July 20 lecture is sponsored by Miriam and Vernon Skiles and Mary Todd and Jimmy Davis. For a full schedule, visit www.highlandsbiological.org.
Recent cases of malaria in Texas and Florida have caused alarm about the potential for the disease to spread in warmer regions of the United States, but according to mosquito researcher Brian Byrd, a different type of mosquito-borne illness is of greater concern in Western North Carolina.
“The risk for malaria in our area is low,” said Byrd, professor of environmental health sciences and supervisor of the Mosquito and Vector-Borne Infectious Disease Facility in the School of Health Sciences at Western Carolina University. “But La Crosse encephalitis is the most common mosquito-borne disease in North Carolina and predominately affects children in WNC counties, so it is important to remember the three ‘Ds’ of mosquito protection: ‘dress, drain and defend.’”
Typically, La Crosse has mild or no symptoms, but when the brain swells, causing encephalitis, things can take a deadly turn. According to the Centers for
Record wildlife and remove litter from the Deep Creek area of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park near Bryson City during a family-friendly event Friday, July 14, and Saturday, July 15.
From 6-10 p.m. July 14, participants will learn about owls, bats, millipedes and other nocturnal creatures. They’ll help record insects at a blacklight sheet as well. Then from 8 a.m. to noon July 15, participants will get tips on identifying birds by sight and sound and help document trees, plants, fungi, insects and other species in the area.
Discover Life in America is celebrating its 25th anniversary by partnering with another nonprofit, Save Our Smokies, to host “Bioblitz and Cleanup.” Throughout the event, participants will use the app iNaturalist to document as many animals, plants and other organisms possible in the Deep Creek Area, while Save Our Smokies will provide supplies and lead small groups to remove litter from the area.
The event is just one of the ways park visitors can help DLiA learn more about life in the Smokies. Visitors are encouraged to use iNaturalist to document their observations wherever they are. To date, visitors have made more than 130,000 species observations on iNaturalist, including
Disease Control and Prevention, between 2010 and 2019, 683 cases were reported in
the United States — of which 180 were in North Carolina. Nearly all of those
occurred in the western region. Important steps to prevent mosquitoborne illness are draining or covering standing water; dressing in loose, light-colored long sleeve shirts and pants; and defending by using a repellant recommended by the CDC. The Eastern treehole mosquito, or Aedes triseriatus, is the species responsible for carrying La Crosse. It is attracted to stagnant water for breeding.
Byrd and his team of current students and recent graduates have been working diligently the past week surveilling for mosquitoes at various spots on campus and doing studies to determine which mosquito traps work the best. The team has also been hatching eggs and studying the larvae and the different life cycles as well as seeing if any of the mosquitoes they caught carry La Crosse.
Byrd and his students have been doing mosquito research since 2008 and received a $150,000 grant in 2022 to further their efforts.
It’s time to sign up for sports with Jackson County Parks and Recreation.
• Registration is open for fall youth soccer through Monday, July 31. The league is open to players born in the years 2010-2019, with birth certificates required for all first-time players. Games will be on Saturdays at the Cullowhee Recreation Park starting Sept. 9, with practice beginning in mid-August. Volunteer coaches are needed. The $60 fee includes shirt, shorts and socks.
• Register for the Church 3v3 Basketball League through Saturday, July 15, with games played Thursday evenings at the Cullowhee Recreation Center starting July 20. Players must be at least 14 years old, and registration is limited to eight teams. Team fee is $150.
• Register for the golf league through Monday, July 31. Play will be Tuesday nights at the Smoky Mountain Country Club starting Aug. 15. Fees are $10 to enter plus $25 per week paid to the course.
• A youth volleyball tournament will be held at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 18, at the Cashiers/Glenville Recreation Center for rising third through sixth graders. Cost is $50 per team with four players on each team.
Register at jcprd.recdesk.com. For more information, call 828.293.3053 for Cullowhee or 828.631.2020 for Cashiers.
The observation tower and access trail at Look Rock in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park on the Foothills Parkway will be closed July 10-15 for a radio system upgrade. During the closure, crews will install a
Jaimie Matzko photoVolunteers look for specimens using a “beating sheet.”
more than 140 species that were new records for the Smokies.
Sign up for the free event at dlia.org/25years.
An information session and display of electric vehicles will be offered 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Saturday, July 22, at the First United Methodist Church in Waynesville. The day will begin with an information session 9:30-11:30 by Blue Ridge Electric Vehicle Club members William Hite and Dave Erb. An EV exhibition will follow 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., with some vehicles offering rides to attendees.
Contact William Hite with questions at williammhite@gmail.com.
new microwave antenna and associated equipment, improving radio communications across the park. In addition to serving as a public observation tower, Look Rock Tower is an air quality monitoring site and host for radio equipment serving the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Blount County Sheriff’s Office, Ft. Loudon Electric Cooperative and the U.S. Forest Service.
Learn more about gardening at the Master Gardener Booth, available 8 a.m. to noon on the second and third Saturday of the month through August at the Haywood Historic Farmer’s Market, located in the HART Theatre parking lot in Waynesville.
Haywood County Master Gardener volunteers staff the booth. Available are planting and pruning calendars, pollinator and native plant information, gardening publications, information about the Master Gardener Plant Clinic, soil test kits, children’s seed planting and information about programs at Haywood County Extension.
Explore the plants of Caney Fork Headwaters with Adam Bigelow during a guided walk starting at 9 a.m. Saturday, July 15, in Jackson County.
The group will amble along Mull Creek as it cascades down the mountain, learning about the many native plants along the
way. Over the course of less than 2 miles, the route will lead along the upper reaches of Caney Fork Road, where it will pass through seeps, rich cove forests, and, if time allows, a high-elevation meadow. The hike is expected to take four to five hours.
The event is organized by Mainspring Conservation Trust and costs $25. For more information, including registration links, visit mainspringconserves.org/events.
Learn about lightning bugs — and how your yard care choices can help reverse their decline — during a program at 6:30 p.m. Monday, July 17, at Cowee School Arts and Heritage Center near Franklin.
Macon County native, naturalist, artist and stay-at-home mother Sarah Johnson will give the talk. She spent her life on her ances-
Head to the Jackson County Public Library in Sylva at 3 p.m. Wednesdays for a kids’ program about moon exploration. Randi Neff will lead these activities focused on NASA’s Artemis program, with
tral farm, roaming fields and woods and learning about its glowing treasures: lightning bugs, glow worms and foxfire. She’ll discuss these natural wonders few get to see, why they’re in decline and how your yard can become a sanctuary for them.
The program, located at 51 Cowee School Road, is part of a lecture series that takes place on the third Monday of each month and is designed to give people a chance to learn about the local area from many different angles.
aims to one day establish a base on the Moon. Children will learn more about what that involves, from the trip there to techniques for survival on the Moon.
Co-sponsored by Friends of the Jackson County Public Library. For more information, call 828.586.2016.
Learn how to explore the woods without leaving a trace during a family-oriented program 10:30 a.m. to noon Friday, July 21, at the Albert-Carlton Cashiers Community Library in Cashiers.
Presented by Friends of Panthertown, the program will explore how to have fun in Panthertown Valley while practicing Leave No Trace principles. All ages are welcome at this free program.
A feature documentary exploring the release of the Pisgah-Nantahala Forest Plan will have its premier screening at 7 p.m. Thursday, July 20, at New Belgium Brewing in Asheville.
In “The River Runs On,” filmmaker Garrett Martin features some of the region’s top conservationists and most popular spots in the region as the documentary reflects on the public’s relationship to these lands and what the future may hold for this unique part of the world.
Doors will open at 6 p.m., with the film starting at 7 p.m. Seating is limited and will be available first-come, first-served, so attendees are invited to arrive early and snag a beer before the show begins. Afterward, a panel discussion will give audience members a chance to ask questions about the forest plan and its release. Joining the discussion will be characters from the film, including Josh Kelly with MountainTrue, Tommy Cabe with the Eastern Band of Cherokee, David Whitmire from Headwaters Outfitters and Will Harlan from the Center for Biological Diversity. Admission is $12. To buy a ticket or learn more, visit bit.ly/forestplanpremiere. Presented by MountainTrue.
Puzzles
Abluebird has been knocking at our door this week — at the glass storm door, that is — and at the transom over the door and the windows nearby. Knocking with his beak. You’d think he wants to be a woodpecker, the way he goes at it. But what he really wants is this: to be at the top of the bluebird pecking order in our yard.
Ornithologists say that many female birds choose to mate in places where they can best raise their young. So to attract females, males vie with each other for the prime breeding spots. A male sings to females,
“Come live with me and be my love,
And we will all the pleasures prove”— borrowing verses from Christopher Marlowe. But to other males, his song says, “Butt out.”
When our bluebird sees his image in the window, he thinks it’s a rival and attacks.
Becky has hung strips of cloth outside of our windows to alert oncoming birds to window strikes, but this male lands right on the strips, where he clings and pecks and flaps at his reflection in the glass, making little blue cries all the while. He strikes with his number-two end too — call it projectile defecation. The glass streams with bird snot and blackand-white goo. But the harder he attacks, the harder his spitting image fights back, beak for beak and doo for doo. Now I know why bluebirds are classified in the family turdidae.
At least the male pileated woodpeckers I watched square off in the woods this morning were both real life birds. They landed on the opposite sides of a tree trunk then hopped sideways towards each other, clinging to the bark with their feet, until, coming into sight, they flared their wings and gave air-pecks — “take that!” Then they hopped sideways in the other direction to flare and peck again. So intent were they on intimidating each other that as they flew from tree to tree they came ever closer to me. When they reached a trunk I could almost touch, I wondered if they would land on me next.
But for a case of self-destructive fighting with one’s own image, our bluebird can’t match the fiery red cardinal that a couple of years ago battered his likeness in my study window. I’d be reading quietly by the window, trying to climb Plato’s ladder of love or to hear the rich melody in Keats’s ode to a nightingale, when, WHAM! the cardinal would hurl himself into the glass, rattling
the window in its frame and my brain in its skull.
I tried yelling at him, rapping on the pane, running out to chase him off. I’d barely be settled down again when, Wham! What happened to the cardinal pair I used to see in the yard with young in tow, all tenderly “chipping” to each other?
One day I pretended to be reading, but I had a camera in my hand. Out of the corner of my eye I saw the fireball coming. I quick held up the camera and snapped. The photo is fuzzy, but it does show the deranged glint in that bird’s eye when he body-slammed the glass.
Is it coincidence that our manic birds are red and blue? Sometimes I can’t help but wonder if today’s diseased politics, enflamed by self-serving politicians and cunning opinionators, has infected Moses Creek fauna.
Other times I think maybe it’s the other way around — that our yard bird psychosis has jumped to humans and spread from coast to
coast. We seem to have become a nation of birdbrains banging at “the enemy” — when often the “they” we see reflects the suspicion running wild inside our own minds. Almost 200 years ago Thoreau put his finger on this feverish condition humans are prone to: “I know of no rule which holds so true as that we are always paid for our suspicions by finding what we suspect.” Today, a psychologist might diagnose it as projectile paranoia. I call it foul.
The cardinal fought the window for weeks — an American Narcissus eyeing himself in the glassy pool, though with hatred instead of love. Then one morning the slamming and glaring stopped.
Hearing Becky tap on the window, I went out to see what she was pointing at. There lay the cardinal crumpled in the grass, his once-handsome feathers soaked from an overnight rain. Before he scrambled his brain or snapped his neck, had he even taken time to mate?
• Cowee School Farmer’s Market is held Wednesdays from 3-6 p.m., at 51 Cowee School Drive in Franklin. The market has produce, plant starts, eggs, baked goods, flowers, food trucks and music. For more information or for an application, visit www.coweeschool.org or call 828.369.4080.
• Environmental Action Community of WNC will have plastic pollution and remediation displays and information available throughout the month of July on Saturdays from 9 a.m.-noon at Historic Haywood Farmers Market in Waynesville, Thursdays from 4-7 p.m. at the Mill Town Farmers Market in Canton, and all day Saturday, July 22, at Grace Episcopal Church in Waynesville. For more information visit eacwnc.org/event.
• The Green Energy Park is seeking artists to demonstrate/ provide kid-friendly activities, as well as musicians to perform, for the Youth Art’s Festival slated to take place 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 16, at the Jackson County Green Energy Park. If interested, contact Chelsea Seaman at chelseamiller@jacksonnc.org or call the office at 828.631.0271.
• Mountain Area pregnancy Services and the WIC Breastfeeding Peer Counselor work together to provide a casual support group for prenatal and breastfeeding individuals from 1-2 p.m. on Tuesdays at Mountain Area Pregnancy Services, 177 N Main St. Waynesville. All are welcome, registration is recommended. For more information please call 828.558.4550.
• The Blue Ridge EV Club will host “Everything About Electric Vehicles” from 9:30-1 p.m. Saturday, July 22, at First United Methodist Church in Waynesville. There will be a workshop featuring Dave Erb, a retired mechatronic engineering professor from UNC-Asheville and a presentation featuring William Hite who will speak about the current EV market. Free and open to the public.
• The Western Carolina Cribbage Club meets every Monday at 6 p.m. An eclectic group of young and old, male and female. The group supplies boards, cards, pegs and are always willing to help those still learning the finer points of the game. Contact kei3ph@bellsouth.net for more information.
• Chess 101 takes place 3:30-4:30 p.m. every Friday at the Canton Branch of the Haywood County Library. For more information, email Ashlyn Godleski at ashlyn.godleski@haywoodcountync.gov or call 828.356.2567.
• Knit Night takes place at 5:30-7:30 p.m. every second Tuesday of the month at The Stecoah Valley Center. The event is free and open to the public. RSVP is recommended: 828.479.3364 or amber@stecoahvalleycenter.com.
• Sylva Writers Group meets at 10:30 a.m. on the second and fourth Wednesdays of the month at City Lights Bookstore. For more information contact sylvawriters@gmail.com.
• The Meditation Center in Sylva is sponsoring a book sale from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. on Saturday, July 15, as a fundraising event. Items for sale will include donated
n All phone numbers area code 828 unless otherwise noted.
n To have your item listed email to calendar@smokymountainnews.com
books on various spiritual and wellness topics, as well as donated artwork and household items. Proceeds will benefit the Meditation Center and other local charities. For more information visit meditate-wnc.org.
• Summer’s Golden Hour Talk: James T. Costa on “A Radical Nature” will take place at 6 p.m. Friday, July 21, at the Arboretum. His latest book, “Radical by Nature,” is an epic account of the life of Alfred Russel Wallace, one of the most famed naturalists of the Victorian age. For more information visit ncarboretum.org.
• Tremont Writers Conference, an intensive five-day retreat for writers of fiction, nonfiction and poetry will take place Wednesday, Oct. 25-29. Applications to participate in the event may be submitted online now through April 30 at writers.gsmit.org.
• The Amanda Cook Band will be in concert at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, July 15, at Stecoah. Tickets are $20. For more information visit stecoahvalleycenter.com.
• “Where We Live: History, Nature and Culture” will host the Women’s History Trail program “Voices from the Past,” a set of dramatic monologues bringing to life the three 19th Century women depicted in the sculpture, “Sowing the Seeds of the Future,” at 6:30 p.m. Monday, July 17, at Cowee School Arts and Heritage Center in Franklin.
• The Harry Potter Birthday celebration will take place 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, July 29, in downtown Sylva. There will be a costume contest at 11 a.m. at Hogwarts (the paper mill) followed by a costume sidewalk parade around noon. Kids activities at Platform 9 3/4 (Fusion Spa) will take place from 2-4 p.m.
• Folkmoot International Day will celebrate dance, music, crafts and food of many world cultures and the Appalachian Mountains 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, July 29, in downtown Waynesville. For more information visit folkmoot.org.
• The 8th Annual Front Street Arts and Crafts Show will take place Saturday, July 15, in Dillsboro. There will be artists, crafter, live music, vendors and food. For more information call 828.506.8331 or go to visitdillsboro.com.
• Trivia Night is hosted 6:30-8:30 p.m. ever Thursday evening at the Meadowlark Motel in Maggie Valley. For more information visit meadowlarkmotel.com.
• Paint and Sip at Waynesville Art School will be held every Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 7-9:30 p.m. To learn more and register call 828.246.9869 or visit PaintAndSipWaynesville.com/upcoming-events. Registration is required, $45.
• Mountain Makers Craft Market will be held from noon-4 p.m. the first Sunday of each month at 308 North Haywood St. in downtown Waynesville. Over two dozen artisans selling handmade and vintage goods. Special events will be held when scheduled. mountainmakersmarket.com.
• Smoky Mountain Event Center presents Bingo Night with doors opening at 4:30 p.m. and games starting at 6 p.m. on the second and fourth Tuesday of the month. For more information visit smokymountaineventcenter.com.
• Folkmoot’s Summer Soirée fundraiser will take place 7-9 p.m. on Thursday, July 20, at the Folkmoot Friendship Center. There will be a variety of cuisines from different parts of the world, live music from local artists, different culturally inspired rooms and a silent auction. Tickets are $50, visit folkmoot.org to purchase.
• “Flights & Bites” will be held starting at 4 p.m. on Thursdays and Fridays at Bosu’s Wine Shop in downtown Waynesville. For more information on upcoming events, wine tastings and special dinners, click on waynesvillewine.com.
• A free wine tasting will be held from 6-8 p.m. every Thursday and 2-5 p.m. every Saturday at The Wine Bar & Cellar in Sylva. 828.631.3075.
• Take a trip around the world with four different wines every Friday 11 a.m.-8 p.m. and Saturday 11 a.m.-6 p.m. at the Bryson City Wine Market. Pick from artisan Charcuterie Foods to enjoy with wines. 828.538.0420
• Cooking classes take place at the McKinley Edwards Inn from 6-8:30 p.m. on Thursday nights. To reserve your spot call 828.488.9626.
• The Jackson County Public Library is hosting Balsam Mountain Trust at 10:30 a.m. Friday, July 14. Participants will learn about humans’ wild neighbors, and how to safely live alongside them. This program is free and open to the public. For more information call the library at 828.586.2016.
• A four-week Feldenkrais class series begins at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, July 26, at the Folkmoot Friendship Center in Conference Room A1. Feldenkrais uses gentle movement and directed attention to promote reduction of pain, increase range of movement, improve flexibility and coordination. Cost $60 for the series, $20 per class for walk-ins. To register email Annallys at eetm2023@proton.me or call 505.438.9109.
• “Armor Construction: Gothic Gauntlet,” a class that teaches various techniques involved in constructing armor, will be offered 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Friday and Saturdays, August 5-6, at the Green Energy Park in Jackson County. Cost is $550, space is limited, pre-registration required. For more information or to register, contact the GEP at 828.631.0271.
• Chess 101 takes place from 3:30-4:30 p.m. every Friday in the Canton Branch of the Haywood County Public Library. No registration required, for more information call 828.648.2924.
• Wired Wednesday, one-on-one technology help is available at 3-5 p.m. every Wednesday at the Canton Branch of the Haywood County Library. For more information or to register, call 828.648.2924.
• Uptown Gallery, 30 East Main St. Franklin, will be offering Children’s Art Classes Wednesdays afternoons. Adult workshops in watercolor, acrylic paint pouring, encaustic and glass fusing are also offered. Free painting is available 10 a.m.-3 p.m. every Monday in the classroom. A membership meeting takes place on the second Sunday of the month at 3 p.m. All are welcome. Call 828.349.4607 for more information.
• “Thursday Painters” group will be held from 10 a.m.3 p.m. on Thursdays at The Uptown Gallery in Franklin. Free and open to the public. All skill levels and mediums are welcome. Participants are responsible for their own project and a bag lunch. 828.349.4607 or pm14034@yahoo.com.
Visit www.smokymountainnews.com and click on Calendar for:
n Complete listings of local music scene
n Regional festivals
n Art gallery events and openings
n Complete listings of recreational offerings at health and fitness centers
n Civic and social club gatherings
• A fly fishing class for youth 10-18 will be offered at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 12, at Lake Junaluska. Ray Sugg will teach the class, which will meet at the park below the lake’s lower dam. Rods and flies will be provided. Cost is $5. Register at bit.ly/haywoodrec.
• Haywood County Recreation and Parks will lead a hike on Wednesday, July 12, on the Mountains-to-Sea Trail to Skinny Dip Falls. This easy-to-moderate hike is 3.3 miles long with an elevation gain of 875 feet. Hike registration is $10. Sign up at haywoodcountync.gov/recreation.
• Check out the birds along the new Dahlia Trail System at Haywood Community College during a birding expedition at 8:30 p.m. Thursday, July 13. Howard Browers will lead the walk, meeting at HCC’s Hemlock Building. Loaner binoculars are available. Cost is $10. Sign up at bit.ly/haywoodrec.
• A designation ceremony for the W.C. Coker Old Growth Forest will take place 4-6 p.m. Thursday, July 13. Following the dedication, the Highlands Biological Foundation will host a Zahner Conservation Lecture beginning at 6 p.m. at the Highlands Nature Center titled “History of National Forest Management in the Chattanooga River Watershed, and the Compelling Case for a New Mission for the Forest Service.” For more information visit highlandsbiological.org.
• Dippin N Pippin River Run and Festival will take place Saturday, July 15, in Cherokee, North Carolina. There will be music, entertainment, food and six tube races. For more information visit visitcherokeenc.com/events.
• Explore the plants of Caney Fork Headwaters with Adam Bigelow during a guided walk starting at 9 a.m. Saturday, July 15, in Jackson County. The hike is expected to take four to five hours. The event is organized by Mainspring Conservation Trust and costs $25. For more information, including registration links, visit mainspringconserves.org/events.
• Haywood County Recreation and Parks will lead a hike on Saturday, July 15, on the Mountains-to-Sea Trail from Soco Gap to Howard’s Bridge. Lisa and Bickey will lead this 3.2-mile hike. Hike registration is $10. Sign up at haywoodcountync.gov/recreation.
• Free screenings of the wildlife documentary “RATTLED: Conserving Rattlesnakes in Appalachia” will be offered at 2 and 3:30 p.m. Sunday, July 16, at the Highlands Nature Center in Highlands.
• The Gran Fondo Asheville will offer an exploration of the best serpentine roads, climbs and descents in the Asheville area Saturday, July 16, departing from downtown. Registration is $145 for the 100-mile or 60-mile and $90 for the 30-mile through July 6. Prices increase by $20 July 7-12. On-site registration is $180 for the longer routes or $125 for the shorter. Learn more at granfondonationalseries.com/gran-fondo-asheville.
• The Carolina Mountain Club is inviting the community to help celebrate its 100th birthday 1-5 p.m. Sunday, July 16, at the N.C. Arboretum in Asheville. Learn more at carolinamountainclub.org.
The Smoky Mountain News Marketplace has a distribution of 16,000 copies across 500 locations in Haywood, Jackson, Macon and Swain counties, including the Qualla Boundary and west Buncombe County. Visit www.wncmarketplace.com to place your ad!
Rates:
• $15 — Classified ads that are 25 words, 25¢ per word after.
• Free — Lost or found pet ads.
• $6 — Residential yard sale ads.*
• $1 — Yard Sale Rain Insurance
Yard sale rained out? Call us by 10a.m. Monday for your ad to run again FREE
• $375 — Statewide classifieds run in 170 participating newspapers with 1.1+ million circulation. (Limit 25 words or less)
• Boost Online — Have your ad featured at top of category online $4
• Boost in Print
• Add Photo $6
• Bold ad $2
• Yellow, Green, Pink or Blue Highlight $4
• Border $4
Note: Highlighted ads automatically generate a border so if you’re placing an ad online and select a highlight color, the “add border” feature will not be available on the screen.
Note: Yard sale ads require an address. This location will be displayed on a map on www.wncmarketplace.com
p: 828.452.4251 · f:828.452.3585
classads@smokymountainnews.com www.wncmarketplace.com
NOTICE OF ADMINISTRATION
Case No.2023 E 000399 Stacy Corzine, having -
John Ray Hardin -
Oct 05 2023, or Administrator 137 Reynolds Dr Canton NC 28716
Announcements
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HOME INSPECTION
CAREER Don’t settle for a job, when you can have a career in home inspection. Home Inspectors earn $300 plus daily inspecting homes during real estate sales. You can be licensed in less than 8 weeks. Let us help you build a business with Training and Preparation for State Licensure. www.THITcenter. com (336) 516-2084 gregoryengineers@ cs.com
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NEW AUTHORS WANTED!833-403-2202
DRIVERS WANTED: LANDSCAPING CREWS
Land For Sale
RV/TINY HOME LOTS FOR SALE
DIAGNOSED WITH LUNG CANCER? You -
KITTENS!! Asheville Humane Society has kittens available for adoption; all 2-6 months old and cute as can be! Fee includes vaccination and spay/neuter. (828) 761-2001 adoptions@ ashevillehumane.org
HOUND MIX, BROWN/ BLACK/WHITE — JUDITH 6 yr-old girl; friendly. Loves trail hikes and car rides, and playing with other dogs. Asheville Humane Society (828) 761-2001 adoptions@ ashevillehumane.org
• Brian K. Noland - bknoland@allentate.com
• Anne Page - apage@allentate.com
• Jerry Powell - jpowell@allentate.com
• Catherine Proben - cproben@allentate.com
• Ellen Sither - esither@allentate.com
• Karen Hollingsed- khollingsed@allentate.com
• John Keith - jkeith@allentate.com
• Randall Rogers - rrogers@allentate.com
• Susan Hooper - shooper@allentate.com
• Hunter Wyman - hwyman@allentate.com
•Julie Lapkoff - julielapkoff@allentate.com
•Darrin Graves - dgraves@allentate.com
ERA Sunburst Realty - sunburstrealty.com
•Rick Border - sunburstrealty.com
• Randy Flanigan - 706-207-9436
• Steve Mauldin - 828-734-4864
Keller Williams Realty - kellerwilliamswaynesville.com
•The Morris Team - www.themorristeamnc.com
• Ron Breese - ronbreese.com
• Landen Stevenson- landen@landenkstevenson.com
Lakeshore Realty
• Phyllis Robinson - lakeshore@lakejunaluska.com
Mountain Dreams Realty- maggievalleyhomesales.com
• Lyndia Massey- buyfromlyndia@yahoo.com
Mountain Creek Real Estate
• Ron Rosendahl - 828-593-8700
McGovern Real Estate & Property Management
• Bruce McGovern - shamrock13.com
RE/MAX Executive - remax-waynesvillenc.com remax-maggievalleync.com
• The Real Team - TheRealTeamNC.com
• Dan Womack - womackdan@aol.com
•Mary Hansen - mwhansen@charter.net
• Billy Case- billyncase@gmail.com
Rob Roland Realty
• Rob Roland - 828-400-1923
Smoky Mountain Retreat Realty
• Tom Johnson - tomsj7@gmail.com
• Sherell Johnson - Sherellwj@aol.com
6 See 72-Across
7 -- Fables
8 Sominex competitor 9 Have -- with
solve a sudoku, the numbers 1 through 9 must fill each row, column and box. Each number can appear only once in each row, column and box. You can figure out the order in which the numbers will appear by using the numeric clues already provided in the boxes. The more numbers you name, the easier it gets to solve the puzzle!
Answers on 34
